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This is The Rich Eisen Show. Here's the other surprising part. With guest host, Brian Weber. Yeah, big twos to fill. Eisen's a legend.
Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. The Rich Eisen Show. Do you know who I am? I'm a guy on television. I have my own show.
And now. Sitting in for Ridge, here's Brian Weber. Final hour of the program. Thank you for spending part of your Monday with us. I normally say thank you on a Monday for Starting your work week with us.
However, I understand. Many of you, thankfully, have the ability to supersize at least the weekend, if not take the majority of this week off, if I just go by anecdotal evidence. I got to work 20 minutes early because there was nobody on the road here in Southern California, and the staff was worn out before we even started the program.
So. Pick me up, I'm a lonely man. Talking about myself off the air, 84204-7424. Or most of the interaction today has been on social media, the X platform, BW Weber, Weber with Two B's. Coming up in 20 minutes, we'll say hello to our only guest today.
Say hello to Jonathan von Tobel. You catch him on Veeson, NBA analyst, good friend of the program when I'm here. We'll get back to the NBA to start this last hour of the show. We have talked baseball. I mentioned the sports crime that continues in Pittsburgh, and I'm not anti-Pittsburgh, although Coming up in 40 minutes when I give you the view from Vegas and let you know the handful of games the Steelers are favored in, which is really intriguing.
But you gotta back up for a second, beep, beep, beep, back that thing up. It's all about strength of schedule in the NFL.
So, when I give you the reasons why the Steelers are underdogs in the majority of their games, all based on the caliber of the opposition. If you care about my background, I'll do it in 30 seconds. My grandfather was from Scranton, PA. Spent the bulk of his career in Pittsburgh. I was a massive Steeler fan because I'm a frontrunner, late 1970s, and What was better than Pittsburgh, circa 1979?
We are family.
So I backed up being a Steelers fan in New York by loving the Pirates. And the Buccos had those wacky hats, circa 76, for the Bicentennial. I mentioned the sports crime of what's going on with Paul Skeens, and I said I didn't want to bog the show down with the minutiae about how lousy his win-loss record is, which of course you should not use anymore because that's old school counting numbers for pitchers. The advanced metrics do work better as I'm destroying the show. Here is the punchline.
Paul Skeens One win. In his last thirteen starts, an ERA of 172. Why would you stay? If you have the talent and at some point the leverage that Paul Skeens is going to have. And that's why, as much as I still care about baseball and talk about it in compact chunks, the game is still fundamentally broken when you have situations like that because there's no mandate that the Pirates and the A's and other Horrendous franchises like the Marlins, although I know they're playing respectable ball because baseball is also witchcraft, but the sport is still fundamentally broken.
We've taught college football. With Big 12 Media Days getting underway tomorrow, I'm back with you tomorrow among our scheduled guests, another old friend, PFUTACCollegeFootballNews.com. We'll use the first of two Big 12 Media Days at the star in Frisco, Texas. That's the glittering team facility of the Cowboys to talk about. Who are legitimate national title contenders?
If you don't like Ohio State, here's the bad news: they're still atop the odds makers list of the teams with the best possibility of winning again. In fact, if you've taken a little break from college football, I hope you're aware we have Texas Ohio State at the horseshoe week one. because this sport, as poorly as it's run by the powers that be, still delivers blockbuster matchups.
So with all of that in our rearview mirror and more pro football coming up, Let's get back to the NBA. I feel the need to let you know Of important transactions. Again, I can do this now in 30 seconds because I mentioned it for the third time, once per hour. The NBA can't stop, won't stop. The deal making hasn't ended, even though we've blown through the most significant portion of free agency and trades like the Kevin Durant deal becoming official yesterday.
Today, Three-team deal. Clippers, Heat and Jazz hooking up. Norman Powell from L.A. to Miami. The Heat actually do something, although anything in the East maybe put you in the ranks of teams with a shot because there's such a massive difference between the East and the West.
Clippers, unfortunately, play in the West. They got John Collins coming their way, Fort Powell on his way to Miami, and then Utah Building for the Future. Kevin Love, the veteran, Kyle Anderson, and a 2027 second-round pick. I mentioned the Jazz because they were part of that deal. And if you follow me on X, I try to be self-deprecating to balance out all of the bloviating.
I'm Brian Weber, In for Rich. It's B.W. Weber Weber with two B's. In 15 minutes, we talk hoops with Jonathan Tobol of Veason. Saturday night, because I have such a rock star lifestyle, I was watching the start of Summer League from Salt Lake City.
Now, the summer league that most of you care about, if you do, I'm presuming a little bit. And it's also just a platform to see young stars, remember? Hopefully, you have a scrapbook of when I fill in for rich, but there was all of the Wemby mania in Vegas not too long ago. Remember the incident with Britney Spears when she wanted a picture taken? I got a whole show out of that.
Well, It is the season of taking Chicken, you know what, and turning it into chicken salad after all. Cooper Flagg will make his debut in Vegas on Thursday. That's the summer league action that people care about. They draw well, and then it's always interesting to see who shows up. LeBron James' kid, Bronny, will be playing that night.
So LeBron will be corporate side. Bronnie getting it done. I am not going to be. Beats the Bronnie topic into the ground. It's not his fault that the Lakers capitulated to his old man.
I wish I had a more powerful father. I'd be taking this week off like the rest of you, but.
Some of us lose the genetic lottery, and my old man's gone, so now I can take shots at him because I'm not afraid of him anymore. Salt Lake City has a summer league.
Now, the San Francisco Bay Area has one. Used to be in Sacramento.
So, games are going on. And I wanted to see. After spending time on the Ace Bailey drama, and I realize a lot of you don't care about the NBA draft. If you tuned in at all, it was just for the coronation of Cooper Flag. But if you stuck around for even a few more minutes, the question was: where would Ace Bailey go after coming to Rutgers?
He was projected to be the second best player in the upcoming draft. And it was pretty interesting. His teammate Dylan Harper, Ron's kid. Wound up going number two to San Antonio. Think about all the young talent the Spurs have, bolstered by Wemby.
They're going to be really good. Not too Long from now, for a long time. Bailey. Had to have gotten bad advice or somebody told a teenager, you get to make terrible decisions and we're not going to intervene. Because we had all of the reporting heading into the draft that he refused every invitation to work out with every team.
Just said no, thank you, and reportedly canceled on a scheduled visit, workout, and dinner with the Sixers. The night before said visit was supposed to occur. Why is that important? Because Philadelphia held the third overall pick.
So conventional wisdom was saying Bailey was trying to engineer where he would go and wanted to go to Washington. Or Charlotte. New Orleans.
Now it makes no basketball sense. They're god-awful franchises. Les Zion's finally healthy in New Orleans. But the motivation was he wanted to get to a team where he could be the man. Ball out, put up huge numbers, then get paid with a second contract.
And given his talent, And the perception of his skill set. When he was sitting there at five, Danny Age and his kid were not going to let him go past their ability to take him because of the value. Guy arguably should have been top three pick, wound up going five to Utah. Then there was the mini-drama. He didn't look happy on draft night.
Okay, I'm not a body language expert, but I didn't have to call Dr. Phil to see the kid wasn't smiling. That was backed up by he didn't show up the next day for the customary introductory press conference, and it looked to be a little bit more jarring because their other first-round pick, Walter Clayton Jr., the national champion from Florida, showed up.
Well, Ace finally showed up the day after he was supposed to, and he played Summer League for the first time on Saturday. I tried to watch the game. As I pushed out on the X platform, I'm Brian Weber Infor Rich. If you want to have that on social media, it's BW Weber, Weber with Two B's, with a conversation with Jonathan Von Tobel of eSIN coming up in 10 minutes. I understand as someone who is a broadcast courtesan If you give me a check, I'll show up.
I have done a lot of crappy games for a lot of lousy platforms who I am no longer employed by, so I can be more transparent. It's a tough time in sports media because you kids won't get off your phones and nobody has the resources nor the willingness to spend that they used to. But. This was on national T V. And I understood what they did.
They took the Jumbotron. They took the in-house production from the Huntsman Center of the game featuring Utah.
However, that camera, I believe, was purchased in 1985 or somebody held up their iPhone. Or they turned out the lights. Maybe there was a blackout in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains. In fact, we have affiliates across Utah. Give me a call, 844-204-7424.
Did the lights go out on Saturday? Because the lighting was atrocious. I'm just trying to watch this game. I can't see anybody over there. And I think they had two cameras.
Still You could say, get a life. Why are you watching Summer League?
Well, I wanted to see what Ace did. And if you want to bash this kid, and I'm 55, anybody who's in their teens is still a kid. If you want to take a shot at the rookie, he did not cover himself in glory by only having eight points, but it's Summer League. Can we pump Our collective breaks.
So, when I'm with you on Thursday, getting you set for the highly anticipated debut of Cooper Flag at the Vegas Summer League, I'm not going to give you my projection for what he's doing on the floor that night. I'm talking about his future in Dallas. Speaking of which, I found it very interesting that Kyrie Irving. Who, for a long time, hadn't said anything wacky. Do you notice that?
Got very quiet when he was in line to get another payday. And now that the extension with Dallas is official. Kyrie's doing Kyrie-like things again.
So he was on some live stream because everybody's got their own platform now, and he was fielding questions, and somebody asked him. Roughly, and I'm paraphrasing here. any chance that you will heal quickly enough from your torn ACL to be back in time for the playoffs because the traditional timetable based on when he went down would be the entire upcoming season wiped out. And instead of saying We'll find out. Or I'm going to give it my best shot.
Kyrie said don't hold your breath.
Now, again, to be fair, the rest of the quote was: when I come back, I want to be the best version of myself. But it was just sort of a weird Kyrie statement. Because you are what you consistently do when Kyrie says weird things. But when he's healthy, with Cooper. And Anthony Davis, and that's where I have to hit the pause button because that's a big two and a half.
And Anthony Davis undeniably is. Hall of Famer. As I read my resume, I saw him in person win the 2012 National Championship at the Superdome, and he was remarkable. Leading national championship. People forget he didn't grow until he was 16, 17, so he was primarily a guard.
He's got the ball handling skills. When healthy, and there's the entire argument, when healthy. He's a transcendent talent, but he's never healthy, unfortunately.
So all the. Histrionics and the hype surrounding. I'm hearing all Dallas with their depth and this nucleus of talent. They're going to make a run to the title.
Well, a couple things. Tell me when Kyrie is going to be healthy. And then, secondly, tell me that I can, with a degree of conviction, pencil Anthony Davis in 470 games. Then we'll have a conversation. Otherwise, to me, this is just mindless hyperbole.
A lot like all of the talk about DeAndre Eaton. And when I was here on Friday, I tried to put that signing in context for the Lakers, understanding they had to do something, anything. But I gave you the key number for the big fella. He only played in 40 games last year. I was in a good frame of mind because it was a holiday.
I didn't want to take gratuitous shots at him. Do you remember his snow day? When he couldn't make it to the arena because of an ice storm in Portland. Didn't you show up? There's been a pattern since he signed that second contract with the Suns, and I saw him play a ton at Arizona.
Where he deserved to be the first overall pick of the 2018 draft. I'm not putting him in the same category as Anthony Bennett or Marco Fultz, but because we're shaped by geography, All of the Ridiculous over-the-top enthusiasm of Laker fans on social media. Ridiculous. Yes, they got a center. They needed somebody.
Mission accomplished. But especially in the West, what does that get you? Because the Durant deal became official yesterday. If you think about what he is adding to. There's a reason why Houston was the two-seed ahead of schedule in the regular season this year.
Unfortunately, they had two games against the Warriors in which they just could not make a shot. less than 90 points of scoring.
So maybe some of that was. nerves for our young team. We know it to be true in this league. You got to build up scar tissue. It's a slow build throughout the postseason.
You don't have a bolt. How the blue to make a championship run. OKC had the best record in the West last year and flamed out in the middle of a postseason run and then. learned how to win. Especially problem solving on the road in the playoffs for the Thunder.
So it's a Houston team on the rise. You slap together the addition of Durant and getting more depth behind Shangoon and Clung Capella. Very impressed by what the Rockets have done. How about the Nuggets? Because their biggest issue after winning the championship, and it's just so funny now to look back.
At the eras that never occurred because. While Giannis still has his bright years in front of him, When they won that championship over Phoenix, I was filling in for Rich or a different show. I might have said Dynasty coming to. Wisconsin, and obviously that was off the mark. How about when Denver won?
Because we gravitate towards the superstars.
Well, you figure Joker's enough to stack some Larry O'Brien trophies, but we saw it with the way the Thunder won and how the Nuggets hit the wall. Losing in the postseason, in game sevens, in back-to-back years, they just did not have enough guys.
So, to flip Michael Porter Jr. into a more versatile player in Cam Johnson is a step in the right direction. To go out and get a glue guy like Bruce Brown, who was part of that championship team, is a positive addition. Tim Hardaway Jr., nice player, especially because they got him for virtually nothing. And we've been on Valentina's watch, watch, watch, watch, watch.
According to reports, forget about that Greek offer out there. He's going to take his talents endeavor to back up Joker and give him a real legitimate option as their number two center.
So Denver vastly improved. What does that mean for the Lakers? Yes, they were the three seed in the regular season, but something like a game and a half separated the three seed from the eighth seed. Could have been a play-in team. They got utterly embarrassed in the first round of the playoffs, outclassed and out-coached by Minnesota.
And you're telling me LeBron a year older is suddenly... Going to put together a meaningful playoff run just because of the addition of DeAndre Ayton? That is just blind hope. But that's what Laker fans do. And I understand you have all of those banners.
I am not hating. I'm just trying to be a realist. team's got major problems in terms of how they're constructed. And even the addition of, say, Bradley Beal as a buyout candidate will not make a difference. I'm Brian Weber in for rich.
NFL talk in 30 minutes. How many games are the Steelers favored in this season? The answer, I think, will be a little bit of a surprise. Straight ahead, we'll keep the basketball momentum going. Even with the moves I just detailed made by Denver and Houston, can anybody slow down the thunder?
Looking forward to checking in with Jonathan von Tobel, NBA analyst for vSyn. I'm Brian Weber, InforRich. It's a Monday edition of The Rich Eisen Show. Getting the zone, AutoZone. Welcome to AutoZone.
What are you working on today? Hey, that's the spirit. Right now, we're celebrating free with a free STP oil filter when you buy five quarts of oil and free Duralast brake pads when you buy two rotors. Like always, free battery testing, charging, and recycling at every store. Celebrate free at AutoZone now through July 28th.
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You can hit me up on the X platform during or after the program, BW Weber. Weber with two B's. Let's keep the NBA momentum going. Always appreciate the availability and the insights of a good friend, Jonathan Von Tobel, Senior, NBA analyst for vSIN, host of Money Moves Weekdays at Noon Eastern. Jonathan, thanks for taking the time.
Did you do your show today, or are you on vacation? I actually just came back from vacation. I was out for two weeks, so it was a very refreshing time. And today, they will get no more energy than this day from me because I am ready to go. I love it.
All right, so let me be the lazy fill-in. What did you lead with today? If you're talking from the NBA perspective, let me just piggyback and steal from you. What were your biggest takeaways?
Well, I I think we led with and where it was a little easy for us because it broke right when we were coming on the air, but the trade today that sent Norm Powell to Miami and John Collins over to Los Angeles, among some other moves, And keep in mind for your audience too, and I think you know because we've talked a couple of times. I'm a Clippers fan, so it was one of those that kind of hit close to home as well as being breaking news. Everybody loves Norman Powell here in LA. Seriously, I see Norman Powell jerseys at the mall. Yep, he's awesome.
I have bet on him to win six minutes of the year, like three straight years, and he should have won at least one of them. But I think it's a big deal because the Clippers finally have a power forward, and that's kind of huge news for the non-hardcores out there. They've been desperately trying to fill that slot. You know, Derrick Jones Jr., they tried to play him a vast majority of minutes at power forward. Didn't really work out.
Can't really shoot. Obviously, we saw that in the playoffs. They really needed some more shooting on the floor in that series against Denver.
So the fact that Collins comes in is really going to help him out. But the other part of that was right after that happened, the rumblings really started to grow louder that once Bradley Beal is bought out, he might be donning a Los Angeles Clippers jersey. And if that is the case, when you're talking about Harden, Beale, Kawhi, Collins, and Zubach as a starting five with a much deeper team than it was last year, guys like Chris Dunn sliding to the bench, I think this team is a very, very dangerous team at the Western Conference, especially going into a year in which Kawhi Leonard finished a playoffs. Series healthy, has a healthy offseason, and might be strong and ready to go for the regular season. I appreciate the analysis.
Now, take off your Clipper jersey and be a realist with me. What exactly are you getting in Bradley Beal, even though you're getting him cheap thanks to the buyout? I mean, that's the thing, right? You're going to get a dude who was almost, like, he was almost shooting at a 50, 40, 90 clip. Like, the shooting efficiency, if I were to remove the name and just show you his statistical profile over the last couple of years, you would say, dude, if you're getting that guy at 14 million, that's incredible.
I was having this conversation, though, with my colleague a little bit earlier today, too, on social media, which is, like, I don't doubt anybody who doubts the Clippers. This has been a team that has had a talented roster almost every single year, has fallen short since they acquired Kawhi Leonard. and has guys like James Harden who have a history of disappearing in postseason series. And he did just that, as well as this team as a whole, in a must-win game seven against the Denver Nuggets. But it's hard to deny the actual talent and statistical output that this team could have and the overall depth they could.
So I think it's realistic to say this team could improve on their win total from last year. They won 50 games, finish inside of the top three-ish, to make closer to three, obviously, than to one, and get a very good seat in the Western Conference. Whether that leads to playoff victories, series victories at the finals championship is another thing. But if they get Beale, it would be a disappointing year if they were not one of the top four teams, top three teams in the Western Conference next year. I respect you.
I appreciate the relationship.
So I'll stop bashing Bradley Beal, although he's given all of us a lot of material over the years. I'm Brian Weber and Fort Rich Eyes. And check out Jonathan von Tobel's excellent work as a senior NBA analyst for VSIN. Money moves, weekdays, noon Eastern. He's back from vacation.
Well, Jonathan, the Kevin Durant deal became finalized yesterday, so now we know exactly what Phoenix is getting in return for a first ballot future Hall of Famer. Understanding that. Durant had input in this deal, so Phoenix just couldn't ship him off anywhere they wanted to. How do you think they did all told now that we know all the particulars? I mean, I think they did fine if we're talking about it from the Phoenix perspective.
I like. Look, I think Dylan Brooks is a good player. We know who he is. He's a good defender, and that's about it. Doesn't really match like any sort of timeline.
And neither does Jalen Green. Like, Jalen Green is the worst contract the Rockets had, and you willingly took that on, was really not getting anything back. You know, I think it's somewhat telling because I'm one of those Cam Whitmore truthers. And I think it is somewhat telling for Whitmore's future that the Sun said, no, we'll take the second round picks instead of Whitmore, which I think is somewhat shocking because obviously then they flip him to Washington. But I think that it's generally a deal that the Suns should be kind of mocked for.
You didn't really get anything that was going to exceed, that was going to accelerate your timeline, make you somewhat better. And if Green starts to, again, just be this high-volume, low-efficiency scorer and Dylan Brooks is just Dylan Brooks, what exactly are you getting? I think it's a deal that Phoenix really just didn't come out on top. And frankly, like I'm a guy who, like, if you're under team control and you don't have a no-trade clause, I can do what I want. Like, deal where you want to be damned.
Like, I loved what Portland did two years ago with Damian Lillard. They said, no, we are trading you to the spot where we think we're going to get the best package available. That should be done more. I'm a big Kevin Durant stand. I think he's underrated in terms of his grandstand in the entire NBA picture, in terms of the history of the league.
But I do think that as a league and as a team, you should do what is best. For your team, and I don't think Phoenix did that. We're on the same page. I bash Phoenix for getting all those second-round picks. And now that we know what they were flipped into, I think the disparity in what they could have gotten and what they settled for was pretty glaring.
So, you mentioned Clippers potentially top three. I'll just let that sit there and marinate for the audience. If you were to be inclined to believe what I'm sharing here, that Denver, Houston now round out the top three behind OKC, who do you think is a more legitimate threat to dethroning the Thunder in the West? Would you go with the Rockets or would you go with the Nuggets? Oh, Nuggets, without a question.
I love what Denver did in this offseason. I think when you go and you talk about Cam Johnson being, I think, an upgrade and a cheaper one at that over Michael Porter Jr., he's just a hand-in-glove fit with what that team needs to do. I do think it is dependent, and we got that news either early this morning or late yesterday that the Nuggets are going to force Jonas Allen Schunas. They expect him, right? They traded for him.
They expect him to play. He's obviously flirting with that Greek team. If you tell me that he's going to be their backup center for the regular season, I'm even more in because they desperately needed somebody to play those minutes in the regular season to give Jokic some breaks.
So as you get to the postseason, then you can go with your Aaron Gordon at the five, and then you can play Jokic 40 minutes.
So with Jonas Vallen Shunis, assuming he will be in a Nuggets uniform, with Johnson, with Addie Bruce Brown, I think they were brilliant in the way they filled out that roster. And it's a roster that with Aaron Gordon on one leg and Michael Porter Jr. with one arm, pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder in games. I think that this team is the second best team. In the Western Conference, and I think the gap-like you look at the betting odds, there's a pretty good gap between them and OKC.
I think they're near equals to one another. I love what Denver did.
So, value for our listening audience. We are taking you across the NBA with Jonathan von Tobel, senior NBA analyst for Veeson. You hit on the Damian Lillard move, so let's make the move to the East. I will give Milwaukee credit for trying to do something, anything, to appease Giannis. But when you think about fit and situation, how much better does Miles Turner make this team?
Where would you slot the Bucs now in the East? I mean, by default, they're still inside the top four, right? You go that high, okay?
Okay, because, and you're right, by default is the key word because we're talking about the East. Yes, correct, right? Like, that's the thing. It's so, like, I'm personally very high on what the Hawks did. I love their roster, but we haven't really seen that play out.
So, I don't think realistically you could cement Atlanta ahead of Milwaukee. I'm also somebody who has lost a lot of money on betting, you know, positively for Atlanta the last couple of years, and that has not panned out.
So, we'll see how it does. But in theory, like, I like their team better, but we've just seen Giannis do it. The rest of the East looks. Very empty for the most part. I like a lot of what Orlando did.
They're going to be a very good defensive team. Their offense still, I think, is going to struggle quite a bit.
So I don't think, like, I think it's very hard for them to fall out of the top four. But having said that, and to the point that you're getting at here, it was a desperate move for a team in a desperate situation. They needed something to show Giannis that they were trying to get him to stay, trying to improve this roster. And in an Eastern conference where there's a vacuum of power at the top, I think it makes sense that they would at least try something and go get the best available guy.
Now, again, you could mock them for mortgaging their future down the road. Giannis doesn't care about that. Giannis cares about now. And at the most part, I think what's going to happen, he's got this year, he's got next year, and then he's got a player option. You stick with Milwaukee.
You play out this year in an East that is very weak. See if Miles Turner is enough, along with the other ancillary pieces that they've acquired, to push you to the top of the Eastern Conference if you're healthy. And if it doesn't work out, then say Cyanara, because he could effectively force himself to be an expiring contract should he decline his player option on the last year.
So I think. There's a reality in which he gives this a go. We see him play. They finish in the top four. They lose relatively early.
And I think next summer is the summer we see Yanis Anto Decumpo move to a new team. And everyone in Southern California thinks it's going to be the Lakers.
So I want to be respectful of your time because you've already cranked out one show today. Of course, the Clippers, yes.
Well, the Clippers should get everybody. They got Steve Bommer and his unlimited resources, even in now a hard cap league. I just can't get excited about the addition of DeAndre Ayton based on what we saw him fail to do in Portland. A lot of that coming down to just mindset and attitude.
So if I tell you this is the Lakers' roster, nothing else is going to be added of substance. Where are they going to land in the Western Conference next year? I think they're a play-in team. It's just so hard when you look at how much better the Western Conference is at the top. And this is a team that is somewhat worse.
I mean, Dorian Finney Smith is now a member of the Houston Rockets. You know, with the Thunder being who they are, the Rockets getting better, the Nuggets getting better, the Clippers potentially getting better. The Mavericks, I think, are actually going to be a very formidable team, especially when they start to get healthy down the stretch. Although Kyrie made some comments that it doesn't sound like he'll be back next year, but still, that's a good team even without him. I just think that there's not that much room.
There's not that many seats at the table for L.A. Look, if you have LeBron, you have Luca, you're going to have a pretty high floor because those two guys are great. But I just think when you look at this construction of this roster, how bad they potentially could be on defense and how great the rest of the Western Conference is, I feel pretty confident that they're going to be a play-in team. And by the way, I didn't even mention a team like Minnesota, of course, who beat them in the post season. And back-to-back trips to the conference finals, and we're not talking about them because they didn't add anybody.
Yep.
So I think it's very hard to find a scenario in which that team is anything but a play-in team.
Now, they should not miss the play-in. I don't think they're going to be that bad, but I feel safe in saying that we're going to be watching a standalone play-in game with the Los Angeles Lakers, either playing host or on the road when we get to the playoffs next year. Jonathan, as always, I appreciate you coming through for a guest toast. Thank you so much for making the time as you came off your vacation. As we wrap it up, and I'm only doing this because one of my best friends is a Clipper fan and I get so much enjoyment from it.
Would you even know what to do if they actually won a title? Oh, no. You should see. My wife likes to make fun of me. She has a video of me when Terrence Mann dropped 40 in the Western Conference semifinals when they came back and got to just the Western Conference finals.
Oh, yeah. And I was hooting and hollering and throwing things.
So, no, if they were to actually win the NBA finals, I think my head might actually explode. Here's the good news, my friend: it's not something you're going to have to worry about. I'm trolling. I'm trolling. My son and I won't.
Oh, if you have a kid, okay. I'll get on my deathbed. All right.
Well, I'm sorry now he's got to carry on the tradition, but I love that you guys can bond over that. Jonathan, thanks so much. Enjoy the rest of your day, and we'll chat with you down the road. Yep, next time we'll talk about my Angels fandom. Oh, stop.
Thank you.
Okay, Donnie Moore ain't walking through that door. I always give you that reference. Goodbye, Jonathan. Take care. That's Jonathan von Tobel.
As now, I just get cruel and mean to a man who gave me 15 minutes of his time, gave us excellent information.
Now, I do have a clipper bias. And I did not want to belabor the point to Jonathan. I used to work for the Clippers flagship radio station here in Los Angeles, the Beast 980. Welcome to Radio. One day we came in, they said you're all fired, and we're flipping to Bollywood music.
But I was only a fill-in guy at the time, but I love doing local radio because you go deep on what's happening for every team during the summers. I used to talk baseball every day. Who am I? I don't even know what's going on. And when you are clipper adjacent, you just get used to the heartache.
It's like Red Sox fans who weren't around before they finally won those World Series or Cub fans. It's The losing. It's the pain, it's the misery that keeps these fan bases alive. And nobody. I mean nobody.
and basketball. has been more bereft of positivity than the Clippers. I loved when he said, when we finally made the conference finals, of course, they've never been to the NBA finals. Go back to the Buffalo Braves, okay? Then San Diego.
Still, he did make a good point. And I gave you my thoughts on that trade, which thankfully I broke down three times.
So I feel better about myself. Yes, John Collins is a nice pickup, but how much better are you really in the West? And Jonathan, much more enthusiastic about Bradley Beal. And he's right if you go blind resume. Although, isn't that an indictment when we say take the player's name off their stats because we know the flip side?
All the time missed, injuries, all of the... Perceived drama surrounding Bradley Beal, but It's not my money and whoever gets them At a huge discount because the Suns are going to pay him roughly $100 million to go away, is going to get somebody who can score. And it just feels like, and I said it earlier, not knowing or not recalling Jonathan's Clipper fandom, that would be your typical Clipper move. And as a Hoop fan, I would love to see Quai Leonard show up and play 70 games a year. To his credit, he was finally available for the postseason.
It wasn't his fault they got buried in game seven. It's because James Harden was James Harden. Looked at the schedule and said, Oh, it's game seven. I have to disappear because he's done it repeatedly throughout his career. I'm Brian Weber, in for rich.
Weekend. Have at it on social media after the program. B.W. Weber. Weber would be straight ahead.
We wrap it up with a little bit more NFL. Steelers have a new face of the franchise offensively in Aaron Rodgers.
So, with all the moves they've made in this active offseason, why are they only favored in a handful of games? Details are coming up. Let's talk O'Reilly Auto Parts people. They're in the business of keeping your car on the road. OOOORILY Auto Parts offers friendly, helpful service and the parts knowledge you need for all your maintenance and repairs.
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Whatever, I'm lucky enough to sit in for Rich and the guys, and we'll do it again tomorrow. We're winding down today, warming up for the Tuesday edition of the program. Among our scheduled guests, We'll talk college football with Pete Hutak of CollegeFootballNews.com. Might seem early to be leading the direction of on-campus, but a reminder. Big 12 media days get underway tomorrow.
That gives me license to look ahead to the fall. We'll talk about. The teams that have a real chance of winning it all. Pete's always good with going to the second-tier possibilities. That's coming up.
Much more NFL. Just a little bit of MBA trying to balance. Our approach, understanding that most of you want all football all the time, and hopefully I'm satiating those needs. Gonna focus on the Steelers because now not only is it solid content, it's an FCC bylaw that's coming up. I want to thank our only guest today.
Always good to focus on the NBA with Jonathan von Tobel of Veeson. Be sure to check out his program, Money Moves, Weekdays, Noon Eastern, as you enjoy the Rich Eisen Show.
So I would go best of with Jonathan and keep it where it is for the live. rendering of The Rich Eisen Show. If you have Steeler fatigue, I cannot blame you. And I am part of the media. It happens.
We have a herd mentality, not common cow herd, but we have a pack approach.
So. Last couple of years, you noticed we talked a lot of Jets.
Well, on this program, it's the Jet Show of Record. Mr. Eisen grew up a Jet fan. Certain teams get hot. I'm old enough to remember, I'll tie it together with Rich, and my brief tenure at NFL Network.
I didn't make it over a year, or they paid me over a year, so that's all that matters. Do you remember the dream team in Philadelphia? Vince Young took his talents to Philly. How'd that work out? I don't think it's going to be that apocalyptic.
In another town in Pennsylvania, but I don't know how improved the Steelers will be primarily because of the division they play in and their schedule. If you're thinking about teams and I'll do this at some point over our next upcoming three shows together, the entire business model of the NFL is built on competitive balance, parity and hope. It's bad now. It'll get better tomorrow. Stay with us, and most importantly, watch the game.
21 the last 22 years.
Somebody's gone from worst to first to win the division. Houston's an example and. Recent years Three wins, and then they parlayed that to back-to-back division titles.
So, if you're looking for a candidate this year, the Niners are the obvious choice coming off their battered season last year with all the injuries and Because what When you have a lousy year, you get an easier schedule. That's how we get to competitive balance. Niders have a very straightforward schedule. In contrast, Steelers have a rugged Slay the games they have to navigate.
So... And I'm not going to go week by week, but as I was looking. For the view from Vegas. Remember, Pittsburgh, nine wins last year. They limped down the stretch.
Of course, they lost their playoff game because they haven't won a playoff game since the 2016 season. I figured at least the dumb money. The casuals would gravitate towards the Steelers and push up their win total. Still at eight and a half. And Vegas is usually spot on.
So why the cynicism? And why, in fact, if you go game by game, Pittsburgh is only favored in six games this season.
Well, the answer primarily is the schedule and uncertainty about Aaron Rodgers. If you're wondering about the half-dozen games they're actually favored in, Week one against the Jets. And isn't it a miracle that the Steelers and Jets wound up playing each other? Those NFL scriptwriters know how to push out great content. Pittsburgh has to be pleased.
They're still in the same division as Cleveland because they're favorite of the Browns, not once, but twice. And the other games in which they're not underdogs, the Seahawks, Not a lot of optimism surrounding Sam Darnold based on his implosion the last two games of the season. Think about how differently things would have looked if he had not woken up and remembered he was Sam Darnold in the regular season finale against Detroit that cost them the division and then got pummeled in that playoff game against the Rams that was moved to Arizona due to the horrible fires here in Southern California. Also favored against the Colts.
Well, that's understandable. Who's their quarterback? If the options are Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson, I think that is the answer to that question. conundrum. Finally the dolphins.
because Miami doesn't seem to know what they want to do and You could make the argument that they're quiet tanking. At least motivated by salary dump. That's why they unloaded Jalen Ramsey to the Steelers and ate part of his contract in return, although they did get an asset. And Mika Fitzpatrick coming back to Miami.
So, not just a total fire sale, but seems like every time I log on to social media, Tyreek Hill is linked to another possible trade destination. And a lot of pressure on Mike McDaniel to win coming off. Their non-playoff season a year ago.
So, as much as the schedule says, We should be a little bit more cynical about Pittsburgh. They're going to be everywhere. All the prime time games. all of the national attention and tomorrow I'm going to jump into the world of tabloids. Paige 6 and Harvey 11 have nothing on the fill-in host.
I didn't buy the magazine. I perused it and I got the rest for free off the internet because I'm cheap. Aaron Rodgers on the cover of Us Weekly. The most mysterious person in sports. I'll give you some details.
I am not getting into his personal life nor the fact that he's estranged from his family. Maybe he's married, maybe he's not. But I gave you the view from Vegas. What are realistic expectations for the Steelers next year? We will tackle that tomorrow on the program.
Want to thank all of these significant people, starting with Rich Isen. I appreciate his confidence. And yours truly, my friend Jerry Subowitz, Bruce Gilbert, all the good folks at Westwood One. David Murnak, all the great people at the Infinity Sports Network, our technical producer, if you sweet talk Art Martinez, I'll put you on the air tomorrow, 844-204-7424. My name is Brian Weber.
Enjoy the rest of your day and we'll do it again tomorrow right here on The Rich Eisen Show. Jim Rome takes on sports. Why? Because you're not playing me. With rapid fire takes.
And a lot to get to, and I'm not sure you're gonna like all of it. Honestly, I don't even care if you like all of it or not. I have a job to do. Scorching debates. On any given week, you have lots to beef about.
Take advantage of it. Get up in here. He's the Spitfire of Sports Smack. Which is not my fault. We will get to all of that.
The Jim Rome Show podcast. Get up in here and we'll beef later on. What's your beef? Follow and listen on your favorite platform. You've been warned.
Yeah.
