Colin Cowherd gives his thoughts on the Celtics getting their first win against the Knicks, why Jayson Tatum isn't the face of the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo finally expresses a willingness to continue his career outside of the Milwaukee Bucks, thoughts on tonight's NBA Draft Lottery, the latest out of Cleveland Browns minicamp, and more!
Thanks for listening to The Herd Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to three eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at Fox Sportsradio dot com, or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast.
Oh here we go.
It is a Monday and there is a lot to talk about lot.
This is the Herd.
Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, Thanks for making us part of your day. I was thinking about this Jmac one hour from now. Where Colin was right, Where Colin was wrong. I was thinking about this this morning. Is that you always want to be the man right when you're professional athlete, but you don't want to be the only man. And you know, the Warriors have Jimmy Butler, but they're pretty unwatchable without step They're playing thirteen fourteen guys and you can watch when Yokich is tired for Denver, they can't store. And we always say, stop telling me. Jason tATu is the face of the league. This team is great without him. But the advantage is he doesn't have to be great, and they win, and that's a great feeling. And I was thinking about watching Game three. Tatum was very good early, but really Peyton Pritchard as the Celtics, who have led New York by twenty points minimums six of the seven times they've played this year, they have a much better team, a much better roster over the last seven to eight years. Boston's a much better franchise. But when Jason Tatum plays poorly or doesn't play, the net rating often goes up. You watch the Warriors without Steph it's hard. They're unwatchable. You see Jokish is now gassed, Denver can't score. You see the value and the importance. And I love chet Holmgren, but if Sga is off, Oklahoma City's usually gonna lose. And I'm watching Tatum with the Celtics. He's just another successful banker at Deutsch I mean, they've got like eight guys that can shoot threes. Peyton Pritchard in Game three was the dog. He was the guy. And you watch the Celtics, you could make an argument if you're looking for a nickname for Tatum, it's the beneficiary, beneficiary of Brad Stevens of Danny Ainge of a roster that is easily the most complete in the league that includes ocase you see what Cleveland's having all sorts of trouble. Boston's trouble is sometimes they can't hit their threes. That's like their only issue. Twitchy defenders sighs. For God's sakes, they have three point guards. The Celtics are two things. One excellent front office, secondly the formula. And I'm watching I'm watching Tatum and he's such a nice guy, and he is such collaborative guy that the beneficiary. Sometimes he just melts into the fabric. He's just another really good player, the most talented player on that team. But as I'm watching them play the Knicks, it's Peyton Pritchard that has the hot hand. There have been moments when al Horford from the corner has it, or Jalen Brown is the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals last year, or the finals when you look at the Denver Nuggets when Jokic sits or doesn't play, the net reate rating plummets. Actually, the last couple of years with and without Tatum playoffs regular season, it goes up for Boston and that's not a criticism. It's like when you go to work and there's so much depth of roster and so much excellence at.
Work that you don't get all the credit.
Sometimes you don't even win mvper Employee of the Month, but you drive to the arena knowing you don't have to carry the team because in pro sports you can take all the money you want. Losing stinks, and Boston just doesn't lose much. I have a hard time believing after losing the first two games at home they can come back and win the series. But why they're clearly the better team. But I was listening to Tatum after and it's his not ambivalence, it's his reality and understanding and self awareness that he is part of something unbelievable and because of that, he'll probably never quite get the credit of the jokich SGAs Kobe and his primer MJ.
You understand.
What comes with me and that guy, Right, I live a great life. I ain't gonna lie.
It's a lot of.
Say I make a lot of money, I take care of my family. I've been able to experience a lot of things. But you also have to accept what comes with that, right, I get a lot of praise, I get a lot of credit, I get a lot of accolades, but you know I'm not perfect. There's times where you know I've needed to play better, I needed to do more, and you know that's what comes with being you know, that.
Guy on a team with a bunch of guys. All right, Schalms reporting this morning, All you buck fans so mean to me for years. When I suggested this, go ahead, bring the apologies. I'll accept him. Words are hurtful. Yeah, Jannis is going to explore the best fit outside of Milwaukee. I won't demand an apology, but again, it's been very hurtful the last three years. Listen, facts, you got twelve great years from him. If you've had twelve great years outside of maybe your kids, twelve great years from a boss, from a relationship, that's a lot of good. That's a big chapter of your life. You're the oldest team in the league. You don't control your first round picks for I think five years. You've been creaky for years. Everybody saw it coming. It's time to blow it up and start over. The last three years, Yannis has given you do thirty points a game, fifty nine percent from the field. He's averaging that in the last three seasons and eleven rebounds and you don't have a playoff series.
Win the day.
Move felt nice, but it was desperate. Three different coaches, three first round exits. You have replaced in Milwaukee everything under the hood, and you're still stuck with a broken down hooptie.
That's all you got.
Spark plugs and new windshield wipers will not do. You got twelve years out of it, twelve great years in a trophy.
Think of those great Sacramento King teams. No trophies.
Think about Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, all that money, all those wins, no trophies. Baltimore Ravens have dominated the regular season. That feels like three straight years in the Afcwick Mahomes, no trophies, Josh Allen, no trophies. Didn't forgot one here, right, Den forgot one. Milwaukee got one with Luel Sinder got one with the honess. You moved off him and were viable for a decade. You probably won't get everything you want, But if you look at what Houston could provide and what Oklahoma City could provide and San Antonio could give you all would be interested, and you can learn from the mistake.
Dallas.
Mate, So Dallas, the Mavericks bizarrely and foolishly sent Luca to a Western conference rival.
Send the honis.
The three teams that will create the best packages are all West your East. Okay, see San Antonio Houston. Send him West. If you meet him, it'll be in the finals. You're not gonna have seven years of him knocking you out, giving you a visual facial. You're not going to get that. And then you supplement your roster. You'll get four first round picks. Houston could give you three starters. Get younger, get flexible, control some first round picks in the much weaker East. Outside of Boston, everybody else is close. I mean, Cleveland's falling apart, Indiana's beatable. Do you trust Philadelphia? I like Boston a lot, but they struggle to meet the Knicks at home. Everybody outside of the Celtics roster beatable close. So it's one of those things where sell him West, get your picks in the weak East.
Buzz I was talking to a.
Friend yesterday, very shrewd guy in business, and he's had clients for years. He does very well for himself. And you know, I tend to ask this when I meet somebody or a friend. We get talking a little bit of business, and I said, what do they all have in common? He says, one thing I've learned through the years, all my aplus clients, they're all decisive. They know what they want and they go for it. Because, as f Bezos has often said, people overestimate how much a mistrade or a deal that goes a little sideways. You over evaluate, you over concern yourself with the bad. That's how our brains work. Milwaukee, You're probably never gonna get somebody in the draft that's as good as Yannis, But you got a trophy. You got twelve years, get four first round picks. One of those four is gonna hit. Get three starters, two bench guys. All this is fear. You are a non viable franchise right now, by the way, Golden State, and I'll get to this later, Golden State's got to think about doing this because in the West, which is much deeper, much better, with Houston, San Antonio and OKC as bad as they'll be now, you do not Golden State want to become Jiannis in the Bucks with Steph. But I think everybody in Milwaukee's like, oh, well, what we become? Who cares Niners, Ravens, Bills, Sacramento Kings that are on trophies. We don't know if okay Se will ever get one. You got one with Louel Sinder with Yannis, take a big swing, be decisive. So Shaan's reporting he is now going to explore options. I know there's a lot of people that want Jannis. I think most will have to settle for the k D sweepstakes over the Yannas sweepstakes, because I think you would admit this, It's probably gonna take minimum three, maybe five first rounders and starters to get him, and I don't think most teams are equipped. Houston is OKC is san Antonio could be san Antonio. By the way, the NBA Draft lottery is tonight. If san Antonio, I'm kind of rooting for no wenby Castle, the rookie of year point Guard and Cooper flag Well Deer and Fox also.
Like there's no chances pers of getting it. But regarding Yannis, what do you think the market's like for him? Is it more the Bucks are like we want the best deal or we want to make Ganna's happy, because this is where it could get Dicey Collin. If they say, hey, the best deal we're getting is from Brooklyn, Yannis, You're headed to Brooklyn.
He's not going to be happy with that.
Well, my job once I sell the house, it's not my concern. Once you move him. I'm not in the happiness business. I'm getting you know, remember when Portland Dame said, well, I won't do this boy if you move Dame and he's not happy. Players are selfish. They take care of themselves. Teams have to take care of themselves and their fans and their advertisers.
So I don't worry about that.
I just don't think many teams are equipped like I think if san Antonio, for instance, won the lottery tonight and knew Cooper Flag was coming, and they said, wemby Yannis Cooper Flag, then they can move Castle the point guard because somebody would say, okay, I want Castle. I want a seven time All Star point guard. I want the next four first round picks. So that's it's interesting tonight. If san Antonio wins the draft lottery, they get a huge leg up on getting you on.
Well, Houston also has like a three percent chance to.
Win the lottery right there in the mix.
And I'll just say this, if the Knicks somehow win tonight against the Celtics, I think we need to accelerate the Boston getting.
Giannis this discussion, because.
If Boston loses his series, you look at a new head coach and we got to blow.
It up over the record.
The NHL draft just had their that the team would like one two, three percent one. Oh wow, yeah, No, it happens more than you think. Cleveland years ago got it. It happens way more than you think. Atlanta last year in the NBA, Atlanta had three percent chance they won last.
Year's lot You didn't really want to win, No.
You didn't.
But the point is this idea, the frozen envelope with ewing. Cleveland, Orlando won back to back lotteries, Atlanta won. The New York Islanders just won the NHL lottery. They had like one and a half two persons.
They don't need Cooper Flag in the West, we need him in the East. East has like no good players. Collin, come on, you gotta ship Yanni.
You are or if you are the Spurs and you win it tonight, Wemby Cooper Flag, I can give away my my all and by the rookie of the year. That is a that is as good as that's better than Shengoon, that's better than Jalen Green, that's but that is a massive benefit for Santa.
Which you trade Cooper Flag and Castle and whatever else salary?
No for you, honest, not too much.
No, you know what, Castle and Cooper Flag can hit those free throws with a minute forty left.
Oh, come on, I like Giannis, He's had three great years. So I'm not giving those two guys up.
Cooper Flag could be a fifteen year, twenty four a game guy twenty four, nine and eight.
Way, I'm giving it up.
Okay.
Tonight's lottery is fascinating because you have a dominant star.
Week one. Yeah, I'm fired up. Yeah, j Maac, we got Colin Wright Colin wrong On a Monday.
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All right, Welcome back on a Monday, Colin Wright, Colin Wrang, Matt hasselback forty five minutes from now. We were just talking during the break, what if what if Utah won it? And Utah says, listen, we will give up our number one pick Milwaukee. You can have Cooper Flag. We'll take you on us. Now you'd have to have you'd have to give him some stuff because salaries have to match. But that's a real argument. Would you take Cooper Flag? Who By the way, he's gonna work to the degree I mean, listen, generally speaking, if the scouts say are like, it's gonna work like Andrew luck was a it's gonna work. Tiger Woods, he's gonna be great, Bryce Harper, it's gonna work.
Cooper Flag.
Every scout will tell you he's got eighteen points as a rookie. You know, he just does everything well. He's kind of I would say his comp is Jason Tatum. So let's say he's ninety five percent of Jason Tatum. You have a multiple time All Star and you're gonna have He's not gonna cost much initially, and you're probably remember he's only eighteen years old. Last year at Duke, he should have been Cooper Flag should have been a senior in high school last year at Duke. So you are getting a kid where you may get nine to twelve years of prime. The way athletes are aging, Jannis, you got probably three more years of prime. So what if a Uta. I would love to see Utah win it. The economy's great. I think the owner, Ryan Smith's a brilliant guy. I have spent a lot of my time off time in Utah. It's an incredibly well run, franchised, super young, smart owners, great city, almost like collegiate fans. If you're asking me who I'd like to win, I think Utah winning would be great, and it would be fascinating to watch Danny Ainge between the owner and Ange and they got some pieces. Kessler's a really interesting player. I kind of would like to see Utah win it and just see if Danny Ainge goes, hey, we've been building for a few years, let's go get Yannis. That would be fat. Would you give up Cooper flag for Yannis? I don't know if I will. I don't think it is really something you got to sit and talk about, because I do think there are times when I mean, I love Trevor Lawrence, but remember the quarterback. But remember Greg Cosell came on my show before he got drafted and said, yeah, I don't think he's nearly as good as Josh Allen.
Oh come on, Greg, Greg was right.
I love Caleb Williams, but all my gms are like his Accuracyson issue. He's got to clean his feet up, little emotional, that fingernail thing. Very rarely do you get every scout in GM that guy's really good.
Now?
Is he twenty one a game or twenty eight? I think he's probably somewhere in between. But when I watch him play, he just coincidentally went to the same college I see Jason Tatum. So if I got ninety to ninety five percent of that, I'm going to get twelve years barring injury, twelve years of excellent and half of it at a really good price point. You gotta think about that. So the NBA Draft Lottery one of my favorite non athletic events in sports. It's four Pacific, seven Eastern. I can't wait, Jamack, go you Todd Jazz Jmack with the news.
No, no, no, this is the Herdline news. I was gonna float.
We could get an adult beverage together and watch the draft.
I would, unfortunately have a men's basketball game tonight.
H six thirty.
Can't freak before a men's league.
Get come on, why not, come on, come off the bench? Why not?
All right, let's start with the Indiana Pacers. Hey, listen, one guy here called the Pacers. You did over the Cats. You did it topping going doctor j there Wow. And Indiana was up by let me check this a forty one at halftime.
What and then it got worse.
Colin Donovan Mitchell did not play in the second half. You guys to get an MRI did not look good. They're calling it maybe a cast issue.
Colin. It's over.
It's over.
It's absolutely over.
I could not believe what I like when I watched the games this weekend. When I watch I have this theory on the Denver Nuggets. I was telling Ryan this, I can tell five minutes into every Nuggets game how it's gonna go, because they have a lot of veterans. If they're tired and lack energy in the first five minutes, it's like it's just they may keep it close, but.
They'll run out of gas.
If they're energized and warm ups, they're wearing stuff for the game, and they give you great energy early. That means they've got enough for four quarters. Oklahoma City, you felt four minutes in five minutes in you're like their depth and Roster Denver looks gassed. Now Indiana, now I love them over Milwaukee. You loved them over Cleveland. What they do really well is they played their game way more than you playing yours. If you watch the Pacers, it's like, and Carlisle is a great coach. We're gonna do what we do. We're not gonna let that was always you, kitch. Just keep remember when Lebron said, Jokich plays at his speed and you can't speed him up and you can't slow him down. Indiana kind of plays it. Their pacer does their thinging and that's Halliburton controlling the pace of their offense.
Yeah, and you know you mentioned Carlisle, he does know even up three one, job's not finished yet for the Pacers.
We're gonna keep approaching this like we have everything to prove, and we know people don't believe in us, and so we're gonna just stay in the fight and keep fighting. But we got to stay in the present moment as much as we can try to maintain an edge. You know, there's gonna be a big Haymaker coming on whatever day it is Tuesday.
Yeah, Caitlin Clark and Halliburton pretty good next five years in Indy.
Yeah, I saw some social media activity around how good sports are in Indiana. I guess the Hoosiers got a new coach. Notre Dame just went to the National Championship.
Like, everything's coming up Indiana right now.
I'll say this, the Pacers, if they close out the series in five dono Eventel may not play, They're gonna.
Have probably like five or six days rest. While the Celtics and.
Knicks being each other up.
I feel like Indy doesn't need rest, true because they're not an old team, you know, like Denver needs rest. Oh, like the Lakers needed rest. There are teams that need rest. I think Indiana is one of those. Roll the ball out they can play.
It's weird.
We talked about the Cavs all season. They were sixty something wins totally. I think they started fifteen to zero, and yesterday's performance is probably the most gutless game I've seen. You get down forty one at halftime. You never see that from like a sixty wind Oh, and.
That's that is something It is okay to lose playoff games like you don't want to lose the way Boston did in Game two. But at least Boston didn't quit. They just couldn't. Their formula didn't work. They screwed up, their math didn't work. Cleveland, no show. That game was awful.
Early after dominating Game three and winning handlely.
Remember, and they've got youth. It's not like they were tired. They've got youth on that roster.
Not good at all.
Right, let's go to the NFL Colin Brock Party. Deals still not done, but Tom Pelisarro NFL Network expects a contract to be completed by the start of training camp.
Right around the corner.
Palisarro adds he anticipates the contract to be somewhere in the fifteen million dollar range. I don't know that that means forty eight or fifty five, But we continue to do this dance and you love to talk brock Party.
I think we're going to be doing this for another few weeks.
If it comes in at forty five million or less, I will pick them for third place. If it's fifty two or more, get the brooms out, time to clean out the front office.
I feel like you are becoming a politician who just.
Wants to wind them deal. I would take party at forty five.
Brock perty No, he's my taruff yeah, bright, Yeah, I don't.
I'm not going to get too worked up. I think it's gonna be fine. We've heard no noise out of the Pretty camp. He's not putting cryptic crap on social media. He's handling it well.
I think it's he runs the offense very well. He deserves to be compensated. His family probably will not ever watch this show. But numbers matter. If you give me Josh Allen, you're gonna win those. If you give me Brought Pretty or Sam Donald as a team, I need to win those. Okay, you're benefiting greatly. I mean obviously Sam Donald's career, Kevin O'Connell was in a left tackle and Justin Jefferson.
Are a part of it. So these numbers matter.
If if Dak isn't at sixty, he's at forty two, Dallas has a number two receiver and doesn't have to get Pickens, and they've got a great all pro tight end next to Ferguson.
These numbers matter.
You know you're my guy, but you just put purty in Sam Donald's.
He's not his talented as Sam.
He went to a super Bowl and they've barely lost in overtime.
Okay, Josh Allen, who you love? Who everybody loves? How many super Bowls has he been to? I lost track? I'm sorry, I forgot what's the number?
Anyone?
Anyone?
Uh?
Okay, So let's just not diminish party. He is a great quarterback.
I know he went in the seventh round and he struggles and include weather, he struggles with clouds. All right, let's just do I don't want to argue with you thirty minutes in. Come on, it's a Monday Colin Final Stories, and we've got the first game of the NFL season.
What It was.
Officially announced that the defending champion Eagles are going to open as a seven point favorite when they host the Cowboys on Thursday, September.
I'll tell you right now, I've already bet Philadelphia. I'm going to go online to my DK app in one second.
At home, only favored by a touchdown. Hey, that's a win for the Cowboys. They don't have to go to ik Philly in like December.
I'm actually you know what, you know what They're saying, let's get Dallas on early because by week seven there'll be four games back.
That's what that is. That is get Dallas on early.
Let's not a bad take.
Yeah, I mean you walk the Cowboys on. People will watch the Cowboys in week one. I'm telling you right now, by week eight that is a two or three win team. But they'll be healthy week one. Schottenheimer's an offensive coach. He can bring some wiggles.
I don't have the numbers yet, but I do believe Super Bowl champs kind of sort of struggle out of the gate. We do have that they are fifteen and five in the NFL kickoff game is two thousand and four. But like covering a touchdown against Dallas, who's going to be motivated and healthy?
Right?
Well, it is You're a big underdog. People are going to say going into that game, Dallas is awful and going to get humiliated. You're going to get the best Dallas effort. Remember a couple of years ago Detroit beat Kansas City. They're really good teams. Now with a seventeen game schedule, like Philadelphia won't play anybody that's remotely dinged up. Dallas may because the game means more for Dallas. Dallas knows we don't have Philadelphia's depths of roster, so guys, you steal one here. We need Philadelphia can slow grow slow.
Bill fifteen and five is skewed by like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.
Like.
I love Jalen Hurts. I think he's the top five guy. But yeah, you want Eagles, I may go head.
To head with you on that. I may take the points at the Dell.
Excite of that. It's already been announced.
It's probably be the only game I bet for.
The show Wednesdays the official NFL schedule release, Yeah, which is we've talked about this is a great day in America.
Yeah, well, we'll know exactly how the Jets are going to be next year because I know that's the first team.
Better not go out Tuesday night. Wednesday's going to be a show.
By the way, do you remember two years ago the excitement about the Jets in the offseason when they got Rogers, not from this microphone, from this one.
Yeah, that one over there for exciting though, I was thinking like.
Super Bowl champions.
He went down on what played for from the season, Oh god, Shamack with the news.
Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the live show.
We talk about this all the time. Everybody knows in baseball there's a salary disparity, a payroll disparity. And if you look right now in Major League Baseball, the rich teams are in first place. Okay, Yankees are crushing, Dodgers are crushing.
We know that.
In football. I don't think most fans talk about this or think about this. You think it's much more even. But it does matter that the Roonies don't have a lot of money and Stan Kronkey and the Rams are really rich. It matters for free agents and facilities and spending. It just does matter. And one of the things that's become very clear since Steve Bashadi bought the Baltimore Ravens is that he's the richest donor and he's the smartest donor. And for the last sixteen years, if you count playoffs, the Ravens are the winningest team with a Flacco, with a Lamar Jackson. And I think it all starts with Steve Bashadi upstairs. So the Chadure Sanders I want to talk about this. So here's a prime example. Shaduur Sanders. They had three day mini camp for the Cleveland Browns, and now Jimmy Haslam actually has some money. The Bengals owners and the Rooneys are bottom, near the bottom of the league in Networth. But what the Browns have is what I would call the Buffalo Bills used to have. This year's ago pre Josh Allen low sports self esteem and years ago Buffalo. Ryan Fitzpatrick in Buffalo got AFC Offensive Player of the Month and in October they signed him too a six year contract. Oh my god, somebody likes us. So Jimmy Haslam, who's got some money. He drafted Johnny Manziel, Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson. Those were his calls headlines. So Shadour Sanders at the Thursday, Friday, Saturday three day rookie mini camp. There's a lot of speculation he wanted Shadduur Sanders. The staff drafted Dylan Gabriel Oregon two rounds earlier, and they were doing that not because they necessarily loved Dylan Gabriel. They liked him, but they thought it would stop their impulsive owner from forcing them to draft in round four Shadoor Sanders. So that's some the speculation. I tend to believe it based on Jimmy HASLM, the owner of the Browns history.
You know, ridiculous to.
Sean deal drafting Johnny Manziel Baker you can live with because Baker can really play. But Baker was a personality and that's big for low sports self esteem teams. And so here they went this weekend and the video it's just perfect for Jimmy Haslam. All the video out of rookie camp is Shador Sanders, not the guy drafted two spots ahead, not the quarterback with a much better college resume of winning. It was all Shador Sanders. I don't blame the kid by the way, I would have drafted him higher. I think he's a franchise quarterback. I don't think he's great. I think he's a much better version of like a Kenny Pickett. But Kenny Pickett I always thought was a backup. I think Schador can start in this league. I may be in the minority among gms. I don't like the noise with dad and everything, But here was Shdor Sanders again saying the right things.
Of course, it's day by day. I just find something I want to perfect and just perfect it to the best of my abilities. And that's how I really focus on and just being there, just being a leader, being a great teammate, doing what I need to do whenever it is. So I'm just thankful for opportunity.
Uh.
Things could have been a lot worse. But I'm here smiling in front of you all at this facility right now. From my job here isn't to prove people wrong, like I prove myself right. That's that's that's and I and I fully self belief, you know, And uh with those people say, that's that's just the opinion.
For the record, I don't think the Browns are gonna be any good, but they're gonna be interesting. And there's many elements of this team I love. I love the head coach, I love the GM, I love Miles Garrett. There's a lot of things about Cleveland. I like it's the upstairs thing. Look at this division. The better the owner. Cincinnati's is cheap, Steeters are owners Rooney's second poorest. Cleveland's is dysfunctional. Butshat he's the richest, smartest and winningest for sixteen years. So I don't blame chaduur to me. This has always been an ownership situation, but the owner got what he wanted. Chadueur is all over video, all over the country, the most interesting rookie. Whether he's the best rookie or not. I doubt we'll see. Cam Ward apparently was really good with Tennessee. It's rookie, cam don't take too much out of it. But when I look at Shaduur, all I can think of is Johnny Manziel, Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield, and Ryan Fitzpatrick getting a six year deal in Buffalo after having a great month in September. This is what happens. This is what losing causes. Hey, notice me, pay attention to me. Hope it ends well. I've got my doubts. Colin Wright, Colin Wrong Top of the Hour.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Easter not a em Pacific.
It's Baseball Night in America as Matt.
Olsen and the Braves take on Alex Brigman in the Red Sox or the Twins Battle of Brewers. Check local listings for the game in your area. Saturday sevent Eastern on Fox. So I watched the Warriors. They don't have anything.
They're playing fourteen guys, including a lacrosse player. Steph's thirty seven.
He's got a hamstring injury, which is an overuse injuries thirty eight. I said this earlier. The story today is Sham's reporting. Jannie wants out. Jannis is going to explore options, and the three teams that have the packages to get him are all younger, with more first round picks, much more flexible than Golden State, San Antonio, Houston, OKC.
All deeper rosters.
They maybe they don't have quite the culture yet, or they don't have Steve Kerr, or don't have a Steph Curry, but SGA and Sam Presty and that roster. You know, I got a much brighter future than Golden State. And so I'm watching, you know, the Warriors and Jimmy Butler and the lacrosse players battle. They are They acquired Jimmy Butler to squeeze every last ounce of juice out of Steph Curry, and you know it works. If he comes back, maybe they could win it in seven. But we don't. We don't think it's gonna happen. Kerr's a great coach Steph's an all time great player. They have a great culture. It's a really average roster Steph, Butler, Kerr, Draymond Green. You can see that Jonathan Kaminga can play a little bit, but not with Steph. The offense is it just doesn't work for him when Steph's on the floor. So I think if you keep Steph and you have Steve Kerr, you'll always be viable. I think Steve pulls all the right levers, but you're a notch below being special. And I think Golden State, you know, and now, because they have so many titles and and and much like Derek Jeter, Steph feels untradeable. And I'm somebody that believes you can trade anybody anytime as long as they're not in their prime. Steph's gonna be eight years, but they wouldn't trade him. He is Bay Area basketball. But this is why the draft lottery is so important tonight, Houston, Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Houston and San Antonio specifically can win the draft lottery tonight. And they're all getting better. They're all younger, more flexible, they're all more athletic, they have more draft picks. They're all going to be in the Jannis and Katie sweepstakes, So take Okac out of it, because they're good enough to win now. Houston and San Antonio aren't. But if Houston or San Antonio get Cooper Flagg, are you just going to bring Steph and Jimmy back. He had a hamstring injury. That's an overuse injury, so I think, and I don't think it's a very good product without stuff on the floor. So you don't want to do a Kobe farewell tour where the Lakers were an unserious basketball operation for Kobe's last couple of years, And you don't want to do Golden State or Milwaukee where they were old and out of it. I don't think the Warriors, even with staff for a championship team, And I think they brought in Jimmy Butler to squeeze every last ounce out of Steph's next couple of years, because Butler's got a two or three year deal, a little overpaid, but he's still good player. But here's Steve Kerr after It's just, I mean, it's just when when Steph's not playing and next Seery's thirty eight, it's hard to watch.
It's hard to generate threes.
I mean you have to.
You have to gain an advantage and get get rotations, and you know, it's hard hard for us to do without staff, without our point guard, you know, and pick and rolls, and Jimmy obviously is creating plenty, but it's it's different. It's it's not uh the same level of you know, stretching the defense out like Steph does. And so we've got to we've got to find ways to score more, to try to generate more shots, and we'll we'll look at the tape and figure that out.
I I.
The downside the falling in love with a player is Golden State. We saw Milwaukee do it with Yannis. They just got old and creaky really fast. And three years ago they were. Last year they absolutely were, and this year was compathetic, like they're just falling apart. So what is Golden State so hard to move? Butler's contract, pat Riley said, you can have it, give me Andrew Wiggins. I'll move that. That'll expire. So Golden State is in danger of being they'll have a better coach, but they're in danger of being Milwaukee or the Kobe Farewell Tour. And that's just not very serious basketball. And I'm telling you, if you look at the lottery tonight, if you look at those lottery odds tonight, if Utah gets Cooper Flag and the number one pick, watch out because they are going to jump. They can use that for a deal, potentially for Yannis. So now remember you look at these put it up on the board. Look at the lottery are odds. The Atlanta Hawks won the lottery last year with only a three percent chance, the Calves with only a one and a half percent chance one in twenty fourteen. The NHL Draft last week three percent chance. New York Islanders won it. So you start looking at those odds. For our radio audience, the favorites are Jazz, Wizards and Hornets at fourteen percent. I think it would be so bad for the league if the dysfunctional Wizards or Hornets won it. I just think it would be bad for the league. Pelicans would be kind of interesting. Zion and Cooper Flag. You could put together a huge package and go after ay Honis. I think Utahs smartly owned and smartly run with some really nice young pieces. I think that'd be great to watch, you know, listen, I'm a bullseason ticket holder. So Chicago winning would be fun. Diddy, the kid they got Josh Giddy, and the kid they got last year in the draft who's overperformed from France. But I think it really comes down to if the Spurs or the Rockets win this puppy tonight, they have a chance. They are in the driver's seat for Giannis, because I think OKAC looks at itself and thinks, we've got a number one, and we've got a number two.
We've got a coach in a GM.
If I owned OKC, I don't think I'm breaking the band up.
I've got so many drafts. I mean to me.
Sga is an absolute, verified one. You saw it yesterday's game at the end, he's hitting all the baskets. Chat Holmgren's an absolute one of the top six or seven number twos in the league. He's only getting better. They've got depth defenders. I don't think OKC and Yannis why break it up? The chemistry is great. Their big issue is they didn't play any close games in the regular season, so in these close games, you're like they're young. They haven't played these clutch time minutes. That's their only issue. Everything else Presty the coach, the roster, the star, the number two OKC shouldn't screw around. But if Sam Antonio and Houston win it and you're Golden State, dude, you're behind them now, your future is behind them. Now you're what is the point san Antonio wins that thing tonight. I've got the rookie of the year the last two years and Cooper Flag. I can move one of those guys and be in the driver's seat for Yannis.
Let me back up a little. You said something like if and I want the Hornets to get Cooper Flag, No, I'm a Cooper Flagg going. You're saying it would be bad for the league. Why is it in the NFL? When Joe Burrow goes to a crap franchise like the Bengals, or Trevor Lawrence goes to basically a joke of a franchise, the Jacks, that it's great for the league because they need a great quarterback, But Cooper Flag will be bad for the league.
Because the NFL is the number one sport by a mile. Market size is irrelevant. Green Bay is a prime example. Baltimore, Kansas City. By the way, Joe Burrow would be better if he was in Pittsburgh or Dallas, bigger brand. But he's fine in Cincinnati because he's so give. The NFL is planned by a different set of rules. We watch it, we bet it, we consume it, we go to it. It's a different sport. It's like in London, UK. The English Premier League is one thing. Cricket, auto racing, tennis is another. So I mean Burrow led the Bengals to a super Bowl. Yeah, you can do that if you're a great quarterback in a quarterback centric league.
You don't even need a great coach.
The Wizards and the Hornets with Cooper Flag Wemby to San Antonio, they didn't win one more game.
Well, they just haven't got to the playoffs yet. But that being said, like Joe Burrow got made the football, that Lawrence made the Jags relevant, Cooper Flag would make the Hornets relevant. I don't think with Larry Johnson and a Lonzo Morning got into the plan. Ask you this, has Zion made the Pelicans.
Rollo when he was healthy early?
Yes, for about an hour, two hours, but yes, yes, correct.
But she's just the potential, the hope for these rotten franchises.
I like that, don't you like your.
Notes a little socialists.
No, you want everybody good.
I am overjoyed that the Yankees and Dodgers are in first place, and that Ohio State and Notre Dame and Michigan Ohio State and Michigan winning Natties.
I didn't lose any sleep.
No, I agree that stuff's great, but I just want These franchises have been crap.
Why players, No, Because they're poorly run, and they're poorly run. Okay, I'm never going.
To root for poorly owned and poorly run franchises to get a gift.
Michael Jordan spurs, I'm all for it.