March 7, 2025 • 40 mins
Colin broke down why the Lakers and Knicks are heading in opposite directions after LA's wild OT win over New York. Steph Curry continued his marvelous road trip in the Warriors win over the Nets in Brooklyn.
Plus, Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day joined us to chat about their national championship win, the NFL Draft, and how he's adapting to this new age of College Football
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Here we go.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
It is a Friday, another amazing night for Lebron James Louke,
Steph Curry, you're trying to put the old guys to bed.
They're staying up late, they're closing up shop late. Good
show today, Buckeye coach Ryan Day, Next hour, Dion Dawkins,
Rick Buker, We got a lot of stuff going on today.
(00:24):
So yeah, you know where they care about the NBA,
LA and New York. That's pretty good last night, right,
pretty good? Yeah, that was pretty good. Well, we had
said yesterday this was gonna be one of the ten
to twelve games during the regular season that's gonna feel
like a playoff game, and that's what it felt like.
And it really was cut of symbolic of where both
(00:45):
teams are at. The Knicks lost, even though they outplayed
the Lakers. So now the Knicks are zero to ten
against Boston, Cleveland, Golden State, Lakers, and OKC and they
outplayed them and they get beat by about fifteen a game. Now,
last night, Ruin didn't Austin Reeves, not one hundred percent,
so they were more fully staffed in New York and
they outplayed the Lakers. But Jalen Brunson had to play
(01:08):
out of his mind. All your starters for the Knicks
are playing forty minutes and the Lakers didn't play particularly
well and they won. And this goes back to something
we've talked about Tibbs and the Villanova guys and Jalen Brunson.
Culture only gets you so far. I mean, Harball created
a new culture with the Chargers and then they went
(01:29):
to the playoffs Pittsburgh Steelers last decade. Great culture can't
score in big games. Culture has limitations. And Carmelo Anthony
talked about something last night. He said, basically, what Luca
is providing for Lebron now, these great up the court
passes is what Lebron was doing to Ad. So it's
really freed Lebron James game up. Last night, only Luca
(01:52):
and Lebron played particularly well. But you know, I just
think Austin Reeves, Luca, Lebron, you have three play in
this Shiators. One can be bad every time in New York.
Jalen Brunson's bad good luck winning, Jalen Brunson's great good
luck winning against good teams, and the sign of a
very good team. And you can no longer deny it, Sorry,
(02:14):
Charles Barkley. With the Lakers, you don't even have to
play well to beat the good team, and Lebron makes
everybody better. I mean, Jackson Hayes does not have an
NBA move, he does not have an NBA post move.
He's Lobb guy. And he's shooting seventy three percent since
the All Star Game the deadline, seventy three percent. He's
(02:35):
an NBA guy. Say to me, he's a skinnier version
of DeAndre Jordan. He's Lobb guy. And when you get
Lebron and Luca, who are tremendous passers, there is great
value there. But he's not a true big How about
Gabe Vincent? Who Gabe Vincent huge threes in overtime? Again,
what you watched last night is really the truth about
(02:58):
both these teams. The Lakers now are so good and
have so many offensive weapons that Ruey cannot play. Austin
Reeves doesn't play well, team doesn't play particularly well. Luca
didn't shoot that well, and they beat a very good
Knicks team where all their starters played forty minutes and
Brunson was unbelievable. So I think you know and JJ
(03:20):
Reddick clearly, JJ Lebron and Luca are speaking the same
language because it's very much a team that goes with
a hot hand. It's very much a team offensively that
is tweaking and kind of going with a flow. This thing.
It was a great, great NBA regular season game, and
it was a team that absolutely can get to the finals.
(03:43):
I don't think they can beat Boston. We'll see Saturday
night in a preview Lakers Celtics, we'll see. I don't
think they can beat Boston. I don't think they can
beat Cleveland. Maybe, but I don't think so. Two best
teams in the East. West is much much better top
to bottom. But it was a game between a team
I think can get to the finals and challenge for
a title against a team that needs another big piece
(04:05):
to even get to the finals. Let's be honest. Last night,
Nick shot twenty three percent from threes. The Knick shot,
you know, thirty nine percent from the floor, and that's
with Brunson going off and a healthy unit. They just
they're just missing a piece. And again I said this yesterday.
It's great clarity. If you're a Knicks fan, I don't
want to hear about officials. You're all for ten. It'd
(04:28):
be one thing if you were five and five against
the best teams, you're a for ten and the Lakers
are just getting better. I wonder if the Knicks are
getting slightly worse because of all the minutes Timms has
the starters playing, and here's the coach.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
After came down to scratch.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
You know a lot of tough plays that you know,
we couldn't get to a loose ball, you know, things
like that, and oftentimes that's the difference. So but overall,
I thought, you know, the first three and a half
quarters of the very very good, so obviously we have
to close out better.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Yeah. And the other thing is the Knicks really fight,
scratch and claw for baskets. They really do. They work
their tails off. They play hard every night. Did you
notice last night how often the Lakers they get kind
of easy hoops, like it's not a very good set,
they don't quite look organized, and they just get baskets.
(05:24):
And again last night, just like, hey, Gay, Vince, it's open,
take a shot. Lebron talked about that after the winning overtime,
about just everybody on this roster. Luca and Lebron are
the stars. Everybody matters, though.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
There's no such thing as non and key players on
this team. Everybody is key, you know, and everybody steps
on the floor has a row and they and they
go in and master that. And I thought, I thought
that beans Gate was a great lift once again. And
Gabe was you know, single him out. He was spectacular,
you know, has played both on the defensive end. And
obviously we are shooting and we need it.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So we'll get a little bit of a pre you
potentially of the NBA Finals. I have Boston. I think
they're gonna meet either the Lakers are okay see in
the finals. But this idea, Charles Barkley, I'm sorry. Lakers
are good, they're more interesting Lebron and Luca is magical.
It's only getting better. Luca is still not shooting great.
(06:18):
He's still he was so inactive for so long. I
don't think he has his legs quite under him. Yet.
He looks a little lighter, a little quicker than he
did a week ago. That's what I can see. Not
shooting great. He's having trouble first step getting quite as
open as he used to. But he's Luca and he's
a savant offensively. But this thing's only getting better. They're
(06:39):
going nowhere. I mean again, Rui's not playing Austin Reeves,
not one hundred percent. It's working, Okay. So I feel
like I've led with these two guys for the past week.
So now let's get the Steph Curry and this is
the way. You know, don't forget. You want to know
the tours that made so much money last year, Bruce Springsteen,
(07:00):
Madonna and the Rolling Stones. You guys can put the
old ones to bed. But once again, there's a reason
that when Lebron and Steph play on like Christmas or
in a big Saturday night game, it's the highest rated
game of the year. These guys are still great. Sometimes
they get bored, sometimes they're not pushed. I felt Lebron
and Ad kind of like treadmill to nowhere. But now
(07:22):
you give Steph Jimmy Butler and the show is back.
If you didn't see it last night, he had forty
they won again. Third game four nights. Steph with a
bad ankle, but he still put on a show. He
do have it at single digits, and that was the
goal when you were down twenty two Steph from mid court.
(07:46):
Did he coast him on that too? Oh? My goodness,
carry from forty five feet. Yeah, this dude's amazing. What
did he just do? Every night this week? Different city,
putting on a show, and listen the showmanship Warriors are back.
Oklahoma Saidy's really good. It's about defense. Boston's really good.
(08:08):
It's about roster construction. The Nuggets are about fundamentals, and
the Caves are about efficiency. Warriors are about the show.
And the NBA has always been better when it's got
a show. It can be the Heatles, it can be
Shaq and Kobe, Katie and Steph. But were you going
to watch Steph play halfway through that game last night?
Those Brooklyn fans, they weren't rooting for the Nets, they
(08:30):
were Steph fans, and fans show up early to watch
his warm ups. That's what a star is. You always
feel like you're two to four seconds away from seeing
one of the greatest plays in basketball history. And you know,
I'm watching him last night. And we love to bury
the old guys, and they always have something left in
the tank. They always do. I mean, Jason Tatum had
(08:51):
thirty four points last night, and nobody outside of Woosta
cares Steph's playing Brooklyn and New York City's a buzz
and here is Steve Kerr after.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
Steph just had an incredible trip, put on a show
at every city. What he does this, it's amazing, just
the show that he puts on, the joy that he
brings to so many fans who are coming to see
him play in all these different cities. You know, every
(09:28):
every fan base loves Steph, you know, and it's there's
a reason he's He's an incredible performer.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
It's very rare that. Here's the Michael Jordan quality with
Steph Curry is everybody loved Michael. I mean, yeah, and
Detroit maybe your primary rival, but I mean I covered
him when I was in Portland. I saw him play
live four or five times. I saw his last game
in Portland as a wizard. Halfway through the game, you
were just rooting for Michael to do something amazing. And
(09:56):
that's what Steph Curry is. And that is absolut what
Steph Curry is. You just feel like you're a moment
away from an all time YouTube clip. And both Lebron
and Steph have been energized because of smart moves by
the front office. Just like the NFL, the great players
are largely beholden to the guys upstairs making sure they
(10:20):
construct a real team, additives not liabilities. It is great
for the NBA. J Mack, we were going to go
to that thing. I had a little meeting, but I
gotta watch it and the show is back for the Warriors.
You know, it's funny. A month ago, before the Jimmy
Butler thing, I had said on the air, I'd said,
if Steph's not on the floor, they're one of the
(10:40):
most boring teams in the league. Isn't it amazing by
just adding one player, And by the way, Butler's not
necessarily a similating but he has created this sort of
joyfulness for Steph. Now they're back to being the show
that you can't you can't wait for the games.
Speaker 6 (10:56):
It is nice to see a rejuvenated Courreer a rejuvenated Lebron.
They're probably both going to be first team All NBA
again this year. Like Lebron is legitimately in the MVP discussion,
he probably won't win it because the media loves SGA
in Oklahoma City's winning like seventy games.
Speaker 7 (11:10):
But Lebron and Curry just it's just fun.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Man.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
It feels like an extension from the Olympics. Remember how
they were like the superstars on the team, the old guys.
It feels like an extension in any I think they
could probably get both going to meet in the Western
Conference finals.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
And this is a prime example. We've talked about this,
the Jason Tatum stuff this week. When you put Jason
Tatum around all those old stars, he shrinks. When you
put lebron In staph around the stars, howe they're motivated,
they want to show off to the kids. So a
lot of times with these older star players far into
this in Minnesota, he just needed to be inspired. You know,
(11:46):
you forget these guys. An NBA life is not just
the games. It's shoot around. It's at the hotel at
three am. It is slogging in a winter league to
a hotel trying to get sleep. You get up, shoot
around breakfast. It's repetition, it's tedium, it's getting taped. It's
it's a lot of film. It's a lot of tape.
It's a lot of boring. It's like being an attorney.
(12:07):
You know, you watch Perry Mason, or you watch La
Law Corbyn Berntsen, You're like, I want to be an attorney.
Ninety percent of cases don't go in front of a judge.
You're settling out of court. You think you know no,
I mean being an attorney. It's not like on television.
It is a lot. It's it's accounting, it's it's just
a lot of minutia. And that's what the NBA stars
(12:28):
they love. They love playing, but ninety percent of this
league is not playing. So the lebrons and the staffs,
it's tedium. It's a lot of boredom. And if you
give them jet fuel, it's like they're like different players
in the last three weeks.
Speaker 6 (12:41):
Imagine if the Lakers came to you and said, Colin,
we want you to experience seventy two hours with the Lakers.
You're on the flight, you're in the film room, nutrition, weightlifting,
shoot around.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Would you do that?
Speaker 7 (12:51):
I think that'd be like the most fun thing ever.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I tried doing it for twenty two years in a row.
Speaker 6 (12:57):
Right, you're not digging ditches, that's for sure, relative to
the average person.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
But I for superstars, it is hard to get on
that treadmill every day fighting for a playing game. Yeah,
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Speaker 8 (13:28):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and neon Eastern non a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
App HI Welcome back. Finally, Mark Cuban is addressing the
you know, disastrous trade that Nico Harris and the GM
made to you know, Nico Harris and the gym of
the MAVs should get consideration to the Basketball Hall of
Fame for special contributions to the game. I mean, the
(13:56):
Lakers now have revitalized the NBA, which had gone through
a couple years of soft ratings and uninteresting a lot
of international stars. Who's the face of the league. Well
now now the Warriors, the Celtics, the Nicks, the war
You know, you got big cities now engaged. And here's
Mark Cuban on the trade.
Speaker 9 (14:17):
If the MAVs are going to trade Luca, that's one thing.
Just get a better deal. You know, no disrespect to
Anthony Davis, but you know, get three. If I still
fir and believe if we had gotten four unprotected number
ones and Anthony Davis and Max Christy.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
This would be a different conversation.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Would you ever have traded Luka Doncic I'm not going
to go there. It's not it doesn't even matter.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Okay, So when Jimmy Johnson won the trade trading herschel
Walker to the Vikings, it wasn't just that they gave
up herschel Walker. They got eight draft picks. So it's
not just about the hull, it's the yield, and they
hit on their draft picks. I have no problems selling
the mansion. You gotta get a windfall back. You got
to get flexibility. Oklahoma City moved on of Harden and
(15:00):
Westbrook and they get draft picks. That's why Oklahoma City
and Sam Presci for the last several years have had
the most flexibility in the league. You have to move
off stars. The Chiefs moved off Tyreek Hill. It happens,
Bengals are going to move off an edge rusher. I wouldn't,
but if you're going to do that, you want to
put yourself in a position to get flexibility. I have
no when when the Pelicans moved off a d they
(15:25):
got Brandon Ingram, they got Josh Hart, but they got
three first round picks, and one of those was Zion.
If Zion would have remained healthy, because he was great
when he entered the league, he was he had Wilt
Chamberlain numbers. If he would have remained healthy and had
his diet and body together, you wouldn't even remember a
D because Zion's game's more exciting. So I don't mind
(15:45):
moving players three first round picks a D. Austin reeves,
I wouldn't do it, but I don't think it would
get lamented because you know, I mean, Luca wasn't in shape.
He was heard he'd missed back to back camps. He's
an awful to player. You're even seeing now he's still
not in great shape, but he's been in Los Angeles.
Kind of the tutelage of JJ Reddick and Lebron, guys
(16:07):
who have always been in great shape when they played
or if they're coaching. So it's just you got to
get some Danny Ainge has moved off stars, always gets flexibility.
Sam Presty, same thing. That's because now they have the
I think the MAVs are best off not playing ad,
not playing anybody and just getting a better pick. Try
(16:27):
to get a top ten twelve pick. You're not going
to get into the lottery. You got too many wins.
But I would just try to get try to salvage
it because you don't control a lot of your future picks.
You got your one first round of this year, and
it's a pretty good draft. It's a very domestic draft.
I mean, by the way, you tanked a couple of
years ago and got the kid from Duke who's a
very good player. Now you got fine for it, but
(16:49):
you did a soft tank. So I mean, it happens
in the NBA. But to get no flexibility and less
of a player, that's how you get fired.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Easter, not a Empacific.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
So I sometimes it's funny. So yesterday I saw that
I was trending and I laughed. Of course I was
trending because of what I said about Jason Tatum. So
I've never had a topic where I just give you
data and fax and one city is more outraged. I
don't even understand it. Yesterday I said, you know they're
ten and two. When he doesn't play, that's not an opinion.
(17:27):
I said they score eight points more a game when
he doesn't play. That's not an opinion. The field goal percentage,
the net rating, the three point percentage, all goes up
when Jason Tatum doesn't play. Those aren't opinions. In the
Eastern Conference Finals, in the NBA Finals, Jalen Brown was
the MVP, not Tatum. That's not an opinion. In the Olympics,
(17:49):
the second to last game against Serbia, coach's decision they
wouldn't play him. In the gold medal game, he had
two points. These are not opinions. You are trying to
make him Yokich, Jannie Stephan, Lebron, and Luca I'm not.
I'm just saying he's not in that class. And all
the numbers prove it. I mean, and by the way,
(18:10):
you know who else proves it. Shoe companies Lebron, steph
Katie and John Morant have their own brand. Tatum doesn't.
He's got a shoe under Michael's brand. So the Olympics,
what did it prove he shrinks against with great players
around Eastern Conference Finals, what did it prove? What's production
data prove when he doesn't play. I'm not saying he's
(18:32):
not a star. At the NBA at any one time
has two superstars, maybe three, and then about twelve stars.
I'm just saying he's not in the three, he's in
the twelve, and people are outraged by it. I think
it's you know, that's why the face This all started
with the face of the league stuff, and I think
(18:53):
in terms of face of the league, he's more Tim Duncan,
where he's efficient, productive, good guy, excellent player, can win
you championships, but there's not a lot of aura there.
There's not a lot of personality. I don't think that's
a criticism. So you're the one trying to get me
to compare him to superstars. Has a lot of good
(19:13):
soccer players and not a lot of messies. And Ronaldo's
at any one time the world's got two of them.
Now the world's got fifteen other great soccer stars. But
at any one time in bape Messe Ronaldo, it's got
about three superstars, global stars, and this is a global
league and Tatum's not a global star. I've said this before,
(19:33):
is that we talk about Michael Jordan, he hasn't played forever.
We talk about Magic and Bird and doctor j. You
know who we don't talk about, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone.
They're great players. Jason Tatum's gonna retire four years later,
there'll be no Jason Tatum talk doesn't mean he's not great.
You're the one jamming him in to this global elite group.
(19:55):
And I'm just saying numbers don't prove it. You know,
do you know what his nickname is?
Speaker 1 (19:58):
So?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
The NBA Twitter is a thing, and they make up
nicknames all the time. This year they've given seven new
players nicknames. I didn't. I'm just going to tell you
what the nickname was. His nickname. Tatum's nickname the Anomaly.
That's that's the nickname they gave him, the Anomaly. Does
(20:21):
that sound like it would sell shoes? So so, so,
I think his nickname should be the Password because he's
commonly forgotten. But I'm going to get shots for that.
I threw a couple up there. All Right, we're being snarky,
but I would we're just being snarky. We can have fun,
right as an entertainment.
Speaker 6 (20:41):
You need to read those out loud for the radio
audience because they're so disrespectful.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
The miss army Knife. The last one is terrible seventy
five cent. He misses in the fourth you know missing.
Speaker 7 (20:51):
I know, I know who's work that is.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
I'm familiar with the somebody on our staff thought they were.
Speaker 7 (20:55):
I know he's a funny guy.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
But listen, whatever you can tell it is so disrespectful.
But the people are putting him in this Rinaldo MESSI class.
I'm just saying he's more Wayne Rooney. Okay, I'm just
saying he is great. Wayne Rooney was the biggest star
in England. But he's not Messy.
Speaker 7 (21:16):
So he's a second tier star at the end.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
My whole life, the NBA's had Like when I was
a kid growing up, Doctor j was a star, George
McGinnis was. I can name twenty guys that were great.
And by the way, Shaq and Kobe were stars. Okay,
those were superstars.
Speaker 6 (21:33):
Okay, so your top tier stars right now, Yannis Curry.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
But the top superstars globally Stephen Lebron are one and two.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
I think Luca now that he's with the Lakers, that
elevates his brand probably twenty five thirty percent. That's a superstar.
Jannis is classic. Yannis is much more like Duncan, where
the NBA playoffs four years ago, when he was the
best player in the league, they put him on a
noon game. Okay, the NBA shoe company tell you if
you're a star. Shoe companies tell you he doesn't have
(22:05):
his own brand. John Morant does. Now Jahn Morant blew
it because of his immaturity. But the leak. All these
shoe companies are like Steph Lebron, MJ. They saw John
Morant and go that is a sizzle.
Speaker 6 (22:18):
So so Anthony Edwards is a bigger star than Jason Tatum?
Speaker 1 (22:23):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
What is that fair? No, they're both stars. Neither one
of those are global icons. They're not.
Speaker 7 (22:30):
Yeah, I would agree with they're not.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
And by the way, Yo Kitchen is closer to Tim
Duncan than Lebron.
Speaker 6 (22:36):
If you're Jason Tatum and I say a global icon,
who cares.
Speaker 7 (22:41):
I'm a winner.
Speaker 6 (22:41):
I go to the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA
Finals every damn year.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
That's what every guy in Woosta is saying today. And
I'm good with it.
Speaker 6 (22:48):
Yeah, and you know what else, there are ninety five
percent of the league would kill to be in the finals.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Tatum, I agree to win, and I agree with that too. Yeah.
The argument is people are offended when I get them
actual data that the team is ten and two without
him and offensively net rating field goal three point points.
Speaker 6 (23:10):
That might be that he took off games against crap
teams and the Celtics are gonna smoke.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
Him any or it could be the truth.
Speaker 7 (23:15):
I mean, what about his fifty one burger in Game seven?
Speaker 10 (23:18):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (23:19):
You forgot about that? One?
Speaker 6 (23:21):
Game six in Milwaukee had like forty five. I'll never
forget and listen. I don't even like the Celtics. In fact,
I hate all Boston teams because I'm from New York.
I love Jason Tatum. A lot of Lakers fans, by
the way, thought Jason Tatum would be a Laker at
some point because he's like mister coch.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
This this is the classic. I'm adding contextualization. You viewed
as hate, Like I said, brock Purty, I'd pen forty million.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
Wait don't you think you were trending yesterday because of
the hate.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
No, that's not my issue. I'm just telling.
Speaker 6 (23:49):
I'm just if you're a glazing Jason Tatum, it would
not have gone viral and got two million views or whatever.
Right if you're saying he's really great. But if you're
taking some shots at him saying he's not a globe, no,
like I said, there are no shots.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
There are no shots. He's closer to Duncan Karl Malone,
who we don't talk about. They retired two minutes later.
They're not a topic. Dominique Wilkins retires. By the way,
Dominique Wilkins never made the Dream Team. Great player, never
made the Dream Team, ever made the Bully. But Scotty
Pippen did because Scottie Pippen was Robin to batman on
(24:26):
the world's best team. Scotty, I mean, so again, Scotty
Pippen is one of those players. He's not as good
as Tatum. Tatum's better than Scotty Pitchen. Oh no, no, well,
Scotty's good. But the difference is Michael, they were the
rolling Stones that the Bulls were this un the biggest
basketball brand I think in my lifetime. They were the
(24:48):
only team that surpassed any Celtic team or any Laker
team was Michael Jordan.
Speaker 6 (24:52):
You could argue that modern teams right now, with the
global reachs of social media and TV games, that the
teams now are way.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
More popular than they were in the I'm just saying
relative to the era and so that this idea about
Jason Tatum, I'm just giving you data. Don't let facts
get in the way of feelings. I'm just giving you
the data points you're getting worked up over it. I'm
just saying, he's not lebron He's not Steph he's not Messy,
he's not Ronaldo, he's not Peley in his prime, you know.
(25:20):
I mean, he's not Madonna or Bruce or the Stones.
He would be he would be a multi Grammy winning
band Weezer.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
I love we First better than Weezer, really good.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Okay, come on, I love Tatum and yesterday I said
he he reminds me a little of Clay Thompson. Again,
he's better than Clay Thompson. But Clay Thompson played alongside
a player who often in the biggest games, Clay Thompson
felt like the second best player. Good God, every time
(25:58):
Jalen and tATu Murney this big series last year, it
was Brown taking the shots. Now, I think Tatum's better
than Jalen Brown, not as much as people think. I
think it's closer than you think. But Tatum's better. But
just it's not perfectly analogous, but I do think he's
got more of a Karl Malone Tim Duncan. Joki is
fascinating because he's easily the best player in the league
(26:21):
and he has no brand and doesn't want any one.
So Tatum wants it.
Speaker 7 (26:26):
Well, how do you know he wants it?
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Tatum has said I check all the boxes. Like last
week in the story he said I could be the
face of the league. I mean, you know what's funny
about it? If I'll give you an example, go back
to Duke. So when he was at Duke, Jason Tatum,
did he lead him in scoring? No? Wasn't it Luke Kennard.
What was he the most talked about player? No, that
was Grayson Allen Well who was the star? Mike Sherzewsky,
(26:51):
he was the four on Duke. No, I mean no, No,
Grayson Allen was the most controversial and talked about. I
think I don't think he was the leading scorer and
ss Chefsky was always the star of Duke.
Speaker 7 (27:02):
Yeah, I don't totally.
Speaker 6 (27:03):
All I remember is coach k is the last guy
to stop Jason Tatum basically couldn't get out of opening
weekend in the NCAA Tournament.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
I remember that brutal law. Take a break.
Speaker 8 (27:11):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and neon eastern non am Pacific.
Speaker 11 (27:16):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together We're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You could catch
us weekdays from five to seven pm Eastern two to
four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course, the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 11 (27:30):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Going on in the world.
Speaker 11 (27:35):
We have a lot of fun talking about the stories
behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture,
stories that well other shows don't seem to have the
time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends
for the last twenty years and still work together.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
I mean that says something, right.
Speaker 11 (27:48):
So check us out. We like to get you involved too,
Take your phone calls, chop it up. As they say,
i'd say, the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio,
maybe the.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Most interactive show on planetar.
Speaker 11 (27:58):
Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app from five to
seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific, and if you
miss any of the live show, just search Kobe non
Rich wherever you get your podcasts, and of course on
social media that's Cavino and Rich.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Ryan Day the Ohio State Buckeyes national champs favorite next
year as well as joining US Live. You know, I
was thinking about this this morning. I was thinking about
this years ago. Mike Krzyzewski when they did the one
and done he didn't like it, and then I asked
him about it and he goes, I didn't like it.
And then three years in I realized I was losing
(28:36):
to all these one and done guys. So maybe it's
time for me not to be stubborn. Your sport, Ryan
has become incredibly transient. I means just what it is.
Was there a moment when it all came down the
hill transfer portal Nil? Was there a moment where you
said this is a I don't know if I like
this is it? We're gonna just do high school guys?
(28:56):
Or did you buy into it? Ten minutes in?
Speaker 10 (29:01):
I mean, I I you know there's still things going
on that I throw my hands up right now. You know,
there's so many changes I think about you know, the nil,
the transfer portal, the conference realignment with eighteen teams, so
now you know in the Big Ten we travel.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
To the West Coast. Then you have the playoff change.
Speaker 10 (29:20):
Like just just those four things, those are just four
things that have all happened. Those are like major, major changes.
So you just had to be comfortable being uncomfortable in
solving it and getting it because nobody cares, like there's
all kinds of things that happened, you know, in the
last month or so that you know, after our game
we can get into later, but nobody cares about Like
what matters is putting your talent, you know, a talent
(29:42):
accusation on the field, and putting them together and putting
a team together. So as much those things have changed,
to me, I felt with this team it was about
the kind of timeless principles of hard work and sacrifice.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
And loyalty and resilience that separated us.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
So I'm a friend of Chip Kelly and he you know,
he's told me about your ship for years and years.
And I said, I said, I predicted before the season.
I said, Ohio State's gonna lose at Autson. I've been
in too many games there. You can't hear yourself think,
I don't think anybody in the country is going to
beat this Oregon team at Dotson. You got close. I said,
Ohio State's gonna beat him. They're gonna meet, They're gonna
beat it later. And Ohio State's got better personnel and
(30:17):
Ohio State's gonna beat him. But one of the things
I theorized, I said, Chip Kelly is a real advantage
that you're not going to notice until the playoff. He
has he knows how to stagger these games because college
football now feels like pro football. You can lose late
in the season. It's not a death now. It's about staggering.
It's about slowly unveiling take our audience into the value
(30:41):
of Chip Kelly in that playoff that I can't see,
you know, guys like me can't see, but inside your
building the additive value that Chip gave you, that had
a little NFL field to it.
Speaker 10 (30:53):
Well, yeah, well, I think like you said, when you're
talking about now sixteen sixteen games in a long season
with a playoff format at the end of the year,
it starts off with even this time of year, making
decisions on how you want to proceed like for instance,
we decided to huddle on offense this year. We had
never done that. Certainly Chip hadn't done that a lot,
you know, with his background in tempo. But but that
(31:15):
decision was a huge decision and that you know, we
wanted to continue to evolve as the season went on.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
But but then, you know, really have our best football
for the end of the year.
Speaker 10 (31:24):
And I think having the NFL experience, and I would
think a lot of teams would tell you, you know,
in the NFL and in September, there's you know, sort
of the preseason October, they're finding their identity and then
by the time they get to November and December, like now,
now they're going.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
To play for for championships and everything's on the line.
Speaker 10 (31:43):
And I wouldn't say that that's the way it is
in college right now, but it's it's trending towards that,
and having somebody that's been in that position before, certainly
with his experience in the NFL, it made a big difference.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
So you have a player, you have two players. And
I had said this, I had an NFL general manager
tell me a month ago that if Jeremiah Smith and
Caleb Downs were in this class, they'd probably be the
second and third guys taken. They're unbelievable players, and you
guys have done a really good job. And I think
this is really hard, especially now you're paying players that
you have these superstar players, and yet it felt like
such a team. You felt like such a team, your sideline,
(32:16):
your body language. Is it harder when you have you know,
Ohio State's one of four programs maybe three that gets
those guys. When you have literally NFL players they're just
not eligible, yet you're paying them. You're not paying everybody
big money in the NFL. Everybody's doing fine in college.
There's a little gap. Is that hard for you to
(32:37):
massage as a coach?
Speaker 10 (32:40):
Well, I think it starts with the identific I mean,
there's a lot of NFL players that you know aren't
in at Ohio State. You know that that maybe just
aren't the right fit for for who we are, and
so we try to do, you know a great job
of identifying, you know, the right people that fit us.
You know, there's a lot of great players out there,
but what you know, Ohio State's not for everybody, and
you know, we try to make sure that we bring
(33:01):
in the right folks that fit our culture. Because again,
like you said, these guys are making money now, so
it's now even more important to bring in the right fit.
And then what you say to them in the recruiting
process you better follow through with because they can literally
walk out the door tomorrow if they wanted to. So
you know, it's really forcing everybody to really, I think,
follow through with what they talk about on the front end.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
But then these guys still want to be held accountable,
you know, and.
Speaker 10 (33:25):
Coaching them hard and giving them life lessons and building
trust within the building is very very important. And I
think you know our fan base and being in Columbus
and what comes with that. You know, our guys understand
that there's a big obligation when you come to Ohio
State what comes with it. So you know, the fact
that we were able to overcome some things this year
and then prevail on the back end certainly is going
(33:46):
to you know, carry over into the season.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
You've got a bunch of guys that are going to
be very good. I mean, you're really a factory now
you've become the best. You know, you guys have done
a little bit Alabama did so Saban was a defensive coach,
and by the time he left Alabama was known for
wide receiver and quarterbacks. Ohio State in my lifetime was
running backs, oh linemen, linebackers, and now it's wide receiver.
You and I've said this. I told Urban Meyer this once.
(34:10):
I said, when you have receivers as good as Ohio State,
you got to feed them. And I said, I think
it can hurt your run game in physicality. How do
you simultaneously build power football. It's easy for hardball with
the Chargers now, by the way, because they don't have
superstar receivers. Once you have four of them, is it
hard for you as a coach? Okay, we want to
(34:31):
be explosive, but we want a little nineteen eighty five
Ohio State too. Is that hard for you?
Speaker 5 (34:37):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (34:38):
I think it's a great conversation, Colin.
Speaker 10 (34:39):
I think it's a great point because when you're in
the Big Ten, like you've got to play smash Moult football,
but then you also got to be able to go
out to the Rose Bowl or down to the Cotton
Bowl and play Texas and Oregon and attract me, you know.
And so that's the combination of things that we're constantly
trying to make sure we balance out, and the only
way you can do that is if you have on
selfish guys, so like you know, to have Trevon Henderson
(35:01):
and quin Shawn Junkins together in the backfield together and
let young players see that their unselfishness and willing to
sacrifice being the guy or a number of carries so
that they could play really, really fast and really physical
down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
Made a big difference.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
I think, yeah.
Speaker 10 (35:15):
And the only way that that happens is if guys
are unselfish and to your point, you know, if you
have selfish guys who just want the ball and don't
understand how important is to establish their run.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
It's not going to work. And vice versa.
Speaker 10 (35:26):
You know, if you have you know, running backs who
want certain number of carries when the ball needs to
get thrown out to some of our receivers, it isn't
going to work.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
So buying into the team is critical.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
You know, There's been a couple of moments in my
life when I had my first child that I literally
was floating, like I didn't feel like, I'm like, what's
happening to me? I got salty discharge, I'm crying you know,
and so we have had that too. We've all had
personal moments, but I want you to pivot now to
a professional moment because there is a difference between work
and home, even though we love both. Take me back, So,
(36:00):
the moment you knew you were going to be national champion,
who was the first person you thought of?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Oh?
Speaker 10 (36:09):
Well, for me, it was my father, you know, And
I didn't really make this public before, but since you
asked me, I'm going to answer the question. You know,
I lost my father on January twentieth when I was
nine years old, and I saw when the schedule came
out that the National championship game was on the same
day that I lost my father, And so, you know,
(36:30):
I just knew that he was with me that day,
and that was the.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
First guy that I thought of. Oh, that's a great story.
We've said this before. You know, you were at a
good program. When you get heat for losing occasionally to
Jim Harbaugh, Georgia right now, it's the best program in
my opinion, it's the best program in college football, nil
transfer portal coaching destination. It's Ohio State. Do you ever
(36:56):
ever just get to go for a walk in the park?
In Columbus put a baseball up on and not get noticed,
or do you sometimes feel like, man, it's a lot,
it's a lot coaching the buck guys in Ohio State.
How's that land for you?
Speaker 1 (37:09):
It is a lot, it is, but that's what you
signed up for.
Speaker 10 (37:12):
And I remember when the first press conference, you know,
I was there with with with Urban and you know
a lot of people just kind of asked, you know,
how do you follow up Coach Meyer a legend, and
what if you don't do this? And what if you
don't do that? And I just kind of had the
mindset of what what if? What if we do? What
an opportunity uh to be at a place where there's
just such great tradition. And you know, my wife that
(37:36):
night were on the bed together. I had three young kids,
knowing that we were probably the first, you know, family
to go through this with young kids, you know, going
through elementary school and now into junior high and high school.
And she kind of cried and she said, this is
the last time our family will be normal.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
And I didn't even understand at the time, but she
did and she was right.
Speaker 10 (37:54):
But but you know, it's it's it's it's part of
the job. It's part of the obligation, and I think
for this game, so many people have come up to
me across the country when I've traveled to different places,
and the first thing they say is thank you, just
thank you for what you did this year. And they
tell the stories of where they've been across the country
or who they were when they watched the run that
we went on, and it just makes you realize that
(38:14):
Ohio State football is bigger than any one of us
and the obligation that we have, and it's just a
you know, it's an honor to be the head coach
Ohouse State.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
I love all the you. I appreciate you giving these
stories to us because you don't have to and you're
opening up and it means a lot. Finally, a big
thank you from me for playing Texas so Ohio State.
A lot of programs won't do this and it drives
me nuts. You guys. I remember when Pete Carroll you
(38:43):
schedule the Trojans in LA you know, Ohio State played
them at home and a lot of coaches won't do this,
and you know you have just made a point. Let's
you know, I don't mind the Youngstown State I don't
mind that, you know, in State Ohio. But when when
you it's one thing to make a commitment three weeks
(39:04):
before that game, are you going to be thinking, you know,
we could have played Texas State at Arlington, that would
have been how you have the hell of an opening game.
You're gonna lose some sleep when that thing's two weeks out.
Speaker 10 (39:19):
Well, I think it's one hundred and seventy three days
from today. So yeah, to say I'm gonna lose sleep, yeah,
you nd I'm gonna lose sleep. I think a couple
of things. I think one, it allows you, you know.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
An opportunity to figure out where you're at early in
the season.
Speaker 10 (39:36):
But I think it's important moving forward with the playoff
system that like in the Big Ten in the SEC
and as we start to work through this, that we
do get automatic qualifiers and a certain amount of automatic qualifiers.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
If we don't, then you're never gonna see these games schedule.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
To your point, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 10 (39:52):
Yeah, So I think that's critical if we want these games,
which I think we should have these games, yes, and
we need to make sure that that happens because I
think it's really really good for college football.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
I mean, I think the loss at Oregon, my takeaway
is that was going to easily be the harshest environment
you would play in that I didn't care what you
did the rest of the year. I don't care if
you're that was good. No, I mean I covered Oregon.
That is as loud as any football stadium I've ever
been in NFL or college. So in a way, you
look at it at the time and it stinks flying
(40:20):
back to Columbus, but it paid dividends later. Your guys
saw what real duress is like. In Ohio State. You
don't face a lot of that, do you know. I mean,
you know, It's just it's just I feel like the
football gods, you should have won this year, and I
love the way you won, And I want to thank
you for coming on giving us a little insight into
your life and uh impossible not to root for Ryan.
(40:42):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
I appreciate it. Colin much respect, man,
Here we go.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
It is a Friday, another amazing night for Lebron James Louke,
Steph Curry, you're trying to put the old guys to bed.
They're staying up late, they're closing up shop late. Good
show today, Buckeye coach Ryan Day, Next hour, Dion Dawkins,
Rick Buker, We got a lot of stuff going on today.
(00:24):
So yeah, you know where they care about the NBA,
LA and New York. That's pretty good last night, right,
pretty good? Yeah, that was pretty good. Well, we had
said yesterday this was gonna be one of the ten
to twelve games during the regular season that's gonna feel
like a playoff game, and that's what it felt like.
And it really was cut of symbolic of where both
(00:45):
teams are at. The Knicks lost, even though they outplayed
the Lakers. So now the Knicks are zero to ten
against Boston, Cleveland, Golden State, Lakers, and OKC and they
outplayed them and they get beat by about fifteen a game. Now,
last night, Ruin didn't Austin Reeves, not one hundred percent,
so they were more fully staffed in New York and
they outplayed the Lakers. But Jalen Brunson had to play
(01:08):
out of his mind. All your starters for the Knicks
are playing forty minutes and the Lakers didn't play particularly
well and they won. And this goes back to something
we've talked about Tibbs and the Villanova guys and Jalen Brunson.
Culture only gets you so far. I mean, Harball created
a new culture with the Chargers and then they went
(01:29):
to the playoffs Pittsburgh Steelers last decade. Great culture can't
score in big games. Culture has limitations. And Carmelo Anthony
talked about something last night. He said, basically, what Luca
is providing for Lebron now, these great up the court
passes is what Lebron was doing to Ad. So it's
really freed Lebron James game up. Last night, only Luca
(01:52):
and Lebron played particularly well. But you know, I just
think Austin Reeves, Luca, Lebron, you have three play in
this Shiators. One can be bad every time in New York.
Jalen Brunson's bad good luck winning, Jalen Brunson's great good
luck winning against good teams, and the sign of a
very good team. And you can no longer deny it, Sorry,
(02:14):
Charles Barkley. With the Lakers, you don't even have to
play well to beat the good team, and Lebron makes
everybody better. I mean, Jackson Hayes does not have an
NBA move, he does not have an NBA post move.
He's Lobb guy. And he's shooting seventy three percent since
the All Star Game the deadline, seventy three percent. He's
(02:35):
an NBA guy. Say to me, he's a skinnier version
of DeAndre Jordan. He's Lobb guy. And when you get
Lebron and Luca, who are tremendous passers, there is great
value there. But he's not a true big How about
Gabe Vincent? Who Gabe Vincent huge threes in overtime? Again,
what you watched last night is really the truth about
(02:58):
both these teams. The Lakers now are so good and
have so many offensive weapons that Ruey cannot play. Austin
Reeves doesn't play well, team doesn't play particularly well. Luca
didn't shoot that well, and they beat a very good
Knicks team where all their starters played forty minutes and
Brunson was unbelievable. So I think you know and JJ
(03:20):
Reddick clearly, JJ Lebron and Luca are speaking the same
language because it's very much a team that goes with
a hot hand. It's very much a team offensively that
is tweaking and kind of going with a flow. This thing.
It was a great, great NBA regular season game, and
it was a team that absolutely can get to the finals.
(03:43):
I don't think they can beat Boston. We'll see Saturday
night in a preview Lakers Celtics, we'll see. I don't
think they can beat Boston. I don't think they can
beat Cleveland. Maybe, but I don't think so. Two best
teams in the East. West is much much better top
to bottom. But it was a game between a team
I think can get to the finals and challenge for
a title against a team that needs another big piece
(04:05):
to even get to the finals. Let's be honest. Last night,
Nick shot twenty three percent from threes. The Knick shot,
you know, thirty nine percent from the floor, and that's
with Brunson going off and a healthy unit. They just
they're just missing a piece. And again I said this yesterday.
It's great clarity. If you're a Knicks fan, I don't
want to hear about officials. You're all for ten. It'd
(04:28):
be one thing if you were five and five against
the best teams, you're a for ten and the Lakers
are just getting better. I wonder if the Knicks are
getting slightly worse because of all the minutes Timms has
the starters playing, and here's the coach.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
After came down to scratch.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
You know a lot of tough plays that you know,
we couldn't get to a loose ball, you know, things
like that, and oftentimes that's the difference. So but overall,
I thought, you know, the first three and a half
quarters of the very very good, so obviously we have
to close out better.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Yeah. And the other thing is the Knicks really fight,
scratch and claw for baskets. They really do. They work
their tails off. They play hard every night. Did you
notice last night how often the Lakers they get kind
of easy hoops, like it's not a very good set,
they don't quite look organized, and they just get baskets.
(05:24):
And again last night, just like, hey, Gay, Vince, it's open,
take a shot. Lebron talked about that after the winning overtime,
about just everybody on this roster. Luca and Lebron are
the stars. Everybody matters, though.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
There's no such thing as non and key players on
this team. Everybody is key, you know, and everybody steps
on the floor has a row and they and they
go in and master that. And I thought, I thought
that beans Gate was a great lift once again. And
Gabe was you know, single him out. He was spectacular,
you know, has played both on the defensive end. And
obviously we are shooting and we need it.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So we'll get a little bit of a pre you
potentially of the NBA Finals. I have Boston. I think
they're gonna meet either the Lakers are okay see in
the finals. But this idea, Charles Barkley, I'm sorry. Lakers
are good, they're more interesting Lebron and Luca is magical.
It's only getting better. Luca is still not shooting great.
(06:18):
He's still he was so inactive for so long. I
don't think he has his legs quite under him. Yet.
He looks a little lighter, a little quicker than he
did a week ago. That's what I can see. Not
shooting great. He's having trouble first step getting quite as
open as he used to. But he's Luca and he's
a savant offensively. But this thing's only getting better. They're
(06:39):
going nowhere. I mean again, Rui's not playing Austin Reeves,
not one hundred percent. It's working, Okay. So I feel
like I've led with these two guys for the past week.
So now let's get the Steph Curry and this is
the way. You know, don't forget. You want to know
the tours that made so much money last year, Bruce Springsteen,
(07:00):
Madonna and the Rolling Stones. You guys can put the
old ones to bed. But once again, there's a reason
that when Lebron and Steph play on like Christmas or
in a big Saturday night game, it's the highest rated
game of the year. These guys are still great. Sometimes
they get bored, sometimes they're not pushed. I felt Lebron
and Ad kind of like treadmill to nowhere. But now
(07:22):
you give Steph Jimmy Butler and the show is back.
If you didn't see it last night, he had forty
they won again. Third game four nights. Steph with a
bad ankle, but he still put on a show. He
do have it at single digits, and that was the
goal when you were down twenty two Steph from mid court.
(07:46):
Did he coast him on that too? Oh? My goodness,
carry from forty five feet. Yeah, this dude's amazing. What
did he just do? Every night this week? Different city,
putting on a show, and listen the showmanship Warriors are back.
Oklahoma Saidy's really good. It's about defense. Boston's really good.
(08:08):
It's about roster construction. The Nuggets are about fundamentals, and
the Caves are about efficiency. Warriors are about the show.
And the NBA has always been better when it's got
a show. It can be the Heatles, it can be
Shaq and Kobe, Katie and Steph. But were you going
to watch Steph play halfway through that game last night?
Those Brooklyn fans, they weren't rooting for the Nets, they
(08:30):
were Steph fans, and fans show up early to watch
his warm ups. That's what a star is. You always
feel like you're two to four seconds away from seeing
one of the greatest plays in basketball history. And you know,
I'm watching him last night. And we love to bury
the old guys, and they always have something left in
the tank. They always do. I mean, Jason Tatum had
(08:51):
thirty four points last night, and nobody outside of Woosta
cares Steph's playing Brooklyn and New York City's a buzz
and here is Steve Kerr after.
Speaker 5 (09:08):
Steph just had an incredible trip, put on a show
at every city. What he does this, it's amazing, just
the show that he puts on, the joy that he
brings to so many fans who are coming to see
him play in all these different cities. You know, every
(09:28):
every fan base loves Steph, you know, and it's there's
a reason he's He's an incredible performer.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
It's very rare that. Here's the Michael Jordan quality with
Steph Curry is everybody loved Michael. I mean, yeah, and
Detroit maybe your primary rival, but I mean I covered
him when I was in Portland. I saw him play
live four or five times. I saw his last game
in Portland as a wizard. Halfway through the game, you
were just rooting for Michael to do something amazing. And
(09:56):
that's what Steph Curry is. And that is absolut what
Steph Curry is. You just feel like you're a moment
away from an all time YouTube clip. And both Lebron
and Steph have been energized because of smart moves by
the front office. Just like the NFL, the great players
are largely beholden to the guys upstairs making sure they
(10:20):
construct a real team, additives not liabilities. It is great
for the NBA. J Mack, we were going to go
to that thing. I had a little meeting, but I
gotta watch it and the show is back for the Warriors.
You know, it's funny. A month ago, before the Jimmy
Butler thing, I had said on the air, I'd said,
if Steph's not on the floor, they're one of the
(10:40):
most boring teams in the league. Isn't it amazing by
just adding one player, And by the way, Butler's not
necessarily a similating but he has created this sort of
joyfulness for Steph. Now they're back to being the show
that you can't you can't wait for the games.
Speaker 6 (10:56):
It is nice to see a rejuvenated Courreer a rejuvenated Lebron.
They're probably both going to be first team All NBA
again this year. Like Lebron is legitimately in the MVP discussion,
he probably won't win it because the media loves SGA
in Oklahoma City's winning like seventy games.
Speaker 7 (11:10):
But Lebron and Curry just it's just fun.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Man.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
It feels like an extension from the Olympics. Remember how
they were like the superstars on the team, the old guys.
It feels like an extension in any I think they
could probably get both going to meet in the Western
Conference finals.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
And this is a prime example. We've talked about this,
the Jason Tatum stuff this week. When you put Jason
Tatum around all those old stars, he shrinks. When you
put lebron In staph around the stars, howe they're motivated,
they want to show off to the kids. So a
lot of times with these older star players far into
this in Minnesota, he just needed to be inspired. You know,
(11:46):
you forget these guys. An NBA life is not just
the games. It's shoot around. It's at the hotel at
three am. It is slogging in a winter league to
a hotel trying to get sleep. You get up, shoot
around breakfast. It's repetition, it's tedium, it's getting taped. It's
it's a lot of film. It's a lot of tape.
It's a lot of boring. It's like being an attorney.
(12:07):
You know, you watch Perry Mason, or you watch La
Law Corbyn Berntsen, You're like, I want to be an attorney.
Ninety percent of cases don't go in front of a judge.
You're settling out of court. You think you know no,
I mean being an attorney. It's not like on television.
It is a lot. It's it's accounting, it's it's just
a lot of minutia. And that's what the NBA stars
(12:28):
they love. They love playing, but ninety percent of this
league is not playing. So the lebrons and the staffs,
it's tedium. It's a lot of boredom. And if you
give them jet fuel, it's like they're like different players
in the last three weeks.
Speaker 6 (12:41):
Imagine if the Lakers came to you and said, Colin,
we want you to experience seventy two hours with the Lakers.
You're on the flight, you're in the film room, nutrition, weightlifting,
shoot around.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Would you do that?
Speaker 7 (12:51):
I think that'd be like the most fun thing ever.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I tried doing it for twenty two years in a row.
Speaker 6 (12:57):
Right, you're not digging ditches, that's for sure, relative to
the average person.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
But I for superstars, it is hard to get on
that treadmill every day fighting for a playing game. Yeah,
for sure. If you feel like owning a home is
out of reach, Rocket is here to give you the
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Speaker 8 (13:28):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and neon Eastern non a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
App HI Welcome back. Finally, Mark Cuban is addressing the
you know, disastrous trade that Nico Harris and the GM
made to you know, Nico Harris and the gym of
the MAVs should get consideration to the Basketball Hall of
Fame for special contributions to the game. I mean, the
(13:56):
Lakers now have revitalized the NBA, which had gone through
a couple years of soft ratings and uninteresting a lot
of international stars. Who's the face of the league. Well
now now the Warriors, the Celtics, the Nicks, the war
You know, you got big cities now engaged. And here's
Mark Cuban on the trade.
Speaker 9 (14:17):
If the MAVs are going to trade Luca, that's one thing.
Just get a better deal. You know, no disrespect to
Anthony Davis, but you know, get three. If I still
fir and believe if we had gotten four unprotected number
ones and Anthony Davis and Max Christy.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
This would be a different conversation.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Would you ever have traded Luka Doncic I'm not going
to go there. It's not it doesn't even matter.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Okay, So when Jimmy Johnson won the trade trading herschel
Walker to the Vikings, it wasn't just that they gave
up herschel Walker. They got eight draft picks. So it's
not just about the hull, it's the yield, and they
hit on their draft picks. I have no problems selling
the mansion. You gotta get a windfall back. You got
to get flexibility. Oklahoma City moved on of Harden and
(15:00):
Westbrook and they get draft picks. That's why Oklahoma City
and Sam Presci for the last several years have had
the most flexibility in the league. You have to move
off stars. The Chiefs moved off Tyreek Hill. It happens,
Bengals are going to move off an edge rusher. I wouldn't,
but if you're going to do that, you want to
put yourself in a position to get flexibility. I have
no when when the Pelicans moved off a d they
(15:25):
got Brandon Ingram, they got Josh Hart, but they got
three first round picks, and one of those was Zion.
If Zion would have remained healthy, because he was great
when he entered the league, he was he had Wilt
Chamberlain numbers. If he would have remained healthy and had
his diet and body together, you wouldn't even remember a
D because Zion's game's more exciting. So I don't mind
(15:45):
moving players three first round picks a D. Austin reeves,
I wouldn't do it, but I don't think it would
get lamented because you know, I mean, Luca wasn't in shape.
He was heard he'd missed back to back camps. He's
an awful to player. You're even seeing now he's still
not in great shape, but he's been in Los Angeles.
Kind of the tutelage of JJ Reddick and Lebron, guys
(16:07):
who have always been in great shape when they played
or if they're coaching. So it's just you got to
get some Danny Ainge has moved off stars, always gets flexibility.
Sam Presty, same thing. That's because now they have the
I think the MAVs are best off not playing ad,
not playing anybody and just getting a better pick. Try
(16:27):
to get a top ten twelve pick. You're not going
to get into the lottery. You got too many wins.
But I would just try to get try to salvage
it because you don't control a lot of your future picks.
You got your one first round of this year, and
it's a pretty good draft. It's a very domestic draft.
I mean, by the way, you tanked a couple of
years ago and got the kid from Duke who's a
very good player. Now you got fine for it, but
(16:49):
you did a soft tank. So I mean, it happens
in the NBA. But to get no flexibility and less
of a player, that's how you get fired.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Easter, not a Empacific.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
So I sometimes it's funny. So yesterday I saw that
I was trending and I laughed. Of course I was
trending because of what I said about Jason Tatum. So
I've never had a topic where I just give you
data and fax and one city is more outraged. I
don't even understand it. Yesterday I said, you know they're
ten and two. When he doesn't play, that's not an opinion.
(17:27):
I said they score eight points more a game when
he doesn't play. That's not an opinion. The field goal percentage,
the net rating, the three point percentage, all goes up
when Jason Tatum doesn't play. Those aren't opinions. In the
Eastern Conference Finals, in the NBA Finals, Jalen Brown was
the MVP, not Tatum. That's not an opinion. In the Olympics,
(17:49):
the second to last game against Serbia, coach's decision they
wouldn't play him. In the gold medal game, he had
two points. These are not opinions. You are trying to
make him Yokich, Jannie Stephan, Lebron, and Luca I'm not.
I'm just saying he's not in that class. And all
the numbers prove it. I mean, and by the way,
(18:10):
you know who else proves it. Shoe companies Lebron, steph
Katie and John Morant have their own brand. Tatum doesn't.
He's got a shoe under Michael's brand. So the Olympics,
what did it prove he shrinks against with great players
around Eastern Conference Finals, what did it prove? What's production
data prove when he doesn't play. I'm not saying he's
(18:32):
not a star. At the NBA at any one time
has two superstars, maybe three, and then about twelve stars.
I'm just saying he's not in the three, he's in
the twelve, and people are outraged by it. I think
it's you know, that's why the face This all started
with the face of the league stuff, and I think
(18:53):
in terms of face of the league, he's more Tim Duncan,
where he's efficient, productive, good guy, excellent player, can win
you championships, but there's not a lot of aura there.
There's not a lot of personality. I don't think that's
a criticism. So you're the one trying to get me
to compare him to superstars. Has a lot of good
(19:13):
soccer players and not a lot of messies. And Ronaldo's
at any one time the world's got two of them.
Now the world's got fifteen other great soccer stars. But
at any one time in bape Messe Ronaldo, it's got
about three superstars, global stars, and this is a global
league and Tatum's not a global star. I've said this before,
(19:33):
is that we talk about Michael Jordan, he hasn't played forever.
We talk about Magic and Bird and doctor j. You
know who we don't talk about, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone.
They're great players. Jason Tatum's gonna retire four years later,
there'll be no Jason Tatum talk doesn't mean he's not great.
You're the one jamming him in to this global elite group.
(19:55):
And I'm just saying numbers don't prove it. You know,
do you know what his nickname is?
Speaker 1 (19:58):
So?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
The NBA Twitter is a thing, and they make up
nicknames all the time. This year they've given seven new
players nicknames. I didn't. I'm just going to tell you
what the nickname was. His nickname. Tatum's nickname the Anomaly.
That's that's the nickname they gave him, the Anomaly. Does
(20:21):
that sound like it would sell shoes? So so, so,
I think his nickname should be the Password because he's
commonly forgotten. But I'm going to get shots for that.
I threw a couple up there. All Right, we're being snarky,
but I would we're just being snarky. We can have fun,
right as an entertainment.
Speaker 6 (20:41):
You need to read those out loud for the radio
audience because they're so disrespectful.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
The miss army Knife. The last one is terrible seventy
five cent. He misses in the fourth you know missing.
Speaker 7 (20:51):
I know, I know who's work that is.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
I'm familiar with the somebody on our staff thought they were.
Speaker 7 (20:55):
I know he's a funny guy.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
But listen, whatever you can tell it is so disrespectful.
But the people are putting him in this Rinaldo MESSI class.
I'm just saying he's more Wayne Rooney. Okay, I'm just
saying he is great. Wayne Rooney was the biggest star
in England. But he's not Messy.
Speaker 7 (21:16):
So he's a second tier star at the end.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
My whole life, the NBA's had Like when I was
a kid growing up, Doctor j was a star, George
McGinnis was. I can name twenty guys that were great.
And by the way, Shaq and Kobe were stars. Okay,
those were superstars.
Speaker 6 (21:33):
Okay, so your top tier stars right now, Yannis Curry.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
But the top superstars globally Stephen Lebron are one and two.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
I think Luca now that he's with the Lakers, that
elevates his brand probably twenty five thirty percent. That's a superstar.
Jannis is classic. Yannis is much more like Duncan, where
the NBA playoffs four years ago, when he was the
best player in the league, they put him on a
noon game. Okay, the NBA shoe company tell you if
you're a star. Shoe companies tell you he doesn't have
(22:05):
his own brand. John Morant does. Now Jahn Morant blew
it because of his immaturity. But the leak. All these
shoe companies are like Steph Lebron, MJ. They saw John
Morant and go that is a sizzle.
Speaker 6 (22:18):
So so Anthony Edwards is a bigger star than Jason Tatum?
Speaker 1 (22:23):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
What is that fair? No, they're both stars. Neither one
of those are global icons. They're not.
Speaker 7 (22:30):
Yeah, I would agree with they're not.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
And by the way, Yo Kitchen is closer to Tim
Duncan than Lebron.
Speaker 6 (22:36):
If you're Jason Tatum and I say a global icon,
who cares.
Speaker 7 (22:41):
I'm a winner.
Speaker 6 (22:41):
I go to the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA
Finals every damn year.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
That's what every guy in Woosta is saying today. And
I'm good with it.
Speaker 6 (22:48):
Yeah, and you know what else, there are ninety five
percent of the league would kill to be in the finals.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Tatum, I agree to win, and I agree with that too. Yeah.
The argument is people are offended when I get them
actual data that the team is ten and two without
him and offensively net rating field goal three point points.
Speaker 6 (23:10):
That might be that he took off games against crap
teams and the Celtics are gonna smoke.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
Him any or it could be the truth.
Speaker 7 (23:15):
I mean, what about his fifty one burger in Game seven?
Speaker 10 (23:18):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (23:19):
You forgot about that? One?
Speaker 6 (23:21):
Game six in Milwaukee had like forty five. I'll never
forget and listen. I don't even like the Celtics. In fact,
I hate all Boston teams because I'm from New York.
I love Jason Tatum. A lot of Lakers fans, by
the way, thought Jason Tatum would be a Laker at
some point because he's like mister coch.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
This this is the classic. I'm adding contextualization. You viewed
as hate, Like I said, brock Purty, I'd pen forty million.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
Wait don't you think you were trending yesterday because of
the hate.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
No, that's not my issue. I'm just telling.
Speaker 6 (23:49):
I'm just if you're a glazing Jason Tatum, it would
not have gone viral and got two million views or whatever.
Right if you're saying he's really great. But if you're
taking some shots at him saying he's not a globe, no,
like I said, there are no shots.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
There are no shots. He's closer to Duncan Karl Malone,
who we don't talk about. They retired two minutes later.
They're not a topic. Dominique Wilkins retires. By the way,
Dominique Wilkins never made the Dream Team. Great player, never
made the Dream Team, ever made the Bully. But Scotty
Pippen did because Scottie Pippen was Robin to batman on
(24:26):
the world's best team. Scotty, I mean, so again, Scotty
Pippen is one of those players. He's not as good
as Tatum. Tatum's better than Scotty Pitchen. Oh no, no, well,
Scotty's good. But the difference is Michael, they were the
rolling Stones that the Bulls were this un the biggest
basketball brand I think in my lifetime. They were the
(24:48):
only team that surpassed any Celtic team or any Laker
team was Michael Jordan.
Speaker 6 (24:52):
You could argue that modern teams right now, with the
global reachs of social media and TV games, that the
teams now are way.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
More popular than they were in the I'm just saying
relative to the era and so that this idea about
Jason Tatum, I'm just giving you data. Don't let facts
get in the way of feelings. I'm just giving you
the data points you're getting worked up over it. I'm
just saying, he's not lebron He's not Steph he's not Messy,
he's not Ronaldo, he's not Peley in his prime, you know.
(25:20):
I mean, he's not Madonna or Bruce or the Stones.
He would be he would be a multi Grammy winning
band Weezer.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
I love we First better than Weezer, really good.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Okay, come on, I love Tatum and yesterday I said
he he reminds me a little of Clay Thompson. Again,
he's better than Clay Thompson. But Clay Thompson played alongside
a player who often in the biggest games, Clay Thompson
felt like the second best player. Good God, every time
(25:58):
Jalen and tATu Murney this big series last year, it
was Brown taking the shots. Now, I think Tatum's better
than Jalen Brown, not as much as people think. I
think it's closer than you think. But Tatum's better. But
just it's not perfectly analogous, but I do think he's
got more of a Karl Malone Tim Duncan. Joki is
fascinating because he's easily the best player in the league
(26:21):
and he has no brand and doesn't want any one.
So Tatum wants it.
Speaker 7 (26:26):
Well, how do you know he wants it?
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Tatum has said I check all the boxes. Like last
week in the story he said I could be the
face of the league. I mean, you know what's funny
about it? If I'll give you an example, go back
to Duke. So when he was at Duke, Jason Tatum,
did he lead him in scoring? No? Wasn't it Luke Kennard.
What was he the most talked about player? No, that
was Grayson Allen Well who was the star? Mike Sherzewsky,
(26:51):
he was the four on Duke. No, I mean no, No,
Grayson Allen was the most controversial and talked about. I
think I don't think he was the leading scorer and
ss Chefsky was always the star of Duke.
Speaker 7 (27:02):
Yeah, I don't totally.
Speaker 6 (27:03):
All I remember is coach k is the last guy
to stop Jason Tatum basically couldn't get out of opening
weekend in the NCAA Tournament.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
I remember that brutal law. Take a break.
Speaker 8 (27:11):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and neon eastern non am Pacific.
Speaker 11 (27:16):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together We're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You could catch
us weekdays from five to seven pm Eastern two to
four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course, the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 11 (27:30):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Going on in the world.
Speaker 11 (27:35):
We have a lot of fun talking about the stories
behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture,
stories that well other shows don't seem to have the
time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends
for the last twenty years and still work together.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
I mean that says something, right.
Speaker 11 (27:48):
So check us out. We like to get you involved too,
Take your phone calls, chop it up. As they say,
i'd say, the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio,
maybe the.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Most interactive show on planetar.
Speaker 11 (27:58):
Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app from five to
seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific, and if you
miss any of the live show, just search Kobe non
Rich wherever you get your podcasts, and of course on
social media that's Cavino and Rich.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Ryan Day the Ohio State Buckeyes national champs favorite next
year as well as joining US Live. You know, I
was thinking about this this morning. I was thinking about
this years ago. Mike Krzyzewski when they did the one
and done he didn't like it, and then I asked
him about it and he goes, I didn't like it.
And then three years in I realized I was losing
(28:36):
to all these one and done guys. So maybe it's
time for me not to be stubborn. Your sport, Ryan
has become incredibly transient. I means just what it is.
Was there a moment when it all came down the
hill transfer portal Nil? Was there a moment where you
said this is a I don't know if I like
this is it? We're gonna just do high school guys?
(28:56):
Or did you buy into it? Ten minutes in?
Speaker 10 (29:01):
I mean, I I you know there's still things going
on that I throw my hands up right now. You know,
there's so many changes I think about you know, the nil,
the transfer portal, the conference realignment with eighteen teams, so
now you know in the Big Ten we travel.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
To the West Coast. Then you have the playoff change.
Speaker 10 (29:20):
Like just just those four things, those are just four
things that have all happened. Those are like major, major changes.
So you just had to be comfortable being uncomfortable in
solving it and getting it because nobody cares, like there's
all kinds of things that happened, you know, in the
last month or so that you know, after our game
we can get into later, but nobody cares about Like
what matters is putting your talent, you know, a talent
(29:42):
accusation on the field, and putting them together and putting
a team together. So as much those things have changed,
to me, I felt with this team it was about
the kind of timeless principles of hard work and sacrifice.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
And loyalty and resilience that separated us.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
So I'm a friend of Chip Kelly and he you know,
he's told me about your ship for years and years.
And I said, I said, I predicted before the season.
I said, Ohio State's gonna lose at Autson. I've been
in too many games there. You can't hear yourself think,
I don't think anybody in the country is going to
beat this Oregon team at Dotson. You got close. I said,
Ohio State's gonna beat him. They're gonna meet, They're gonna
beat it later. And Ohio State's got better personnel and
(30:17):
Ohio State's gonna beat him. But one of the things
I theorized, I said, Chip Kelly is a real advantage
that you're not going to notice until the playoff. He
has he knows how to stagger these games because college
football now feels like pro football. You can lose late
in the season. It's not a death now. It's about staggering.
It's about slowly unveiling take our audience into the value
(30:41):
of Chip Kelly in that playoff that I can't see,
you know, guys like me can't see, but inside your
building the additive value that Chip gave you, that had
a little NFL field to it.
Speaker 10 (30:53):
Well, yeah, well, I think like you said, when you're
talking about now sixteen sixteen games in a long season
with a playoff format at the end of the year,
it starts off with even this time of year, making
decisions on how you want to proceed like for instance,
we decided to huddle on offense this year. We had
never done that. Certainly Chip hadn't done that a lot,
you know, with his background in tempo. But but that
(31:15):
decision was a huge decision and that you know, we
wanted to continue to evolve as the season went on.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
But but then, you know, really have our best football
for the end of the year.
Speaker 10 (31:24):
And I think having the NFL experience, and I would
think a lot of teams would tell you, you know,
in the NFL and in September, there's you know, sort
of the preseason October, they're finding their identity and then
by the time they get to November and December, like now,
now they're going.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
To play for for championships and everything's on the line.
Speaker 10 (31:43):
And I wouldn't say that that's the way it is
in college right now, but it's it's trending towards that,
and having somebody that's been in that position before, certainly
with his experience in the NFL, it made a big difference.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
So you have a player, you have two players. And
I had said this, I had an NFL general manager
tell me a month ago that if Jeremiah Smith and
Caleb Downs were in this class, they'd probably be the
second and third guys taken. They're unbelievable players, and you
guys have done a really good job. And I think
this is really hard, especially now you're paying players that
you have these superstar players, and yet it felt like
such a team. You felt like such a team, your sideline,
(32:16):
your body language. Is it harder when you have you know,
Ohio State's one of four programs maybe three that gets
those guys. When you have literally NFL players they're just
not eligible, yet you're paying them. You're not paying everybody
big money in the NFL. Everybody's doing fine in college.
There's a little gap. Is that hard for you to
(32:37):
massage as a coach?
Speaker 10 (32:40):
Well, I think it starts with the identific I mean,
there's a lot of NFL players that you know aren't
in at Ohio State. You know that that maybe just
aren't the right fit for for who we are, and
so we try to do, you know a great job
of identifying, you know, the right people that fit us.
You know, there's a lot of great players out there,
but what you know, Ohio State's not for everybody, and
you know, we try to make sure that we bring
(33:01):
in the right folks that fit our culture. Because again,
like you said, these guys are making money now, so
it's now even more important to bring in the right fit.
And then what you say to them in the recruiting
process you better follow through with because they can literally
walk out the door tomorrow if they wanted to. So
you know, it's really forcing everybody to really, I think,
follow through with what they talk about on the front end.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
But then these guys still want to be held accountable,
you know, and.
Speaker 10 (33:25):
Coaching them hard and giving them life lessons and building
trust within the building is very very important. And I
think you know our fan base and being in Columbus
and what comes with that. You know, our guys understand
that there's a big obligation when you come to Ohio
State what comes with it. So you know, the fact
that we were able to overcome some things this year
and then prevail on the back end certainly is going
(33:46):
to you know, carry over into the season.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
You've got a bunch of guys that are going to
be very good. I mean, you're really a factory now
you've become the best. You know, you guys have done
a little bit Alabama did so Saban was a defensive coach,
and by the time he left Alabama was known for
wide receiver and quarterbacks. Ohio State in my lifetime was
running backs, oh linemen, linebackers, and now it's wide receiver.
You and I've said this. I told Urban Meyer this once.
(34:10):
I said, when you have receivers as good as Ohio State,
you got to feed them. And I said, I think
it can hurt your run game in physicality. How do
you simultaneously build power football. It's easy for hardball with
the Chargers now, by the way, because they don't have
superstar receivers. Once you have four of them, is it
hard for you as a coach? Okay, we want to
(34:31):
be explosive, but we want a little nineteen eighty five
Ohio State too. Is that hard for you?
Speaker 5 (34:37):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (34:38):
I think it's a great conversation, Colin.
Speaker 10 (34:39):
I think it's a great point because when you're in
the Big Ten, like you've got to play smash Moult football,
but then you also got to be able to go
out to the Rose Bowl or down to the Cotton
Bowl and play Texas and Oregon and attract me, you know.
And so that's the combination of things that we're constantly
trying to make sure we balance out, and the only
way you can do that is if you have on
selfish guys, so like you know, to have Trevon Henderson
(35:01):
and quin Shawn Junkins together in the backfield together and
let young players see that their unselfishness and willing to
sacrifice being the guy or a number of carries so
that they could play really, really fast and really physical
down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
Made a big difference.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
I think, yeah.
Speaker 10 (35:15):
And the only way that that happens is if guys
are unselfish and to your point, you know, if you
have selfish guys who just want the ball and don't
understand how important is to establish their run.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
It's not going to work. And vice versa.
Speaker 10 (35:26):
You know, if you have you know, running backs who
want certain number of carries when the ball needs to
get thrown out to some of our receivers, it isn't
going to work.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
So buying into the team is critical.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
You know, There's been a couple of moments in my
life when I had my first child that I literally
was floating, like I didn't feel like, I'm like, what's
happening to me? I got salty discharge, I'm crying you know,
and so we have had that too. We've all had
personal moments, but I want you to pivot now to
a professional moment because there is a difference between work
and home, even though we love both. Take me back, So,
(36:00):
the moment you knew you were going to be national champion,
who was the first person you thought of?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Oh?
Speaker 10 (36:09):
Well, for me, it was my father, you know, And
I didn't really make this public before, but since you
asked me, I'm going to answer the question. You know,
I lost my father on January twentieth when I was
nine years old, and I saw when the schedule came
out that the National championship game was on the same
day that I lost my father, And so, you know,
(36:30):
I just knew that he was with me that day,
and that was the.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
First guy that I thought of. Oh, that's a great story.
We've said this before. You know, you were at a
good program. When you get heat for losing occasionally to
Jim Harbaugh, Georgia right now, it's the best program in
my opinion, it's the best program in college football, nil
transfer portal coaching destination. It's Ohio State. Do you ever
(36:56):
ever just get to go for a walk in the park?
In Columbus put a baseball up on and not get noticed,
or do you sometimes feel like, man, it's a lot,
it's a lot coaching the buck guys in Ohio State.
How's that land for you?
Speaker 1 (37:09):
It is a lot, it is, but that's what you
signed up for.
Speaker 10 (37:12):
And I remember when the first press conference, you know,
I was there with with with Urban and you know
a lot of people just kind of asked, you know,
how do you follow up Coach Meyer a legend, and
what if you don't do this? And what if you
don't do that? And I just kind of had the
mindset of what what if? What if we do? What
an opportunity uh to be at a place where there's
just such great tradition. And you know, my wife that
(37:36):
night were on the bed together. I had three young kids,
knowing that we were probably the first, you know, family
to go through this with young kids, you know, going
through elementary school and now into junior high and high school.
And she kind of cried and she said, this is
the last time our family will be normal.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
And I didn't even understand at the time, but she
did and she was right.
Speaker 10 (37:54):
But but you know, it's it's it's it's part of
the job. It's part of the obligation, and I think
for this game, so many people have come up to
me across the country when I've traveled to different places,
and the first thing they say is thank you, just
thank you for what you did this year. And they
tell the stories of where they've been across the country
or who they were when they watched the run that
we went on, and it just makes you realize that
(38:14):
Ohio State football is bigger than any one of us
and the obligation that we have, and it's just a
you know, it's an honor to be the head coach
Ohouse State.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
I love all the you. I appreciate you giving these
stories to us because you don't have to and you're
opening up and it means a lot. Finally, a big
thank you from me for playing Texas so Ohio State.
A lot of programs won't do this and it drives
me nuts. You guys. I remember when Pete Carroll you
(38:43):
schedule the Trojans in LA you know, Ohio State played
them at home and a lot of coaches won't do this,
and you know you have just made a point. Let's
you know, I don't mind the Youngstown State I don't
mind that, you know, in State Ohio. But when when
you it's one thing to make a commitment three weeks
(39:04):
before that game, are you going to be thinking, you know,
we could have played Texas State at Arlington, that would
have been how you have the hell of an opening game.
You're gonna lose some sleep when that thing's two weeks out.
Speaker 10 (39:19):
Well, I think it's one hundred and seventy three days
from today. So yeah, to say I'm gonna lose sleep, yeah,
you nd I'm gonna lose sleep. I think a couple
of things. I think one, it allows you, you know.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
An opportunity to figure out where you're at early in
the season.
Speaker 10 (39:36):
But I think it's important moving forward with the playoff
system that like in the Big Ten in the SEC
and as we start to work through this, that we
do get automatic qualifiers and a certain amount of automatic qualifiers.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
If we don't, then you're never gonna see these games schedule.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
To your point, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 10 (39:52):
Yeah, So I think that's critical if we want these games,
which I think we should have these games, yes, and
we need to make sure that that happens because I
think it's really really good for college football.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
I mean, I think the loss at Oregon, my takeaway
is that was going to easily be the harshest environment
you would play in that I didn't care what you
did the rest of the year. I don't care if
you're that was good. No, I mean I covered Oregon.
That is as loud as any football stadium I've ever
been in NFL or college. So in a way, you
look at it at the time and it stinks flying
(40:20):
back to Columbus, but it paid dividends later. Your guys
saw what real duress is like. In Ohio State. You
don't face a lot of that, do you know. I mean,
you know, It's just it's just I feel like the
football gods, you should have won this year, and I
love the way you won, And I want to thank
you for coming on giving us a little insight into
your life and uh impossible not to root for Ryan.
(40:42):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
I appreciate it. Colin much respect, man,
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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