Episode Transcript
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All right, here we go, first hour
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flew by Live in Los Angeles. It's
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The Herd wherever you may be and however you
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may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day,
0:35
I was saying to Jmac during the commercial. Generally
0:37
with march madness, I might prefer the
0:39
first weekend, but I think the talent
0:42
pool has been so diluted over the last ten
0:44
years. I find myself looking
0:46
forward to the second weekend because there's actually
0:48
NBA players in that. And
0:51
I mean, I think when you watch the
0:53
games, it's pretty clear that you com Purdue,
0:56
North Carolina, I think San
0:58
Diego State, Arizona. I want to you
1:00
know, there's a handful of teams I watch and I
1:03
go, okay, there's some NBA bodies there.
1:04
It works for me.
1:05
So the Gonzaga game against
1:08
it's Purdue, right, Gonzaga, Perdue. It's in
1:10
Detroit, so that means
1:12
Purdue is going to have a huge contingent
1:14
there. It's fascinating because Edie
1:17
Gonzaga's got it by Gonzaga
1:19
standards. It's a different team. Watson's
1:22
good, but it's just a bunch of different guys, misfits.
1:25
It just kind of works. It's well coached,
1:27
but it's not your typical kind of Gonzaga
1:30
looking stylistic team. Purdue's
1:32
got one dominant player. They're very structured,
1:35
they come down, they call a set play. They're very
1:37
good at those set plays. But I think Gonzaga
1:39
wants to get them out of their comfort zone. Push the
1:41
ball, trap, move them a little bit. That
1:44
could be an exceptional college
1:46
basketball game.
1:47
They played in Maui earlier this year. Perdue got
1:49
the win.
1:50
I think they have a big edge here. I'm
1:52
just saying, I know people, maybe college basketball
1:54
who cares. The Sweet sixteen games are
1:57
very very good, very good.
1:59
Sitting around next weekend, yeah all
2:01
right, all I'm doing is watching college
2:03
hoops all weekend Thursday, Friday, right is Saturday.
2:06
You're a flight somewhere.
2:07
No, no, no, no, I am this. I know I
2:10
am totally locked in my perceptive
2:13
vision can.
2:13
Even probably toss back two or three.
2:14
Drake may get a boot no, no clear
2:16
eyed, no boozy.
2:21
Okay. We predict them and sometimes
2:23
we're wrong. It's called Colin right, Colin
2:25
wrong. We do it every Monday at this time, and here
2:27
we go where Colin was right. Well,
2:29
Mike Tomlin clarified it. Finally,
2:32
this whole idea that Russell Wilson and
2:34
Justin Fields are going to compete for the starting
2:37
job is nonsense. Give me a
2:39
break. One's figuring out how to play quarterback.
2:42
One is a refined super Bowl appearing
2:44
two time quarterback. Here's Tomlin
2:46
on his two guys at quarterback, his.
2:49
Experience in the
2:51
National Football League, His process
2:53
has been honed and perfected. Russell
2:56
has those resources, man, that structure,
2:59
and so that's why I he has pole position.
3:01
Man.
3:01
It just creates a synergy that I
3:03
think is good for this time of year.
3:05
Pole position will be and
3:08
should be. Russell Wilson.
3:10
He may not be what he was seven years ago,
3:13
but he can still win you a lot of games
3:15
in this league and in the AFC. You
3:17
can't go with a quarterback trying
3:20
to figure out how to play the position
3:23
that doesn't work in that division.
3:25
Where Colin was wrong, I went
3:27
to the.
3:27
Bulls Celtics game with a notepad. I can
3:29
acknowledge after closer inspection, Jason
3:32
Tatum is very good. Okay, I knew
3:34
that, but I will say one of the things
3:36
I've questioned about Jason Tatum is
3:39
dominating a game late. He
3:41
always gets his shot. But they didn't have Porzingis,
3:43
Jalen Brown didn't play, Drew
3:47
Holliday didn't play, and Chicago
3:50
was at home. This was a big game
3:52
for the Bulls, and Tatum finished
3:55
it off playmaking, finding
3:57
the open guy. Where Colin was
3:59
wrong. Where Colin was right, I said,
4:02
don't overthink it. The talent pool
4:04
in college basketball is thin. Duke
4:07
and Yukon are the two best teams.
4:09
Well, they're four to er after this weekend.
4:12
Yukon's winning by twenty eight a game.
4:14
Carolina is winning by twenty two a game.
4:17
Listen, there's just not many
4:20
really exceptional teams. Even
4:22
next weekend, when
4:24
it's been cut down to a smaller number, there's
4:26
only about four teams left, maybe five,
4:28
that can win the national championship. Don't outthink
4:31
the.
4:31
Room where Colin was
4:33
raw.
4:33
Finally, the New York Jets
4:36
move off of just getting players
4:39
that made Aaron comfortable. They
4:41
went out and got offensive lineman Tyron
4:43
Smith, Morgan Moses John Sampson
4:46
from Dallas Baltimore, teams
4:48
that have had successful, winning cultures
4:51
and excellent offensive lines. They
4:53
also went and got a backup quarterback, and
4:56
they didn't ask for Aaron Rodgers' approval.
4:59
It's not anti Aaron, it's pro
5:01
winning. The Patriots
5:03
during their dynasty weren't getting an okay
5:06
on every acquisition or draft pick
5:08
from Tom. I understand if you go
5:11
and you have a wide receiver in the market
5:13
and you're like, hey, how do you think you guys match
5:15
up? But the bottom line is the Jets
5:17
moved away from making Aaron comfortable
5:20
and moved in to some older
5:22
quality players who can protect
5:24
Aaron, even if they're not buddies where
5:26
Colin was right, John Calipari,
5:29
we'll find out if he keeps his job today.
5:31
My guess he will. The Wildcats
5:34
again bounced by a small
5:36
college in the first round last year,
5:38
Saint Peter's this year, Oakland,
5:41
somewhere in Michigan. I've said with Calipari,
5:43
I bought into him initially in the one and done stuff.
5:46
I thought it was a new way to do business. But it's
5:48
all salesmanship now he never owns
5:51
it. He constantly projects it's
5:53
all about Hey, I feel bad for the kids.
5:55
Don't worry about the kids. They'll go to the NBA and
5:57
get rich. Worry about you and elevation
6:00
team. And as the culture changes
6:02
in college basketball, you've got
6:04
to adapt, Calipari
6:07
said last week. I don't know if I'm gonna change.
6:09
We are not winning in March, and the culture's
6:11
changed even Belichick. Belichick
6:13
got fired when he wouldn't adapt to a new
6:16
culture, and he wasn't winning in January.
6:19
Where Colin was raw.
6:21
My Golden State Warriors have
6:24
lost seven times
6:26
in eleven games. They've just become
6:28
too Steph Curry dependent. Klay
6:30
Thompson off the bench, is often the second best
6:33
scorer on the team. Wiggins is all over the map.
6:35
I like Kuminga, but he's not at a twenty
6:37
four point a game pace
6:39
in his career. Now they
6:42
have a problem scoring if Steph's not on fire,
6:45
and again they are
6:47
in danger of getting edged out. I
6:49
don't think it's good for the league with the Houston
6:51
Rockets, who are talented but hyper young.
6:54
And I thought this team had a perfect
6:56
mix of Chris Paul. Chris
6:58
is going to be thirty eight, really doesn't
7:00
add a lot offensively, this team
7:02
has hit a.
7:03
Wall where Colin was right.
7:05
Caleb Williams is clearly
7:07
going to be the Bears pick. The number
7:10
one pick. Keenan Allen
7:12
last week went to his pro day and wore
7:14
a Chicago Bears jersey, and
7:16
Caleb came on our show as we told
7:18
you he had his camp had told
7:21
me he's happy about going
7:23
to Chicago.
7:25
Well, that's the place I'm excited
7:27
for that the fans love football. It's one of the
7:29
you know, biggest things that I care about is a
7:32
place that cares.
7:34
And so you know, if that was the place,
7:37
I'd be.
7:37
Excited and and and you know,
7:40
get ready to go win games is what I'm
7:42
excited for.
7:44
Most importantly, he'll go
7:46
to Chicago. He is a much
7:48
better prospect than justin Fields. They
7:50
have a much better offensive situation
7:52
than Fields. Inherited, this
7:55
is the future of the Chicago Bears. Ryan
7:58
Poles, and I've had my questions about him,
8:00
has had a very good year Between
8:02
DJ Moore, Gerald Everett,
8:05
Keenan, Allen, DeAndre Swift
8:07
and rebuilding that old line GM.
8:10
Ryan Poles has had a very good twelve
8:12
months. It'll continue when
8:14
he drafts Caleb Williams.
8:16
Where Colin was raw, I.
8:18
Thought shohey, Otawni to the Dodgers
8:20
would elevate the sport, elevate the Dodgers.
8:23
He was squeaky clean, he had a great image,
8:25
and now he's in the middle of a scary gambling
8:28
situation. Now, if he didn't bet on
8:30
baseball, I think it evaporates
8:33
very quickly. There's a shadiness
8:35
to it with his interpreter, whether it's
8:37
Otawny, and again, I think
8:39
we have a gambling culture in America increasingly,
8:42
So if he didn't bet baseball, I don't think
8:44
he's in a lot of trouble. I think it goes away.
8:47
But I will acknowledge that I thought he
8:49
was the perfect Dodger, squeaky clean,
8:51
elevate the sport in a big entertainment
8:54
capital. And this is clearly a
8:56
mess for the sport. Where Colin was
8:58
right, Defensive head coaches just
9:01
don't sense the urgency at quarterback.
9:03
I know, and like Antonio Pierce, but
9:05
what I'm hearing is it's down to Gardner,
9:08
Minshew or Aiden O'Connell
9:10
at quarterback. I'm not hearing
9:13
any discussion of drafting a quarterback.
9:15
Now. That may be Tom Telesco just
9:17
trying to stay out of the news. But Gardner,
9:19
Minshew and Aidan O'Connell are fourth
9:22
place, and that offensively
9:24
would be one of the weaker teams in the league. Now,
9:26
Gardner was okay with Shane Steikin, but
9:28
most of us agree that Steichen is the next Kyle
9:31
Shanahan in terms of brain power
9:33
and wattage offensively, Please
9:35
please, please tell me the
9:37
future of the Raiders offense is
9:39
not their current quarterback situation.
9:42
Where Colin was right, the Chiefs
9:44
moved off Lugerius Snead the corner.
9:47
I said, Chris Jones is the guy you gotta
9:49
keep. I like Sneid, but
9:51
he gets penalties. He got smoked
9:53
in the Super Bowl. NFL
9:55
people that I respect are spending
9:57
money on offense, not
10:01
defense, the exception being a
10:03
great pass rusher or a great
10:05
interior defender. McDuffie
10:07
is already in house. Brett
10:10
Veach has shown an ability to draft
10:12
excellent corners in the mid rounds or later.
10:15
This is the right move by the Chiefs.
10:17
They got to keep Mahomes protected and happy,
10:20
and make sure Chris Jones, because there's no
10:22
duplication of Jones, He's sort of a one on
10:24
one guy in this league. Keep him
10:26
in house where Colin was right,
10:28
where Colin was wrong. And a Monday, and with that, Chris
10:31
Mannix ready to joust
10:34
with me is joining us on the show. Did
10:36
you hear j Mack? Last week? Mannix
10:39
was up in Boston and he and Eddie
10:41
just taking these subliminal shots
10:43
at us because we have questioned late
10:45
game efficiency by the Celtics. I
10:48
will acknowledge they were pretty good lad against
10:50
Chicago and my eyes were there set off.
10:52
I'm glad that seventy
10:54
games into a dominant
10:57
season. One trip to Chicago
10:59
to watch them and watch Jason Tatum
11:01
as you sold on this team
11:03
as a legit contender.
11:05
Well, I have said they're gonna
11:07
roll through the East. I don't have any question,
11:09
and I do think they're deeper than Denver.
11:12
I do like to go every year. I go to a couple
11:14
of games, and there is a different perception when you go to
11:16
games. My takeaway was and it's
11:18
always been with Tatum. I know he's great. I've said
11:20
all NBA got no problems late
11:23
game stuff, take it over. And Chicago's
11:26
more talented than people think. They actually have real NBA
11:28
players. They're young in spots, but they have some players.
11:31
The one thing I saw with Tatum, first guy out at
11:33
five to ten, first guy out on the floor,
11:35
both teams working hard, like
11:38
first guy by like twenty five to thirty minutes. The
11:40
second thing was in the late game situation,
11:42
he wanted the ball. He just like,
11:45
give me the ball. And there's also and I
11:47
kind of knew this, but there is a gap in this league, as
11:49
you know, outside of Steph Curry.
11:51
Think how smart the Warriors are run. They don't have another
11:53
guy that can give them twenty five points. Yeah, Tatum
11:56
is clearly in an elite class of give
11:59
me the ball, I'm always gonna
12:01
get my shot. Yeah, that was very
12:03
clear in that game. And I think with
12:05
that said, I may
12:07
be uncomfortable at times, but I
12:09
don't think Boston's uncomfortable with anything
12:12
about Tatum.
12:13
No, they're satisfied with
12:16
him being a distributor at
12:18
times in those situations because
12:21
he has the horses to
12:23
throw the ball to. I mean, Jayleen Brown has
12:25
closed the gap I think this year even more
12:28
between himself and Jason Tatum. Christas
12:30
porzingis average twenty this season.
12:32
Drew Holliday has proven he can make
12:34
big shots in big moments. If
12:36
you don't have an open look or if you don't
12:39
have the play that you want,
12:41
passing the ball is the right
12:44
play. And look, the criticism of
12:46
Boston over the last few weeks really
12:48
has boiled down to is Jason
12:50
Tatum a closer? And you know this, You
12:53
can find stats to back up
12:55
any argument. And I've seen some of Jason Tatum's
12:58
you know, the clutch time stats aren't his good some
13:00
of the top tier guys. How about the eyeball
13:02
test. How about we go with that? Like, did
13:04
I fall asleep last year during
13:07
the Conference semifinals when Jason
13:09
Tatum went off in the fourth quarter of an elimination
13:11
game in Game six? Did I miss
13:14
that Game seven against the seventy
13:16
six ers when Tatum went for what fifty
13:19
one in that game? The three games
13:21
that the Celtics won against Miami,
13:23
Jason Tatum scored like eighty five points in
13:25
those three games. And I'm convinced he would
13:27
have had a breakthrough performance in Game seven
13:30
if he didn't get hurt on the very
13:32
first play of that game. So this idea
13:34
that Jason Tatum is somehow
13:37
on another tier of clutch player
13:39
than some of the other guys we regularly talk about to
13:41
me is ridiculous.
13:42
Well, the other thing I will say about Tatum
13:44
is Luca doesn't defend. Tatum does.
13:46
Yes, he has got measurably better over
13:49
the last few years.
13:50
Yeah. So the other thing is, unlike Biggs, Tatum
13:52
doesn't get hurt much. He's there every night.
13:54
So there are a lot of things, you know. I
13:56
mean, some of this is jousting and it's fun.
13:59
But I did want to go see in person. So I saw him
14:01
in person last year, and I do. I like
14:03
to watch guys in person, see the body language. Jason's
14:05
a very confident guy. And the one thing that
14:07
really is so true when you watch
14:10
the Celtics play, there's so much culture. Golden State's
14:12
got a lot of this because it's a lot of the same guys. Boston
14:14
has this too. Al Horford is a classic
14:17
example Boston's ball movement,
14:19
Chicago's young Andrea Drummond's not young,
14:22
Dure. There's a lot of young guys. They're perpetually
14:24
rebuilding. When you watch Boston
14:26
in crisis moments, end of
14:28
the clock, and of the game, their
14:31
ball movement, you can tell these guys have been in a
14:33
lot of practices together. And Derek
14:35
White a lot of guys that don't get pub
14:38
So I just thought it was interesting to me watching
14:40
without three starters, and yet the backup
14:42
guys, it's like they practice with the ones
14:44
all day. Their ball movement I thought was exceptional.
14:46
Well yeah, and this is the paradox of you right
14:48
here, where part of you wats
14:51
Jason Tatum to go one on three to be
14:54
you know, Jordan in the eighties and
14:56
just go after it every time he has the ball in
14:58
clutch situations. But you just named Derek
15:00
White's another guy who makes big shots
15:03
and is comfortable.
15:03
In the nobody pays attention to.
15:06
Everyone knows that if Derek White is open,
15:08
or if Drew Holliday is open, that is a better shot
15:10
than Jason Tatum getting a soft double team
15:12
thrown his way that forces up a contested
15:15
two. He makes the right plays
15:17
every single time. That's not always gonna manifest
15:20
itself. In a game winning shot, but it's
15:22
gonna manifest itself. It assist
15:25
or a hockey assist or something that gets
15:27
it done. Jason Tatum all season long has
15:29
made great plays for this team.
15:31
So I was saying in my opening rant is,
15:33
by.
15:33
The way, can we just can? I also Nick
15:36
Right, who
15:39
likes to take shots at my
15:42
support of the Celtics over the years, Nick
15:44
Wright, the Lebron advocate general
15:46
for so many years, of everything Lebron
15:48
does and is great
15:51
and nothing he there's no reason not
15:53
to want to play with Lebron James. We used to argue
15:55
on first things first all the time about
15:58
whether Anthony Davis was better
16:00
off being traded from the
16:02
Pelicans to the Lakers or
16:04
the Pelicans to the Celtics. What would
16:06
you say about that right now? Because Ad does
16:08
have a championship, but he's probably
16:11
got three, four or five more years left in the NBA.
16:14
Wouldn't you say he's probably better off playing with
16:16
Jason Tatum, playing with some of those guys in
16:18
Boston than he is in LA long term?
16:20
Well, I think the Celtics have since Brad
16:22
Stevens first got the job. I
16:24
think I look at Boston and I think
16:27
to myself, this is a very well
16:29
run, consistent franchise, very Warriors
16:32
like. The difference is Steph just hits.
16:34
You know, Steph just is one on one and
16:36
Tatum is very good. But Steph's like a unique
16:39
unicorn all time. Yeah, I think Boston,
16:41
and I've said this before, I think the Lakers
16:43
are actually like a small town business
16:45
in a big market. That's sometimes
16:47
how they've been run. So yeah, I think Ady to the Celtics
16:50
probably would have been a better fit.
16:52
Well, let's cut that and send that to Nick
16:54
to you this afternoon.
16:57
So I want to talk about
16:59
the war years because it is fascinating
17:01
about the NBA. So since
17:03
he came into the league in two thousand and nine, the
17:06
Warriors well run. Everybody
17:08
misses on draft picks. I mean, you get almost no
17:10
video of these guys in college. You have no I mean it's
17:12
ridiculous. NFLGM
17:14
gets four years of tape, I get like six
17:16
games where you played against an NBA guy. I
17:18
think it's really hard to draft, really
17:21
hard to draft as an NBA GM twenty
17:23
two draft picks. Since Curry's
17:26
been there multiple dozen
17:28
trades, acquisitions, they are
17:30
still a totally dependent Steph
17:32
Curry offense. Do they have
17:34
to blow it up? I think they have to
17:36
go get somebody. We've seen this now
17:38
for three years now. One year, you
17:41
know, Denver wasn't quite ready to go. Lebron
17:44
and ad were unhealthy. But I just feel like,
17:46
guys, you've got to go get
17:48
somebody, right.
17:49
They are completely dependent
17:51
on Steph Curry to score in key situation ever since.
17:53
I mean that game. Look, look, we can talk
17:55
about the two most recent games with the Warris.
17:58
I thought were bad for different reasons. Last
18:01
night against the Timberwolves were bad because
18:03
they had a lead for most of the game.
18:05
They had a lead going into the
18:07
fourth quarter and Steve Kerr decided
18:09
Steph had played too many minutes the night before
18:12
gave him an extended rest. That lead evaporated.
18:14
They were down I think eight to one point in that
18:17
fourth quarter because they can't score
18:19
without Steph carry. You go to the Indiana
18:22
game, which was the previous one, they put up
18:24
one hundred and eleven points against Indiana. Indiana
18:26
is not a good defensive team. That's
18:28
a team that doesn't have shot
18:31
makers anymore. Steph Curry still a shot maker,
18:33
but has to do it in somewhat of a reduced
18:35
role because of his age and the desire
18:37
by the coaching staff to keep him as
18:39
rested as possible down the stretch. But beyond
18:42
Steph, who can you count on
18:44
on a nightly basis to make
18:46
up the difference to pick up the slack? Klay
18:48
Thompson is not doing it anymore. Kaminga.
18:50
I like him a lot, but he's not capable of that just
18:52
yet. They don't have the
18:55
horses right now to compete
18:57
with the number of teams out there that
18:59
just have shot makers left and right. They can make
19:01
shots.
19:02
So a lot of people are predicting
19:05
that it won't be a great playoff because Boston's
19:08
going to fly through the East, which
19:10
I agree with, although Miami is a weird way of making
19:12
them uncomfortable. The coaching's
19:14
excellent, Bam Butler, they'll they'll make things uncomfortable.
19:18
And then that Denver is dominant, Phoenix's
19:22
disappointing doesn't necessarily match up, and that Denver's
19:24
not that fascinating. I love watching them
19:26
play, but I said this last
19:28
week, what's really interesting to
19:31
me is Milwaukee.
19:33
Because they're old, they don't
19:36
defend as well. Once they left Drew Holiday. They
19:38
didn't want to get rid of him. It's a hail Mary.
19:40
They had to get somebody, and they got Bame. They
19:43
loved them, you know.
19:43
They didn't want to get like I
19:46
would love to give them troop serum to
19:48
ask if they would have made that deal if they knew Drew was going
19:50
to wind up in Boston, because I
19:52
thought they assumed he was going to wind up
19:54
on a Western Conference team and they wouldn't have to deal
19:57
with him, at least not in the conference playoffs.
19:58
So he's clearly with his
20:00
departure. They're just not as good defensively.
20:02
Yeah, you can't argue that. And
20:05
I think Giannis has been westernized,
20:07
not a criticism. He's a little more caustic.
20:10
He's running through you know, that coach got
20:12
fired, the coach he wanted, Adrien Griffin
20:14
got fired because Jiannis was tired of
20:16
it, even though they were the number one or two seed
20:18
when he got fired. And my takeaway is if
20:21
they lose early, or if they play
20:24
Boston and they do not match
20:26
up with a cel, that could be a sweep. They don't
20:28
match up athletically with Boston. I don't think
20:30
at all.
20:32
They don't match up well with Boston.
20:34
But I was at the game last week where
20:37
it was very close down the stretch with the
20:39
Celtics, and yes, the Celtics were playing without
20:41
holiday, and there was probably a letdown
20:43
for them going into that game because Jannis
20:46
was supposed to play it that he didn't play, So it wasn't
20:48
the matchup they thought it was. But watching
20:50
Damian Lillard grind out thirty
20:52
plus points in that game, watching Chris
20:54
Middleton continue to show
20:57
signs of progress coming back from that injury,
20:59
He's gonna be a danger's weapon for them, almost at a triple double
21:01
last night in the Bucks game, watching Bobby
21:04
Port to step in and play well for them,
21:06
they did all that kept it close against Boston
21:08
in Boston without Giannis and the floor,
21:10
and the Bucks like to say no moral victories.
21:13
I walked away from that game thinking
21:15
that it was a moral victory for them.
21:17
So I agree with you. I would take Boston a series
21:19
against Milwaukee. I do think it's a lot closer.
21:21
Okay, let me make this argument
21:24
that if they lose to Boston, they have
21:26
got to take it six or seven, because
21:28
if it's five games, three lobsided
21:30
losses My take is Jannis
21:33
looks at that roster and goes, they're
21:36
younger and more athletic. We're
21:38
older, less athletic, We're not getting
21:40
younger. I think Milwaukee has
21:43
to be viable, has to get to
21:45
the Eastern Conference Finals.
21:46
I would agree with that. I think getting to the Eastern
21:49
Conference Finals is the absolute floor
21:51
for this team before they have to get worried about
21:54
what Jannis is going to want
21:56
to do long term. Look, the contract extension
21:58
Yannis signed was more about
22:01
securing his financial future than it was
22:03
about a long term commitment with Milwaukee.
22:05
And I talk to NBA executives all
22:07
the time that tell me there are teams
22:09
out there just sitting on them, just crossing
22:12
their fingers, rooting against the Bucks every
22:14
single game. Teams like the Knicks, the Warriors,
22:16
the Lakers that are just sitting there hoping
22:19
that this team vows out early. And
22:21
Giannis decides, look, this isn't for
22:24
me, but if they get to the conference finals,
22:26
if they make it competitive against Boston,
22:29
he can't blow it up. You can't because you
22:31
still have enough pieces that are in their prime.
22:33
Damian Lillard still back end of his prime,
22:36
but playing we all star starter in his prime,
22:38
Chris Middleton, if you can just coax
22:41
one full healthy season out of him, he
22:43
is still an effective player. The frontcourt
22:45
guys Brook Lopez is ageless on
22:47
that team. I don't think you can blow
22:49
it up if they go up up against Boston
22:52
and lose in six or seven. If they get
22:54
beat by Miami in the first round.
22:56
Not out of the rebel possibility, by the way,
22:58
but if that happens that, I think it's a
23:00
different picture.
23:02
Chris Mannix, Well, you know,
23:05
did you.
23:05
Just say that if they get beat by the Heat in
23:08
the first round.
23:08
I think you don't think Miami can't beat Milwaukee.
23:12
Miami is the classic lurking
23:14
in the shadows as a sixth seed. They've been doing it
23:16
for a decade. You're
23:19
overvalued.
23:20
I mean, this is a team.
23:20
Last year they made a great run. They looked exhausted
23:23
all season. Chris, I don't see
23:25
it this year.
23:25
Okay. Well, look they've had a lot of injuries. They
23:27
have all season long, and I think they're a lesser
23:29
team this year because of some
23:31
of the deals that they made, the guys they lost
23:34
in free agency last time. But I promise you
23:36
you talked to any coach in the NLA, nobody
23:38
wants to say. Nobody like, what are they sitting eight seed
23:41
right now? You know they'll be in the plans. They have to fight
23:43
their way through that to get there, and they almost lost.
23:46
No one's gonna beat in the plane, so that is certainly
23:48
on the table. But if they get through,
23:50
and if they're the seventh seed and Milwaukee's
23:53
sitting there at number two, that
23:55
would make me nervous. If I was the Bucks, if they're
23:57
fully healthy and there they get
23:59
a couple of play in wins or whatever it is, I
24:02
would. And look, I feel the same way about Boston. Boston
24:04
doesn't want to touch them in the first round either because a
24:07
healthy Jimmy Butler, a healthy bam Adebaio
24:09
Duncan, Robins actually been better this year than
24:11
he has been last year, more complete player, Tyler
24:13
Herro coming back. That is not a team
24:16
anyone wants to touch that's radioactive.
24:18
In the first round. Well, listen, I've said this. People
24:21
can say what they want about the Lakers. When
24:23
they won the n season tournament and it was sort
24:25
of a one game setting. It's like, you don't want
24:27
to face Lebron in one game saying you don't want to
24:29
face Lebron as a heavy
24:31
favorite. Lebron all make this argument
24:34
that ad is now the third best center in
24:36
the league. Jokic is just the best
24:39
player. Jannis is a better athlete.
24:41
But Anthony Davis for a year and a half has
24:43
not gotten hurt. He is there every
24:46
night. He's an unbelievable defender.
24:49
Three out of four games he gives you a big
24:51
offense. I was banging on him
24:53
for two years. Anthony Davis
24:55
has had a remarkable year and a half stretch
24:58
he has. He's one of the only guys that make makes Yokich
25:00
work. Now, Jokich'll get his, but
25:02
he makes Jokich work.
25:04
He does, and those games, as have been
25:06
well documented, are incredibly close between the
25:09
Lakers to win them, but they've been incredibly
25:11
close down the stretch. His durability has
25:13
been one of the most surprising stories of
25:15
the last couple of years. His ability to stay on the court.
25:17
Yes be an elite defensive player, where he still
25:20
malfunctions from time to time as offensively.
25:22
Offensively, you have maybe
25:24
too many nights where he gives
25:26
you like ten points and it's a low shooting
25:28
percentage that makes you worried
25:31
if you're the Lakers because you don't have a
25:33
lot of reliable options after him.
25:34
But in fairness to Ad, when
25:36
you're leaning on a two hundred and eighty pound guy
25:39
and you're a great defender, I
25:41
don't think offensively you're not Luca.
25:44
Luca just mails that side in when
25:46
you're asking Ady to defend guys that are offlating
25:48
bigger. I think it's their.
25:49
Problem like that. That's the problem with One of the problems
25:52
the Lakers have had this year is that
25:54
they don't have anyone they can rely on to
25:56
play those five spot minutes, Like Jackson
25:58
Hayes hasn't really been that
26:00
guy. Christian Wood hasn't been that guy. They
26:02
haven't had that one big that can give
26:04
them twenty minutes of reliable production
26:07
alongside Anthony Davis.
26:08
Yeah, didn't they want Andre Drummond at one
26:10
point? And everybody wanted Andre Drummonds. I
26:13
thought the league salary cheap salary. He plays.
26:15
I mean I watched them as a human vacuum. I
26:17
love that your entire you know, your view of
26:19
you put the NBA is based on what you saw with
26:22
a bull self a scheduled loss for Boston
26:25
coming off of.
26:25
Back to back watch a lot
26:27
of ends.
26:28
I believe that, but you seem to be you seem
26:30
to be taking a lot from this
26:32
one game, Like, oh my god, Andre Drummond
26:34
is I would take him on.
26:36
The Drummond was. My wife's
26:38
like, where did he play? And I'm like, well, he started in Detroit,
26:41
Cleveland or Detroit and he was a rebound
26:43
guy. Yeah, he didn't give you any offense. But he's
26:45
a big, thick like body.
26:48
One of the great rebounders in NBA
26:50
history. Like, look at the numbers, and
26:52
he started Detroit, started Detroit, came back.
26:55
He bounced around a lot over the years.
26:56
But he's one of those guys that because he's a body
26:59
and can give your big, big sixteen
27:01
minutes of rest. People went on upper.
27:03
Coffee in Philadelphia for a little while.
27:05
Great, Rea, not just one game. I've got it.
27:07
I believe you. What but you I'm just saying you seem to have
27:10
taken more from this one game than
27:12
you have watching all the games you have during the season.
27:15
It's fun.
27:15
I love going to NBA games, all right, I love
27:18
going to NBA games.
27:19
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Wi news, No, no.
27:46
Turn on the news. This is the
27:48
Herd Line News.
27:51
All right, this is an interesting one. I
27:53
don't think a lot of people are on this yet, but just
27:55
hear me out. So Jim Harball obviously has been
27:57
hyping JJ McCarthy.
27:59
Remember he came on this show and was like, j
28:01
J. McCarthy's the best quarterback in the draft, and you kind
28:03
of like laughed it off.
28:04
H Yeah, gotcha.
28:05
So j J.
28:06
McCarthy got his pro day, and Harbaugh
28:09
continues to rave, calling McCarthy's
28:11
performance the best throwing day
28:13
he's ever seen. Okay, here's
28:16
what he here's here's the audio of Jim Harbaugh.
28:18
I think he's the best quarterback in the draft. He's
28:22
incredible. So big
28:24
market, small market, it wouldn't cold
28:27
weather, hot weather, you know, it
28:29
won't matter, like I predicted
28:32
once they were around him, I
28:34
was hearing the stories about how he
28:36
is on the board, how he is, you
28:39
know, on the field, the little
28:41
things, the the intangibles. I mean,
28:44
it's it was. It was absolutely no
28:46
surprise whatsoever.
28:47
But uh yeah, there was. There
28:49
was.
28:50
There was raving. I mean I was, it was
28:52
and it was great to hear. Incredible here.
28:55
Yeah.
28:55
Okay, so here's my my working theory. We
28:57
thought before we were just pumping up his guy.
29:00
So the Chargers
29:03
are fifth in the draft.
29:05
Okay, if there
29:07
are people who like McCarthy, now Harbaugh's
29:09
hyping, oh, he's the best quarterback in the draft.
29:10
All this stuff.
29:12
Is this a signal come up to five, get
29:14
McCarthy, we'll trade back.
29:16
There is no question you're very
29:18
perceptive. This is Jim
29:21
Harbaugh strategically at his very
29:23
best. He is telling you
29:25
the quarterback viewed as the fourth
29:27
best quarterback. Harpau is
29:30
saying he's the best quarterback
29:32
in the draft. There is no
29:34
question Minnesota is
29:37
moving up and the only question
29:39
is to four or five. So yes,
29:43
I think this is very perceptive
29:45
of you. He is playing the game now. He
29:47
may believe JJ McCarthy's actually since
29:49
he barely lost any games under Harball.
29:52
I don't think he's as good as Jim saying. Be
29:55
that as it may. Jim
29:57
already has two fourth round picks. If
30:00
he moves JJ McCarthy, that will
30:02
give him two firsts at least
30:04
and probably a first next year or a second.
30:07
So Harbaugh needs ten
30:09
or eleven picks this year to get this puppy
30:11
roll up.
30:12
Okay, this is in the weeds and only
30:14
like the hardcore NFL fans will remember a year
30:16
ago, Jim Harbaugh wanted
30:18
levered with Michigan.
30:20
He was trying to get leverage, get paid right.
30:22
He allegedly talked to Carolina and
30:24
the other team he talked to was the Minnesota
30:27
Vikings. They met with Jim Harble. Ultimately
30:29
they picked Kevin O'Connor Colin.
30:32
I feel like there's a connection between the Vikings
30:34
and Chargers, and it smelled light. That's
30:36
going to be the trade here in the draft. The Vikings
30:38
are going to come up to five with the Chargers.
30:41
Chargers slide back and the Vikings give up.
30:42
And I do think Arizona at four
30:45
really wants the best receiver in
30:47
the draft because they have a star back, right
30:50
they have their star quarterback, a star running
30:52
back, and they have a tight end. I really
30:54
like the young tight end for Arizona.
30:57
I think they want to go get a star receiver. It'll
30:59
be Harrison. So I don't think Arizona,
31:02
unless you give them a haul, will
31:04
move out of four.
31:05
They don't want to go down to the teams.
31:07
And also, so further you move
31:09
up, Minnesota would rather trade
31:11
at five or six than four
31:13
because that's just more stuff you have
31:15
to give off. So I think it's I
31:17
think it's very very interesting. I think Harbaugh,
31:20
to your point, is playing it perfectly.
31:22
So it's thirty.
31:23
Days out, I believe from the draft twenty one, thirty right
31:25
in that area. So excited it's going to start. You
31:27
know, it was misinformation season and
31:30
now it's like the private workouts and all that stuff.
31:33
It's starting to get get interesting on the draft run.
31:35
Let's move over the Denver Broncos. They
31:37
moved on from Russell Wilson. They also
31:40
are looking to draft a quarterback next month. You've been
31:42
hot on this. You've floated a certain name of somebody who
31:44
visited this show.
31:45
Last week.
31:46
However, Sean Payton talked
31:48
about the Broncos' ability to move up from twelfth
31:51
in the draft.
31:51
Here's what he had to say today.
31:55
I think it's realistic. What's
31:58
hard to predict, though, is like
32:02
what's on the receiving end. You
32:04
know, I think it's good to be Monty today
32:07
at Arizona. I certainly wouldn't
32:10
say it's unrealistic, and I'm
32:14
gonna pay close attention to it.
32:18
Hmm, what do you make of that?
32:19
Well, Denver's at twelve, it
32:22
depends who they want.
32:23
If they want McCarthy, they're gonna have to jump
32:25
the Vikings who are at eleven. The
32:27
Jets at ten probably doesn't do much for them.
32:29
It really depends on who Sean Payton wants.
32:32
I mean, one of us may have Sean Payton's number
32:34
and could text him ay who.
32:36
But the quarterbacks of.
32:36
This drafted is obviously not me. But I
32:39
don't think he's shown his hand yet.
32:41
And he did a good job of keeping the Russell
32:43
Wilson stuff bottled up during the season. So I
32:45
think Peyton's not gonna give
32:47
any tells as to where he's going because is it Nicks,
32:49
is it Pennix, is it McCarty?
32:51
And I go back to this, Let's say Denver
32:54
likes Bone Knicks, but the scouting department
32:56
says he's the twenty fourth best player.
32:59
And so Sean sitting there thinking,
33:01
well, we can't draft you know at our spot there
33:04
would Denver move back to like seventeen,
33:08
get more picks and then get it. You can reach
33:10
a little on quarterback. So Bonex is interesting
33:12
and I think this is a fascinating kind of fought
33:15
game for the audience. Are
33:18
you willing to overdraft a quarterback.
33:21
Let's say JJ McCarthy is
33:23
sixteenth on your board and your
33:26
Minnesota and you need to quarterback. Are
33:28
you willing to draft him five and not
33:30
only draft him five, but give up two
33:32
to three first round picks for And
33:35
that's that's the strategy in the NFL,
33:37
is that everybody's going to reach a little
33:39
for quarterback. But how
33:42
much do you reach for Bo Nix or McCarthy
33:44
who don't say project like
33:46
Drake may or Caleb It's not just
33:49
overdrafting him. Daniel Jones, they overdrafted.
33:51
I never thought he was a first round quarterback. I
33:53
do think bow Knicks and
33:55
JJ McCarthy I see more than I did
33:57
with Daniel Jones. I think Bo Nix is like
34:00
Breeze in terms of accuracy, and JJ McCarthy
34:02
can really move.
34:03
So it depends where do you have Nix on
34:05
that hypothetical board. If McCarthy's sixteen were
34:07
Nicks and Penick.
34:08
If you ask
34:10
NFL exacs, bo Nicks is somewhere
34:12
in the late early twenty, like twenty
34:14
three to twenty seven to top
34:17
of the second. That's where he's viewed. But
34:19
I need a quarterback, so I'm willing
34:21
to reach, but I don't want to have to give up fursts
34:25
and then reach. Well, that's where you get into
34:27
trouble.
34:28
Worth Pennix on that hypothetical board lower than name.
34:30
I love Pemmis, but the injuries
34:32
freak people. I think Pennick should go to the Seahawks.
34:34
You and I agree, Seattle should just get Pennix.
34:36
He can use his college coordinator.
34:39
Is the Seahawks coordinate.
34:40
I think Miami makes sense for Penis Yep.
34:41
I think he is a bigger to a so
34:44
Peyton.
34:44
I don't think he's I mean, bo Nicks obviously
34:46
checks a lot of boxes. I don't know that he's trading
34:49
up into the top ten for like the fifth best
34:51
quarterback theoretically right, He's.
34:52
Not doing that is he for the
34:54
fifth best quarterback. Sounds
34:58
insane.
34:58
By the way, we're gonna do season
35:00
win totals, Final Hour, Oh
35:03
we are, just so you know, they just came out today.
35:05
Oh the way Timeout they did.
35:06
No, No, we're not doing it now, so settle down. But I just want
35:08
to let.
35:09
You know they came out and
35:11
you're not gonna give them to well, the Denver Broncos.
35:12
They're doing the bottom of the what yeah,
35:15
the third.
35:15
Worst wind total.
35:17
But we got a tease for the final hour, Power Hour,
35:19
Final story here. Jordan Love had a great season
35:21
with the Packers, leading.
35:23
Green Bay to the playoffs.
35:24
Hey, got a nice win over Dallas, did
35:26
lose to the Niners, a tough one. Many are
35:28
high on the Packers heading into next season, including
35:30
Colin Coward.
35:31
Jordan Love is very excited.
35:34
It's a great feeling.
35:35
Man.
35:35
We're we're all very hungry for this upcoming
35:37
year. But like you said, man, the confidence
35:39
from you know, top to.
35:40
Bottom is there.
35:41
You know, the organization believes that, you
35:44
know, it's the perfect time to have
35:46
a chance to win a Super Bowl this year. And those conversations
35:49
we had after that forty nine.
35:50
Ers game where man.
35:51
Like work harder, try and find ways
35:53
to get better because next year we're gonna do it, and
35:56
there's no more We're a young team, there's no more
35:58
of those what if like. People
36:00
know we're about now and obviously
36:03
you know we'll.
36:03
Have that target on our back.
36:04
People gonna want to beat us, so you
36:06
know we're hungry.
36:09
I know you love this team.
36:10
I'll just say again, I'm not bashing
36:12
Jordan Love, but early in the
36:15
first half of the season, he was a bottom
36:17
to your quarterback and there are questions is
36:19
he the guy? Second half he won on
36:21
a tear in December and January.
36:24
So what do you need to see?
36:26
I need to see more. I'm sorry, I just need to
36:28
see more before I can annoy.
36:30
If he has five of his first six starts,
36:32
he looks really good. Are then you ready
36:34
to go?
36:34
But I'm late to buying this great stock.
36:37
I'm trying to buy DAVIDI at the top of the market, you know.
36:39
So I would like to see him come out and roll
36:41
in September, but I do think everybody
36:44
has film now. He can be a tad
36:46
reckless, but you cannot tell me the arm,
36:48
the mobility and everything you hear out
36:50
of Green bay Is. He's such a good guy. And
36:52
I also think the team is so young. He fits
36:55
generationally the roster. Aaron's like,
36:57
yeah, like Tom Brady and Aaron like they
36:59
don't want to deal with twenty one year old receivers, Like
37:01
they just don't.
37:02
So some of my issues with him. Couldn't you remember
37:04
a Monday night football game against.
37:05
The Raiders Packers Raiders
37:07
this year? It was in October. Yeah,
37:09
Jordan Love was awful. He had three
37:12
interceptions through for one hundred and eighty two yards.
37:14
He was just a future.
37:15
It was an awful game from him.
37:16
And on those Island games, Collins, you
37:19
know, sometimes it can the stench can
37:21
linger if you will, And I just couldn't get past
37:23
like watching Jordan Love vomit all.
37:25
Over himself against the freaking Raiders. So
37:27
I'm not as tis you s J Mack
37:30
with the news.
37:31
Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping
37:33
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of the Herd weekdays in newone easternn
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Hey gang, this is Jay Glazer, host of
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Unbreakable, a mental wealth
38:01
podcast.
38:02
And every week we will have on leader
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from sports entertainment like
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Sean McVay, Lindsay Vaughn,
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Michael phelf, David Spade, Guy Fieri,
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and also those who can help us in between the ears,
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anyone from a therapist to someone like Ed
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Milett or John Gordon. We've all been through
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some sort of adversity to get to the
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top. We've all used different tools.
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Listen to Unbreakable with Jay Glazer
38:24
and Mental Wealth podcast on the iHeartRadio
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app, Apple Podcasts or wherever
38:30
you get podcasts.
38:33
I saw, I thought there was something this weekend
38:35
that was notable. Jmack. J
38:38
Mack has been on Sauce Gardner
38:41
what a player, and I'm like, cornerbacks
38:43
don't win games. So the Chiefs
38:46
moved off, traded lageriusned
38:49
the corner who had a rough Super Bowl. And
38:52
I've been on this for years. You got
38:54
to spend your money on offense in the NFL, with
38:56
the exception being a great pass rusher
38:59
of Max Crossby or a great interior
39:01
lineman Chris Jones, Aaron Donald.
39:04
Otherwise, spend your money on offense,
39:06
don't spend it on corner. To me, there's
39:08
four things that win in this league once you get
39:10
the coach right. So let's just say you have a good
39:12
coach, get the quarterback right,
39:14
protect the quarterback, get the quarterback weapons,
39:17
and then sign one great player to
39:20
make their quarterback uncomfortable.
39:22
Rinse and repeat. And corners
39:26
are like the wide receivers of defense.
39:28
They're on an island. You get some ego.
39:31
Many of their best plays are spectacular
39:34
plays, but they don't win football
39:36
games. And they're not connected to the quarterback.
39:38
And now, with all the innovation in
39:41
the NFL over the last five to ten years,
39:43
with all these great offensive coaches, there is so
39:45
much motion, so
39:48
much three step drop efficiency,
39:50
so much screening. I
39:53
mean, these wide receivers Tyreek Hill
39:55
gets a running start, now there's a very
39:57
little a top corner can do. You can throw
39:59
away from him, you can roll away from him,
40:02
you got your you got you. Watch Miami San
40:04
Francisco and the Rams play. I feel bad
40:06
for corners. I mean, there's all this motion
40:09
getting guys wide open. And so I
40:11
think the smart teams in this league are
40:13
not paying corners. They're drafting them
40:15
every year, fourth round,
40:17
fifth round, sixth run. You draft a corner every
40:20
single year, but you don't
40:22
really pay him unless and
40:25
this again, unless maybe your quarterbacks
40:27
on a rookie deal. So you've got like
40:29
that three year window to pay a corner. But I just
40:31
don't believe Kansas
40:33
City they draft corners. Well, they got McDuffie,
40:36
there's no reason to pay him. But they made sure they
40:38
paid Chris Jones, and that Rams
40:40
got rid of Jalen Ramsey. They made
40:42
sure they paid Aaron Donald. They're
40:44
raiders, not great at corner. They're gonna
40:47
pay Max Crosby. There's three teams in the league right
40:49
now, the Chiefs, the Rams, and the Browns. If
40:51
I ran and I love all three gms. Brett
40:54
veetz Less need Andrew Berry. I
40:56
think they're building teams the way you should
40:58
spend your money on offense. One exception
41:01
the pass rusher, by the way, Chicago
41:03
deserves a lot of credit for this. I
41:05
had my questions about Ryan Poles. They
41:07
went out and made a deal for Montes Sweat
41:10
gave up a second round pick. Chicago media,
41:12
a lot of people blasted him. I'm like, no, no, no, no,
41:14
no no. Montes Sweat
41:16
is better now than any second round pick. Maybe
41:19
not down the road in four years, but he is
41:21
now. So the Bear said, we're
41:23
gonna pay Montes Sweat. But look
41:25
at all the other players
41:27
they're paying DJ Moore, Keenan
41:29
Allen. They're gonna end up, They're gonna
41:32
end up paying tight ends, they're
41:34
left tackle. They'll eventually pay him. So
41:36
the Bears, who through the years I
41:38
haven't trusted upstairs, go
41:40
look at what they did in the last month. Spend
41:43
money on the right side
41:45
of the ball. Cleveland's doing it, Rams are doing
41:47
it. Chiefs are doing it. Moving
41:49
off a very very talented
41:51
corner. Mick Cronin, UCLA coach
41:54
can't wait talking March Madness
41:56
next
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