The Herd with Colin Cowherd — Hour 2

Episode Date: February 17, 2026
Main Guests: Nick Wright ("First Things First")
Main Themes: NBA team building, tanking solutions, LeBron & Lakers' future, Warriors’ missteps, Chiefs’ off-season, Luka Doncic’s trajectory, Tatum’s return, and more.

Episode Overview

In this episode, Colin Cowherd—with frequent NBA guest Nick Wright—dives into some of the NBA's most pressing current issues: how teams like the Lakers and Warriors are (mis)managing aging stars and timelines, the ongoing tanking debate, and how the league should respond. The hour is also peppered with NFL talk (the Chiefs & Tyreek Hill, Aaron Rodgers’ future), as well as some speculation about star returns and evolving team windows in the NBA. Lively, candid, and fast-moving, the conversation delivers pointed criticism, big-picture insights, and a signature blend of data and personality.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Lakers, LeBron & Luka: The Peril of Messed Up Timelines

• Lakers' Inactivity & Future:

  • Lakers did little at the deadline; rumors swirl they are chasing Giannis.
  • Colin argues the Lakers, like LA's other iconic teams, need to "pick a timeline" and avoid sentimentality.
  • LeBron, though still an elite contributor, is potentially muddying the transition to Luka Doncic, now nearing his late 20s.
  • Colin on star transitions:

    "They moved off Shaq and it hurt, but they moved off him because they had a young star in Kobe... You pick a timeline." (03:37)

• Roster & Front Office Critique:

  • Nick and Colin catalog front office failures:
    • Wasted draft picks (Jalen Hood-Schifino, Dalton Knecht), letting key role players walk (Alex Caruso, Jordan Goodwin), botched free agency (Kendrick Nunn, Gabe Vincent).
    • “No one's been as dreadfully bad on the margins.” — Colin (05:53)

• LeBron's Next Chapter

  • Nick predicts LeBron will depart the Lakers next year:

    "I do not believe LeBron James is retiring, and I do not believe LeBron James will be a Laker next year." (07:11)

  • Lakers haven't surrounded LeBron or Luka with the athletic wings and defenders they need.

• Luka's Window is Now:

  • The team is risking Luka’s prime by not aggressively building:

    "You are giving up years of Luka's prime and your opportunity to contend, it's incredibly risky." — Nick (09:26)

2. NBA Tanking: Problem & Solutions

• Is Tanking Bad?
  • Colin takes a moderate stance: the current hard cap and luxury tax structures have forced teams to tank as a viable rebuild strategy.
  • “Tanking’s awful, but it's been around forever... You want to get from unwatchable to good, sometimes it's the only path.” (10:33)
• Nick’s Solution: Harsher Penalties
  • Nick: Sit healthy players or intentionally lose, and your lottery odds (or draft pick position) should be severely penalized.

  “If you do that again, your pick is 30th next year. Fight me in NBA arbitration but I am going to make that ruling.” — Nick (13:18)

  • Proposes flattening lottery odds for bottom teams, docking picks for egregious tanking.
  • “The incentives are so misaligned... It is the smart thing to do for individual teams—and the worst thing for the league’s health.” (14:25)

3. Warriors: The Mistake of ‘Two Timelines’

• Warriors’ efforts to remain old and young at the same time have “papered over” decline.
• Nick criticizes Golden State for not maximizing Stephen Curry’s window:

  “You have an obligation to only care about his timeline... The two timeline thing was a farce.” (15:45)

• Compares to Cavaliers trying to plan for the post-LeBron era instead of maximizing now.

4. Chiefs' Offseason: Tyreek Hill Isn’t the Answer

• Colin: Reuniting with Tyreek Hill is not the solution; Chiefs need to focus on O-line and running game.
• Nick, a Chiefs fan, agrees:

  “It is not a priority. If he wants to take a massive discount... fine. But... you don’t base your offseason around it.” (18:51)

  • Cites off-field issues and declining athleticism.

5. Luka Doncic: Carmelo or Harden?

• Colin: Luka may mirror Carmelo Anthony—offensive talent, not elite fitness or defensive effort, peaking by 28.

  “You’re going to look up in two years... and Luka’s 29, and it’s like those last Carmelo years—he’s aged really quick.” (22:01)

• Nick: Luka is closer to Harden—ball-dominant, not a fitness fanatic, but an elite playoff performer (unlike Harden’s playoff underachievement).

  “Luka is... an offense unto himself, similar to Harden. But unlike Harden, he's a great playoff player.” (23:07)

  • Agrees the window is short (next five years): “Your window is right now... what’s frustrating is last year and this year it didn’t feel like [the Lakers] were trying to win the championship.” — Nick (27:01)

6. NBA, Fan Experience, and the Tanking Discourse

• Mark Cuban’s take: fans care more about the experience than winning nightly; tickets are too expensive, and tanking isn’t killing attendance.

  “The NBA should worry more about fan experience than tanking. It should worry about pricing fans out of games, not tanking.” (48:13)

• Colin supports:

  “Everybody’s on a phone. Nobody’s watching the game... make the tickets more affordable.” (49:50)

7. Other Sports Highlights

• Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh?
  • Some brief back and forth with JMac on Rodgers’ branding and what he’d mean to the Steelers. (33:21–35:46)
• Christian Gonzalez’s Pro Bowl Emergence:
  • Patriots’ CB noted as a building block—Colin re-emphasizes the scarcity of elite corners. (36:12–37:31)
• Jayson Tatum’s Achilles Return Debate:
  • Discussion on returning stars and franchise windows—should Tatum rush back if the Celtics' title window might close soon?

    "We always think these windows are open... then Denver isn't that good." — Colin (40:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Exchanges

• Colin Cowherd on picking timelines:
  “Which direction are you going? The Dodgers and Rams move off stars all the time. You can't be paralyzed by this.” (03:37)

• Nick Wright on LeBron’s likely exit:
  “I do not believe LeBron James is retiring, and I do not believe LeBron James will be a Laker next year.” (07:11)

• Nick on tanking discipline:
  “If you do that or something that reminds me of that again, your pick is 30th next year. You're out of the lottery. Fight me in NBA arbitration.” (13:18)

• Nick on Warriors’ mismanagement:
  “The Warriors 2 timeline thing was a farce... You have one of the greatest players ever... and they didn't go all in, and now they're stuck.” (16:12)

• Colin on Luka's trajectory:
  “You’re going to look up in two years... and Luka’s 29, and it’s going to feel like those last... Carmelo years—he’s aged really quick.” (22:01)

• Nick on Luka vs. Harden:
  “Luka does not remind me of Carmelo. He reminds me of James Harden. Except Luka is an all time playoff riser while Harden was an all time playoff faller.” (22:33)

• Colin on NBA fan experience:
  “Everybody's on a phone. Nobody's watching the game... It's about the experience, not whether the Bulls are winning.” (49:50)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Lakers, LeBron & Luka Timelines: 03:00–10:30
• NBA Tanking Problem & Solutions: 10:33–15:45
• Warriors’ Two Timelines Error: 15:45–18:10
• Chiefs/ Tyreek Hill Discussion: 18:10–21:09
• Luka Doncic's Future/Comp: 21:09–27:01
• NBA Fan Experience & Tanking: 48:13–53:05
• Other NFL & NBA News (Rodgers, Vrabel, Gonzalez, Tatum): 33:18–42:29

Tone and Style

Candid, forthright, opinionated, and sometimes irreverent. Both hosts are direct in their criticism (especially of front office bungles), blend data with storytelling, and pepper the conversation with analogies and player comps. Energetic banter keeps the show lively, while persistent skepticism about league and team decisions adds bite.

In Summary

This hour serves as a critical, big-picture look at the state of NBA leadership, the dangers of muddled team-building, the unintended consequences of league rules, and the ever-present tension between competition and entertainment. For listeners wondering why some NBA powers can't right the ship or pondering where their franchise should go next, Colin and Nick offer punchy analysis and passionate opinions, all underpinned by a strong grasp of the league’s rhythms and realities.