The Herd with Colin CowherdPlayers Colin would take over Jayson Tatum
NBA reporter Rachel Nichols joins the show to preview the Western Conference between the Mavericks and the Timberwolves and defend Tatum from Colin's criticisms
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All right, here we go our two and a Wednesday live in Las Angela. Say it's The Herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for Megan, that's part of your day. I'm heading east half of the show, gonna hang out Memorial Weekend out on the beach somewhere in the east. Jmax, you're gonna be doing a couple of shows filling in. Always appreciate that, Ah appreciate.
Oh you know, I got the tapes in the holster, baby ready to fire.
I'm collecting so much good stuff.
I can't wait.
Whenever Jmax is gonna do the show. He has a couple of days heads up and he just starts saving stuff. I'll turn to him and ask a question. He'll give a puzzled look and move on.
It's like the tin hitter. Hey, do you want to go it?
No?
No, I'm good, Now, I'm good.
Now send me in tomorrow book, yeah, send me and tomorrow against the Middleman, the weaker starter. Yeah. Bro.
I'll just say this. I have a couple of guests lined up.
I don't know if they're gonna come through, but we've put out feelers and uh, the show's.
Gonna look a little different tomorrow. Shall we say if these guys come through?
You know Mahomes Patrick, first named Patrick, last name Mahomes. He's on first things first to that. Well, that's not a bad guest annual. It's not you know, solid quarterbacks, solid g got lucky and good get good guess pretty good get Yeah. So you love Jason Tatum. I like him a lot. This is not Tatum. Hey, we're gonna play a game called Tatum or Tate out? So fourth quarter? Who would I want in the big spot? And I will give you data and see if you can refuse this. You're ready to go, You give me the player and I'll give you Tatum or Tate out.
Jason Tatum or Anthony Edwards.
This is one of the tough ones, but I'll go Anthony Edwards because what I saw fifty four percent from three point range in the fourth quarter this postseason, So he can be a bit of a streaky shooter, but he has been best in the biggest spots fourth quartery shooting fifty seven percent and fifty four from three. I'm gonna give him a slight edge over Tatum.
Tatum or Shai Gilgess Alexander.
Now, this isn't a hard one. Sga is a more aggressive offensive player, and the data shows you he's plus twenty eight in the postseason fourth quarter, his highest plus minus of any quarter, so he is more reliable. Tatum has his worst plus minus, minus twenty three in the fourth quarter this postseason. So literally they're opposites, all right.
Jason Tatum or Luca Dantis.
Luca, Okay, let's he is. I think it's fair to say he is the world's best shot maker right now. That's fair to say.
All right, look at sorry, Jason Tatum or Jalen Brunson.
Jalen Brunson as a fourth quarter player. Brunson leading scorer in the fourth quarter this postseason and not surrounded by a lot of outs. Everybody in the world knows Brunson's getting the ball. There's no there's no Jalen Brown, there's no Derek White in the corner. It's a it's a cobble together lineup with a defensive coach, and Brunson leads the fourth quartering scoring he did when he was still playing.
Thanks Tatum or Kyrie Irvy.
Now, I think Kyrie is the best closer of his generation. Both hands. Now he can go a little sideways, but so can Tatum. Last night, not a point or a field goal in nine minutes in the fourth quarter. Also, Kyrie has his fewest turnovers in the postseason, and this matters because he has the ball a lot. So Kyrie and Halliburton's used pretty good at This wasn't last night. Haliburton's a low turnover guy. Last night was a mess, big spot for the team. But Kyrie has been very efficient late and no turnovers.
Jason Tatum wore the Lakers new build around guy Anthony Davis.
Jason Tatum, I would take Anthony Davis. I believe he is such a strident defender. He is such a key defender against Biggs that I think Ad sometimes steals worn down in the fourth court. He had his lowest scoring average three and a half points and his lowest field goal percentage thirty six percent in the fourth quarter of this postseason. So the data tells you Ady gets worn down and offensively he takes a step back late, all right.
Tatum Moore fifty seven year old Lebron.
James one possession. It's not close. I take Lebron. Lebron led the NBA in fourth quarterbaskets this year. Now you can knock him for not Owa's being there. He sort of regressed badly on defense. He's doing more podcasting than defending these days. For a fourth quarter bucket. Lebron's fantastic. He is a great closer.
Right, Tatum or Steph Curry?
Well, Steph Curry won He didn't play in the big playoffs, but he won Clutch Time Player of the Year in the NBA. Yeah, so you didn't argue with that the dog Luca and Curry. You're not even arguing that Tatum or Devin Booker. Well, I would say Tatum because Booker is no longer the number one scoring option for the Suns Katie is, So I think that's I think Tatum's more of a go to guy for the night four.
So then Tatum or Durant.
Durant is still in that Luca class. Is one of the world's best shot makers, especially late in the clock. Katie, I've got my issues with him sometimes I think he's a bit of a wanderer. But Kad was the leading scorer in the fourth quarter in NBA playoff history. Behind I'm gonna read this, third leading scorer in the fourth quarter in NBA playoff history behind MJ is one of the players he's behind. Yeah, Tatum ranks fifty to ninth in fourth quarter scoring average at NBA playoff history.
He's twenty seven. Jason Tatum or Jamal Murray.
Well, I think Jamal. I think we saw it in the postseason. Jamal is not as good as Tatum, but in terms of a big shot maker late Murray had his highest field goal percentage in the fourth quarter of this postseason. So whereas Ad gets worn down, Jamal Murray with Jokicic carrying the load, often has a lot of gas left in the tank and is a very good shot maker late. I don't think that's a reach. I think that's especially late game shot making. Tatum or Nicola Jokich, Well, I'm gonna go with the best player in the world.
And then and Tatum or jalb Brown come on, number Tatum.
Yeah, Brent Brown averages his toe as points assists. But I also think Brown is an energy guy that plays on the defensive end. Sometimes these guys that really give you a defensive effort, like Lebron, by the way, led the NBA in fourth quarter buckets. Lebron doesn't. He doesn't use a lot of his energy on the defensive side. I would say Lebron tends to be sort of he's got his foot off the pedal. He's saving energy for the fourth which is not a bad It's actually very smart as you age as a player. Pick your spots. Mj was great at that. Pick your spots. Bird was good at that. So again Jason over ad, Tatum over Booker, Tatum over Brown. What the numbers? Now, the one that people will push back on could be Anthony Edwards because what do I know one? But he is. The numbers tell you a story that he was at his best field going three points. So I'm gonna go with the data. Like I saw a story this morning. Everybody's like the economy is terrible, and then they go back and they look at unemployment, and they look at all the the GDP and everybody's like, well, it's not really terrible. The data said, it's not terrible. We have inflation. But I'm these data is telling me these are the right choices. Are you which one of all these bothers you the most.
I'll let our next guest handle this, because I mean, Colin, you take like seventy five guys over Jason Tatum and the Klutch Realize here, come on, he's.
A top five player in the league. He's an All NBA guy. I can't do this.
Did you watch that nine minutes where he didn't hell?
I watched the overtime when he won the game for them.
Didn't get to overtime without Jamie.
Browellen Brown lucky shot.
Yes, all right, let's bring in Rachel Nichols. I don't like being marginalized. I do not like how I'm being positioned Rachel on this show. But I will say I said this to start the show is the Celtics are nothing if not a little strange. Historically, they are a kind of almost a well by their standards, a bad home playoff team.
Eight of the last eleven losses they've had have been at home.
Okay, I don't know if they're well coached, although the staff is better. Tatum has moments where he disappears, and I don't love Al Horford taking twelve three. So sometimes Charles Barkley's touched on this. What is that offense? You know? I said this a year ago. I thought Denver could be a dynasty. Still could be, but I knew what they were. Well coached, run through Jokic, good defensively, great at home, Murray a late game shot maker. Yep, I still don't know what the Celtics are in the fourth quarter.
I mean, they're gonna look different when Chris epsporzing.
Issult, especially defensively, he can help one hundred.
Here's the thing about last night. There's no doubt the Pacers choked away that game, no question. Boneheaded decision after boneheaded decision. Rick Carlo came out and said after the loss, he said, oh, this is my fault, and people kind of were like, oh, he's just covering first player. So no, no, no, he's right because they were up when he did not call a time out to inbound the ball where he could have advanced it. And then there is no Jalen Brown shot. There's none of that. That happens and you foul someone and you get two shots and you're up by three and it doesn't matter. So there was just boneheaded stuff all the way around. However, just because the Pacers choked their chance away doesn't mean I hate this narrative. They handed it to the Celtics. There is nothing about the way the Celtics have played in the biggest moments at the end of games. They gave people, Oh, that's an automatic, that's just faith. We have criticized them over and over again, even though their clutch numbers are generally pretty good situationally, when it's come to when it really counts, they've been a bit discombobulated. And that didn't happen. You talk about this Jalen Brown shot. Jalen is a twenty two percent shooter on corner threes this playoffs. That was not a gimme, yeah right. And you look at Jason Tatum, who made that shot that you guys are talking about with one minute to go in overtime. He didn't make those shots throughout most of that game, and yet there he was at the end. So I just think when you look at them and you say, what is this offense? Who is this team? They're obviously still figuring it out, but I have to give them credit for figuring out more last night after not playing a very good regular you know, in regulation game, that they actually came together and did what they keep saying they are, which is an elite team. And I just think that we're starting to see.
Chris Finch talked about this. I'm old enough. In the seventies, it was a lot of good teams, Sixers, Blazers, Sonics Warriors at the time, Washington Bullets, Elvin Hayes and you know Wes Unseld and Kevin Greevy. A lot of good teams, no great ones. I feel like the talent now because of the international surplus, is the best it's ever been. But it's all spread out and part of this, I think, Rachel, I'll throw this at you. When I travel overseas, I know I'm a guest. I stay where I stay. Everything's planned. I don't get distracted. I stay on. When internationals players come over here, then I'll move around a lot. They pick a team, they're loyal. You don't get this, Hey, let's join the country club, Let's join the Super team. Right, that's kind of a domestic player thing. They feel like this is ours. I feel like that international players Giannas can threaten get me dang, but he's still a buck. And I think the good news for the league is that creates parody. Ye, his players are Luca wants to stay in Dallas forever and off season he's going to go do his things always Jokic, they have a full life over there. But I do think the league's more talented. But I think it's all. I think it's an all time high for parody.
Absolutely. I don't think there's any question. You know, we talk about Bill Russell and all the titles he won, and when we got to the Michael Jordan era, there was no one who thought, man Michael should have won eleven. Right, the league was so different, the number of teams was different, the amount of parody was different. Michael Jordan won six titles. I do not think that anyone else following behind him one. Now that we've reached this stage, yeah, can win six titles. I don't think it's available. Yeah, because, as you say, the international players have raised the level of the game. It's kind of like integrating baseball when you know, you have a much you have an influx of guys who are very good coming into the league. The ground rules are going to change, and we have had this. You know, look at look at the last MVPs. Look at the finalists for MVP this year. None of them are American. And I'm not saying we're never going to get another American MVP. I think, you know, there's some candidates who are going to be playing tonight who could end up there. But I just I don't think anyone come in six anymore. And that parody makes it more exciting for all of us.
Yeah, the t Wolves, MAVs, it is Dallas deserves credit twofold. They took a big swing on Kyrie Bumpy early but now it works, and they took a big swing at the trade deadline beg. And we have said for years aggressive mostly wins in sports, even if the Russell Wilson thing fails, because you get such a surplus of draft talent and football, you can recover very quickly if you find the right guy. But a year ago, I didn't like Brunson is taking over New York. Nay, Kyrie's being Kyrie. They can't defend the rim I don't know. I think Dallas matches up pretty well with Minnesota.
Yeah, I think he's gonna be a fantastic series. I mean, this is definitely the series of the playoffs at this point. And when you look at what Dallas has done, I don't think there was a comfort level with Kyrie and Luca. He came so late in the season and there were injuries, and I just don't think they ever got there where they knew who was going to go win, and there's a lot of my turn, your turn and all of that stuff. And Kyrie did look around a little bit over the summer when he was a free agent, but the MAVs made it clear from the minute he walked in the door, you are our guy. We traded for you and gave up a bunch of stuff for you, even though you have an expiring contract. That's how much faith we have in you. Jason Kidd, who has been Kyrie's idol for so long, Kyrie Irving went to Jason Kidd's Hall of Fame induction, not because at that point they had a special relationship, just because he was like, this is my favorite player and I want to see him in the Hall of fame. I mean, Jason didn't invite him, he just showed up, So it's worth so the fact that this has worked for them has been so great, and they did take a huge swing at the trade deadline because they mortgaged a lot for these guys, and so far they have come through. My question is can the role players continue to play as well as they did in the last series in this series, because you needed Derek Jones Junior or PJ. Washington to tip in at least nineteen points a night, and PJ. Washington had a spectacular end of Game six, but he was shooting twenty something percent before the final minutes. So he can't do that in this game tonight. He can't do that for the series. So we'll see if the role players can play above their heads again. And then Dallas is reel shot at it.
So there's a story out there, and I don't think it's that far fetched that the Lakers think Reddick has a pat Riley vibe.
I don't know, man, I don't buy any of it. First of all, I mean, you're not going to get the Godfather look in the armory sue, You're not. JJ's a very sharp trust but I'm just saying just in terms of how prepared they are for the league. JJ Reddick is going to be an excellent head coach. I just believe that. I think he will be a head coach, and I think he will be very good at it. However, to compare him to pat Riley, who not only when he was in broadcasting, he broadcasted locally for the Lakers, so he watched that team, he played for that team, and then he watched that team every night, night in and night out. He knew the guy's super well. Everybody was very familiar with each point. And then he became an assistant coach. He was an assistant coach for two plus seasons before he took over. That's the biggest knock on JJ. I think everyone knows how good he's going to be. It's just can you walk into being a head coach of a team with two superstars that needs to win now if you have no experience. That was not pat Riley. Pat Riley had experience. He was on that bench, he was in the locker room, he was in the coaches meetings, and I just don't see the one to one.
Yeah, I get that. Good points we've said before that. It's because of the mobility of the league. Rachel Nichols for our radio audience, it is hard to create a culture. So Miami did it with d Wade, and they had Shat come in and Lebron come in, but they maintain their culture.
I mean they did it with Lonzo Morning off of.
Bed Right, and Haslam was part of it, even even when he later in his career. And then d Wade leaves and Pat's like, we gotta we gotta go find a d Wade type player. They get Jimmy Butler, who leans into that sort of tough, gritty when the red light's on. I'm great. So I think the Warriors with Steve Kerr started with Mark Jackson, but Steve Kerkr there was a culture catch and react. It's a pretty high IQ offense. Young people could struggle, but they did well poaching veterans and getting them to work. There's not another team in the league where I watch them play and think, oh, that's a culture more than the Knicks. It's a Villanova thing. It's a TIBs thing, and they sort of feed off each other.
Yep.
And so I think we realize they need another skill player. Julius Randall playoff history is not ideal, but you can't screw up the culture.
Well that who they're going to bring in is going to be so important, and I do think they need to bring someone else in, and I think they will bring someone else in. I see that Devin Booker talk. I don't see Phoenix trading Devin Booker, so I just I don't think that's a realistic path to go down. Mikhail Bridges, on the other hand, talk about culture. He is a Villanova guy. I mean, those guys love each other, they play for each other. It gives them that feel of that college team. I don't know if you can pry him away, but he would be a great fit there, So.
I have to give up as much.
No, No, I like that move. You know they've talked about DeMar de Rosen. I think you got to look around at the Bulls roster. I think zach Lavine would be an interesting, you know, fit there. I don't know for sure that he's a TIBs guy, but I do know that he has never been put in the position in Chicago to really be his full potential. And I just think it's been a crummy situation from him for him the entire time he's been there, and I would be interested to see whether he could stand up physically to a TIBs season and how he would do there, because man, he's got height, he's such a shot maker, he would space the floor completely differently, take some of the pressure off Jalen Brunson, you know, to be the forty point guy every single night. I think there are options for the Knicks that aren't necessarily the bring Downavan Mitchell in not going to happen, bring Devin Booker in. Don't see it happening. There are guys around the league who you could go out and get who I think would really fit in there. And it's a credit to the front office as you say that they built a team around Tibbs. They knew who they had and they built a team that could be in his care Yeah.
The utter thing about the Knicks, they're not devoid of talent. Brunson's clearly an a Mitchell Robinson can protect the rim. I think, I know he was a bounce around the league guy, but Dante DiVincenzo has become an excellent catch and shoot three point guy, like a really good OG's a baller so it's not like in the East, you don't have to have KD. So the McHale bridges thing. A lot of people will push back and say it's not enough, and my takeaways it does add to the culture. There's no tale like this got some size too.
By the way, compared to those Villanova teammates, they're with the Knicks right now.
Can Indiana make it a series? I was saying, they're long, they're deep, they're good offensively, and they have a coach with experience. I watched that last night. I'm like, Okay, I've got to stop giving the Celtics this credit. And I'm like, when you're such an underdog. So the Pacers weren't a big underdog in New York, but when you're going in as a huge underdog, kind of loose, certainly deep, healthy. I mean, I'll watched that last night and I thought, Okay, Boston's gonna win the series, but oh it could go six right, Yeah?
No, I think this series absolutely could go six games. And that won't be because the Celtics fell apart. It will be because the Pacers are a legitimate team, and yes, they're an underdog in this series. There's no question about that. But the way play as we saw last night, and it.
Kind of gave away last night. They were really sneaky.
Really see absolutely gave away last night. But you heard after the game the Celtics players saying, we got to get with that pace, We got to play faster, we got to get with that pace. That is what the Pacers do to you. I mean they play like every player is physically on fire in the middle of a tornado. It is hectic, it is chaotic, it is quick, and if you can't keep up with that, you were going to have a problem. And the Pacers are younger and they've shown themselves to be durable and they have deep bench. So I think, I don't think this is a walkover. But I also think the Celtics win.
Yeah, Porzingis didn't feel to me vital going into it, and then I watched Siaco morecl Horford and I'm like, they need Porzingis it close it out? Yeah, because remember Indiana is a very good home team. Rachel Nichols ASO was great, Senia.
Thank you.
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No, no turn on the news. This is the herd Line News.
Here's going for you.
Lamar Jackson. You know, we read a lot about quarterbacks who are like gaining weight to take more hits.
Lamar Jackson is coming off an MVP season and he's down ten pounds. He's down to two oh five, down ten from last season, which is kind of puzzling. And he's down twenty five pounds from two twenty two. Why is I don't know what's going on here? I mean, we we real a lot about Jalen Hurt's getting strong, right, so we can take the hits.
I think he thinks he's slowing down. Maybe I don't know.
I mean he had an okay rushing season, not like one of his top two, but he doesn't have to be.
Well, He's become a better pocket thrower.
I'm not great against a chief.
I've never watched Lamar Jackson and thought, you know, he needs to be faster.
And they added Derek Henry.
Yeah, I just this is is a weird move. Yeah, I mean, he knows his body better than we do. But it's I actually, for the first time in a long time, I like their receiving corps. I think they've got some really nice pieces running back receiving corps. I like it a lot.
Oh wait, last year we said they had the great receiving core. Now Obj's gone.
Yeah, but he was.
It was Flowers, make Flowers Bateman and I don't know, Zave Flowers.
Was very good. What's the other kid they have? I like?
Well, they drafted Devonte's Walker, who I like a lot coming out of UNC.
Tight end Is Andrews, and they got likely. But I like, for me on this team, I'm I feel not a major regression.
But now remember, even if they have a regression, never forget. Don't just take the last game. They blew out Miami and San Francisco and Detroit, and this team blew the doors off good teams. They weren't the best team in the regular season, they were easily the team to beat going into the playoffs. So regression if they don't blow I mean, who blew out Detroit and San Francisco last year? Nobody was blowing them out, so they were I mean, I still contend that the game plan against Kansas City when they decided we're not a run team cost them the game. Not personnel. I thought it was a bizarre game plan. They just quit running the football mid first quarter. So I even if they pull back, this is a really good organization top to bottom.
So there are some questions on the offensive line. There's some issues on at cornerback. I mean, they lost their defensive coordinator McDonald, who was tremendous. He had some of the better teams, really bright guy. It's a tough division. If glass Jo Cans stay healthy, If Jashaun Watson finally becomes a guy, he was like five.
Great owner, great coach, great quarterback, good front office. I'm always gonna say, I.
Like Baltimore Division or Wild Card.
Probably Division. I don't think Cincinnati's roster is as good today. Plus they've had a very noisy offseason.
Not a complaining there, t Higgins and Hendrick.
Who's there?
Get me out of here.
So look at the Ravens schedule. Now again, they open up at Kansas City. I would argue the best time to play Kansas City probably early.
Three of those first four games are tough Chiefs at Dallas and versus ne yor Buffalo billbo and then they got the Bengals.
Look at the end of that season on you start.
Well, you get, you get a layup victory over I.
Mean I started start in week six, Washington, Tampa, Cleveland, Denver, you know, Cincinnati pit spurg I mean, winnable games at Phil's. And then at the end of the year it's the Giants a bye, the Steelers at home, Cleveland at home. That's that's a lot of wins. That's that's an eleven wins.
Chargers Eagles.
Those are not great games. Whether they win it or not, they're great.
Ye give me the under on Ravens. I don't I don't think.
There, what is the under over unders ten and a half and a half. I'll take the over nine or ten.
Not not as optimistic as you.
Next up your favorite quarterback in the NFC, Jordan Love. He's going to play on a one year extension this season, but he's looking for a long term deal from the Packers. Despite the contract uncertainty, Love showed up at OTAs, which Matt Lafleur sees as a huge positive for the squad.
It's everything to us.
I think if you look at our attendance here, and I know we had one guy missing today for a personal matter, but you know we've had almost one hundred percent the entire offseason, which has been the best that we've had since I've been here. So and I always think that when you look around the league, when your quarterbacks there just naturally has a way of attracting everybody to come. And I think we got a lot of guys that love the game, and Love loved the process of grinding together and going through some tough things together. But to have him here is you can't put a value on that.
I'm gonna throw a theory at you. For years and years I always felt j Mac it was a disadvantage to not having an owner. But as owners in the NFL have gone from one hundred millionaires to all of them being billionaires, money does strange things to men. They get more impulsive, more ego driven. Steve Cohen of the Mets, the guy that runs the Horn of Charlotte, David Tepper. We're getting crazier owners, richer crazier owners. And as I saw that as OHA's a disadvantage where a guy upstairs could just go give me that player for the next twenty years, not having an owner having a board maybe a real advantage. There is a new group of owners that are aggressive. They are Wall Street techie guys. They want what they want. They're not very patient. They run through coaches. Green Bay's got all this continuity year in and year out, and that goes from weakness to I wonder the next twenty years of strength. Go ask the people that run the Colts if sometimes ersay is trouble or talent. Jerry Jones in Dallas. I mean you start looking around the league. Now it's Stan Kronkey of the Rams, Steve Bushatti, Robert Kraft. You know there's guys out there that mostly let the football people run it. But there's some crazy town, increasingly crazy town in ownership.
That's a fair, fair comment.
I'm just I see a guy making no money next year showing up at OTAs he turned a knee and next thing you know, it's an ACL or something and he's screwed.
I don't know, man, I don't know who's advising Love. I get it, you're a team player. He be a great guy. Show up, But just for me, the risk.
Versus the rewards.
Football people don't care about They don't care about the players. Okay, they don't the billionaires care about the billionaires. I know the Packers have a unique situation, but I gotta look out for the players. I gotta look out for the underdog here.
Yeah, the little guy I'm worried about Jordan Love.
Show it up.
There odds of him getting injured it.
First of all, here's why he's going to show up. This is a player that replaced a legend, and they were they were willing to move up to get him when a lot of people didn't think Jordan Love remember the pot Boston College. The Packers were like the ultra conservative Green Bay Packer. Nope, we're gonna go up to get you. So they showed loyalty and interest. Day one, A lot of people in that pot thing came out were like yeah, because you know, there was a lot of questions. Yeah, he had a bad last year, the pot thing, which I don't care about but some people do. And the packers moved up so that you build in loyalty when that happens. The second thing is they didn't draft other quarterbacks. He didn't play for three years. They were totally patient, and then they moved off a legend Aaron Rodgers for him again, doubling down on we are fans of you, we have your back, this kid. And if I'm Jordan Love, I feel supported from the pick. I feel supported on the move off Aaron Rodgers. Not an easy thing to do multiple time MVP. I feel tote now, and all Green Bay is asking is, hey, can we get can we get through October and then let's get this thing done?
Lift service of words words for hollow, show me actions, show me the money.
That's Jordan Love should tell you.
Is this how your negotiations are gonna go.
It's all about Gona Midle, that's the agent.
Working with Ryan and me. I do love that good team.
Man, You got a good squad. Good squad.
You eat cal zones every day for lunch on the company.
Well, I don't get invited to sushi lunches like you, so I gotta order cal zones here. Yeah, I'm not a big baller like you. But final story to the NBA where the Knicks had an incredible run just fell short of the Eastern Conference finals. Jalen Brunson is eligible for a contract extension. Colin, Now, you're gonna love this. He reportedly could give New York a hometown discount. Brunson could wait until next summer to sign a five year, two hundred and seventy million dollar max, but he's willing to sign a four year, one fifty six extension this summer to avoid holding up the team. Obviously, they've got a big decisions with og and Obi Hart and Stein. Who's gonna get paid?
You know, first of all, let's give Jalen brunch In a lot of credit. Major. The second thing is New York City, the city tax, the federal tax. He's losing fifty five to fifty eight percent of his money right off the top. And he was in Texas before where there's you know, the tech, so he's taking less for the team. New York is tax hell, you know, he's playing in the city. And the other thing the advantage. I always say, Dwayne Wade, no state tax. Spolstra's my coach, pat Riley's my GM. That's a great place to land out of college, out of Marquette. Brunson will absolutely. Jeter can attest to this. Eli Manning can attest. There's a lot of New York advertisers now they're not ohas national advertisers. You can make a pretty solid seven figures in Dallas being a cowboy quarterback. There's only one NBA team in New York that the city's universally around. It's the Knicks. So you can make money off the court, not only in your shoe deal. Because I think Brunson, I don't know if he has a shoe deals, call it the grinder. I think he can make some make some of that back, not all of it, not even half of it. But I think he'll be so big in New York that he'll the city will groove him in, they'll take care of him.
No, these are good points. I'm usual.
I'm not into the taking less always. Lebron probably sees it this is scoffing, But yeah, this is this is this a night?
Would you ever take less than anything?
It's as so many factors of play. If I'm Brunson, you know, i'd want to know what they're gonna do with that your money?
They better spend it wisely.
Well here's my take, I'll be honest with you. In this instance, I don't know if this is the best move. I mean, why wouldn't he wait a year?
Yeah, he's undersized, you know, like coming off the frackshort hand.
Who knows I was gonna be sized?
Steve Nash and Steffer.
You you're the one who bet you? And who's a buker? Somebody bang on a small guards.
Can never win in the league. Like take look out for number one here, Jaylen Brunson and number two is what are they gonna do if they save the money from spending it on you?
Well, here's the other thing to think about with this offense. He has to play a lot of minutes and the tip system is tough on players. He may be saying, I may break down. That's like I'm gonna take my money now.
That's I think that's a great point. And listen, I don't want James Dolan pocketing the money. I could take James Dolan a billionaire, I got money from the spear. I'd want to know, like, can you deliver me a superstar? And yeah, as a wingman, I'll definitely take less if that's the case.
If I'm run so, I have.
A question and I don't know this if I mean, if Jalen Brunson's willing to take that kind of pay cut, essentially a pay cut signing early, is it legal? He can't own a team, But is it legal to go to an owner and say, I want fifteen free private jet trips on the Dolan Jet?
Yeah, you could bake that into a deal.
Can you bake that into the deals? I don't know if that's I know you can't have going on.
In the WNBA with the Las Vegas Aces, No, the tourism board in Vegas.
I saw that Caman.
Said we're gonna give each of you one hundred thousand dollars, which is like more than like ninety percent of the league make.
And now the league, wait a minute, we don't know if this is legal.
And that kind of opened some doors it's almost like an nil money for pro sure, which I got no problem with that, right, I don't know, I mean, take advantage of it.
I just think.
I just think if I'm James Dolan and Brunson is willing to do that for the franchise between the New York taxes and the seventy five to one hundred million. Boy, you got to take care of him. I don't know what you got to do, but whatever is legal, I don't. You got to take care of him. He should never pay for a private jet flight. He should get free this that, this, because that is a real sacrifice. We're not talking eight million. We're talking like whatever the numbers were with you, seventy five million bucks and in an area of the country that gobbles up sixty percent of your income. Anyway, that's a good point. Jmack with the news.
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the herd line.
Now, there's got to be some limitations on I mean, there are limitations on what you can do from an owner perspective to give a player. But boy, that's that is those Villanova guys, man, they're built different. They are givers, not takers. Save big and your water and energy bills with a new Navvyan tankless water heater. Navviyan tankless water heaters provide endless hot water spawl like comfort. Navian makes it easy to go tankless. Go to tanklessmade symbole dot com.
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Yeah, Joe, Hey, Otani and Mookie Betts leave the Dodgers against rising superstar Elie de la Cruz and the Reds or it's one of baseball's best rivalries as the Cubs take on the Cardinals.
It all begins at seven Eastern on Fox. Check for the game in your area.
Do you see that Friday's on Fox? Now the Big Fox Sports Friday on Fox? Pretty cool. So I'm gonna throw something at you. If I'm gonna pay a quarterback fifty five million, I'm paying you for a high ceiling. I'm not paying you for a high floor. Okay. And so I saw Brandon Cook said this week, Hey, unquestionably Dak is the future of the Cowboys, no question. And I would ask two questions, What am I paying you? And what do I get in January February? Because I'm not getting any wins right now. Seven playoff games to win, five and only one of them you've played well. So I'm not getting a lot for the fifty five million. And I was thinking of this, Jmax and this, So if I judged quarterbacks, I'm not even gonna give you the AFC. I won't even count Mahomes, Herbert, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence. I'm gonna get out of that one. I'll just count the NFC. And if you paid quarterbacks based on ceiling, what is the best version potentially of themselves. They get decent protection, they've got a weapon or two, the best version of themselves. I'm not counting the AFC. I'll take the best guys out because a lot of people think the best are Mahomes, Burrow, Alan, Lamar Jackson. Throw them out. Aaron Rodgers over there, won't count him. To them, won't count him. So just the NFC quarterbacks. If you paid people on ceiling, I'm not paying you for a high floor. You know Kirk Cousins has been overpaid mostly high floor ceiling. So here's how I would rank the NFC quarterbacks. Jmack on highest ceiling when they've really the best version of themselves. I think Stafford is number one. I would have set Aaron Rodgers for years and years in the NFC. I would say Stafford protection weapons. I've seen him win a Super Bowl, I've seen him carry a team. You may push back on this, but I've seen Jared Goff with two coaches in the conference championship game and get to a super Bowl. I would do Goff second, I would do Jordan Love. I'm higher than most. I think when I watched him go up against Dallas and absolutely out play that. And this is the kid that this is first year starting and that wasn't one of the better packer oll lines and the receivers are all kids. I'd put Jordan Love third, right ahead of Kyler Murray, who I love. I think his ceiling is through the roof. Jalen Hurts five. I've seen him be I've seen him get to a super Bowl and lead Mahomes in the fourth quarter. At his ceiling with Shane's he was the MVP of the league or close to it. Six and seven. Caleb Williams Jaden Daniels. I knew you were gonna laugh. I knew you were gonna laugh. But are you telling me that Cayleb Williams doesn't have a higher ceiling. Dak was a fourth round pick. Cale's gonna be number one. He's thought of as the most transcendent quarterback since Andrew Luck. So I'm at six and I think Jaden Daniel's gonna pop. I think he's gonna be a he's gonna be a baller. He was a much better college quarterback than THATK. So that's just the NFC. I'm not paying you fifty seven million for a high floor. I'll pay it for the ceiling. I'll pay for talent and Edwards. I don't know what he's gonna be eventually, but if I had to pay him today, it got big ceiling. I think Tatum has reached a ceiling. And you guys all keep telling me he's gonna go here here, and I'm like, he's reached it. This is what he is.
I think you forgot a quarterback on that list. This guy who was in the Super Bowl nearly beat Mahomes. He's now that two years body of work.
I think we're seeing the best of Brock Purtty. It's fine now. I think eight is like now we get into dak territory. But remember the more this is all data.
Kyler Murray.
I think he's sensational talent. He has to overcome the craziest owner. He just want a bad ross.
A year ago, at this time, after Hurtz was in the Super Bowl, you wouldn't take a call on him.
Now you say Kyler Murray has higher potential than Jalen Hurts.
Was the number one pick. He's a highest wan winner.
One anything in the NFL. Nothing, zero playoff game.
What Dak's got one?
He was saying no.
Moss against Aaron Donald, Like, don't put me back in the game in the fourth quarter.
I'm getting my butt kicked.
Okay, I'm not talking about durability. I'm talking about based on highest ceiling.
So you have a high ceiling on a six foot quarterback. He just scoots around all the time. He gets passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. I'm stunned at this.
You and I completely disagree on Kyler mur I used to.
Be a huge fan of his work, and then I started to hear stuff and I told you.
About it, and you you would think you'd defend an undersized guy with a chip on his shoulder, no chip on my shoulder, none, You think you'd be all in those kind of guys.
Kyler ahead of Caleb Williams, Like that's well, no, I.
Mean too, I haven't seen Caleb play yet. But Kyler was a number one pick. It was like the best Heismandrovie winner took Arizona's Mess to the playoffs in the division with Shanahan, Pete Carroll and.
Sean mcare career playoff games. Brock pretty or Kyler Murray.
Probably Brock Purtty, Yeah, probably coach organization talent. Let's say something, Some people in their career get saddled up next to a very talented person that make their life much easier.
Well, you hang out with Kyler Brady at one UFC event.
Now you guys are w we what whatever it was? Now you guys are boys.
