LeBron James, MLB, home runs, and Russell Westbrook

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
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(00:25):
Star Game, little NBA news, Grong Brady, This is The Herd.
Wherever you may be and however you may be listening
live in Los Angeles iHeartRadio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS one.
Joy Taylor is joining me. After a crazy weekend and
a crazy Monday, everything's coming down a little bit. There's
a lot of sports going on here for the next
few days. Joy, how are you? I'm great? What was it?

(00:46):
It was marvelous Monday. Saturday's Tuesday? Yeah, terrific Tuesday. Turn
up Tuesday, Turn up Tuesday, Yeah, throw it back Thursday
or something. So yesterday, I want to start your show
with this. Yesterday I had to do an interview after
the show. Didn't have to. I was asked to an
interview with Dennis Miller, the comedian and before I went

(01:06):
on the interview. You know, you go and do like
a prep room and makeup room, and the lady was
she put on makeup and I started talking to her
and she had she was a military kid. And I
always loved talking to kids whose parents were in the
military because they bounced around the country and they had
to go into schools and out of schools. And what
I find with kids that go into the military, and

(01:29):
maybe the parents feel a little guilt bouncing around the
country and stuff. But you know what I find with
military kids, they're adaptable. They make friends quickly, they're not
reticent to change, they kind of embrace it. They like
new stuff, they don't romanticize the past. They're not traditionalists.
They're really good at adapting and moving. And the world's

(01:50):
never moved faster because technology and sports and analytics, everything
moves fast. Sports move fast. NBA centers, they've disappeared fullbacks
in the NFL. Oh where'd they go? And I was
thinking about this. Lebron James, as far as I know,
nobody in his family, you know, he didn't bounce around
with the military. But Lebron had a different childhood or

(02:11):
maybe similar to a lot of people he didn't go
to the perfect prep school. It wasn't the old, you know,
perfect family. He had a lot of change. He moved
around a lot, and like a military kid. It's one
of the reasons I think maybe Lebron has always been
great at adapting. For all Kobe Bryant's gifts, his game
was his game. Lebron James is now going to be

(02:32):
a point guard for the Lakers. That was announced yesterday.
Chris Hayes is like, yeah, they're gonna play a point guard.
In my takeaways, Oh, this is perfect for Lebron. Lebron
is a great pivoter Tom Brady by the way, great
pivoter Aaron Rodgers. Little rigid doesn't want to change. It's
amazing when I sat yesterday and talked to the young
lady as I was getting ready to go to Dennis

(02:53):
Miller show, right, and she just, Oh, she'd been here,
and she'd lived there, and she'd had that job and
that job. She seemed incredible, carefree and happy, no strash.
He's like, he's just I'm a military kid. We just
learned to adapt. Lebron James. In the middle of his career,
the game changed, It changed. Lebron James in high school
and his first six years was a freight train basketball, bullyball,

(03:15):
bulldoze get to the basket all of a sudden, about
six years in from now on shoot threes. He's a
six nine and a half forward. And Lebron James goes
to Miami and changes the game and just keeps working
on his game and adapting his game. Michael Jordan never
had to pivot in the middle of his career. Michael
Jordan never Michael Jordan face centers is a rookie and
centers when he left Kobe Bryant face centers is a rookie.

(03:38):
And then at the end of Kobe's career the game changed.
Then Kobe was kind of my game is my game.
Lebron has been a great adapter. I don't know why.
I really don't know why, but he is. If you
look at his businesses, if you look at his basketball,
he's constantly evolving his game. This is a perfect move
for him. Some people, you know, they have a life

(04:01):
they grow up in and they go to the same church,
and they go to the same school, and they've got
the same set of parents. Oh I change. They don't
want to move out of their area code, forty percent
of Americans won't move out of their area code in
their life. Is that they like that they by the way, change,
I'm My childhood was all sorts of movement people, dad's stuff,

(04:22):
and so I'm used to it. Joy's bounced around the country,
had a lot of different jobs. So I find I
like people who've moved a lot because they're not rigid.
They don't Lebron point guards perfect. This is what's really
made him as a basketball player. And I've said, of
the many gifts Lebron James has, chapter one is he
maybe the best we've ever seen. Chapter two is the

(04:44):
dude was almost never hurt, and chapter three is he's
an early adapter. By the way, because of technology, everything
changes faster. I mean just a technology plus analytics and sports.
And the early adapters win in baseball, the Astros, the
Red Sox, the Cubs, the Dodgers. Early adapters win basketball.
Lebron very quickly saw the three point shot, even as

(05:05):
a six nine guy, saw it as crucial eight seven
years ago. Lebron's like, oh, moved into it, by the way,
Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets moved into the three ball,
and when I look at Lebron, he doesn't have what
I consider to be a dangerous personality trait and that
and it. Maybe this used to be a great trait,
but I think it's a dangerous personality trait now romanticizing

(05:28):
the past, not willing to change. Lebron moving to point guard,
I'm like, Oh, it would be great. He's got a
big he's got wings. The Lakers signed a bunch of shooters. Now,
I got Jared Dudley, Avery Bradley, Danny Green, Quinn Cook.
I think it'll be easy. And I'll say this a
lot of my favorite athletes. Brett Farve not a great adapter.

(05:49):
This is my offense. This is why I'm gonna run it.
Aaron Rodgers is great, little bit stubborn. You know, Peyton
Manning had his way to play football, and that was
kind of the way Peyton it was gonna play football.
But I think Lebron will be perfect. I think he's
built for this. I don't know where it comes from.
I think it's an amazing quality. And I gotta tell you,
Lebron at point guard may struggle to stop some of

(06:12):
the tiny, small, quick guys. He is going to be
a handful to deal with if you have to face him.
Speaking of families, left me shift to this. It is
very early. Most of us don't have a perfect childhood,
right even the people who do do they really some
of you, I would call you late developers, And it

(06:35):
can be discouraging when you're young, you're in your teens,
and you see people flying past you. School's a little
easier for him. You know they're they're better athletically, they're
better academically, and you're sitting there thinking, man, I'm falling behind.
It's a discouraging. But I'm here to tell you don't
get discouraged. Okay, this is Dad talking. Everybody evolves differently.

(07:00):
Some people are are late groomers. Okay. I was thinking
about Kawhi Leonard this morning. So Lebron James was a
meteor cover of Sports Illustrate All Star by a second
year Rookie of the Year, the chosen one in his teens.

(07:23):
And here's Kawhi Leonard. Pac twelve schools didn't recruit him,
largely ignored, traded to Canada, ends up with the Underdog
shoe brand. And yet if Kawhi Leonard wins a title
with the Clippers and their favored next year, you do
get he is moving into MJ and Lebron's class won

(07:45):
a title at twenty two, MVP youngest besides Magic ever
goes to Canada, and have we ever had a guy
win an NBA Championship like this by himself? Tell me
the last guy? No. Now he goes to a third
team Michael Jordan couldn't win with a second and wins
another title. Folks, He's getting into a very rarefied basketball

(08:08):
air in my life. Third team title. And what I
think is encouraging about Kawhi Leonard is that when you
juxtapose him with Michael Jordan, who went to North Carolina
McDonald's All American and Phil Jackson and one team for
Soul and Lebron James is a meteor, he's the number

(08:29):
one player, and here's Kawhi Leonard moving right into their class.
Nobody on the West coast, forget the East. He played
in California, nobody wanted him. It happened in football. Peyton
Manning was the number one high school quarterback and the
number one college quarterback and the number one pick. And
he started as a rookie and he set the rookie

(08:50):
scoring touchdown passing record, and then Tom Brady was actually
in high school. He wanted to go to USC and
they weren't interested. And then he went to Michigan and
he struggled to start, and then he got drafted in
the sixth round and he backed up Drew Bledsoe. He's
the classic Kawhi Leonard, the slow build. In baseball, there's

(09:13):
Bryce Harper. Bryce Harper's on the cover of a magazine
at fifteen sixteen. He's the chosen one, He's the phenom,
he gets the shoe deal Minor League Baseball Pshaw. And
then there's Kristin Yelich. Yellich for the Milwaukee Brewers didn't
make an All Star team until twenty six, six years

(09:34):
in the miners. It took people in Milwaukee to figure
out who he was. Right now, Yellich is a better
player than Bryce Harper. Tiger Woods was a phenom at
fifteen and sixteen, winning juniors eleven years old, was represented
by IMG. At three, he was on television with his
late father on The Michael Douglas Show putting. And yet

(09:57):
here's brooks Kepka didn't get his hard until he was
twenty four, didn't really explode until he was twenty seven
years of struggle and irrelevance. Kawhi Leonard, the slow build,
Tom Brady, the slow build, Chausian Yellich, the slow build,

(10:17):
Brooks Kepka, the slow build. Success doesn't look the same
for people. Don't get discouraged, don't get bummed out. Some
people have more support early. Some people take a while
to evolve, to connect, to grow up, to mature physically,

(10:37):
to mature emotionally. You look around sports right now, it's
a very, very even combination of slow builders, late to
star and phenoms at sixteen. There is no one path
to greatness. Maybe in business it's different. Maybe in other fields,

(11:01):
politics it's different. But the world I'm watching in sports, Yelloch, Kepka,
Kawai Brady, don't face the early pressure, have that chip
on their shoulder because all the doubters maybe don't get
the support and the relevance early. But they the late

(11:22):
adapters and the slow builders. You know what, not everybody
evolves at the same speed. They're doing just fine. Remember
Steve Fisher, San Diego State coach that recruited as much
as you could recruit Kawhi Leonard. They never saw this coming.
When we recruited Kawai, we talked and said he's a pro,

(11:44):
and I don't say that often about guys that we've recruited.
Our thought was, if he stays healthy and keeps growing
his game, which we think he will, he could be
a long time pro. But to say he would be
an elite, top five player in the world right now,
no one, I think could say that they saw that coming.
So by the way Zion Williamson, he'll be the meteor

(12:08):
John Morant just drafted. He may be the meteor, But
there's going to be somebody in last year's draft, this
year's draft, or next year's draft that will be just
as good a player and you didn't watch them play
for a second in high school, or a second in college,
or maybe a second in the first three years in
the NBA. It took Kawhi Leonard four years to pop,

(12:32):
and he wasn't as All Star until year seven. Coming
up next, UFOs, until I see a little green man
do not exist, and I do not believe baseballs are
juiced until you prove it to me. Despite what Justin
Verlander says. That's coming up. Be sure to catch live

(12:53):
editions of the Herd weekdays in noon Easter nine am
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS one. In the iHeartRadio app,
Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger and the rest of the baseball
stars shine bright as the best in the Major celebrate
the Midsummer Classic the MLB All Star Games a night
at seven thirty Eastern four thirty Pacific, only on fives
saying it for years the only All Star game. I

(13:15):
really truly love watching Justin Verlanders, a great pitcher, but
he said something yesterday. Home runs are exploding in baseball,
much like the three point shot exploded in basketball over
the last seven, eight, nine years. And Justin Verlanders, a pitcher,
doesn't like it. And he ripped the commissioner, and he
ripped the sport. And he came out and Justin Verlander's
a first ballot Hall of Famer. He said, baseball is

(13:35):
turning this game into a joke. They own Rawlings, they
own the effing company. It's not a guess what happened. Man.
For the first time he came in said we want
more offense. Suddenly the balls are juiced. It's not a coincidence.
We're not idiots, no, but you're a stubborn man, and
you're a pitcher, and I've seen this my entire life
in sports. All believe they're UFOs. Show me the alien.

(13:57):
I don't want to see the fuzzy video. Show me
the alien. All believe balls are juiced. Show me proof, Well,
balls are going out the juice. Joe Morregan years ago
in a broadcast, said balls are juiced. You know what
Bob Costas said, not as much as the players. But
juiced is an easy explanation. You know, it's not an
easy explanation. Nuance, context, data, launch angle, defensive shift, analytics.

(14:22):
That's a hard answer. The easy answer is, Hey, I'm great,
guys are whacking it out of here. Balls juiced. Let
me give you four reasons why we're getting more home runs,
and let me show you a graph. Over the last
one hundred years in baseball, home runs have been going
up mostly forever. Now they've gotten over the last seven
eight years have gone crazy, right, Why would that be
same reason three point shooting's gone crazy because stubborn men

(14:45):
in sports don't like to evolve, and you could shoot
a three point shot thirty years ago. But about eight
nine years ago in the NBA, analytics came in and
everybody said shoot threes or else. Guess what. Two teams
bought into it, five, six, nine, Then suddenly, seven years later,
the three point chart looks just like the home run chart.

(15:05):
Everybody either shot threes or you got fired, unless you
were Greg Popovich Sam In baseball defensive shifts, Joe Madden
starts at in Tampa. People push back on moneyball, Billy Bean.
People pushed back on the defensive shift. Then six teams
buy in, then eight, then twelve. Now you're winning now.
If you don't do it, you're fired. If you're not
in analytics, you're a hasban, You're a dinosaur. If you

(15:26):
don't do occasional defensive shifts, you're out of touch. Home
runs are the three point shot. Technology has quickened the
pace of change in sports. Analytics are here to stay,
and analytics always get pushed back. NBA three point shot
got pushed back. Look at athletes are bigger? Balls are
coming in at mid nineties from everybody on the staff.

(15:48):
Do you watch the home run dury last night? Guys
are bigger, Guys are stronger, pitches coming in at ninety five.
In baseball games, defensive shift analytics of forced big hitters
Cody Bellinger. You don't want line drives, you want ground balls.
There's no bunts, swing for the fence. Strikeouts aren't evil again,
show me the alien. I don't want to see fuzzy
pictures of things that look like frisbees. I don't care

(16:12):
if it's an experienced pilot telling me. Show me the
little green man, Show me the juice balls. Joe Morgan
was talking about this years ago on Baseball, and Bob
Costas inserted some nuance, you know, and nuance is hard,
and context is hard, and analytics and data and metrics
aren't an easy explanation. Balls juiced. I've been hearing that

(16:34):
for thirty years. I've been seeing grainy videos of UFOs
for thirty years. Show me the money, Okay, show me
the money. This is what baseball is. It's all home
runs now, and finally everybody is all in on the
defensive shifts and the launch angle and the analytics, so
you're seeing explosion of home runs. It's the same chart

(16:58):
for NBA three point shots. A bunch of wealthy, older guys,
stubborn don't want to listen. Push back on the moneyball,
push back defensive shifts, push back on three ball. Then
you either embrace it or you get fired. And that's
a lot of money you're making in the NBA or baseball.
So everybody goes in on it. And what happens The
chart goes three point shots. What home runs show me

(17:23):
the alien? I'm tired of the juice ball argument. The
rise of home runs has been the rise of embracing analytics.
NBA baseball same issue. By the way, I don't think
three point shots. I like some nuance to my basketball.
I like a midrange jumper. I also like stolen bases
bunts in my baseball. But this is the future of basketball.

(17:45):
Shoot at three, and this is the future of baseball.
Launch angle, swing for the fence. That's how home run
hitters still get paid. Line drives are outs, groundballs are outs.
Get it in the air. Even if your average drops
joy with the news. No, no turn on the news.
This is the herdline news. Well, I very much agree

(18:08):
on the juice baseball's argument. I do think there's aliens.
So do you think they're aliens? Yeah, they're watching right now.
They're big fans. You're buying aliens. Have you spend a
lot of time like just walking around? Yeah, you don't
think there's some aliens amongst us. I think there are
people that struggle with day to day a living. They're
definitely aliens, all right. So the NBA Free agency has

(18:30):
shown a public shift and how players are recruited and
who actually holds the power. In the wake of Kawhi
and Paul George and Katie and Kyrie teaming up, Damian
Lillard had a great explanation why he believes recruitment for
by players is more powerful than pitch meetings by teams.
Sometimes the coaches and the front offices they don't have

(18:51):
as much, I guess power as the players. You know,
the players are so friendly now. I think in the
past it was like, you know, Jordan proudly he didn't
go out searching and trying to get guys to come
join them. You know, it was like it was competing
against each other. Now is well, they got three stars
on a team, so I know this guy and that guy,

(19:11):
I'm gonna try to get him to come to my team.
So I think you see it a lot more now,
whereas just players, recruiting players is more powerful than a
pitch meeting with the team. I think a lot of
this is you know what it used to be, Michael Jordan,
The pie was smaller. You're all fighting for a slice
of the financial pie. Everybody gets rich. Yeah, I mean

(19:33):
everyone's making money now, so it's there's no competition when
it comes to well, if this guy comes and he's
gonna get the contract that I want. Everyone makes money,
so you don't have to worry about that. Everyone's famous,
so you don't have to worry about that. And it
doesn't matter what city you're in, you're still going to
be just as famous because of the Internet. It's a
completely different world than when Michael Jordan was playing. So
I don't really feel I get the old school mentality

(19:56):
of it. I can appreciate it, but it's just like
you always say, you gotta evolve, like things have changed.
The game has changed from grassroots up. It's a different
world now and we're seeing what started in grassroots with
the explosion of grassroots basketball now taking effect in the
modern NBA, which she's talking about. Guys are friends now,
it's a different world. You moved to whatever team wants

(20:19):
you the most, and you get paid whatever you want,
and then you you team up with whoever you want
to win, and the reality is, you do need more
than wanted the player. Michael Jordan didn't win all those
championships on his own. By the way, Damian Lillard has
a good coach and a good GM and good teammates.
Damian Lillard may want to move if he didn't have CJ.
McCullough and Nerd Kitch. I mean the reality is, ideally,

(20:41):
I don't think Lebron would have moved if Cleveland in
his first run Dwyane Wade got drowned. Now I can
believe that. I can believe that he would have stayed
in Cleveland his whole career if they would have been
able to figure it out. What if Westbrook was a
little more giving as a teammate, Durant went to Titlan, OKC.
What's the point? I mean the truth, I think most
players at their core would prefer staying. But it's just

(21:01):
like you and I didn't grow up with a hedge
fund dad. We probably would have stayed in our hometowns
if dad said, we got this billion dollar business, right,
But you and I had to move and make our
own way. Kobe never had to move. He was a Laker, right.
And also, I think you know your motivation's changed throughout
your career. Just because you did win a championship in
the first place that you are maybe maybe you want

(21:22):
a new you just want a new experience. So there's
all kinds of different reasons why guys move from team
to team. But it's just a different world now and
we're all kind of catching up with it. But once
we accept that that's what the NBA is now, then
there won't be so much animosity for guys changing teams.
So after disappointing season, the Lakers front office is now
given Lebron a superstar for trading Fanthony Davis. But even

(21:44):
more importantly, they've surrounded him with a few capable shooters.
But a key factors to their success, scouts believe will
be health. Obviously, help was a huge issue for them
last year, and that makes Kyle Kuzma the X factor.
In fact, a scout told wind Horse, Kuzma will need
to prove that he can be a reliable third scoring option,
set a Western Conference scout because eighty and Lebron will

(22:08):
miss games, and they will and they have mostly specialists now,
so Kuzma is going to have to carry the load
at times, and he was the second. He had second
most points per game for the Lakers last year with
eighteen point seven eighty has a long injury history, did
avoid any major injuries over the past three years, but
he only played fifty six games last season. Some of

(22:28):
that was due to his trade demand. And you know,
Lebron played all eighty two games his last year in Cleveland,
and we all know what happened with his scorn injury
last year. So they're absolutely right. Kuzma is the third
guy now. And I do think that that's it's interesting
because you're seeing Kuzma all over Summer League with Lebron,
and I don't think that that's an accident. I think

(22:48):
Lebron knows like Kuzma is going Kuzma is going to
be the Clay Thompson to this Laker situation, Like he
doesn't get all the credit. He kind of gets overlooked.
Everyone's going to focus on Lebron and Ad but it
really it's going to be on his shoulders to carry
them through the spots where they're not available. It's funny
when the Lakers were talking about getting players, remember at

(23:10):
Anthony Davis and I kept saying, you better not just
give Kuzma. This idea that you know we're gonna flush
them all out. It's like, no, no, no no, Pelicans don't
need both your forwards. Keep the one who's healthy. Isn't
it funny? Now three weeks later, how valuable Kuzma is
and this scouch right on the money. I think the
Lakers will be good, but it's a roster full of specialists.

(23:30):
Danny Green can shoot, and Rondo can defend, and Boogie
Cousins can't defend, but give you offense, and JaVale McGee
and the reality is Kyle Kuzma. All these great teams
generally have Pascal Siakam, you know, the Clay Thompson. Generally,
championship teams have always had one really good emerging young
player with veterans and stars, and Kuzma's that guy. He

(23:53):
absolutely is. Finally, the NBA world was shocked when it
was announced Paul George to be trades to the Clippers.
It left Russell Westbrook as the only star left on
the Thunder. So it's immediately speculated that Russ would want
out of the rebuilding franchise. But now a new report
from Mark J. Spears suggests that he might have wanted
out even before the swap happens, according to sources, Since

(24:14):
George Westbrook and the Thunder suffered a disappointing first round
exit in the playoffs in April, Westbrook has been quietly
grumbling about the team's struggles and may want out. George meanwhile,
beat him to the punch. Would Rosy Okac. I'm always
told how brilliantly run it is, everybody's so happy. Well yeah,
I mean I think if anyone's been paying attention to

(24:35):
what's happened to the Thunder, that really shouldn't be the narrative.
They had James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook all
league MVPs on the team. I don't think it's been
handled well at all. I mean, kudos were like great
draft picks, but what did you do with them? Like,

(24:57):
I don't think that should be the narr of at all.
Especially you just traded Paul George, and I mean, I
mean kind of had to with that that haul that
you were given, but you still made that move. And
now it's apparent that Russell Westbrook isn't happy there, so yes,
you are rebuilding, And if I'm Russell Westbrook, I would
want out of there too. I mean, he's given every
literally everything he can to that franchise. He has to

(25:18):
wear it every time they lose. It's all on his shoulders. Meanwhile,
Kevin Durant and James Harden were there, ano they're not.
I don't think that this is all Russell Westbrook's faull.
I know he gets you have your opinions about the
way that he plays and well that, but I don't
I think that the franchise itself hasn't done that, but
of a job of keeping pieces around him to make
them successful. I don't believe anybody's ever a victim of

(25:40):
their reputation in any business. You over the course of ten, fifteen,
twenty years, your reputation in my business, in your business,
and I've already your reputation's fair. Carmelo didn't play the
fans kind of that's You're right, you're not a victim
of it. I do think, though I've been lectured for
years about how brilliantly run Oklahoma City is Sam Press.
They tell me he's brilliant. Maybe it's the glasses, and

(26:02):
I'm not saying they're poorly run. But I'm sitting here,
I mean, glasses do make everybody look smarter. But I
do watch that organization than I'm like, I think he
embraced the wrong guy. Maybe you know, maybe Durant is harder,
but I've seen a lot of their moves and I
don't like their roster. They were late to three point shooting.
By the way, everybody in this league moved to three

(26:22):
point shooting. They got guards, two of them that couldn't
shoot three. So it's not all on Westbrook. I don't
think this has been as brilliantly run as I've been
told by all these NBA insiders. Yeah, well so he
may end up in Houston. The two teams right now
that a room with the most is the Houston or
the Heat. But clearly he's wanted out for some time now.
Good stuff, Joy with the news. Well that's the news,

(26:44):
and thanks for stopping by. Third lie Steven Jackson. You know,
we're talking about people that are late bloomers in life.
Don't get discouraged. Not everybody evolves as quickly. Second rounder
Steven Jackson played in the NBA a long long time,
fourteen years, you know. Talking about Kawhi this morning and
you in our morning meeting, you were kind of top

(27:04):
of mind to me. Is that when you're a young
young kid. Right, Some people have supportive parents, some don't.
Some have supportive coaches, some don't. Is that it can
be very discouraging for a little kid when he sees
kids are better at sports at twelve than he is.
Some kids get big fast. Wilt Chamberlain was seven feet
in the ninth grade. Right, Some kids grow differently. You
were a classic Kawhi Leonard that you were a late bloomer,

(27:27):
that you evolved differently. But I stack your career up
with a lot of guys in the NBA. I love
the fact that Brooks kept could the golfer, late bloomer,
Kristin Yellot's the baseball player, late bloomer, Stephen Jackson, Kawhi Leonard,
late bloomers. Were you ever discouraged in your process thinking
I know I'm good, I'm not getting the love, I'm
not getting the offers, I'm not getting the attention. Yeah.

(27:50):
When I went through situations where after I tried off
for like eighteen NBA teams and got cut, I was
two days from making the Bulls roster and I broke
my head to foot the day before cuts before the
final cuts. Oh that was my second time breaking my foot.
So I was, I was, I was destroyed. I called
home crying, and the only thing that got me mad
at was my mom saying, so this is what you're

(28:10):
gonna do, you all, You're gonna turn into a cry baby.
I stopped crying, immediately, went home, healed up, bounced back,
went overseas, and got back in the NBA the next year.
Isn't that amazing? Right? I will do it? You know,
Kawhi Leonard nobody in the West, coach recruited him, played
in San Bernardino, packed town squad, school's not interested, didn't
hit in the NBA till year or four. Do you
remember young Kawhi and San Antonio? Yes, I do. I do. Um.

(28:33):
Before I got there, I knew a little bit about him,
but I didn't know. I didn't know he was gonna
be this and uh, I didn't I knew Pop had
felt like he found a dominant the rough, like like
he did with me. Um I got I was second
to the last, second to last pick in the draft,
and Pop saw something in me that I didn't see
him myself. So I felt I felt like he felt
he did the same thing with Kawhi and it turned
out to be true. Yeah, are you surprised how Grady is? No,

(28:56):
because after meeting him and being around him for almost
two years, all he talked about was being one of
the best ever. You know, when we when we went,
when he came over to my house, which Pop didn't like.
They didn't like him hanging out with me because they
thought I was I was being a negative influence. But
all we talked about was basketball and being great, and uh,
that's all he focused on. Was wanted to be one

(29:16):
of the best ever played his game, and that's all
he talked about. You know, I got a lot of
topics with you, including Russell Westbrook. You're you're a perfect
guest today because your story is the classic. You know,
like we look at people in most businesses, you can
see the great actor Early, the great baseball player early,
the Bryce Harper, the lebron the Tiger Woods. But Kawhi

(29:38):
is unbelievable. Wins a title at twenty two MVP, then
he gets traded to Canada. Not ideal. He played a
year two defensive player wins in Canada. That's never happened.
And he's the only start now he goes to the
second big basketball brand in Los Angeles, where I think
they have a better coach, better chemistry, better overall roster

(29:59):
than an owner. Better owner. I want to talk to
you about that, that and what Kevin Durant's business partner
is saying about Russ Westbrook. You are you ready, good guy?
You ready? Yes? I'm ready back in a second. This
is the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Herd weekdays and noon Easter ninety Empacific. By the way,

(30:20):
I've got baseball people screaming at me because I don't
buy in do a juiced baseball, just like I don't
buy into aliens unless you give me one, right, I
want one to everybody talk about UFOs. Show me the alien,
then I'll believe it. Stephen Jackson joining us fourteen years
in the NBA, So you know I'm credit Cola Russell Westbrook,

(30:41):
I did say to Joy. I don't think OKAC has
been as brilliantly run as I've been lectured for a decade.
I think they've missed on some players and they were
late to the three ball. But this is no good.
On Instagram, Randy Williams, a guy you know is Kd's
buddy and business partner. This has now been up four days.
Nobody's taken it down on Instagram. He said, nobody wants

(31:03):
to play with Russ. This is Katie's buddy. Everybody blames
everybody else accept him when it comes to the thunder losing.
People have bad basketball mixed up with loyalty. Russ is
about Russ. He's more worried about stats versus playing winning basketball.
Everybody can say what they want, but owners in GM's
in the NBA know the real about Russell in his
style of play. That's Katie's guy, that's Katie's friend. If

(31:26):
Katie didn't like that, he'd tell him to take it down,
wouldn't he right, he would. What do you make of that? Well,
Randy's a smart guy. I got a lot of respect
for him. He's been around the game. He's been around Okay, see,
and uh, you have to respect his opinion to a
certain extent. But we have to talk about the flip
side of it. He was never in that locker room,

(31:48):
he was never on that bench, he was never on
that court, So he actually never went through a lot
of stuff. He's probably saying some of stuff he's probably
seen from being okay, see, but a lot of stuff
he's probably heard from somebody else. You know me personally,
I wouldn't feel that way. And I'm an actual NBA player,
I don't. I think a lot of guys look at
it like how I look at it. If you have

(32:08):
a guy, there's so many guys that don't care about
the game, that don't that don't show the passion for
the game. If I can get a guy like Russ
that can average triple double and that plays the game,
I've never heard James k d or any other teammate, Paul,
any of them saying I can't play with Russ. I've
never heard no one say that. Nobody has. And I

(32:30):
was on the team when they had all three of
those guys. I was on the Spurs team. We was
up two old. They came back and beat US four
games straight to win the Western Conference Finals. Sam Pressy
did a bad job and not keeping that team together.
There was more worried about keeping Serge Baca and Nick Collinson.
If they would have not been lay to those guys,
they could have kept James, Russ and Katie together. They

(32:51):
did a bad job at that that team that came
back and beat US four games straight was a special team,
and you can't blame everything on Russ. I don't think
it's that. I don't think is that players don't want
to play with him because you talked to Kensey Perkins
about him. Kenchi loves him, one of his favorite teammates.
When you got a guy like that, like an average
trip with double for three years straight, as hard seeing

(33:12):
somebody who wants to win say you don't want to
play with a guy like that. No that First of all,
this is very fair for all the criticisms, let me
say this about Russ Westbrook. He's one of the few
guys I'd pay to see. He plays his butt off
every night. The other thing is, I don't think okaycs
as brilliantly run as we're told. Number four is Kevin
Durant's quirky. He just dumped. He just dumped Steph Curry.

(33:35):
So we can't blame k D leaving all on Russ
because KYD now just left Steph Curry and Play Thompson,
who are supposed to be the best guys in the league.
So it's not all on Russ. I don't think he
always plays winning basketball, and I think he's kind of rigid.
He's got his style. But I think your point's very
fair that I can take an anvil to Russ today,

(33:57):
and I do think he's difficult. But it's not all Russ.
It can't be. It can't be. They had a dream team,
They had an Olympic team of talent. They were late
to the three ball. They butchered the Harden move. To
your point, they seem to like players more where the
game was moving away from Biggs even now. Um they
went and got a college coach and I got nothing

(34:19):
against Billy Donovan. But that historically is not fit generally
in the NBA, it's a slow fit. Tarkanian was a disaster.
Loan Krueger didn't work. This has been I think he's
an okay coach. So I think your point's very fair.
We can all take it. You play hard in sports,
that is a there's a lot of guys in this
league that don't. There's there's a new term in the NBA.

(34:40):
It's called load management. Russ Westbrook doesn't do load management.
And then and then then. So the good thing about
Russ is you don't have to put a battery in
his bag, like, you don't have to worry about it.
He's showing up. You can. You can rely on him,
and there's not many guys that you can rely on
in his game today. Okay, So I want to talk
about yesterday. I listened to LA Radio a lot because
I wanted everybody's local opinion on who was better. And listen.

(35:05):
I think with the Clippers, I have good chemistry, good momentum,
good coach, great GM, great front office, good owner, and
I just slid into two way players. I've seen that
work my whole life, a lot of veterans. And on
the Lakers, I got a new coach and Jason Kidd
looking over his shoulder, Lebron's changing positions, Ad has been injured,

(35:27):
a lot of specialists, and one young guy, Kyle Kuzma.
I look at the Lakers age regular season, Stephen are
about young legs, and then the playoffs start and Pascal
Siakam take a little back seat to Mark Gasol. Right.
I look at the Lakers, and you got a lot
of old guys, and my question becomes in the West,

(35:51):
injury here, injury there. Lakers look up and there are
a six seed, two back to back Road series. I don't.
I said it yesterday. The Lakers are a great movie poster.
I don't know if they're a great movie. Are they
a great team? They're on paper they look decent, they
look good enough to win a championship, especially with Adam Bugget.

(36:11):
But at the end of the day, you have to
go out there and win it. You know, you you
anytime you want you win a championship. The basketball guards
have to be in your favor. When we wanted an
oh three, Dirt got hurt in the Western Conference finals
for Dallas last year with Kauhi. Look how many people,
how many wounded wound the teams end up playing against
By the way, Chris Paul got hurt, saved the Warriors.
See what I'm saying. This year, Durant, Clay Looney got hurt,

(36:34):
saved the Raptors. You got the basketball guards. When you
win a championship, a lot of things go your way. Guys,
stay stay healthy. A lot of things going your way
to win the championship. And you can look at teams
now and you can say, well, they got the roster
and all that, but a lot of things factor into
a season, you know, chemistry, injury, a lot of stuff.
Got guys we can start to pout on their game

(36:54):
time and shots. All kind of stuff happened like that.
The Lakers got a lot of guys that are used
to playing big minutes and they got they got like
nine guys now that play. Avery Bradley doesn't want to sit,
Danny Green didn't want to sit, Ronald didn't want to sit, right,
Jeffe McGee's a good player, Boogie Cousins, they got. I
find the Lakers to be there's a lot of ifs there.
It looks like it. The other thing you point out

(37:17):
is Lakers got a lot of guys who have had injuries. Yes,
Clippers don't, No, they don't. And the Clippers got probably
might be the best defensive team as far as guards
in the league. You've got Pat Beverley, Paula Kawai. It's
gonna be hard to scoring those three guys. That's special. Yeah,
so um interesting. So when I get all the rumors

(37:40):
about Russell Westbrook, a lot of teams that need to
sell tickets, you know, like Detroit wants him in. Miami's
not a great team. I get most of the teams,
I hear the Knicks and then I hear the Rockets
with Westbrook and I think to myself, Ay, it doesn't
fit and be the Rockets. Are they a little desperate

(38:01):
here as the window closed for them? Well? Are they
selling tickets for roster trying to win games? Russ and
James look good together when they were together. I'm sorry,
they look real to get I think the worst poet.
Okayc you try to bring the Spurs organization to a
team that don't have Tim Duncan. You can't do that. Okay,
it's working. It's working in Philadelphia because they have him.

(38:23):
Be when you want to take the Spurs style and
kind of run with it. It didn't work for Okac
with Sam Presty, but I think this thing would work.
I like James and Russ. It just it all matters
with what you put around them. Same thing with kad
Na d It matters what you put around them. You know,
these two guys gonna show up and do their job.
What can you put around them? And that's been the
biggest thing, the biggest problem with the NBA last couple

(38:44):
of years. Who is scouting these players? Like, who do
you have going to look at players and look at
talent and that's That's been a lot of stuff that
a lot of veteran players and retired players have been
talking about. Who was scouting these guys these days? Who
are picking these players? You like Westbrook, James Harden, crisp Paul.
I like all those guys period together, but I like no,
I like Russ and James together. Chris Paul won't be

(39:07):
there if Russ is there. They can't keep both of them. Well,
he can't afford both them, right, It'll be a trade.
It definitely have to be a trade, all right, Steven Jackson.
By the way, we haven't talked about this. Kevin Durant
went is not going to play for a year. So
Kevin tends to have and to okay, it's a little sensitive.
So he's not gonna play for a year, and he's
gonna rehab for a year. You've rehab before, and you

(39:29):
just sit around and you watch your phone all day
the next year for Kevin Durant, seriously in New York
and by the way, the LA teams are both good
and there's all these emerging stars, how do you think
Kevin Durant handles the next year staring at his phone,
not playing? Uh, doing his show, being able to do
his little his little board show, he got boar room show.

(39:50):
I'm sure he'll be doing that to stay in tune
the game and uh, you know, to speak his depend
in the game. But at the end of the day,
I honestly think Katie is gonna be working hard to
get back on the court, to come back and prove
everybody wrong again. You know, I don't know why he
has to keep continuing like he's not one of the
best players in the world. He's continued to feel like
he has to prove something to people. But you know,

(40:13):
I don't think it'll be what people think. He'll be
in the media and stirring of stuff. I think he'll
just be focused on getting back and getting bit being healthy.
Because it's a new situation and if you don't come
out and play well this nay can go downhill. Oh no,
go downhill fast. Kyrie is not the easiest guy in
the world to play with a lot of expectations. East
is good, West is packed. It's funny. But you having

(40:33):
Kybrie on your team, you like it. You're confident, all right.
Stephen Jackson, good seeing you, George, Carl John Smoltz all
Star Games coming up yesterday just down the street here
you could almost throw a football to it. Tom Brady
and Gronk we're playing catch. What does it mean? I'll
tell you next. And The Herd One more Herd. The

(40:54):
Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven days a
week within the iHeart Radio app. Search Herd to listen
live or on demand whenever you like. Nah, this is
The Herd Hour two live in Los Angeles, wherever you
may be and however you may be listening iHeartRadio, Foxports Radio,
and FS one. Joy Taylor is joining me for Hour two.

(41:16):
George Carl, former NBA coach, joining us. John Smoltz will
be joining us today. Former baseball great Fox, Major Riadague
baseball analyst. Home run derby last night Two Things in
Sports America loves. I don't watch the home run derby
in the Pro Bowl, so I'll take your word for
it was an amazing thing. I don't want to. I
love the home run derby. You do well. I mean,
it's my favorite part of baseball, as home runs, and

(41:38):
it's all just condensed, and I think they've done a
good job of making it more suspenseful and having like
rules everyone understands. So it's like it's it's a fun
thing to watch, it's easy to play along. But I
love all the skills competitions that come with All Star games.
Like those are more fun to me than the games. Sometimes.
Baseball All Star Game is amazing. It's all when I watched,

(42:00):
because it's actually competitive. Yes, but like NBA All Star Game,
you watch the three point shot now contest, No, I
think that stuff's fun. Yeah, this year I watched, but
the game isn't competitive. Beasse the only competitive All Star game? Right?
Um So, something yesterday happened. Tom Brady played catch with Gronk,
and Gronk retired, and of course everybody's freaking out. What

(42:23):
does this say about Gronk? And to me, it doesn't
say anything about Gronk. What it says is Tom Brady's
smart and obsessed with football and loves to have Gronk
and Josh Gordon as workout buddies in the offseason just
in case. And I think this what truly separates Tom
Brady from anybody that's ever played football. He is completely
addicted to it. He's not embarrassed by it. So many

(42:47):
pro athletes today, and you can do this too, This
is okay. I want to tell you about their politics
and what they're experts at, their wardrobe and their style
and their fashion and their politics. And I know Wine
and I know and Brady has no interest in any
of it. Tom Brady's into his football, and Tom Brady's
into his family. He's not embarrassed about it. He's obsessed
by it. It's kind of funny. He's married to a supermodel.
He's one of the richest American athletes ever. And remember

(43:09):
during his documentary, do you remember watching him do this?
I watched all day Monday, all day Tuesday, and then
Saturday before the game, I watched film, and then Sunday morning,
I watched a film. I don't know why I can
sit here and watch it and you know, process information quickly,
but I can. Running and lifting has been much harder
to develop than this. This has kind of been in

(43:30):
me and I could literally, like just watch film all day,
not embarrassed, put it on tape. Remember he had ultimate
editing control. Drink smoothies, watch tape all day long. And
what I like about Tom is it's a very simple
life in a world of choices and options. Tom's into family,

(43:52):
Tom's into football. He's not here to tell you that
he knows wine, politics, fashion, and not embarrassed about it.
Don't be embarrassed about being obsessed about something. It is, okay,
Like my sentence says all the time, Dad, you like sports,
I'm into electronics. I'm like, all right, don't be embarrassed
about it. And you know, it's one of those things.

(44:15):
Bill O'Brien used to coach him now, that coach of
the Houston Texans, and he talked about this couple years ago.
He said, Tom's hard to coach, not because he doesn't
like coaching, because he's obsessed and he demands every day
you teach him stuff Tom Brady demands. He said, he's
a phenomenal guy, but he's obsessed with football. And I

(44:36):
like people who are obsessed with things. I think Steve
Jobs was obsessed, the late Steve Jobs with this phone
which now controls my life. I like people who are obsessed.
Kobe Bryant was obsessed, Peyton Manning was obsessed. There's this
whole thing about having work life balance, and when you
google happiness, what makes people happy. There's a lot of
things that make people happy. Giving to others, social situation,

(45:00):
being loved, loving You know what they never say work
life balance. The ski instructor slash poet slash web designer
is way happier than Tom Brady. And my argument is
I don't buy it. Obsession equals great and great is fun.
And the other thing is I think Brady has become
the most important person in NFL history. For my entire life,

(45:25):
football has been loved by America. We bet it, we
watch it, we talk it football, we party to it,
we drink to it, we eat to it, we watch it.
But over the last five years, and every sport has obstacles,
Football's dealing with a violence issue, and it's brutal, and
it doesn't last, and it beats up your body and

(45:46):
CTE and there's movies with Will Smith, and there's books
about it, and I don't want my kids to play.
And Tom Brady is I feel great, I don't get hurt.
I'm forty one, I look better than you do it
forty one. I run faster, I eat better, I never
get hurt. Tom Brady is now a symbol for football.

(46:07):
What happens when you take care of yourself, when you
take care of your body, when you're disciplined, when you
practice falling and getting hit, when you spend some of
that money on nutritionists and discipline and lifestyle and diet,
and I think he's the face of football, and I
think he's an incredibly powerful face of football. Listen, Michael

(46:31):
Jordan was really good for basketball for a lot of reasons.
He was global, and he was great. But Michael had
a certain dignity and the way he dressed and the
way he looked. He was elegant. Michael Jordan made basketball
feel big and corporate and gigantic and cool. Michael Jordan

(46:52):
wasn't just a basketball player. Michael Jordan was like the
best dressed man in America who played basketball, who had
great relationships with business. He made basketball players corporations. Michael
was bigger than a jump shot. Michael was a great
face for the league. When he left, ratings drop fifty
ever said, Brady's a great face for the league. He's

(47:12):
not the most talented, he's not the most gifted, but
being obsessed with football is good. You can have a
great family. You don't have to get hurt, you don't
have to be beat up, you don't have to limp
out of the game, you don't have to be it.
Just be all in on the sport and it pays
you back. Jay Glazer always talks about what makes what
makes Tom Brady Tom Brady. Tom Brady works as hard

(47:33):
as anybody in this league. He is. He has the sickness, right.
I call it the sickness right. If you want to
be great, you gotta have a sickness. You gotta be great.
Ye mean, you gotta be sick about it. You have
to constantly, NonStop work, work, work, Absolutely, it's a session,
and he does. We just don't know about it because
he don't talk to anybody. If you're obsessed with it
and you put the work in, usually you're you're gonna

(47:55):
be h. I don't say you're gonna be great. You're
certainly on the right path because so many other guys
are not willing put the work in. Let me shift
to this. I just love Brady. Anytime I can get
Brady into the show, I will. Joey's over there thinking
what about Ryan Tannehill? No, when is this segment on Ryan?
Ta moved on from that, He's no longer our problem. Okay,

(48:15):
I got another thing I want to talk about here.
So I'm from the Pacific Northwest, and I grew up
as a kid, we had the Sonics. We didn't have
the Seahawks. When I was young, we didn't have the Mariners.
We had the University of Washington, and we had the
Sonics downtown. Freddie Brown, Jack Sigma, Gus Williams, Dennis Johnson,
Paul Silas, John Johnson, Lonnie Shelton, Lenny Wilkins was a coach.

(48:39):
I don't know who owned it, but I'll tell you this,
that was the team. I loved, green, hot and smoke,
and they used to say Sonics were green. And then
they left guy that owned Starbucks bottom and want to
spend the money in an arena. And I left and
they went to Oklahoma City. And everybody's been like, oh,
Oklahoma City, it's a great basketball said they to everybody.

(48:59):
Askall be very interesting now to see if Oklahoma City
five years from today is a great basketball city. I
know it's a great football state. I know they love
college football. I'm not saying Oklahoma City can't be a
sports town, but it's real easy to steal an NBA

(49:20):
team and sell out the arena when you have James Harden,
Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, winning seasons, all the momentum. Durant gone, Hardened, gone,
Steven Adams on the trade block. Westbrook wants out congratulations
on the ten to twelve draft picks, hopefully to turn out.

(49:41):
Danny Age is supposed to be a brilliant drafter. One's
been a star, Jason Tatum and he had a plateau year.
This league's built on stars at Phills Arena. The Warriors
were garbage for two decades. They were still top ten
in attendants. Chicago has been a mess for years past year,
top three in attendance. Philadelphia has had decades where they

(50:04):
were irrelevant, top half of the league in attendance. Philly
is a great basketball town. Chicago is a great basketball town.
Oakland great basketball town. They've been awful for decades. People
show up top ten and attendant, top two. We'll see
now about Oklahoma City because you're going to be a

(50:25):
You're gonna be younger than Atlanta and worse than Sacramento
six years ago. Now for the next six years because
free agents. I don't really want to go there. So
whenever I hear about great basketball city, no, no, you
went to great basketball City Philadelphia, Doctor jay To two
years ago, they were mostly you know, little iverson here

(50:46):
and there and on that good Chicago unwatchable sellouts in Chicago,
that arena is hard to get to. It's not cheap.
Chicago's expensive sellouts. It's like, I got nothing against Vegas
the Golden Nights to get a hockey team. Everybody's like, oh,
Vegas is a hockey city. Really, why did it take
one hundred years to get a team. No, you got
a team. The arena is awesome, and your team is great.

(51:09):
What happens if you finished last place for the next
seven years, Because in Toronto they'll still sell it the arena.
Detroit will still sell it out, Chicago Blackhawks will sell
it out, Flyers and the Penguins will sell it out.
Golden Knights going to the Tank for nine years, is
that arena sold out. I'm not bitter about losing my
NBA team. I'm not saying I'm better. I'm just saying

(51:31):
Seattle was a great NBA city. Seattle was a greatball
city there and they ditched it. And it's like, and
you know what, Seattle would go to games and there
were a lot of bad teams. I got one title
as a kid. There's a lot of bad teams. That's
all I'm saying. I'm not bitter, maybe a little bit tiny.

(51:55):
George Carlos coming up, by the way, he coached in Seattle. Yes,
he was a songings coach. 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. Great news, quick and easy way to save
money go to Geico fifteen minutes, save fifteen percent Geico
dot com. For the record, George carl supposed to join

(52:16):
us here in a bit. Look at the I just
look at this. You know. The Lakers obviously made a
bunch of moves. Lebron's in his seventeenth year. Rondo fourteenth,
Jared Dudley thirteenth, Broogee Cousins tenth, JaVale McGee twelfth, a
D eighth, had injuries, Danny Green fourteenth, but a D
I feel best about because he's only in his eighth year.

(52:37):
They are old. Outside of everybody in the Laker land
was wanted to give away. Kyle Kuzman, I kept pumping
the brake, saying time out. A You're gonna have a
new coach who's gonna be your young legs. The Raptors
had a bunch of old guys, but they had Pascal Siakams,
like twenty two years old or twenty five years old.
They had Fred van Vleet. They have Norman Powell. They
had some young guys. The Clippers got some old guys,

(52:58):
obviously Patrick Lou Williams. But you got Montrez, Harrold Landry Shammitt,
Zoo box is twenty two. Lakers got no Kuzma. Is
it like? It's just old dudes. And the reason you
need young legs is for seeding in the regular season,
Like the Dodgers right now are one of the youngest
teams in baseball. The question becomes does that stuff work

(53:20):
in October? Because I know what works in October? Verlander
David Price last year in the World Series. Veterans win
in the playoffs in all sports. Go look at the
Super Bowl. Old offensive line for the Rams and Dominican
Sue Aaron Donald a keep to lead. Guys have been
around the block, Wade Philip, seventy year old coordinator Brady Adelman.

(53:43):
I mean youth like the Cleveland Browns and the Cowboys
have a lot of good young players. That is great
for the regular season, because what happens in pro sports
is everybody gets dinged up. The older you get, the
dings last longer, the dings keep you out longer. You
take Kuzmaut. This is an old Laker team, and we

(54:04):
think of Lebron as this incredibly durable player. He's off
an injury. Seventeenth year now eights had injuries. But the
thing I like is he's only in his eighth year
and only played one year college basketball, so he's really
in the middle of his prime. I mean, Kawhi Leonard
is in his ninth year, but he's really in the
middle of his prime. He's had an injury. I don't
worry about Kawai's injury. I don't worry about ads. I

(54:24):
don't even worry about Paul George. He's in his tenth year.
When you get guys in their thirteenth year, fourteenth year,
fifteenth year, I mean those are like like Boogie Cousins,
He's this is a big year for Boogie. He's in
his tenth year. He said, two major injuries. I would
love him to be in his seventh or eighth year
with those instead of his tenth. If he gets another one,

(54:45):
it's over. Nobody's paying him money. So I just look
at the Lakers and I see a bunch of old
guys and a bunch of specialists and only one fresh,
young pair of legs that I can depend on to
score eighteen to twenty a night. Kyle Kuzma, that's it.
Nothing against Danny Green, but Danny Green can't be out
there thirty three minutes at this point. He just can't.
You can't even You can't have Lou Williams for the
Clippers paying thirty two minutes tonight. You just can't depend

(55:07):
on that. Enjoy with the news, Turn on the news.
This is the Herdline news. So Kawhi Leonard and Paul
George teaming up on the Clippers was a free agency
fourth of July surprise, and Mark J. Spears has some
insight on the decision. He reports Leonard, who just led
the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA title, sold George

(55:29):
on the idea of winning a championship together. Sources said
Leonard and George also wanted to play for Clippers coach
Doc Rivers. Yeah, so that's a big deal. Yeah. I
find the whole the whole story very interesting because it
makes me happy. I guess it's the word I'm looking for.
That teams like the Raptors and the Clippers who built

(55:49):
good cultures and didn't just go in the tank and
try and get draft picks every single year and created
an environment with a good executives, good coaching, and good
pieces to stay relevant are actually being rewarded. That is refreshing.
I don't get what Oklahoma said he's doing. They're just
gonna tank, right. Okay, so I'm not a genius NBA

(56:12):
exec but we can all see something happening in the
basketball culture. Kids are coming to the NBA at eighteen now.
They're not only physically not quite ready, a lot of
them are emotionally ready. Even a great player like Zion's
probably four years away from making an impact in May
and June in the playoffs. You're just overwhelmed by these

(56:33):
are the world's best basketball players. You're eighteen years old,
your a year at of high school. So this idea
of tanking and getting a bunch of eighteen year olds
like Atlanta's got a bunch of draft picks and a
lot of good young players. Atlanta is gonna be atrocious
for the next three years. Well, I don't have a
problem with getting young players if you have a plan
to develop them into what you see them becoming when

(56:55):
you draft them. That's why the Pelicans are so interesting
to me because they do have a ton of young players.
They got an All Star guard there, they do. They
have Drue Holiday like they have some other some other
veteran pieces, but they also have they are creating a culture,
and I believe in their coach and I believe in
their front office. So I can see maybe not this year,

(57:17):
they maybe this year they missed the playoffs, so they're
going to be relevant. Maybe they do make the playoffs.
Who knows, a lot of things can happen, but you
you have a feeling like they're gonna be in the
in championship relevance very soon. Even if they do have
young players, it's it's not going to be a disaster
of a season for them. And this is what I'm
talking about. Like the Clippers, we all felt were like
a fun team, you know, we were kind of rooting

(57:38):
for them. They gave, you know, a little pushback in
the playoffs, but they have a good culture now. I
mean they were once a disaster. Like it takes a
little time to create it. But don't just go in
the tank and continue to put your fans and everyone
through that. You only tank. Here's the only time you
tank in sports. If Andrew Luck is available and you
need a quarterback, or Lebron James is available. If you

(58:00):
see in basketball or football, I wouldn't. I wouldn't tank
in baseball. I wouldn't tank in hockey. But if you
do see like this kid at Clemson, the college football
play at Clemson, the Trevor Lawrence kid. Yes, if I
think I can get Trevor Lawrence's once in a lifetime
once and at once in a universe players, I think
at Pittsburgh Steelers, their an entire organization have had two

(58:21):
big Ben and Terry Bradshaw. It's been a bunch of
guys after that. If you can get Lebron or an
Andrew Luck, then you tank. But this idea Ogloma City.
I'm just gonna send everybody out and start over again.
The Clippers did it right. You get the coach, you
try to win, You create a culture, and then then
a winning players like I could help that team. Right,
And that's what you felt all year last year is

(58:42):
the Clippers just really need one piece, and now they
have two piece. And the biggest thing you said there
is culture. If you're tanking year after year, you have
this losing, awful environment, you can't then just flip a
switch because you got the guy and now all of
a sudden you're gonna start winning. It just doesn't work
that way. The whole mentality of the whole organization topped
a bottom has to be a winning mentality. Maybe you
don't win every single year, but you're in the conversation.

(59:04):
So sticking with free agency surprises DeAngelo Russell making a
little move there. After making his first All Star team
and making significant career steps in Brooklyn, he was traded
to the Warriors, but instead of being bitter that they
decided to release him, Russell only had praise for the Nets.
He even made an interesting comparison. He told the Athletic
I have nothing but great things to say about Brooklyn.
It's almost like going to high school before you go

(59:26):
to college. You felt a little bit better before you
got to college. That's how I feel about Brooklyn. I
got the complete structure that I needed. I feel totally
prepared going into my next chapter. Last even smart analogy, Yeah,
I mean, it's like it's kind of like you're gonna
go to high school before you get to college, so
you know, you get it. But he averaged a career
high twenty one points, four rebounds, and seven assists in

(59:48):
eighty one games all starts, so he had he took
a tremendous step up in his career with Brooklyn, and
he's actually made me a fan. I'm I'm rooting for
him now. I felt like a lot of people just
buried him whenever he left the Lakers because of everything
that happened off the court with that Lakers team, and
you know, it was obviously a bad situation, but it

(01:00:10):
kind of felt like, all right, he's he's a bust
and like unnecessary and he's just drama and he's he's
completely rebooted his career. I think he's gonna be huge
for the Warriors this year. Yeah, I don't. I don't.
I don't get this. I really don't understand this, this
idea that he's gonna go to the Warriors and it's
just going to be this awful fit. First of all,
if you're an elite score and you play with Steph Curry,

(01:00:35):
show me the example of a guy that doesn't work.
Steph works with everybody. Their culture is so strong, their
system is so strong, it'll be great. I mean, everyone
thought Boogie was going to be a disaster. Look how
much they needed Boogie like it was it. Look how
strong everyone was when Boogie was. When Boogie went down,
and D'Angelo is gonna be like Randy Moss of the Patriots,
You're like, how does it fit? It didn't fit forever.

(01:00:56):
It's not Edelman, right, but I's right. But to that point,
I also don't think that he is that dysfunctional, immature
character anymore. And that's what he's saying. He got the
stability that he needed, the consistency that he needed to
mentally be able to focus on basketball, and he's taken
it to the next level. Finally, Zion Williamson's first game
in a New Orleans uniform could sound like a catastrophe.

(01:01:17):
He played nine minutes and struggled on defense, than bonked
me's with the next defender, and then his night was over.
But an earthquake hit and the game was called three
minutes into the fourth quarter, so it wasn't a catastrophe.
He was the highest rated NBA Summer League game every
which shouldn't be too surprising considering that Zion is Zion,
but he says he's feeling great in his absence from

(01:01:38):
the rest of the Summer League is nothing to worry about.
I was more precautionary. It was a crazy experience, so
I didn't expect that many people to be there. The
energy was high. It was my first stace of like
actually playing NBA players, so that was great. It was packed,

(01:01:59):
was standing only everyone was there that has anything to
do with basketball. It was our latest magic. He you
know what he is, He's the first viral NBA player.
He's the first product of that situation coming like exploding
on the internet and then being the real deal and
it all coming to fruition. I mean that place, it

(01:02:21):
looks like a finals game. I mean it's it's crazy
that's a Summer League game that it's exploded that much.
That said, he I would have liked to see him
play more, not just for the entertainment factor, but he
also probably needs to slim down a little bit. I'm
a little concerned about the big length of this season.
And you know this is what this is what Scott's
were worried about with him was he plays injuries. It's

(01:02:43):
so much speed and velocity and power and to yeah
that all those things, and it's he doesn't need to
develop a jumper too. But again, you know, I go
back to this at nauseum, we are asking kids a
year out of high school to NBA basketball. We would
not consider think about how good Christian Yellowchi is for

(01:03:04):
the Brewers. He was in minor league baseball for six years.
It's not even just the physical get bigger and stronger
to play with men. The idea at eighteen years old,
you want to put me on private jets, giving me
millions of dollars and I travel around the country. It's
like summer league is fun. And I love Zion. I
think Zion's four years from having playoff impact in the

(01:03:26):
league as much as I love him. Yeah, but that's
the game now, That's that's part of you know, leaving
college and entering the NBA. It's a whole different world.
There's way more games. The travel is more stressful. Like there,
I mean, even you're fine and you know, private jets,
but you're still flying a lot more Like there's a
lot more that goes into being a pro. Whether you're
mentally ready for it or not, you know, but Zion's

(01:03:48):
gonna be fine. Yeah, it'll be fine. Joy with the news.
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
Herdline News. By the way, Randy Williams, who is a
friend of Kevin Durant and a business partner, blasted Russell Westbrook.
I mean, I mean just lit him up, blasted him.
And it's been out on Instagram for like forty five

(01:04:09):
minutes or forty four days, excuse me, not forty five minutes.
And if you're listening to me on radio, I'm gonna
read it. It It says nobody wants to play with Ross.
Everybody blames everybody except him. Russ is about Russ, more
worried about stats versus playing winning basketball. GM's in the
NBA know the real about Russell in his style. Okay,
see will have to trade Russ. He will have to
become a better player teammate. Reality has set in. Nobody

(01:04:30):
wants to play with him. Well, I do think he's
difficult as hell to play with. I would say this though.
What I find interesting. We tend to think that everybody's
trying to win a championship in basketball and they're not
there are teams trying to sell tickets. Pat Riley generally
we think of as he's trying to win basketball games.

(01:04:51):
But the reality is Miami is active and dynamic, and
it's got a beach and beautiful people and great restaurants
in multiple sports. And Miami with Jimmy Butler and Russell
Westbrook would sell tickets. It's not winning you a championship.
And by the way, if you put him in Detroit,
it would sell tickets to a dead franchise, and then
in Minnesota it would sell tickets to a franchise and

(01:05:16):
fan base sort of tired of not competing in the West.
The interesting team with Russell Westbrook. When you see all
these bad teams, the New York Knicks, Miami, Detroit, you're like, yeah,
I get it, Minnesota, and then the Houston Rockets appear
and you're like, well what you know why? Because my opinion,

(01:05:38):
Houston's windows closed. Everybody's better, Denver's better, Utah's better, Portland's better,
Clippers better, Lakers better, Jazz better. And I think Houston
is more desperate than anybody thinks because analytically, Darryl Morey's
a money, moneyball guy, right like moriy Ball gotta shoot threes.
This is the worst three point shooter in league history.

(01:06:00):
We don't think of Houston. This shows you how quickly
windows close. We get all the Westbrook destinations. It's like
he'd sell tickets in Denver or Detroit, the Nix or
a mass I get and all of a sudden, Houston,
Why three guard? He never forget this about Houston. They've

(01:06:21):
got a new owner. The new owner doesn't love the coach.
They made Mike D'Antoni fire all of his coaches. Chris
Paul is a bad contract. James Harden's great, but he's
in his prime. You better not waste it. I think Houston,
deep down, in the last week, with all these stars
moving around, Jimmy Butler didn't give the Rockets an interview.

(01:06:44):
He didn't give an interview. That story leaked. Did it
leaked because they want to be relevant. We don't think
of the Rockets as desperate or needing relevance. But I
say this morning, everybody in the West looks better to me,
everybody except Oklahoma City, and I deep down wonder with
a new owner, Chris Paul's injury again, Houston, you got

(01:07:08):
an NFL team, You got one of the best baseball teams.
It's one of the great food cities. There's a lot
to do in Houston. The economy's good. People have money,
people travel, people vacation. Is Houston a little more desperate
than we think? Because that all the other landing spots
makes sense, Houston makes no basketball sense at all, And

(01:07:30):
it tells me there's a little pressure in Houston. There's
a pressure from the new owner. There's a pressure on
Daryl Morey. There's a pressure on Mike D'Antoni. It's heating
up because that that move doesn't make any sense at all.
By the way, updated NBA Championship odds. And I think
Houston's too high. Here It's Clippers, Bucks, Lakers, Sixers, Warriors, Rockets, Jazz, Denver.

(01:07:54):
I think Portland's a little low. I think Utah. I
think the Warriors are a little low. I think Denver's
a little low. I think he Wason's a little high.
I do that's weird. George carl former NBA coach, Sonics, Nuggets, Bucks, Kings,
John Smolt stops by. It's the Baseball All Star Game tonight.
We've had an amazing month at Fox. From the US

(01:08:15):
Open United States women's team, the Gold cop Here we
go into the Baseball Star Game. And by the way,
it is, what's the date today? July? What NFL camps open?
When two weeks? I've never wanted football to start more
than right now. Be sure to catch live editions of

(01:08:37):
The Herd weekdays in noon Easter nine am Pacific. By
the way, Rob Manfred, the Commissioner of Baseball, has fired
back at Justin Verlander, who claims, with a lot of profanity,
the baseballs are all juiced. I don't buy any of
its less, Like I say, you gotta show me the alien.
You can't just tell me there's UFOs an alien. You
gotta show me proof. I don't care about your fuzzy,

(01:08:58):
grainy video. Show me a little green men. You keep
telling me baseballs are juiced. Cut one open and show
me show me proof. I've heard it forever. Joe Morgan
talked about this. I remember Keith Oberman talking about this.
People talking about this in the seventies and the eighties.
No home runs are going up because players are bigger
and pictures are throwing nineties and guys are all jacked up.
And because of analytics in baseball, which were introduced really

(01:09:23):
about ten twelve years ago. Nobody wants to hit the
ball in the ground. Nobody wants to hit line drives,
so it's called launch angle. Because a new analytics and
a defensive shift. Line drives are bad and ground balls
are bad. So everybody, these big, strong athletes are all
swinging for the fence. Analytics also tells you strikeouts are okay,
no bunts. Strikeouts are okay. Hit home runs, no groundballs,

(01:09:45):
no line drives, because they become outs. Bryce Harper's complained
about this. He's like, I used to hit the ball
through the middle. It was a hit, and now it's
an out. So everybody's strikeouts go up. Everybody's home runs
go up. Strikeouts are also way up. So the graph
is out right here in baseball that home runs have
been going up since eighteen seventy one. There have been
a couple of dip years, but they're going up. But
they've started going straight up over the last like three years.

(01:10:10):
Why because now everybody's in on the analytics. Just like
the three point shot in basketball. There were a handful
of early adapters and a bunch of doubters. Remember Byron
Scott when he was the coach of the Lakers. He
was one of the old school guys about you know,
not not sure about three. It was a lot of doubters,
and then all of a sudden, it went from your
doubting analytics to analytics are beating you, to oh crap,

(01:10:34):
I have to embrace them or I'm going to be unemployed.
And this happened in basketball over a ten year period. Warriors,
then the Warriors Rockets, and there were some doubters, and
all of a sudden, everybody now is shooting threes or
you're fired, or you look like a dinosaur. It's the
same in baseball. In the last two to three years,
every team in the league, a lot of them pushed

(01:10:54):
back on defensive shifts. When Joe Madden did it in Tampa,
a lot of people pushed back, and a lot of
people push back on all the analytics, the launch angle.
But now if you push back on that stuff, you're
a dinosaur and you get fired. As it is. Even
Aaron Boone, a very good manager for the Yankees, the
guys upstairs are giving him, you know, all the signals

(01:11:16):
on what to do. Baseball's changed, So I don't buy
their I have heard baseballs are juiced forever and show
it to me. I'm tired of the rumors because I
can show you the analytics and the nuance and the
context and and I love Justin Verlander, but he's like
baseballs turning the game into a joke. They own rawlings,
they own the Blanket Company. It's not that hard to

(01:11:38):
guess what happened. See, it's easy to say, juice baseballs.
It's like a really bad sports radio Take baseballs are juiced.
Let's go to the phone and take your calls on it.
That's a dumb radio segment. What is a hard radio
segment is nuance and context and data and metrics and
culture changes. That's hard and it takes time, and you

(01:11:59):
have to look at things and dive deep into analytics.
And I'm not all into analytics. I prefer analytics. I
don't want my sports to be slide rulers. But it's
just such an easy out. Juiced aliens, your foes, show
me see it. I say, I don't believe it. I mean,
you don't ever wonder what the like circular discs are

(01:12:23):
flying in the air, You know what? I always think
that stuff is. First of all, I think a lot
of them are reflections. You look at the sky, you
see a white thing flying. I think a lot of reflections.
The second thing I think is our government has a
right to create new aeroplanes for our military, and they
don't advertise them, so other countries know them, so there's
experimental aircraft in the air. The other thing is we

(01:12:45):
know there's drones and spy planes everywhere in the world.
We're spine on Russia. They're spine on us. We're spine
on China, they're spine on us. Is it that far
fetched to believe that sometimes there are spacecraft from other
countries developed, Maybe they're a little ahead of us, Maybe
they've developed something that looks different. You make a compelling
argument is that I don't think that's crazy. I mean,

(01:13:07):
I still believe in aliens, but it's as compelling as
your argument against the theory of juice baseballs. So my
argument is that could be a Russian plane, That could
be a plane from China. It could be military spying
on us, because we're spine on everybody, so they're spying
on us. It could be that, or it could be
alien invaders too. And how are we sure that everybody
out there in the alien world is so much smarter

(01:13:29):
than us. It may be. It may be we're smart
and they've been now around a lot longer than us,
and we bump into them before they bump into us.
It's possible they're not smarter than It's possible, I do.
I feel like it's a bit arrogant of us as
a species to imagine that we're the only ones in
the entire universe. Yeah, well we're arrogant that we are.
There is quite a possibility that there's another show called

(01:13:51):
the Herd on planet. Yeah, it's not as good as
this sun, not as good as this one. Good to
have you today. George carl is supposed to show up.
Do we know what's going on there? Waiting for the
two big stories today? Russell Westbrook gets crushed by Kevin
Durant's best friend on the internet on Instagram. He lights
up Russell Westbrook. Nobody wants to play with him. This

(01:14:11):
is Kevin Durant's buddy. It's been on the internet for
four days. It would be very easy for me to
bring out the Annville today in Hammer Westbrook. I don't
think he's a winning basketball player, but I will say this,
and I'll say it again. It's not all on Ross
Oklahoma City, Butcher the Harden trade. Oklahoma City was late

(01:14:32):
to three point shooting. Oklahoma City, like Philadelphia, drafted a
lot of bigs and it's become a guard wing league. Now.
Do I think Westbrook is wildly entertaining, Yes, but I
do feel there's a Steph Marburry Allen Iverson component where
his game has got incredible, like what they called like
street appeal, Like Iverson was so beloved, but he wouldn't

(01:14:55):
always a winning basketball player. Don't get me wrong, Russ
is popular. There's a lot of like about Russ. He's hard,
Russ's popular, dynamic, fun to watch. But I think the
book Nobody's a victim of their reputation. The book is
out on Russ. He's great in January, he looks exhausted
by May. He can be really unhinged. He apparently is

(01:15:15):
a very happy person. Once basketball start, he gets really
tight and people that know him is like, he's one
of the best guys in the league. Every time I
see him in a summer league game, he's smiling, he's stylish,
he's funny, he's a great family guy. And then there's
something about his basketball that's really intense and rigid and
hard to play with. The book is out on Westbrook.

(01:15:36):
He's hard to play with. He's a dynamic, ball centric guard.
But it's not all on him. Listen, we've all watched
all these sports for years. Something you figure out. And
I'll say this as a broadcaster. There's a lot of
broadcasting companies. There's not a lot of good ones. There's
not a lot of great management. I always say, chase
great management, not money. There's a sea of money, there's

(01:15:56):
not a sea of great management. And you look around
all these teams. You know, Danny Jane, everybody thinks Danny
Ainge is a genius. Well, they're about six years into
that rebuild, and I'm not sure in the last six
years are they that much better? Kyrie out, Al Horford out,
Gordon Hayward, mah Jason Tatum, Plateau, Kemball, Walker's good, not great.

(01:16:20):
You know. So I'm not just defending players. I'm not
going victimhood you know radio here, But I am saying,
because athletes are front and center on the Cereal box,
it's their franchise, we tend to blast athletes. Westbrook's a
flawed player, but I do believe they could have solved

(01:16:40):
some of these issues by getting more in the hard
and trade surrounding him with better shoots. It's not a
great shooter. Some of this is Russ Westbrook feeling late
in games. Hell, if I don't shoot, who's going to
Stephen Adams can't hit a jumper. Robertson can't hit a jumper.
If Bob Couple, I'm gonna shoot a jump. Some of
this is Westbrook feeling if I don't shoot, who does.
I'm the best athlete on the team. So this is

(01:17:01):
the Westbrook story. He does not look great today and
he probably will get traded. Miami's probably in a little
bit of a rebuild. I think Jimmy Butler and Russell
Westbrook sell tickets. Miami's a busy city. There's a lot
of options and good weather and beautiful people. I think
it's probably about as good a fit. It would be fun,

(01:17:23):
and sometimes fun is the second best option if it's
not winning a championship. And there's also a theory in
sports this is why the Warriors went out and got
D'Angelo Russell. There's always been this theory in sports, and
for all I agree with most of it, Darryl Moorey
believes this just get stars. You can always move a star.
It's very hard to move an average player with a

(01:17:46):
fat salary. If Russell Westbrook went to Miami and let's
just say he scored twenty seven a game, he and
Butler got along, there's gonna be a taker on Russell Westbrook.
It is hard to move. Listen, Boogie Cousins has had baggage.
He's all sorts of people want Bookie Cousins. Miami wanted
Bookie Cousins, Lakers want of Boogie Cousins, Warriors wanted Boogie. D'Angelo.

(01:18:08):
Russell had a terrible reputation, Brooklyn wanted to do. San
Francisco wanted to I mean D'Angelo Russell and Boogie Cousins
both ended up with the Warriors. Both had terrible reputations.
Randy Moss had a bad reputation. Patriots went after him.
So it's always easier to move great players. And Russell
is a great player as long he's a winning basketball player.
But he's a great player. And there's my soapbox for today.

(01:18:30):
I covered aliens, I covered baseball, I covered analytics, I
covered Russell Westbrook, and as far as the Lakers go
with the Clippers everywhere I go in Los Angeles. This
is all onlybody wants to talk about who's the better team.
I think the better coach, the better chemistry, the better bench,
fewer specialists, more two way players. Is with the Clippers.
Better momentum, better owner, better front office, better coach, better unity,

(01:18:52):
better chemistry, better defense, more well rounded players. Clippers Lakers
have a D and Lebron cross your fingers. Kyle Kuzma
keeps getting better, and a bunch of specialists, a lot
of injuries, a lot of age. In the end, I
think the Clippers are better. In fact, I'll say this again,
I think the Warriors are better than the Lakers because

(01:19:13):
I get Steph, I get Draymond, I get Looney, I
get Clay, I get Russell, I got a coach, I
got a GM. Remember this at the trading deadline. This
is one of the things we don't talk about. Don't
think the team you see right now is the team
you're gonna see next May. It's not it. You're gonna
have multiple injuries. We've got a trading deadline. Some of
these guys are not gonna fit. I don't see a
single relationship on the Clippers. That's not gonna work. I

(01:19:36):
could very easily see Boogie Cousins having a nice first
half and thinking to himself, I'm getting three and that's it,
and Danny Green's getting fifteen. I think the Lakers have
a lot of pressure on Frank Vogel and Lebron James
to make this puppy work. I think Lebron's got a
ton of pressure. He's in the seventeenth year, Frank Vogel's

(01:19:56):
coming off being fired twice, and you're asking Lebron to
make it all work, and Vogel to make it all work,
and Jason Kids looking over the shoulder. I don't see
the hierarchy I like with the Lakers. I see a
perfect hierarchy with the Clippers. I like the owner. I
like the front office. I like the logo, I like
the coach. I like the stars, I like the bench,
I like the chemistry. I got like like like Lakers.

(01:20:18):
I love a couple of things, and then it's a
bunch of question marks. I don't like going into seasons
like that. Hour three's coming up. John Smoltz, George Carl
all right, I'm done. Rnton. I had to go about
twelve minutes. You're a wonderful job, Aliens Westbrook. I think
you've been very nice to Westbrook today too. I have been.
I've been very positive. I've almost marketed him, promoted him

(01:20:41):
our three next 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. And with that we go to the
summer league. We go to Las Vegas. George Carl coach
in the NBA for twenty seven years, a former Coach
of the Year, sick most wins all time. George Carl

(01:21:02):
is joining us. So you know, we got all this
mobility and it didn't start yesterday. Players have been moving
around the league George forever. You know that. Are you
a fan of this player movement and this wild free
agency stuff we just had in the last two weeks. Well,
I think I'm old school more and from I'd like

(01:21:24):
to see more organizations have more loyalty to players. But
that's that's that's the day of the past. So am
I a fan of it? I'm a fan because it's
gonna be exciting, There's gonna be a lot of good
basketball teams this year, a lot of chances, and I'm
actually to see where it goes. What's gonna happen. Frank
Vogel has got a bunch of new pieces. I mean,

(01:21:46):
there's there's a lot of situational players. How long is
realistic to give a new coach with a bunch of
new players before they jail. Is it trading deadline or
does it take more than a year. I would say
there'll be a lot of answers by trading deadline, but

(01:22:06):
the best is probably a year away. But yeah, with
Lebron and the talent they have, they can be a
threat this year to win the championship. But the piece
has got to fit well. There probably has to be
a change, maybe one more trade, one more chinkering somewhere
around January or February to make the team ready for

(01:22:28):
the playoffs. You know, Doc Rivers has coached big stars.
Last year he had a team that was mostly b guys,
but they played really hard and many people thought it
was Doc rivers best coaching job. Now he gets Paul
George and Kawhi Leonard, very good two way players. This
feels like to me, it's gonna work. The chemistry is

(01:22:49):
gonna be good. Are you worried at all that Kawhi
and Paul George kind of do the same things a
little bit, just a little bit. I think it's a
great What I see in La Clipperland is an organization.
It's really together. I think Ballmer as an owner, wants
to win a championship. I think Lawrence Frank is a

(01:23:09):
student of the game, and he's done a nice job
transmitting himself into a good general manager. And then you
got Doc and a place in his life. Is he
really energize, He's really into it. He has the best
mention in the NBA, and he's got a lot of
good pieces. I think they're going to be a very
good team very early in the season. Yeah, I agree

(01:23:32):
with that coach. We were just talking about Russell Westbrook
and they're kind of blowing things up in Okay. See.
And I understand that Westbrook is a dynamic athlete, but
I've never felt he always plays winning basketball. In your career,
you had a lot of great players. What do you
do when you're having a unique talent, but sometimes he's

(01:23:53):
not perfectly suited maybe for other teammates. You know, what
do you make of Westbrooks game, Well, I love how
hard he plays. He plays the game with such intensity
or enthusiasm it's contagious. I've always admired him for being
one of the hardest working guys in the NBA. But

(01:24:13):
you're right, yeah, you know, his numbers don't translate into
wins all the time. His additors sometimes turns the team
off and you can almost see their team's body language
go out the window. I really would like to see
westbrook play off the ball a little bit more. I've
always I've said this for about four or five years,

(01:24:34):
and maybe that will happen if he stays no Casey,
But it looks like he's going someplace else, you know, coach.
When when I look at the Lakers roster, KCP, Rondo
and Boogie Cousins have not always been the easiest guys
to get along with. But I do believe that Lebron
has some really good leadership skills and may be able
to put his arms around him. You know, when you

(01:24:57):
get a roster, how how big is chemistry? I think
it's huge, and I like the Clippers chemistry. I'm not
sure if this Laker team will have chemistry. Is it
up to a coach or a star player to develop
it well. It helps when your star player is good
at it. It hurts when your star player might be

(01:25:17):
a little jealous of it. And you're right chemistry that
there's a lot of teams in the league that have
enough talent to win a championship, but they don't have
a connection, they don't have a togetherness, they don't have
a belief in each other. And that's what you're talking
about in chemistry. And Lebron has been great and making
average players good good players, really good and really good

(01:25:40):
players special. Anthony Davis obviously really talented. Do you think
he'll play well with Lebron coach? I think he's the
key to the Lakers. I think he's got a breakout.
He's got to have a breakout season. He's had a
lot of great years, whereas his numbers say a lot
of good stuff, but he's never led a team to

(01:26:01):
winning big games, are winning in the playoffs, and I
think I know we're all looking at Lebron, but I
really think it's Anthony Davis this year to break out
and show the world that he is one of the
best players in the world by winning in the playoffs. Finally,
you know the Pacific Northwest. Well, Damian Lillard is one
of my favorite athletes in America. And Damian has said, listen,

(01:26:25):
I don't want to leave, and Jannis and Milwaukee has
said I don't want to leave. Joey and I were
just talking about this. I think most players don't want
to leave, but they get mad at the coach, mad
at the GM. They listen to their agent. Did you
find in your NBA career that if most players were
reluctant to leave, but sometimes circumstances take over. What I

(01:26:49):
found is they usually are talked into it. It takes
it takes a process of as you said, you're his
Asian and his girlfriend and his wife, that you know
they see the other side, the defense being better. And
I think in general you're right in your analysis. But
in the same sense that the history tells us that

(01:27:11):
these guys leave most of the time, Yeah, now they do.
Would you make it Kevin Durant going to Brooklyn and
leaving the Warriors to that catch off base a little bit?
I don't understand it. I think it's kind of crazy.
I have no idea. I don't think they're I don't
think they're a championship team. Even though I love what
Brooklyn did this year, I think they're gonna be better

(01:27:33):
next year. I think they're gonna be an interesting team
to follow. But I look at Kevin Durant, he should
be searching for championships and I don't think he's going
to have one in Brooklyn. And what the team he
has right now. Yeah, coach, it's great. Senior. Congrats to
your son Kobe Carl like her associate head coach at
Summer League. If you're in LA, give us a call.

(01:27:53):
Stop by. I love to take you out for dinner.
Good enough calling, Thank you, man, George Carl. John smolts
around the corner at the All Star Gibsy. He feels
why I think in Brooklyn, I think they're gonna be
fascinating to watch. There are team, by the way, the
Durant Westbrook team I always thought was fascinating to watch.
I just didn't feel there were a championship team, but
I loved watching Durant and Westbrook play. I mean, a

(01:28:16):
lot can happen, but I just feel like Brooklyn is
going to be what the Raptors were this year. Nobody
remembered that Kauai was one of the best two way
players in the game before he got injured. We forgot
about him. Uh huh. Katie is going to get counted out.
Everyone's gonna forget about him. The whole season's gonna play out,

(01:28:37):
and then he's gonna come back and they're gonna be
really good, dominate the world. Yeah, Joy Taylor of the News, Nope.
Oh oh, I gotta take a break. Yeah. Sorry, you
know I do that about once a month, got between
earthquakes and that. It's just the fear men talk about
Joy's like, I'm not don't have my notes quite dam
just testing my staff. That's not my old age. Be

(01:28:59):
sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays and
noon Easter nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS
one and the iHeart Radio app. By the Way Hall
of Famer, eight time All Star Cy Young Winner in
about ten minutes, John Smoltz the All Star Game tonight.
In baseball, when you watch the All Star Game, the
first thing you're gonna pick up on is man most
of the good players are young. There are a ton

(01:29:21):
I live in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are one of
the youngest teams in baseball. The Yankees, even though they
have some veterans, have a tony young talent. There is
there is a wave and who knows why? Is it
because moms ten years ago started moving off football. I mean,
who knows why? But it comes in waves. There is
a wave of new baseball talent and there are twenty

(01:29:44):
five twenty six year old kids everywhere that can already play.
We'll talk to that with Multen coming up World Series champ,
eight time All Star and a Cy Young winner and
a Hall of Famer. First though, Joey Taylor of the News, no,
no turn on the news. This is the herd Line News.
So let's been talk about this for a while. You know,
the tampering thing, and how do you really regulate that

(01:30:05):
when players are mainly the ones communicating and recruiting, And
we pretty much saw that in Wake Up Kawai, Paul
George and Katie Kyrie teaming up, and Damian Lillard had
an explanation for why he thinks the recruitment by players
is now more powerful than pitch meetings by teams. The
coaches and the front offices they don't have as much

(01:30:28):
I guess power as the players. You know, the players
are so friendly now. I think in the past it
was like, you know, Jordan probably didn't go out searching
and trying to get guys to come join them. You know,
it was like it was competing against each other. Now
is well, they got three stars on their team, so
I know this guy and that guy, I'm gonna try
to get him to come to my team. So I

(01:30:49):
think you see it a lot more now, whereas just players,
Recruiting players is more powerful than a pitch meeting with
the team. You know, if you really just think about it,
it makes perfect sense. If you're happy at a company
and you know that bringing someone that you trust to
that company is going to make not only you better,

(01:31:12):
but the company that you're comfortable with and other people
there that you're comfortable with better, why wouldn't you have
a conversation with them? And if you're going to move somewhere,
why wouldn't you want to talk to somebody who's already
there to find out what's really going on, to find
out how things really work or what the plan is. Like,
a pitch meeting is cool, but everyone's always going to
put their best foot forward. In a pitch meeting, you're

(01:31:34):
gonna hear all wonderful things. When I was when I
came to Fox Sports, we didn't have many people. I
was like our show and that was it. I got
on the phone with Skip Bayliss and Chris Carter and
Jason McIntyre, and I was calling people and saying, listen,
I do what you do for a living. They treat
you really well. Here. There's nothing against the bosses, but

(01:31:54):
I'm like, I knew that my former employer wanted them
and we wanted them, and I said, listen, I've worked
at both. They treat you away better. I mean, you
want to you want to have a communication with people
that you trust and people you do the same thing
as right, and you don't do the same thing as
the executives do. Like that they're going to tell you
something different than someone who is your peer is going
to tell you. So really, all this makes perfect sense now.

(01:32:15):
I mean, Damian Lillard's made it very clear that he
doesn't want to take that direction, and that's fine, but
he also is in a great situation where he feels
like he can possibly win a championship, and he very
well might. So good GM good coach. Not every player
lands in that spot, and people do things for different reasons.
So after disappointing season, the Lakers front office is now

(01:32:36):
given Lebron a superstar partner. They have Anthony Davis, and
they've also surrounded him with some capable shooters and now
our own Chris Haynes's reports that the Lakers intend to
start Lebron at point guard next season, meaning Danny Green
will likely start at the two and Rondo will come
off the bench. But that will also mean probably many
lineup changes in assignments for Frank Vogel, especially early in

(01:33:00):
the season. Well why does that matter? Lebron's first seasons
with new coaches haven't exactly gone that well over the
past decade. Remember, he and Eric Spoelstra had some issues
there in Miami. Everyone knows what happened with David Blatt
in Cleveland's last year. Obviously, Luke Walton didn't end so
well and even had issues with coach k during their
first summer together with tam Usa back in two thousand

(01:33:22):
and six, before they obviously developed a bond at this point.
But all that's happening while Jason Kidd is on the bench,
who he has a previous relationship with, So This could
be kind of an interesting thing to watch the season. Now,
We've all had the conversations when the coaching search was
going on about how is the relationship with the new
coach and Lebron going to work? Because I mean he

(01:33:44):
has a reputation of this being an issue. Now I
think Lebron may realize he's in a different phase in
his career than he has in these past situations, so
gonna make things work quickly. But that was a big
issue for the Celtics this year. What is everyone's role
and how is all this going to work? And it's
not just chemistry and wanting to play together, you have
to actually translate it onto the court as well. And

(01:34:05):
you know Lebron and Ad have had situations in the past,
especially this last season of missing games. That's going to
fall on Kuzma. There's a lot of moving parts here
with the Lakers that should make people a little nervous. Yeah,
a lot of question I will I will say this though,
they got Lebron shooters. Yeah, I mean that was the
thing that they needed to do. Be Danny Green, dud

(01:34:28):
Lincoln hitter shot. That's the one thing I know Lebron
drives and dishes really well. Yep. Finally, the NBA world
was shocked when it was announced that Paul George would
be traded to the Clippers and it left Russell Westbrook
is the only true star on the Thunder. And then
it was immediately speculated that Russ would want out of
this rebuilding franchise. Will Now a new report from Mark J.

(01:34:48):
Spears suggests that he might have wanted out even before
that swap happens. According to sources, since George Westbrook and
the Thunder suffered at disappointing first round exit in the
playoffs in April, Westbrook has been quietly grumbling about the
team struggles and may want out. George meanwhile, beat him
to the punch. Now, we talked a little bit about
Russell Wesso possibly going to Houston or Miami. There are

(01:35:11):
other few teams floating out there, but yeah, Detroit's the
Wizards possibly. But to me, the best, the most interesting
situation would be him with Houston because Houston is still
considered to be a contender and they've been right there,
just right there for so many years and they feel

(01:35:32):
like they need to make a dramatic move and be aggressive.
But is that the right, the right move to be aggressive.
Chris Paul wasn't there, and you just said Harden Westbrook.
I don't think it'd be great, but I'd be like,
watch that. It means two dynamic scores. But when you
have Chris Paul, Harden and Westbrook, to me, it's like, Oh,
that's dynamite, that that's explosive, TNT that that's a lot
in the room. I mean, Harden and Westbrook is interesting

(01:35:54):
because you know, I mean we saw last year. You
never know, we never account for injuries right when we're
doing all these preseason addictions and even at the All
Star break, we have this idea of who we think
is going to end up there. One injury, as we
saw it with the Warriors, can change everything, and then
who knows ends up being two injuries are things happened
along the way, especially in the playoffs. It's a long
playoff run. So I actually don't know that I would

(01:36:16):
count Westbrook and hard and out if they were able
to keep some of their X doctor pieces that they
have in Houston in place. I'm personally rooting for Miami,
though I'm rooting for interesting. Miami and Houston are more interesting. Yeah,
I wouldn't watch him in Detroit. Nothing against Detroit, but
I just it doesn't have the same pop. Yeah, Joy
with the news. Well that's the news, and thanks for

(01:36:37):
stopping by the Herdline News. He's not only a great analyst,
played twenty one years all in the same place, a
cy Young winner, a Hall of Famer, an eight time
All Star, and Tonight the coverage begins at seven eastern
on FS one the Major League Baseball All Star Game. Frankly,
as I've said for many years, the only watchable all
Star game, worthwhile all star game in sports. I don't

(01:36:58):
know how anybody sits through the Pro Bowl, the NBA
All Star Games, nonsense. Nobody plays defense. I love Tonight
John Smoltz is joining us via the Coward Global Satellite Network.
First of all, I want to touch on something I
touched on about five minutes ago. It goes in waves.
There are a ton of young baseball stars, and I

(01:37:20):
don't know why. I do know, John, Over the last
seven eight years, baseball participation in America is sharply increasing,
meaning moms and dads are pushing their kids into baseball
more than ever. What do you see because it seems
like to me there's a wave of twelve to fifteen
really good young players. Yeah, we have I would call

(01:37:44):
a little bit of an epidemic in sports where we're
getting sports specific too young, too early. So there are
decisions being made at seven, eight, nine years old that
you would never make twenty years ago about what sport
you're gonna choose. So they're playing the sport more often,
which comes with a little bit of risk of injury
and burnout, but they're more prepared. They're in showcase games,
they're in all kinds of big moments, so that when

(01:38:06):
these big moments happen here on the field, which I
was scared to death my first year, they're not they're
making huge impacts, and some of them are being forced
a little bit unprepared, but their talent so good that
the team can do away with what they're not capable
of as far as the fundamental completion of a player,
and I think you're seeing about the transformation of players

(01:38:27):
who are making adjustments on the fly, which I think
is unbelievable for a young player, which speaks to their
mindset and their ability to adjust and learn because it's
not an easy game. It's a game of failure. And
I'm in awe of the youth in our game that
has made major, major impacts, and it's allowed clubs to
go in directions where maybe they couldn't have gone before.

(01:38:48):
They would have allowed that seasoning in the minor leagues
to happen a little longer. Veteran guy stays in there,
plugs up the spot, and then here comes the young,
promising future star. So it's pretty amazing, And I agree
with you in this game from the All star standpoint,
so much closer to a regular style game, and I
think you're going to see a good one tonight. You know,
you talk about the wave of young players. Christian Yelich

(01:39:10):
is a guy that was a late bloomer a little bit.
He's six years and the miners does feel like, as
you said, players are more prepared to go to the
big leagues and perform. But you still get some slow
growth guys. I mean Tom Brady struggled in college at
Michigan and brooks Keepka didn't get his card until he
was twenty four as a golfer and didn't win a
big one until he was twenty seven. You got your

(01:39:32):
Tigers and your Bryce Harper's, but I do find like,
let's take Bryce Harper. When you come in like Tiger
and Lebron and Bryce Harper, the expectations John are ridiculous.
And where do you think Bryce Harper is today as
a star? Most strikeouts I've ever seen, defensive shifts have
not been his friends. Where is his game today? In

(01:39:52):
your opinion? Yeah, I think you're right. We put so
much on everybody, regardless of whatever that person puts on himself,
so it's added expectation and pressure. I think Bryce Harper
handles it from a star standpoint of this is what
he was made to do from youth till he got
to the big leagues, and he's had a couple big
breakout seasons. But I think in fairness to him, it's

(01:40:15):
hard to think that we're passing the mantle on to
the next Mike Trout or the next this guy. We're
always looking for the next and Bryce Harper is going
to need a year of transition and a new team
to reset his roots so that it doesn't fall all
on him. He takes the pressure off the rest of
his players. Analytics is one thing, and it certainly has
its place with the numbers that tell you what you
need to know, but what it won't tell you is

(01:40:37):
what he does for the rest of that ball club,
taking the pressure off the rest of those players by
answering all the questions, by dealing with the media, by
putting all the attention on him. So I think there's
value on that, and not to mention the franchise value
went through the roof for Philadelphia. But the actual question
comes down to is the contract worth and value going
to be able to deliver championships? And will it be

(01:40:59):
able to do what Philadelphia wants to do when they
signed them. You know, when you look at the Yankees
and the Dodgers, there are no perfect teams. Now in baseball,
it's possible to have a perfect team because you have
no salary cap. So if you have the Yankees revenue,
you could feasibly, you know, fill your spots, whereas in
other sports salary caps you have some holes you can't

(01:41:20):
solve financially. Is there a team like I look at
the Dodgers and I see youth, but is the bullpen
good enough? I look at the Yankees. The Yankees records remarkable,
They've won despite injuries. Where is the hole in the Yankees?
Where do you think October may not be perfect for them,
or do they have one? Well, yeah, then the glass

(01:41:42):
half full, half empty. I love the conversations when we
look at teams because everyone can look at it a
little bit half empty and then they could find the
glass half full. With the Yankees, they've done it without
a consistent roster of health, and they've changed their lineup
in a way where by some of those injuries you
found out the ability to contact. They contact the baseball more,
they don't strike out quite as much. Where they're weak

(01:42:04):
a little bit is in their starting rotation. Where they're strong,
it's in their bullpen. And so when they look at
basically putting this team together, and when Cashman made the
moves he did for depth and that has played out huge,
he's looking, i would think, indirectly at the Houston Astros,
because they're gonna have two big, right handed donkeys that
they're gonna have to face if they're gonna go to
the World Series. In theory, in Cole and Verlander, and

(01:42:25):
is there are enough strikeouts in that lineup? I think
he shared that up they can shorten the game in
the bullpen and lights out in the sixth thinning on
so if they add a starter that can kind of
come close to a frontline guy, that would help them.
They are very dangerous offensively. The question with the Yankees
still is one hundred and sixty two games, they're gonna
bludger in the ball, They're gonna embarrass pitchers, but in

(01:42:47):
a series, can they make enough contact? And as far
as the Dodgers go, you're right about the bullpen. Their
ability to add a piece in the bullpen would go
a long way. With the quality team that they have,
they're not going to be challenged in their division. Are
certainly going to get into the postseason and make that
third run at a World Series and try the pressures
on them. But I think the most complete team when

(01:43:07):
healthy is still the Houston Astros. For all the areas
that they have to complement one another, I still think
they're a team that, when healthy is got the most weapons. Okay,
so I said this earlier. I've been hearing balls is
juice forever and my takeaway is it's easy to say
that right Like I could just be a sportscaster say
balls juice. But there's no nuance, there's no context with that,

(01:43:30):
I think, and I compared it John to the three
point shot in basketball, when the defensive shifts came out
a lot of people push back when Joe Madden started
it in Tampa, and then everybody's like that kind of works. Oh,
it's beating me. And now if you don't do some
defensive shifts and if you don't embrace analytics in launch angle,
you're a dinosaur. And so I think, like the three

(01:43:52):
point shot there was pushed back about eight years ago.
Now everybody's in on a three point shot and everybody's
in on launch angle, and that's why we're seeing the
hall ch the whole sport. Now, you can't bunt, strikeouts
are okay, no ground balls. I don't buy juice baseballs.
But maybe I'm completely wrong. What if people said inside
the sport, Well, the biggest thing is where I would trust.

(01:44:14):
And I haven't held a baseball in eleven years, but
when I did, you could blindfold me and I could
tell you ten different baseballs if you put in my hand,
what was different about them? So I'm going to trust
the pitchers that they have the ball in their hand,
have thrown over two million pitches, that they have an
understanding that the ball feels different. It's reacting different, and
that might be an unintended consequences of just manufacturing a baseball,
and things change, content changes, the weather changes, So there

(01:44:38):
is some validity to the ball being different and adding
to the distance and less drag than where the ball
stays in the air more. But you're one hundred percent
right in your analogy. Because we see more three point shots,
and because there's more three pointers in the game, it's
not necessarily because there's better shooters. It's just a philosophy
to shoot the ball more. Therefore you're going to have
more three pointers. Same thing with baseball. The philosophy is

(01:45:01):
beat the shift, swing, don't have a two strike approach,
get the ball in the air, do not hit the
ball on the ground. So that's going to add to
the more volume in home runs. The distance and the
foul and the way is traveling, that's a different issue.
Because velocity is in and guys are stronger and their
launch angle and the way they swing the bats different,
that is going to contribute to more home runs. But

(01:45:22):
when a guy hits a ball the other way on
a kind of an off balance swing and the balls
launching get itself out of the stadium, you start questioning
why is that ball staying in the air that long.
We're not in Colorado, so there is some validity. I
don't believe it's intentional. I don't believe this was set
out to go and make more offense. Offense is now
being the same philosophy and basketball is the quickest way

(01:45:44):
to get a run is hit the ball over the fence.
That is contributing to it. The inability to locate pitches
worldwide in our game league wide is also contributing to it.
And the approach of the hitter. So you're right on.
But there is something different when a majority of the
pitchers complain about being able to spin the baseball or
the feel of the baseball, and I'm going to trust

(01:46:07):
them because they got it in their hands just like
I did for twenty one years, and that's why I
threw back a lot of baseballs that didn't feel right.
That's fascinating. That's when you really know her sport, that
you could grab a baseball and know that it was
different from other baseballs. That's fascinating. John Smoltz, good luck,
and we'll watching you tonight. Thank you. You bet he

(01:46:30):
could grab any baseball and he can tell it was different.
That's when you know your business. Like I grab a microphone,
they all feel the same. I have no idea this,
I have no idea. I cannot tell this miphon. I mean,
that's not fair. You don't. You don't have to hold
the microphone the whole show. If you if you camped
in the microphone and you had headphones on and you
sounded different, then I would. So Tom Brady grabs a

(01:46:52):
football and he can immediately tell more inflation lessons. You
think he could. I think we established that he likes
football specific sounds like a Dolphin fan talking there fast
that I mean, yeah, I mean he's got a baseball
in his hand. I think of how much time a
day he spends with a baseball in his hand. But
it's also why he can speak to both sides of it. Yeah,

(01:47:14):
coming up with reports that Russell Westbrook might be traded away,
I'll take a fond look back at Westbrook's career with
the thunder and kind of one of the most memorable moments.
And when you shape them, what does it say about
his career that's coming up. If you own a sports team,
you need to be informed to make smart decisions to
build a champion. We know that. No different when it
comes to selling or trading your car. You need to

(01:47:34):
make good choices newer used and true car. You got
a star in your roster. When you're ready to sell
a newer used car, trade in check out true Car
True Cash offer not available in all states. Be sure
to catch live editions of The Herd week Days and
neuon Easter nine a m. Pacific. Nice to have you in.
Speak for yourself after us, Best for Last. Russell Westbrook,

(01:47:57):
according to stories, it is interested in moving on. I
think what he's given to the franchise. He's been kind
of the bedrock of the franchise. And though he's flawed,
if a player like Westbrook had sold as many tickets
as he had and sold out as many games and
he wanted to be traded, I run the team, I
owned the team, I trade him. I also think it's

(01:48:17):
time for a reboot for Oklahoma City, a reboot for Westbrook.
And I said, you know, if you look in totality
of Westbrook and the things that come to mind, it
paints a picture a little bit of a roller coaster.
And that's what I started. I've called Cam Newton at

(01:48:37):
before he's like he's a roller coaster. I get good bad.
You know, generally with Peyton Manning, you'd have a couple
of hiccups. It wasn't completely linear, but it was mostly
going up. I think that's what you'll see with Sam Darnold.
I think it's mostly what you've seen with great quarterbacks.
I did this on Odell Beckham about a month ago.
I did this list and what it painted the picture
was a lot of Odell's brand is non football. That's

(01:48:59):
maybe why is a global star. But it's also kind
of bad when it doesn't connect a lot of times
with what we watch, which is football. Brady's, by the way,
Brady's brand is almost all football, good, bad, and controversial.
It's all football, so family feud style. When I say

(01:49:19):
Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City, let's go to the board.
The biggest, most clear cut munneries Number one, What's number one?
Number one is triple doubles. That's the first thing I
think of when I think of Oklahoma City. Listen, Russell

(01:49:41):
Westbrook and Oscar Robertson in the history of the NBA
are the triple double guys. He's had the most in
a season forty two. That's virtually half the games. He
had ten straight triple doubles. That's never been done. When
I think of Oklahoma City in Westbrook, the first thing
I think of is triple doubles. That's very positive. Mostly
number two, number two on the board. I can't get

(01:50:04):
over feud with Durant. They didn't speak for a long time. Listen,
Durant's a superstar, Westbrook's a superstar. And in the end
he was flirting with another superstar, Steph Curry and bailed.
And I don't think Oklahoma City has ever had the
breadth the momentum. I just don't think it's the same franchise.
It just feels like they've never recovered. All right, now,

(01:50:26):
what's number three? Actually? First round exits. Here's the thing.
Playoffs are hard, the West is deep, but Oklahoma City
has only won four playoff games in the last three series.
That is not good enough. That for the talent they have,

(01:50:47):
that's not good enough. Between the Rockets, the Jazz and
the Blazers, that to me is the third brand. Number four.
You want an MVP, Okay, Listen, it wouldn't have been
who I would have voted for, but he did beat
that year, Kauhi, he beat Harden, he beat Lebron And

(01:51:07):
to be honest with you, he had such a dynamic
statistical year, and I also felt like there was a
little sympathy. Durant had bailed on him, and there was
kind of a sense, let's give the loyal guy who's
having the greatest statistical year ever, give him a little love.
So that would be number four. Number five his brand
in Oklahoma City. Unfortunately, the fan interaction thing, I can't

(01:51:29):
get past. Slap the kid, the slapping the fan, the wife,
the phone. It always appeared to be in big games
and big moments. Now, fans can be awful and vulgar
and at times racist. I'm not denying that, but there
was a lot of occasions where he and the road

(01:51:51):
fans did not click. Number six beef for the media,
as Stephen, question and agimate, next question, it's a legitimate question.
Next question. Thanks a question, Thanks question, next question, next question.
Are you upset with something? I just don't like you? No,

(01:52:16):
So that's part of his brand. When you're testing to
the local media, you're officially testy. All right, let's let's
go down to number seven. The three point shooting became
an issue. Listen, lowest three point shooter in the last
two years, last two seasons, he's the worst three point

(01:52:38):
shooter in the league, and he takes a lot of them.
And we know the culture of basketball has changed the
three point shooting. Russell scores at the basket. He's pretty
good mid range, but this is the game, and he's
not great at the element. Smaller guys need to be
at the game. And number eight, let's see number eighth.
He's stylish, he's unique, he's his own like spirit animal.

(01:53:02):
I think the wardrobe makes him also again a little
bit of a Cam Newton that he kind of has
his own style, his own sense of style. He's a
very independent, unique personality. So when you when you now,
when you put the board up of all the things
Oklahoma City is, I still think two of the top
four are very great basketball accomplishments, triple double one an MVP.

(01:53:27):
But if you notice this feud with KD, beef with
media fan interaction, that does give me a sense I
got three different feuds on there. In my opinion, the
eight biggest kind of brands with him. I think it's
fair to say he is a unique and sometimes difficult

(01:53:49):
person to get along with. Cam Newton is a very
interesting comparison to Westbrook, although I will I mean they
did make the finals. I mean they didn't, don't they.
I mean I know it quite a few years ago,
but they were in the finals against the Bowl. There's
no questions. I'm saying there is a there is a comparison.
I mean, I don't think that people really think about
those finals when they think of Westbrook, which is a

(01:54:12):
little unfair. I mean that was they were babies in
that twenty twelve finals, but they were there. Yes, No,
it's it's interesting I think when we do these like
family feud style and then you look in totality holistically
at all the big brands. O'dalla was shocking how little
football was on it. Well, yeah, there's more basketball. Oh no,

(01:54:32):
it's almost. But here's what I think that board shows.
He's an intense off in a little bit rigid personality,
and it can be more difficult, not impossible, by the way,
not impossible because by the way, he and Billy Donovan
seemed to get along pretty well. They haven't had any feuds,
So he can get along with his coach fine, but
he can fans media k D. He can be rich.

(01:54:54):
He's an intense personality, at least on the court. I
would be interesting to see the if he leaves. I mean,
I'm a Westbrook fan, but I would love to see
him win a championship because it would change a lot
of the narrative about his career if he was able
to do that. Listen, it's hard as you, you know,
when you're super athletic in today's game, when you're super

(01:55:17):
athletic and not an elite shooter, the game's cruel to you.
You age really fast, like I think Steph Curry. Clay
Thompson could honestly play though was forty. I mean, Clay
Thompson shoots right and by the way, he's a catch
and shoot guy, so Clay didn't even have to create
his own shot. Clay just could stand around the court
move get it. Clay Thompson's gonna age really well. I
don't think Russell's gonna age particularly well. You know John

(01:55:40):
Wall's this. John's not a great shooter, but he's super athletic. Well,
John's now had another surgery on another knee. John's not
a guy that can sit out in the outside and
crank up shots. So the downside, we fall in love
with these hyper athletic, dynamic rim attaining the jack. They're

(01:56:00):
fun to watch, fun to watch, but those players don't.
Particularly Kevin Durant can play till he's forty because he
can shoot, and he can by the way, he's another guy.
He can catch and shoot. Jerk Nevitski played forever because
he could just shoot and he didn't have to even
create a shot. He could catch and shoot. All right,
we'll see you tomorrow. All Star game in Baseball tonight.

(01:56:20):
All sorts of good stuff happening in s F y
around the corner.

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