Best of The Herd

It’s a jam‑packed Monday—FS1 for the first hour, then we slide over—so stay close; Colin Right, Colin Wrong lands next hour.

Big picture first: your results follow your priorities, and American hoops has the wrong ones; OKC and San Antonio in the West finals is the new normal.

Eight straight MVPs from overseas isn’t an accident; AAU chases games and quick wins while Europe drills skills and patience, which is why their stars arrive more polished and mature.

G League is pay, not development; college still offers structure, nutrition, and real coaching, and NIL works when it keeps elite kids in that system.

SGA is worthy and all class; I’d have leaned Wemby for his defensive shock value, with Jokic still the best overall player.

On the Steelers, the league treats quarterback like oxygen while Pittsburgh treats it like a spare part; after years of options they passed on, their plan is a one‑year fling with a 42‑year‑old.

Ownership won’t stomach a true reset, which keeps them hovering in the middle when they should’ve ripped the bandage off a year ago and rebooted.

Regular season grit carried Detroit, but the postseason demands closers; Cleveland had more ways to score and it showed when the game tightened.

Cade shrank in a Game 7, and I’m done with the superstar label until he delivers when everything’s on the line.

When you’re the only creator, defenses send bodies and wear you down; he needs another elite scorer or those traps will keep swallowing him.

Best theater for the league is Wemby versus the Knicks; he’s otherworldly, and New York’s stage magnifies everything.

Colin Right/Wrong quick hits: the Steelers’ Rodgers plan proves my long‑held point about their QB indifference; the NFL slate is an all‑timer; Detroit’s defense couldn’t cover for thin offense; international MVPs keep stacking because our hoop culture prizes me over we.

Jeff Schwartz is here—let’s start with NIL: is the spending spree warping the back half of the draft, or will it self‑correct?

A pullback’s coming once boosters stop seeing returns; I love players getting paid, but endless forty‑million‑dollar rosters without titles will cool the market and nudge some guys back to the NFL sooner.

Expanded playoff won’t kill rivalries; people will still watch Oregon‑Washington or Michigan‑Ohio State no matter the record.

Starters aren’t sitting those games, period; a bigger bracket just shifts which matchups decide seeding, and we’ll still land on the same handful of true contenders most years.

Back to the Steelers: wouldn’t you rather play the kids and set up next year’s QB class than run it back with Rodgers for a year?

They’re stuck in the worst lane—not bad enough to draft high, not good enough to win big—and a one‑year Rodgers detour doesn’t build the future or raise their ceiling now.

Scheduling nudge moved Dallas’s win total up; does rest and spacing really swing outcomes?

Players feel byes and short weeks, and Dallas is legitimately good; with Dak healthy, upgraded defense, and a manageable run, they’re live to win the division.

Kansas City drew a brutal midseason gauntlet and an early bye; that’s a lot of elite QBs with little recovery time.

A week‑five bye hurts their older core more than the opponents do; they’ll need the young defense to grow up fast to survive that stretch.

San Francisco doubled down on age and injuries with splashy adds; feels risky for a brittle roster.

Their drafting has missed for years, so the depth isn’t there; when you keep reaching past consensus and your stars get nicked, there’s no safety net.

Favorite season win total? I lean Giants over after a sharp draft and culture bump.

Giants are a trendy pick, so I’m cautious; I like Carolina over in a soft division if Bryce grows, and I’d shade the Colts under with that schedule and division getting tougher.

We’ll see you at the Coliseum for Oregon‑USC—mark me down for a W—and thanks to Jeff for rolling through.