Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Are you sure to catch us live every weekday from twelve to three eastern, nine to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS one. Find your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. It is a Thursday March Madness heats up later this afternoon, later tonight, It's The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. Jason McIntyre here as usual. So we've got a couple interesting things last night. Warriors now are starting to percolate. Road w's heading back home. Boy. You're not gonna talk about referees today. Are you can't blame the Zebras? Oh? Yeah, they're infallible. So the Warriors still alive. Beat the Mavericks. There was a play at the end of the third quarter. Ref should have communicated better. It gave the Mavericks a free basket. It was an ideal. It gave the Warriors, excuse me, a free basket. You know it's not ideal. Blah blah blah. It's a basket at the end of the third quarter, didn't decide the game. It should be noted the Mavericks have the same record as the Lakers. The Lakers that had the Westbrook disaster or rookie coach Lebron's never available a D's hit and miss bunch of role players. Austin Reeves is now their star, right. Mavericks have the same record as the Lakers, with many believe the best young player in the world, Luca. They've always been a mystery and that's our lead segment today, Mystery. I love their owner, Mark Cuban, passionate, smart, cutting edge. Twice they found a unique unicorn, international scoring star, middle of the country, perfect geography for domestic travel, no state tax, beautiful arena, lots of capitalization. They got a lot of money and that they can never land free agents. I feel like I'm watching Dirk Mevitski two point zero. These Mavericks same record as the messy, turbulent Lakers. They land an international star and they can't figure out who to put around him, and in both instances they kind of low balled Steve Nash. He went to Phoenix became a star A kind of low balled Jalen Brunson. He went to the Knicks. He's become a star. Should we blame the Mavericks? How about this? I was thinking about this this morning. Finding the right Robin for your superstar maybe just really really hard. Celtics found it with Michael de Bird, Warriors found it, Clay eight to Steph Bulls found it, Pippin to MJ. Spurs found it Tony Parker to Tim Duncan. In all four cases, it's not just that they're not quite as good as the Star, but they have the right temperament. Tony Parker low key like Duncan, Clay let Steph run the show, chill, Scottie Pippen be honest, didn't want to be the start. The minute Jordan left, they handed in the range of the franchise. He wasn't comfortable with it. McHale Byrd's same thing. He loved Larry being the guy dealing with the media in Boston. It's really really hard to find Robin Philadelphia. Two times with mb they can't find it. They tried to really intense. Jimmy Butler didn't work. Somebody with no intensity. Ben Simmons didn't work. They tried it with aging James Harden. It's fine, but they've never gotten to an Eastern Conference final, just an Eastern Conference final, Alan Iverson. They could never find the perfect robin Lebron James think about how he elevates players. Seven years first time in Cleveland, they could never find him a robin. He left. Then he found robin in d Wade. But even when you get the right robin, the Jazz did stocked into Malone. They never won a title. Michael Jordan was in the way. So I can look at it and think, you let Jalen Brunson go, what are you thinking? You let Steve Nash go? What are you thinking? It's really hard to find the right guy, and with a star. I mean, you could say to yourself, Milwaukee found it with Chris Middleton. Yes, in one playoff. Ron Middleton's been great. Now he's hurt, and most of us believe that Drew Holidays the robin. So that robin worked briefly. Now we've got a new robin. So I think I look at Dallas and I look at the turbulent, messy Lakers season. It's the same same record in the same conference. How is that possible? I think Luca is going to be a guy that's gonna be hard to match somebody up with. He has the ball, he's unstoppable. He should score thirty three a game. He needs it in his hands. He's in good shape. But he doesn't do much in the defensive end. It's not going to be easy. I appreciate the big swing on Kyrie Irving, but between Luca and Kyrie playoff basketball. Let's be honest. You got to play defense. They don't play great defense. So Mark Cuban, who I love, can complain about the officiating. But once again the Mavericks find themselves in a shootout and they lose, and today the same record as the Lakers. Speaking of mystery, So I was thinking about this this morning. You know, we all know in football that the quarterback is like seventy five percent of the equation and the coaches twenty five percent. All the other parts aren't worth a point a game. Even a great receivers maybe worth half a point. You got the right quarterback Mahomes, and the right coach Andy Reid. Everything else, you can rebuild the old line. This year, the Chiefs played a ton of rookies. They had to rebuild the defense. It doesn't matter. Same with Josh Allen. They can't figure out the offensive line, they don't have a dependable running game. They got to move off free agents. Now they'll still be really, really good. Cincinnati Joe Burrow and Zach Taylor offensive got offensive line's been a rack. Defense was good wide receiver young stars not perfect. Move off this running back. They got Joe Burrow on an offensive coach who embraces him and elevates him. Everything else doesn't really matter. And then there's Lamar Jackson, and you know there's a bit of him that it's getting very interesting to me. Is that is Lamar Jackson becoming Kawhi Leonard? Think about it? Unquestionably top ten franchise talents, neither try anybody. Kawhi uses uncle Dennis as his agent. Lamar used his mom and now an unlicensed agent. They've got a trust issue both of ad injuries and around both injuries, there's nothing but mystery. Both in college were overlooked and have a chip on their shoulder, both land and ideal situations. Kawhi Leonard, who's not real verbal, goes to San Antonio very quiet about the culture, not the Stars. Perfect situation. Lamar goes to the Ravens exceptionally well run, defense, run game, patient, letting him grow with Flacco for a year. But yet by like year four or five with Kawhi Leonard, it got odd and he got hurt and there was mystery and we never really got a straight answer. And now in year three or four for Lamar Jackson, he's hurt and there's mystery and it's awe and we never really got a straight answer. Could he have played? I thought he was ready to play in late December. Then he never played to the kind of becoming the same guy. Kawai's an enigma, so was Lamar Jackson. None of us, none of us would question their franchise worthy. But they have very unique personalities, and I'm not sure either personality translates to long term success or leadership. Lamar came into the NFL as it was pivoting to a passing league, and we had questions could he pass? Kawai came into the league as it was pivoting to a three point league, And what's always been the enduring question early for him, is he ever going to shoot three pointers? Consistently? Very very interesting. The difference is is that for a franchise quarterback, it is a highly verbal position. You gotta talk, you gotta lead. Mystery doesn't work. Think how great Aaron Rodgers career has been and yet in the last two years, what's happened. There's a lot of mystery. What is going on? And it's even eroded trust by the packers with their star quarterback who's given them nothing but division titles. Mystery. It could be great for movie stars. The great Jack Nicholson said, I'm not going to go on Letto or Letterman or Carson. Why would I give away my product for free? I want mystery. There's a lot of areas I think mystery's really good. Michael Jordan mostly hid for his NBA career. He wasn't out at clubs. Now Michael. He'd go chop it up with some friends being his hotel room. That's why his documentary and the air movie is so fascinating. There's so many layers to Michael Jordan we didn't know about. He wasn't on Instagram, they didn't have it, he wasn't on Twitter, and frankly, even as an owner, he was private retirement. He's private he golfs, he hangs out with his fam He's private, so mystery works. But does it work for a franchise quarterback. I don't know. But I wake up this morning I'm hearing about the Colts wanting to make a run at Lamar Jackson, and I think, is it true? Who would know? Nobody ever talks. I'm not antimistery. It sells, it's fascinating, it makes me want you more, but I'm not sure if it works for a franchise quarterback. I know the Clippers have been nothing but frustrated with Kawhi Leonard, who sometimes shows up at three forty five to four o'clock at the arena and advises Tylu, Yeah, I'm not gonna play tonight, wasn't it Lamar Jackson. In December we were told he was ready to play. Now I'm not going to play for the next couple of weeks. I really like him, I really like Kauai, but it's getting odd and strange. I'm just not sure that's what I want running my franchise. Kawhi doesn't trust anybody. Lamar apparently he doesn't even trust the Ravens. They're one of the top four or five run organizations in the NFL. But the story this morning Colts are they gonna make a run at Lamar Jackson. I think you have to ask yourself more than just football questions with Lamar these days, and I don't think that's a good thing. All Right, the tournament's back up tonight, tom Izzo on this week, keep your eye. I'm going with Michigan State. Mister Jamack over here, I think likes Kansas State at the Garden. That's gonna be a fantastic game. Gonzaga and UCLA tonight gonna be one for the ages, I hope. Remember the last time they met Jalen Suggs half court bomb Final four. Yeah, this my guess is Ucla Gonzaga has a chance to be the best game in the tournament. It was that year. It was as good as any game in the tournament. So they just announced that the big hit on Ucla is questionable tonight. He had left with some kind of injury in their last game. If he's not there to guard Drew Timmy In on the block, it gonna be tough for UCLA to pull. Right now, they are the two best programs on the West Coast, Arizona's really good, but they're kind of transitioning with their roster and they've they've kind of underachieved in the playoffs. Right right now, I would say Gonzaga UCLA feel like got the right coach, mostly, got the right players, got the right culture. One's more of an offensive program. Gonzaga UCLA could do a little bit of both. Sometimes maybe a little overlooked on the defensive end. It'll be classic, should be a great game. And the Michigan State game, yeah, we're head to head. The line has gone my way in the last twenty four hours, started out your way earlier this week. A lot of tug of war over this Michigan State Kansas State game. Should be a great one. Two great point guards. Okay, the Jets are making moves. My thoughts on that coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays and noon Easter nin a Empacific on Fox Sports Radio FS one and the iHeart Radio app. You're now honoring the Nobull Zone sponsored by Credible, Great Rates and None of the bull. So the Jets have traded Elijah Moore, a slot receiver, kind of immature. Nobody knows quite how he fits, they trade him to Cleveland and they get a number two pick, a second round pick, and they give up a third pick in Elijah Moore, so they're going to use that pick eventually to land Aaron Rodgers. The Packers want at least a second round picks, and now the Jets have two. The Jets receiving cords today is better than last year already. Alan Lazard is a dependable probably a number two or a number three big receiver. Not a lot of drama with Alan Lazard. Aaron Rodgers likes him. And now Micole Hardman came over as well from Kansas City, so they're bigger at wide receiver and they're faster at wide receiver. Aaron Rodgers Airlines always has some turbulence, but the Jets are having to make a bunch of moves. But there's no denying this morning. With Mlicole Hardman and Alan Lazard and eventually Aaron Rodgers, the Jets are better. And as you look at the Jets, you think, oh my gosh, they're making a bunch of noise, and noise isn't good Jets quarterbacks, the good ones and the talented ones have almost always been noisy. Joe Nameth, the star parting late into the night was noisy. Mark Sanchez, the GQ cover. You know, the good looking kid was noisy. Farv was noisy for a year. Zach Wilson rumors about his mom's friend was noisy. Sam Darnold partied so hard he got mono. Aaron Rodgers is a perfect fit. The New York Giants are the opposite Jeff Hostetler, Phil Simms, Eli Manning, Daniel Jones. They're quiet, they're kind of funny once they retire, but they're very corporate. The Giants are blue blood. The Jets have always been the little brother. They're the little dog in the neighborhood that makes all the noise to prove how tough he is. And the big dog rolls its eyes because it doesn't have to prove how good it is, how big it is, how tough it is. That's the difference between the Giants and the Jets. One. The Giants are an accounting firm. One's a nightclub. The Jets bark and bark and make noise, and that's what they do, and that's what they always do, and you can bank on it. Aaron's gonna make the Jets newsworthy and fun and flashy, and they'll get more headlines than the Giants. And they won't win the Super Bowl because the Jets don't. And the Giants will be quiet and efficient with the brilliant offensive coach and a smart GM that will help load up the roster and fix the offensive line in the weaker NFC, they will make the playoffs and then watch out, I mean watch out. But this is what they are. The little brother Owa's has to make noise, a big splash, to bark loud, to show what they are. And nothing is more fitting than this morning. The Jets are reportedly interested in OBJ. That is so New York it hurts, so New York Jets, it hurts. The minute he got loud, the Giants moved on. He's still loud, and the Jets lean in. They're a make news franchise. And that's the reality. When you get two pro teams in a city and so much money at stake, they take big swings. They want to make headlines, want to be in the back page of the tabloid. So O b J and Aaron Rodgers. I mean it is just such classic Jets. I remember Rex Ryan was the coach of the Jets, and he couldn't stop talking, couldn't stop making promises, couldn't stop being outspoken. They wanted to be on hard knocks and he the Giants. That's just not the way it works. That is not It's a blue blood franchise. Understated, almost embarrassed. I can tell you what the Jets are gonna do, but I can also tell you how the Giants privately are reacting to the ob J news and the Aaron Rodgers drama. They're laughing in that building. They're gone, look at those guys. As much as things change, they stay the same with New York football teams. J. Mack with the News. No, no, this is the herd Line News. Sorry Jack on right. I love the opening segment. I gotta just I didn't appreciate going out for the Jets there. Did not love that shot at OBJ. You just take a jabs low blows at the blue collar Jets. Very nice kind of right though, right like that that move is so Jets it hurts no comment. Let's start with CJ. Stroud column. He threw it Ohio States pro Day. Much was made about the Panthers contingent bro hugging CJ. Stroud, the owner, you know, tapping him up. It looks a big show by Carolina out there in full force. Frank Reich obviously the owner David Tepper. After the workout, Stroud said it meant a lot to see so many people from Carolina come and see him. Now, you and I not quite conspiracy theorists, but this is all lining up way, way, way too much. Is this a smoke screen? Is this misdirection? Who telegraphs their move this much a month before the draft? I don't buy any of it. CJ. Stroud, by the way, went up to minus four hundred this morning in one gambling market to go first overall out me as suspicious of all of it. Yeah. Usually the smart teams in this league and the smart people, they don't telegraph their moves. I mean, we didn't know Stafford was gonna go to McBay until it happened. We didn't know Brady's going to Tampa until it happened. Yeah, Patriots in their twenty year dynasty, we didn't hear about the Randy Moss thing then it happened. Remember Baker Mayfield and the where when he go Browns? That was like a last note nobody had any clue what was going on, and then it was like whoa wake? What? Even last year? Aidan Hutchinson this time last year ticketed to be number one, He's definitely going number one, and then the kid Walker goes number one to Jacksonville last year, and Colin I keep looking around. I just I'm suspicious of the Stroud stuff. Now, I will add Seattle Seahawks came in and posted something on social media. CEJ Strout in a room full of Seattle Seahawks people, Pete Carroll and company, a lot of love for Stroud out there. I want to what's going on. I still contend, you know how what I feel about this that Bryce Young is the most polished and the most ready to play tomorrow. I just don't know how long he would last. But he's been a rock star since he was fifteen years old in LA high school football fifteen sixteen. So I think if you want a polished, refined heady sees the field accurate quarterback tomorrow in this draft, it's Bryce Young. So we can talk about who's big, who's strong, who. If Bryce Young was bigger, he'd be a slam dunk number one. That's the only question with him, or do you think they're using Stroud as leverage? Hey, we now have the number one pick. CJ. Strout is taller, bigger than Bryce Young, He's more refined and ready than Anthony Richardson. He's got to be number one. If you want CJ. Stroud, you're gonna have to come up and trade with us for him. Something feels weird here, Colin. I don't think it's gonna be Stroud. I am not a conspiracy theorist. Do see how somebody could have your opinion. I don't think this is a conspiracy theory, but your cynicism, I think it's well served because I do think teams do this all the time. Mel Kiper told me years ago, because I know I'm getting lied to in the last week to two weeks up to the draft, I know I have to be very careful. I know I'm being used a bit as a mark. So he goes a lot of the stuff I hear, I just don't report because I feel like, you know, I've got to watch being manipulated. He told me that fifteen years ago. He said, so in the last couple of weeks to the draft, you have to be careful about what you're told because it may be somebody that wants the news out for a reason. Let's face it, if you go to your life, take a look at your whole life when things are really important. I know in my life they don't get out. Keep it close to the vest. When I have something that really matters to me, nobody finds out about it. It's not in the newspapers. The critics don't know. If I have some big it doesn't make news. Same in Yere. It could be personal, it could be professional. Nobody knows. Hey, don't go around telling everybody what your next move is. You just don't do that. So we'll see. Well, I got a month left of that fun. Let's go to your Denver Broncos. So bullish on Sean Payton, who sat here for most of the season and talk to us, regaled us with stories. So the Broncos now have Peyton, Russell Wilson and a new right tackle in Mike McGlinchey. Here's what he had to say about the opportunities ahead in Denver. I'm very familiar with Russ, playing against him twice a year for four years. He's broken my heart numerous times. I know his game. I know he's capable of He's a Hall of Famer, and he's capable of doing great things and winning a lot of games in this league like he did for a decade in Seattle. And I think a coach like Peyton and the situation, we're going to elevate his game even more. I think you and I do agree that they will be the team that will double their wins. There's always a double a win team. I will say this, how many did Houston win last year? A few? They did not win many. I think if Houston gets Bryce Young, with their moves and Demiko Ryan's, it doesn't feel like a circus like it did before Demiko got there. I think in that division, Houston, what did Houston win? Greg four? Okay, so Houston won three games and one tie. So Houston's gonna double their wins. That's if they get Bryce Young, Houston will double their wins. I feel strong about that. And Denver won how many games? Five? Five? I feel pretty strongly they're in the nine or ten wins. The Chicago Bears they must have won two games. They had the first pick and then traded out of it, so they won three games. So they will double their win to now by saying that Bears, Texans Broncos, I feel very strongly if Bryce Young goes to the Texans, they'll double their wins. I'm not saying they're gonna they could be just six and eleven. But if Denver, Houston and the Bears double their wins, I think those are very reasonable bats. That means somebody else is gonna have to come down, right. That means so who's who is pulling back? Minnesota is not going to go eleven and oh in those close games. That's one we both agree with. That Raiders go from car to Garoppolo, I think it will just be kind of the same. Will Baltimore without Lamar Jackson in that division will crater a bit for a year. Brown's just got a difference maker in Elijah Moore. We know he's capable. Him and Amari Cooper on the outside. We'll see. Because you know, everybody who likes to be optimistic, Everybody in New York thinks the Jets are going to double their wins, everybody in Chicago, and they're not. They're not winning fourteen games, they're not going from seven. But I will say every time you have somebody double in their wins. Somebody's got to pull back in the league. Well, two years ago the top seeds were Tampas hold On Tennessee. Yeah, and Green Bay both missed the playoffs the following year. I'm not saying Buffalo will. I think there will be some regression on the Buffalo defense. Okay, we know Tampa's gonna regress and Minnesota's probably coming back down to earth. Those two. I feel strong somebody in the AFC is coming back down to Earth. Will it be Baltimore if they don't sign Lamar. I think it's very realistic to think they'd be strong and defense and they would lose a lot of clothes New York Giants from playoff team to I don't know. Do the NFC's wonky. It's not very good. I can't see Brian Dable cratering. They're gonna fill up their offense. I don't think it'll be Dable's fault. It'll be that overpaid quarterback they got. Just for the record, I know you like some Pro Football Focus numbers. McGlinchey, who some field was a bit of an overpay, graded out as the thirty fifth best right tackle in the league. Out of eighty one. What grading system was that? Pro Football Focus? I don't know, thirty thirty fifth out of any one. Final story, Oh this is spicy Sunset. Coach Monty Williams was ticked off last night after seeing the Lakers shot forty six free throws and Phoenix only shot twenty. Now, Phoenix did not have kd obviously or DeAndre Ayton, but LA outscored Phoenix by twenty one at the line helped them get to win. After the game, here's Monty Williams sounding off about the lack of respect for his sons. When do you see a game with forty six free throws for one team like that? That's just not that's not right. I don't care how you slice. It is happening to us too much. Other teams are reaching, other teams are hitting, and we're not getting the same call. And I'm tired of it. It's just it's old. I'm tired of talking about free throws. Our guys have to do their job. We understand that, but that's a huge disparity. Forty six free throws and I'll say it again, forty six to twenty. That's it. That's all I gotta say, okay, so let me defend the officials. Phoenix shot thirty one thirty one three pointers. Lakers shot seventeen, So the Lakers created more contact, didn't launch three. Secondly, Kevin Durant and Eton didn't play two bigs that would initiate contact. Here. I just looked this up. DeAndre eight averages fewer free throw attempts per game than DeAngelo Russell. Like he's got it back to the basket. I'm going in and gonna get to line. These got what Monty Williams has is a soft Thinness jump shooting team. Well, especially when Durant, I mean Durant again initiates contact and gets foul. He did not play. Devin Booker does get to the line, leading them six free throw attends per game. But you look the rest of the roster, like, none of these guys are getting in the line. He attack the rim. I hear this a lot when current teams lose. We're not at the free throw line. When you're shooting thirty five threes a game, you're not initiating any contact. And so last night Austin Reeves is driving to the basket. Yeah, and when you can watch the video here, he's drawing fouls, he's initiating contact. Who do you think are more popular Laker right now, Austin Reeves or what Alex Caruso was. Remember he had the nickname carus Show because he would do so many dunks and defensively, but Austin Reeves is catching. He was Was he the third best player on the court last night. Well, it's been a very brief stretch of about nine or ten games. He's been excellent. Yeah, and he's exactly what they need. But Caruso was pretty darn popular. Lebron loved him. I mean they really That was a mystery. That was a mystery there everybody. Crusoe was not that expensive and he played great with Lebron. Lebron really liked him. But offensively pretty much limited. He was like a slashing cutting and getting lamps and dunks. But Austin Reeves offensively can do damage. I'm not kidding. Like he hit a great pass the high IQ kid. I like this kid a lot. Darvin Hamm's got to get him more minutes. Uh, you know, we talked about it. Troy Brown's playing a hell of a lot of minutes. I know he had an okay game last night, more minute Frost and Reeves, please J Mack with the news. Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by lot. Like it's even like Dallas last night. They get upset with that, with that referee situation, and it was an ideal that didn't communicate. Well, you can go look at the video. The ref does point that it's Warrior's ball, but then another reff apparently there was some miscommunication. It wasn't ideal, but it's a bucket at the end of the third quarter. The issue with the Mavericks is they just can't make enough stops. That's why they only win by shootout, and so um yeah, I mean it's it's crazy by the officials don't communicate well enough and they're therefore the Warriors get an easy basket. So you know, I don't think you reprimand the officials. I don't think you get the game back, but I do think you know, some official could be uh you know, talked to sternly by the head of officiating. It was not ideal, obviously, but again, this is what Dallas is. When fans start blaming officials and then I look up and you shoot thirty five three pointers. It's like, well, what do you expect. You're not getting into the free throw line that way, and Kevin Durant's not playing and he draws a lot of fouls. You want to see something crazy. If you look at the start of this video calling number four referee you could see him at the bottom of the screen is staring right at Luca don chich As Looney just straight up yanks his jersey all the way back. He just yanks it back. Number four referee staring right at it. Luca, look at this, just yanked his jersey. The ref staring right at the play, and Luca does not get the call. He turns to the reference like, dude, he grabbed my jersey. Ref just does it. Luca complains so much that they tune him out getting some of the calls. Yeah they dalla back, Yeah, no they he is. He is Magic Johnson, it should be noted, complained about calls too, So did Michael Jordan the Great Players smile on his face. Luca's kind of got like a like a how are you you know, like a little disdain for these guys. Yeah, well, I mean it's uh, what do we say the other day? You attract more bees with honey than vinegar, like the great college coaches. If you, if you, I just said. Herm Edwards used to tell me this all the time. Herm Edwards knew who the officiating crew was by like Thursday or Friday, and he would make sure when he saw the official, how's Helen doing? How are the kids? Didn't your kid just go up to you know, I got a coaching friend up there. They're human beings yelling bark at them all the time, Bobby Knight, You're not going to get that call. I'm coaching in a fourth grade girls basketball. I'm coaching my daughter first fourth grade basketball title. Do you work the officials? Well? I know some of them because they see me on the show. Uh, and they come up, hey Jay, what do you think about Lebron? You're not to always chat them up? Oh, very good. We get the good officials this week. Got gotta have the calls early fourth grade girls basketball. It's fantastic audience loves that. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays and new Easter nine am Pacific two NBA Insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA Grade five All happening in only one place. This League Uncut, the New NBA podcast with Me, Chris Haynes and me Mark Stein join us as we team up to expound on everything we're covering. Hearing and Jason. Listen to This League Uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Jamnologs and Sammy's Ader back together. What does this mean for the US is plus Cody Rhodes competes in this backdown rank for the first time in six years head all through Friday nights SmackDown five an Eightiest, seventh Central Tomorrow night on Fox. I'm gonna be talking to Charlotte Flair next week. Charlotte Flair is awesome. She wins the internet like two days a week minimum. Are you going to that, by the way, going to what? You know? I don't think so. I mean, unless you could talk to somebody, get me hooked up with some access. I got some access. Maybe the kids might enjoy it. Oh no, no, you've ever gotten one of those things, you know. I was the biggest wrestling fan when I was like nine years old. Yeah, I haven't monitored it as much lately. Well, of course, but let me just tell you something. The big events, they're crazy. Are you going to be there? The production level I've been invited. I'm strongly considering it. It's fun. Is it a mutual friend of ours? I need to text him and be like, YO, hooked me up? No, it's it's one of my very few important friends. He got tickets, So, okay, I was gonna say this about so the Lakers one last night in Austin Reeves. Um, it was really good. The NFL gives us Austin Reeves all the time. Half the league is undrafted, and I mean that means after seven rounds of drafting, half the league is still undrafted. Guys their coach. They may have some physical limitations, but they work hard, head down, and they become productive pros. The NBA only has two rounds, and it's very rare, very rare when you can find a highly productive second round player. The great ones they run out of production after about the seventeenth pick in the first round. So to get an undrafted player to come into a big franchise and do what this kid is doing is rare. Last nine ten games, he's averaging twenty. He can score, He's a tremendous passer, he draws fouls. He may be the rare diamond in the rough. So with a D and Lebron either aging or getting hurt a lot, they need role players to be essential. But DeAngelo Russell and Malik Beasley are such hot and cold scores and shooters. Austin reeves every night that he gets the minute, shows up, draws fouls, great passer, and hits the basket. The irony is they thought it was going to be an expensive, toxic former NBA superstar, so Westbrook that would provide that because they knew a D was brittle and Lebron was getting older, so they brought Westbrook in to just give them thirty two minute tonight and twenty four points. And the irony is they got it in the last ten game, nine game stretch. From an undrafted player who, like a lot of NFL stories, undrafted works hard. Jim rat can be productive, coachable, gets a little better every time he's on the floor. He's a great great story. Now, my takeaway on guys like this, you know it's the Jeremy Lynn story, is that once the playoffs arrive, role players especially undrafted second route. They shrink. Right the NBA playoffs, all the veterans are playing, there's no load management, the rotation shrink, and so Austin Reeves will not be nearly as consistently viable as he is now. But the word is role, role player, and his role right now with Lebron not playing, is to create offense and somebody to help out Anthony Davis, and he's doing that. These are pretty heady numbers last nine games, twenty of games, six assists. You know, he's shooting fifty seven percent from the floor and a massive plus minus of plus ninety seven. And so it's called role player for a reason. This is the time in the NBA season where the Warriors are crossing their fingers that Andrew Wiggins comes back, and you know, the Suns are, you know, crossing their fingers on Kevin Durant. The West right now is about who's not playing instead of who is. And he's been really nice fun you get that. One of the reasons the NFL, I think is so relatable is that, you know, the players have limited power as employees like all of us, right, they don't have a zillion revenue streams like NBA guys and shoe deals. NFL players, even the great ones, can be cut at any time. They got a plan, bad weather, they got a place sec they got a play hurt, just like the rest of us. But I also think something that's a very redeemable quality about the NFL is that hard work coachability really matters. It's not about being a first round pick. If you can provide production, head down, focused, you can make a lot of money in this league. Austin Reeves is very rare in the NBA. I mean, at the top of my head, second round great players ever in the NBA, Draymond Green, Yokich wasn't mount U Jenobli was at him. Yeah, he was a second round player that not many of them about. There's about six or seven all time great second round players, and you know, in the last twenty five thirty years. So for this kid to be undrafted, it's really impressive. And he's playing his role perfectly. Can pass it, can shoot it, no drama. You know, they thought this is what they thought Westbrook was going to provide because they knew a d gives you about fifty five sixty games. Broad's gonna give you fifty five. So when they brought in Westbrook, I remember saying when they brought him over, I don't like Westbrook as a player, but he can give you twenty four twenty eight to night and he'll give you thirty six minutes to nobody in the NBA play is harder. They thought that's what Westbrook would do, but he wasn't willing to screen or defend, and he could be talks if he had bad nights or didn't get his looks. This kid, you don't get any of the toxicity, but you get the production in minutes. So he's been in Darvin Ham after the win for the Lakers last night over Phoenix on this very impressive stretch. His ability to play Downhill, draw files, you know, score at all three levels. Fine, guys, you know his ability to play make He's in a great space right now, filling him his game and just locked in what we're trying to accomplish. They're a much better defensive team as Westbrook has left. So this is a really, really good story for the Lakers. We have criticized them for being two inselurs a franchise, too many friends of Genie Buss in the building, and we've criticized them for being star obsessed. But if you go back to many of the great Laker teams, they've had these classic role players that Phil Jackson would elevate or you know, Jerry West would find or pat Riley would elevator. Find Austin Reeves a great get. He just does not. There's not a lot of Austin Reeves in the NBA, and he's been great for a two and a half three week stretch. One thing I love about his story Colin Day. Everybody tries to put you in a box. What are you? You know, what is Austin Reeves coming out? Well? Six seven, white guy? Can he guards small forwards in the in the NBA? Probably not quick enough. Can he guard two's I don't think so. Can he handle enough to be a one? No? So nobody knew what to do with him. What position is he? Which is an old school way of thinking. And now the Lakers have tinkered and tinkered and they're like, is he a small forward? And look what he's doing at point guard? How many assists last night? Eleven? The kid can distribute. He's a smart, high IQ player. He's got long arm, so we can finish it. The rim Colin. I love this example. Cam Chancellor came out of college, went to Virginia Tech. Yeah, and I've sat with an executive at a TV network and I and I told him, like, people try to put Cam Chancellor in a boy I remember what was he? Was? He a linebacker because he was awesome high school basketball player, he played quarterback, he played running back in high school. What was he? Well, Virginia Tech, some linebacker, some safety, but he's too big. He can't play safety in the NFL, and he's probably not quick enough to be a linebacker, so nobody knew what to do. He falls to the fifth round. Seattle says, we got an idea. I know what the hell to do with this kid? Cam Chancellor becomes a superstar in the NFL. Awesome safety in the box playmaker. I was at a Vegas pool one time and he was right next to us, right next to me. Yeah, and I end up talking to him about it, and he was telling me like his stories, like nobody knew what to do with me. They didn't think I could do this. And that's the problem when you have closed minded thinking, what is he? Don't try to put people in a box. Tinker with where they can go, what they can do. And Austin Reeves is shining with the Lakers right now. Well, that's always been one of Pete Carroll straits. In Seattle, it's like, especially his defensive eye is We'll figure out a way to use him. If Jamal Adams was healthy more consistently, he would be great for Seattle because Jamal Adams doesn't have a lot of range. But in New York it's like he was great on special teams, and he was great in the box, and he was great on blitzing. And Pete Carroll looked at him and said, I've had so many players at USC, New England Jet Seahawks. That's what Pete Carroll does, Like, I'll figure out a way to use him. Is he a playmaker? And when I watch Austin Reeves, my takeaway is a very very good offensive player. Initiates fouls, can put it on the deck. He's quick enough to your point, he is long, he's a great passer. He's just a he know what he is. He's just kind of a basketball player. And by the way, we fall in love in the NBA with athleticism, John Wall and Russell Westbrook and My takeaway is if you're under six four and can't shoot, there's gonna be limitations. Austin Reeves can shoot, he can dribble, he can pass. He's got a lot of skills we get I think we get too caught up sometimes we forget that many of the key cogs in the history of basketball that we consider that the town sport have been guys that play a great role, just guys that are I mean, how long you Donnas has them for the heat twenty years in the league, maturity, toughness, leadership, intelligence like pat Riley's like keep him on the roster for pat Riley and Spolster to keep him in the building. He is adding so much value road trips, on the plane, at practice, on the bench, stuff fans don't talk about, Like pat Riley's not keeping a guy for twenty years unless he adds bonus everywhere you're at

Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Are you sure to catch us live every weekday from twelve to three eastern, nine to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS one. Find your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. It is a Thursday March Madness heats up later this afternoon, later tonight, It's The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. Jason McIntyre here as usual. So we've got a couple interesting things last night. Warriors now are starting to percolate. Road w's heading back home. Boy. You're not gonna talk about referees today. Are you can't blame the Zebras? Oh? Yeah, they're infallible. So the Warriors still alive. Beat the Mavericks. There was a play at the end of the third quarter. Ref should have communicated better. It gave the Mavericks a free basket. It was an ideal. It gave the Warriors, excuse me, a free basket. You know it's not ideal. Blah blah blah. It's a basket at the end of the third quarter, didn't decide the game. It should be noted the Mavericks have the same record as the Lakers. The Lakers that had the Westbrook disaster or rookie coach Lebron's never available a D's hit and miss bunch of role players. Austin Reeves is now their star, right. Mavericks have the same record as the Lakers, with many believe the best young player in the world, Luca. They've always been a mystery and that's our lead segment today, Mystery. I love their owner, Mark Cuban, passionate, smart, cutting edge. Twice they found a unique unicorn, international scoring star, middle of the country, perfect geography for domestic travel, no state tax, beautiful arena, lots of capitalization. They got a lot of money and that they can never land free agents. I feel like I'm watching Dirk Mevitski two point zero. These Mavericks same record as the messy, turbulent Lakers. They land an international star and they can't figure out who to put around him, and in both instances they kind of low balled Steve Nash. He went to Phoenix became a star A kind of low balled Jalen Brunson. He went to the Knicks. He's become a star. Should we blame the Mavericks? How about this? I was thinking about this this morning. Finding the right Robin for your superstar maybe just really really hard. Celtics found it with Michael de Bird, Warriors found it, Clay eight to Steph Bulls found it, Pippin to MJ. Spurs found it Tony Parker to Tim Duncan. In all four cases, it's not just that they're not quite as good as the Star, but they have the right temperament. Tony Parker low key like Duncan, Clay let Steph run the show, chill, Scottie Pippen be honest, didn't want to be the start. The minute Jordan left, they handed in the range of the franchise. He wasn't comfortable with it. McHale Byrd's same thing. He loved Larry being the guy dealing with the media in Boston. It's really really hard to find Robin Philadelphia. Two times with mb they can't find it. They tried to really intense. Jimmy Butler didn't work. Somebody with no intensity. Ben Simmons didn't work. They tried it with aging James Harden. It's fine, but they've never gotten to an Eastern Conference final, just an Eastern Conference final, Alan Iverson. They could never find the perfect robin Lebron James think about how he elevates players. Seven years first time in Cleveland, they could never find him a robin. He left. Then he found robin in d Wade. But even when you get the right robin, the Jazz did stocked into Malone. They never won a title. Michael Jordan was in the way. So I can look at it and think, you let Jalen Brunson go, what are you thinking? You let Steve Nash go? What are you thinking? It's really hard to find the right guy, and with a star. I mean, you could say to yourself, Milwaukee found it with Chris Middleton. Yes, in one playoff. Ron Middleton's been great. Now he's hurt, and most of us believe that Drew Holidays the robin. So that robin worked briefly. Now we've got a new robin. So I think I look at Dallas and I look at the turbulent, messy Lakers season. It's the same same record in the same conference. How is that possible? I think Luca is going to be a guy that's gonna be hard to match somebody up with. He has the ball, he's unstoppable. He should score thirty three a game. He needs it in his hands. He's in good shape. But he doesn't do much in the defensive end. It's not going to be easy. I appreciate the big swing on Kyrie Irving, but between Luca and Kyrie playoff basketball. Let's be honest. You got to play defense. They don't play great defense. So Mark Cuban, who I love, can complain about the officiating. But once again the Mavericks find themselves in a shootout and they lose, and today the same record as the Lakers. Speaking of mystery, So I was thinking about this this morning. You know, we all know in football that the quarterback is like seventy five percent of the equation and the coaches twenty five percent. All the other parts aren't worth a point a game. Even a great receivers maybe worth half a point. You got the right quarterback Mahomes, and the right coach Andy Reid. Everything else, you can rebuild the old line. This year, the Chiefs played a ton of rookies. They had to rebuild the defense. It doesn't matter. Same with Josh Allen. They can't figure out the offensive line, they don't have a dependable running game. They got to move off free agents. Now they'll still be really, really good. Cincinnati Joe Burrow and Zach Taylor offensive got offensive line's been a rack. Defense was good wide receiver young stars not perfect. Move off this running back. They got Joe Burrow on an offensive coach who embraces him and elevates him. Everything else doesn't really matter. And then there's Lamar Jackson, and you know there's a bit of him that it's getting very interesting to me. Is that is Lamar Jackson becoming Kawhi Leonard? Think about it? Unquestionably top ten franchise talents, neither try anybody. Kawhi uses uncle Dennis as his agent. Lamar used his mom and now an unlicensed agent. They've got a trust issue both of ad injuries and around both injuries, there's nothing but mystery. Both in college were overlooked and have a chip on their shoulder, both land and ideal situations. Kawhi Leonard, who's not real verbal, goes to San Antonio very quiet about the culture, not the Stars. Perfect situation. Lamar goes to the Ravens exceptionally well run, defense, run game, patient, letting him grow with Flacco for a year. But yet by like year four or five with Kawhi Leonard, it got odd and he got hurt and there was mystery and we never really got a straight answer. And now in year three or four for Lamar Jackson, he's hurt and there's mystery and it's awe and we never really got a straight answer. Could he have played? I thought he was ready to play in late December. Then he never played to the kind of becoming the same guy. Kawai's an enigma, so was Lamar Jackson. None of us, none of us would question their franchise worthy. But they have very unique personalities, and I'm not sure either personality translates to long term success or leadership. Lamar came into the NFL as it was pivoting to a passing league, and we had questions could he pass? Kawai came into the league as it was pivoting to a three point league, And what's always been the enduring question early for him, is he ever going to shoot three pointers? Consistently? Very very interesting. The difference is is that for a franchise quarterback, it is a highly verbal position. You gotta talk, you gotta lead. Mystery doesn't work. Think how great Aaron Rodgers career has been and yet in the last two years, what's happened. There's a lot of mystery. What is going on? And it's even eroded trust by the packers with their star quarterback who's given them nothing but division titles. Mystery. It could be great for movie stars. The great Jack Nicholson said, I'm not going to go on Letto or Letterman or Carson. Why would I give away my product for free? I want mystery. There's a lot of areas I think mystery's really good. Michael Jordan mostly hid for his NBA career. He wasn't out at clubs. Now Michael. He'd go chop it up with some friends being his hotel room. That's why his documentary and the air movie is so fascinating. There's so many layers to Michael Jordan we didn't know about. He wasn't on Instagram, they didn't have it, he wasn't on Twitter, and frankly, even as an owner, he was private retirement. He's private he golfs, he hangs out with his fam He's private, so mystery works. But does it work for a franchise quarterback. I don't know. But I wake up this morning I'm hearing about the Colts wanting to make a run at Lamar Jackson, and I think, is it true? Who would know? Nobody ever talks. I'm not antimistery. It sells, it's fascinating, it makes me want you more, but I'm not sure if it works for a franchise quarterback. I know the Clippers have been nothing but frustrated with Kawhi Leonard, who sometimes shows up at three forty five to four o'clock at the arena and advises Tylu, Yeah, I'm not gonna play tonight, wasn't it Lamar Jackson. In December we were told he was ready to play. Now I'm not going to play for the next couple of weeks. I really like him, I really like Kauai, but it's getting odd and strange. I'm just not sure that's what I want running my franchise. Kawhi doesn't trust anybody. Lamar apparently he doesn't even trust the Ravens. They're one of the top four or five run organizations in the NFL. But the story this morning Colts are they gonna make a run at Lamar Jackson. I think you have to ask yourself more than just football questions with Lamar these days, and I don't think that's a good thing. All Right, the tournament's back up tonight, tom Izzo on this week, keep your eye. I'm going with Michigan State. Mister Jamack over here, I think likes Kansas State at the Garden. That's gonna be a fantastic game. Gonzaga and UCLA tonight gonna be one for the ages, I hope. Remember the last time they met Jalen Suggs half court bomb Final four. Yeah, this my guess is Ucla Gonzaga has a chance to be the best game in the tournament. It was that year. It was as good as any game in the tournament. So they just announced that the big hit on Ucla is questionable tonight. He had left with some kind of injury in their last game. If he's not there to guard Drew Timmy In on the block, it gonna be tough for UCLA to pull. Right now, they are the two best programs on the West Coast, Arizona's really good, but they're kind of transitioning with their roster and they've they've kind of underachieved in the playoffs. Right right now, I would say Gonzaga UCLA feel like got the right coach, mostly, got the right players, got the right culture. One's more of an offensive program. Gonzaga UCLA could do a little bit of both. Sometimes maybe a little overlooked on the defensive end. It'll be classic, should be a great game. And the Michigan State game, yeah, we're head to head. The line has gone my way in the last twenty four hours, started out your way earlier this week. A lot of tug of war over this Michigan State Kansas State game. Should be a great one. Two great point guards. Okay, the Jets are making moves. My thoughts on that coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays and noon Easter nin a Empacific on Fox Sports Radio FS one and the iHeart Radio app. You're now honoring the Nobull Zone sponsored by Credible, Great Rates and None of the bull. So the Jets have traded Elijah Moore, a slot receiver, kind of immature. Nobody knows quite how he fits, they trade him to Cleveland and they get a number two pick, a second round pick, and they give up a third pick in Elijah Moore, so they're going to use that pick eventually to land Aaron Rodgers. The Packers want at least a second round picks, and now the Jets have two. The Jets receiving cords today is better than last year already. Alan Lazard is a dependable probably a number two or a number three big receiver. Not a lot of drama with Alan Lazard. Aaron Rodgers likes him. And now Micole Hardman came over as well from Kansas City, so they're bigger at wide receiver and they're faster at wide receiver. Aaron Rodgers Airlines always has some turbulence, but the Jets are having to make a bunch of moves. But there's no denying this morning. With Mlicole Hardman and Alan Lazard and eventually Aaron Rodgers, the Jets are better. And as you look at the Jets, you think, oh my gosh, they're making a bunch of noise, and noise isn't good Jets quarterbacks, the good ones and the talented ones have almost always been noisy. Joe Nameth, the star parting late into the night was noisy. Mark Sanchez, the GQ cover. You know, the good looking kid was noisy. Farv was noisy for a year. Zach Wilson rumors about his mom's friend was noisy. Sam Darnold partied so hard he got mono. Aaron Rodgers is a perfect fit. The New York Giants are the opposite Jeff Hostetler, Phil Simms, Eli Manning, Daniel Jones. They're quiet, they're kind of funny once they retire, but they're very corporate. The Giants are blue blood. The Jets have always been the little brother. They're the little dog in the neighborhood that makes all the noise to prove how tough he is. And the big dog rolls its eyes because it doesn't have to prove how good it is, how big it is, how tough it is. That's the difference between the Giants and the Jets. One. The Giants are an accounting firm. One's a nightclub. The Jets bark and bark and make noise, and that's what they do, and that's what they always do, and you can bank on it. Aaron's gonna make the Jets newsworthy and fun and flashy, and they'll get more headlines than the Giants. And they won't win the Super Bowl because the Jets don't. And the Giants will be quiet and efficient with the brilliant offensive coach and a smart GM that will help load up the roster and fix the offensive line in the weaker NFC, they will make the playoffs and then watch out, I mean watch out. But this is what they are. The little brother Owa's has to make noise, a big splash, to bark loud, to show what they are. And nothing is more fitting than this morning. The Jets are reportedly interested in OBJ. That is so New York it hurts, so New York Jets, it hurts. The minute he got loud, the Giants moved on. He's still loud, and the Jets lean in. They're a make news franchise. And that's the reality. When you get two pro teams in a city and so much money at stake, they take big swings. They want to make headlines, want to be in the back page of the tabloid. So O b J and Aaron Rodgers. I mean it is just such classic Jets. I remember Rex Ryan was the coach of the Jets, and he couldn't stop talking, couldn't stop making promises, couldn't stop being outspoken. They wanted to be on hard knocks and he the Giants. That's just not the way it works. That is not It's a blue blood franchise. Understated, almost embarrassed. I can tell you what the Jets are gonna do, but I can also tell you how the Giants privately are reacting to the ob J news and the Aaron Rodgers drama. They're laughing in that building. They're gone, look at those guys. As much as things change, they stay the same with New York football teams. J. Mack with the News. No, no, this is the herd Line News. Sorry Jack on right. I love the opening segment. I gotta just I didn't appreciate going out for the Jets there. Did not love that shot at OBJ. You just take a jabs low blows at the blue collar Jets. Very nice kind of right though, right like that that move is so Jets it hurts no comment. Let's start with CJ. Stroud column. He threw it Ohio States pro Day. Much was made about the Panthers contingent bro hugging CJ. Stroud, the owner, you know, tapping him up. It looks a big show by Carolina out there in full force. Frank Reich obviously the owner David Tepper. After the workout, Stroud said it meant a lot to see so many people from Carolina come and see him. Now, you and I not quite conspiracy theorists, but this is all lining up way, way, way too much. Is this a smoke screen? Is this misdirection? Who telegraphs their move this much a month before the draft? I don't buy any of it. CJ. Stroud, by the way, went up to minus four hundred this morning in one gambling market to go first overall out me as suspicious of all of it. Yeah. Usually the smart teams in this league and the smart people, they don't telegraph their moves. I mean, we didn't know Stafford was gonna go to McBay until it happened. We didn't know Brady's going to Tampa until it happened. Yeah, Patriots in their twenty year dynasty, we didn't hear about the Randy Moss thing then it happened. Remember Baker Mayfield and the where when he go Browns? That was like a last note nobody had any clue what was going on, and then it was like whoa wake? What? Even last year? Aidan Hutchinson this time last year ticketed to be number one, He's definitely going number one, and then the kid Walker goes number one to Jacksonville last year, and Colin I keep looking around. I just I'm suspicious of the Stroud stuff. Now, I will add Seattle Seahawks came in and posted something on social media. CEJ Strout in a room full of Seattle Seahawks people, Pete Carroll and company, a lot of love for Stroud out there. I want to what's going on. I still contend, you know how what I feel about this that Bryce Young is the most polished and the most ready to play tomorrow. I just don't know how long he would last. But he's been a rock star since he was fifteen years old in LA high school football fifteen sixteen. So I think if you want a polished, refined heady sees the field accurate quarterback tomorrow in this draft, it's Bryce Young. So we can talk about who's big, who's strong, who. If Bryce Young was bigger, he'd be a slam dunk number one. That's the only question with him, or do you think they're using Stroud as leverage? Hey, we now have the number one pick. CJ. Strout is taller, bigger than Bryce Young, He's more refined and ready than Anthony Richardson. He's got to be number one. If you want CJ. Stroud, you're gonna have to come up and trade with us for him. Something feels weird here, Colin. I don't think it's gonna be Stroud. I am not a conspiracy theorist. Do see how somebody could have your opinion. I don't think this is a conspiracy theory, but your cynicism, I think it's well served because I do think teams do this all the time. Mel Kiper told me years ago, because I know I'm getting lied to in the last week to two weeks up to the draft, I know I have to be very careful. I know I'm being used a bit as a mark. So he goes a lot of the stuff I hear, I just don't report because I feel like, you know, I've got to watch being manipulated. He told me that fifteen years ago. He said, so in the last couple of weeks to the draft, you have to be careful about what you're told because it may be somebody that wants the news out for a reason. Let's face it, if you go to your life, take a look at your whole life when things are really important. I know in my life they don't get out. Keep it close to the vest. When I have something that really matters to me, nobody finds out about it. It's not in the newspapers. The critics don't know. If I have some big it doesn't make news. Same in Yere. It could be personal, it could be professional. Nobody knows. Hey, don't go around telling everybody what your next move is. You just don't do that. So we'll see. Well, I got a month left of that fun. Let's go to your Denver Broncos. So bullish on Sean Payton, who sat here for most of the season and talk to us, regaled us with stories. So the Broncos now have Peyton, Russell Wilson and a new right tackle in Mike McGlinchey. Here's what he had to say about the opportunities ahead in Denver. I'm very familiar with Russ, playing against him twice a year for four years. He's broken my heart numerous times. I know his game. I know he's capable of He's a Hall of Famer, and he's capable of doing great things and winning a lot of games in this league like he did for a decade in Seattle. And I think a coach like Peyton and the situation, we're going to elevate his game even more. I think you and I do agree that they will be the team that will double their wins. There's always a double a win team. I will say this, how many did Houston win last year? A few? They did not win many. I think if Houston gets Bryce Young, with their moves and Demiko Ryan's, it doesn't feel like a circus like it did before Demiko got there. I think in that division, Houston, what did Houston win? Greg four? Okay, so Houston won three games and one tie. So Houston's gonna double their wins. That's if they get Bryce Young, Houston will double their wins. I feel strong about that. And Denver won how many games? Five? Five? I feel pretty strongly they're in the nine or ten wins. The Chicago Bears they must have won two games. They had the first pick and then traded out of it, so they won three games. So they will double their win to now by saying that Bears, Texans Broncos, I feel very strongly if Bryce Young goes to the Texans, they'll double their wins. I'm not saying they're gonna they could be just six and eleven. But if Denver, Houston and the Bears double their wins, I think those are very reasonable bats. That means somebody else is gonna have to come down, right. That means so who's who is pulling back? Minnesota is not going to go eleven and oh in those close games. That's one we both agree with. That Raiders go from car to Garoppolo, I think it will just be kind of the same. Will Baltimore without Lamar Jackson in that division will crater a bit for a year. Brown's just got a difference maker in Elijah Moore. We know he's capable. Him and Amari Cooper on the outside. We'll see. Because you know, everybody who likes to be optimistic, Everybody in New York thinks the Jets are going to double their wins, everybody in Chicago, and they're not. They're not winning fourteen games, they're not going from seven. But I will say every time you have somebody double in their wins. Somebody's got to pull back in the league. Well, two years ago the top seeds were Tampas hold On Tennessee. Yeah, and Green Bay both missed the playoffs the following year. I'm not saying Buffalo will. I think there will be some regression on the Buffalo defense. Okay, we know Tampa's gonna regress and Minnesota's probably coming back down to earth. Those two. I feel strong somebody in the AFC is coming back down to Earth. Will it be Baltimore if they don't sign Lamar. I think it's very realistic to think they'd be strong and defense and they would lose a lot of clothes New York Giants from playoff team to I don't know. Do the NFC's wonky. It's not very good. I can't see Brian Dable cratering. They're gonna fill up their offense. I don't think it'll be Dable's fault. It'll be that overpaid quarterback they got. Just for the record, I know you like some Pro Football Focus numbers. McGlinchey, who some field was a bit of an overpay, graded out as the thirty fifth best right tackle in the league. Out of eighty one. What grading system was that? Pro Football Focus? I don't know, thirty thirty fifth out of any one. Final story, Oh this is spicy Sunset. Coach Monty Williams was ticked off last night after seeing the Lakers shot forty six free throws and Phoenix only shot twenty. Now, Phoenix did not have kd obviously or DeAndre Ayton, but LA outscored Phoenix by twenty one at the line helped them get to win. After the game, here's Monty Williams sounding off about the lack of respect for his sons. When do you see a game with forty six free throws for one team like that? That's just not that's not right. I don't care how you slice. It is happening to us too much. Other teams are reaching, other teams are hitting, and we're not getting the same call. And I'm tired of it. It's just it's old. I'm tired of talking about free throws. Our guys have to do their job. We understand that, but that's a huge disparity. Forty six free throws and I'll say it again, forty six to twenty. That's it. That's all I gotta say, okay, so let me defend the officials. Phoenix shot thirty one thirty one three pointers. Lakers shot seventeen, So the Lakers created more contact, didn't launch three. Secondly, Kevin Durant and Eton didn't play two bigs that would initiate contact. Here. I just looked this up. DeAndre eight averages fewer free throw attempts per game than DeAngelo Russell. Like he's got it back to the basket. I'm going in and gonna get to line. These got what Monty Williams has is a soft Thinness jump shooting team. Well, especially when Durant, I mean Durant again initiates contact and gets foul. He did not play. Devin Booker does get to the line, leading them six free throw attends per game. But you look the rest of the roster, like, none of these guys are getting in the line. He attack the rim. I hear this a lot when current teams lose. We're not at the free throw line. When you're shooting thirty five threes a game, you're not initiating any contact. And so last night Austin Reeves is driving to the basket. Yeah, and when you can watch the video here, he's drawing fouls, he's initiating contact. Who do you think are more popular Laker right now, Austin Reeves or what Alex Caruso was. Remember he had the nickname carus Show because he would do so many dunks and defensively, but Austin Reeves is catching. He was Was he the third best player on the court last night. Well, it's been a very brief stretch of about nine or ten games. He's been excellent. Yeah, and he's exactly what they need. But Caruso was pretty darn popular. Lebron loved him. I mean they really That was a mystery. That was a mystery there everybody. Crusoe was not that expensive and he played great with Lebron. Lebron really liked him. But offensively pretty much limited. He was like a slashing cutting and getting lamps and dunks. But Austin Reeves offensively can do damage. I'm not kidding. Like he hit a great pass the high IQ kid. I like this kid a lot. Darvin Hamm's got to get him more minutes. Uh, you know, we talked about it. Troy Brown's playing a hell of a lot of minutes. I know he had an okay game last night, more minute Frost and Reeves, please J Mack with the news. Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by lot. Like it's even like Dallas last night. They get upset with that, with that referee situation, and it was an ideal that didn't communicate. Well, you can go look at the video. The ref does point that it's Warrior's ball, but then another reff apparently there was some miscommunication. It wasn't ideal, but it's a bucket at the end of the third quarter. The issue with the Mavericks is they just can't make enough stops. That's why they only win by shootout, and so um yeah, I mean it's it's crazy by the officials don't communicate well enough and they're therefore the Warriors get an easy basket. So you know, I don't think you reprimand the officials. I don't think you get the game back, but I do think you know, some official could be uh you know, talked to sternly by the head of officiating. It was not ideal, obviously, but again, this is what Dallas is. When fans start blaming officials and then I look up and you shoot thirty five three pointers. It's like, well, what do you expect. You're not getting into the free throw line that way, and Kevin Durant's not playing and he draws a lot of fouls. You want to see something crazy. If you look at the start of this video calling number four referee you could see him at the bottom of the screen is staring right at Luca don chich As Looney just straight up yanks his jersey all the way back. He just yanks it back. Number four referee staring right at it. Luca, look at this, just yanked his jersey. The ref staring right at the play, and Luca does not get the call. He turns to the reference like, dude, he grabbed my jersey. Ref just does it. Luca complains so much that they tune him out getting some of the calls. Yeah they dalla back, Yeah, no they he is. He is Magic Johnson, it should be noted, complained about calls too, So did Michael Jordan the Great Players smile on his face. Luca's kind of got like a like a how are you you know, like a little disdain for these guys. Yeah, well, I mean it's uh, what do we say the other day? You attract more bees with honey than vinegar, like the great college coaches. If you, if you, I just said. Herm Edwards used to tell me this all the time. Herm Edwards knew who the officiating crew was by like Thursday or Friday, and he would make sure when he saw the official, how's Helen doing? How are the kids? Didn't your kid just go up to you know, I got a coaching friend up there. They're human beings yelling bark at them all the time, Bobby Knight, You're not going to get that call. I'm coaching in a fourth grade girls basketball. I'm coaching my daughter first fourth grade basketball title. Do you work the officials? Well? I know some of them because they see me on the show. Uh, and they come up, hey Jay, what do you think about Lebron? You're not to always chat them up? Oh, very good. We get the good officials this week. Got gotta have the calls early fourth grade girls basketball. It's fantastic audience loves that. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays and new Easter nine am Pacific two NBA Insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA Grade five All happening in only one place. This League Uncut, the New NBA podcast with Me, Chris Haynes and me Mark Stein join us as we team up to expound on everything we're covering. Hearing and Jason. Listen to This League Uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Jamnologs and Sammy's Ader back together. What does this mean for the US is plus Cody Rhodes competes in this backdown rank for the first time in six years head all through Friday nights SmackDown five an Eightiest, seventh Central Tomorrow night on Fox. I'm gonna be talking to Charlotte Flair next week. Charlotte Flair is awesome. She wins the internet like two days a week minimum. Are you going to that, by the way, going to what? You know? I don't think so. I mean, unless you could talk to somebody, get me hooked up with some access. I got some access. Maybe the kids might enjoy it. Oh no, no, you've ever gotten one of those things, you know. I was the biggest wrestling fan when I was like nine years old. Yeah, I haven't monitored it as much lately. Well, of course, but let me just tell you something. The big events, they're crazy. Are you going to be there? The production level I've been invited. I'm strongly considering it. It's fun. Is it a mutual friend of ours? I need to text him and be like, YO, hooked me up? No, it's it's one of my very few important friends. He got tickets, So, okay, I was gonna say this about so the Lakers one last night in Austin Reeves. Um, it was really good. The NFL gives us Austin Reeves all the time. Half the league is undrafted, and I mean that means after seven rounds of drafting, half the league is still undrafted. Guys their coach. They may have some physical limitations, but they work hard, head down, and they become productive pros. The NBA only has two rounds, and it's very rare, very rare when you can find a highly productive second round player. The great ones they run out of production after about the seventeenth pick in the first round. So to get an undrafted player to come into a big franchise and do what this kid is doing is rare. Last nine ten games, he's averaging twenty. He can score, He's a tremendous passer, he draws fouls. He may be the rare diamond in the rough. So with a D and Lebron either aging or getting hurt a lot, they need role players to be essential. But DeAngelo Russell and Malik Beasley are such hot and cold scores and shooters. Austin reeves every night that he gets the minute, shows up, draws fouls, great passer, and hits the basket. The irony is they thought it was going to be an expensive, toxic former NBA superstar, so Westbrook that would provide that because they knew a D was brittle and Lebron was getting older, so they brought Westbrook in to just give them thirty two minute tonight and twenty four points. And the irony is they got it in the last ten game, nine game stretch. From an undrafted player who, like a lot of NFL stories, undrafted works hard. Jim rat can be productive, coachable, gets a little better every time he's on the floor. He's a great great story. Now, my takeaway on guys like this, you know it's the Jeremy Lynn story, is that once the playoffs arrive, role players especially undrafted second route. They shrink. Right the NBA playoffs, all the veterans are playing, there's no load management, the rotation shrink, and so Austin Reeves will not be nearly as consistently viable as he is now. But the word is role, role player, and his role right now with Lebron not playing, is to create offense and somebody to help out Anthony Davis, and he's doing that. These are pretty heady numbers last nine games, twenty of games, six assists. You know, he's shooting fifty seven percent from the floor and a massive plus minus of plus ninety seven. And so it's called role player for a reason. This is the time in the NBA season where the Warriors are crossing their fingers that Andrew Wiggins comes back, and you know, the Suns are, you know, crossing their fingers on Kevin Durant. The West right now is about who's not playing instead of who is. And he's been really nice fun you get that. One of the reasons the NFL, I think is so relatable is that, you know, the players have limited power as employees like all of us, right, they don't have a zillion revenue streams like NBA guys and shoe deals. NFL players, even the great ones, can be cut at any time. They got a plan, bad weather, they got a place sec they got a play hurt, just like the rest of us. But I also think something that's a very redeemable quality about the NFL is that hard work coachability really matters. It's not about being a first round pick. If you can provide production, head down, focused, you can make a lot of money in this league. Austin Reeves is very rare in the NBA. I mean, at the top of my head, second round great players ever in the NBA, Draymond Green, Yokich wasn't mount U Jenobli was at him. Yeah, he was a second round player that not many of them about. There's about six or seven all time great second round players, and you know, in the last twenty five thirty years. So for this kid to be undrafted, it's really impressive. And he's playing his role perfectly. Can pass it, can shoot it, no drama. You know, they thought this is what they thought Westbrook was going to provide because they knew a d gives you about fifty five sixty games. Broad's gonna give you fifty five. So when they brought in Westbrook, I remember saying when they brought him over, I don't like Westbrook as a player, but he can give you twenty four twenty eight to night and he'll give you thirty six minutes to nobody in the NBA play is harder. They thought that's what Westbrook would do, but he wasn't willing to screen or defend, and he could be talks if he had bad nights or didn't get his looks. This kid, you don't get any of the toxicity, but you get the production in minutes. So he's been in Darvin Ham after the win for the Lakers last night over Phoenix on this very impressive stretch. His ability to play Downhill, draw files, you know, score at all three levels. Fine, guys, you know his ability to play make He's in a great space right now, filling him his game and just locked in what we're trying to accomplish. They're a much better defensive team as Westbrook has left. So this is a really, really good story for the Lakers. We have criticized them for being two inselurs a franchise, too many friends of Genie Buss in the building, and we've criticized them for being star obsessed. But if you go back to many of the great Laker teams, they've had these classic role players that Phil Jackson would elevate or you know, Jerry West would find or pat Riley would elevator. Find Austin Reeves a great get. He just does not. There's not a lot of Austin Reeves in the NBA, and he's been great for a two and a half three week stretch. One thing I love about his story Colin Day. Everybody tries to put you in a box. What are you? You know, what is Austin Reeves coming out? Well? Six seven, white guy? Can he guards small forwards in the in the NBA? Probably not quick enough. Can he guard two's I don't think so. Can he handle enough to be a one? No? So nobody knew what to do with him. What position is he? Which is an old school way of thinking. And now the Lakers have tinkered and tinkered and they're like, is he a small forward? And look what he's doing at point guard? How many assists last night? Eleven? The kid can distribute. He's a smart, high IQ player. He's got long arm, so we can finish it. The rim Colin. I love this example. Cam Chancellor came out of college, went to Virginia Tech. Yeah, and I've sat with an executive at a TV network and I and I told him, like, people try to put Cam Chancellor in a boy I remember what was he? Was? He a linebacker because he was awesome high school basketball player, he played quarterback, he played running back in high school. What was he? Well, Virginia Tech, some linebacker, some safety, but he's too big. He can't play safety in the NFL, and he's probably not quick enough to be a linebacker, so nobody knew what to do. He falls to the fifth round. Seattle says, we got an idea. I know what the hell to do with this kid? Cam Chancellor becomes a superstar in the NFL. Awesome safety in the box playmaker. I was at a Vegas pool one time and he was right next to us, right next to me. Yeah, and I end up talking to him about it, and he was telling me like his stories, like nobody knew what to do with me. They didn't think I could do this. And that's the problem when you have closed minded thinking, what is he? Don't try to put people in a box. Tinker with where they can go, what they can do. And Austin Reeves is shining with the Lakers right now. Well, that's always been one of Pete Carroll straits. In Seattle, it's like, especially his defensive eye is We'll figure out a way to use him. If Jamal Adams was healthy more consistently, he would be great for Seattle because Jamal Adams doesn't have a lot of range. But in New York it's like he was great on special teams, and he was great in the box, and he was great on blitzing. And Pete Carroll looked at him and said, I've had so many players at USC, New England Jet Seahawks. That's what Pete Carroll does, Like, I'll figure out a way to use him. Is he a playmaker? And when I watch Austin Reeves, my takeaway is a very very good offensive player. Initiates fouls, can put it on the deck. He's quick enough to your point, he is long, he's a great passer. He's just a he know what he is. He's just kind of a basketball player. And by the way, we fall in love in the NBA with athleticism, John Wall and Russell Westbrook and My takeaway is if you're under six four and can't shoot, there's gonna be limitations. Austin Reeves can shoot, he can dribble, he can pass. He's got a lot of skills we get I think we get too caught up sometimes we forget that many of the key cogs in the history of basketball that we consider that the town sport have been guys that play a great role, just guys that are I mean, how long you Donnas has them for the heat twenty years in the league, maturity, toughness, leadership, intelligence like pat Riley's like keep him on the roster for pat Riley and Spolster to keep him in the building. He is adding so much value road trips, on the plane, at practice, on the bench, stuff fans don't talk about, Like pat Riley's not keeping a guy for twenty years unless he adds bonus everywhere you're at