Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be 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 our number three, the power out live in La. It's the Herd. You know what I like about that last segment is that you got both sides of it. That I like this all the time. It's one of the things I think the media j mac joining us it's the Herd in LA. I think the media does a bad job. We all live in echo chambers. Now. Conservatives watched, you know, a Fox News, and a liberal would watch an MSNBC. And the truth is there's a lot of information that we don't seek information anymore. We seek affirmation. People only want to hear what they believe in. And Bill maher is one of my favorites out there, recently had an interesting story. I was never a fan of mandates or a vaccine. I thought you should get a vaccine, but I don't believe in mandates. There was just too much we didn't know about COVID. There were too many things we didn't know about the vaccine. So I don't believe in mandates. But Marr had an interesting story that less than one percent of people that got COVID were hospitalized, less than one percent, But when they did a poll to Democrats, they thought fifty percent of people that got it were hospital Why because the left leaning media only gave them one side of the story. And so I was never a fan of mandates. I did get a vaccine. I think you should. I think it saved lives. But the point being is where I think the media really misses is they tell you what you want to hear too often. That's where the ratings are. You know, we see people seek affirmation on information, and the other thing is everybody's got agendas, which, by the way, I have an agenda. But when you push back on stuff, people are like call and how come you don't take calls. The reason I don't take calls on this show has nothing to do with not wanting pushback. This is a TV show. TV shows don't take phone calls. When I did a radio show, only I did phone calls. It's now a TV and a radio show. Simulcast phone calls hurt the ratings. But in the end, when you push back on that stuff that I think that topic is fascinating. You believe that players are playing longer because they are taking games off right. I believe players are playing longer because of nutritional upgrades, travel upgrades, better masseuses on the road. I mean, just everything's better. That's why they're playing longer. Their diets are better. I can remember years ago in Las Vegas, true story opposed to the ones I make up. So Andre Agassy. I go through a taco bell. So Andre Agassy either had just won the US Open and Flushing Meadows or wherever it is, New York, or he had been in the finals or something. And like three days later, I'm in a taco bell and there's this giant yellow like hum V that was a remember a very popular truck that got one mile per gallon, and and they're just they have this huge order and I'm behind them, you know, getting a grande whatever. It's Andrea Agassi. He literally eating like a seventeen year old high school kid. He'd just been in the US Open final. And I'm like athletes just don't eat like that as much anymore. Is that the reason the athletes are playing longer isn't because they're skipping games, It is because it is now a less physical NBA. You can't tackle people anymore, you can't hand check. The game was violent. I mean you had like fights, right, Nobody gets in fights in the NBA anymore. Used to have them all the time because you were tackling, and that violence created animosity and just contact and conflict. So I think guys are playing longer because of these ancillary upgrades. You tend to think it's because they're taking night talk, as with everything, it's the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Like Bill Maher throws out that stat about one percent of people with COVID got a hospitalized, that doesn't mean anything to me. I mean, what about people who are forty and up who had a pre existing connection. So I think that that's something that I would tell Bill Maher that matters more than you throwing out this stat that's gonna go viralize. I believe nothing. I believe you should have get a vaccine. I absolutely I'm not gonna get a bunch of boosters. But I thought during that period the strongest strain I'm gonna get a vaccine. I don't like mandates because we just didn't know enough. I don't. We still are finding out stuff we don't even know where it came from. I don't know. But the point is I his point was, we too often seek affirmation and only get one side of the story. And both liberals and conservatives are both guilty. And so when people ask me where do I vote, I'm like, I'm an independent. I voted for Obama, I voted for Reagan. I like the color attributed with that. Is that blue or purple? I don't even know. I don't know the answer, but I'm with you. I'm in the middle. I don't if I heard a smart quote. If you vote along party lines, you're not a clear thinker. You're just following the herd. Not the herd, but the masses who are telling you you've got a side with us. You should be looking at every issue and caring and picking who you think is the best. Kid. That's how I've done it my whole life. That's you're smart, You're intelligent. You're a sheep who's following everyone else. Well, you and I think that way, but not most people. I said, how I got on the show. I know, but I think most people have a side. I don't like picking side. I don't like clubs. I didn't like being a boy scout. I like being on my basketball team, but I don't like teams. I didn't want to be in a fraternity. I didn't want to be in the club scout. I don't like groups and teams. You don't like belonging to a nine hundred club, a country club. I've never been in a country club. Oh, I've never joined a country club. Oh I didn't know that. That's pretty cool. No, now a private social drinking club where I get where I get discounted beers. Yes, I said that because I knew you were in wood. Yes. Yeah. By the way, here here's another example. So I want to do this. So the Knicks last night played the Celtics. It wasn't a national TV game, and the Knicks one. And I do think the Knicks are a fun team. I don't think there is offensively gifted as Cleveland. They don't have the overall depth of the Celtics, and they don't think they have enough shot makers as Milwaukee. But I think if the Knicks play the Sixers in the playoffs, I think Knicks Miami would be a very, very interesting series. Now, Miami's a better defensive team, but TIBs teams play defense. But this is a great example of why I don't take much from this game last night. In the NBA, every game in the regular season, teams have different motivations. So take the Celtics last night. They beat Philadelphia Saturday a rival, like a really good playoff rival national TV. Jason Tatum was great last night. The game against the Knicks is not on national TV. It's the last third, last game of a road trip, and they won their big game on the road trip Saturday. Jayalen Brown's out, Tatum and the Celtics were completely flat in the first quarter. It was awful in the first quarter. A couple of turnovers won for six and so all of a sudden, it's not a national TV. The Celtics had a different motivation. They wanted to get home and rest Jalen Brown. The Knicks are looking for a better seat, they want to prove their worth. They're at home, they're on a winning streak. It felt like a playoff game, and you could tell eight minutes in, they dominate the first quarter. They got all the guys played, the band is playing, they're rocking the house. The game felt different for the Knicks. It's not an excuse, Boston's a better team. But in the playoffs, that's why I take regular season games, there's five or six I really want to watch. In the playoffs, it's different than last night. Every team is equally rested, and everybody's motivation is the exact same, right. So that's why March madness, even though the talent average is so much fun, everybody generally equally rested. Right. Mostly they're young kids, you know, they're nineteen year old kids. They don't need tons of rest, and the motivation is the same. Win or you're go home, You go home. I had a friend years ago was a sports gambler, and he was very very good at it, and he bet a ton of college basketball, but what he really bet was the tournament. And his argument was the tournament was the truest measure for a sports gambler because everybody was playing for sudden death, like in the end. Even in the NBA playoffs, you'll get games where I lead to nothing. It's Game three, you're protecting home court, you're playing for pride, and that Game three, you're down OZ two. You go back home, you play out of your mind. The other team knows the series is over because if you win the first two games, you win like eighty eight percent of the time. So even in the NBA playoffs, you'll get the occasional Game three where you're up to nothing and you come out a little flat, the other team's hair is on fire and they beat you. So this is a great example. I don't take anything from that game last night. I take nothing from it. The Celtics were flat. Jay and Brown takes the night off. Tatum was uninspired. They just beat Philly on Saturday. The Knicks are at home proving their worth. Felt like a playoff game. They're on a winning streak. Celtics are third game in a three game road trip. They want to get back home. They want to rest guy. And by the way, there's a big argument in Philadelphi in Boston these days, they think they're planning Jason Tatum too much because at the end of last year, Tatum in the playoffs did not He didn't look one hundred percent. He wasn't one hundred percent, and so there's a little bit of a concern as the Warriors are making sure all their stars get rest and everybody's you know, like Steph Curry's gonna make sure he gets rest, Andrew Wiggins is off, Draymond Green knee scoped. The Warriors are attacking this regular season a little bit like we're gonna make sure our veterans are one hundred percent healthy. The fear is that Boston doesn't care about the number one seed. They want Tatum to have rest. So but this is a great example of the Celtics probably took the right tack. But the reason I don't didn't spend anything time on this game because in the NBA regular season, teams have different motivations and occasionally you do get a Saturday night TV game. We got one earlier this year. It was Lakers Celtics Saturday Night Boston Garden. If the Lakers wanted to prove we can go with these guys, and it was a great two and a half hours of basketball. It was he got a good rating. I think it was fantastic. Well, the Sixers Celtics game in this past weekend was outstanding. Yes, yes, Saturday night, but I'll say the quick word on the Knicks because we talked about him yesterday. I mentioned Josh Hart since the addition in the Backwourt they are undefeated Colin to watch him come off the bench with Barrett and starting and struggling and Quentin Grimes struggling, to watch Harton quickly come off the bench. This is a deeper Knicks team with Josh Hart coming off the bench. He's reliable, doesn't turn the ball over. He stuffs the stat sheet with assistance. They have enough shot makers in the postseason. That's a big question. That's what I lean on Brunson and Randall Well. I could argue Boston if Derek's third times, they need Derek White to get hot because if Jayson Tatum is off, it becomes very healing. Huge edition last year for them. Brad Stevens has done a great job. Just the Celtics do need that number one seed. You don't want to be two. That means you have to face likely the Sixers in the second round. If you're the number one seed, I don't worry about the Sixers. Celtics will beat the Sixers. Cleveland would beat this. Strulbiad was one of the best guys in the league, who said that everyone on planet Earth who loves the NBA they think Joel embiad is, like, well, he's a great player. I don't trust him in the postseason, jannat why but I don't think you want to face him if you don't have to be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Easter nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app. Groundbreaking runs on the Family Soda Safety twenty twenty three. Mercedes Benz SUVs at MBUSA dot com. Check it out. We just had a good discussion here during the break. Rick Bucher and I went to dinner last night, very covert conversation. We're not telling you any of it. But what's interesting is we were talking during the break and you just threw something out there. What I'm trying to get Jamac to get his arms around is that I think Luca's got some James Harden qualities that he doesn't elevate teammates. He's not easy to play for. Defense is a hobby, not an occupation, and he's going to go down as a top ten score. But my entire life since watching the NBA starting in seventy two with Wilt. You know, I can remember those years. There's always been great scores that don't necessarily elevate teammates. And your take on Luca is he can be difficult to play with, and he shares a unique thing because he shares the ball, and he scores, and he's he's he can see the floor, he can do all those things. But you're you are definitely playing to his tune and you have to adapt to what he's going to do. And at this point he's he's very very good, bordering on great, but he has to learn how to win. I when I watch him with his national team and he gives up the ball more frequently, they're a better team. And that's where I think he needs to get to. And if there's no accent when Jason Kidd said our team has to mature, look at Dans. This is the head of the head of that list in terms of having to mature, not just in terms not getting involved and upset with the referees or taking everything personally that said to him on the floor, but really starting to understand, like how he can make the most out of what he has arrived It is funny that I always said, there's like guys that aren't winning players. Zach Levine, and he's a very good player, is not a winning player. I never thought Westbrook's a winning player. I think you can be a score like I think Kobe was a winning player, and I think Steph Curry's a winning player. It's not just if you take a bunch of shots. I think Luca has a lot of qualities of a winning player. But I've seen now Brunson, Porzinga's and Kyrie Irving where it's like, I don't know, I'm not sure if it some of it has to be on Luca for sure, for sure, and I have no doubt that he will get there. Yeah, I like everything about him, but does his game have to evolve? This is the issue that I've had with the my media brethren anointing him as the MVP at the beginning of every year. Oh, he's going to win it this year, He's the MVP this year. I'm like, he's not there yet. And when we start to give accolades before they've been truly earned. Yeah, I believe that it undermines the development of the players. It's okay when you see greatness to say, I want you to fully realize your greatness. I'm not going to give it to you ahead of time. Yeah, Buck Celtics. I lean Milwaukee more shotmakers. Who do you lean I've said Milwaukee from the beginning of the year. Are you a skeptic of Tatum? Yes, I think Golden States in his head without question. And I said this a week or so ago, where I believe I was talking to Christmassard. I believe that I trust Milwaukee more because I know what I'm going to get from Jannis every night. I know what I'm gonna get from Drew Holiday, I know what I'm gonna get from all There are guys like some are limited, but I know what I'm getting from Joe Ingles mostly if he's healthy. Yeah, and there and it's and it's not. I'm not saying that they're gonna play great every night. Jannis doesn't always play great, but he's always going to make you beat him. And there are times where I just see Tatum kind of give in or decides this is not my night and he loses his aggression. When you're my most talented player and my entire team is looking for you, for you to be that guy to lead us, and you decide, I don't think I have it tonight. That's gonna undermine my team, and it's gonna shake the confidence of my overall team. People tend to think a number one guy a number one talent, thinks like a one. Andrew Wiggins has number one talent. He's a number two to three guy. Yes, his personality is very past. Yes, And I would say the same with Jason Tatum. This to me is potentially the Achilles heel with the Boston Seller. I agree. Half court offense, I sometimes there are times when Jayalen Brown is not times he's just more aggressive. He's a bigger, he's a stronger athlete. He's a more aggressive. I think he's more verbal, he's more vocal, he's more aggressive, give me the ball. Tatum sometimes waits for the ball. Yep, that's what I see on our half court sets. Or he's simply when he's attacking, he's he's falling away. He's not aggressive looking for that shot. He starts to take sort of a passive approach even when he's taking shots. And again, it just we're talking about fine differences. But if we're talking about winning a championship. Then my best player has to be a guy that I know is going to go hunt that shot and take it if it's available. So a country club McIntyre has no problem with load management, I think teams. I think he's also missing a button. So or going to the club tonight. I wasn't sure which, of course, Tuesday night club night out here in La. Don't you know that? Okay? Oh, I just I just moved to La. So no, I don't know that. Welcome to have you, so I go, I button all the way up mostly okay. So, I think baseball sent a message for years that they're now radically changing. And their message was your time doesn't matter. Our game is our game, and people stopped watching. The NBA's message is the stars are gonna play when they want to play. Yeah, and it's like, don't end. They're on like a six year ratings decline. I am bothered by it. Adam Silver a little tone deaf. Yeah, how do you solve it? Well? I do believe that what they're going to do is incentivized players to play that awards and maybe even contracts. Contracts are going to be tied. Monetary value is going to be tied to number of games played. The tricky part here is that the owners are essentially they're behind the load management. They're looking at the medical data the same way they looked at analytics, because that is their language. That's their love language, if you will, That's what they understand. If you get into the nuances of the game. Owners are looking at it, They're okay with the guy's not planning, yeah, because their money is already in their pocket in terms of ratings and two and all that. The owners and the players don't care. I sell my season tickets. I look. I think there are players. There are more players who care than you might think. Oh, I think they care mostly, yes. But the difference is you have the medical staff saying hey, they're reading the data, the medical data, and going, hey, you need a night off. If you need a night off, just tell us, and we'll tell the coach. Why can't we go to seventy two games not eighty two? Would that solve it? I suppose, But I almost feel like that's a sliding scale. It'll be seventy two, and then ten years later, five years later, let's go to sixty two. It'll be it'll be diminishing returns. I honestly, and I know this would never fly. I'm like, rather than reduce the number of games, because that's going to reduce revenue, number of games people can attend and watch, etc. Reduce it to forty minutes, reduce the game to forty minutes. Play it like college. That's good, to the same place, and you're still charging, still charge the same money. Nobody's gonna miss the eight minutes. I don't think that's a terrible idea. Yeah, and look, the historians are going to say, well, that changes all the dynamics and all the statistics. Look where we are right now, it's already changed. I was looking at this and I don't know we were going to get to it. But the scoring in the league right now, right we have six guys that are averaging thirty points or better. I could not find a year where there was more than three. And I'm going back to the sixties. I looked in the eighties. I can't find a year where there was six guys averaging thirty plus points in the same season. That's where the game has tilted to the offensive end into shooters like never before. Yeah, I'm I am not somebody like baseball fan cracks me up. They get so beholden to records. You had a fifteen year period where guys were taking cattle steroids and you were worrying about baseball card numbers. Who gives a ring? I mean to me, I would cut the baseball down to one hundred and twenty games. I'd start a month later, no more rainouts, and then I'd end a month earlier, and I'd wrap up the playoffs by you know, Steptember twenty eighth. So, because once you get into October, football just crushes baseball. It's the Yankees are playing, So I'm not I have no problem with ten minute quarters. Yeah. By the way, the last two minutes take an hour anyway. Yeah yeah, I mean, and again, all of it is a sliding scale. I honestly believe that there are elements to the game that are causing all this. Offenses are more star centric than ever before. Yeah, so the star players are carrying a greater load. I do believe that the game is faster, and the demand athletically or physically is different, but I don't know that it's any less than it was before. It just comes in a different form. Never, basketball has never had more great athletes. You can't put a you can't put It's hard to put a guy on the floor that can't hit a jumper, not only hit a jumper, but that doesn't have the agility and the speed in the vertical. Like all of that romanticize the Pacers Knicks. The Knicks didn't have a true pure shooter on their roster, John Starks with a guard. He wasn't a great shooter. Yeah, they didn't have any shooters. Well that's the the flip side of that is. But they had a lot of guys that were defenders, grabbing and tackling. No, but well, but what you see now is like think of how many teams have a what's called a defensive stopper like Pete Tucker is a dinosaur's he's the last of his kind, and and how well is he contributing, Like he's not giving them what they thought he was going to give them. So that is also inflating the smart Marcus smarts that guy. Yeah, but he can play both ways. He's I'm a big Marcus smart. He can argue he's the soul of the team. He really really is. I would agree he's their dream on Green okay, so um, I did this earlier. We were I don't trust. I watched the end of the Heat Sixers game last night and I said yesterday before the show, and I'll say it again, I trust. I don't love Miami, but I trust him late. Yeah, great coach, great defense, most one bucket wins in the league, thirteen. I Philadelphia has got more talent. Never trust him. Doc. Situationally, they're say, had a ton of turnovers last night, and I just latent games. I just don't trust Harden. So I said, here're the best duos in the NBA. To me, the best duos, So put these here. So here's now. Stephen Clay have things that you can't. It's hard to quantify playoff experience. They're joined at the hip. It's like telegraphic. They talk a different half court offense. That's number one. Durant and Booker. I know they haven't played, but I made the argument, I've never been in a Bentley, but I know it drives well. I don't need to be in one to know it's expensive. It's perfect. Everybody he loves a Bentley. Durant and book are gonna work instantly. So I go down the list, Tatum Brown, Jannis, Drew Holiday, Jannie hit you finally hit the number one. What do you mean it's number four Jannis and Drew Holiday or number one? You think Jannis and Drew. I like Drew, but he's a He's a B player. What I love about B plus isn't he Drew Holiday just took them past the Suns over the weekend. As the guy that's shutting down Booker and Score can do. He can do. But I'm not throwing shade at Drew Holiday. I love him. He's yeah to me, he's top three points. I argued that if Kawhi Leonard played, he and Paul George could be three, both elite defenders. Good get a bucket guy. Paul's a little bit iffy in the postseason. Um, I think now you didn't like Donovan, Mitchell and Garland, who I think have gifted offensively. Will you talk about lack of defense with Luca and Kyrie. I mean they played none. Mitchell and Garden, I'm not even sure if they work offensively. Yet Mitchell and Garland work offensively. A lot of guards don't play defense. But here's the other part and why I put Jan I would put Janice and Drew at the top. Now just because of the health shoes with the Warriors is because they compliment each other. Yes, like it can't just be a great talent like KD and Booker. They're kind of the same. They're scorers. Which one's the playmaker? Let me ask you a Warrior's question we had. We talked about this at dinner. A lot of covert information. You don't get any of it, but I'll give you this one. But afa gatto as a as an scream with espresso poured over it. Yeah, I've added that to my vocabulary. So j Mack, if I ever say you off a gotto you, that's a that's a term of endearment. That's not not an Italian insult or anything gotto you Italian. It's a food lovel Yes, there you go. So I believe this is the last year of the Warriors dynasty. This feels like the Jordan team where you could have run it back. They just won the second three. You could have run it back, And Jerry Krauss is like, we're all falling apart here. Yeah, and I do think you could run it back. But Bob Myers wants to get paid more. How luck Kerr And this is there's a lot of stuff here. The young guy they already bailed on Wiseman. I think ker likes Kuminga, doesn't trust him. There's a big difference. Pool is hot and cold. I've never got he's I mean, he's a flake. He disappears, but he can be great. I think it's the last year of the Warriors dynasty, and I do think you have to strongly consider making a big move next year. You cover them more than I do. Am I wrong? No, No, honestly, this is it. You could have yes as constituted, and I would dare say that last year was a gift you. I don't want to say they stole one, but they got one that you shouldn't rightfully expect. No, I mean Clay was seventy percent. When a team, when a championship team falls off the cliff as they did for two years, how many teams have we seen like that that have come back and won another championship basically with the same core. Last year was the year to beat him. Yes, but the young guys weren't ready to play and Clay wasn't. Yeah seventy piper set Yeah, Well him Yeah, this was the year to beat the Chiefs. Ten rookies played. This was the year to beat the Chiefs. No argument, no argument. What do you think the move is? Well, that's the difficulty. There's not a move to be made that is going to like resurrect them as a champion. I believe that you need to start start looking like how do we build our next core? You're I think you're right, so and can you get there? I would put all pieces on the table because once you start to, let's face it, once you start to take apart Clay, Dre and Steph not the same thing. You might. I mean, you're not gonna move Steff. Steph's gonna retire, no warrior, and I wouldn't. He's still outstanding when he's ready to go. But everybody else I believe should be available. And then the conversation is going to be with Steph, like we need to make these moves. You can still be friends with plays having a great year. You could argue it's the time to move. Oh, for sure, for sure that's the player because I still I still contend Draymond's their best defender and a total catalyst in their half court offense. Yeah, they move them all way better when he's in the game. Well, for sure, it's it's the disappointment is that Jordan and Andrew Wiggins got their rings and they got paid, and they don't look to me as if they have the same hunger that they had a year ago. See. I think Jordan pools the classic because I think you'd go to Steph and say we're thinking of moving Clay, and he'd say, why don't you move Pool? Because Pool can give you thirty eight or six. He's not a terribly mature player, and you could see something. You could see an Orlando. Did somebody go take a big swing on Jordan Pool? Yeah, wouldn't they? Yeah they might. Yeah, he's got that, he's got the championship Veneer, now he's got the He's gonna be the next And honestly, you might be able to sell Jordan Pool is the next step more than you could Trey Young. I like Trey Young more of the Jordan Pool I do. Yeah, I wouldn't fault you on that, but neither's a great defender. I think Pool could be a better defender. I don't think Trey is to Jordan. That's what kind of frustrates me and Draymond. By the way, about Jordan athletically, there's no reason that he can't be a really, really good defender. They don't want He's long athletic agile. Can you win a title with Jordan Pool is your second best player? No, no, no, no, no, no no no no. I'm not sure you could do it with your third I don't know your best player's staff. Your second best player this year is Clay third best players, Wiggins fourth, best players, Draymond. There's there's no accident that as the playoffs went on last year, Jordan played a smaller, smaller and smaller role than he did kurkn love guys. He doesn't trust him. I think he really likes Kabinga. Yeah, he'll never play him late in a big game. Well look at just look at the guys that he played in big spots last year. He trusted Namana be Eliza, he trusted Otto Porter. It's not a matter of what your talent is. Uma Zaza Petulia. He trusted Zaza Petulia more than Javaiale McGhee. And you would have people out there going, why are you playing Petulia rather than javail Ja? Trust him long athletic. Whatever he can, he can run. It's like I Steve knows that Zaza is gonna be or new Zaza was gonna be where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there. That's people didn't understand why Russ Westbrook got benched the other night. Um, and he was because he was having a nice offensive night. It's because coaches aren't looking at the box scoring, going, oh, he's shooting sixty percent. I gotta keep him on the floor. Bits, you were supposed to run the play this way and you completely botched it. And then you gave up on us. You didn't fight over a screen and we got a switch, and now you're guarding Nicola Yoki. I'm taking you out of the game, right And the fans, I don't know, always realize that the coach watching the game is what is judging whether his game plan is being executed, and if it's not, then you're not going to stay on the floor. Can I ask him about Drew Holiday? Colin? He said Drew Holiday was the third best point guard in the league. I think you said who said that? I didn't. I didn't know I did, so I said three it's tough. David is Damian Liller to point guard? Yes, it's Steph Curry point guard. Yes, John Morana point guard. Yes. Well, he's a much better defender than all he's he's the best defender. He's the best defensive point guard. And with all apologies to Marcus Smart, Drew Holiday is the best best. But I think we would agree offense beats defense pretty much the way the league's being played right now. But I just I think I think Drew's offense is vastly underrated. When you needed him to step up and take a big shot, make a big shot, he does that. Does he tell you what every time? No? But he understands, he understands the game. His his willingness to work around Chris Middleton and Janis Onto Decompo, And well, they don't ask him to score seventy one, they don't. But against Phoenix over the weekend, he got thirty three because that's what they needed because Middleton didn't have it going and Yannis wasn't available. So when I see a guy who's able to step into the breach against a team like the Suns, who yeah, okay, so they didn't have KD. Basically had everybody else had He's back. They just announced tomorrow or tonight, tomorrow night, I believe, yes, correct, game TV game Collins. So you can be very excited that he's showing up for the TV audience. All right. By the way, when you got out to dinner with this this guy, I had forgotten this because we hadn't gone out for a while. Like you, you walk into some of these these very shishi restaurants, it's like walking into Colin's living room. Yeah. I walk through the door and the and the hostess says, oh, are you here to see Colin. I'm like, yes, I am, and then I get escorted to the table. Now the place is full, right, yeah, But somehow, as soon as you walk through the door, they just assume you must be here to see Colin. Yeah, a couple of cougars usually have one eye on Calhard as well. We like he said, it was a covert, covert conversation. Okay, Rick bere is awesome. I'm gonna read a spot. We'll come back and get her line. Good stuff, man, that was great, meaty stuff. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays and noon Eastern a Empacific This is Steve Cavino and Rich Davis, and together we are Covino en Rich, Cavino and Rich, Thanks buddy, that's right. Cavino Rich Fox Sports Radio's newest hit show, heard weekdays from five to seven Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio app. Every Cavino and Rich shows available as a podcast. Just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast and subscribe of such a rocking dude. The show features are unique take on sports injected with some fun, humor and relatability. Listen to Covino Enrich five days a week on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Rich give me hell Yeah. Post your job for free at LinkedIn dot com slash herd Terms and conditions apply LinkedIn Jobs free, effective, fine people you need for your company. Quicker j Mac with a new turn on the news. This is the Herd Line News. I don't know if you saw these quotes from Damian Lillard. There's a couple of Damian Lillard fans on this show. Not all the producers love him, but he's been loyal to the Blazers for his entire eleven year career, and they've been you know, competitively, I think one Western Conference finals. But Lillard thinks that players without rings don't get enough credit for the rest of their success. Here's what Damian Lillard said. I've represented the organization and this team as well as anybody has represented their team, and I give them their bang for the buck when they come to see me. They get a show, they get excitement, they get wins, they get playoff experience. Is the only thing I haven't done is to win a championship. I think people don't give enough credit. We're in an era of how many rings you got. That's why I want to win one so bad. We devalue people's body of work if you don't win a championship. Here here totally agree. It's extremely well said. Yep, he's absolutely right. All that being said, I'd love to see him on the NBA Final stage. You saw how it elevated Booker Drew Holiday. But Bradley Beale, Yannis, a lot of these guys don't want to move. They like, you know, I just totally get it. He's totally loyal to Weaver State. He still goes back to their they have like a blue Gray game or something every year. Alumni. He goes back every years. He's loyal to his high school, his college. He's a loyal guy. I totally respect that some guys want to jump around a band, different bands some guys. But you respect that too, right, I'm I am. I am a for mobility, but it's not for everybody. Right. I have given up things in my life to be mobile. I don't. I my kids have had to make friends new friends over. I look at people that have these pot lucks at the end of the street for thirty years and they know the names of all their neighbors, and I have given that up, or some financial benefits and some freedom and flexibility, but I have definitely given something up for that. And I there's great value in security and being content and great happiness in it. And I totally get Bradley Beale Janis. I think most pro athletes don't want to leave, but they have a lousy owner or a kooky GM or a bad coach and a half. Most guys lead because they feel like they have to leave. They don't leave because they want to leave. Yeah, you think Kevin Durant wanted to leave? Okay, see ye play playing with Russell west Well, I was bored out of his money. But if in most instances, you're right, all right? Next up, I got to go back to my Jets. Still looking for a veteran quarterback this offseason. Aaron Rodgers is out there. Gosh, I hope he doesn't go to the gents. Um other names are you ready for this? Besides Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo, I heard I heard one today. Ryan Tannehill's name is being floy you know, like a safety school when you play a college. It's not a bad sign. That's a very expensive safety school. If you go to your price. I mean, Tannehill is not going to get more than twenty twenty five, right, Nola's bidding on Ryan Tannehill. But the two names that I think will surprise you Gino Smith saw that feels like his agent trying to get a higher pri believe that Gino is gonna come back down to earth. That is my belief that we have as a quarterback or a realistic salary Toma, not as a defensive end. He's gonna pull back and have an average year, not a great one. The Rams will be better. The Niners will still be loaded. Their schedule now, is do they? Is their schedule a little tougher. But you can't go to the negotiation table saying you're gonna come back to Earth next year. Gino, No, No, he's gonna ask him for a lot of money. I'm not paying Geno Smith a lot of money. I am not. See's for us to say that. But then what are you doing? Okay, good luck starting, Drew Long. I think the Jets are in dire straits here. I think they're in trouble. Well, no, they're They're in great shape with because they have a nucleus. They just don't have a quarterback, so they gonna have them. The last name Colin. It's like being in Phoenix. I got everything but a pool and eric conditioning. I got everything. My house has no air conditioning, no pool. We got everything else. So the worst name than Jedo Smith is Daniel Jones. You know what this is. This is basically agents using the Jets as leverage. Well, they got no quarterback and ain't Zach Wilson. Let me toss my guy's name out there. Daniel Jones would be a disaster for them. He is working solely because of dable. Yeah, that would be as for more. Daniel Jones wants forty million dollars a year. Oh, I saw that was one of the biggest laughs you had on this show before Viking. I got nothing against Daniel Jones twenty one million, forty Well, he's gonna get at least thirty Oh that is that is not right, And I don't begrudge athletes making a fortune. Get that paper Daniel Jones story. Falcons released Marcus Mariota after one season that they save about twelve million dollars in cap space. Now they're gonna ride Desmond Ritter, the Cincinnati product. They racked him last year. I know you're not big on right. This is the team. This is the one team that I could see going after Justin Fields, local kid, big and dynamic, still has some talent. They've got a star tight end and the star receiver you could go get give up. What wouldn't they be in the mix for Derek Carvin much more expensive to Justin's cheaper. He's in his prime. You could you know, because he's coming off an off year. You could probably get Justin Fields for a better deal than you could get. Okay, you know, I mean like he's a little bit of all. I mean, how much would you have to give up to get Justin Fields at this point? Not they were had a ten game losing streak. What about Marcus Mariota and jonesy Lynd? Is it over? He's not gonna be a starter in the league anywhere? Should never be a topic on the show. Justin Fields is interesting? No, I think how long does Arthur Blank a legitimate owner in this league? And they have an offensive coach? So Justin Fields could go from a defensive coach to an offensive coach with a star receiver, a star tight end in a terrible division. I'm Atlanta, I'm calling Chicago, give me your quarterback. And then Chicago says, all right, that's fine, give us a bunch of picks. So so so then all of a sudden you have your number one pick, and then you got Atlanta's eight pick. All of a sudden, now I can I can get my quarterback and my defensive So you're giving up the eighth pick or whatever Atlanta top ten for a guy you got to pay in two years who you don't know if he's a start, but he's a he is. You just said they lost ten games in a row with him. Well, I think he played eight of them. Okay. My point is if you're Atlanta in that so it's a much different division being in the against the high scoring Lions, Aaron Rodgers in the high scoring Bikings, that's a tough division to be justin fields. I get to go to this division where I'm easily the most athletic Hallenton quarterback. I think Atlanta's got a call. I think I think the city would love him. I think he's I don't think. I just I believe that Desmond Ritter's not the answer. That's just not it. Five starts to find out. I mean, it's a little early to be tossing him out. That's not a starter. At the throw at eighty eight mile an hour fastball past me, I don't see it. J Mack with the News, Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the herd. So Chicago could keep their number one pick and get the eighth pick, so you could get your defense. They need an edge rusher, they need a defensive tackle, and they would then need a quarterback. And if you view, you know, like I said with Bryce Hung, you could say I don't think. I don't think Bryce Young and Chicago is a perfect fit. But if you believe he is more talented than Justin Fields, you reset the clock, you go with Justin Fields, and you have an eight pick to solve your defensive front needs. Okay, I like that. Let me take it a next step calling. What if you don't take a quarterback at one or with the Falcons pick, you say we're gonna build everything but the quarterback. We want Caleb Williams next year. I don't think that's terrible. I don't think it's terrible. I think Houston needs to strongly consider that as well. I mean, Caleb Williams is gonna be the number one pick next year, right short of a massive injury, and be's not. It's Drake May out of Carolina who's very good. No, there's a kid at FSU that's on the rise. There's some good quarterbacks next year. This year's quarterback class is not great. I don't think Bryce Young Chicago's great. But if you like, if CJ. Stroud knocks your scout socks off and you're like, Wow, he's the guy, I think it's worth consideration. All this stuff is in play. They lost ten games in a row. You gotta think, you gotta consider everything. All right, we're done. We'll see you tomorrow. Live in La, it's the Herd.