THE HERD - Hour 3 - Style of play in the NBA, Tomorrow's Headlines Today, AJ Dybansta

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Hour 3 – NBA Style of Play, Tomorrow’s Headlines Today, AJ Devons Interview
Date: May 7, 2026
Host: Colin Cowherd
Co-Host: Jason McIntyre
Featured Guest: AJ Devons

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Overview

This episode of The Herd dives deep into current NBA trends, the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, and the evolving personalities shaping both basketball and football. Hour 3 is packed with insights from top draft prospect AJ Devons, analysis of NBA playoff narratives, style-of-play critiques, and the ever-popular "Tomorrow’s Headlines Today" segment forecasting NBA and NFL storylines.

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Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Interview: AJ Devons – Future NBA Star

[02:01–09:44]

Draft Preparation and Family Dynamics

• Preparation Focus: AJ Devons shares how he’s “trying to enjoy the process” ahead of the NBA draft, balancing workouts, nutrition, and mental readiness.

  “Right now, I’m trying to enjoy the process of pre-draft, get my workouts in, get my lifts in, trying to eat better. I’m just trying to prepare for the moment.” – AJ Devons [02:48]

• NIL vs. NBA Debate: His mother wanted him to finish college, but his father pushed for the NBA; AJ decided on the draft but promises to complete his degree later.

  “My mom actually wanted me to go back to college, not just from a money standpoint. She wanted me to graduate, and my dad wanted me to go to the NBA. We had to have that conversation.” – AJ Devons [03:32]

Early Career and Player Influences

• When He Knew He Was Special: Realized his NBA aspirations were real by age 14, as a high school freshman.

  “Probably around 14 years old, freshman year, high school. I kind of realized that... I can make a living off basketball. I can do more than just go to school for free.” – AJ Devons [04:34]

• Player Inspirations: Patterns game on Kevin Durant, with influence from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tracy McGrady, and Kawhi Leonard.

  “My favorite player is Kevin Durant, but I watch a lot of Shay, a lot of Tracy McGrady, a lot of Kawhi.” – AJ Devons [04:55]

Skills, Development, and Coaching

• Targeted Improvement Areas: Focused on becoming a more consistent three-point shooter and enhancing off-ball defense.

  “I definitely say three-point shooting... and probably just... off-ball defense specifically.” – AJ Devons [06:19]

• Best Coach Influence: Credits college coach Kevin Young for bringing NBA-caliber wisdom and calm intensity.

  “[He] brought me a lot of wisdom. Like what he did with Kevin Duran[t], Devin Booker and Chris Paul... he’d just send me that film.” – AJ Devons [06:50]

Brand Building and Legacy

• New Logo, Partnership with Nike: Unveiled his personal logo developed in partnership with Nike.

  “Me and Nike... brought some concepts and we ultimately decided to pick that one. I think it’s pretty cool.” – AJ Devons [07:43]

• Personal Legacy Wish: Wants to be remembered as someone who “was just like that, bro. He was just overly on it.”

  “He was just like that, bro. He was just overly on it.” – AJ Devons [08:20]

Foundation and Background

• Devons Foundation: Focused on educational access for kids in Jamaica and Congo (his parents’ homelands).

  “Education is very important...we’re helping raise money how to send kids to schools and universities... from Jamaica to go to universities here in the States and people in the Congo.” – AJ Devons [08:31]

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2. NBA Playoff Injury News & Analysis

[13:24–16:36]

Knicks Injury Updates

• OG Anunoby is questionable for Game 3 due to a hamstring injury.

  “Now word has come out from the Knicks that he is questionable for game three. Listed as day to day.” – Colin Cowherd [13:24]

• Panel agrees Knicks may reach the Finals but OG’s shooting (54% on threes) is a huge loss.

  "His shooting has been huge for them in the playoffs." – Jason McIntyre [14:26]

Lakers-Thunder and LeBron’s Heroics

• LeBron’s energy is admired but sustaining it with little rest is a tall order vs. a young Thunder squad.

  “To ask him to do that on one night of rest is going to be a tall order... it's just a tall order for the Lakers..." – Colin Cowherd [16:01]

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3. NFL: Quarterbacks Under Pressure

[16:38–19:27]

• Debating FanSided’s Top 5 QBs "Under Pressure":
  • Panel disputes list which includes Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
  • Jason argues QBs like C.J. Stroud and Jalen Hurts face more pressure due to contracts and market expectations.
  • Caleb Williams (Bears) cited as an example of a young QB with immense immediate expectations.

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4. NBA – Style of Play Critique & Referee Responsibility

[19:34–22:35]

• Flopping Becoming a Central Playoff Theme:
  • Discussion on SGA (Thunder) gaining a "flop king" reputation, leading to unappealing basketball aesthetics.
  • David Fizdale’s quote stands out:

    "Maybe it’s... not gonna change it at the league office. How about we look at the officials to change it? ... The refs at some point have to take onus on controlling that because they are the ones in the game that actually have the whistle." – David Fizdale via J. Mac [20:35]

  • Colin underscores how TV deals and entertainment value drive league decisions about gameplay aesthetics.

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5. Tomorrow’s Headlines Today – NBA & NFL Predictions

[23:27–37:21]

NBA Playoffs Series Forecasts

• Cavs vs. Pistons:
  • Expect the Cavs to win the series; Pistons seen as offensively limited.
  • “Motor City runs on empty tank... Detroit just doesn't scare anyone because the offensive output is not there.” – Jason McIntyre [23:48]
• Sixers vs. Knicks:
  • Knicks favored; Sixers are tired, especially after playing Tyrese Maxey 47 minutes.
  • “The headline... will be curb your win thus—Sixers get 80 nixed.” – Jason McIntyre [24:58]
• Spurs vs. Timberwolves:
  • Spurs praised for strategic shot selection; Stephen Castle spotlighted as a rising star.
  • “How about this... they took two midrange shots all night. It was just threes and inside the paint.” – Colin Cowherd [26:25]

NBA Coaching Carousel

• Steve Kerr’s Future:
  • Predicts Kerr will retire amid roster age/injury and off-court tension.
  • “Course Kerr Action. Stefan says we're even Steven. I think Mr. Kerr retires.” – Colin Cowherd [28:50]

NFL Offseason Drama

• Aaron Rodgers Rumor Mill:
  • Skepticism about Rodgers’ reported return with the Steelers, citing age, injury risk, and the franchise’s middling prospects.
  • “He's 43 in December. He doesn't want to get hit.” – Jason McIntyre [33:03]
  • “They’re going to continue this dance where we're 7 and 10, 8 and 9, 9 and 8. So what’s the end game?” – Jason McIntyre [35:57]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• AJ Devons on player inspiration: “My favorite player is Kevin Durant, but I watch a lot of Shay, Tracy McGrady, Kawhi.” [04:55]
• On being remembered: “He was just like that, bro. He was just overly on it.” [08:20]
• On NBA flopping: “The refs at some point have to take onus on controlling that because they are the ones in the game that actually have the whistle.” – David Fizdale via J. Mac [20:35]
• On Steve Kerr’s future: “I think Mr. Kerr retires. I think after this Draymond Green week... who wants to go back to that?” – Colin Cowherd [28:50]
• On Aaron Rodgers’ longevity: “He's 43 in December. He doesn't want to get hit.” – Jason McIntyre [33:03]

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• AJ Devons Interview: [02:01–09:44]
• NBA Playoff News/Analysis: [13:24–16:36]
• NFL QBs Under Pressure: [16:38–19:27]
• NBA Style of Play Flopping Discussion: [19:34–22:35]
• Tomorrow’s Headlines Today (NBA Series): [23:27–29:53]
• Tomorrow’s Headlines Today (Steve Kerr/Aaron Rodgers): [29:53–37:21]

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Tone & Style

The episode blends insightful sports analysis with a conversational, often humorous tone. Both Cowherd and McIntyre balance serious breakdowns with playful banter and quick-witted commentary, especially during “Tomorrow’s Headlines Today.”

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For Listeners New & Old

This hour delivers a comprehensive look at NBA playoff trends, draft expectations, and the cultural forces shaping both basketball and NFL quarterback narratives. The in-depth AJ Devons interview, inside scoops on league trends, and lively debates make this a must-listen for basketball and football fans alike.

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Jason McIntyre]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Jason McIntyre]

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 [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.

[AJ Devons]

Now, let's get this.

[Colin Cowherd]

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, he led the country in scoring as a freshman All American. It's a combination of length, explosion, athleticism. I can remember before the year started, somebody said it's going to be a great draft. You need to watch. You know, Darren Peterson. You got to watch AJ DeBonsa. And it doesn't. It doesn't take long. It takes a couple of times up and down the floor to go. This kid is totally different and he is joining us live. He's got his new logo, his foundation set. It's a very exciting time. So listen, I've never. Being the number one pick potentially is pretty amazing. What do you make of it? I mean, being you right now. Are you thinking about it? What do you make of it?

[AJ Devons]

Yeah, I'm definitely thinking about it. Obviously, it's coming up real soon. That's about a month away. A month or some change away. But right now I'm trying to enjoy the process of pre draft, get my workouts in, get my lifts in, trying to eat better. I'm just trying to prepare for the moment.

[Jason McIntyre]

You mean a college kid didn't eat perfectly? Okay, I get it. But it sounds like, I mean, you got great parents. You could have stayed in college and made a ton with nil Guys make a lot now. But I mean, let's talk about that. When you're as highly valued as you are, you have real discussions, you know, with your family. What are you going to do? Is this something the NIL coming back pro? How many did you talk a lot about with your family? All year on it.

[AJ Devons]

Yeah. So my mom actually wanted me to go back to college, not just from a money standpoint. She wanted me to graduate and my dad wanted me to go to the NBA. So it was kind of like conflict in my house. We had to have that conversation. But I ended up declining for the 2026 NBA Draft. But also I'm going to go back to school and finish to get my degree.

[Jason McIntyre]

Moms win those arguments at home a lot with dad. I can, I can attest to that. AJ it doesn't. And, and when you finally told your mom, hey, I'm gonna go pro, how did she take it? How'd mom take it?

[AJ Devons]

As long as you graduate, I'm fine with it. That was kind of her response.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

The. When did you know? Basketball is one of those sports where you can tell at 10, 12, 13, 14. When did you feel, AJ in your life that you were not only a good basketball player, but it was. All the work had paid off. When was there a moment for you that you're like, like, I'm not only going to go to the NBA, I have a chance. Was it AAU basketball? I have a chance to be a difference maker.

[AJ Devons]

Yeah. I was kind of probably around 14 years old, freshman year, high school. I kind of realized that I was, you know, I can make a living off of basketball. I can do more than just go to school for free.

[Jason McIntyre]

Right. Is there a player that. Whose game you like? Do you take Pieces of players or is there a player that you kind of watch and model it after?

[AJ Devons]

Yeah, I take bits and pieces from everybody. My favorite player is Kevin Durant, but I watch a lot of Shay, a lot of Tracy McGrady, a lot of Kawhi. Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

Plenty of players in the NBA. It is a. A.J. it is a long season and the game now is so fast. There's 20 more possessions per game than 20 years ago. How do you. What is your training been like getting ready for it?

[AJ Devons]

That has been getting in shape. I'm doing a lot of running, doing a lot of conditioning, but also just getting stronger to be able to handle that physicality in the NBA. But I'll be ready. I think the transition, it won't be easy, but I think I'll be ready for it.

[Jason McIntyre]

I would like to. I go to Utah Jazz games because I used to have a place in Utah. I'd like to see you go to Utah. I think it's. It's almost a collegiate feel in the pros. They love their basketball smart fan base. Is there a place you'd like to go? Is there a style, a coach, a city you'd like to go to? No.

[AJ Devons]

Whoever picks me. Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

You don't care. Is there a. Let me ask you this is. Is when you at your point for the next five or even LeBron James like developed a three point shot as he got older. If I said AJ give me two things about your game. You're you. You think you need to work on.

[AJ Devons]

Yeah, I definitely say three point shooting. Just trying to space the floor out. Being not done. Three point shooter from catcher, shoot and off the dribble. And probably just. I'll say off ball defense specifically.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. Is who's been the best basketball coach of your life or who's had the most influence in your life?

[AJ Devons]

I'll say Kevin Young, my college basketball coach, just having that NBA knowledge. He kind of brought me a lot of wisdom.

[Jason McIntyre]

What did he do? What was his core strength principles that really guided you?

[AJ Devons]

I'm just. I mean he didn't really yell a lot. I mean he yelled at me a couple times. Just me pissing him off in practice. But I mean kind of bought me a lot of knowledge. Like what he did with Kevin Duran and Devin Booker and Chris Paul and guys like that. He kind of just send me that film and kind of just seeing what it would be like for me when I enter the league.

[Jason McIntyre]

I don't know if you've ever seen the movie Air about Michael Jordan. Have you seen that. No, it's a great. By the way, it's a great movie. And the reason I bring it up is because it's about the development by Nike of his shoe. Adidas wanted him, Converse wanted him, Nike wanted him. And Nike was a running company, not a basketball company. So it's a fascinating about branding and marketing for a young star. So your new logo. I've been. I haven't seen it. Your new logo is out. Let me see it. Can you put that right up? All right, who developed it?

[AJ Devons]

Me and Nike. We both developed it. I kind of had an idea what I wanted. Nike kind of brought it to life, brought some concepts and we ultimately decided to pick that one. I think it's pretty cool.

[Jason McIntyre]

If you played for 20 years in the NBA and people said, oh, you should have seen AJ play, what would be the coolest sentence they could say about you? Obviously you'd want to win championships, but if people describe you 20 years from now about your NBA career, what would make you proud about how they would describe your game?

[AJ Devons]

I just said like, he was just like that, bro. He was just overly on it.

[Jason McIntyre]

I, I get it. You have a foundation, A.J. devons. A foundation. Tell me about it.

[AJ Devons]

Yeah, so I mean education is very important to me. My family and my mom's from Jamaica, my dad's from Congo. So we're helping raise money how to send kids to schools and universities. So kids from Jamaica to go to universities here in the states and people in the Congo. Kids in the Congo with different universities in the. In the continent of Africa.

[Jason McIntyre]

How old were you when you first picked up a basketball?

[AJ Devons]

I was like 5 years old.

[Jason McIntyre]

Did you know instantly there were other sports you could have played? Did you know instantly?

[AJ Devons]

I kind of had an idea. I played football when I was younger too, but I never ever did a football workout. I only went to practice and played the games

[Jason McIntyre]

well. Good luck to you. For the record you played you face Candace in January. Darren Peterson, who I also think is really talented. What did you make of his game?

[AJ Devons]

Talented like you said. 3 level score scorer at will. Bigger than what you think. He's probably legit six, six long wingspan. But he's going to do great things in league.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. Hey AJ Good luck to you. Way to go at BYU and can't wait to watch it play.

[AJ Devons]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. This draft is the top prospects are AJ Devons. It doesn't really have a hole in his game. Long range shooting. Most kids out of college are not great long range shooters. Cameron Boozer, Little worried about his athleticism. Caleb Wilson, who I think at North Carolina is probably the most has the outside of AJ may have the highest ceiling. Acuff Darius Acuff Jr. Out of Arkansas is very small but crazy explosive catch and shoot shoot ball hand. I mean he's got like a little bit of West Westbrook where it's just like wow. But a better shooter. The kid I like out of Illinois, Keaton Vogler is the he'll probably go sixth. I think he's incredible. I think he's got a little SGA great ball handler. Yaxel Lindenborg's popular, probably falls to the late early teens, 12, 13, 14. I think the one guy in this draft that is I don't know if he's undervalued, but I'm interested because The Bulls have two picks in the top 15. We'll see Ping Pong lottery Sunday. Where they go is a die Myra Adai Mara the Michigan center there's not that many true bigs coming out of college American colleges who can be an offensive hub. Good feet, dominant defender. You know Zach Edie is one of those that came in a few years ago from Purdue. So Morrow was the Big Ten defensive player of the year, but he's actually when at UCLA wasn't an offensive player. He developed into one at Michigan. So I'm fired up about that. Be sure to catch live editions of

[Colin Cowherd]

the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Jason McIntyre]

Hey is Cavino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio. Now, in addition to hearing us live weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, we're excited to announce a brand new YouTube channel for the show. Yup, that's right. You can now watch Covino ENRICH Live on YouTube every day. All you got to do Search COVINO and RICH FSR on YouTube again. Go to YouTube search COVINOENRICH FSR. Check us out on YouTube. Subscribe hit that thumbs up icon and comment away.

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[Colin Cowherd]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show. Hey, everyone. Check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Jason McIntyre]

Oh, no.

[Colin Cowherd]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird. Yeah, the bird looks out of your league. Anyways. Get a [e-mail] or with your local agent. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Jason McIntyre]

J. Mac with the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, no, no.

[AJ Devons]

Turn on the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

This is the Herdline news. All right. We discussed the OG Anuno situation, the hammy that he suffered last night. So now word has come out from the Knicks that he is questionable for game three. Listed as day to day.

[Jason McIntyre]

So he'll play in the series. He's just not playing three.

[Colin Cowherd]

We'll see. Colin, Hamstrings are tough, man. So it could be. You know, it doesn't look like it was a tear or even a partial. Maybe just. Hey, we'll be cautious with him for game three.

[Jason McIntyre]

I.

[Colin Cowherd]

The Knicks can win the title this year, right? I think that's in play for them. Would you agree?

[Jason McIntyre]

No, they're gonna.

[Colin Cowherd]

They're favored in this series, and they're gonna be favored against the Pistons.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, they're not gonna win the title, but I think they're. They're the best in a really bad Eastern Conference.

[Colin Cowherd]

They could get back to the finals for the first time in eons.

[Jason McIntyre]

I think they could get back to it. Yes.

[Colin Cowherd]

So if that's the goal and that's a reasonable, you know, they got a chance of that. I think you sit OG for the two games and hope in five days.

[Jason McIntyre]

Listen, beyond his defense, he's been on fire.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

Shooting 54% on threes. That's really been. He's always been a big, capable body, plays both ways. His shooting has been huge for them in the playoffs.

[Colin Cowherd]

And he's the guy you can't really replace easily. You don't have a lot of 6, 8, 2, 20 wings who can do both ends of the court. Hit threes. I mean, fire up the crowd, dunks. He does everything. McBride is fine. Alvarado. But then you're Going small. I don't know. This is not great news for the Knicks, but we'll see. Embiid. We don't know what's up with him. Anyway, so that, that game tomorrow night, Game three in Philadelphia. All right, let's move on to Thunder, Lakers, that is tonight. Lakers are massive underdogs. But Mark Dagnault, the coach of the Thunder, who by the way is also LeBron's age, 41 years old, was super impressed with the greatest basketball player in the history of the sport. He was like in first punch mode to start the game and he was really aggressive early. It was clear that he wanted to set a tone for the series and for the game, and he did. And so that's a good lesson for us. You know, understanding his aggression at different points in the game. He does an incredible job of choosing his spots. You know, at some of the, you tip your hat, you know, he, he made some tough ones. And then there's other ones that we could correct. Just like any player in any game. You want to guess the line? Game one was 16, was bet down to 15 and a half. Do you want to guess the line for game two?

[Jason McIntyre]

11, 15.

[Colin Cowherd]

So LeBron was heroic in game one. Colin. To ask him to do that on one night of rest is going to be a tall order. We saw in the Houston series when he only had one day off. There was a little regression. Austin Reaves maybe steps up, but it's, it's, it's just a tall order for the Lakers without the best scorer in the league in Luka Doncic. He led the league in scoring, he sets up the offense. I don't know what you could do. Maybe Luke Kennard has an out of body experience. You know, Marcus Smart flops his way to an SGA foul trouble. I mean, I'm just trying to come up with fun ideas, but like this is just, it's very difficult even with LeBron playing at such a high level, you know?

[Jason McIntyre]

Totally agree.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, Kyle, let's go to the final story. And that's the NFL. You love a good list. So let's dig into this one. Fan sided. A website has come up with their five quarterbacks under the most pressure. Now I tried to guess these before we put them all on the screen. Do you want to guess who number one is according to Fan sided for the quarterback under the Most pressure in 2026?

[Jason McIntyre]

Lamar Jackson.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, he's two.

[Jason McIntyre]

I don't know. I mean, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert a little bit.

[Colin Cowherd]

Justin Herbert's not even in the Top five. They have Josh Allen number one. Now I got to push back against this. How are they under pressure? Both of them have won MVPs.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, they have Joe Burrow at five and I don't think he faces any pressure. I think he's got a. There's structural.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it's the team. That's why this list is goofy. I mean, these guys are superstars. They're doing their part. Lamar Jackson's not the reason the Ravens haven't broke through to the Super Bowl.

[Jason McIntyre]

No. But, yeah, I would say that's false. I think best owner, arguably. They've had good GMs, they've had capable coaches and Lamar has. Josh Allen's lost playoff games but played great. Lamar Jackson stunk in the playoffs.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

There's a big difference. Lamar Jackson has been a reason they're not the same team in January. Josh Allen plays great and his defense can't make stops.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, he had too many turnovers against the Broncos, but he still brought them back into the game at the end. Now, my other thing is the top two guys on this list both have first time head coaches. How is that pressure on the, on the quarterback? I just, I don't understand this list at all. I would have personally gone C.J. stroud or Jalen Hurts. I mean, C.J. stroud is up for a huge contract. Right. He has spectacularly flamed out of some playoff games, specifically last year. He's the guy to me under, under the most pressure.

[Jason McIntyre]

Jalen Hurts is under pressure because Philadelphia is a pressurized market.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

Like, like the chart. Justin Herbert hasn't won a playoff game. There's not a single person in the building. They wouldn't even take a phone call if you offered him Lamar Jackson. They wouldn't take a phone call. So Jalen Hurts, faces pressure because it's Philadelphia and that, that's why Hertz. And Lamar faces pressure because he wants a new deal and he's stunk in the playoffs.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Now, I will, I will say one guy that I'm surprised is not on the list is Caleb Williams. He was mediocre as a rookie, awesome last year. And the expectations, Colin, are that the Bears are in the mix for the Super Bowl. Right. If there's any backslide at all, that's going to be on Caleb. They're not going to blame Ben Johnson. He's dialing up great stuff. They've got a loaded roster, offensive defense. Caleb needs to just make that next step. I don't know what that would, what he could possibly do better. I thought he was so good last year in some of those comebacks.

[Jason McIntyre]

See J. Mac with the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd line.

[Jason McIntyre]

I got one of my favorite answers of the day because I, I mean people have probably said it. David Fisdale, who's been around forever, we were talking about, you know, the flopping with sga. It's kind of become a central theme in the playoffs and it's not good television. And I mean that's the TVs paying a lot of the freight in pro sports. And so it does matter if it's quality. I mean one of the reasons baseball got rid of the defensive shift, they wanted their power hitters to be on base more. They wanted doubles to be doubles, not line drives. The right field where a second baseman's camping. And I think OKC is sort of an uninspiring championship team style of play in the flopping. And David Fisdale said maybe it's. You're not going to change it at the league office. How about we look at the officials to change it? It's like dealing with a guy that's a bully or a guy that, you know, that's always out there taking hard fouls or you know, you have to. The refs at some point have to take onus on controlling that because they

[Colin Cowherd]

are the ones in the game that

[Jason McIntyre]

actually have the whistle. They know he has a reputation for falling around. Don't call all that crap. Tell them to get up. And I tell you what, you tell a guy to get up a few times, he's going to stop doing it. Yeah. I mean Fisdale, he basically said it's on the officials, it's not on the league because it's too hard to police from the top down. So there are points of emphasis but it is just John, it's not a good look and it's not entertaining. And that's the reality of sports. People think commissioners care who win championship, they don't. They care about the integrity of the leaves league. That's number one, the integrity of the league. The second thing they care about is are there broadcasting partners happy? Because between Amazon and NBC, Peacock, espn, they're paying the freight, right? So and the owners, they want big deals. I mean these owners, it's all about getting the best TV deal. So the two things they care about, the tanking thing because Adam Silver knows that would fall on him and basically style of play, ratings, TV partners and if the Thunder win back to back championships and it's kind of an uninspiring finals and it's lopsided. Now if it's the Knicks OKC and the Knicks could win an early game then it would get a number regardless because of New York. But fans, everybody defends the tush push. You don't want the Eagles doing it 11 times a game and you don't want 31 teams doing it, 32 team. You don't want this to be a league wide problem. It is a style of play for one player overwhelmingly, but he just happens to be on the best team and he ends up playing and being the star of the last series. Not great. All right, those headlines J Mac Tomorrow's headlines today. Next it's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of

[Colin Cowherd]

the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

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[Jason McIntyre]

Good to have you back in Nice way to cap off the week. Second round of the NBA playoffs has begun. I think San Antonio, Minnesota is going to play itself out to be a great six or a given seven game series. But let's start with tomorrow's headlines. Today with a little less dynamic series. Game one Cavs Pistons series. What's going to be the headline?

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't know that it's that less dynamic. You got Cade Cunningham, a top 10 player in the league. You've got Donovan Mitchell, James Harden. You smell an upset, Colin. The headline for Cavs Pistons will me should have had a V8 Motor City runs on empty tank. Yes. Kate Cunningham is going to have some trouble and I'll go with the Cavs in this series. I'm going to stick with it Colin. I actually think they win this game tonight outright. You know, if you look at game one, Mitchell and Harden did not have a good game. Jared Allen was awful. Played like 18 minutes scored, one basket. Okay. They played awful. And the game was tied with five minutes left. Detroit just doesn't scare anyone because the offensive output is not there. I mean, if you could tell me Tobias Harris is going to bang five three. Sure, but that seems like a one off. Can Duncan Robinson do it again? You know, Dennis Jenkins, the G league hero. I'm just not a believer in this team. And I think the Cavs will get a big production tonight out of Mobley and Allen and give me Cleveland winning tonight and winning the series.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay, Embiid's banged up. What's new? Oh, geez. Banged up. That is new. Tomorrow's headlines today, Knicks lead two. Oh, how's it going to end this

[Colin Cowherd]

OG injury has me seriously concerned. The hamstring to according to you, their best player. The headline for Sixers Knicks will be curb your win thus sixers get 80 nixed. Yes, New York, they're in control of the series now. OG is a bit of a setback, but I ultimately think Sixers are just looking like a tired team. Colin, think about this. VJ Edgecombe is an awesome rookie, had a great year, right? He was supposed to like be great against Jalen Brunson. Remember Edgecombe played like 35 games last year at Baylor between the regular season. 82 games and now a second round of the playoffs. They're. He's approaching 90 games.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, he's also, he plays defense. So he's a smaller guy that gets worn down. He plays real defense.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, and I thought it was a bad mistake by Nick Nurse last night playing Tyrese Maxey 47 minutes.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, they thought they were going to win. They should have won.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, they went all in. So now you got off a seven game series and you got Maxi playing 47 minutes a game two one day off. No Embiid Paul George, you know, out here shooting tour dates in a big game, which is no surprise. Playoff p. Come on. Over five in the fourth quarter. Colin, it. It was rough for, for the Sixers. I thought they could push it 7. I don't know, man. I don't even know if this gets six anymore. Give me the Knicks.

[Jason McIntyre]

Tomorrow's headlines. Today, the veteran T Wolves, the dynamic youthful Spurs. Who you got?

[Colin Cowherd]

I thought you'd spend a little more time on the spurs winning by 99 points.

[Jason McIntyre]

Last.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, what a beatdown of Minnesota. So is it series back on the headline for Spurs Timberwolves will it be Wembanyama Lama Ding dong ant swept off the playoff porch? Oh, yeah. You know that movie Colin Little turn back the clock to when you were a young fella. I just love what I saw from the spurs last night. How about this breakdown their shot chart. They took two mid range shots all night. It was just threes and inside the paint. We're taking it right at Gobert, right at Randall. No more of this settling crap. Now they did hit 16 threes, which is a huge help, but they just went right at the rim and I think that's smart basketball. My guy, Stephen Castle. By the way, that's going to be the next NBA jersey I buy. I just love Castle's game. I know I've been glazing him for that full season. He's so tough defensively. He really did a good job on Anthony Edwards. And if you saw Bones Highland getting his face, he's not backing down. He's tough. I like the spurs team. I think the spurs win this series.

[Jason McIntyre]

Tomorrow's headlines today, LeBron's doing everything he can. Squeezing every bit of offense out of this team against the Thunder. Could be a quick exit, don't you think so?

[Colin Cowherd]

The last time I hosted when you were gallivanting around the country, I think I said something like, I'm not afraid of the Thunder. But the Lakers at the time had Luka dodge it. Things don't look as great now, but even OKC fans will love this headline. The headline for Lakers Thunder will be Flopper Tunity knocks Lakers toppled while not luca ing. Yeah, the flop king sga. I'm really curious, Colin, because I was going to bet his over points tonight just because the narrative is so negative on him right now. People are sick of this. It's. It's like a big deal outside of okc. Everyone can see he's just going in the lane. He's like, oh, I got shot. Oh my goodness. Somebody touched me. Somebody breathed on me. I think this is going to become a thing. So either SGA goes for 40 or maybe it gets in his head and the Lakers keep it close. But I'll just be happy if the Lakers can win one game in this series. It's. It's just I. They can't do it without Luka.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, it would have been. They would have won if Luca Austin were in great shape. But the games would have been fascinating. Best offense against the best defense.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

Tomorrow's headlines. Today there's a lot of questions about the future of Steve Kerr. Who's got options broadcasting, could gm could, coach, could go back with the Warriors. Where do you think he lands?

[Colin Cowherd]

Steve Kerr, a great coach all time coach, hall of Famer for sure. Great player back in his day. The headline for Steve Kerr's future will be Course Kerr Action. Stefan says we're even Steven. I think Mr. Kerr retires. I think after this Draymond Green week where he's bashing Kerr, saying, he held me back, and then he's going after Austin Rivers and now he's taking shots at Charles Barkley, like, who wants to go back to that, Colin? And you look at this roster, Draymond's old, Jimmy Butler's old, my guy Curry's a little old. It's just there's really not a lot of incentive for him to go back. You and I would agree. Even if they somehow get Giannis, and again, nobody's articulated how they could pull that off, are they really going to be a factor with three guys who were all kind of injury prone?

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, you're not going to get Draymond, Butler and Curry to give you 75 games. Like, they're just not going to play that many games. So even when they were infrequently all healthy, they got rolled by good teams.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

So, I mean, it's. The longer the season went, the uglier.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, if you were advising Curb, would you tell him, hey, Steve, you had a great run. Either go to broadcasting or chill with your family. I don't see what the point of his going back.

[Jason McIntyre]

I don't think he needs advisement. I think it's probably a family thing. Like, he's a smart guy. He could go back to broadcasting, but broadcasting's a grind.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, there's also some chatter that warriors ownership wants him to tone down on the political social references. And he's like, the hell? You tell me? You tell me to do that. I mean, we got politicians talking sports. I'm winning titles. Well, I can't say what's on my mind. I mean, you say what's on your mind.

[Jason McIntyre]

I would, I would, I would hang her up. I want to compete. And I think it's, you know, like I said earlier, that, that title they won against Boston, I think they kind of believe, like, okay, this is going to be the next wave for our dynasty. And it was a bit of a lucky one where Jamal Hurry, Murray, Michael Porter, John Morant was hurt. The, the, the Mavericks were young and they kind of got a couple of. I mean, they got a lot of injury breaks. Wiggins played one really great series, which for most of his career, he's underachieved. Celtics were had the series and then just gagged. And I think they looked at it and thought, hey, we, we, we. This dance is going to last a while. It's like, bro, don't slow down. This, this was one of those circumstances like the Patriots last year got you to a space that you really were not going to duplicate.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I think you're being a little harsh. And if you remember, there was talk could they run it back and win it again. But of course, Draymond Green had to go punch out Jordan Pool. Then the Klay Thompson stuff, it just spiraled out of control. It stinks.

[Jason McIntyre]

There were 14 and 33 against playoff teams this year. Finally, tomorrow's headlines. Today, Aaron Rodgers. It looks semi official. What do you say?

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, boy. Well, on tomorrow's show, I think we'll talk about Aaron Rodgers a lot. But the headline for Aaron Rodgers. Colin, brace yourself. Doing his own research, Rogers verifies Steelers aren't hoax. We had to. Come on Aaron Rodgers. He's coming back again. If I'm the Pittsburgh Steelers, I want nothing to do with this guy. I'm sure he wants to come back. Nobody wants their last NFL pass to be a pick six, right? He definitely doesn't want that. His last game was a disaster against the Houston Texans. Again, I know there's a lot of Rogers fans out there. He speaks his mind. I get that. He goes on all the bro podcasts.

[Jason McIntyre]

I don't think that. I don't think he's as popular as you think. He doesn't get commercials anymore.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, again, that's different than the manosphere, which loves this guy because he's do your own research guy and you know, whatever, you know. But as a quarterback, just talking football, I know you said like, oh, well, he improved the Steelers offense. I mean, they had Russell Wilson the year before. Like, come on. They were not a good team. They luck boxed into the playoffs with the Ravens kickers shanking one at the buzzer. Or they missed the playoffs and it's like, let's start over. I'm not a believer. I would press the reboot button. I know McCarthy probably doesn't want to do that, but what's an option?

[Jason McIntyre]

I've said before, I would have gone with Malik Willis, but since they're not to me, I want to compete. It's football. And if there. I mean, listen, let's say they go 9 and 8 or 8 and 9, 8 and let's say they go 9 and 8. They missed the wild card spot, but they're, you know, Ravens, Bengals go. But they're. They're a competitive team. I mean I also think if he got dinged up, McCarthy would love to sit him and see Will Howard play. I think that's, that's. He's 43 in December. That's the thing about Aaron. He's 43 in December. He doesn't want to get hit. Last year he took some shots. If he comes back, take some shots. I could see McCarthy saying, Dude, bye week next week we're giving you two weeks off. Go to Malibu, get healthy. Go to Malibu. I could absolutely see that. And there'd be some L's in their schedule. If you look at their schedule, it's a pretty tough schedule. There could be some L's in their schedule. That's. And so let's say they end up like with the 18th draft pick they're probably going to need like a third and a fifth to move up. So my take is they've got to get cheaper on defense and get their quarterback. I what's interesting about this, Aaron last year got smoked multiple and you're like looking at him thinking he doesn't want to do this. If I could see, I think Mike McCarthy wants to see what Will Howard is. Maybe he doesn't but he won games with Cooper Rush. So what's interesting is when he comes back. Mike defebo was on earlier today just talking about Aaron Rodgers being close to a return.

[Colin Cowherd]

They did not think that the contract itself was going to be a significant obstacle. And you know Rogers last year he really played on a tremendous discount, around $13 million. And so now he's set to make on this tender around 15 million. It should be more than that. It's not about the dollars themselves. Often you know, the amount that you get is commensurate with the amount of respect the team is giving you. And in that way I think you at least would be like, like to get closer to market value.

[Jason McIntyre]

And I mean Aaron's the most sacked quarterback ever. NFL history. 643 year olds do not want to hobble around when they leave the game. So the big issue with Aaron here is because I do like they went and got an offensive tackle, they got a great interior offensive lineman, great center and they've got tight ends that block so. And they've Pittman and DK Metcalf. It's a nice offense. It's an, it's a regressing older, very expensive defense. So I mean hopefully some of their draft picks hit. But what's going to be interesting is if he gets banged up and he's taking a lot of sacks if he gets banged up. They got a rookie tackle, a guy with a great ceiling, but he's kind of raw if it doesn't work out. That's where I could see Mike McCarthy stepping in and be like the Brooks, I'm here for you. I want to protect you. I'm going to give you two or three weeks off and it could be at the end of the year and all of a sudden you look up and you're like they're going to be a seven or an eight win team. It's, it's I again I think Aaron's interesting. I don't think he's great, but I think he's interesting. So we'll see what plays.

[Colin Cowherd]

So let me, let me ask you this real quick, Colin. My Jets, I know some Steelers fans are watching and are like, hey Jason, jets aren't doing anything. So the jets haven't been in the playoffs since like TikTok wasn't even around at that point. You know, I wasn't even at Fox. It's been a minute. But you know, in that same time frame since the jets last made the playoffs, the Steelers have three playoff wins. That's it. No super bowl trips. That's it. Three playoff wins. And by adding Aaron Rodgers, they're going to continue this dance where we're 7 and 10, 8 and 9, 9 and 8. So what, what's the end game? You're not getting your franchise quarterback.

[Jason McIntyre]

That's why I'm saying if you, if, if Aaron gets dinged up, doesn't play, they win eight games, you're going to be draf 15th. It's not that hard to get up to set. You don't have to have the number. The number one quarterback is generally not the best quarterback.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's a fair point.

[Jason McIntyre]

If you can get to like 4, 5, 6, 8. I mean Ty Simpson went 13. You don't know where guys are going next year. You could have five guys in the first round. You could get the number three quarterback and get Bo Nix. I mean go a few years ago, Bo Nix went like 11. What was he the first second? He was like the fourth quarterback. The fourth or fifth quarterback taken. Bo Nix has been excellent. So you don't have to have the number one pick. My thing is I think they're going to be a middle of the pack drafting team 15, 16, 17ish and you want to get up to like 9, 10 or 11. I mean Justin Herbert Mahomes, Josh Allen, these guys are available if you look at the career. They're not going 1, 2, and 3.

[Colin Cowherd]

But we got, we got a lot of teams that need quarterbacks. Browns don't have a guy. Jets, Cardinals, Dolphins. You could rattle off like six.

[Jason McIntyre]

Dude, that's every year of my life. Every year of my life. Seven teams are desperate at quarterback. That's why guys, older guys like Aaron get deals. Kirk Cousins get deals.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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