June 26, 2024 • 42 mins
We need to stop conflating popular with good
Where will Bronny James land and some hard truths that need to be said
Guest: Adam Finkelstein
#douggottliebshow
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
What up? Welcome in. This is the Herd. Wherever you
may be and however you may be making this part
your day. Thanks so much. I'm Doug Gottley in for
Colin Cowherd. My beautiful day, spectacular day at Green Bay, Wisconsin.
So I don't know what it's like in La. I
heard it was hot yesterday, boys hot in La, whereas
(00:49):
we had Chamber of Commerce date here in the Dairy State.
Tonight's the NBA Draft, and I do you guys know
the extreme? He must have no friends or she must
have no friends, like somebody's got to tell him. And
I kind of do wonder if we're there with like
lebron I saw Paul George compare Bronnie to Drew Holiday.
(01:17):
Paul Pierce has done the same on Undisputed, and I
understand like nobody wants to say anything bad about a
great player's kid because someday it could be your kid.
And I'm not saying anything bad. I just like comparing
him to Drew Holiday should be so offensive to Drew Holiday.
(01:37):
I saw Drew Holiday play in high school at Campbell
Hall High School. That's, by the way, in the exact
same league that Bronnie played in when he played at
Sierra Canyon. To compare the two players at this stage
in their development is morally offensive. It's literally offensive, That's
(02:02):
what it is. Drew Holliday was arguably or maybe even
inarguably one of the best prospects I've ever seen play
in high school basketball playing at Cable High School. Ronnie
James was not one of the ten best players in
the Mission League his senior year. Again, maybe he's one
(02:24):
of the ten best prospects, but he didn't have any
sort of special senior year. You know, Like there's one
I remember, there's one play that went viral. It's a
dunk against Crespy. Crespy is an all boys school and Insino, California.
It's not far actually from where our studios are located.
He had this nasty dunk off his zone hit four points.
(02:46):
And look, it doesn't mean it's defaming guys that great
players can have four points. But he was just a
guy at times in high school. This past year he
played at USC and like again, he who's without sin
can cast the first stone. I'm not acting like I'm
(03:07):
a big score. But he was on a bad team
that where he wasn't one of the three best guards
on the team, and we make him out to be
such a lockdown defender. Now, if he's that good a defender,
then well then his coach must have been an idiot.
(03:30):
But it's cause it's not an idiot. So it's one
of those things where you just sit there and go,
I don't understand why he didn't transfer to Ducane. One
of Lebron James' closest friends on Earth is the new
head coach at Ducane. Get him out of the spotlight
and just let him play and evolve. And I understand.
One of the philosophies says, hey, you have the G League, Like,
(03:52):
let him develop in the G League. Let him get
called up, you know once you're in the NBA. I
mean the TJ McConnell thing is TJ McConnell. I mean
This is the reality. The only reason that he got
into the league was like Philadelphia was terrible. They were tanking.
This was at peak tank Philadelphia. He made the team
coming out of college, and I'm sure they just wanted
(04:15):
guys that played hard, that grinded, and he made himself
into an invaluable NBA player. He's gonna end up with
TJ mcconnaughll end up with one hundred million dollars in
his bank account. And it was because they just needed
guys and want of guys that could repeat. And he
might not have been an NBA player coming out of college,
but he made himself anyone. And once you get in
(04:35):
the hardest thing to do the NBA is a lot
like Stanford. People will go to Stanford, will nod their
heads and they're listening. I'm not sure if they're listening
to the hurt. Hardest thing is to get in and
the bronze helped him get in. But I mean, he's
not Theonis and Tadakompo bad, but he's not really an
(04:57):
NBA prospect, you know, And now he's got they got
you got Bryce on you know, one of the finalists
for Team USA. Like he's so far below the level
of those guys that and I know some of the
parents of some of those players like, what what are
we doing here? And when you it's it's not that
(05:19):
you want Paul Pierce to be critical or Paul George
to be critical, but how about just a little bit
of reality, just a smidge of reality, which is like, yeah,
we're comparing him to Drew Holiday, that's what we're doing.
I don't I don't know what that I just now.
(05:44):
We're also going to talk about him a ton We're
already talking about him today. We'll be talking about tomorrow
because we'll go undrafted tonight and then in tomorrow and
it'll probably last late in the draft, and the Lakers
probably draft him. And again, here's the part that's confusing
to most of us. Rich Paul says he doesn't want
a two way, right A two A would mean he'd
(06:06):
be allowed to be sent down and to develop spot
one of fifteen spots for a kid who couldn't start
at USC that wasn't a good team last year. I
know Andy Enfeld not an idiot, and not starting him
(06:26):
except for when Isaiah Collier was hurt, would mean he's
an idiot. If the kid was that good. So and
this in no way diminishes the fact that he could
eventually evolve into an NBA player, or that he is
just coming off of a hard issue, but before the
heart issue his senior year in high school. I promise you,
if you ask anybody who watched that league, they would say, like, yeah,
(06:50):
he's not like one of the ten best players, but
he's a good player. He's a really good high school
player in arguably or maybe inarguably the best high school
leage in the country. Like Jared McCain averaged I don't
know in the twenties for one of the elite teams
in southern California in the exact same year. Then Jared
McCain went to Duke and then started Duke and averaged
(07:12):
I don't know, thirteen or so a game. Like that's
a guy who will probably get taken somewhere in the
first round. Bronnie James is not that guy. He's not
of that level. It's not close. And so you just wonder,
does lebron have real friends that all pull them aside
and go like, I don't know, like this is really
the it's too late. Now he's going in the draft,
(07:34):
and you know they're clearly the Lakers are going to
move heaven and earth to get him even though they
don't necessarily need to. And then you come down to
the difference between popular and good and this is like
we have this in college sports all the time where
(07:55):
people think that because their team is good, that one
of the big conferences now it's the you know, the
Big Ten and the SEC, and you're like, well, our
school is good, so that's why we're gonna get picked up.
Like that has nothing to do with it. Does it help? Sure,
you gotta be good for like twenty years and have
a following, and maybe that helps the argument. But being
(08:19):
good at a sport, like being good, doesn't mean anything.
Washington State's been good solid at football, they were good
at basketball. They've been good a basketball occasionally. They had
no shot of getting into the Big Ten. Why because
nobody watches Washington State sports. And the only reason Washington
got in it was because they linked up with Oregon
(08:40):
as rivals and the Big Ten needed to cut more
West Coast schools SMU getting into the ACC Obviously, they're
like buying their way in and they don't need to
get any TV revenue and they have all these incredible
boosters that'll do move heaven and earth to make sure
that they're part of a Power five league. They haven't
been good, but they're in Dallas and they're willing to
(09:04):
not take TV revenue for a couple of years just
to get just to play with the big boys, which
is I think a brilliant idea. And there's plenty of
other high quality schools that haven't been asked to leave
their conferences, and the reason is has nothing to do
with whether or not they're good. It has everything to
do with whether or not the fans actually care about
(09:26):
watching them play. And the same can be said for
Brownie and James Tomorrow. Again, I wouldn't draft Ronnie James
because really, there's only one team that should want to
draft Ronnie James. And if there's only one team, there's
no competition for a guy, why would you draft him.
Somebody else wants to draft him, that's fine, wait till
he gets cut and I'll end up being a Laker.
(09:47):
But the Lakers probably draft him because they'll get nervous
and somebody else will steal him. I just question, like,
where else is he going to go? No one else
is gonna draft him. It doesn't make any sense, so
I but we're gonna cover that story again and again
and again. Not because he's good, not because he's good,
(10:09):
but because he's popular. It's like we talked about the
Kaitlyn Clark thing. This is no different than the Kaitlyn
Clark thing. Yes, we know she's not the best player
in the WNBA, but she's incredibly popular and she can
rise all those tides. The same thing for Bronnie. Now,
I wouldn't put Bronnie on the team. I'm sure some
(10:30):
of you are going like, well, it make us care
about the men's team. Now, we're gonna watch that anyway.
But the reason he will be talked about time and
again and again again over the next couple of days
is because he's wildly popular, crazily popular, not because he's
that good. Plenty of better players than him in this
(10:55):
all right, Coming up next in the herd, we're gonna
make you a little more knowledgeable. But the players are
gonna be taken in tonight's NBA draft. How are we
gonna do it? You'll find out next. I'm Doug Gottlieb.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
This is the hurt 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.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Like this The Herd Fox Sports Radio iHeartRadio app coming
up in fifteen minutes. One of the all time like
Nick Saban is no longer on the hook for doing
the statement in one Q and A and then one
eighty reversal. How many times I gotta say it, I'm
(11:35):
not gonna be the head coach of Alabama, right bam,
head coach of Alabama. It's happened again. Only just crazy
story we're gonna talk about here half past the hour.
But let's get you ready for tonight's NBA draft. A
guy who I consider a personal friend and someone who
does an unbelievable job at evaluating basketball players for a
(11:58):
living is Adam Finkelstein. He joins us. He's director of
Scouting for twenty four to seven Sports, It's College Basketball
Insider for CBS Sports HQ, and Adam's work goes back
to when so many of these guys were high school
players or international players, and he evaluates all of them,
and so many of them either didn't really play in
(12:18):
college basketball or are international players. We may never know
them until they play in an NBA uniform. Adam, Why
is the narrative that this year's NBA draft is so down?
Speaker 4 (12:33):
Well, I think it's somewhat fairer, to be honest, there's
just a there's a lack of star power at the top.
And that's not just a talking point. That's something that
executives have verified. And you can also see it, quite
frankly by the amount of teams who still at this hour,
some just seven hours before this starts, are very open
(12:54):
to trading down in this draft that starts with the
first overall pick in the draft, it.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Includes the third pick, the fourth pick.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
I mean, there's a lot of people who would be
very happy to move off the high picks and in
exchange for multiple assets, and that is not typically the
case in most years. So I think that's really the
best piece of evidence that we can show to say, like, hey,
there just isn't that obvious star power at the top.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Okay, so who is at the top. If you were drafting,
who would be your first.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Pick, Well, I would trade the pick.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
I think there's I think there's a few different players
in play here. I think right now the most likely
candidate is Zachary Resachet six ' nine Frenchmen, who's gotten
a lot better in the last year. I mean, Doug
this is This is someone who played at the Nike
Hoop Summit last spring week after McDonald's All American Game
and really really struggled, But he has come back in
(13:46):
a big way. Six foot nine wing forward three four
four three type who shoots the ball really well, is
credited for being a plus defender, just doesn't have that
alpha level playmaking that you tip associate with the top
overall pick in the draft. But I think there's there's
a lot of three and D outcomes, And let's say
I mean on the heels of Mikhale Bridges getting I
(14:09):
don't know what, do they get six first round picks
for him? I mean that that archetype has never been
more valuable. So I think that that's what people see
in resa Che. The other one who I think would
have been an option is Alex Sar. He's not going
to be taken by Atlanta tonight because he didn't want
to work out for them, but a few weeks ago
he was the betting favorite. He is also from France,
(14:30):
the history is going to be made tonight. We're very possible.
The first two picks are both from France. Of course,
Wenby from France last year the number one overall pick.
Sara is a mobile seven footer who's got a ton
of defensive upside. People compare him to like Evan Mobley,
but physically he's got a long way to go. He's
pretty lean. Offensively, he's he's also a work in progress,
(14:51):
so again, not typically what you associate with a first
or second pick in the draft, And most years these
guys go somewhere between five and ten.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Now, Sar and uh Reesa's shade. They don't get along, right,
you know, I don't know that.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
That's interesting. I had not.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
I had not thought I thought they I thought they
they didn't get along. What what is sars deal with Atlanta? Why? Why?
I mean I've heard very few people ever say hey,
you know what I don't want to go is Atlanta?
Especially a French player? Why?
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Well?
Speaker 4 (15:23):
And how and how about saying hey, the Wizards look great?
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Send me there.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
I mean, you know, like it's it's very like, like
Bill Ryder said yesterday on our show, it's it's very
Kyle Kuzma of him. But yeah, I mean he basically
just dictated that that Washington is where he wants to be.
I'll say that the Wizard's pass is is much more clear.
I mean, they're bad, They're they They weren't last in
(15:47):
the NBA last year, but you could make the argument
that they were the farthest away from being a contender.
I think they probably only had three players in the
entire roster who who they see is part of their.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Long term plans.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
Saw goes in and he knows he's the guy in
the front court, so he's going to have the opportunity
to play through mistakes, to get the offensive volume.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
To develop his game.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
They know they're not going to be a contender next year.
They're going to be willing to allow him to have
those growing pains and Atlanta, the identity is a little
more convoluted. Is Trey Young getting traded? Is de Jontay
Murray getting traded. They've already sold off a lot of
future draft picks in that de Jontay Murray deal, so
they can't totally hit the reset button. And yet they
were ten games under five hundred and now in the
(16:30):
luxury tax too, so there was. This is speculative, but
there was certainly more. There are more unknowns in Atlanta
than there are Washington.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
That's fair enough. Where are you on Reed Shepherd? You know,
Reed Shepherd a guy who had a tremendous year for Kentucky. Obviously,
his dad, Jeff was part of the national championship team.
You know his mom played as well. I mean, he's
really good, but I don't know, top five for a
(16:59):
six two combo guard, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Yeah, it's and I'll tell you what. Like Houston.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
I think Houston at three is a is a definite
candidate to trade that pick. There's a lot of people
trying to trade up to grab Donovan Clinging at three.
But if they keep the pick, the intel has been
pretty consistent that Sheppard is the guy they like. And
so again preface this by saying doesn't go three in
a typical draft, but statistically speaking, one of the best
(17:30):
shooters we've seen coming out of college basketball, and something
like thirty years fifty two percent from the three point line. Now,
as you mentioned having watched these guys in high school,
I can tell you that that is nothing like what
we saw in high school. He was a career thirty
three percent three point shooter in high school, in the
in the in the games that were tracked by Synergy Sports,
(17:50):
which is about half of them, but certainly nowhere near
I mean, this was beyond anything we could have anticipated.
People have asked me, why does that matter what he
should he shot in high school, And my answer is,
for the same reason it mattered whi Jabari Smith shot
from three in high school, because sometimes one season of
college is the outlier. It's it's not the norm, but
it can happen. And I'm kind of with you. I mean, listen,
(18:12):
I was wrong on Reed Shepherd. He was way better
obviously than I and anyone who saw him in high
school predicted. But I still think he's kind of a
role player extraordinaire. I'm not sure that there are our
star outcomes, but for a team like Houston and now
we're seeing them, they're they're apparently going to be very
active in the trade market. But if they keep that
pick and they're looking for somebody who can be a
(18:34):
Fred van Vliet understudy for a couple of years and
then maybe take over when Van Vliet becomes a free
agent two years from now, potentially partner with with Jalen Green,
potentially partner with Aman Thompson. I get the fit. I
think the key for any of these teams is you
have to try and forget about the typical return on
the number three pick in a normal year, because this
(18:56):
is not a normal year.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
It's a great point, right, it's a great point. Yes,
you would like to get a more talented player with
more upside, but they just don't simply do not exist, Okay,
Like I think there's other interesting guys. I think Rob
Dillingham could be exactly what he was at Kentucky in
the NBA and for people who didn't watch Kentucky this year,
(19:20):
off the bench, just a scoring machine, right, the Jamal
Crawford sort of role. I and I actually think that
that of the things that John Caliperry did in his
final season at Kentucky, that was the best one because
it's a role. It's literally setting him up for success
because he has to do nothing different other than guard
a little bit better. And he can have that same
(19:42):
role in the NBA.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
He can.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
I mean he's one hundred and sixty pounds, so that's
that's that's the problem, you know, And defensively, I'll say this,
he's he's a I mean, I'll just say it plainly,
he's a bad defender.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
So it's really beauty is in the eye.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
Of the beholder here, because I say both of those things,
and at the same time, he may be the most
dynamic guy with the ball in his hands in this draft,
Like if you're looking for somebody who can you can
put the ball in his hands to say, go get
me a bucket.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
If you want to simplify it.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
To that degree, he's probably one of the first guys
you bring up. So I think that where he ends
up is going to be really important because he's got
to be in a locker room where you know, the
the professionalism is going to be emphasized on a day
to day basis, Like, hey, being completely non competitive defensively,
(20:35):
that's not an option anymore. Like not getting in the
weight room, that's not an option anymore. You know, all
the things that go along with being a professional and
maximizing what you have. Like so I think, you know,
I've heard some buzz about like maybe Miami likes him,
Miami thinks like their culture can can really be good
for him. I think that would be ideal for him,
send him down there, and if he doesn't he doesn't conform,
(20:58):
somebody's you know, literally or figured league gonna punch him
in the face until he buys in. And if he
buys into a to a winning culture like that, I
think there's some really high outcomes for him.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Uh what what was your evl of? What's your evel of?
Brownie James?
Speaker 4 (21:16):
I think that out of high school, we were one
of the We were one of the few that that
weren't perpetuating that one and done lottery pick narrative that
so many outlets are trying to pretend they weren't. They
weren't saying a year ago. You know, he was a
top forty guy for us at the end. He was
when he was picked for the Mcdonaldsall American Game, he
(21:37):
was ranked in a spot where that should not have
been an outcome. But I will say that in that
setting and at the Hoop Summit, he to his credit,
looked like he belonged, So it wasn't egregious in that setting.
You know, he made enough shots, he showed the athleticism.
But to me, the only reason we're having this conversation
(21:57):
is is because he is Lebron James's I think that's
that's pretty obvious at this point, almost as obvious as
is that he's he's going to go to the Lakers
at fifty five. The only caveat to that is unless
they trade up and just make sure there's no surprises
given Lebron's free agency.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
But this is a player who.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
I actually think it isn't impossible that he becomes a
serviceable NBA player down the road, given the opportunity that
he is going to have to grow into that. But
if it weren't for his father, we would not be
talking about him as an NBA prospect right now.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
I I agree, and I just I don't understand. I
don't get it. I don't I don't understand. I don't understand.
I don't. I really don't understand, Uh what we're what
what Rich Paul's trying to do with this? You know,
Toronto likes him in Dallas like stop it, Like what
are we doing? It's really a one to one team race?
And then he says, I don't we're not going to
(22:52):
do a two way contract. What do you mean not
gonna do a two a contract? Like I don't get
to make sure.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Nobody else takes him like it's it's like, hey, nobody, nobody.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Why would you want no one else to take him?
Speaker 4 (23:03):
Because this is I mean, Lebron has told us for
three years now, like he said, the last thing he
wants to accomplish is to play with his son. He
said it repeatedly. Oh and including like this past winter.
Now they've tried to move that goalpost, they.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Tried to move off of that. Well, it's not about
playing together, like what are we doing?
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Of course it is.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
Everything you're doing is about getting them together from you,
not allowing him to work out from you saying he's
not going to sign a two way contract. And by
the way, the only other team he worked out for
is a team that very literally cannot draft the prospect.
Like if there is one team in the NBA that
needs a plug and play rotation player now or needs
maybe three of them.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
It's Phoenix.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
So the fact that that was the only other team
that they worked out for, I just thought was somewhat
comical because there's not another team that makes less sense
to draft a developmental guard who's not going to be
able to help you for a long time, like he's
going to be on the Lakers, and the reason he's
going to be on the Lakers is because that's what
Lebron wants. Trying to give anybody like a sound bite
like that's that's just what I believe, like the man
(24:05):
held light ridge to pull up.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Yes, okay, so and you can speak to this. He's
not the first, he won't be the last. Right.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
J R.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Smith's brother famously on the G League team for the Knicks.
We've talked about, you know, Giannie's brothers both being i
mean on the Bucks and.
Speaker 4 (24:23):
They brothers on the Calves right now.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Right and they you know, Mobiley's brother can play the
some I mean maybe not that level, but Giannis's brothers
couldn't play Dedney Cowboy movie. So we've seen it before.
But the drafting of it, the discussion people putting him
in the top ten on prospect lists is just it's
like laughable, and I don't understand.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Well, we work in the media though, that was strict clickbait.
That's when when you when you work for somebody or
you are with you know, like I sent a tweet
last year that that got me some ruffled some feathers
because I just you know, when our rankings came out,
I said, like credibility over clicks, And thankfully I work
(25:09):
at a place where they don't.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
No one asks me to do that.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
No one asks me because I can tell you from
the Google metrics anything with Bronnie and It is going
to get a lot more hits than Alex Sar Donovan
Kling and or Zachary resa Che or you know last
year when we were ranking players Ron Holland Isaiah Collier,
those guys. So you know, it helps from a metrics standpoint.
But fortunately, you know, I've never been in a position
(25:38):
where someone has asked me to do that sort of thing.
But there were a lot of places that we're saying,
you know, one and done, lottery pick And what was crazy?
It was like some of these things happened like right
after big events. I think it was like the hoop
Paul he was three of seventeen from the floor, and
then like two days later somebody's mock draft came out
and he was a lottery pick.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
It's like, what are you talking.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
About, Like like this is just not based in reality.
There's it's just discredits, you I think, So I don't know,
that's just that's just my my take.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
On it Adam Pikelstein and join US twenty four seven
Sports covering all things basketball. He joins his some Doug
Gollaibin for Colin this is the herd. Yeah, it's a
it's it's an it's an interesting one. Will it come
back to being more college heavy with the elimination of
the G League ignight next year?
Speaker 4 (26:27):
So yes, but not just for that variable. The other
variable is the rise of NIL and the consequent increased
traction with international players. You can cite recent commitments that
BYU and Illinois as example of this, Like those are
guys who were who were already being talked about his
(26:49):
potential draft picks next year, who in the past probably
wouldn't have come to play college basketball because you know,
you know this that that's that can be a hard
transition to go from an international game to a much
more physical college game. So there's there can be some
some risk in that if you're if you're just trying
to protect your stock. But we're seeing players do that
(27:11):
more now. So between that and Ignite going away, and
the third variable there is Ote is no longer a
college basketball competitor. It's it's basically another feeder system. Along
with high school. So like they, you know, the the
alternatives to college basketball are less and less appealing than
(27:32):
they were a year, two year, three years ago, for sure.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Awesome stuff, Adam, just incredible insight information. Look forward to
seeing your work throughout the night and in tomorrow recapping it.
Thanks so much for being our guest and the hurt.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
Thanks Doug.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Let's get you to Ryan Music with the News.
Speaker 5 (27:51):
No, no, it's the herd Line News.
Speaker 6 (27:57):
Hello Ryan, Oh, hello jog. I know you are looking
forward to this one. You may have teased it not
that long ago, and here we are to pay it off.
We don't often talk college baseball on this show, but
when you give a story like this, we are in.
(28:17):
Jim Slasnagel is the new baseball coach for Texas, leaving
Texas A and M one day after losing in the
College World Series to Tennessee. Now people have some thoughts
because after the loss, in the postgame presser, he was
asked about the Texas job opening, and here's what he said.
Speaker 7 (28:41):
I think he's pretty selfish of you to ask me
that question. To be honest with you, but I left
my family to be the coach at Texas A and M.
I took the job at Texas A and M to
never take another job again, and that hasn't changed in
my mind. And that's unfair to talk about something like that.
They'd be like you asking Montgomery if he's gonna sign
(29:02):
in the draft. But I understand you got to ask
the question. But I gave up a big part of
my life to come take this job. And I've poured
every ounce of my soul in this job, and I've
given this job every single ounce I can possibly give it.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Write that.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
The anger there is bizarre, Like the whole thing is bizarre.
And today apparently he apologize to the Texas Ags reporter
and to somebody else we got a confrontation with. But
what is the like, literally, what is the matter? I
wouldn't I know Chris del Conte. Well, he's a friend,
he's the athletic director of Texas And that's one of
(29:39):
those big swinging you know what moves, Like Hey, now
we're gonna hire a new baseball coach, and now we
gotta hiro guy who just lost in the College World Series.
But we're gonna hire the text A and M coach,
right like leaving the colt getting a guy out of
the cult is a big thing, But dude, what was
the win in what he said? Do I hope to
(30:01):
be in that position where somebody's gonna offer you some
gigantic job. You know that you can't turn out, of course,
but I would hope that I can handle it just
a smidge better than that. That's the most embarrassing thing
I've ever seen in college athletes. It's one of the
reasons that now when I tell people like I lead
with being a sports radio host, because you know, like
(30:22):
the sports radio host is supposedly a hot taker, right,
But if you say I'm a college basketball coach and'd
be like, whoa, whoa, there's kids around, right, It's like
OnlyFans is the only thing slightly below slightly below being
a college basketball coach or college sports chress. And this
(30:42):
is the reason why, because you can't trust a word
they say. Because the guy said I took this job
to never leave into twenty four hours later, you're a clown, dude.
I don't care how good a baseball coach you are,
you can't handle the media any better than that. Now
you're gonna be the head to Texas. What are we
doing here? This is not that hard. Not that hard.
Speaker 6 (31:09):
Yeah, I mean to your point, Lucky obviously just comes
off of a tough loss in the College World Series final.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
It was the third game of a three game series,
of course, a tough lof But again, what you're what
you're teaching these guys is how to handle themselves.
Speaker 6 (31:25):
No, absolutely on hundred percent, And what do you like?
It feels like the easy answer there is. Hey, listen, man,
our season just came done, and I'm so proud of
this team. I get that you have questions about my future.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
You can say everything he said. Listen. I poured every
ounce of everything I have into the tech Sam job.
I took this job without ever thinking about another job.
I left my family. Whatever, Just can you can you
give us a little bit? Can we talk about this game?
And like, I'm respectful of the question. I understand that
when a big job comes open and a guy and
(32:00):
it means that we're doing a good job, But just
can you give me a minute? Like I just told
my kids, they're seasons over. I think everybody be like, oh,
and even that's kind of pulling the guilt trip thing
or whatever. Sure you know, but yeah, they have to
do a job. They're the media. And oh yeah, by
the way, if you said even if you said, hey,
it can this way today, the answers, no, it really
(32:22):
can't wait today because the next day he was naming
that coach. But just it's again, it's not what you said.
It's the way you say, just attacking, attacking a kid
for doing his job, Like what are we doing here?
Speaker 6 (32:34):
All right, let's turn our attention now over to the NFL.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
And oh, hold on, hold on one more before the
worst part is Texas aggs. That's a Texas A and
M site. All they are is your hype machine. Like
no one likes Texas A and M. I just A
and m Aggie. People know this. We all think you're
in a cult. We think the leaders are weird. Like
the whole thing is just it's odd, okay, And I
(33:00):
no one loves their school more than Texas A and MX,
so their website, those are Aggie people like those are
the people that hyped you up, brought in your fans,
celebrate your recruits. And those are the people you treat
like that, like what are we doing here?
Speaker 5 (33:17):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (33:17):
Stay go ahead, no NFL, No, oh good NFL. We'll
wrap it up here. With this, things appeared to be
heading in the wrong direction for Brandon Ayuk and the
forty nine Ers as they try to negotiate a new
contract that Ayuk clearly wants. The latest update comes to
us via social media. In reacting to an Instagram post
(33:38):
discussing a reported trade talk between the forty nine Ers
and the Commanders a few weeks ago, i Uk jumped
into the comments and said, quote, but I thought the
Niners was never gonna trade me clearly.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (33:55):
This is the latest installment of star athlete unhappy with
a situation and takes the social media to express it.
Are you himself also doing this for the second time.
The first was a video posted on TikTok of him
facetiming with Jaden Daniels saying, forty nine Ers, they don't
want me around.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
Okay, first thing is I love this. Hey, they don't
want me? They offer your contract? Yeah, so they want you.
They just don't want you at the price that you want.
The U want so showing value. I don't know, it's
just he wants to. Honestly, he's helping the Niners if
he draws up more attention from the Washington Commanders to
(34:40):
get them to overpay because they want him as a
wide receiver with with scary Terry. But I just again,
what's the win? What's the winning? Going on social media
and crushing the place that you still are under contract
to work. I don't get that one. That's right. Music
with the news.
Speaker 7 (34:57):
Well that's the news and thanks for stuf the Herd
line new.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
I'm Doug Gollibin for Collin today. Come up next in
the Herd? What do you do if you're the Dolphins?
With two tongue of aililla, get me my thoughts next?
Speaker 5 (35:10):
Hey, what's up everybody? It's me three time pro bowler
LeVar Arrington and I couldn't be more excited to announce
a podcast called Up on Game? What is Up on Game?
You ass along with my fellow pro bowler TJ. Hutschman,
Zada and Super Bowl champion Yup, that's right, Plexico Burus.
You can only name a show with that type of
talent on it. Up on Game We're going to be
(35:33):
sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen
to Up on Game with Me LeVar Arrington, TJ. Hutschman, Zada,
and Plexico Burrs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcast from.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon eastern nine am Pacific.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Doug Gottlibin for Collin. This is The Herd on Fox
Sports Radio on the iHeartRadio app. Welcome in. We'll get
to the gigantic trade which took place last night between
the Knicks and the Nets and everything in between. Plus
gets ready for tonight's NBA Draft that that's upcoming next hour.
Plus our guy TJ. Hush Benzada will join us. We'll
(36:18):
talk to them about Brandon Ayuk and some of the
other wide receivers which I think we have to discuss.
But let's get to this story real quick about Tua
and the Dolphins where they appear to have hit a
They appear to hit a rough patch, a rough patsion
in a relationship where you know the details report as
(36:43):
Ryan you were sharing them with me earlier. Oh go ahead,
I'm sorry, We're have a little difficulties getting Ryan over
to the mic. I mean the idea is this, they
are at a bit of an impasse right where the
Dolphins are trying to establish what is market value for
Tua tongue of Iiloa and to his people more than
(37:05):
likely are saying, hey, we saw what Trevor Lawrence Scott,
We've seen what all these other guys have got. That's
the starting point, right, that's the starting point. And look,
I understand the argument there. The problem is what is
your comp Just use the real estate analogy. By the way,
(37:27):
no one's better real estate than our boy Colin. He's
incredible at it, really really is. But the real estate
analogy is you want comps, but your home is not
like that home. Your home has had flood damage, your
homas had things go wrong, and everyone knows they've gone wrong. Right,
your home looks the part. I mean, look, last year
(37:48):
we made Ryan Clark out to be the biggest clown
on TV because he said, and I don't know why
I threw in the tattoo part, but the point was
that Tua wasn't in great shape. If Tua was in
great shape, then why do you have to lose a
bunch of wait in this offseason. He's been hurt a bunch.
There's not questions about his arm strength. His arm is
(38:10):
just not nearly as strong as most of the elite
quarterbacks in the NFL, and he has a remarkable surrounding cast.
And here's the thing for the Dolphins, like, look, he
doesn't actually have leverage. When you're a first round draft
pick in the National Football League, Okay, you have a
(38:32):
four year contract. They can pick up your fifth year
option or not. If they don't, then you become a
free agent. But you're not really a free agent because
they can franchise tag you, and they can franchise tag
you again, a franchise tag you again. Now the franchise
tag works dollar for dollar against the salary cap, so
there is a prohibitive nature to it. But I don't know.
(38:55):
I'd be really interested to see if the Dolphins are
willing to go to the mattresses for this thing and
not Buch because I think people like to a run
in the league. Do I think that without any question
too would be snapped up and paid fifty million dollars
a year. I don't think that's the case. I just don't.
He's not terribly mobile, he doesn't have a strong Army's
(39:17):
been hurt a bunch. I mean, and look, this is
a minor thing, but he is left handed, so you
gotta change, you gotta flip around everything you do. I
just it's really interesting that the main reason Brian Flores
was let go was he wasn't a believer and a
lot of the ways he talked to me, he wasn't
(39:38):
a believer into a tongue of iyoloa. The Dolphins and
their brass, same brass is still there. They drafted and
they are a believer into a tongue of iyoloa. But
even that has his limits. Even that has his limits,
you know. And I just I think that the the
(40:00):
more we realize that those limitations, the more we're honest
about Tua, the more you have a chance of having
a better, longer relationship. If you pay him fifty million dollars,
even over a short period of time, you're gonna rue
that day because it's gonna keep you from getting something,
(40:20):
and you're expect you're gonna expect him to carry a team,
which that's not what he does at What he does
do is good. You know, can throw to a spot,
anticipatory throwing. You know, can can read a defense, can understand.
He just he he can't deviate because he's not quick
enough athletic enough to move and not get hit. And
(40:44):
when he gets hit I know he's learned how to fall,
but he was always getting hurt. The Dolphins and Tour
are struggling to find middle ground, which seems to me
like without even looking and knowing the numbers, it's too
if people say, all right, look at Trevor Lawrence's numbers,
that's our starting point, and the Dolphins are like, he's
not Trevor Lawrence. He's been hurt a bunch. We have
(41:08):
a great surrounding cast. Let's be reasonable. The issue with
being reasonable is who's reasonable in quarterback contract talks? What
was the last reasonable contract? I mean, I guess Jordan
loves contract this year, which is extension of his rookie deal.
That's reagionable, but it was done before we ever saw
him play in an NFL game last year. Isn't it
(41:30):
weird that the quarterback market is one that really mirrors,
if anything, society. There is no middle class. There's the
halves and then there's the have nots. And the Dolphins
built up this base of talent when when Tua was
on a rookie deal, just like the Niners that built
up their base of talent spending no money in the
quarterback room. Eventually, if you have to pay a quarterback. Eventually,
(41:56):
something's got to give, and like, look, only Mahomes seems
to be good enough to overcome it. But his offensive
line for a couple of years wasn't as good as
wide receiving cores. Clearly wasn't as good, although I think
they're getting better, and yet my Homes they ever to
overcome that too, is not that guy. So something will
have to give. But I don't think it can be
(42:17):
weaponry or protection the offensive line, but something in everybody's
roster has to give. All right, Coming up next in
the Herd got a spectacular third hour, including uh, what
is the best way to eat chicken? You're like, what
does that have to do with the Herd? We'll explain, Okay,
(42:38):
plus t J Justmen's out of joints us and coming
up next, how much better are the New York Knicks
after making the trade last night? I'll give you my thoughts.
That's up coming next. I'm Doug Gottlieb. This is a
Herd on Fox Sports Radio.
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and
noon to three Eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find
your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every day on the
iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
What up? Welcome in. This is the Herd. Wherever you
may be and however you may be making this part
your day. Thanks so much. I'm Doug Gottley in for
Colin Cowherd. My beautiful day, spectacular day at Green Bay, Wisconsin.
So I don't know what it's like in La. I
heard it was hot yesterday, boys hot in La, whereas
(00:49):
we had Chamber of Commerce date here in the Dairy State.
Tonight's the NBA Draft, and I do you guys know
the extreme? He must have no friends or she must
have no friends, like somebody's got to tell him. And
I kind of do wonder if we're there with like
lebron I saw Paul George compare Bronnie to Drew Holiday.
(01:17):
Paul Pierce has done the same on Undisputed, and I
understand like nobody wants to say anything bad about a
great player's kid because someday it could be your kid.
And I'm not saying anything bad. I just like comparing
him to Drew Holiday should be so offensive to Drew Holiday.
(01:37):
I saw Drew Holiday play in high school at Campbell
Hall High School. That's, by the way, in the exact
same league that Bronnie played in when he played at
Sierra Canyon. To compare the two players at this stage
in their development is morally offensive. It's literally offensive, That's
(02:02):
what it is. Drew Holliday was arguably or maybe even
inarguably one of the best prospects I've ever seen play
in high school basketball playing at Cable High School. Ronnie
James was not one of the ten best players in
the Mission League his senior year. Again, maybe he's one
(02:24):
of the ten best prospects, but he didn't have any
sort of special senior year. You know, Like there's one
I remember, there's one play that went viral. It's a
dunk against Crespy. Crespy is an all boys school and Insino, California.
It's not far actually from where our studios are located.
He had this nasty dunk off his zone hit four points.
(02:46):
And look, it doesn't mean it's defaming guys that great
players can have four points. But he was just a
guy at times in high school. This past year he
played at USC and like again, he who's without sin
can cast the first stone. I'm not acting like I'm
(03:07):
a big score. But he was on a bad team
that where he wasn't one of the three best guards
on the team, and we make him out to be
such a lockdown defender. Now, if he's that good a defender,
then well then his coach must have been an idiot.
(03:30):
But it's cause it's not an idiot. So it's one
of those things where you just sit there and go,
I don't understand why he didn't transfer to Ducane. One
of Lebron James' closest friends on Earth is the new
head coach at Ducane. Get him out of the spotlight
and just let him play and evolve. And I understand.
One of the philosophies says, hey, you have the G League, Like,
(03:52):
let him develop in the G League. Let him get
called up, you know once you're in the NBA. I
mean the TJ McConnell thing is TJ McConnell. I mean
This is the reality. The only reason that he got
into the league was like Philadelphia was terrible. They were tanking.
This was at peak tank Philadelphia. He made the team
coming out of college, and I'm sure they just wanted
(04:15):
guys that played hard, that grinded, and he made himself
into an invaluable NBA player. He's gonna end up with
TJ mcconnaughll end up with one hundred million dollars in
his bank account. And it was because they just needed
guys and want of guys that could repeat. And he
might not have been an NBA player coming out of college,
but he made himself anyone. And once you get in
(04:35):
the hardest thing to do the NBA is a lot
like Stanford. People will go to Stanford, will nod their
heads and they're listening. I'm not sure if they're listening
to the hurt. Hardest thing is to get in and
the bronze helped him get in. But I mean, he's
not Theonis and Tadakompo bad, but he's not really an
(04:57):
NBA prospect, you know, And now he's got they got
you got Bryce on you know, one of the finalists
for Team USA. Like he's so far below the level
of those guys that and I know some of the
parents of some of those players like, what what are
we doing here? And when you it's it's not that
(05:19):
you want Paul Pierce to be critical or Paul George
to be critical, but how about just a little bit
of reality, just a smidge of reality, which is like, yeah,
we're comparing him to Drew Holiday, that's what we're doing.
I don't I don't know what that I just now.
(05:44):
We're also going to talk about him a ton We're
already talking about him today. We'll be talking about tomorrow
because we'll go undrafted tonight and then in tomorrow and
it'll probably last late in the draft, and the Lakers
probably draft him. And again, here's the part that's confusing
to most of us. Rich Paul says he doesn't want
a two way, right A two A would mean he'd
(06:06):
be allowed to be sent down and to develop spot
one of fifteen spots for a kid who couldn't start
at USC that wasn't a good team last year. I
know Andy Enfeld not an idiot, and not starting him
(06:26):
except for when Isaiah Collier was hurt, would mean he's
an idiot. If the kid was that good. So and
this in no way diminishes the fact that he could
eventually evolve into an NBA player, or that he is
just coming off of a hard issue, but before the
heart issue his senior year in high school. I promise you,
if you ask anybody who watched that league, they would say, like, yeah,
(06:50):
he's not like one of the ten best players, but
he's a good player. He's a really good high school
player in arguably or maybe inarguably the best high school
leage in the country. Like Jared McCain averaged I don't
know in the twenties for one of the elite teams
in southern California in the exact same year. Then Jared
McCain went to Duke and then started Duke and averaged
(07:12):
I don't know, thirteen or so a game. Like that's
a guy who will probably get taken somewhere in the
first round. Bronnie James is not that guy. He's not
of that level. It's not close. And so you just wonder,
does lebron have real friends that all pull them aside
and go like, I don't know, like this is really
the it's too late. Now he's going in the draft,
(07:34):
and you know they're clearly the Lakers are going to
move heaven and earth to get him even though they
don't necessarily need to. And then you come down to
the difference between popular and good and this is like
we have this in college sports all the time where
(07:55):
people think that because their team is good, that one
of the big conferences now it's the you know, the
Big Ten and the SEC, and you're like, well, our
school is good, so that's why we're gonna get picked up.
Like that has nothing to do with it. Does it help? Sure,
you gotta be good for like twenty years and have
a following, and maybe that helps the argument. But being
(08:19):
good at a sport, like being good, doesn't mean anything.
Washington State's been good solid at football, they were good
at basketball. They've been good a basketball occasionally. They had
no shot of getting into the Big Ten. Why because
nobody watches Washington State sports. And the only reason Washington
got in it was because they linked up with Oregon
(08:40):
as rivals and the Big Ten needed to cut more
West Coast schools SMU getting into the ACC Obviously, they're
like buying their way in and they don't need to
get any TV revenue and they have all these incredible
boosters that'll do move heaven and earth to make sure
that they're part of a Power five league. They haven't
been good, but they're in Dallas and they're willing to
(09:04):
not take TV revenue for a couple of years just
to get just to play with the big boys, which
is I think a brilliant idea. And there's plenty of
other high quality schools that haven't been asked to leave
their conferences, and the reason is has nothing to do
with whether or not they're good. It has everything to
do with whether or not the fans actually care about
(09:26):
watching them play. And the same can be said for
Brownie and James Tomorrow. Again, I wouldn't draft Ronnie James
because really, there's only one team that should want to
draft Ronnie James. And if there's only one team, there's
no competition for a guy, why would you draft him.
Somebody else wants to draft him, that's fine, wait till
he gets cut and I'll end up being a Laker.
(09:47):
But the Lakers probably draft him because they'll get nervous
and somebody else will steal him. I just question, like,
where else is he going to go? No one else
is gonna draft him. It doesn't make any sense, so
I but we're gonna cover that story again and again
and again. Not because he's good, not because he's good,
(10:09):
but because he's popular. It's like we talked about the
Kaitlyn Clark thing. This is no different than the Kaitlyn
Clark thing. Yes, we know she's not the best player
in the WNBA, but she's incredibly popular and she can
rise all those tides. The same thing for Bronnie. Now,
I wouldn't put Bronnie on the team. I'm sure some
(10:30):
of you are going like, well, it make us care
about the men's team. Now, we're gonna watch that anyway.
But the reason he will be talked about time and
again and again again over the next couple of days
is because he's wildly popular, crazily popular, not because he's
that good. Plenty of better players than him in this
(10:55):
all right, Coming up next in the herd, we're gonna
make you a little more knowledgeable. But the players are
gonna be taken in tonight's NBA draft. How are we
gonna do it? You'll find out next. I'm Doug Gottlieb.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
This is the hurt 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.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Like this The Herd Fox Sports Radio iHeartRadio app coming
up in fifteen minutes. One of the all time like
Nick Saban is no longer on the hook for doing
the statement in one Q and A and then one
eighty reversal. How many times I gotta say it, I'm
(11:35):
not gonna be the head coach of Alabama, right bam,
head coach of Alabama. It's happened again. Only just crazy
story we're gonna talk about here half past the hour.
But let's get you ready for tonight's NBA draft. A
guy who I consider a personal friend and someone who
does an unbelievable job at evaluating basketball players for a
(11:58):
living is Adam Finkelstein. He joins us. He's director of
Scouting for twenty four to seven Sports, It's College Basketball
Insider for CBS Sports HQ, and Adam's work goes back
to when so many of these guys were high school
players or international players, and he evaluates all of them,
and so many of them either didn't really play in
(12:18):
college basketball or are international players. We may never know
them until they play in an NBA uniform. Adam, Why
is the narrative that this year's NBA draft is so down?
Speaker 4 (12:33):
Well, I think it's somewhat fairer, to be honest, there's
just a there's a lack of star power at the top.
And that's not just a talking point. That's something that
executives have verified. And you can also see it, quite
frankly by the amount of teams who still at this hour,
some just seven hours before this starts, are very open
(12:54):
to trading down in this draft that starts with the
first overall pick in the draft, it.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Includes the third pick, the fourth pick.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
I mean, there's a lot of people who would be
very happy to move off the high picks and in
exchange for multiple assets, and that is not typically the
case in most years. So I think that's really the
best piece of evidence that we can show to say, like, hey,
there just isn't that obvious star power at the top.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Okay, so who is at the top. If you were drafting,
who would be your first.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Pick, Well, I would trade the pick.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
I think there's I think there's a few different players
in play here. I think right now the most likely
candidate is Zachary Resachet six ' nine Frenchmen, who's gotten
a lot better in the last year. I mean, Doug
this is This is someone who played at the Nike
Hoop Summit last spring week after McDonald's All American Game
and really really struggled, But he has come back in
(13:46):
a big way. Six foot nine wing forward three four
four three type who shoots the ball really well, is
credited for being a plus defender, just doesn't have that
alpha level playmaking that you tip associate with the top
overall pick in the draft. But I think there's there's
a lot of three and D outcomes, And let's say
I mean on the heels of Mikhale Bridges getting I
(14:09):
don't know what, do they get six first round picks
for him? I mean that that archetype has never been
more valuable. So I think that that's what people see
in resa Che. The other one who I think would
have been an option is Alex Sar. He's not going
to be taken by Atlanta tonight because he didn't want
to work out for them, but a few weeks ago
he was the betting favorite. He is also from France,
(14:30):
the history is going to be made tonight. We're very possible.
The first two picks are both from France. Of course,
Wenby from France last year the number one overall pick.
Sara is a mobile seven footer who's got a ton
of defensive upside. People compare him to like Evan Mobley,
but physically he's got a long way to go. He's
pretty lean. Offensively, he's he's also a work in progress,
(14:51):
so again, not typically what you associate with a first
or second pick in the draft, And most years these
guys go somewhere between five and ten.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Now, Sar and uh Reesa's shade. They don't get along, right,
you know, I don't know that.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
That's interesting. I had not.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
I had not thought I thought they I thought they
they didn't get along. What what is sars deal with Atlanta? Why? Why?
I mean I've heard very few people ever say hey,
you know what I don't want to go is Atlanta?
Especially a French player? Why?
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Well?
Speaker 4 (15:23):
And how and how about saying hey, the Wizards look great?
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Send me there.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
I mean, you know, like it's it's very like, like
Bill Ryder said yesterday on our show, it's it's very
Kyle Kuzma of him. But yeah, I mean he basically
just dictated that that Washington is where he wants to be.
I'll say that the Wizard's pass is is much more clear.
I mean, they're bad, They're they They weren't last in
(15:47):
the NBA last year, but you could make the argument
that they were the farthest away from being a contender.
I think they probably only had three players in the
entire roster who who they see is part of their.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Long term plans.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
Saw goes in and he knows he's the guy in
the front court, so he's going to have the opportunity
to play through mistakes, to get the offensive volume.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
To develop his game.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
They know they're not going to be a contender next year.
They're going to be willing to allow him to have
those growing pains and Atlanta, the identity is a little
more convoluted. Is Trey Young getting traded? Is de Jontay
Murray getting traded. They've already sold off a lot of
future draft picks in that de Jontay Murray deal, so
they can't totally hit the reset button. And yet they
were ten games under five hundred and now in the
(16:30):
luxury tax too, so there was. This is speculative, but
there was certainly more. There are more unknowns in Atlanta
than there are Washington.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
That's fair enough. Where are you on Reed Shepherd? You know,
Reed Shepherd a guy who had a tremendous year for Kentucky. Obviously,
his dad, Jeff was part of the national championship team.
You know his mom played as well. I mean, he's
really good, but I don't know, top five for a
(16:59):
six two combo guard, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Yeah, it's and I'll tell you what. Like Houston.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
I think Houston at three is a is a definite
candidate to trade that pick. There's a lot of people
trying to trade up to grab Donovan Clinging at three.
But if they keep the pick, the intel has been
pretty consistent that Sheppard is the guy they like. And
so again preface this by saying doesn't go three in
a typical draft, but statistically speaking, one of the best
(17:30):
shooters we've seen coming out of college basketball, and something
like thirty years fifty two percent from the three point line. Now,
as you mentioned having watched these guys in high school,
I can tell you that that is nothing like what
we saw in high school. He was a career thirty
three percent three point shooter in high school, in the
in the in the games that were tracked by Synergy Sports,
(17:50):
which is about half of them, but certainly nowhere near
I mean, this was beyond anything we could have anticipated.
People have asked me, why does that matter what he
should he shot in high school, And my answer is,
for the same reason it mattered whi Jabari Smith shot
from three in high school, because sometimes one season of
college is the outlier. It's it's not the norm, but
it can happen. And I'm kind of with you. I mean, listen,
(18:12):
I was wrong on Reed Shepherd. He was way better
obviously than I and anyone who saw him in high
school predicted. But I still think he's kind of a
role player extraordinaire. I'm not sure that there are our
star outcomes, but for a team like Houston and now
we're seeing them, they're they're apparently going to be very
active in the trade market. But if they keep that
pick and they're looking for somebody who can be a
(18:34):
Fred van Vliet understudy for a couple of years and
then maybe take over when Van Vliet becomes a free
agent two years from now, potentially partner with with Jalen Green,
potentially partner with Aman Thompson. I get the fit. I
think the key for any of these teams is you
have to try and forget about the typical return on
the number three pick in a normal year, because this
(18:56):
is not a normal year.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
It's a great point, right, it's a great point. Yes,
you would like to get a more talented player with
more upside, but they just don't simply do not exist, Okay,
Like I think there's other interesting guys. I think Rob
Dillingham could be exactly what he was at Kentucky in
the NBA and for people who didn't watch Kentucky this year,
(19:20):
off the bench, just a scoring machine, right, the Jamal
Crawford sort of role. I and I actually think that
that of the things that John Caliperry did in his
final season at Kentucky, that was the best one because
it's a role. It's literally setting him up for success
because he has to do nothing different other than guard
a little bit better. And he can have that same
(19:42):
role in the NBA.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
He can.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
I mean he's one hundred and sixty pounds, so that's
that's that's the problem, you know, And defensively, I'll say this,
he's he's a I mean, I'll just say it plainly,
he's a bad defender.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
So it's really beauty is in the eye.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
Of the beholder here, because I say both of those things,
and at the same time, he may be the most
dynamic guy with the ball in his hands in this draft,
Like if you're looking for somebody who can you can
put the ball in his hands to say, go get
me a bucket.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
If you want to simplify it.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
To that degree, he's probably one of the first guys
you bring up. So I think that where he ends
up is going to be really important because he's got
to be in a locker room where you know, the
the professionalism is going to be emphasized on a day
to day basis, Like, hey, being completely non competitive defensively,
(20:35):
that's not an option anymore. Like not getting in the
weight room, that's not an option anymore. You know, all
the things that go along with being a professional and
maximizing what you have. Like so I think, you know,
I've heard some buzz about like maybe Miami likes him,
Miami thinks like their culture can can really be good
for him. I think that would be ideal for him,
send him down there, and if he doesn't he doesn't conform,
(20:58):
somebody's you know, literally or figured league gonna punch him
in the face until he buys in. And if he
buys into a to a winning culture like that, I
think there's some really high outcomes for him.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Uh what what was your evl of? What's your evel of?
Brownie James?
Speaker 4 (21:16):
I think that out of high school, we were one
of the We were one of the few that that
weren't perpetuating that one and done lottery pick narrative that
so many outlets are trying to pretend they weren't. They
weren't saying a year ago. You know, he was a
top forty guy for us at the end. He was
when he was picked for the Mcdonaldsall American Game, he
(21:37):
was ranked in a spot where that should not have
been an outcome. But I will say that in that
setting and at the Hoop Summit, he to his credit,
looked like he belonged, So it wasn't egregious in that setting.
You know, he made enough shots, he showed the athleticism.
But to me, the only reason we're having this conversation
(21:57):
is is because he is Lebron James's I think that's
that's pretty obvious at this point, almost as obvious as
is that he's he's going to go to the Lakers
at fifty five. The only caveat to that is unless
they trade up and just make sure there's no surprises
given Lebron's free agency.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
But this is a player who.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
I actually think it isn't impossible that he becomes a
serviceable NBA player down the road, given the opportunity that
he is going to have to grow into that. But
if it weren't for his father, we would not be
talking about him as an NBA prospect right now.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
I I agree, and I just I don't understand. I
don't get it. I don't I don't understand. I don't understand.
I don't. I really don't understand, Uh what we're what
what Rich Paul's trying to do with this? You know,
Toronto likes him in Dallas like stop it, Like what
are we doing? It's really a one to one team race?
And then he says, I don't we're not going to
(22:52):
do a two way contract. What do you mean not
gonna do a two a contract? Like I don't get
to make sure.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Nobody else takes him like it's it's like, hey, nobody, nobody.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Why would you want no one else to take him?
Speaker 4 (23:03):
Because this is I mean, Lebron has told us for
three years now, like he said, the last thing he
wants to accomplish is to play with his son. He
said it repeatedly. Oh and including like this past winter.
Now they've tried to move that goalpost, they.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Tried to move off of that. Well, it's not about
playing together, like what are we doing?
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Of course it is.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
Everything you're doing is about getting them together from you,
not allowing him to work out from you saying he's
not going to sign a two way contract. And by
the way, the only other team he worked out for
is a team that very literally cannot draft the prospect.
Like if there is one team in the NBA that
needs a plug and play rotation player now or needs
maybe three of them.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
It's Phoenix.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
So the fact that that was the only other team
that they worked out for, I just thought was somewhat
comical because there's not another team that makes less sense
to draft a developmental guard who's not going to be
able to help you for a long time, like he's
going to be on the Lakers, and the reason he's
going to be on the Lakers is because that's what
Lebron wants. Trying to give anybody like a sound bite
like that's that's just what I believe, like the man
(24:05):
held light ridge to pull up.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Yes, okay, so and you can speak to this. He's
not the first, he won't be the last. Right.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
J R.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Smith's brother famously on the G League team for the Knicks.
We've talked about, you know, Giannie's brothers both being i
mean on the Bucks and.
Speaker 4 (24:23):
They brothers on the Calves right now.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Right and they you know, Mobiley's brother can play the
some I mean maybe not that level, but Giannis's brothers
couldn't play Dedney Cowboy movie. So we've seen it before.
But the drafting of it, the discussion people putting him
in the top ten on prospect lists is just it's
like laughable, and I don't understand.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Well, we work in the media though, that was strict clickbait.
That's when when you when you work for somebody or
you are with you know, like I sent a tweet
last year that that got me some ruffled some feathers
because I just you know, when our rankings came out,
I said, like credibility over clicks, And thankfully I work
(25:09):
at a place where they don't.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
No one asks me to do that.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
No one asks me because I can tell you from
the Google metrics anything with Bronnie and It is going
to get a lot more hits than Alex Sar Donovan
Kling and or Zachary resa Che or you know last
year when we were ranking players Ron Holland Isaiah Collier,
those guys. So you know, it helps from a metrics standpoint.
But fortunately, you know, I've never been in a position
(25:38):
where someone has asked me to do that sort of thing.
But there were a lot of places that we're saying,
you know, one and done, lottery pick And what was crazy?
It was like some of these things happened like right
after big events. I think it was like the hoop
Paul he was three of seventeen from the floor, and
then like two days later somebody's mock draft came out
and he was a lottery pick.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
It's like, what are you talking.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
About, Like like this is just not based in reality.
There's it's just discredits, you I think, So I don't know,
that's just that's just my my take.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
On it Adam Pikelstein and join US twenty four seven
Sports covering all things basketball. He joins his some Doug
Gollaibin for Colin this is the herd. Yeah, it's a
it's it's an it's an interesting one. Will it come
back to being more college heavy with the elimination of
the G League ignight next year?
Speaker 4 (26:27):
So yes, but not just for that variable. The other
variable is the rise of NIL and the consequent increased
traction with international players. You can cite recent commitments that
BYU and Illinois as example of this, Like those are
guys who were who were already being talked about his
(26:49):
potential draft picks next year, who in the past probably
wouldn't have come to play college basketball because you know,
you know this that that's that can be a hard
transition to go from an international game to a much
more physical college game. So there's there can be some
some risk in that if you're if you're just trying
to protect your stock. But we're seeing players do that
(27:11):
more now. So between that and Ignite going away, and
the third variable there is Ote is no longer a
college basketball competitor. It's it's basically another feeder system. Along
with high school. So like they, you know, the the
alternatives to college basketball are less and less appealing than
(27:32):
they were a year, two year, three years ago, for sure.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Awesome stuff, Adam, just incredible insight information. Look forward to
seeing your work throughout the night and in tomorrow recapping it.
Thanks so much for being our guest and the hurt.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
Thanks Doug.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Let's get you to Ryan Music with the News.
Speaker 5 (27:51):
No, no, it's the herd Line News.
Speaker 6 (27:57):
Hello Ryan, Oh, hello jog. I know you are looking
forward to this one. You may have teased it not
that long ago, and here we are to pay it off.
We don't often talk college baseball on this show, but
when you give a story like this, we are in.
(28:17):
Jim Slasnagel is the new baseball coach for Texas, leaving
Texas A and M one day after losing in the
College World Series to Tennessee. Now people have some thoughts
because after the loss, in the postgame presser, he was
asked about the Texas job opening, and here's what he said.
Speaker 7 (28:41):
I think he's pretty selfish of you to ask me
that question. To be honest with you, but I left
my family to be the coach at Texas A and M.
I took the job at Texas A and M to
never take another job again, and that hasn't changed in
my mind. And that's unfair to talk about something like that.
They'd be like you asking Montgomery if he's gonna sign
(29:02):
in the draft. But I understand you got to ask
the question. But I gave up a big part of
my life to come take this job. And I've poured
every ounce of my soul in this job, and I've
given this job every single ounce I can possibly give it.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Write that.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
The anger there is bizarre, Like the whole thing is bizarre.
And today apparently he apologize to the Texas Ags reporter
and to somebody else we got a confrontation with. But
what is the like, literally, what is the matter? I
wouldn't I know Chris del Conte. Well, he's a friend,
he's the athletic director of Texas And that's one of
(29:39):
those big swinging you know what moves, Like Hey, now
we're gonna hire a new baseball coach, and now we
gotta hiro guy who just lost in the College World Series.
But we're gonna hire the text A and M coach,
right like leaving the colt getting a guy out of
the cult is a big thing, But dude, what was
the win in what he said? Do I hope to
(30:01):
be in that position where somebody's gonna offer you some
gigantic job. You know that you can't turn out, of course,
but I would hope that I can handle it just
a smidge better than that. That's the most embarrassing thing
I've ever seen in college athletes. It's one of the
reasons that now when I tell people like I lead
with being a sports radio host, because you know, like
(30:22):
the sports radio host is supposedly a hot taker, right,
But if you say I'm a college basketball coach and'd
be like, whoa, whoa, there's kids around, right, It's like
OnlyFans is the only thing slightly below slightly below being
a college basketball coach or college sports chress. And this
(30:42):
is the reason why, because you can't trust a word
they say. Because the guy said I took this job
to never leave into twenty four hours later, you're a clown, dude.
I don't care how good a baseball coach you are,
you can't handle the media any better than that. Now
you're gonna be the head to Texas. What are we
doing here? This is not that hard. Not that hard.
Speaker 6 (31:09):
Yeah, I mean to your point, Lucky obviously just comes
off of a tough loss in the College World Series final.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
It was the third game of a three game series,
of course, a tough lof But again, what you're what
you're teaching these guys is how to handle themselves.
Speaker 6 (31:25):
No, absolutely on hundred percent, And what do you like?
It feels like the easy answer there is. Hey, listen, man,
our season just came done, and I'm so proud of
this team. I get that you have questions about my future.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
You can say everything he said. Listen. I poured every
ounce of everything I have into the tech Sam job.
I took this job without ever thinking about another job.
I left my family. Whatever, Just can you can you
give us a little bit? Can we talk about this game?
And like, I'm respectful of the question. I understand that
when a big job comes open and a guy and
(32:00):
it means that we're doing a good job, But just
can you give me a minute? Like I just told
my kids, they're seasons over. I think everybody be like, oh,
and even that's kind of pulling the guilt trip thing
or whatever. Sure you know, but yeah, they have to
do a job. They're the media. And oh yeah, by
the way, if you said even if you said, hey,
it can this way today, the answers, no, it really
(32:22):
can't wait today because the next day he was naming
that coach. But just it's again, it's not what you said.
It's the way you say, just attacking, attacking a kid
for doing his job, Like what are we doing here?
Speaker 6 (32:34):
All right, let's turn our attention now over to the NFL.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
And oh, hold on, hold on one more before the
worst part is Texas aggs. That's a Texas A and
M site. All they are is your hype machine. Like
no one likes Texas A and M. I just A
and m Aggie. People know this. We all think you're
in a cult. We think the leaders are weird. Like
the whole thing is just it's odd, okay, And I
(33:00):
no one loves their school more than Texas A and MX,
so their website, those are Aggie people like those are
the people that hyped you up, brought in your fans,
celebrate your recruits. And those are the people you treat
like that, like what are we doing here?
Speaker 5 (33:17):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (33:17):
Stay go ahead, no NFL, No, oh good NFL. We'll
wrap it up here. With this, things appeared to be
heading in the wrong direction for Brandon Ayuk and the
forty nine Ers as they try to negotiate a new
contract that Ayuk clearly wants. The latest update comes to
us via social media. In reacting to an Instagram post
(33:38):
discussing a reported trade talk between the forty nine Ers
and the Commanders a few weeks ago, i Uk jumped
into the comments and said, quote, but I thought the
Niners was never gonna trade me clearly.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (33:55):
This is the latest installment of star athlete unhappy with
a situation and takes the social media to express it.
Are you himself also doing this for the second time.
The first was a video posted on TikTok of him
facetiming with Jaden Daniels saying, forty nine Ers, they don't
want me around.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
Okay, first thing is I love this. Hey, they don't
want me? They offer your contract? Yeah, so they want you.
They just don't want you at the price that you want.
The U want so showing value. I don't know, it's
just he wants to. Honestly, he's helping the Niners if
he draws up more attention from the Washington Commanders to
(34:40):
get them to overpay because they want him as a
wide receiver with with scary Terry. But I just again,
what's the win? What's the winning? Going on social media
and crushing the place that you still are under contract
to work. I don't get that one. That's right. Music
with the news.
Speaker 7 (34:57):
Well that's the news and thanks for stuf the Herd
line new.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
I'm Doug Gollibin for Collin today. Come up next in
the Herd? What do you do if you're the Dolphins?
With two tongue of aililla, get me my thoughts next?
Speaker 5 (35:10):
Hey, what's up everybody? It's me three time pro bowler
LeVar Arrington and I couldn't be more excited to announce
a podcast called Up on Game? What is Up on Game?
You ass along with my fellow pro bowler TJ. Hutschman,
Zada and Super Bowl champion Yup, that's right, Plexico Burus.
You can only name a show with that type of
talent on it. Up on Game We're going to be
(35:33):
sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen
to Up on Game with Me LeVar Arrington, TJ. Hutschman, Zada,
and Plexico Burrs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcast from.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon eastern nine am Pacific.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Doug Gottlibin for Collin. This is The Herd on Fox
Sports Radio on the iHeartRadio app. Welcome in. We'll get
to the gigantic trade which took place last night between
the Knicks and the Nets and everything in between. Plus
gets ready for tonight's NBA Draft that that's upcoming next hour.
Plus our guy TJ. Hush Benzada will join us. We'll
(36:18):
talk to them about Brandon Ayuk and some of the
other wide receivers which I think we have to discuss.
But let's get to this story real quick about Tua
and the Dolphins where they appear to have hit a
They appear to hit a rough patch, a rough patsion
in a relationship where you know the details report as
(36:43):
Ryan you were sharing them with me earlier. Oh go ahead,
I'm sorry, We're have a little difficulties getting Ryan over
to the mic. I mean the idea is this, they
are at a bit of an impasse right where the
Dolphins are trying to establish what is market value for
Tua tongue of Iiloa and to his people more than
(37:05):
likely are saying, hey, we saw what Trevor Lawrence Scott,
We've seen what all these other guys have got. That's
the starting point, right, that's the starting point. And look,
I understand the argument there. The problem is what is
your comp Just use the real estate analogy. By the way,
(37:27):
no one's better real estate than our boy Colin. He's
incredible at it, really really is. But the real estate
analogy is you want comps, but your home is not
like that home. Your home has had flood damage, your
homas had things go wrong, and everyone knows they've gone wrong. Right,
your home looks the part. I mean, look, last year
(37:48):
we made Ryan Clark out to be the biggest clown
on TV because he said, and I don't know why
I threw in the tattoo part, but the point was
that Tua wasn't in great shape. If Tua was in
great shape, then why do you have to lose a
bunch of wait in this offseason. He's been hurt a bunch.
There's not questions about his arm strength. His arm is
(38:10):
just not nearly as strong as most of the elite
quarterbacks in the NFL, and he has a remarkable surrounding cast.
And here's the thing for the Dolphins, like, look, he
doesn't actually have leverage. When you're a first round draft
pick in the National Football League, Okay, you have a
(38:32):
four year contract. They can pick up your fifth year
option or not. If they don't, then you become a
free agent. But you're not really a free agent because
they can franchise tag you, and they can franchise tag
you again, a franchise tag you again. Now the franchise
tag works dollar for dollar against the salary cap, so
there is a prohibitive nature to it. But I don't know.
(38:55):
I'd be really interested to see if the Dolphins are
willing to go to the mattresses for this thing and
not Buch because I think people like to a run
in the league. Do I think that without any question
too would be snapped up and paid fifty million dollars
a year. I don't think that's the case. I just don't.
He's not terribly mobile, he doesn't have a strong Army's
(39:17):
been hurt a bunch. I mean, and look, this is
a minor thing, but he is left handed, so you
gotta change, you gotta flip around everything you do. I
just it's really interesting that the main reason Brian Flores
was let go was he wasn't a believer and a
lot of the ways he talked to me, he wasn't
(39:38):
a believer into a tongue of iyoloa. The Dolphins and
their brass, same brass is still there. They drafted and
they are a believer into a tongue of iyoloa. But
even that has his limits. Even that has his limits,
you know. And I just I think that the the
(40:00):
more we realize that those limitations, the more we're honest
about Tua, the more you have a chance of having
a better, longer relationship. If you pay him fifty million dollars,
even over a short period of time, you're gonna rue
that day because it's gonna keep you from getting something,
(40:20):
and you're expect you're gonna expect him to carry a team,
which that's not what he does at What he does
do is good. You know, can throw to a spot,
anticipatory throwing. You know, can can read a defense, can understand.
He just he he can't deviate because he's not quick
enough athletic enough to move and not get hit. And
(40:44):
when he gets hit I know he's learned how to fall,
but he was always getting hurt. The Dolphins and Tour
are struggling to find middle ground, which seems to me
like without even looking and knowing the numbers, it's too
if people say, all right, look at Trevor Lawrence's numbers,
that's our starting point, and the Dolphins are like, he's
not Trevor Lawrence. He's been hurt a bunch. We have
(41:08):
a great surrounding cast. Let's be reasonable. The issue with
being reasonable is who's reasonable in quarterback contract talks? What
was the last reasonable contract? I mean, I guess Jordan
loves contract this year, which is extension of his rookie deal.
That's reagionable, but it was done before we ever saw
him play in an NFL game last year. Isn't it
(41:30):
weird that the quarterback market is one that really mirrors,
if anything, society. There is no middle class. There's the
halves and then there's the have nots. And the Dolphins
built up this base of talent when when Tua was
on a rookie deal, just like the Niners that built
up their base of talent spending no money in the
quarterback room. Eventually, if you have to pay a quarterback. Eventually,
(41:56):
something's got to give, and like, look, only Mahomes seems
to be good enough to overcome it. But his offensive
line for a couple of years wasn't as good as
wide receiving cores. Clearly wasn't as good, although I think
they're getting better, and yet my Homes they ever to
overcome that too, is not that guy. So something will
have to give. But I don't think it can be
(42:17):
weaponry or protection the offensive line, but something in everybody's
roster has to give. All right, Coming up next in
the Herd got a spectacular third hour, including uh, what
is the best way to eat chicken? You're like, what
does that have to do with the Herd? We'll explain, Okay,
(42:38):
plus t J Justmen's out of joints us and coming
up next, how much better are the New York Knicks
after making the trade last night? I'll give you my thoughts.
That's up coming next. I'm Doug Gottlieb. This is a
Herd on Fox Sports Radio.
Host
Doug Gottlieb
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