Colin Cowherd Podcast - Why Colin Is PRO Tanking, When Should LeBron Retire? 24 Team CFP? NBA Needs To Make Changes

John’s earned a pool day, so Danny Parkins is jumping in with me. I’ll start here: in a distracted, everything‑everywhere media world, long regular seasons need stars you can follow and dynasties to anchor interest, not parity—and with NBA trade rules so tight, tanking is often the only practical on‑ramp from bad to relevant.

Dynasties draw crowds—I’m with you—and recent cap rules make it easier to keep your own guys, which raises the draft’s value, but sitting players in fourth quarters like Utah did crosses a line; fans pay to see competition, not strategic no‑shows.

I get that the games have to matter, but in a market like Utah, fans know the calculus: a few ugly weeks for a top pick beats being stuck in the middle, and stripping draft picks in a two‑round draft would only bury bad teams deeper.

The league’s got incredible talent—LeBron, Steph, KD still deliver—but the three‑point volume has turned too many nights into a jumper marathon, fuels fatigue, and links to injuries and load management.

Playoffs slow down and reward stops and twos, which is why mid‑range killers matter then; the regular season lost some artistry to the arc, so I’d kill corner threes by running the line into the bench to push action inside, add contact, and make it feel more like the physical postseason we love.

Great reason to experiment in the in‑season tournament—swap the court paint for trial rules like a trapezoid lane or other tweaks, the way MLB hired Theo Epstein to reshape the product; I’d also expand to 32 teams and cut to around 70 games to lift quality and health without shrinking revenue.

The NBA’s never been shy about big swings, even clunky ones—change the arc, restore a bit of contact, and you help the watchability; and yeah, the Spurs proved tanking can seed a decade of relevance.

Tanking is rational, but we should curb it—ban top‑four picks in back‑to‑back years and rein in extreme pick protections so teams aren’t forced to crater to keep their own selections.

That lands, especially now that NIL and the portal have stacked college rosters with older talent, making the NBA draft deeper through the lottery; you can live outside the top four and still land a starter.

Tighten protections and let stars shoot threes, not everyone—KD and Klay can bomb, but when slashers feel compelled to fire five a night, the product drags; evolve the rules to match how good these shooters are.

On All‑Star and aging icons: I don’t want a legend’s last chapter to look sad, but LeBron still moves the needle—if he plays four more years and slides late, it’s hardly a crime; the MJ‑Wizards era didn’t shrink his myth.

He’s still box office and he plays—my hunch is he’ll want the farewell run and maybe close the loop in Cleveland, which would be a perfect documentary ending.

That ABA doc on Amazon mirrors LIV’s disruption—upstarts steal stars and force change—and it leads me to college football: expanding the playoff juices November, shrinks the committee’s power, and makes the sport feel more NFL‑like in a good way.

Fans are still figuring out NIL and realignment, and I’d love football and hoops to schedule independently while other sports go regional; more football is great, but I don’t want the regular season to feel optional.

People say they’ll care less, then they watch more—the alma mater pull is real, and more teams stay alive longer; sure, the first playoff round will have blowouts, but every few years you’ll get a Boise‑over‑Goliath jolt and that’s enough.

Top seeds in March look stronger than ever, so expect chalk deeper into the bracket; that’s the talent tide lifting.

I’m bullish on sports: MLB’s pitch clock grabbed me back, and expanded stakes had me watching Ole Miss in November; rule tweaks and better pacing flat‑out work.

Today’s athletes are pros in college—NIL, trainers, the whole kit—and golf shows how excellence travels; Scheffler is a machine.

The tradeoff with generational wealth is fewer edge‑of‑your‑seat moments and more guarded personalities thanks to social media; football’s culture still burns hot, but across sports you feel some silk‑sheets comfort set in.

Regular‑season energy dips are also human maintenance—you pace for the playoffs when you’re running on hardwood every other night.

The WNBA needs to protect players better in the regular season so stars aren’t wrecked by playoff time; the NBA’s tighter whistle through winter is a feature, not a bug.

And everywhere you look, creators have new lanes—Bryson’s YouTube proves there are fresh ways to win; still, events drive us, which is why majors, the Players, and big Sunday charges cut through the noise.

Baseball tested the pitch clock in the minors and chopped real time off the product; that’s the mindset—tinker with purpose, speed the watch, keep the stakes.

Couldn’t agree more—smart tweaks made baseball better, and hoops can do the same; great run today, Colin.