← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
THE HERD - Hour 2 - How to stop the NBA's tanking problem, what the Chiefs should NOT do, Nick Wright
00:41:43
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- [00:00]
Colin Cowherd
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human living in a prayer.
- [00:06]
Nick Wright
That song gets everyone singing.
- [00:07]
Colin Cowherd
And now singing it could get you on a flyaway trip for two to see Bon Jovi live this summer. Enter the iHeartRadio give it a Shot Sweepstakes presented by State Farm.
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Nick Wright
If you want bonus entries, submit your.
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Colin Cowherd
Best rendition of the song and possibly.
- [00:21]
Nick Wright
Have it featured on air or on.
- [00:23]
Colin Cowherd
Social enter now at iheartradio.com giveitashot sweeps no purchase necessary open illegal US residents of the 50 United States and DC 18/ void prohibited. Sweepstakes ends on 2232026 for official rules, visit iheartradio.com give it a shot Sweeps Remember when people were nice? When we could occasionally stop fighting and come together? Well, here's some good news. The Ripple Effect is here. Hosted by comedian Jenna Kim Jones, it's a show about how powerful it is when we reach out to one another. It's the perfect weekly proof that goodness isn't gone. The Ripple Effect is more than a podcast. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. Listen to the ripple effect on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts. I'm Colin Coward from the Herd Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you'll definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. In the latest season, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Janie Torres are talking to self starters about the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and how QuickBooks helps you to get more done in less time. You don't want to miss it. Listen to Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Kavino and Rich. Ready to tackle your financial goals? We Bull makes it simple to start investing no matter your experience. Whether you're actively trading or building. For the long term, We Bull gives you the tools to invest your way. Trade stocks, options, ETFs and more, or explore cash management and retirement accounts to help your money work harder in the long term or all in one platform. With advanced trading tools and an intuitive app, webull helps you stay informed and in control. Don't sit on the sidelines. Download the Webull app today W E B U L l or visit we bull.com Webull Financial LLC member SIPC FINRA Investing involves risk. For more information, visit webull.comdisclosures thanks for listening to the herd Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now, let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go, hour two on a Tuesday. Great to have you in. Nick Wright in a couple of minutes. We are live. We're in Chicago. Seriously, I didn't even wear a jacket to work today. I wore a sweater. Unbelievable. You think you're gonna throw 7 of cold weather at this guy? Nothing like a 72 mph fastball. Whack that out. I'm wearing sweaters and golf shirts to work now. So I, I was talking about an hour ago, interesting story. Dave McMenamin went and he talked about the Lakers not doing anything at the trade deadline. And that's because a lot of executives think they're going to go after Giannis. And then in the article there's this line and I'm like, wait, what, what, what? And the line is, well, according to A source, If LeBron wants to come back next year in LA, he can. And my take is, okay, pick a timeline. Need a rim protector? Multiple young athletic wing defenders, multiple shooters. It's not that LeBron's not good, but the Lakers moved off Shaq and he was beloved in LA and had three titles and they moved off him and it hurt for a year, but they moved off him because they had a young star in Kobe Bryant who was an obsessed in great shape player. Luke is not. Luke is 27 in a week. Like Carmelo Anthony, whose Last great all NBA year was 28 years old. Luke is not dunking anymore. Three this year, one last year. He doesn't appear again to be in great shape, has very casual interest in defending. It's very Carmelo. And I've said you're going to wake up very quickly with the Lakers and go, oh, Luke is 29 years old and we're playing around with LeBron's retirement tours. It's not that LeBron hasn't been a good soldier and a great player and an all time legend and the best player ever. I'm not denying any of that. OKC said, we're picking a timeline. San Antonio said, Detroit said, we're picking a timeline. You get into trouble when you're the warriors and you have old Stephen, old Draymond. We'll try to get young. But I don't love being young. We're going to still be old. We'll try. You pick a timeline. Which, which direction you're going. So to me, I mean, the Dodgers and the Rams move off stars all the time. You can't be paralyzed by this. We're not Memphis in la. John Morant, we can't move off him. Or the Pelicans with Zion. What will the fans say? Nobody cares. It's la. They moved off a Super bowl quarterback. In Golf, they move off Von Miller. They move off Todd Gurley. Dodgers move off Cody Bellinger, Trey Turner, Scott Sager, great player, Manny Machado. It's la, you know, you'll find somebody else. But the whole thing, I mean, Jason Temp yesterday brought the hammer on Rob Pelinka. This roster has multiple holes in it.
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Nick Wright
There have just been too many misses. Draft misses. Like wasting first round picks on Jalen Hood. Schiffino and Dalton connect and getting nothing.
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Colin Cowherd
Out of those guys. Can't even play them or they're out of the league.
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Nick Wright
Free agent misses. Jordan Goodwin was like a really important player for them last year. They let him walk because they didn't want to spend a second round pick to clear a roster spot, so they let him walk. Now he's killing it for the Phoenix Suns this year, letting Alex Caruso walk, botching their mid level exception choices every year on Kendrick Nunn and on Gabe Vincent.
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Colin Cowherd
Like, nobody's perfect on this stuff. Colin, it's hard, but no one's been as dreadfully bad on the margins. Yeah, and I, and, and, and, and I always like bringing Nick Wright on anytime there's a connection, not only to the NBA, but to LeBron James, who is still a remarkable player. He's been a good steward, he's been a good Laker, but this is an organization that moved off Shaq. And I remember at the time Shaq was more popular than Kobe. And at the time in those championships, he was more dominant than Kobe. And with that, Nick Wright, who's in la, joins us live. You know, it is interesting, I said this earlier. As long as the king is on the throne, the prince can't run the organization. Luka is the prince. LeBron's the king. And if he's there, your timelines are messed up. You're not really totally Luka's team, who is a flawed player like Carmelo. He's a flawed player. He's gotten less dynamic. He doesn't dunk there. I mean, I guess we'll go back and I'll ask you again, what do you do with the LeBron component here? The article says, well, if he wants to come back, he gets to come back. And I think he's going to be 29 in two years. He's an aging player.
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Nick Wright
Yeah. Yeah. So I don't think I. This is, you know, I'm not reporting this. This is just my gut opinion. I do not believe LeBron James is retiring, and I do not believe LeBron James will be a Laker next year. I think wherever the final chapter is going to be will be somewhere else. I also think to Jason Timps point, that it is a basketball crime that you had LeBron James on your roster, who Luca modeled his game after. And the types of players that you need to have around an older LeBron James to succeed are the exact types of players you need to have around Luka Doncic.
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Colin Cowherd
Yes.
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Nick Wright
And they trade for Luka Doncic and we're more than a year removed and they're like, man, we sure don't have the right types of guys around him. It was. You were. You should have been ready to have Luke on the team because you had a guy who offensively plays very similarly and has at this point in his career a lot of the same limitations because LeBron at 41, isn't a great defender does. You know, you do need young, athletic wings. A lot of the same things you need around Luka.
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Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
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Nick Wright
And the Lakers have just whiffed on that.
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Colin Cowherd
It.
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Nick Wright
It feels to me like the Lakers have acted as if they have been put out by the fact that LeBron didn't deteriorate more quickly and more precipitously like that. Their whole plan was, well, by 2023, LeBron will be 16 points a game like every other year. 20 guy, and we can start. But LeBron was sixth in MVP voting last year. And this is the danger that I think the Lakers have run. I think it is very. If they do not get Giannis, and there is no guarantee at all they will get Giannis. I think there is a very good chance that five years from now, if we say who was the best teammate Luka ever had on the Lakers, the answer would have been last year's LeBron James. And the second best teammate might be this year's Austin Reaves and third best this year's LeBron James. So you are not. The fact that they traded for Luca, punted on the last deadline, basically punted on this off season and are now punting, punted on this deadline. It Forget LeBron. You are giving up years of Luka's prime and your opportunity to contend, it's incredibly risky. It's not the moves I would make, but I have been highly critical of how Rob Belinka has run the Lakers. I give him credit. He didn't hang up on Nico Harrison. But aside from that, I don't think there have been a lot of great moves. And this isn't about LeBron. It is about the fact that Luka, who I believe has the ability to be a multi time league mvp, might be at the peak of his powers. And you're like, ah, we're, you know, we're probably a second round team this year and we're okay with that. You should never be okay with that when you have a player that as good as Luka at the age Luka is.
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Colin Cowherd
So yeah, you know, I was saying yesterday, I'm not actually pro tanking, but when the NBA and Adam Silver create these aprons and they literally limit with a hard cap other avenues to go from unwatchable to good. I get Danny Ainge going and the spurs going. Well, let's tank for a couple years and get players. By the way, if you look at the spurs, well, the tanking thing worked. And the Pistons, it worked. OKC didn't. But I'm looking at the Jazz and my take is if the Jazz get Peterson from Kansas, okay, watch out next year because they have a lot of young talent. So you can tell me tanking's awful. It's been around forever. There's more of it now, but I think there's more of it now that David Stern allowed you to rebuild your team multiple ways. You could be transactional. You could get a kd, you could trade for Shaq. Now it's like Tank. And all these jams are like, well, how do we go from the Wizards and the Jazz three years ago to this a top team? So what? How do you solve tanking if it's so bad? I don't think it's bad for San Antonio, the Pistons or the Jazz.
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Nick Wright
Well, so here's the thing. I do think it's bad for the Jazz. Thus far it's been bad for the Jazz. We'll see. The Pistons got to the other side. San Antonio had unbelievable lottery luck and good for them. They're a well run organization. If someone's going to get lucky, I'm glad it's an organization that has history of trying and doing things the right way. I don't blame individual teams for doing what is logically coherent to the path. Yes, I blame the league massively for allowing these incentives to exist. It is an untenable model that everyone says when Giannis doesn't get traded, okay, the smart thing for Milwaukee is to not play Giannis the rest of the year. It is an untenable model for the Hawks to trade for Trae Young and Anthony Davis and all of us assume but they're not going to play this year because they don't want to win games this year. I am fine with teams making roster decisions in the offseason or at the deadline that say we are looking forward to years down the road. We are going to trade away older or better players for draft picks. That's fine. What I am not fine with is teams actively once you have the roster that you have not trying to win games or teams sitting healthy guys that is flatly bad for business. And so I there are I think Adam Silver needs a bit of a harsher hand and threaten teams like Sui they take it up.
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Colin Cowherd
David Stern got on the phone and threatened people gms, everybody except owners.
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Nick Wright
And so that thing that Utah did before the All Star break we're in backto back games for the fourth quarter of games sat their best players. I would be totally fine with Adam Silver calling up the Jazz after the first time they did that and say I'm letting you know right now if you do that or something that reminds me of that again your pick is 30th next year. You're out of the lottery. You're picking 30th. Fight me in NBA arbitration but I am going to make that ruling. I would be fine with Adam Silver making it very clear if you are doing things that are against the competitive integrity of the sport the penalty will be Joe Smith level harsh to get people to stop doing it. I'd also be okay with them saying here's how it's going to be. The 10 teams that are not play in or playoffs you know the bottom 10 teams in the league they all have a 10 the same lottery odds and if a team we see a team tanking out of the play in to get one of those you're picking 30th.
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Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
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Nick Wright
And because right now the incentives are so misaligned that there is not it is the smart thing to do for individual teams and it is the worst thing to do for the overall health of the league or respect to your customer. You can't have those things be contradictory like that.
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Colin Cowherd
The I always think too that a league is got to tweak itself when really smart People are struggling. Pat Riley now can't figure out how to make the Heat good, and the warriors can't figure out how to make it work. We know that Pat Riley and Steve Kerr, Mickey Harrison, the owner and Joe, like, those are really well run organizations. Miami and Golden State have become irrelevant. That tells me, okay, this is too hard. It's getting too hard for the smart people. I mean, if you literally went to the NFL and McVeigh's like, I can't win anymore. You've probably made it too much of a defensive league. There's things getting in the way of smart people. So now we move into the warriors, and my take is never fall in love with your stars. Fall in like, they've tried to make everybody fit. Curry, the Kaminga thing's a disaster. There's no way out. I get again, they're in. The Giannis take a gigantic swing. Give up all your draft capital. Do you blame the warriors on falling in love with Curry? Would you have moved off him years ago? What. What do you.
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Nick Wright
I would have gone the opposite. I blame them maybe for not loving Steph enough. I think what they've done the last few years is basketball criminal. I think that you have an oblig when you have one of, let's be, you know, conservative here, 15 greatest players in the history of the sport, and he ain't 15th. He's higher than that. Yeah. Still at or near the peak of his powers. You have an obligation to only care about his timeline. This was my frustration with LeBron at the end of his time in Cleveland, when we knew it was ending, but he was still, by a large margin, the best player in basketball in 2018 when they had to trade Kyrie. They could have done a Kyrie Paul George trademark, but the owner in Cleveland was like, no, we need a draft pick for the post LeBron era. And the post LeBron era was five years of nothing. And that draft pick was Colin Sexton. The Warriors 2 timeline thing was a farce. Yeah. And they. They ended up kind of stealing a championship in 2022, despite the fact that Wiseman, Moody, Kaminga contributed very little. And that papered over the fact that they were very fortunate that post kd. They had the year where Steph broke his hand and they were awful. And they had made some shrewd moves that they then could have restocked their team with guys ready to win now. But they. I thought they had a little light years ahead. Arrogance. Thinking we're going to be great with Steph. And then when he retires, we're going to be man. John Wiseman and Jonathan Kaminga were never going to be step and Clay and you were dopes for the you had. You have one of the greatest players ever and one of the greatest wingmen ever. And they didn't go all in on that era and now they are stuck in the middle where they, they traded Kaminga at his, you know, lowest possible value. Jimmy got hurt and now Steph, who is, who is the greatest old small player ever? He's already the greatest small player ever. But we've never seen a small guy age like this. Stocked in close but not as good as step. He's just twisting in the wind for the final years of his excellence. And that's a shame.
- [18:11]
Colin Cowherd
One NFL question I wouldn't I think been there, done that on Tyreek Hill. I think Kansas City's got to get their O line and run game right. I'd actually trade picks if I could get love from Notre Dame, get the running game solved. I think you're O line. Simmons will be fine at left tackle. I, I don't think you need to go back. Tyreek Hill, there's off field stuff. He's kind of distracted. And the truth is now the way the defenses and the shells are defensively in the NFL, people aren't giving up the Tyreek Hill touchdowns like they used to.
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Nick Wright
Sure.
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Colin Cowherd
But you're a Chiefs fan. You've got a sense of it. You, you, you. My is there part of you that thinks man, he could, he could be what worthy isn't volume and over the top.
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Nick Wright
I don't know. So I listen. I said on TV two years ago that I thought Tyree Kill would be a chief in 2026. I said on TV at the beginning of this football season that I thought Tyree Kill would be a Chief next year. The combination of what is a growing volume of really, let's call them ugly allegations to be kind off the field. What is not allegations, just on the record, awful teammate stuff with the way it ended the last year in Miami and him going from being in love with TUA to a big public, you know, critic of tua. Even if that's fair, it's not good from your highest paid player and your best player on your team and just on the field. Real concern of a guy whose entire skill set was based around he was the single best athlete in the world arguably for a period of time, certainly in the NFL coming off a catastrophic knee injury. All of those things make it from if, if he signed with the Chiefs for 5 million bucks. Okay, see if, Fine. But that it is not a priority. It should not be something you base your off season around. If he wants to take a massive discount to try to prove to people he can still do it and you know, if the off field stuff, you know, does not keep him out of football and does not continue, then I, I, I suppose. But I also, I'm, I'm an adult and I understand it's professional football and you're not going to have a team full of Walter Payton man of the year winners.
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Colin Cowherd
However.
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Nick Wright
Yeah. That right now the guys on the Chiefs, my team, they don't have a lot of guys who have off the field concerns, but the guys they do are clustered in that wide receiver room.
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Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
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Nick Wright
And then you bring Tyreek in as well. That would be concerning to say the least. And so I, I, it is, I thought it was a fait accompli. A couple years ago he'll finish his career in Kansas City. Now it seems like they could have him for, you know, pretty cheap. So maybe he will. But it is not a priority the way I would have thought it was a couple years ago.
- [21:09]
Colin Cowherd
So I want to circle back to something with the Lakers because this is, and I, I think we both like doing this is that I said four years ago when the world fell in love with Luka and I did too in the first two to three years. I said he's really become a much better version of Carmelo. He's not in great shape, doesn't want to really defend. And most of the guys that win rings, D. Wade, LeBron, Kobe, Duncan, Shaq, at least four prime years, they defend. They send the message that we're going to play both ends. Wemby, by the way, we're going to play both ends. Steph Curry's limited, but they surrounded him with people that could. I've said this on Luca, two things can be true. He's an all time great offensive talent. He's 27 in a week. Carmelo Anthony's last all NBA year was 28. We know this to be true. Athletes age differently. Brady obsessed. LeBron obsessed. Age beautifully. Guys that, you know, do what I want in the off season may have some smokes and a couple of Belgian beers. My take on Luca is, and I want to throw this out there is you're going to look up in two years messing around with LeBron's retirement tour and Luke is going to be 29 and Nick, it's going to feel like those last, that last great Year with Carmelo, you're like he's aged really quick. I guess I'm not in love with Luka as much as everybody else is.
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Nick Wright
So I would use a different comp. And this guy also has not won. But it's reason for more optimism because Luca does not remind me of Carmelo. He reminds me of James Harden. Except Luca is an all time playoff riser while Harden was an all time playoff faller. Stylistically ball dominant shot selection, all of that. Being a great passer in grade scorers similar to Harden. May, you know, off season work habits maybe similar to Harden. You know, body fat percentage, maybe similar to Harden. But James Harden, despite all of that, his, he, he was and he has played a very long time still at a very high level in the regular season. He obviously is, you know, a different type of all time guy when it comes to legendary athletes who are just every single year a shell of themselves in the postseason. That is not who Luke has been. Luke has been, was, I think is the second all time in NBA history and playoff points per game. He, he has I, I think the 14th most 40 point games in playoff history already. He's been a great playoff performer. Now you need to surround him with the right people. You need to understand he is not the easiest guy to build around. But the Mavs figured it out. The Mavs, they, they went to a conference finals, they had a down year. They were in the NBA finals ahead of schedule with Luka. So I disagree with you on that. I don't. I think he is. Carmelo did one thing awesome score the basketball. Luke is one of the greatest creators of offense and an offense unto himself, similar to Harden. But unlike Harden, he's a great playoff player. So I think Luke will have a longer prime than you think. But I also think that it's. He won't ever be better than he is right now. He's not going to become a great defender. He's not where he's not going to improve. I don't believe as a player I think he can maintain and you can build a contender out of that if you know what you're doing.
- [24:39]
Colin Cowherd
But similarly, Harden all NBA stuff seven awards 30 and before one since. So Harden's actually aged very quickly, I think. I mean I think Harden, you're right. Harden and Luca. Harden's a very good distributor, great vision. Luca similarly. So it. Maybe it's a bad computer, but I'll say Carmelo age quickly. Luca no longer dunks. It's more cerebral than athletic. Harden age very quickly. Like this, this pro.
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Nick Wright
That's fair. Like you, the you you are. It is. We need to not be tricked by LeBron's age trajectory or Brady. LeBron and Brady are in separate categories entirely.
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Colin Cowherd
Yes.
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Nick Wright
And then like Drew Brees, Steph Curry are in separate categories also. And then there's everybody else. Like, there is. There is the once in a millennia outlier of Brady and LeBron into their 40s still being excellent. Then there is the once in 25 years outlier of breeze at age 40, still being good. Steph at 38 as a six two guy, still being really good. And then we get to. Okay, the modern athlete, instead of peaking at 27, might be peaking at 30, but there's still a ticking clock on that. So I agree with, like, it is foolish to think, oh, The Lakers have 10 years to figure this out with Luka. No, I think they, I, I think he will be an MVP candidate for, for the next five years. But that means your, that means you, your window is right now. That means right now you should be trying to win the championship. And what's frustrating me about the Lakers is last year and this year it did not feel like they were trying to win the championship. It was like, oh, we'll be good, and then we'll see when we're. And Giannis might not come. And if Giannis doesn't come, they're like, we're going to have all this cap space. In the modern NBA, cap space is not that valuable because nobody comes a free agent. Guys, guys. Instead of becoming free agents, they asked for contract extensions, then demand a trade. They don't let the contract expire. So I, I don't know what the plan is. I hope your Dodgers guys can get the Lakers on the right track, but I am not optimistic under the current regime.
- [27:01]
Colin Cowherd
Nick Wright, first things first in L. A this week. Just hanging out. Good seeing you, buddy.
- [27:05]
Nick Wright
Great to see you. All right.
- [27:07]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, the. I would say Luke is going to be elite for about three more years. I think, you know, 28, because he's almost, he's almost 20. Was he 27 here real quick? 27 this year, next year, following year. And then go look at James Harden. Carmelo 28 went down. That was his last great year. 29, Harden, 30, not the same player. I think Luke is going to be the same thing. Everybody talk, oh, Luke is in great shape. He was coming into the season. Look at him now. He looks heavier. The data tells you he's still a very slow defender. Like, this is what he is. I'M not anti anything, I'm just telling what the data tells you. Like NFL wide receiver 34 years old. It all changes. It's called biology In Chicago. It's the herd. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Fox Sports Radio is taking over YouTube and you can be a part of it. Pay attention. Just go to YouTube and search Fox Sports Radio. Hit that subscribe button and smash that notification bell and catch all the videos from your favorite shows. Two pros and a cup of juice Dan Patrick, Colin Cowherd, Doug Gottlieb, Covino and Rich the Odd Couple with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington, the Jason Smith show with Mike Harmon and the Ben Maller Show. Fox sports radio on YouTube. Subscribe hit that thumbs up icon and comment away this month, iHeartRadio is celebrating the stars of the 2026 Winter Games. Michigan natives Madison Chalk and Evan Bates are the undisputed leaders of American ice dance. As reigning world champions, they arrive in Milano Cortina with a reputation for storytelling and seamless chemistry that captivates judges and fans alike. After years of climbing the ranks, the.
- [28:53]
Nick Wright
Duo is poised to cap their illustrious.
- [28:55]
Colin Cowherd
Careers with the ultimate prize. They take the ice with one goal bringing Olympic gold home for more Winter Games Gold Search olympics on the iHeartRadio app. I'm Colin Coward from the Herd. Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you'll definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. Mind the Business is part entertainment, part instruction manual, part inspiration. Each episode features practical tips and success stories that will resonate with entrepreneurs in any industry. In their latest season, hosts Austin Henkiewicz and Jenise Torres are covering topics on the forefront of running a small business. They're talking to self starters about everything from how AI helps them work smarter to weathering market uncertainties and enjoying the benefits of being your own boss. And using Inuit QuickBooks to help you get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it. Listen to Mind the Business Small business success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Cavino and Rich. Whether you're actively trading or planning for the long term, webull gives you the tools to invest your way, trade stocks and ETFs with real time data, explore cash management or toward the future with IRAs and retirement accounts all on one platform. Now with Vega, your personal market AI assistant can give you real time analysis, watch list insights and alerts when earnings drop. Download the Webull app today and visit webol.com and take control of your investments. Webull Financial LLC member SIPC FINRA Investing Involves Risk. For more information, visit webull.com disclosures breaking news not Everything's terrible. We repeat, not everything is terrible. The Ripple Effect is proof that the Internet hasn't ruined humanity entirely. Hosted by Jenna Kim Jones, funny and uplifting podcast spotlights the quiet, powerful ways people still choose good. Each episode features real stories of kindness, of barbers changing more than just their client's haircut, of the secret life, of leftover hotel soap, of vending machines that dispense just the help somebody needs. Like magic. If you're tired of outrage, if your thumbs are sore from doom scrolling, or if you just need a reason to smile again, this podcast is your new favorite Scroll Break. It's heartfelt, hopeful, a gentle reminder. Goodness is still out there. Surprisingly contagious too. So put down your phone, pick up your faith in humanity and join Jenna for the Ripple Effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. Listen to the ripple effect on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Innovation is what gets your business to the big leagues and Wasabi is designed to give every business a shot at competition break free from skyrocketing storage costs, unpredictable egress fees from old and top heavy legacy providers. You know the big guys. Wasabi is the world's hottest cloud storage company and the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams and leagues around the world. And here's why. Innovation from Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals, data deletion and ransomware. Wasabi has taken the lead in big league data storage. Remember, Wasabi is up to 80% less than the other guys and doesn't charge a cent for businesses to access their own data. Wasabi is another championship story. Check them out free@wasabi.com, wasabi Hot Cloud Storage, proud partner of the Volume Podcast Network, Urban Meyer joins us last hour. A lot of NBA tank and talk and what's wrong with the NBA? And I will say this every year at this time we spend about three weeks hammering the NBA because football season's over, March Madness isn't here yet where my wife asked me this morning, like, is this a hard week to host? I said, it's a dead week. There's about three a year. This is one of the dead weeks. Next week's a little bit of a dead week. And then we got one maybe in, like, July or early August. By and large, the sports calendar doesn't give us a lot of rest stops, but this has been kind of traditionally the week everybody's like, NBA's got a lot of problems. Well, there's the tanking issue, but that's the way to get better. By the way, the Jazz won't be doing that next year. The spurs are done doing that. OKC and Detroit are done doing it. So I do think the middle and top of the league right now has got a bunch of good teams. J Mac with the news.
- [33:19]
Nick Wright
No, no, no, Turn on the news.
- [33:22]
JMac
This is the Herd line news. I mean, I loathe the tanking talk, but the only thing I dislike more than that is Aaron Rodgers. Colin, we have an Aaron Rodgers update because, you know, it's February and there's nothing to talk about. Aaron Rodgers future still up in the air. Reports indicate he is, quote, leaning towards coming back to Pittsburgh. I mean, goodness gracious, Aaron Rodgers again. Dude, you're not LeBron. What are we doing here? LeBron is still thriving, okay? Aaron Rodgers backed into the playoffs. Just go right off into the sunset. Go be anonymous in Malibu, Take up surfing as a hobby and maybe enjoy the ayahuasca.
- [33:56]
Colin Cowherd
I will say he made the playoffs with an organization. With an organization that can't figure out offense. You know, the Steelers are going to be better offensively. That is without a question. Mike McCarthy, you know, we bang on Mike McCarthy. Mike McCarthy's got terrible branding. He's got the same winning percentage as John Harbaugh, and we all love John Harbaugh. And Nobody loves Mike McCarthy. It's the same coach. They both got a trophy. Look at their playoff records. The difference is, well, well, one guy had Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson. Those are pretty good quarterbacks. One guy had Dak Prescott and Aaron Rodgers. Those are really good quarterbacks. Pittsburgh with Aaron Rodgers. And I'm not saying it's the right thing to do, but I will tell you, Pittsburgh with Aaron Rodgers will be a much better offensive team. They've got to hit some draft picks and move off defense so they can change their spending to the other side of the ball. But McCarthy, in this offense for the first time in years, will look like a progressive offense. Bang on him. All you want. He's got John Harbaugh's resume down the line.
- [35:02]
JMac
What are you producing now? That's a great topic. Does Mike McCarthy need better branding?
- [35:06]
Colin Cowherd
Yes.
- [35:06]
JMac
I mean, honestly, it is, because Mike McCarthy cries at the introductory press conference. It's like, bro, what are you doing? You walk away from the Cowboys to go to this disaster. And I know you said the Steelers made the playoffs. They backed in. Like, I mean, come on.
- [35:20]
Colin Cowherd
Well, you know, if you make it, you make it. There's a lot of very. I mean, listen, the Seattle Seahawks, you go look at the Seahawks, the Rams, the difference between home field, making it, not making it look in the NFC West. I mean, you, you. You went down to the last couple of weeks and some of these good teams. We weren't sure the Rams were going to make it in with two weeks to go. We're like, well, what if they lose here in Seattle and San Francisco win here? So if you get in, you get in. And they got in.
- [35:46]
JMac
Yeah. All right, let's move on to Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots. Colin, obviously the super bowl loss was a bad one. Some people saw that beat down coming. But one guy who's shown in the game was Christian Gonzalez. He was very, very good. And since Vrabel has been helping him become a better leader, adding, been trying to find my own voice, my leadership, trying to grow. Gonzalez looks like probably a top five cornerback in the league. He had one of the best plays in the Super Bowl.
- [36:13]
Colin Cowherd
Defensively, he was probably their best player in the Super Bowl.
- [36:15]
JMac
They didn't have many good ones.
- [36:17]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, he was the best player in the Super Bowl.
- [36:21]
JMac
You know, it looks like he's going to get a big extension, but it's not a lock because he has been injured. Colin, that has been a bit of a bugaboo for him. First team all pro in 2024.
- [36:32]
Colin Cowherd
I would definitely bring him back. I think he's a good teammate. He was great in the big games. There's not a lot of great corners in this league. When Sauce Gardner goes for two firsts, that's telling you there aren't a lot of. I mean, if I said to you five best corners in the league, you could mostly name them. If I said five best receivers, you and I would argue for 30 minutes, you're like, Patrick Certain, Sauce Gardner, Christian Gonzalez, like the kid Seattle, Devin Witherspoon. There's not a lot of great corners. The Rams don't have them, the Niners don't have them.
- [37:00]
JMac
Rams definitely do not.
- [37:01]
Colin Cowherd
I Mean, it's. Honestly, you go to the good teams in this league, they don't. I mean, you see, yesterday, you weren't here yesterday. But Travis Hunter. A story came out. The Jags are moving Travis Hunter to corner more than receiver.
- [37:12]
JMac
Oh, gosh.
- [37:13]
Colin Cowherd
What?
- [37:13]
JMac
Really?
- [37:14]
Colin Cowherd
But my take is it's easier to get receivers. It's impossible to find an elite corner.
- [37:19]
JMac
Now, I bet Travis Hunter's thrilled at that.
- [37:21]
Colin Cowherd
I know you traded up for a.
- [37:23]
JMac
Cornerback in the draft.
- [37:24]
Colin Cowherd
He could be a top six corner by next year. He's not going to be a top six receiver by next year. There's just too much talent at the position.
- [37:31]
JMac
Okay, final story. Let's save some room for this one. So, Colin, Jayson Tatum is working to come back from the Achilles injury. Okay. And we know Achilles injuries historically been a year. People are trying to shrink the timeline. So your buddy, this gentleman named Bill Simmons, is theorizing the Celtics are aiming for a March 1 return. Now, that seems really ambitious. Yeah, I would bet against that if you could, but here's what Simmons allegedly said. So NBC has a comeback video ready for Jayson Tatum. NBC is televising a game on March 1st. The Celtics have been flexed into that March 1st game.
- [38:10]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [38:11]
JMac
So he's trying to read some tea leaves. I think that's when Tatum's coming back. Colin, you. You got one of the. I know you don't think he's top five. You think he's like seven or eight. I think he's a top five player in the league before the injury. Why would you force him back? He's still very young. Why would you do that? Again, other players, patience.
- [38:29]
Nick Wright
Wait.
- [38:30]
JMac
Don't rush to come back.
- [38:31]
Colin Cowherd
Well, because, you know, it's very easy to say that, but my question is, San Antonio, this may be the last year Boston could beat him in a finals. I mean, San Antonio right now, Oklahoma City is better right now than Boston. But you could argue Tatum and Boston would be number two in the league by next year. All these young spurs players are now moving into prime. You may not beat San Antonio for eight years. So my take, if I'm them, I would bring. I could see bringing Tatum back now. Again, he's got to be 90%. I'd put him on a minute's restriction. I would not bring it. I would have him at 24 minutes for three weeks. I would have him at 36. But my take is, if Tatum is confident, the doctors give you a green light. You have got to think about these things. There are these windows closed first of all, we thought the Celtics window with Tatum and Brown was open much earlier than it was. We thought they were going to beat the warriors and they lost. So the window did not open up until the year they won it. And now you're thinking, oh, now Halliburton comes back next year. The Pistons are young, will be better next year. The Knicks could make a big move for Giannis. But I. My take is the east is there for the taking. Take it. And by next year, San Antonio could go on a massive run with Wemby and all their young players.
- [39:55]
Nick Wright
So.
- [39:55]
JMac
So that's a great point of view from the Boston Celtics franchise. Okay, you mentioned like, if the doctors clear him, if I'm Tatum, I'm going to multiple independent doctors. I ain't jeopardizing back to back Achilles injuries or whatever other injury could come from an Achilles. Remember Klay Thompson went down back to back years done. He has never been the same. Tatum still in his prime. Man, I'm not rushing back. I'm not making the Celtics rush me back to maybe get to the Finals. Like, what is that? I got like seven years left.
- [40:23]
Colin Cowherd
He's a competitive pro athlete. He wants to play. I mean, can you imagine rehabbing in the prime of your athletic years? You can't play. Tatum wants to play.
- [40:32]
JMac
Yeah, I'm sure he does. But you're going to listen to your head or the doctors, the experts.
- [40:39]
Colin Cowherd
I'm. I'm giving you an argument on Bill's, Bill's insider stuff, like big Celtics hunk, right? I mean, you look up and you're like, we don't match up. Well, Wemby by next year, this it is. Halliburton comes by. Halliburton's great. He. I mean, I, I don't know. I just look at it and I think to myself, we always think these windows are open. Like Denver. I thought Denver was going to reel off three straight titles. Then they have to move off certain players because of the hard cap. And you're like, denver's not that good.
- [41:11]
JMac
It's tough to win titles. I mean, it's damn near impossible to win multiple. I mean, listen, I know people love okc. You mentioned them. That don't look like the best team in the league to me. Not even close.
- [41:22]
Colin Cowherd
Let me tell you something. Detroit still ascending. OKC is going to be fine. San Antonio's going up.
- [41:29]
JMac
Who's your finals right now? Give me your finals here. What a February.
- [41:32]
Colin Cowherd
Detroit is an ascending. I would say Detroit makes the finals for a year next year. It's Tatum and Halliburton. And I would take the Celtics next year. I would say pre big moves that I don't know about. Detroit gets in and faces okc, beats the spurs in six games.
- [41:50]
JMac
I'll go Spurs. Nick. So we're divergent. Wildly divergent. Interesting.
- [41:54]
Colin Cowherd
Well, we, we. I like the Knicks. I think they get to the.
- [41:56]
JMac
Sure, sure sounds like it. The Pistons. Who's our second best player again? I forgot.
- [42:01]
Colin Cowherd
You know, they're an ascending young team with a superstar. They play defense. They'll be fine. Okay, Detroit's good.
- [42:13]
JMac
Who is.
- [42:13]
Colin Cowherd
What's the kid, the All Star? Duran.
- [42:15]
JMac
Jalen Duran. Yeah, he's solid.
- [42:17]
Colin Cowherd
Well, he was an all star.
- [42:19]
JMac
Give me Mitchell Robinson any day of the week, baby.
- [42:21]
Colin Cowherd
All right. J. Mac of the news. Well, that's the news.
- [42:25]
JMac
And thanks for stopping by the herd lie news.
- [42:29]
Colin Cowherd
It just you. You do understand when Halliburton comes back, all bets are off in the East. So you know, some people think and for the record, there are people now that suddenly like the Cavs. Okay? So to me, if Tatum comes back, it's like strike when the iron's hot. The east is wide open. Detroit's going to be better next year. Orlando is going to be better next year. Cleveland could be better next year. San Antonio will absolutely be better next year. Keep your eye on Dallas with Cooper Flag. They're moving pieces. They can go big game hunting. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. I'm Colin Coward from the Herd. Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you'll definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. Mind the Business is part entertainment, part instruction manual, part inspiration. Each episode features practical tips and success stories that will resonate with entrepreneurs in any industry. In their latest season, hosts Austin Henkowitz and Janie Torres are covering topics on the forefront of running a small business. They're talking to self starters about everything from how AI helps them work smarter to weathering market uncertainties and enjoying the benefits of being your own boss and using Inuit QuickBooks to help you get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it. Listen to Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Ben Mailer. Ready to tackle your financial goals with Weble you don't have to sit on the sidelines. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, webull puts you in the game with powerful tools that help you make the moves you want. Trade stocks, options, ETFs and more. Or play the long game with cash management and retirement accounts all on one platform. WE Bull's intuitive app pairs advanced analytics with real time data so you can read the defense, adjust your strategy and stay in control. And now meet Vega, your personal AI market assistant. Ask questions like Analyze my watch list or what's the outlook for this stock? And get real time stock analysis of volatility, insights and fundamentals that turn complex signals into plain English. Want a wider view of the field? Use portfolio X ray to spot trends, manage risk and optimize the performance of your portfolio. So stop punting your financial future. Join WE Bull's community to discuss markets, trending topics and ideas with fellow investors. Download the Webull app today and on mobile or desktop, that's W E B U L L or visit webull.com and stay ahead of the game. We Bull Financial LLC member SIPC FINRA investing involves risk. For more information, visit webull.com disclosures breaking news not everything's terrible. We repeat, not everything is terrible. The Ripple Effect is proof that the Internet hasn't ruined humanity entirely. Hosted by Jenna Kim Jones, it's funny and uplifting Podcast spotlights the quiet, powerful ways people still choose good. Each episode features real stories of kindness, of barbers changing more than just their client's haircut, of the secret life, of leftover hotel soap, of vending machines that dispense just the help somebody needs. Like magic. If you're tired of outrage, if your thumbs are sore from doom scrolling, or if you just need a reason to smile again, this podcast is your new favorite scroll break. It's heartfelt, hopeful, a gentle reminder. Goodness is still out there. Surprisingly contagious too. So put down your phone, pick up your faith in humanity and join Jenna for the Ripple Effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. Listen to the ripple effect on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Innovation is what gets your business to the big leagues, and Wasabi is designed to give every business a shot at competition break free from skyrocketing storage costs, unpredictable egress fees from old top heavy legacy providers. You know the big guys. Wasabi is the world's hottest cloud storage company and the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams and leagues around the world and here's why. Innovation From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals, data deletion and ransomware, Wasabi has taken the lead in big league data storage. Remember, Wasabi is up to 80% less than the other guys and doesn't charge a cent for businesses to access their own data. Wasabi is another championship story. Check them out free@wasabi.com, wasabi Hot Cloud Storage, proud partner of the Volume Podcast Network.
- [47:27]
JMac
It's an Olympics you'll never forget.
- [47:30]
Colin Cowherd
Prime Time in Milan, the moments Chloe Kim with the gold medal Flex the Stars Ilya Mountain out of this world.
- [47:41]
JMac
The spectacle from beautiful northern Italy with very special guests. Every night of the Olympics experience the world's biggest show, Prime Time in Milan.
- [47:54]
Colin Cowherd
Watch now on NBC and Peacock, the.
- [47:58]
JMac
Fastest racing on earth returns to Fox. Alex Palou, Joseph Newgarden and Potto Award lead the way as the 2026 IndyCar season launches in St. Petersburg March 1st live on Fox.
- [48:13]
Colin Cowherd
So very interesting. Mark Cuban used to own the Dallas Mavericks. Bought them for 285 million, sold them for three and a half billion. He did very well. Smart guy. Shark Tank, 40 businesses he owns, blah blah blah. Very smart guy. He's talking about tanking. I think tanking is I've been saying this all week is that I don't think of myself as pro tanking, but I don't think it's the biggest problem in the world that's happening forever. And it's creating the spurs and it created the Pistons and it's going to create by next year's draft or the the next draft if the, if the Jazz get Peterson from Kansas or Boozer from Duke or the kid from BYU Utah is going to be good for years. Mark Cuban on tanking he said why the NBA should embrace tanking there's this misguided thinking that fans want to see their teams compete every night with a chance to win. It's never been that way. When I got into the NBA, I thought I was getting into the basketball business. I was getting in the business of creating experience for fans. Few fans remember the score from the last game they saw. They don't remember dunks or shots or what they remember is who they were with their family, their friends, a date. That's what makes the entertainment vehicle work. They had a great time at the game. The NBA should worry more about fan experience than tanking. It should worry about pricing Fans out of games, not tanking. You know, who cares the least about tanking? A parent who can't afford to bring their three kids to a game. Affordability and quality of game presentation are more important than tanking. I'll give you a story. And die hard fans who listen to sports radio, they'll go on the Internet. That's not true. I went to a game at Fenway park years ago. It was Boston Red Sox against, I think the Texas Rangers. It was a Sunday game and I'm sitting next to all these Sully's and all these, you know, all these Red Sox die hard fans drinking their Sam Adams with their Red Sox hats on. I tried to engage them on baseball. They had no idea. They knew nothing. They didn't know who was pitching for the Red Sox. You think fans, Oh, I go to Laker games now. Everybody's on a phone. They're all influencers. Nobody's watching the game. They're all getting pictures. So Mark Cuban would know more than you and I on owning an NBA team. He's like, the problem with a league is they've out priced a big chunk of it. This is an entertainment experience. You're worried about tanking the Utah Jazz. They're selling out games. I mean, the Chicago Bulls folks have been selling out games since Jordan left. They've been unwatchable for many of those years. I don't even know what they're doing now. They still sell out. They still sell out. They got one or two. Josh Giddy's a pretty good player. Their, their draft pick last year. He a pretty good player. They got a couple of nice young players. They got about 15 guards, don't have any centers, but, you know, beyond that. But the point is they sell the games out. It's. Chicago's a good sports town. Chicago fans, they know basketball. They still sell it out because people have. I, I'm a season ticket holder for the Bulls. You go to the game, they've got lights and music and fun, and the visiting team's got stars and you have a great time. And the next home game will be sold out, too. Bulls have the biggest arena in the NBA. I think they've led the NBA in attendance eight of the last 10 years. They've been terrible. So you're worried. This is where it's different. In football, there's one game a week. But when you get to baseball, part of what makes, and I've said this, part of what makes the Cubs fascinating is that, yeah, you'd like your team to win. But if I went to the typical Cub fan and I said name your starting staff, less than 1% of fans could name it. Who's your number three starter for the Cubs? Couldn't name it. Go to a Pistons game, who's your third best player for the Pistons? Go ask somebody in the upper deck. That's go can afford to go to a game twice a year. Drink some bud, have a good time, knock down some nachos. They're not in fantasy basketball leagues. They have. They have a life. They have kids, they're working. So Mark Cuban's like, stop worrying about tanking. Make the tickets more affordable. I don't think he's wrong. Nobody's going to like to hear that, especially the die hards. Think Verizon is expensive? Think again. Anyone can bring their AT and T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal. Deal. So bring us your bill. Walk in running hogo stickin' teleport if you can ride on the back of a rollerblading yak or flyin on the wings of a majestic falcon. Any way you can bring your AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal on the best Network based.
- [52:58]
JMac
On RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance US 2nd Half 2025 all rights reserved.
- [53:02]
Colin Cowherd
Must provide a very recent postpaid consumer mobile bill in the name of the.
- [53:04]
JMac
Person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.
- [53:06]
Colin Cowherd
Imagine never buying gas again. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and perfect for everyday life. Drive daily with confidence everywhere you go. Most Americans drive 40 miles a day. Most EVs are equipped with 200 to 400 miles of range. They've got fewer parts, fewer repairs and fewer headaches. With hundreds of new and used EV models available today, there's an EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. I love my electric vehicles. It's easy. No more gas stations. The way forward is electric. Learn more@electric for all.org Wasabi is purpose built to free your business from skyrocketing storage costs and fees from the big guys. Wasabi is the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams around the world. Check out Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage. Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals. Wasabi driving innovation in data storage for up to 80% less than the other guys. Try for free@wasabi.com, wasabi Hot Cloud Storage, proud partner of the Volume Podcast Network. Thirty years ago, Scream changed horror forever. Now it's all led to this. In Scream 7, Sidney Prescott thought she'd finally escaped the nightmare of Ghostface, raising her family in a quiet town far away from the horrors of Woodsboro. She was wrong, and this time the target isn't just her. It's her teenage daughter, Tatum, who's the same age Sidney was when the terror began. Neve Campbell returns in her iconic final girl role as Sidney Prescott, facing the most brutal and psychological Ghostface yet, joined.
- [54:43]
JMac
By franchise favorites Courteney Cox, Jasmine, Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding, alongside terrifying new.
- [54:49]
Colin Cowherd
Blood including Isabel May McKennie, Grace, Asa Gurman and more.
- [54:53]
JMac
Direct Directed by franchise creator Kevin Williamson.
- [54:55]
Colin Cowherd
In his directorial debut, Scream 7 is packed with edge of your seat scares and shocks for everyone, with references and.
- [55:02]
JMac
Callbacks for screen fans everywhere, Ghostface is the terrifying horror icon alongside Freddy Jason and Michael Myers.
- [55:10]
Colin Cowherd
And after 30 years, the mask still means one no one is safe. See Scream 7 in theaters February 27, because screams are always better when when you hear them together. This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.