Rockets Drama, Lakers Going All In, Don't Bury The Celtics, and Kevin Durant

Doug Gottlieb, in for Colin Cowherd, discusses the rumors of dysfunction in the Rockets organization and where the team goes moving forward. Doug says that the Lakers going all in makes sense. He explains why people shouldn't dance on the Celtics grave. And Doug tells you why he isn't buying Kevin Durant to New York.

Guests Include: Chris Mannix, Brian Smith and Jason McIntyre

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
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
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Fox Sports Radio. What Up? Welcome in to This is

(00:30):
The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be,
making this part of your day. Thanks so much. Live
from Los Angeles, I'm Doug Gottlieb filling in for Colin
cowherd Man. What a show we got for you today.
Chris Mannicks from Sports Illustrated will stop by in about
fifteen minutes. Brian Smith from Houston Chronicle join us next

(00:52):
hour in the show, a lot of things going on
trade in the NBA. Is a player who not long
ago was actually the highest paid player in the NBA
has been dealt. More on that to come. There's basically
three kind of big emerging stories in the NBA. There

(01:16):
is the somewhat mass exodus it feels like from the
Boston Celtics will cover that, the reality of what Danny
Ainge has done as well as what he must do
as al Horford opted out of his contract and apparently
it's exploring other options. Most people thought when he'd opted
out it would be for a longer term, less money

(01:40):
yearly deal to remain with the Celtics. That doesn't appear
to be at least the immediate case. Maybe this is negotiating.
Then you have the Lakers, who, shocker here, are trying
to get rid of everything on their roster, with exception
obviously of Anthony Davis, Lebron James and Cal Kuzma, in
an effort to clear up caps basically go after a

(02:01):
third star. But then you have the story of the
Houston Rockets. Now, look, I don't know what to make
of the Yahoo story which came out yesterday in regards
to the Rockets, because in the story it says that

(02:23):
James Harden told the Rockets hey, him or me, basically
one of us has to go, and the hymn is
Chris Paul, and that Chris Paul has had it up
to hear. No one says that anymore, by the way,
I have had it up to hear. Did your mother
ever say that to you? I've had it up to
hear with this nonsense. My takeaway from the story is this,

(02:46):
Chris Paul, much like the rest of us, can't stand
watching James Harden play basketball. We all respect the points
and the assistant and the talent, but oh boy, if
I gotta watch him go through his legs fifteen times,
drive in, throw up his hands in the air like
he got crushed and hoped to get a foul, I
am I won't. I won't do harm to myself, but

(03:08):
I have had it up to here with watching that.
That's the general takeaway, right Stop me if you've heard
this before, but Chris Paul is not the greatest teammate
to get along with. Stop me if you heard this before,
but James Harden likes isoball and doesn't like to play defense.
And stop you've heard this before. But the Rockets lost

(03:29):
at home, Mike D'Antoni didn't get to the NBA Finals,
and James Harden came up short in a fourth quarter.
All of these things have happened before. So to quote
a good friend of mine, Ryan Roussillo, saw him say
this on TV, which is Chris Paul doesn't have to
have said I want to be traded without wanting to

(03:51):
not play with James Harden anymore, and James Harden's not
going anywhere. By the way. Chris Paul, to his credit
earlier today said the news of him wanting a trade
was news, quote news to him. So things are going
quite swimmingly in Houston, right new owner comes in and says,

(04:11):
you know, this is unacceptable. We want changes. They fired
the entire assistant coaching staff. Clearly that that message gets through.
I am so mad, I'm going to fire the assistant coaches.
You go ahead. They they have the virtually untradeable contract
of Chris Paul, They have James Harden, who they won't trade,

(04:36):
and they have Clint Cappella, who you might be able
to find a home for. And then you have this
from Brian Smith is going to join us later on
from the Houston Chronicle. The Rockets are expected to pursue
Jimmy Butler and be aggressive in their pursuit, seen as
an ideal fit on both sides of the court and
helping push the Rockets to the top of the wide
open West. That on paper, that sounds great, right on

(05:02):
and on paper is what the Rockets are about. On paper,
on paper, they got screwed in Game seven of not
this year, last year's Western Conference Finals, right, because on
paper is analytics and stats and numbers. They they conducted
and they had a quest, let's figure out why we
lost to the Golden State war felt like we didn't

(05:23):
get we had screwed in the officiating, and so they
used their analytics department to determine that not only should
they not have lost, they should have won by like
ten points? What even closed? According to them, I mean,
they did happen to miss I don't know twenty seven

(05:45):
straight three points shots? Did we? But we were fouled
on a couple of them, that's you, guys, And we
were fouled in a couple of them. No way we
could have just missed all of those on our own.
That the that the old adage you live and die
by the three. He could actually be accurate, dude, No, no, no, no,
no, no no. The rockets are are we use the term

(06:08):
paper champs wrong, right, they are the on paper champs
on paper? This move makes sense, all right? You just
you're like, wait, we get Chris Paul, We've got James Harden,
We've got Jimmy Butler. Here's a question, how many teams.
If Jimmy Butler it changes teams. I believe that'll be

(06:31):
his fourth team in four years. Correct, Right, Chicago Minnesota.
He's like in Minnesota for about a year and a half.
They's in Philadelphia for half a year. My moth pretty good.
You know, this is like when you're when you're anybody
can get divorced. Man. Marriage is hard, it's not and

(06:53):
you know what, you can fall back into it and go,
you've got married the second time the rebound person and
every get married for the wrong reasons or at that
time of your life two marriages. Okay, you start getting
married three four times, be like, you know, maybe they're
not the problem. Seeing a trend here, but the Rockets

(07:14):
embody and look, I don't want to make analytics the
punching bag for everything that's wrong with sports, right, but
sports is not just about the numbers. Case in point,
the Houston Rockets, by the numbers, they should have beaten
the Warriors going back to last year. By the numbers,

(07:36):
Chris Paul and James Harden are actually way more effective
offensively than either of them on the floor without the other. Like,
it's not the stats. The analytics will tell you they
are far more effective with Chris Paul and James Harden together,
as they well should be. But sports isn't about the

(07:56):
on paper champs. It's not about some sort of not
madical calculation. If it was, then why weren't the Warriors
better without Kevin Durant. The numbers told us that they
were back thirty three and one without Kevin Durant. There
better without Kevin Rant. I'm sitting here coming in to
tell Colin, like you know, it doesn't actually control who

(08:18):
you're playing against because he sits against some of the
weaker teams the regular season games. Colin's best line, I
think in the last couple of years is that regular
season basketball is the is the practice tea is the
golf range, the driving range of the NBA man, I

(08:38):
am good off the I am good off the artificial
turf on the driving range. Who is not? I can
shape shots. I can just pipe my drive, you know,
three hundred yards. You know what I don't do. I
don't even hit the driver when I get out on
real course. Do you know why? Because I can't hit
it straight when I need to. But the on paper champs,

(09:03):
this is, this is a classic move A team that
would say, like, look, Jimmy Butler to Chris Paul and
the James Harden. Yeah, but Jimmy Butler can't seem to
get along with anybody. Chris Paul can't seem to get
along with anybody, and no one likes watching James Harden
dribble fifty times before taking a shot and then jump

(09:23):
into people and try and get a call, which he
won't get in the playoffs, even though he will get
in the regular season. Right. I mean this is much
like are you guys familiar with the transitive property? Transitive properties?
Basic mouth calculation. If A equals B and B equals see,
then A must equals see. Right. The transit property doesn't

(09:44):
work in sports? Well, we beat them, and they beat
this other team, so we must be able to beat
the other team. That's not actually the way it works.
It's just not math makes sense. It's to people who
don't get the subtle nuances of life and of sports. Look,

(10:08):
in football, the numbers would tell you that you should
always go for two. Ask Mark Helfords how that worked
out for him. An Organ, he's a head coach Organ.
They played at Nebraska, I believe, and I think they
went for two and didn't get it four consecutive times,
and they had a litany of injuries, but he basically

(10:29):
got run out of town. And one reason why I
like why we keep going for two because even though
even though the math would tell you you should go
for two every time, especially in college football, where they
make extra points far less readily than they do in
the pros, and even now in the pros, obviously they
had to move it back, which is, by my estimation,

(10:50):
the greatest rule change in the history of professional sports.
When you don't get it and go for two, even
though you just scored a touchdown, you just scored a touchdown,
you should be feeling nothing but joy and adulation and success.

(11:11):
If you'll kind of let down, it's a buzz kill.
It's a buzz kill. In baseball, they'll tell you you
shouldn't bund. The numbers tell you shouldn't bud. Did anybody
watch last night Dodgers? They beat the Giants nine nothing,

(11:33):
so two nothing game. In the bottom of the sixth inning,
Chris Taylor comes up, runners it first and third, and
you know what he did. He laid down the absolute
perfect bund right between the pitcher and the first baseman
essentially where second base should be, but second base was
covering second base on first and third, and so the
first baseman had to try and get it. For the Giants,

(11:55):
he could not scored a run, made it three nothing.
Clayton Kershaw was lights out last night. The Dodgers win
nine to nothing. The numbers would tell you should never
bund unless you're Chris Carpenter and they put the shift
on and you bunt and you get all the way
to second base. Matt Carpenter. Sorry, Matt Carpenter, you got
away a second base. I'm not I'm not completely I'm not.

(12:23):
I'm not cutting the credibility of numbers as as showing
us different ways to accomplish a similar or better success rate.
They're valuable. But there's a reason that Chris Paul, whether
he wants out or he's just ticked off, or just
the reason they don't win is because they don't like

(12:45):
each other, and you can't explain that on a spreadsheet.
The reason Jimmy Butler is going to probably be on
his fourth team is because either he didn't like guys
or they don't like him, or he's a very good player.
I mean, he does take his own car. Does his
old uber excel to every game which ticks guys off?
You know, he has this kind of own thing going on.

(13:09):
Numbers can't explain that. Numbers can't explain why, at some
point in time bunting is in fact the right thing.
At some point in time, you just kick the extra point,
even though you could go for two. And the Rockets
are the on paper champions but not the real champions
for a reason, because games aren't decided on spreadsheets. Chemistry doesn't.

(13:35):
Sometimes it always always always matters, all right? Coming up next,
NBA insider Chris Mannox joins the show. What does he
think happens with the Rockets? And what about the Celtics?
A team that was supposed to have such great chemistry
suddenly has fallen apart? How does Danny Ainge fix it?

(13:58):
We'll discuss all that next. I'm like, This is the Herd.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Eastern not Ampacific on Fox Sports Radio FS
one and the iHeartRadio app. Doug Goliman in for Colin Coward.
This is the Herd on Fox Sports Trade and the
iHeartRadio app. Collin's back on Monday, as I think he

(14:21):
planned out smartly. The idea was, hey, NBA Finals are done,
there's a bit of a before free agency. But we
haven't had that, right, we haven't had it. Anthony Davis
gets trade on Sunday, so Colin's like, all right, I'll
push back vacation and he's gone yesterday and suddenly Houston
Rockets have have massive chemistry issues. The Boston Celtics appeared

(14:46):
to be not just losing Kyrie Irving, but Al Horford
and the ramifications of the Lakers trade as well as
a trade of Mike Conley, now a member of the
Utah Jazz as Ricky Rubio free agent, told the world
that he wasn't a priority of the Jazz, and now
we know why a long rumor trade has in fact

(15:07):
been consummated. Chris Mannix joins us from sports Illus Traded.
Of course he has a new pot out. It was
just looking at his tweet which talks about many of
these topics. So this is not the first time he's discussed,
just the first time he's discussed with this year on
Fox Sport. TRADEO Mannix, let me get your thoughts on
the Anthony Davis trade. Obviously, the Lakers finally get their man.
But the old question is at what price paradise they

(15:29):
get to hold on to Kuzma, but not a lot
if anything else. What do you think of the deal
from the Lakers' perspective, Yeah, they gave up the store,
There's no question about that. But I thought the Lakers
were in the same kind of position that Oklahoma City
was in two years ago that Toronto was in last year,

(15:50):
where their need to make a deal trump's kind of
any serious concerns about what they were giving up. The
second they signed Lebron James last summer, they put themselves
on Lebron's timetable, and if you look at Lebron as
having three or four years at being somewhere in the
neighborhood of the peak of his powers, you've got to

(16:10):
add somebody. And they didn't have much chance of landing
a big fish in free agency, so they had to
acquiesced to the demands of the Pelicans with this deal. Now,
could they have done a little bit better. Probably, I
think if you surveyed the landscape, and if they had
held off a little bit, I think the Pelicans would
have realized that the Lakers were their only real suitor
out there, but they had to get their guy, and

(16:33):
they got him. So the latest story out of LA
is that the Lakers are going to continue to try
and shed as much salary as possible in order to
land a third player, third superstar. Is Kemba Walker their
primary target. I think he's somebody they're looking at. I
still think Kyrie Irving is somebody they're going to try

(16:54):
to find a way to talk to, though I've been
trolled told pretty said the league that he's headed to
one of the New York teams, and the Nets believe
he's headed their direction. But it's going to be a
guard obviously, and Kemba. I think what it comes down
to with Kemba is just how do the negotiations go
with Charlotte. I mean, what kind of offer does Charlotte

(17:17):
put on the table on July first. I don't believe
it'll be the Supermax, but I don't think Kemba is
necessarily tied to that Supermax. I think he'd like something
over the Max. But you know, we kind of get
get it locked in this idea that if a guy's
eligible with the Supermax, he has to get it. It's
not really the case. If he gets somewhere in between,

(17:39):
I think Kemba stays in Charlotte. He's just got such
he's got such a strong bond with that community that
if he gets the money, I don't think he goes anywhere.
So I think the Lakers are going to hope that
those negotiations get derailed in some way and Kemba becomes available.
What do you make of the Yahoo story about the
struggles with chemistry in Houston. I don't really know what

(18:00):
I I don't know what's true what not. I've been
told pretty strongly that the relationship between Harden and Paul,
while you know, being damaged somewhat the end of last year,
was not, you know, was unsalvageable, irreconcilable. I have been told,
and you've seen Darryl Morey be very strong about this.

(18:21):
I've been told privately too that he has not requested
to train you know, from them. So I think the
relationship is strained, to say the least, based on the
end of last season. But I don't think it's irreconcilable,
and I don't think the Rockets. First of all, the
Rockets can't move him like that. That contract is too ownerous.
But even if they could, I don't know that the
Rockets would do it. I still think they believe that

(18:43):
this group, you know, can can make a run out there. Now,
what they've been doing with with Mike D'Antoni is strange.
I mean, they have to figure that out. And I
put some of that on ownership and what Tilman Fertida
is doing as the new owner in Houston. But if
they can figure out that D'Antoni stuff and get him
signed to some kind of extension, you have to look
at the landscape dog and say the Rockets are at

(19:05):
the worst the co favorites to come out of the
West with the group they currently have. You would you
would think, right, You would think they look around and
go wait, wait a second, Wait a second. The Lakers
have three players. We've been at the doorstep and now
the Warriors are maybe not dead, but they're gonna have
to regroup for at least a year. And I mean

(19:26):
Oklahoma City still trying to find a way to get
rid of Steven Adams. They have their playoff limitations. No
one believes that Portland can be any better than they were.
Maybe you tass slightly better, but yeah, I'm with you,
But there is something to the fact that they how
much of it is they can't move Chris Paul even
if they wanted to, so they might as well make

(19:48):
Chris Paul not available via trade as of now. I mean,
I think both things can be true. They can't move
Chris Paul if even they want to. I mean, I
guess they never say can't because it all takes us
one team to think that Chris Paul is the missing
link to what they're doing, and you get creative, and
that's about his creative a front office in Houstons as
you'll see in the NBA. But don't I don't know

(20:09):
that it's just about not being able to trade him.
I do think that that there's some in the organization
that believe they can put this together and that Harden
and Paul as the foundation are better with the guys
that have around him than anything else. Right now. In
the Western Conference, we look at the teams you named,
I mean, I think Portland, depending on what Nurkics does
when he comes back and how he comes back, they

(20:31):
might be able to take another small step forward. But
Oklahoma City is vulnerable. I think the Warriors are going
to take a massive step back. Obviously, it's just there, Doug.
It's there for them to take if they can find
a way to make all this work. What do the
Warriors do? Well, let's start with this. What does Kevin
Durant do? I still think Kevin Durant is going to

(20:52):
one of the New York teams. You know, that's been
the prevailing since I've gotten, you know, from from people
that know him for for a while now, and I
don't know. I mean, a lot's clearly change in Kevin
Durant's life with this injury. But does this injury make
him think that a five year contract for the Warriors

(21:12):
is the way to go? Or does he have enough
confidence in himself that got thirty two years old he
can still piece together a great career and maybe get
another contract on the back end of it. These are
these are questions that only Kevin Durant an answer in
the aftermap of that injury. But everything I was told
before the injury was that one of the New York
teams was where he's going to wind up. And I

(21:34):
just I have not heard anything to indicate that change.
Chris Mannocks joined us from Sports Illus traded Doug Gottlieben
for Collin This to Hurt on Fox Sports traded the
iHeartRadio app. Okay, so let's say he goes to New York.
We assume they resigned Clay Thompson and they just kind
of sit tight and start to rebuild their benches. That
is that their plan B I think it has to

(21:57):
be at this point because there really aren't a lot
of attractive alternatives. I mean, if you bring back Klay Thompson,
it's going to be on a max deal. You've already
got Steph Curry on a max deal. You've got Draymond
Green making real money. You just you're very limited in
terms of your flexibility and what you can do. I mean,
I think the biggest question that Golden State have to

(22:18):
answer next season is what do you do with Draymond Green.
I mean, Draymond's going to be a free agent in
twenty twenty. You assume next year, maybe it's a playoffs season,
but it's not going to end in a championship. It's
not going to end in a trip to the finals.
So you go into the summer of twenty twenty and
Draymond's going to be looking for real money. This is
probably going to be his last significant deal as he

(22:40):
hits thirty on this new contract. If you're the Warriors
and you see what Draymond is right now and you
sort of play out what he's going to be in
twenty twenty, do you want to be the team that
gives him that or do you turn around and look
for maybe seventy five cents on the dollar or with
players and draft picks that could benefit you. That's how
you build around Curry and Thompson. I mean, those two

(23:02):
guys are going to be the next five years of
this Warrior's team. If you don't believe and you don't
want to pay Draymond, who is, let's be real, he
is kind of a depreciating asset to that team. Still
a great player, but the shooting has slipped, and defensively
he's great against fours now if you talk to scouts,
he's not great against fives anymore, and he's not as
great against frees anymore. So if you want to pay him,

(23:23):
or if you want to try to get pieces that
make more sense around Curry and Thompson, I think that's
gonna be a big decision for Bob Myers and that
staff either this summer or into next season. What's your
take on what's going on in Boston where Al Horford
opted out Mill. Most people thought he'd stay at a
reduced rate, but a long term contract. Now now it
looks like he's looking elsewhere. I have my own thoughts,

(23:46):
but I'm curious of yours. Look, I think Al Horford
wants to stay. If all things were equal, I think
he'd want to be there. He's got a tremendous relationship
with Brad Stevens, with Danny Ainge, with that entire organization,
with the City of Boston. Frankly, he's developed a pretty
strong bond with But Al Horford and his agent aren't idiots.

(24:06):
I mean, they know that this summer has a summer
of two sixteen feel to it where there are going
to be teams with this max and double max cap
space that don't get the guys that they want and
will turn around and have a four year, close to
or full max level offer ready for Al Horford. So,
if you're Horford, you're not gonna take like a three year,

(24:27):
sixty ish million dollar deal from the Celtics if there's
a much bigger contract that's out there for you. To take.
So that that's kind of my big takeaway from It's
not that Al Horford wants out of Boston the same
way that Kyrie Irving wants out of Boston. He just
wants to get paid, and I don't think the Celtics
want to give him that four year, high level contract
to do it. I've heard I've heard almost the exact

(24:48):
same thing that it's not that the Celtics don't like him.
They do, but the Celtics they can't sit there and
go like, hey, we're gonna we're gonna shout everything for
Al Horford. We're not that close. We lost Kyrie. Gordon
Hayward's not where we we thought he would be before
he joined the Celtics. We're like, we're not that close.
He's not the icing on top of the cake. So
it's not that we don't want him. We're just not

(25:09):
going to give him some huge contract to this point
in his career because it doesn't make sense for us, right,
And it's look, it's it's crushing for Boston. I mean,
you lose Kyrie and it creates a lot of questions, right,
like maybe you bring back Tara Row's year and see
if you can rehabilitate him into the player we saw
him the twenty eighteen playoffs. I don't know if that
would work. But even if he's something close to that

(25:30):
second year post injury, Gordon Hayward's going to be better,
and this guy's a great ball handle, a ready playmaker.
There wasn't a window for the Celtics to really surprise
people next year. It takes to win more than fifty games,
and depending on what happens with the teams above them,
with the Torontos, Milwaukee's Philadelphias, maybe put themselves in the
mix to be a conference threat, but without Al Horford,

(25:52):
I just don't know how they'll do it. I don't
think they'll be terrible, but I think they'll take a
pretty significant step back. Coh I stay in Toronto, will
grow to the Clippers man, your guest as good as
mine at this point. I mean, all I know from
talking to Raptors people is that they feel that done
everything and you know the obvious things, which is winning
a championship, but also behind the scenes, treating him like

(26:14):
a franchise player, you know, the load management stuff, the
medical staff. They feel like they've done everything. There one
thing raptors. People tell me often is that they hope
that these playoff moments resonate with Kawhi Leonard not just
winning the championship, but the game seven ball bouncing winner
and against Philadelphia, winning the conference finals on the in

(26:35):
Toronto's home floor, the parade, and being part of a
crowd of two billion people winning a championship. I don't
think there's there's illusions in Toronto that they're going to
be able to get Kawhi to sign a five year deal,
that they love to have it happen, but I don't
think they believe it. But I think that they're only
sliver of optimism here is that Kawhi wants to come
back on a two year deal or maybe one plus

(26:56):
one to maximize what's left of con league Gasol and
the veterans on that team. But even that, it's still
it still feels like the Clippers of the leader in
the club of Kyrie. Any chance of the Knicks or
is it all nets? I think there's a chance, but
I think there's gonna happen. There's probably going to be.
If there hasn't already been conversations between Kyrie and Kevin

(27:18):
Durant about what what they're gonna do, because Kyrie to
the Nets alone makes zero sense. The Nets are Boston life.
They're coached by a reasonable facts simile to Brad Stevens
who believes in all the same things that Brad Stevens
believed in, which is all all the things that Kyrie
Irving kind of chafed at over the course of the season.
Just isn't built to care as much about the regular

(27:39):
season as Brad Stevens and Kenny Atkinson are. So I
think it's got to be Kyrie and somebody else. Kyrie,
I'm sure, would love to play with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn.
But if it's not Durant, it's got to be a
Tobias Harris, it's got to be a Jimmy Butler. If
you just bring Kyrie in, and we all know that
D'Angelo Russell is not going to be there if Kyrie's there.
But if you're just bringing ky alone, I don't know

(28:01):
how that makes sense for the long term interest of
the Nest. I'm with you. I'm with you. They had
such great chemistry. You do run. On the other hand,
they probably think, hey, we fixed D'Angel russ, so we
can fix Kyrie Irving. But it's a it's a completely
There's gotta be somebody we're not talking about, right, Like
we keep talking. Everybody's talking with the same teams in LA,

(28:21):
two LA teams, two New York teams, Toronto, Milwaukee, like Dallas,
the Heat. There's somebody out there who's going to make
a big splash. Who is it? Well, I mean, Dallas
is the one you point to just because of their
cap flexibility and their history of chasing free agents. And
I've heard Al Horford's name connected to the Mavericks as

(28:45):
one of the potential suitors, which again makes some sense
to bring Porzingis back. You have a Horford in the
front court with them alongside Luca don Chef has a
tremendously skilled three person combination there. So Dallas, I think
would be the one that's lurking out there that could
be a factor with all these top tier free agents.
Awesome stuff. Chris Mannox download his podcast. It's a very

(29:07):
good one. Draft Night is tomorrow night. I know he'll
be covering it. Follow him on social media as well.
You can see him on Fox Sports, Ones TV shows. Mannis,
thanks so much for joining us. You got it all right,
let's get to our newsman, Ryan Music. No, no, turn
on the news. This is the herd Line News. Herd
Line News, Ryan Music. What do you got but well, Doug.

(29:28):
In a not so surprising move that you briefly mentioned earlier,
the Memphis Grizzlies have traded their veteran guard Mike Connelly
to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Grayson Alan Kyle
korver Ja Crowder and some draft compensation. So this moved
by the Grizzlies was expected. They were actually expected to
move on from Connolly going back to almost about a
year ago. But once Memphis landed the number two overall

(29:50):
pick and they're expected to take guard John Morant, it
was basically a matter of when not if. Conley one
of those guys that how old do you think he is?
I'm gonna go thirty one dude, nicely done right there,
thirty one years old on the nose. Of course, had

(30:10):
the injury going back two years ago, Google's very helpful.
There was oh you look, I mean, look, he's been
a super productive player and before the injury, when he
was the highest paid player in the NBA, he was
averaging you know, twenty a game, six assists a game,
an efficient three point shooter at forty percent from the

(30:31):
field and eighty six percent three point shooter. He's good.
Do I think he makes the Jazz better? Yes, he's
better than Ricky Rubio. Ricky Ruba is just not consistent
of shooter, never has been. Incredible human being, Mike not
not that Rubio is not like I can tell you
like zero flaws as a human being. But he makes
a lot of money and he's an old thirty one

(30:52):
right Like he's played He's played I think eleven years
in the NBA and you know a lot. You know,
only a couple of well, I think only one eighty
two game season. He's always been banged up. He's also
played playoffs as well. Like there's some tread off of
those tires. But if you look at what they have,
you have Gobert, who has to have somebody who's pick

(31:12):
and roll because you can only catch it and finish
at the rim. You know you have an elite young
score who's not a point guard, needs somebody to create
for him. I like it for the Jazz. They didn't
give up that much to get a point guard. The
question becomes now can they What can they do with
the rest of the roster. They lost to Jay Crowder,

(31:33):
who's a versatial player, or Kyle Korver is a great shooter,
a great sound who I like and I think will
be a pretty good pro as time goes on. It's
just a good deal from the Jazz. You got Donovan Mitchell,
you had Jay Crowder, you still have favors and I'm
excusing you had Gobert favors, Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles.
So I think it's a good team. Is that a

(31:54):
championship team? No? But we operate under this this idea
that either it's a champion chip or bust. You're in Utah.
You keep making the playoffs, you keep getting slightly better,
and you keep god Ivan Mitchell keeps improving. You got
a chance, as teams age and fall by the wayside
to be like Denver, one of those chase horses that

(32:14):
in the right circumstances, or like Portland where you can
creep into the Western Conference finals and who knows what happens.
Another interesting note here was there was also a report
from The New York Post about the Pelicans potentially trying
to trade up and up to number two in an
attempt to grab RJ. Barrett and reunite him with former
Duke teammate. RJ. Barrett seems unlikely since the grizz have

(32:35):
gone Zis reunite him with Zion. Taking RJ. Barrett seems
unlikely that the Grizzlies would be willing to sort of
move off that number two pick and risk missing out
on Morand. No, now they've made. Now they've made it
like it's John Morand's team. They you know, unless they
want to trade and get a Drew Holliday who's a
very good player. But yeah, I would say this is

(32:56):
a move that clears out. So it's John Moran's team. Yeah,
Jaron Jackson from last year who they really like, that's
Memphis is going to young round. Yeah, they basically went
full tank mode. They went full tank two years ago
and then fired their coach because he couldn't because because
he couldn't get along with Gassol, And then they tanked,

(33:18):
and then this year they tanked again and traded Gasol away.
So the full tank well, what we thought could be
huge news in the NFL actually turned out to be
fake news. I don't know if you saw this Doug
from Brett Farve's official Instagram. He posted an old picture
of him holding up the Lombardi Trophy with the caption quote,
A true champion sticks to his or her calling. I

(33:40):
will be coming out of retirement and making my return
to play in the NFL for the twenty twenty season.
Stay tuned for more hashtag news. Obviously, people on social
media freaked out once they saw this Doug. What do
you think happened after this happened? What was Brett Farve's
response to this post? Yeah, he said it hacked, right,

(34:00):
the most obvious thing ever. Whenever social media posts happened, never, never, Hey,
I was just you know, bored. I think he always.
I think he was hacked. Seems very random. It's which
means what's more plausible he got hacked or Brett farr
was a little bored. Kenny can the answer. We both
can be bored, but not so bored that he's gonna
troll people and make him think he's coming back. I

(34:24):
guess it's one of those things. It seems so obviously.
It's twenty nine years old. He looks like Grizzly Adams,
like I don't or John Denver or Kenny Rodgers now right, like,
and I love Brett Farve, love love. Not sure the
Brett Farve thing works nowadays as much as it used
to because he was a high turnover guy. I mean
he always went for it. But yeah, I mean that

(34:45):
when I saw it, I was like, that's gotta be
a fake or that's got to be hacked. And sure
enough who was Yeah. TMZ reached out to Farve and
he said, in fact, he is not returning to the NFL.
Last one here, Doug stick him. With the NFL, we
had a Josh Gordon sighting. Hold on, wait wait, so
TM's like, hey, Brett, Bret, Brett Brett and they like,
did they interview him on his lawn tractor? That would
be so Brett Farve. I think they just reached out

(35:06):
for comment. There wasn't an actual video there, but last
one we'll wrap it up here. In the NFL, we
had a Josh Gordon siding. Doug the troubled wide receiver
was seen catching a pass from Tom Brady. Tom Brady
actually posted the video of it on his official Twitter
page earlier today, the caption saying, practice makes perfect. We
know how much Gordon has struggled with substant abuse without
his entire NFL career. He's actually still under NFL suspension,

(35:29):
which occurred in December while he was a member of
the Patriots. He remains suspended indefinitely. Just checking in with
Tom Brady or do you think they're actually working towards
hope that they'll at some point getting back on the field.
I mean, I think I think Tom Brady's pretty good dude.
I think he doesn't want to bail on the kid,
you know, give him nothing. But I mean, how many
what's the most lengthy suspensions a guy has ever ever had?

(35:53):
He missed like was a year and a half. Yea,
two years. It was like two years really and then
came back. I guess we're never really only like twenty
five years old, which is crazy, crazy, incredibly productive on
the field, but well, no, he had that one productive year,
he was okay. This year, he's okay for the amount
of time that he missed. Just stepping into a Patriot,

(36:13):
I know, kind of kind of fascinating. That's Ryan Music
with the news. Well that's the news, and thanks for
stopping by the herd Line News. The Lakers have two
of the top players in the entire NBA. Now they're
looking to add a third but is that the right move?
We discuss next in The Herd. Be sure to catch
live editions of The Herd week days and noon Easter

(36:34):
nine a Empacific. Doug Gottlieban for Colin. This is the Herd.
I saw this. It's a story earlier today. It was
a good one, thinks Howard Beck that said the Lakers
won the trade but lost the negotiation. I think that's
a perfect way of putting it right. It's like, no
one's saying they didn't get the best player and one

(36:54):
of the best players. But dude, dude, what are you
doing there? You know, what are you doing now? The
reason they had to part with the number four overall
pick is, and again these are little things within the
salary cap which are really important. You're not going to

(37:15):
win an NBA championship likely with a number four pick
the first couple of years. Maybe maybe as an ancillary piece.
The problem with the number four pick is problem with
the number four pick is that it counts against the
salary cap. Unlike if you have a second round pick,

(37:35):
many second round picks you want, and there's a limit
to how many you can buy how much you can
spend to buy those second round picks, but those don't count.
Those salaries don't count against your cap because they're non
guaranteed salaries. So even though technically you're not gonna win
with younger players. Second round picks, also, by the way,

(37:56):
are generally for your college players three four years, sometimes
five year college players, guys at transferred. I threw out
a Jordan Caroline for example. It's Simeon Rice's son, same
as Jordan Caroline played in Nevada. He was a transfer,
one of the many transfers to Nevada. So he's a

(38:21):
great second round pick. And at twenty two twenty three
is twenty three years old. You're much more, much more
likely to get an immediate contribution. Maybe not the ceiling
of Darius Garland at number four. So what the Lakers'
newest plan is. Maybe this is Plan A, maybe this
is Planned C, maybe this is Plan Z. I don't know,

(38:43):
but the plan is all right, we got Anthony Davis, Scott,
Lebron James. Now let's try and go get another superstar,
get rid of every other piece of salary that we have. Right,
there's still plan lu all Dang's stretched provision contract. It's
like five million dollars for the next couple three year,
three years counting next year. And they have like two

(39:05):
other Moue Wagner last year's first round pick. That again,
if you are going to trade Moue Wagner, it's not
because they don't like MoU Wagner. It's because there's a
first round pick. He's got guaranteed money that's on the books,
and he might or might not play. Why do you
want that? I mean, they they're gonna be name tags.

(39:26):
They're gonna be name tags for the first month with
the LA Lakers way. Wait, wait, who are you who like?
Completely new team? It's fascinating. So should they go after
a third star? Yeah? Yeah, I mean, look, what the

(39:48):
hell you're already in? Go all in? Do I think
it works? I have no idea, because I don't know
what Lebron has left. I have no idea. There were
times last year, even before injury, that he was not
moving the way that he used to move. Now he
could make up for it offensively because he's got more skilled,

(40:09):
more shooting skill than he used to have when he
was in Cleveland and definitely used to have when he
was in Miami. But he could also make up for
other people's weaknesses defensively because he was so crazy athletic
back before he was a knockdown three point she head
that this weird step back that he shoots down. But

(40:31):
but there's a term, it's a gambling term. It's called
pot committed, right, pot committed, And that's what the Lakers are.
They're pot committed. Could they have played out the strategy
of hey, look all right, we're not gonna get Anthony Davis.
Let's try and go get another free agent. We got
these young guys, we got depth, they're going to continue

(40:51):
to prove. We got Lebron. Let's figure it out. But
once they made the Anthony Davis move, they are pot committed.
They are They're in on this hand. They pushed them
all to the table. They got three more years of Lebron.
We'll figure out year four. In year four, we have

(41:12):
no idea what the landscape of the NBA look like,
no idea. But should they go for a third stuper star?
Hell yeah, what you got too? I think you're already
a top heavy team. Why make yourself? Morgana. Morgana was
the woman with the big hands. They used to run
around to baseball stadiums and kiss people on the baseball field.

(41:36):
Stop the game. As before, they used to just tackle
and pummel people that they came onto the field. All right,
coming up next, everyone is dog pilely murried, dog pile.
They are dog piling on the Boston Celtics. They are
spitting on the grave of the Boston Celtics. Why the

(42:00):
Celtics are smarter than the average bear? Next in the Herd,
One more Herd. The Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd
to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. What up.
Welcome in wherever you may be in however you may

(42:23):
be making us part of your day. Thanks so much.
I'm Doug Gottlie filling in for Colin Cowherd. This is
The Herd live from Los Angeles and the iHeartRadio app
Fox Sports Radio Day Away from the NBA Draft. We
got great draft coverage up coming tomorrow night on Fox
Sports Radio. No need to change your dial. Brian Smith's

(42:47):
going to join us from the Houston Chronicle. They'll try
and figure out exactly what is going on with the
Rockets where it feels like Chris paul is though he
it says news to him that he wants to be traded.
I'm sure it's not news to him that he's like
he liked the rest of us watching James Harden dribble
the basketball, like I get it, You're good to shoot

(43:09):
or pass, do something. It feels like the can't stand
you can't stand you of the NBA. More on that
to come. There are people some in my industry. Many
are just fans that are gleeful. Gleeful that is full
of glee at the thought that the Boston Celtics and

(43:33):
their championship aspirations are no more right. And some of
this comes from the fact that the city of Boston,
though the Bruins lost in Game seven of the Stanley
Cup Finals, because the Red Sox are defending World Series champions,
because the Patriots are defending Super Bowl champions, because the

(43:55):
Bruins are defending Do they call it Eastern Conference? What
does they? I have no idea in hockey, I swear
to God I have is when the I know the
cons Smite Award, that's about I know the Stanley Cup.
I don't even know the breakdown divisions anymore. But I mean, like, look,
Boston professional sports wise has been killing it, right, So

(44:23):
I think some of it comes from an anti Boston's sentiment.
Some of it comes from the fact that the Celtics
are run by Danny Ainge. And when Danny Ainge was
a player, he was pretty much the least likable dude
of anybody who's a Celtic hater out there. He's like,

(44:44):
well he was, he was that guy. I'm trying to
think if there is that guy in the NBA now, right,
Like like if Grayson Allen who has just traded from
Utah to to Memphis, if Grayson outt had massive, massive game,
because Danny Inge is a good player, then you would say,

(45:08):
all right, all right, that's Danny Ainge. I'm trying to
figure out, there's the way you hate Draymond Greene is
the way people hated Danny Ainge. He's just one of
those guys that would say whatever, do whatever, Like I
hate that guy. But if you're a Celtic fair like dude,

(45:28):
Danny Ainge is awesome. Yeah, So I think some of
it some of it comes from fact it's Danny ainge.
Some of it comes from some of it comes from

(45:49):
the fact that it's Boston, and I think some of
it comes from the fact that they seemed so close
and were able to remake themselves after winning a championship,
and people have thought they've gotten a pass for flaws.
Maybe maybe there's this thought that they that they made

(46:13):
Isaiah Thomas play when he's hurt. Right, there's a lot
of anti Celtics sentiment out there. One of it is, well,
they made Isaiah Thomas play when he was hurt, Like, Okay,
maybe maybe that's what happened, or maybe Isaiah Thomas was
in a contract year, thought he had a chance to
make one hundred million dollars in an upcoming off season,

(46:38):
was an MVP candidate within their system, and he wanted
to get back out and play and prove to people
that he was healthy enough to play so that it
wouldn't hurt him when his contract came up and he
ultimately cost himself. I don't know one hundred million dollars
or so, So whatever whatever it is, I do think
that it's okay to point out that there's some anti

(47:02):
Celtics sentiment. But what I've heard over the last twenty
four to forty eight hours is wow, the Celtics. I mean,
what has Danny Ainge really done with that trade? What
is he? What has he possibly done with that trade?
And congratulate all the draft picks you won the offseason,

(47:23):
you won the draft. You didn't win any real games,
and you're never gonna get any free agents because nobody
wants to go to Boston. Now, I'm young, but I
wasn't born yesterday, and I seem to remember in twenty sixteen,

(47:43):
Al Horford was available. He was a member of the
Atlanta Hawks. He was an unrestricted free agent, and a
lot of people thought he would go to the Oklahoma
City Thunder. Why Thunder were close. Thunder coached by Billy Donovan.
Right the Thunder we're trying to hold on to Kevin Duray,
Remember that they're trying to hold on to kd At

(48:05):
the time, that thought was, well, maybe you get out Horford.
It brings me more shooting at the center position, steadiness, professionalism.
Oklahma City didn't even get a meeting. They went out
and traded for Victor Oladipo. That's what happened. And now
Horford signed with the Boston Celtics as a free agent,

(48:27):
and people thought you paid too much? Why because they're Boston,
because Danny Ainge, because Brad Stevens a college coach. I
don't know. The very next year, the Boston Celtics, the
same Celtics who they don't get free agents. Do you
guys remember who the prize was the twenty seventeen free

(48:48):
agent class? Anyone? Anyone? Yeah, that was Gordon Hayward. They
got him to go along with a wealth of draft picks,
young players, talent. They were returning Isaiah Thomas from the

(49:09):
year before, who is going to come off of a
hip injury. That was before they traded for Kyrie Irving.
And when they traded for Kyrie Irving, the logic behind
the trade was he fits in with our timeline, with
our plan, with the age of our players. Like it
was a great plan. Do you guys remember what happened? Yeah,

(49:32):
Gordon Hayward broke his leg in half in the first
two minutes of his game with the first game with
the Celtics against the Cleveland Cavaliers and National TV. So
did the plan end up in a championship? No? Did
the plan end up in an NBA Finals appearance. No,

(49:54):
but if even if you want to say that, look,
when you traded for Kyrie, you could have known something
would go wrong with his knee. Okay, Like I have
never heard of a player in the NBA having metal
that holds together their kneecap that had to be removed.
That's the initial that was initially what he had done.

(50:16):
It was it was bothering him when he was playing.
He had metal taken out because they was holding the
screws kind of together as the kneecap which had broken
in pieces in Game one of the NBA Finals back
when he played with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first
NBA Finals, that that was what he had taken out.
And then when they did that, then he still had
some he had an infection in one of the screws,

(50:37):
so they'd take that out, clean that up. But even
if you said, like, look, Kyrie, he had the toe
in college, he had a litany of injuries. When it
was with the Calves, you had to know that Cary
Irving would break down. Okay, I'll go, I'll go. Okay,
but if any of you armchair quarterbacks, if any of

(50:58):
you Twitter gangsters saw Gordon Haywards as possibly who had
never had an injury, breaking his leg in half in
the first two minutes of his first game at the Celtics. Dude,
you need to go to Vegas. Nostre Damas has nothing
on you. And you read now articles where they're like, well,

(51:22):
the reason that he lost, Brad Stevens lost the team
was he kept playing Gordon Hayward early in the year
when he wasn't ready Like yeah, okay, look, I understand
the Gordon Hayward thing. One. Gordon Hayward is a former
player for Brad Stevens at Butler. So even though he's
not the son of the coach, there are going to

(51:43):
be guys who are like, yo, they're boys from way back.
There is the white guy element to it as well.
That's the reality of not just Boston the NBA, but
anywhere in the NBA. Well you know, the white guy
in Boston, he's gonna play. There's also the reality of
how much money he makes, and jealous and guys are like, look,
I'm better than him. He's making a bunch of Money's

(52:03):
only making money, but I'm playing because he's making a
bunch of money, which is real. Even if you took
the actual reality to how anybody who runs any NBA
team was probably thinking, which is like, look, we know
Gordon Hayward is not good now. We know that Jaylen
Brown and Jason Tatum may be better than him now,
but we've seen Gordon Hayward be an All Star before

(52:23):
he got hurt. He was an All Star in the
West before he got hurt. We saw that, so we
know what we think Jason Tatum can ultimately get to that.
But we know what Gordon Hayward has been in the NBA.
So if we bite the bullet now, maybe by the
end of the year, he'll be back to the Gordon

(52:45):
Hayward of old. And there were some signs, but it
wasn't it meant to be. Look the truly what's happening
with Al Horford and Boston is this Danny Ainge is
not an idiot. He has one similarly every one of
these trades. And well he didn't go and get Anthony Davis. Yeah,

(53:08):
because you know what he's not willing to do. He's
not willing to do what the Lakers are willing to do,
which is sell the farm for one player, because he's
seen that not work in New York. He's seen it
not work elsewhere in the NBA. He didn't have to
do it in order to build the Big three in Boston.
He didn't have to do that. And so instead of

(53:32):
selling the farm to get Anthony Davis, they're sitting there
reasonably going well. Al Horford is thirty three years old.
Why would we give him four years max money? One,
he's probably not worth it. Two that's the act of
either desperation, which we're not, or aspiration to win a

(53:55):
championship and we're just not there. We lose Kyrie Irving.
We're not a championship team. He's got great character, he's
a very good player, he's solid, but show he's not
worth Just like Anthony Davis, is it worth trading off
all of your primary assets for one guy when you
have a good, strong, young nucleus that you can build around.

(54:17):
Al Horford is not worth giving a max contract too,
because you're not one player. You're not one player away
from winning a championship. You're just not Tell me the
trade that Danny Ainge has lost. How'd they get Jason Tatum?
They had the number one overall pick. They traded back

(54:38):
to the number three pick. The number one pick didn't
play in the NBA last year, and maybe you could say, well,
no one could have seen the Mark el Foldstein coming
guns fair, but they seem to do pretty well with
that one. They trade away nothing to get Isaiah Thomas
and then trade away broken down Isaiah Thomas to get
Kybrie Irving. Go through it. He's been so good that

(55:03):
no one wants to pick up the phone because you
feel like, dude, whatever, whatever Danny Ainge does, he's going
to try and win this trade, which he should do.
Danny Ainge is at GM. Is Danny Ainge as a player.
If he's your GM, you're like, you know what. He
doesn't waste money on a team that's not gonna win

(55:24):
a championship. He pockets resources, he recruits good players, He's
got a really good coach, and he gets more out
of his team than he could. Like, dude, they were good,
then they tanked and then they got good again. What
am I missing here? You don't like him because what
he boomdoggled your team in a trade. And you can

(55:46):
say to me, well, they haven't won a championship, and
you're right, You're right, they haven't won an NBA championship
since twenty ten, but they've been to the conference finals
three other times during the last five years. They've been
to the playoffs all five years. And if you want

(56:06):
to compare them to all the other franchises, the Bulls
have been in the playoffs, but once the historically good franchises,
the Lakers have gone through these six worst years as
a franchise, the Knicks. Do you want to start any punchline,
any joke could end up with the New York Decks
and you're like, ha ha, Right, So if he was

(56:33):
your get me be like, all right, I'm in Whatever
he does. Seems to have a plan, and when it
doesn't go right, like Gordon Hayward break breaking his leg,
he seems to try and figure out the problem with
a reasonable solution. So instead of wasting money on a
player that's not gonna get you closer to a championship,

(56:54):
he's gonna rethink things and let somebody else get a
really good player. Be very careful of dancing on the
grave of the Boston Celtics and Danny Ainge. It's been
done before. People have thought they've gotten over on him
before go through his trades. Tell me when he's lost.

(57:17):
When you're consistently in the playoffs, when you manage your
money well, when you have good young talent, even when
the chemistry goes awry, you stop, you take a breath,
you figure it out. And you don't have a Chris
Paul contract or a Joe Johnson contract that you cannot trade,
that you cannot move. And that's why they're swallowing heart

(57:39):
and letting somebody else, like the Dallas Mavericks, overpay for
Al Horford, because either desperation or aspiration and they are neither.
All right. Coming up next, Brian Smith's going to join
us from the Houston Chronicle. What's really going on with
the Houston Rockets? Do they all hate each other? Or

(57:59):
are they just like the Toronto Raptors of last offseason.
I'll explain and welcome in Brian. Next. Be sure to
catch live editions of The Herd weekdays at noon Easter
nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS one and
the iHeart Radio app as the NBA World Turns continues
on Gotliebin for Colin, this is the Herd. I mean,

(58:22):
it's kind of crazy when you think about it. I
understand that there are disgruntled players in the Nation Football League.
I mean, we spent My radio show follows this one
three to six Eastern time, twelve to three Pacific, The
Doug Gotlieb Show on Fox Sports Radio, the iHeart Radio app.
We're on series Sex and What two oh three and

(58:43):
two seventeen. We're on the you know, we're on the
same channel as the Dan Patrick Show if you're a
satellite listener. But look, I understand that like the Antonio
Brown thing captivated us, and there are other you know,
disgrunt the man we talked yesterday about Aaron Rodgers who
broke out the You know, I got eleven years of

(59:03):
doing this and reading defenses, and I'm not not saying,
you know, there's out of arrogance, which is which is
the there's no disrespect, but something disrespectful is going to
come out. I'm not saying this to be a jerk,
but something that's gonna make you sound like a jerk
comes out. So I understand that other leagues have their

(59:26):
own issues and guys that don't like each other. But man,
the NBA's got some whiny dudes, doesn't it. Like crazy
NFL guys just like, hey, we just want fully guaranteed contracts.
There's there's never been a There's never been, ever, ever, ever,

(59:51):
an easier way to show human beings that money isn't
everything than the NBA. Because he goes like man, NFL
guys like man, I'd just be happy if I had
fully guaranteed contracts. Now, the truth is that most NFL
contracts are guaranteed. They're just not guaranteed to the point

(01:00:12):
where they want that. NFL players want dollar for dollars,
which it would be stupid to do. But I mean,
we're talking about Kawhi Leonard turning down a MAX deal
to stay in San Antonio because they basically said he
was faking an injury. Kemba Walker would have to turn
down millions dollars. Kawhi would actually lose a year of

(01:00:35):
guaranteed money forty million dollars off of a contract. Obviously
could make some of that back on the back end
if he leaves Toronto this time around. Chris Paul has
the most ridiculous contract that Houston, when they traded for him,
promised him and then followed through on their promise, and
he's obviously not happy. The NBA is the is the

(01:00:57):
embodiment of the statement money isn't everything because all these
guys are crazy rich, money that their kids, grandkids can't spend,
and enough of them are unhappy where stories like the
Rockets story comes out all right, the Rockets story really
there was an ESPN story last week, There's a Yahoo
story yesterday. Man who covers the team on a daily basis,

(01:01:18):
he's a calmnesst in Houston, but he knows everything going
on within the Rockets organization is Brian Smith. You can
fall him on Twitter. Covers for the Houston Chronicle at
KRON that's c h R O N Brian Smith. He
joins us in the herd. I'm Doug Gotlie filling in
for Colin. Okay, so let's start. Let's start with when

(01:01:39):
they lost in Game six. The point I made on
my radio show is to anybody who thought they could
beat the Warriors in years to come, like there is
a snap shot. No, Kevin Durant and the Warriors still
came in and beat the Rockets on their home floor,
which I think is the fourth straight year they've lost
on their home floor, their last, their last game. And

(01:02:00):
then Tilman for Tita, you know he wanted to throw
his new ownership. You know, weight around how much of
all of this bad press and all of the changes
within the coaching staff is not just because they lost
to the Warriors, but because of how they lost to
the Warriors. It's a huge part of it. And you're

(01:02:20):
exactly right about that. The small picture, all of this started, right.
We can trace a lot of this back to the
fallout from Game six and the organization recognizing that, hey,
after everything we've done and coming out publicly, I mean,
Daryl Morey has never back down from this. We are
built to take down the Warriors. They are obsession, right.

(01:02:40):
So a lot of this current drama you can trace
back to that. Tilman for Tida speaking out, I think
if he had to do it now, he would not
do that. He's obviously a second year owner. He has
pushed the University of Houston to its highest height in
many ways. He's not afraid of change. He is not
afraid to call it like he sees it maybe doesn't

(01:03:03):
work that well at times in the NBA. That's a
learning process from him. He'll be the first to admit
that Mike D'Antoni and the organization, Chris Paul and James Harden,
they had one of their mini confrontations after Game six,
so you can trace it back to their Doug. But
a lot of this goes back much farther right, and
some of these are issues with James Harden that have

(01:03:25):
been lingering there since the Dwight Howard years. A lot
of this if you listen to the other side, this
is Chris Paul. This is Chris Paul, and he is
incredibly talented. He will be in the Hall of Fame
one day. His game is also declining, his contract is insane,
he's ahead of the players Union, and Chris Paul has
never been known as being incredibly easy to work with.

(01:03:47):
There are some who question whether D'Antoni can truly take
this team to the top right, even without Kevin Durant,
even with the West being wide open, there are some
that question whether James Harden and Paul Chris Paul can work.
To you, there are a lot of questions right now,
and it's on the rockets if they're going to take
advantage of this wide open West to sew all this

(01:04:07):
back together, to go after someone like Jimmy Butler, who
they are very interested in, to try and find a
way to maximize all this and not waste years. Really,
if Darryl Morey building this all together, they were very
close and it's going to be fascinating if all this
breaks apart. Yeah, it does feel like if you went

(01:04:27):
back to before Kevin Durant got hurt, or maybe before
Clay Thompson got hurt, you're sitting there going like, all right,
we got to rethink things over the Rockets now, no KD,
no Clay. So their obsession of taking down the Warriors,
it happened they didn't get the chance to take them
down and play for a championship. Is that the reason

(01:04:48):
that they're may be rethinking completely shuffling the deck they
are And you know, part of this is right. This
is how news works, especially in the NBA. And you
set this all up very well. And I've been covering
this league for more than a decade now. It is
the drama league. I mean, if every year goes by,
it is reality TV. It's agents and super agents and
super teams and superstars and everybody talks and media information

(01:05:12):
that is really what moves this league more than ever. Well,
here's the thing. A lot of what's come out recently
about the Rockets, I'm not saying that it's fake, I'm
not saying there is without question, without question, there is
truth that James Harden and Chris Paul have had issues.
I will say that and on the Bible that is official.
And if you're denying it, you're taking the team side

(01:05:32):
on this and trying to smooth everything out. Pr Wise,
they had issues. Do the Rockets believe that they cannot
make it work? No, Has James Harden had issues of
guys before? Do the Warriors have serious issues and Kevin Durant,
Dreymond Green and they reached the finals? Yes, So a
lot of this information that's come out recently. In a
lot of ways, this is old news, right. It's not

(01:05:53):
like James Harden and Chris Paul have been fighting in
the last week. It's not like, you know, the Rockets
don't know that they have to tweak things. But post
Kevin Durant and post Play Thompson going down and the
West being wide open, Anthony Davis to the Lakers, Mike
Conley just to the Utah Jazz, the Rockets do believe
firmly that they've got to find a way to get

(01:06:13):
this all back together, make some changes, tweak some things,
but they'd be idiots if they want to break it
all break it all up right now. And while everyone
might be available for trade, it's also the idea that
with a couple moves they could still be the best
team in the Western Conference this season. Are they not?
You know, Darrel Morey said has said that Chris Paul

(01:06:34):
didn't ask to be traded. You can not ask to
be traded and still not want to play with with
with James Harden. But are they not trying to trade
Chris Paul because nobody wants to take that contract? I
believe it's a very very fine line, right. I Ultimately,
if the Rockets had a deal to trade Chris Paul
tomorrow and it was a favorable deal and it didn't

(01:06:57):
set the team back on the court, and they believe
they can may could work and Paul's happy, and let's
just say, for conversation stake he gets to go to
Los Angeles or whatever whatever it is, they would take
that deal, right. I mean, they're they're they're a very
smart team. They know that that deal is not team friendly,
that Paul is on some level in decline. He has
to recognize that too. I mean, part of this is

(01:07:17):
Chris Paul's pride, And you know, I don't think any
team in the NBA takes that contract right now because
nobody else is stupid in the NBA. I mean, he
might have poorly run teams, nobody wants that contract three
years left, one hundred and twenty million dollars. So it's
on Mike D'Antoni if he's in a coach to team
this year, someone Fatida, Daryl Morey, James Harden, they're together.

(01:07:39):
They still have enough talent, they have enough movable pieces.
I mean, I mentioned Jimmy Butler potentially the Rockets last night.
Idiot fans, How in the world could you make that happen.
There's a thing called a sign and trade in the NBA.
Daryl Morey has pulled this stuff off before, but no,
there is there is serious truth to the Chris Paul
James Harden situation. But James Harden's also dealt with this

(01:08:00):
for right, So it's on Harden's fall, it's on this
organization to try and find a way out of this. Okay, um,
But we mentioned that. You know, Look, Mike, what what's
the m O of all these guys like Mike D'Antoni
great offensively, can't get to the NBA Finals and win
a championship. Chris Paul can't get along with people. Body
always breaks down. Right, James Harden hard to play with

(01:08:23):
because he dominates the ball, doesn't play defense, and doesn't
show up in in elimination games. Right now, you had
Jimmy Butler, who the fourth team in four years. Everybody
thinks he's a talent, he thinks he's a superstar. No
one else thinks he's a superstar. Can't win with him,
can't keep money. It's like, how does that? I just

(01:08:43):
like that doesn't seem to work together. Yeah, And here's
the thing. I mean, I think if you look back
at some of the track record with the organization, and
this has been under the radar in a lot of ways,
and now it's coming to the surface. They've at times
thrived on some case us and and thrived on making
things that might not you know, you don't think go together, right,

(01:09:04):
James Harden and Chris Paul remember that whole conversation when
it started. Could they share the ball? Could somebody play
off the ball? They want a franchise record sixty five games.
Paul stays healthy with the hamstring. They probably win the
NBA Finals. They've pretty much made it work. Now the
deck is fact, and now they either have to find
a way out of it with Paul, if somebody presents,
you know, a favorable trade, which has not happened yet.

(01:09:26):
I fully believe if someone said to the Rockets, yes,
we have a deal for you, the Rockets would take it.
Right that has not happened thus far. Paul's not going
to retire. James harden Is, you know, for all of
his flaws, still one of the best players in the
NBA without question. Mike Fantoni can win you fifty five
games every year. He's still got improve in the playoffs.

(01:09:47):
The Rockets know that. It's it's it's a huge question. Yeah,
you had to me Butler to the mix. It's either
going to work and you win a title or somebody's
choking somebody by the eighteenth game of the season. So
it is a lot for this team to figure out
right now. And I'll say this, there is no more fascinating, dramatic,
maybe dysfunctional team in the NBA right now than the

(01:10:08):
Houston Rockets. You mentioned the blow up, Like, look, anybody's
been married, You've had a fight with your wife. Sometimes
there are things you can take back. Sometimes there are
things you can't take back. Yeah, do you believe this
this is a a reparable situation with Mike. So there's
there's two parts of the answer, right. Number one, it

(01:10:29):
is Mike D'Antoni in the Rockets, and that's where that's
where this started. I mean, you either an NBA world,
and I understand the Rocket's perspective, but in the NBA world,
you either fire him or you extend him for three years,
right doing the one year extension when you just won
fifty plus games for the first straight year, doing it
with the weird guarantee and the biot that that really

(01:10:52):
doesn't work in the NBA. And then there's a system
there and you have power agents and that's Warren Lagarry
who runs half the league. When it comes to the coaches,
that's probably not going to work, and it hasn't worked
thus far. That relationship can be fixed, without question, and
Mike D'Antoni is committed to making it work for the Rocket,
So that one, I think can be fixed. Paul and hard,

(01:11:14):
and that's the biggest question because only Chris Paul and
his family really know how he feels right now. And
I've written so much about James Harden for the last
five years, and James Harden is still a question mark.
We haven't heard from James Harden during this period. I mean, obviously,
you know he's doing the Harden thing, and I'm sure
he's working out, but we can all still question James

(01:11:34):
Harden and whether he has the killer inst killer instinct,
whether he's truly a leader that is going to be
on Harden and Paul if they're still on the same team.
When when the team gets back together in a month
a couple of months, can they with Mike D'Antoni figure
this out. And I cannot answer that question right now
because I don't think anybody knows the answer to it. Well.
I mean, listen, what you gotta do is you gotta

(01:11:56):
go down to that strip club where he has his
jersey retired and ask James where the jersey in the raft? Yeah? Yeah,
asked James Harden. You. So that's that's how you catch
up that there or in a Jim great stuff. Brian
really appreciate Brian Smith, really appreciate you join us and
giving us your perspective on all things Houston. Rockets. Thanks
for having me on. I appreciate it. Doug Glivin for Cohen,

(01:12:18):
this is the herds. Get some herd Line news or
the Ryan music. No, no, turn on the news. This
is the herd Line News. Well, Doug, we're seeing a
whole new side of Kawhi Leonard. After he became a
two time NBA champion and two time Finals MVP at
the Championship parade, he made a joke acknowledging his viral

(01:12:40):
laugh from that infamous introductor ha ha ha. Now we
have this from an Instagram post by his teammates Sergebaka.
I know you have been hitting vide Oh you're along
and then you choke to take care of body, right, definitely,
But now you are on NDIA champions What is the

(01:13:00):
worst junk food you cannot wait to eat? Just drinking
alcohol and he deserves all the time is quite litterally
becoming an actual human being in front of our eyes.
You've said you you're not totally convinced that he is
in the past drinking alcohol. He didn't even say beer
or wine. It sounds like he's saying what he thinks

(01:13:22):
human beings actually say. That's a very that's actually a
perfect way of putting it. It turns out that it's
he's he's like Darth Vader. Once they took off the mask, right,
there's still some human being in him. He's not all machine, right,
you know, or maybe it's like Rocky four. Right, he's
not a machine. He's a man. He's not a machine.

(01:13:44):
He's a man. I guess anyway, M yeah, I mean
I like this side all right, so I ha ha
ha ha. I got a couple of questions here. Okay,
what type of alcohol do you think he drinks? Because
let's be honest, he said alcohol. He didn't say vodka, beer, wine, wine, coolers.

(01:14:06):
We have no idea black Scotch, dude, Tennessee, no question
expensive Tennessee. Okay, Now desserts? Is he like cookies? Ice cream? Currently?
All of them? This is a big thing. Did you see?
Like Dirk n Novitski has said this like he's had
dirt Viskys like retired three months ago and he's like
hadn't worked out a day eating dessert every day? Right?

(01:14:27):
He said? He said ice cream, he's ice cream? Every
said ice cream every day? Oh, I would say that
there's you know, man who doesn't like chocolate cake. Cake's amazing.
He's got to be going Cookies and cream? Yeah, who
invented cookies and cream? A genius? I want to kiss
that person. Right, it's like the thing the greatest things
in life that that have been invented, cookies and cream,

(01:14:49):
ice cream, back shoulder throw. All the quarterbacks. Phil Sims
trying to tell me he invented the back shoulder throw.
Damn Marino thinks he invented the back shoulder throw. I
don't know, but the back shoulder throw is kind of amazing.
Lebron James invented the shop. Unless he did, he gave
like barbershop conversation never existed until Lebron James. Thank you, Lebron.
Although I did watch Coming to America, which I felt
like was before. Oh but it's real barbershop talk. That's

(01:15:11):
never actually actually it has happened. But kiss, But I
want to, um, So, what's he? I would say, chocolate cake,
cookies and cream, ice cream, maybe brownies, probably some brownies yea,
and Toronto. You might want to check the brownies. You
gotta be careful the brownies. It is the offseason though, right,
we'll rest, we'll wrap it up with this NBA story.
Adrian Wozerowski, as well as other reporters, are reporting that

(01:15:34):
Bucks forward Chris Middleton will officially decline his thirteen million
dollar player option to become an understricted free agent. He
added that Middleton and the Bucks are working towards a
new long term deal where Middleton is expected to get
the five years or he's asking for the five year max,
or he will look for the four year max somewhere else.
Does he stay in Milwaukee or does he poland Al

(01:15:54):
Horford and go somewhere else. I think he stays there,
But it is you know, this is what happens, right,
This is like is he a max? A max player
should be the best player on there should be like
four max players in the entire NBA. Well those should
be SuperMac like supermax should be like five best players
in the m A right, right? Right? Okay, fine? Right?

(01:16:16):
What was it? Seven? Was the Magnificent seven that that
Nick Wright had yester yesterday? Right? He had the seven
impact seven impactful players? Like? Okay, all right, um, but yeah,
there should be like at there should there There's not
a max guy on every team, but a max guy
should be the best player on the team and he's not.

(01:16:37):
Chris Milsen is an incredible story, right like he Mark
Turjan signed him late. I think he's from I think
he's from South Carolina and you had techs A and
m Um. He had some injuries and when when they
had a coaching change there he he wasn't as good
late in his career as he was a start, and
then he he worked his way into being an incredibly
valuable weapon. But he's got some dre him on Green

(01:17:00):
to him. From this aspect, Chris Middleton is best with
the Bucks, and the Bucks are best with Chris Middleton
is a match made in heaven. So I don't think
he has the values outside of that organization that he
has to that organization. But what value should that organization
pay to a guy who fits perfectly with how they

(01:17:20):
want to play? No, I mean like, that's a hard one.
It's a hard one, and that's the news. Well, that's
the news, and thanks for stopping by the Herd Line news.
Speaking of guys on social media, Kevin Durant is love
social media, but does he really want to be in
New York. We'll discuss next and the Herd be sure

(01:17:43):
to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays and noon
Easter not a Empacific. Doug gotlie in for Colin here
in the Herd, Man, I cannot wait to our best
for last, our best for last, because the worst the
worst part of us. Oftentimes I see at kids baseball games.

(01:18:06):
My son is currently playing All Star baseball for a
team in our hometown, and there was some there was
some a little bit bad sportsmanship from the other team
we got smoked by in the semifinals of a Saint
Hedge Weeks tournament over the weekend, a little bit not crazy,
and then a couple of remarks which weren't great. But

(01:18:29):
I've nailed it knocked down. How many different parent groups
do we have? Now? I've kind of I'm I think
I'm like at seven seven different eight nine nine different
parent types at little kids baseball games, and I'd be
interested to hear your thoughts on those upcoming. We do

(01:18:51):
have a man, we got a good show for you.
Mark Stein had had this street. Stein is also an
Orange County Guy cal State four ten alum Big Tight
now writes for The New York Times. One smart NBA
coach suggested to me in regards to Kevin Durant, why
not stay where he is, lean on the all star

(01:19:11):
assistance of Steph Curry and Draymond Green rather than go
to the Knicks or Nets and launch a complicated comeback
in a tabloid environment amid such high expectations. Yeah, I
just I gotta tell you, I'm not feeling that Kevin
Durant in New York sort of thing. Just not did
I feel it before? And I'll offer this up. I'll

(01:19:34):
offer this up as a as a son of my
late father was an avid New Yorker, and so I
have an affinity for New York City, New York City hoops,
the love of basketball in that city. If you're in
New York now, you're not in your head going like
you go down to West Fourth, you go to Rucker,
you go to any park. There's kids still playing outside,

(01:19:56):
even though they don't produce nearly the number of basketball players,
the the basketball talent they used to, because kids nobody
you grew up in the city, most parts of it.
Your family is so wealthy, you're not grinding like you
need to. And the ones that are grinding and are good,
they go to prep school or go to school somewhere else,
so they're not necessarily from the city anymore. It's just

(01:20:17):
not the depth of players anymore coming out of New
York City or even even the boroughs. But I know this, whoever,
there will be somebody who will crack the code. The
Knicks will at some point in our lifetime win again.
And Danny was like, it'll never happen, Like all right,
they said that about the Red Sox, the White Sox,

(01:20:38):
the Cubs, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Right, it never happened, like
never is a very long time. And to the guy
or guys that accomplished that, I mean they still no
one knows anything about the system of Red Holtzmann, but
they still there. Red Oldsman and I mean Walt Clyde

(01:21:00):
Razer still on TV. Why because he was the last
great championship guard. Phil Jackson got the job there as president.
Why because he was part of that last year. Whoever,
I know the Yankees are great, all right, and I
know if he winning with the Rangers, it's like Mark Messier,
there's a ticker tape parade. But whoever accomplishes it with

(01:21:23):
the Knicks, you're gonna get a statue, You're gonna be
a legend for a hundred years. But man, the expectations
when you're in New York are so fever pitched and
all right, So KD sits out all of next year.
If it's in a place like New York, he'll be
expected to produce right away, like no, we won't, Yes

(01:21:46):
they will. He'll be in his thirties with a team
that won't have a culture of winning. Or you could
just stay where you are, go to San Francisco rehab,
come back and get the band back together and do
it again like Jordan had a year and a half off.
Why can't Kevin Durant all right? Coming up? Next up,

(01:22:12):
what's wrong with the rockets and how they can fix it? Next?
In the Herd One more Herd. The Herd streams twenty
four hours a day, seven days a week within the
iHeartRadio app Search Herd to listen live or on demand
whenever you like. What up? Welcome in This is the Herd,

(01:22:33):
wherever you may be in however you may be making
this part of your day. Thanks so much. Live from
Los Angeles, I am Doug Gottlieb in for Colin Cowherd. WHOA.
We got a lot to get to Jason McIntyre. He is,

(01:22:56):
he's an artiste. Let's say, what kind of artiste upcoming now?
Not paint by numbers. There's an art to his takes.
We'll get to that upcoming. Jason mctaber be part of
our NBA Draft coverage on Fox Sports Radio tomorrow night.
Rick Buker, Chris brus Hard and UH and Jason McIntire.
So that's gonna be awesome, right, the whole first round

(01:23:19):
Click on Fox Sports Radio. You'll learn about the picks
and about where they're going, but more than anything about
what it all means for the NBA, because the real stuff,
it's what's going on around the NBA, including the story
which started really Look, I think it started with the
NBA Finals, Like Tillman Furtidas a new owner, and I

(01:23:42):
want some butts. That's what he like, he wanted he was,
he wanted to choose some butts after they lost Game
six at home, and look, I get it, man, you've
been super successful. He's like, I'm a fighter, Like, all right,
your family has owned a piece of UFC. Right, that's

(01:24:04):
wen he went a little Brian Williams on us, right, like, yeah,
I've been in the octagon like no, no, no, you
watched fights in the octagon. You are a restaurant tour
and a remarkably successful one, all right, Like man Landry's.
I like Landry's. That's good. Morton's. I like Morton's. What's this?

(01:24:28):
What's let's see what's the big one they have? The
what's the big steakhouse they have? I mean Morton's is
one of them. What's the big one of hers? Um?
I mean they own a bunch of different spots. Houston's
I think is theirs as well. I got a good
deep menu, like relax with the I'm a I'm a fighter. Yeah,

(01:24:48):
you're a great business man from an incredible business family.
And you guys have been around the UFC game like
let's mastros, right, masters is a big time. I do
like Morton's the whole deal where they like bring out
the piece of meat, like that's gonna be your piece
of meat? That one? I want that one anyway. I

(01:25:13):
just I I look at it and I'm thinking, you know,
to a season ago they lose to the Warriors and like,
we're never gonna beat these guys. Can't beat these guys
because we missed twenty seven straight threes and Chris Paul's heart.
All right, if Chris Paul wasn't hurt, we would have
won this game, all right. This year you had Chris

(01:25:33):
Paul and they didn't have Kevin Durant and Andre Godala
was limping around much like he didn't play the year before,
and you still couldn't win game six at home. Forget
about game seven. Road could win Game six at home.
And then we heard rumblings about a potential riff between
Chris Paul and James Harden. Everyone became suddenly available except

(01:25:57):
James Harden. The entire the entire coaching staff outside of
Mike D'Antoni was put on notice, and let go name
Mike D'Antoni, Like, yeah, listen, we'll give you a contract extension,
but essentially we'll be able to fire you and not
pay you a dime more than we want to pay you.

(01:26:23):
So a funny thing can happened on the way to divorce.
A funny thing happened on the way to blowing up
this team, and maybe it was saved by Chris Paul's contract.
Like Chris Paul's contract is so bad that they're like, ah,
let's work it out. Basically, this is It's almost like
a couple who should be divorced, like man the guy.

(01:26:46):
But the guys sitting there going, I never got a
pre nup, and it's more expensive to get rid of
her than it is the keep her right. That's what
the Rockets are telling you. And then the rocket it's
had to look around and go Wait, the Warriors are
no more. I started yesterday's show talking about the remarkable

(01:27:09):
change in the league in one week, and the biggest
change was though we all thought the Warriors would come
back a step, the assumption was they would lose Kevin Durant.
But remember that Rockets team lost to the Warriors without
Kevin Durant. Like to anyone who wanted to go, like
to Tillman, Fortina, don't worry, boss, don't worry. Next year,
they won't have Durant. For Tina sitting there going, Wait

(01:27:32):
a second, they didn't have Durant and they just kicked
our ass on our own home floor. Their bench is
going to be better, They're going to be healthier, and
they won't have Durant. Fine, now they won't have Clay
Thompson for most of the year, and so now all
of a sudden, the Rockets sitting. They're going like, well,

(01:27:52):
we don't have a prenup with Chris Paul, Let's do
it again. That's what it feels like. Honestly, I feel
like the Rockets. You know, everybody says this in every
league in the every league in sports, and frankly every
league in college sports and pro sports into copycat league. Right,

(01:28:16):
it's copycat league. I mean, that's really what happened with
the Warriors. When the Rockets say we're solely focused on
the Warriors and how we beat the Warriors, it's one
out of respect for what they've done. How do we
copy what they've done. You're not gonna have Steph Curry,
but all right, we got our James Harden. You're gonna

(01:28:37):
have Jamond gram but we got a PJ. Tucker. We're
gonna with the Lakers, they were like, well, we're gonna
zag with everybody's zigs. Nah, the whole league's going with shooters,
will go with guys that can't shoot. Huh. That was
Maggie Johnson's plan, genius, all this three point shooting stuff.
Let's get me Rondo, get me Land Stevenson, get me

(01:29:00):
JaVale McGee. Huhm But now when you hear it's a
copycat league, they're all copycat leagues. You take what somebody's
doing that's successful and you copy some, if not all,
of it. We talked about Disney's got this like Netflix killer.
I mean, they just like there's Netflix and then there's Amazon.

(01:29:22):
I don't know who started making their own shows first,
but they're both successful. And Disney's like, hell, we're getting
boat raced here. Let's buy Fox TV and studios and
let's put it together. Let's let's copycat league. Everything's like
every original ideas are really hard to see through. And
once they're successful, why wouldn't you copy it? Why wouldn't you?

(01:29:49):
And when you look at the Toronto Raptors, what happened
last year? They couldn't get past Lebron James. Oh god,
we can't get past Lebron Ja. We can't get past
Lebron James. We can't. Last year they were swept by
the Calves. Calves weren't any good last year. Calves got

(01:30:10):
swept by the Warriors. And Lebron's like, oh yeah, my
thumb's bad. And the thumb, the thumb. I had a
thumb thing all along. My thumb I'm shaking guy's hands
at my right. I got a thumb thumb problem. The
care Calves could have been could have been beaten. If
Victor Oladiebo makes a shot or two down the stretch
by the Indiana Pacers in the first round. That that

(01:30:33):
did happen, right. They went to Game seven with the
Boston Celtics, who did not have their two best players,
and we go with their whole chemistry thing or whatever.
But like Jason Tatum's like nineteen years old and he's
lightened up. The Cavs were not good. The rafts were good,
but they would see twenty three in that uh what

(01:30:54):
is it? Wine wine and gold or wine and cheese
jersey or whatever it was, and they were like, dude,
we just can't beat that guy. They get swept by
the Cabs. What happened? Lebron leaves, They fire their coach,
They make a big change, They get rid of their
high priced superstar player and get a better, higher priced

(01:31:17):
superstar player one year rental, and you know what, it worked.
And the Rockets are sitting there going like once a
hell of an idea. Now Kawhi Leonard is not available
on a for a one year rental, I don't think,
and they don't really want to get rid of James Harden,
and they can't get rid of Chris Paul. But maybe

(01:31:40):
they can move Clint Capella. He's young, he's athletic in
as much as he can't play him at the end
of games against the Warriors, you don't have to play
the Warriors in the playoffs anymore. Maybe we keep him,
maybe we move him, and maybe we bring in a
Jimmy Butler, you know, And sure Jimmy Butler's would be
as worth team in four years. And sure Chris Paul

(01:32:03):
is always hurt, hard to get along with, doesn't seem
to enjoy watching James Harden dribble the living life out
of a basketball. And no, James Harden doesn't play defense,
and he can't play without the basketball, and he doesn't
dig Chris Paul pointing out all of his flaws, and look,
Mike D'Antoni doesn't really know much about defense, just says

(01:32:25):
guys play defense. And he's clearly miffed his contract situation,
and that Jeff Bezdelik, who was his defensive guru, got
fired after talking him out of retirement earlier this year.
Like all of those things. But much like the Raptors
had to look up and go, oh hey, I don't
know if the quiet thing works or if he stays,

(01:32:47):
but at least we don't have Lebron there isn't that
what the Rockets can do. I have no idea if
James Harden and Chris Paul will want to kill each other,
or if they'll both kind of team up and want
to beat the living daylights out of Jimmy Butler, who
people seem to struggle to get along with. But at
least we don't have to beat the Warriors. They're all

(01:33:09):
copycat leagues. One stunned me at the Rockets are copying
what the Raptors were able to pull off. Coming up next,
Jason McIntyre joins us, we'll get his thoughts on the
dysfunction within the Rockets and can it's still come together
for a championship. All that's next time. Doug gottlib This

(01:33:30):
is the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Herd weekdays in noon Easter nine am Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio FS one and the iHeart Radio app
The Smooth Sounds The Herd on FOXMOS Radio. Doug gotta
live in the House with the welcome In. Tomorrow night,

(01:33:53):
Fox Sports Radio to be live throughout the first round
of the NBA Draft with Picked By a Pick Analysis
by hosted by crispers started, Rick Buker Jason McIntyre. The
action starts tomorrow seven o'clock Eastern right here on Fox
Sports Radio. I'm Doug Gottlieb. I will be in for
calling Cowherd throughout the week, so I'll give you some
draft stuff heading into the draft and coming out of

(01:34:15):
the draft tomorrow and then later on to the evening.
You can hear the smooth sounds of Chris Bussard, Rick
Bucker and Jason McIntyre, who earlier today use the bird
use Twitter to uh what you need some new hoop shoes?
Is that right? Like you? You know, Doug took up

(01:34:38):
a couple of times a week and uh you know
my old uh well, my old heart like two year
old six are starting to start somewhere and care. So
I was floating to anybody out there, I like the
most comfortable here, you know. So I was looking for
some suggestions, got some funny ones, okay, but why were
you You were very anti Nike in your tweet you
said nothing went to squosh. Wise, I don't do Nike.

(01:35:00):
I'm a big under armed stock guy for about a decade,
maybe a little less than a decade, and Nike keeps
the arrival. So I'll do it air Jordan, the air
Jordan Brand. But I won't do anything with a big
swing shot it. I just I hate to break it
to you, but Nike and Jordan Brand are in fact
the same company. Totally aware of that Converse also owned
by Nike. I don't know if you knew that one
Hurly also owned by Nike. The world why do I Okay,

(01:35:24):
so so why why would you? Because you own stock
in them? You will you will sacrifice your feet? No, no, yeah,
actually that's what you said. You didn't say I'll wear
any shoes. You said I'll wear any shoes but Nike. Well,
I here's the thing. Specifically, I won't wear a shoe
with a big shoe on the side. I just won't
do that. I do for me. My principle is, hey,

(01:35:45):
I don't need to advertise for Nike Jordan Brand locals tiny,
you have a you have a you have a Laker's jersey,
don't you. I do have an old magic Johnson Jersey,
Yes I do. Do you have a new new Lebron
James Jersey, Not yet, but will you be buying one?
I probably will not? You know me? What about what

(01:36:06):
about for your kids? I'm just I'm pointing out that
your kids will want and Anthony Davis or a Lebron Jersey,
will you purchase what kids want? What kids want? I
don't mind a suit me personally, I will not wear
a big Now if Nike's want to send me three stuff,
that's another deal. So you are a man of principle,
except when you are not exactly there you go exactly.

(01:36:29):
You're certainly right. Yes, you're a man of principle, except
when you're not. Jason McIntyre joining us, All right, what's
what's real and what's uh what's not real about Houston
and uh and what's come out in several different articles recently. Yeah, well, Doug,
as you know, uh, you know, I go to the
gym play basketball. There's a Houston rocket who's been in

(01:36:49):
my gym now for about a week and his trainer
of watch them work out. Talk to the trainer. I
said hello to the player. This stuff about Chris Paul Verus,
James Harden's wheel. They don't like each other. They did
not get along this season. Norl more he can say
Ali Warren't. I believe he's covering up for the fact
that he Wait, so the Houston Rocket told you this
at the gym. No, well, that's the thing. He didn't
tell me that he's talking to the trainer. They're friends.

(01:37:12):
I spoke to the trainer afterwards, and it's real. It's real.
They do not Chris Paul James tarn't have to have beat.
That's not breaking news. That's out there. The Rockets players
are talking about it. The real question is Ken. They
move Chris Paul Ken they trained him, and I believe
that's why Darryl Morey saying there's no beef here because
he couldn't find a willing partner for Chris Paul All

(01:37:32):
the Orlando Makes taken him. Oh, the New York Knicks
taking him. Seeing it, those are the teams of point
guard needs. So this is one of the worst contracts
in the NBA right now and they're stuck. I like
your theory about Jimmy Butler, but talk me through how
the Rockets acquires Jimmy Butler. I don't know, man, I mean,
they gotta find us someone to move Capella and move
all their other pieces. I don't love it either, but

(01:37:53):
but they have to be sitting there saying, well, the
Warriors are done, why not us? Lakers have only two
Lakers have only two players on their roster? Why not us? Yeah,
well the Lakers. I don't know, right, they're talking about
the Kemba Walker stuff. I personally believe I would go
with the two or three players. You know, you get
a Reddit, you get a Patrick Beverley at Danny Greene

(01:38:15):
um and surround Anthony Davis with that. Remember Anthony Davis
and Drew Holliday went to the second round two years ago.
It's almost like Anthony Davis is undervalued, isn't it. You know,
the guy's been he's been hurt a little bit, he
pouted and wanted out. We're still talking about about the
sixth best player in the NBA. My wrong, six or seven.
Anthony Davis is better than the six or so. I

(01:38:35):
don't I don't know. I don't know how it's begun
this week. Let's let's let's put rankings next to guys.
But I mean, Kevin Durant's not going to play next
season or most of next season. Lebron James wasn't the
best player in the league this year, Kawhi probably is.
There's no reason to believe that Anthony Davis is not
in that conversation of the best couple of players. Now,
now you get Lebron and Anthony Davis. Name a better

(01:38:56):
Joel in the NBA. There isn't one. I don't want
to hear. They are Chris, Paul or Westbrook and Paul George.
You get Lebron and Anthony Davis in the pick and
roll and good night. Yeah, I can see how this
team improves the fifty wins and then in the postseason
goes on a tear. Uh. You know, my sad origins
right now with the injuries, it's depressing. Um. I think

(01:39:18):
we can all agree that's bad from the league. No
Kevin Durant, no play Thompson next year. But at least
there's Lebron and Anthony Davis to hang your hat on.
If you're the TV networks, have you have you stalked
Kawhi Leonards trainer to find out what Kawhi Leonard is
going to do? No? Well, you know, I think there's
a bunch of real estate agents in the Los Angeles
area saying, Hey, Kawhi, who has a kid with a

(01:39:40):
woman who went to San Diego State with their in
a deep relationship. Uh, she's from the San Diego area.
You know, you add up a couple of things there.
But let me ask you if, Kawhi, it's fine to
build a global brand. Okay, hold on, what did you
just what did you just do there? You just did
He has a US in San Diego, so that no, no,

(01:40:02):
and he bought a place in LA. That's at least
the realistic chatter out there. Okay, okay, everybody, Yes, you
did want you one of those things that like I
just I want to go down. You're like, I get
into Uber and I was like, I want to go there.
You're like, all right, cool, and you go the you go.
You take a left and then a right, and then
a left, and then a right, and then a left

(01:40:23):
and then a right and then another right, and then
you're you're there. Technically you got where I wanted you
to get. But it was a path to get there. Okay,
so it did he wants to I guess he wants
to build a global brand. I apologize for interrupting Jason
McEntire joining us. I'm Doug Gottlieb. This is the herd
go ahead. He's won. He wants to build that global brand.
If you look into that lawsuit against Nike, you're nikee

(01:40:46):
for stealing him claw design. Uh, it's real. He wants
to be a global ambassador and next year in the
Olympics it's which is an Asia? He was That is
my time. I'm in my prime to sell a lot
of shoes, a lot of new balance year. This is
my time. And I don't believe there's a path to
that in Toronto. I currently I believe that the Clippers

(01:41:08):
are just going to be so far behind in LA
right now, behind Lebron and Anthony Davis. I do believe
the Knicks are back in play, Doug. For Kawhi Leonard,
the Knicks. Yes, why you just said there's real estate chatter?
Otherwise what there is? Real estate chatter? Yes, but guess
what you can be bi coastal. You know that. I
think you've got homes all over the country for the

(01:41:28):
follow But when I look at the Madison Avenue impact
for Kawhi Leonards, well, listen, you take that to Asia.
I mean, Kawhi Leonard is in position to become arguably
the biggest deal in the NBA, but he's got to
be in I believe right now in New York City
for that, I think plus one thousand if you're gambling
on Kawhi Leonard's next stop, plus one thousand New York

(01:41:49):
Knicks had some value right now. Jason McIntyre joining us
here in the herd. Okay, what about Kyrie? Where did
I still think it's the Brooklyn Nets. I went on
FF one's market in last month and said, how Kyrie
has been texting Nets players all seasons and Mark Steins
is confirmed. Yeah, he's been texting in with the all seasons.

(01:42:11):
In what he's been recruiting him. He could toss Caris
Laverte's name in there as well. They've put on the
full court press for most of the season. Kyrie wants
to be the alpha and he will be that in Brooklyn.
He wasn't that in Boston and then the Brad Stevens
and what what the days of the Kaytum did isn't working.
I think the Nets make all the sense in the world.
And I know you think Jimmy Butler Houston has the potential.

(01:42:33):
I think Jimmy Butler as Kyrie's wingman, Robin to his batman,
has some has a chance in Brooklyn, and I think
that's why the Nets made that trade for Alan krab Or.
They shipped Alan crab out of town to Atlanta four
two max deals. Now, that was right after the Kyrie
was hanging out in New York at the jay Z's
Club like one one night before that, basically convincing the Nets, Hey, guys,

(01:42:58):
you've been free up cap room, I will get a wingman.
I think that guy could be Jimmy Buck. What do
you make of the Celtics and the sudden downfall of
the Celtics, Al Horford opting out and now looking elsewhere.
Gimme by on the Celtics, doct dog, I'm never selling
Brad Stevens, Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown are still there. I

(01:43:18):
would agree with what you said about Gordon Hayward coming
off to m Hey, go look at Paul George. Remember
when he had that gruesome broken leg at the us
USA basketball He came back, he was He played like
six games the following year. He was pretty good. The
year after that is when he really popped and it
was a monster. I think Gordon Hayward's in line for
a huge year. I'm buying the Celtics load, Doug. Yeah,

(01:43:41):
I don't know if they'll be I don't think they'll
be championship contenders. But which is why I think they'll
They'll allow Horford to go and get the big paycheck.
I just think they're like sitting there going like, look,
he's thirty three. We don't think he's a MAX level guy.
If somebody else wants to overpay for him, there's nothing
we can do. By the way, who who is paying
Al Horford? I'm just curious, Well, what team out hour
is committing that much money Dallas. Oh interesting, So you

(01:44:02):
got our hoard for Porzingis and Luca. Don that that
square could be a problem in the West. Yeah, that
could team. Well, like, well let's let's see again. Porzingis
has to come back and be healthy. Also he's got
some off the court stuff to deal with. And and
you know they again like just like the Lakers, like

(01:44:23):
they have to actually build a team around around those
those guys. But it was Luca and a bunch of
guys and they want to believe, like thirty three games
last year. Um, you toss in and a potential, you know,
all NBA talent. Let's call him an all star in
Porzingis and an all star in Horford. I don't know, man,
that that lineup could be deadly. Can you imagine Luca

(01:44:44):
and Horford in the pick and pop? That's pretty filthy,
it is, It is pretty filthy. Okay, So draft is
tomorrow night. You're part of our draft coverage with Broussard
and with with Rick Buker. Your your your comp for
Zie Willimson? Who oh? I don't I hate the comp
for Zion because he's a combination of guys. Is he not?

(01:45:06):
There isn't just one guy. You know, He's not Rodney Rodgers?
Is that Lebron? I don't think there is a comp.
I think he's kind of a unicorn. I know there's
a cop out Doug, but I don't think we the
NBA has ever seen anyone like him with that quick
second jump and the ability to get to the rim
and defend in the leaping ability. He's also chart the

(01:45:30):
So John Moran's gonna go to RJ Barrett three to
New York. Do you like Arsnie Barrett? I do I
like him a lot. There's a bunch of stats out there.
He was the first teenager, I believe, in the last
like thirty years in college basketball to average like twenty two,
eight and five or whatever the numbers were. He's He's

(01:45:51):
also kind of undervalued because he was in Zion Shadow.
I love Barrett Man. I think he's going to be
big time player, multiple time All Star. I like his
game a lot. All Right, you're you got your sneaky
hot take, guy, Give me a sneaky hot take. Give
me a guy you like in the NBA draft that
other people are not in on. Give me Alexander Walker
over Jarrett Culver. I'll take the kid from Virginia Tech.

(01:46:14):
I like his game. You know, I saw Colver at
the end of the NCAA tournament against good defensive team.
He shot twenty three percent dug from the field, like
three of seventeen on threes. I don't know that he
could create his own shot. He's a sick athlete. He've
got the swag, you know, he's got the Jordan look
to him, and you know, the where's the number twenty three?
And junking on people. I just don't see the skill

(01:46:38):
to be a two in the NBA from Jarrett Colver.
I like the kid Alexander Walker out of Virginia Tech.
Is that spicy enough for you? Yeah, it's pretty spicy.
It's pretty spicy. Real quick, Where are you Kobe White
or Darius Garland? Because I think it's closer than people say. Well,
they're all raven about Kobe White. Um, I think he's
a competitive dude. He does have short arms. I can't

(01:46:59):
tell you a short arms or if his height is
inflated because of his hair. Um, but I have heard
nothing but rave reviews over Garland as a shooting point
about is spicy enough? Let's move on to the next.
Carson Edwards can be Fred van Vliet uh in three
years in the playoffs for T Max. Okay, yeah, I mean, like, look,

(01:47:24):
the whole Fred VanVleet thing is like the crazy part
was before they had the kid against Milwaukee, he was terrible, Yes,
he was atrocious. So look, I love the Fred van
Vleet story. Like super successful college player. Um, the differences,
they're not even similar at all as players, right at all? Well,

(01:47:46):
he's just he's a score, but he also has he's
a freak athlete with like Sequon Barkley like Legs May.
He's just he's a remarkable physical specimen. I think he'll
be fine. I think he'll be an off the bench
scorer in the NBA. That's that's what helped. That's that's
what his final spicy one before you boot me off
the gil more likely to be potential Draymond Green. I

(01:48:06):
get potential, Okay, DeAndre Hunter of Virginia or nastier Little
of unc Uh. It's a good it's a it's a
good one. Well here here's the thing. I mean, how
real do you want my analysis to be? Do you
want the stuff you'll hear on TV or the real stuff?
Not here? Little is not smart enough to be Draymond Green.

(01:48:27):
He's not a smart basketball player. He's just a he's
just he's a competitive kid who will make the league
and be But he's just like Draymond Green is kind
of a basketball savant. Dude. The problem now, the problem
with would you want to who was the other one?
The kid from Yeah, he's fine, he's fine, He'll be
a good player. He's not a star. He's kind of
a little stiff good player, be good. I mean the

(01:48:50):
guy I would I would do a Jordan Caroline would
have a better shot, better shot because of his ability
to guard four or five positions and his competitiveness. He
is a better shooter than you. Can he lose? Can
he lose twenty five pounds? I don't even sure, But
I don't think he has to. I don't think he
has thing. I would put him in the PJ. Tucker

(01:49:11):
range as opposed to Draymond Green, right, I think he's
a PJ. Tucker type. That's fine. Look, Draymond Green is
kind of a unicorn. There's just not a lot of guys.
I actually think that Zion Williamson is going to be closer.
That's a He's like a newer, better version of a
Draymond dreenk I about this one. This is this is
your love. This is better than I like to see
you a little athletically, he just yeah, William william screwed

(01:49:33):
him over at anything. He did not screw him over.
Who is he supposed to say? Cam Johnson tied Jeroom
Yes would be a perfect fit for the Warriors at
twenty eight with Clay out. I love tied Jerome's game.
Just such a clutch player, money player, winning player, all
those unquantifiable adjectives. I like his game a lot. I

(01:49:55):
don't think I love it. I love his game in
college when he can just dribble and jump up and
shoot for people. He's not doing that in the pros.
He just he's just too slow. There's just it's just
too slow hard. I mean, do you want you want
me to lie to you and tell you he's play
Thompson Like, dude, he he just too slow. He can't

(01:50:19):
guard athletically, he can't. He won't be able to get
those those contested shots that he made in college. You
got to make from four or five feet further out
in the pros. But everybody knew they were coming. On
the Warriors, he's playing against college kids. You're playing. There's
four hundred and fifty NBA players in the entire world
are designed to stop him because he's your best player.

(01:50:40):
But in on the Warriors, it's like, well, we gotta
stop Curry, we gotta stop the dream on pick and roll.
Oh yeah, this other kid tied Jerome. Let's let's I
liked hi Jerome. I hope he makes it to the NBA.
I don't like him in the first round. You're Hayton
on a lot of these guys. Give me a guy
you really liked it. Nobody else does. I gave you
Jordan Caroline earlier. I gave you a Organ Carolina earlier.

(01:51:00):
I think I think Kyle Guy makes the NBA as
as as a shooter off the bench. He's little, but
he's got long arms, competitive, you can make shots. I
like how Guy. I'm not as big on Cam Reddish
is the hardest one because he looks the party can.
He should make more shots than he made, but he's
kind of a weird personality. Some people don't think he

(01:51:21):
loves basketball, but he's got a super high ceiling um.
All right there, I gave you too much, too much
draft stuff. Thank you so much, Jason. Good luck finding
good luck finding those sockny basketball shoes you've been looking for.
And thank you so much for eavesdropping on all of
that Rockets conversation. Do he hang up on us? Or

(01:51:43):
do you hang up on him? You hung up on him?
That's not that's not right. That's Jason McIntyre, who's the
co co host of tomorrow night's NBA Draft coverage with
Chris Brussard and with with Rick Puker on Fox Sports. Radio.
Let's get to Ryan Music with the news. No, no,
this is the herd Line news. He did. He did

(01:52:07):
basically say, like, imagine Jason McIntyre working out. So he
posts I love Jason McIntire. If anybody thinks I don't,
I love like he's one of those guys that he
does make coffee nervous. But I love Jason. Could get scary,
but but he he posts videos of himself like working

(01:52:29):
out or shooting free throws or whatever. I'm just imagining
him in the gym, like posting a video of himself
like doing bench press and post a video of himself
shooting jump shots and then walking over to some trainer
of a Houston Rocket and going like hey man, Chris
Paul and James harden Beet, real fake, what do you know?
Slipping him a twenty? All right? What do you got?

(01:52:49):
All right? So let's talk some NBA veterans. You guys
were talking NBA draft prospect. One NBA veteran, Kyle Korver,
was included in that Mike Connolly trade that we were
talking earlier. So Mike Connelly goes from the Grizzlies to
the Jazz. The Jazz send Kyle Korver and some other
players over to the Grizzlies. Mark Stein, NBA insider for

(01:53:10):
New York Times, pointed out earlier today, Kyle Corver said
after the season that he would mule retirement, but one
source with knowledge of his thinking said that today Corver,
who's thirty eight, is likely to pay another season, maybe
even two. Some people connecting the dots, maybe the Lakers.
There you go. Corver does train out in Los Angeles,

(01:53:30):
Santa Barbara. I think it is where he goes to,
this place called P three. Yeah. P three is what's
called P two's right parked. P three is where he trains.
There you go. Yeah, I mean, like, look again, there's
a perfect guy who's playing with Lebron, can make shots, veteran,
doesn't need the money. It makes sense once a Lebron
guy owas the Lebron guy. Yeah, Like once you're kind

(01:53:51):
of in the family. The family, Yeah, the family. He's
got to be bought out by the Grizzlies in order
to make that happen. Right, let's go to the NFL,
which is not a tough to live, Like, hey, you know,
you want to pay me three million dollars to not
play for your team cool, I'll do it. If they
signed Kyle Corver and j R. Smith. Oh man, they're
going to it like somehow make a trade for Tristan Thompson.

(01:54:14):
I mean they should have hired Tylu It would have
been incredible. Absolutely, they are going to uh I would
say j I think Jr. And Kyle Corver will both
be on that team. And Alex Caruso. They like Caruso.
Lebron loves him. Some Caruso. Who doesn't love Caruso? All right,
let's go to the NFL. Doug reports out of New

(01:54:35):
Orleans the Saints and star wide receiver Michael Thomas are
still quote far apart on a new contract. Earlier in
the week, there were reports saying that the Saints were
comfortable making Thomas the highest paid wide receiver in the league.
As for now, there is no deal, but each side
is quote motivated to get a deal done before training
camp next month. I don't think he should be the

(01:54:57):
highest paid wide receiver in league. Led the league in
receptions and touchdowns sixth and yards. Yes, very good or great,
very good. Unbelievable net system. They create mismatches for him.
But you can't just go like, hey, hey, dude, you
go get open. He's not a Julio Jones, He's not
a freak, but he's a tack. He's a tactician. You know,

(01:55:20):
I got a chance to do play by play of
the Saints demolition of the Bengals. The embarrassment of my Bengals.
I mean it was so bad. You know, the Saints
thin punt that day. Yes, literally did not punt um.
But I was sitting there with Brian Baldinger and he
was just kind of explained, like the genius to this
offense and how it works. On the other hand, I

(01:55:40):
don't think that Drew Brees has ever been the best
quarterback in the league, but he's had the best numbers
of the best quarterbacks in the league, and that hasn't
stopped him from getting paid. Sean Payton's a wizard. Sean
Payne is a wizard. He's a wizard. That's a little
bit of MLB here. To wrap things up, Doug whoever
said pictures were soft was a liar. During batting practice yesterday,

(01:56:03):
three times Cy Young Award winner Max Scherver's shuser broke
his nose. Did you see this video? I did. He's
trying to bunt. Yeah, and he did not have a
helmet on. Didn't have a helmet on, didn't really take
that particular pitch very seriously. The awkward angle of the
bat ball grazes the top of the bat somehow, Ricochet's

(01:56:25):
completely back into his space and now he's got a
gottleib he's got he's got a nose like mine. And
I think he didn't thought he did that. And those
are the reports. He's still expected to pitch tonight in
one of the National's doubleheaders against the Phillies. Broken nose though, right,
it's still got like in things like it's like you

(01:56:47):
when you have your rependance taken out, like appendix is
a major surgery. You haven't taken out, but it's like,
why is it there? You don't need it? Everybody doesn't.
Everybody have a broken nose at some point, I think
so most people. Yes, And when you broke your nose,
did you miss a game? No? It's like the least
heroic heroic thing ever. I'm I pitched with a broken

(01:57:07):
nose and the hockey guy that loses all his teeth
has a concussion nose is coming breathing out the side
of his cheek wars noses, you know, looking like sloth.
Oh rocky road hockey, right hockey guys a little tougher,
but it is it is a sign of a baseball grit.
It's also he also should feel bad because he didn't

(01:57:28):
have a helmet on, and he did he did kind
of you know, not take it seriously as far as bunting.
And that's right. Music with the news, Well that's the news.
The third line, there's a terrible viral video of parents
gone bad, which I'm sure is in southern California. No,
not southern California. All right, it's it's a it's it's

(01:57:51):
a youth baseball game that ends in a melee. But
it could be my could lead us to my very
favorite best last. It's next in the Herd. Be sure
to catch live editions of the Herd week days in
noon Easter nine am Pacific. Doug got even for Cowherd.
Cowherda just tweeted out water skiing video. He was a

(01:58:15):
water skiing two skis right, but only one hand, so
he wasn't wakeboarding. He was old school water skiing. Has
Coward officially jumped the shark? If he jumps the shark
and water skis. You have to actually know the old
Happy Days Jumped the Shark episode to understand that. But
it was actually a really good reference by your boy. Oh,

(01:58:37):
I got so much more material we haven't even talked about.
I loved watching. I watched most of the Dodgers Giants
game last night. Doyer's nine nothing over the arrival from
the North. But the game was blown open, big six,
running in six runs in the seventh. But in the
sixth inning, Chris Taylor with a bunt first and third,
and he lays down a perfect bunt ric bunt, And

(01:59:01):
I thought of the Houston Rockets, right, because as we've
told you games, look the analytics and the numbers they help.
They do help. They're like, all right, there's this is
an equation that can lead you to more success. But
they are not the end all be all, and analytics
guys will always tay like, stop bunting, don't ever bunt.

(01:59:24):
And then I watched Chris Taylor stand up there, laid
out a perfect bunt, score a run safe at at
first because it's it's first and third, well less than
two outs. The second baseman covered second, the first baseman
goes to get the field the ground ball, he can't
get it. There was nobody to throw to it first

(01:59:44):
in and nobody home. Anyway, they score the run, Kershaw
gets to win. They add they add on six more
in the seventh inning, and the rest of they say,
is history. Just like when the Rockets. Look at these things,
you say on paper, Chris Paul and James Harden should work.
Games aren't played on paper. On paper. You add in

(02:00:07):
Jimmy Butler, like, wow, oh, that's like three stones. It's
like three of the Infinity stones. Can I give away
that if you hold an infinity stone it kills you. Right,
you have to have that special glove. And even when
you have that special glove and you snap your fingers

(02:00:29):
and you wipe out half the universe, even then you
could still die. They don't tell you that. They don't
tell you that with analytics. Let's get to the Best
for Last. It's almost the end of the show. But
that doesn't mean we're phoning it in. Nope, we grind
to the very last segment. It's time for Best for Last.

(02:00:51):
Weed is legal in Colorado. I think these parents should
have probably smoked a little before they went to their
kids game. And I only bring that up because there
was some rage going on. Apparently is a seven year
old baseball game with a thirteen year old umpire who
could have seen something bad happening here right in Lakewood, California,
there's a brawl between parents because parents are in fact

(02:01:14):
the problem. The problem is not the children, The problem
is the parents. It's in Lakewood, Colorado. I thought I
thought Colorado was supposed to be super chill now right,
everybody loves and hugs each other. I was kidding about
the weed stuff a little bit. It is legal whatever
like this is not acceptable behavior. But in regards to

(02:01:37):
best for last, I thought I would share with you
the different types of parents that you only see at
youth baseball games. I know because that's where I have
spent at least the last twelve to thirteen weekends, in
addition to the California baseball essentially never stops. So here's

(02:01:59):
the worst type of parents at base at youth baseball games,
maybe not as bad, slightly less than the ones in Lakewood, Colorado,
who should never be allowed to attend. If you're on
that field and you're not breaking up the fight, you
should never be allowed to attend a child's baseball game. Ever, again,
I'm okay with that. That's not that harsh. It's look

(02:02:25):
the obviously the overly aggressive parent, but there's the always
positive parent, a little bit of the chicken coop going on.
If you sit with the ladies, with the moms, they
are remarkably positive and when your kids are young, because
the ladies like, good hit, good hit, Like that was

(02:02:45):
actually a pop out he got under it. That's not
a hit. It's good contact, good contact. That's okay. We
know you walked the last six batters and that we're
running out of time. We know we're on a time
limit and you can't throw us, but good job. Even
the kids themselves are like, they're up there on the
mound crying because they can't throw a strike. They know

(02:03:07):
their mom has no idea what's going on, and they're
way too positive. There's the umpire cost us the game, right, Oh,
I mean the strike zone. He was safe? How can
you plo like we had a play at third base
where it looked like the kid was out or kid

(02:03:29):
was safe on our team, get named Cannon Reynolds. He
was safe. He was going from second to third, ball,
hit to shortstop. He waited till the kid threw the
guy kid from low Salomidos grabbed the ball through him
and he should have been out, but they missed the
tag and the umpires only one umpires at home and
he missed it. Oh and we end up losing nine
to one, and your parents are like, man, that ref

(02:03:50):
that umpire really cost us the game, Like or they
had eight more runs than we had. Yeah, but the
momentum totally shifted. Okay, sure this is now. This is
synonymous with all different forms of sports. Coach is an idiot, right,
The coach is an idiot. And oh, my kid, he's hitting,

(02:04:11):
he's hitting eleventh. He's an idiot. That coaches an idiot.
Your your son's like so scared of the ball. He's
in the dugout when it's pitch bud. Coach is an idiot. Um,
there's the and I'm a guilty of this sometimes the
trying to make suggestions from from the stands. Get your
elbow up, get your elbow up, get your fastball's coming

(02:04:34):
swing at this one. There's also uncomfortable divorce separation parents.
That one's a right, Wait, they're not sitting together. They're wait,
I can't sit with one, because then I'm the enemy
of the other. There's the newly single mom parent where
she's dressing just a little more scantly than she usually does.
There's also the doesn't know anything about baseball or sports

(02:04:57):
parrot it's three stripe, make sure out. And there's the
drinking dads in the outfield, of which I am one.
This is the herd. One more herd. The Herd streams
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