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I'm living my best life. Yeah, yeah. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Here's the other surprising part. With guest host, Brian Weber.
Yeah, big twos to film. 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 Rich, here's Brian Weber. It is another hour of the program, and it's great to have you with us nationwide.
Brian Weber with you. Appreciating the company on this busy Thursday. The phone number is 844-204-7424. The impossible happened in the first hour of the show. We took not one, but two phone calls.
My goodness, I'm opening to having more of a dialogue with you. Later on in 20 minutes, we returned to the NFL after we went through the leading contenders to be the most improved teams will jump into the pit of negativity. That is the lifeblood of Sports Talk Radio. What coaches out there? What's the short list of head coaches should be maybe looking over their shoulder?
Who has the most urgency to win? We'll get there coming up. But I love talking to NBA this time of the year. And I always learn something when I read content written by our first guest today. It is Steve Ashburner, senior writer of NBA.com, a very good friend of the program.
Steve, Brian Weber, Infor Rich, how are you today? I'm doing well, Brian. How are you? I'm doing well, and I appreciate you taking the time.
Well, let's start with Giannis speaking. This is like Greta Garbo years ago. You probably saw the headline that he appeared on a live stream and he was asked about. His intention to stay with the Bucs, and the quote was, probably we'll see, I love Milwaukee. I'm interested in your reaction to that.
And then on the floor, how much improvement do you expect to see from the Bucks this year with the addition of Miles Turner? Yeah, you know, it's hard to make of any player these days based on what they say. At any given point in time, about their long-term plans. I mean, long-term plans in the NBA. But a week and a half.
Now, Giannis is a little out of the ordinary in that. Having, you know, given his roots and the way that he developed as a player as a young man. Where he was drafted, how things have gone for him in Milwaukee. You know, he might not have the. Stars in his eyes related to glamour markets, and Milwaukee seems to have suited him.
as long as they are a contending team. You know, that's obviously the big if right now because of uh Damian Willard. being cut loose as a result of the Achilles injury and is of unav you know unavailability for the the entire coming season.
So they're going to have to slap things around Giannis pretty quickly. I I know initially there was talk that this would be a gap year for the Bucks. and uh they would work on on building things up over time. I think they still need to do that. They've they've pieced some things together in the short term and and obviously Miles Turner He'll be there for a little while and uh as a as a tandem sort of player with Giannis.
Um you know, that could work out well. Um, I think, you know, Miles Turner is A little underrated. He didn't shoot that well in the postseason, but he does have fairly reliable three-point range. Um you know when you have Ianis near the paint. Uh and you have a guy who who Does a pretty good job protecting the rim while not being a leaper or seven foot plus type of guy.
Miles Turner's pretty good too.
So I think that that helps. It plugs the Brooke Lopez. uh opening uh with a guy who's younger and uh you know more in his prime. Then um Than Brooke was.
So that's a nice pickup. I think some of the other guys they have there: Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Kyle Kuzma, I mean, you're still sort of in search of A true Offensive sidekick. I don't think Turner qualifies that way. What they had hoped that Lillard would be in Milwaukee. You know, Lillard put up some solid stats, but it just didn't click.
It wasn't quite a blatant. my turn, your turn, but it also wasn't any sort of a Stockton Malone Kemp Payton type of synergy between those two guys.
So that's going to be a challenge and how they get that and where they get that from will go a long way, I think, in keeping Yannis content. I think his inclination is to stay. Not to be a guy who stamps his feet and wants out. But this could be a long year for the Bucks. And if so, the climate there could be entirely different next summer.
Talking hoops with Steve Ashburner, senior writer for NBA.com. I'm Brian Weber, Info Rich. And Steve, I was listening closely and agreed with everything you said. To me, if we're going to crystallize that, I think the Bucs are a play-in team. But the positive is they're in the Eastern Conference.
So if we go with conventional wisdom that Cleveland coming off a 64-win season last year will be the team to beat, the Knicks bringing their top seven players back from their run to the Eastern Conference finals. If I asked you who was on the next tier, who do you think could push Cleveland and New York to be the best team in the East?
Well, I like what Orlando did. I mean, I think the magic are on the rise, and I think Desmond Bain is. You know, exactly what they needed. Um, you know, a much more reliable, prolific three-point shooter than any of the guys that they've had. They also need to stay healthy.
If they stay healthy, And the addition of Bain. I mean, I think that that, and the maturation of Bencaro and Wagner. Um you know, they're just naturally going to be getting better and I think that they're You know, they're due to take a big step. I would think. Yeah, I don't think it's any stretch at all that they would uh I'll be a contender for that third slot in the East and maybe even higher.
So that would be the team I would most be keeping an eye on. And I think Atlanta's gotten better. I think with You know, some of the moves that they've made, and again, you know, guys getting better from within, Dyson Daniels being back, and uh. Zachary Richeshe, you know, in his second year as a player. Um I think that's big.
You know, the Porzingas Um addition and and uh Mikhail Alexander Walker is a player to me that uh he lacks only consistency, you know, to be sort of a pocket version of uh of his uh his cousin Shea. Um, you know, it's it's uh it's a team that, you know, a lot of us don't even much attention to during the season because they've been stereotyped as you know, Trey Young and and a bunch of guys you don't really, you know, know what team they're on. And I I think that Atlanta is Got a lot more momentum now, and Trey Young will be able to maximize his skill with an improved supporting cast. Steve, I wanted to go east because I don't want to fall into the habit of being where my feet are. This show is based in Southern California, and the West has gotten so much better, especially at the top when you look at the moves made by Denver and Houston.
You've been doing this for a long time. I came up with the comp of when the Lakers won three in a row and defeated the Sixers and the Nets and the Pacers in those finals as the last time I could think of this broad a disparity between the Western Conference and the East in part because of the injuries, right? No Halliburton, no Jason Tatum. Does that jibe with you? Can you think of another time when we've had this kind of disconnect between the conferences?
Yeah, I can't argue with that without, you know, sort of sitting down and breaking it down and everything. It's my gut reaction is that. That sounds about right. I mean, you look at the West and it's brutal to the point that You know, people speculate Shouldn't Kevin Durant have pushed to get to the other conference? he helps Houston immensely and the rockets should be much improved, but you know, you're you're still mired in a in a group of of really difficult um challenges there.
And obviously the Oklahoma City Thunder aren't going anywhere and They'll come back with a pat hand and, you know, they might not win more than 68 games. They might not win 68. But in terms of. Their expectations heading into next postseason. You know, they want to end this seven different champs in seven different years.
uh run and and put together a little bit of a you know two you know a three peat or three peat uh as as much as they can so yeah, the West is the West is brutal. Um It kind of explains why LeBron seems to be thrashing about and not pleased with whatever the Lakers' short, medium and long-term vision is. Um so well Steve, could I jump in there? How do you read that situation with the Lakers and LeBron?
Well I I think it's I get a little impatient with it because You know, it's prime LeBron as Primadonna. Um look. We can talk about the off-season moves all we want, but the biggest expectation, the biggest suspense coming into next season is How is an in-shape Luka Doncic going to play? And what sort of problem is he going to be for the league with the Lakers? With a full season there.
I think Doncic, I mean, he's such a valuable piece and you you couldn't have a more inspired superstar based on The flak he took. You know, in during the time of the trade and rationalizing the reason that Dallas moved off of him and how he played, and all the memes with the photoshopped. poundage on him and all that. you know, if I'm LeBron James, you're sort of like, well, Yeah, this is perfect. You know, I'm I'm on the 18th hole in essence, and there's a guy who can take, you know, take the biggest load, you know, but.
For him to You know, make noise about a trade, or his people to make noise about a trade. And it's like, what would please LeBron James at this point? And frankly, I'm not sure how many people around the NBA or NBA fans in general really care. You know, if he were to change teams again, I think it waters down his his portfolio. I think Frankly, I think the longer he stays, Um The more he risks Dipping down in people's estimation when you start talking, you know, he seems to.
Covet the GOAT title, and I think he's getting farther away rather than closer the longer he stays. You become a compiler, you add years in which you don't win titles, and those matter too. And I just think it's unnecessary drama. He should be, in my opinion, more committed to making it thing, making it work in Los Angeles. Or, you know what?
Just figure out a way to get to Cleveland, even in a buyout or a minimum salary situation, which he didn't want to do, obviously, and have your final. your farewell, your Swan Song season with the team that brought you into the league. I can't imagine LeBron anywhere else and it not just seen as a as a brazen uh chase of a rain. Appreciate that response, and you covered a lot of ground. Final thought as we're talking hoops with Steve Ashburner, senior writer for NBA.com, good friend of the program.
You hear him on the Rich Osin show frequently. I know you're not a college hoops expert per se, but you're aware of the potential surrounding Cooper Flag, who's going to make his Summer League debut tonight in Las Vegas, coincidentally taking on Bronnie James and the Lakers. Steve, in terms of realistic expectations for the Mavericks this season, how do you view? How Cooper is going to make the transition to the league. And then I guess my question would be: how can we factor in the timetable for Kyrie Irving coming back from the torn ACL?
And unfortunately, Anthony Davis, while he's going to be projected to be ready to go for the start of training camp, just had eye surgery and we know his injury history. Yeah, and that was a retina surgery. And frankly, I had a retina surgery a year ago, and it's not to be taken lightly. I don't know the degree of his repair, but anytime you're messing with the eyes, obviously it gets your attention. And if you're a a seven-foot player, who's right at the point where a lot of players' fingers and hands are are smacking you in the face and the eyes.
I mean, that's that's a concern. We might see Anthony Davis wearing goggles the next time we see him and forever after.
So that's a big deal. And yes, Irving is a key part of that team. Um I hope that in his absence that people enjoy the Cooper flag experience and don't expect too much in terms of winning. I'm not saying that's prohibited. But That's not typically what rookies do.
I mean, the rookies who have won big in this league generally have come into teams with. real solid and healthy Supporting CAS. And those are gonna be, you know, that last part, the health is an issue for the Mavericks.
So I think it's gonna be fun. I'm eager to see Cooper Fly. He's young, even as a guy who's a one and done, a Duke. You know, he's basically coming out of high school by age. And everything I hear about him is that he's a sponge, that he learns things quickly, and all of a sudden he's added that to his game.
He doesn't have to go away. A year, you know, one year at a time, off-season by off-season, to add things. And it his learning curve happens rather quickly.
So I think that'll be fun as long as people aren't. Aren't holding out too many expectations in terms of, you know, again, he's in the West too. Dallas is in the West. And if they, if they can keep their head above water, given what the reaction to the to the Donchich trade was this will be a heck of a save. They got very lucky landing that number one pick, and it's kind of muted the The Dancic criticism.
So I think if they can be playing for a low seed or a playing spot. Um That's pretty good considering the alternative. Steve, I appreciate you taking the time and the analysis. The audience has heard me say way too often I love basketball more than the NFL, and I spent a lot of time on NBA.com. I appreciate the advanced metrics and all your great work.
So, really glad we had this conversation, and thanks so much for joining us today. Hi, you're welcome, Brian. Steve Ashburner has been covering the league for decades, and if you listen closely, That was a Powerful response about LeBron James. And I like how Steve framed it because he didn't use the word legacy. And I'm Brian Weber, InforRich, 844-204-7424, wide open the rest of this hour.
In fact, we will not have another guest and only two guests today.
So now I'm going to get defensive. I understand I am not Rich Eisen.
Now, I try to come up with the parallels as much as I can. We're born in the same year. Rich is actually a resident growing up of New York City from Staten Island. I grew up less than three miles away from the city line. My old man fought his way out of the Bronx, but I am from New York City, adjacent, went to high school in the city.
And it occurred to me today, Rich started his career in Northern California in Reading.
Now, that was kind of a big deal. I was already in San Francisco, and then everything diverged. I peaked circa 1996. I wonder if Richie even knew who I was.
Well, I was on regional cable.
So, yeah, we were all over Northern California. No wonder why I was strutting. But if you are not a fan, I get it. I am a guest host. I'm an acquired taste.
And I got more good news for you. I'm done on this show. After next hour wraps up, my pal Dan Schwartzman. Has hard-hitting opinions. East Coast Edge, he'll be here tomorrow.
Rich and the guys are back. But I was going to pat myself on the back. I don't overwhelm you with guests. As a veteran guest host on several different shows, I keep mentioning I used to fill in for Mike Florio years ago. I do have a pet peeve of guys who fill in and have nineteen guests.
Hey, this is a massive platform. Shoot your shot. Here's your chance to shine.
So the only other Unless you pick up the phone, outside voice you will hear will come one hour from now. Even more NFL. Are you not entertained? When we get you lined up for the start of training camps, which officially start Saturday, two days from now, when the Chargers rookies show up. Looking forward to our conversation with Ted Wynn of the Athletic.
To put a footnote on the conversation with Steve, so he didn't say legacy, but he said LeBron is potentially damaging his portfolio, his body of work. Can't argue with that. In fact, I liked also. The baseball comp. LeBron's moving into the stat compiler era of his career.
Now, I would be a fool and a troll to bash LeBron James. And I'm not doing, even though I'm older than my upbeat delivery suggests, Jordan versus LeBron. And if you don't track media, And I can only think of the tens of millions of dollars NBC is throwing at Jordan to have him be a special correspondent for the return of the NBA on NBC. That's coming this fall. The minute Jordan says something, anything, people are going to try to break it down like the Zabruder film as a shot at LeBron.
And who's been better at keeping his name front and center than LBJ? I mentioned when I was here on Monday, he was on social media on July 4th. Because he lives for engagement. And I think. This is going to be another Midlink season for the Lakers.
You're telling me DeAndre Ayton is going to make that much of a difference? And I keep going back to my Arizona connection. I remember when he was. Dynamic in college at the University of Arizona. I remember when he played a huge role on the Suns' unlikely journey to the NBA Finals, but everything changed after he got that second contract after that great season in 2021.
Feuded with coaches who are perceived to be amicable, like Monty Williams and Chauncey Billips in Portland. It spiraled out of control in Portland. No showing practices, not getting along in the locker room. Remember the ice game? He took a snow day because he couldn't get to the arena because of a bizarre ice storm in Portland.
Aiton has millions of reasons to. Be a responsible and productive player because even though Portland paid him $25 million to go away and he's getting eight from the Lakers, now it's a show-me portion of his career.
So, yes. He'll be a marginal upgrade over the Lousy options they had in the paint. But as Steve pointed out, And we've been going through with. Granular detail. OKC is going to run it back with everybody.
Houston will be better. Denver will be better. Should I keep going all the way down? The Clippers will be better. Even though I can't believe I said that, Lakers to me are playing at best, but LeBron's going to keep on hanging on.
I think he goes all the way to 2028. Maybe he retires the year before, but he's going to play in the 2028 Olympics just to get another gold medal and go out on top under his terms with the games coming up here in Los Angeles. 844-204-7424. The number to call. Straight ahead.
Back to the NFL. I was trying to come up with nice verbiage as opposed to saying who's getting whacked this year, which coaches are going to lose their job because I'm upbeat and I'm in a positive frame of mind, but let's tell it like it is. Coaches that need to look over their shoulder heading into the season. That's coming up as I'm in for Rich.
So, you know, we love talking movies around here. You know, we love talking comedy around here. We also love talking about classics around here.
So, you know what I'm all about. That said. All of that said. You know how I must have felt when I was sitting in the movie theater like I was the other day watching the previews, and up came a preview. for the naked gun.
with Liam Neeson as Frank Greben, junior. That Preview had me at hello. I loved police squad back in the day. I loved the naked gun back in the day. And here comes the naked gun once again with yes, Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr.
Come on now, son of the celebrated police squad, Lieutenant Frank Drebin from the original movie, Paul Walter Hauser's in this movie, also Pamela Anderson. Guess who also makes an appearance? WWE superstar. Cody Rhodes, and the producer of the movie is Seth McFarlane, the creator of The Family Guy. Come on now.
This is going to be so much fun. I'm excited to see The Naked Gun in theaters on August 1st.
So. What do you do on August 1st? Of course, you're going to a theater near you and you're seeing the naked gun. I might even be there. This episode is brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union.
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Learn more at hyundaiusa.com. Call 562-314-4603 for details. 844-204-7424. If you don't want to interact with me, that's cool. But give my friend Dan Schwartzmann a call tomorrow.
More to the point, Rich and the guys back on Monday. You can also slide over to the X platform. That is BW Weber, Weber with Two B's. Appreciate Steve Ashburner from NBA.com taking the time to join us a few moments ago. And then look ahead to the final hour of the program, one hour from now.
More NFL, when we check in with Ted Wynn of the Athletic in 15 minutes, because it's all about forward promotion I need. One more minute, two more minutes, five more minutes out of you. As you know. This program, or if you don't know, you should know, is typically an Emma Award-nominated simulcast. Ben streaming.
And the partnership with the Roku channel is a wonderful form of business engagement. I noticed yesterday as I was trying to maximize my time on Hulu. Because The days are coming off the calendar and I'm too cheap to renew now that I've gotten caught up on the bear. Max. is back to being HBO.
After it was HBO Max to start off with.
So that's another marketing genius move. But I'm always looking for a hook. Here's the hook for this program. What are the worst branded teams in sports after that branding exercise? Got to ride that's coming up in 15 minutes.
I'm mentioning in passing because it's not a topic, it's much more of an acknowledgement, a historic development today at the All-England Club. She's from New Jersey. She's 23 years old, the 13 seed. If you're a double-digit seed at a major tournament, you typically feel very fortunate just to make it to say the round of 16. Instead, Amanda Anasimova, 41st.
Find yourself now. Getting ready to play in the singles final coming up. As she took down top-seeded Arena Sabalenka. And to give you more context about how big a win that was beyond the nationalistic linkage to the United States a year ago, as Amanda, like many players, went through a rough patch mentally. Tennis is the most demanding sport from a mental standpoint of them all.
It's me and you, and the net and the ball, and coaching is a gray zone. But If you have the goods, typically it's the mental side of your game that ebbs and flows with confidence, especially when you're in your late teens, early 20s. Amanda saw her ranking plummet all the way to 189 and failed to qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon. And a year later, she now has a chance to win it all, waiting the outcome of the match going on between the Swiss miss, Belinda Bencic, and Iga Sfiantek. That's how you say it.
That is your tennis update.
Now the audience is running away.
So, hey, I have football. Where are you going? I have football right here. With the Chargers having their rookies report coming up two days from now, getting ready for the kickoff of exhibition play on July 31st, it's the Chargers taking on the Lions. Got me thinking about coaches who should be renting or leasing, not buying anything.
We know there's a lot of turnover. You know what was weird in college football? As we talked a lot in college football the last couple of days, and Rich will do likewise when he gets back because SEC Media Days kick off on Monday. That is now a four-day event.
Well, I understand the conference has expanded. Four days of coaches and players being. Shown their way to the podium to spell cliches. And we had the big 12 media days, last couple days in Texas as the foundation of a lot of college football talk. College football last year, for whatever reason, only had a handful of coaches get fired.
Just a weird aberration, maybe because of the portal and because their rosters are changing to the tune of about 75% every year. Maybe coaches have a little bit more latitude in college football, but the NFL. To quote the philosopher, Jerry Glanville, when I think of philosophers, it's Socrates, Plato, and the man in black. NFL stands for not for long.
So, who's entering the season in a tenuous position?
Well, How about we start at the bottom and work our way to the top? There's a reason why the Tennessee Titans had the opportunity to draft Cam Ward with the number one overall pick. They will be better. Cam Ward, if we're back to storytelling, I keep throwing it out there because I don't think it got enough attention. Many of you think when you heard from the University of Miami, it's Cam Ward.
Cam Ward started his career at Incarnate Word in Texas. Then he went to Washington State. Then he went to Miami.
So this guy has earned every opportunity on his way to the NFLs. premier opportunity now to be a potentially A franchise quarterback, dare I say it? It's been a minute. Since the Titans had someone to fit that bill. You want to go back to Steve McNair?
I realize that Ryan Tannehill played in an AFC championship game, but you get the point I'm making here.
So the Titans will be better, and they play in the right division because. Even though Houston's been able to put together back-to-back division titles in the AFC South. There is also a reason why the winner of that division always plays the first game on wild card weekend because it's just not as sexy nor Talented nor competitive division from the standpoint of having real depth. Brian Callahan won three games last year. It's all about perception.
Let's say the Titans jump up to six or seven, probably keeps his job. Still, when you have now the new face of the franchise, wouldn't you want to find somebody who's not just a guy? And no disrespect to Brian. I covered his Pops Bill Callahan. Raider fans don't want to hear that, but, and maybe some nepotism to get that job.
But the other thing the N stands for in NFL is nepotism. Think about all the connections. Brian Callahan would be on the list of coaches with urgency to win. I'm thinking about the situation these guys are coaching in to come up with this conclusion. Dave Canalis.
who is beloved by his players. Rich talks to more active players than anybody because of his standing as the face of NFL Network.
So when anybody from the Panthers appears on this program, To a man, because I listen every day, they have nothing but positive things to say about Dave Canalis in terms of. his human approach. Because a lot of coaches will delegate to their assistants or they want distance from their players for a couple reasons. They might have to cut them.
So, they don't want to have that emotional entanglement. They like the fear. What is coach thinking? A lot of guys think that's a motivator. That's just basic psychology.
Dave Canalis is the type of head coach who texts with his players, checks in, actually knows their kids' names.
So. I'm not rooting for this outcome. The problem with Dave is, after winning five games last year and year one, he works for David Tepper. Who seems to forget just because you made billions on Wall Street doesn't mean you know anything about football. And he has blown through coaches like George Steinbrunter used to fire managers for the Yankees decades ago.
Matt Ruhl? Had the offsets when he went to Nebraska, but he got paid a lot of money when he got canned in Carolina. Frank Reich, now the interim head coach at Stanford, didn't even survive his first year.
So Dave might want to squeeze out a few more wins. The indie situation, I'm Brian Weber, Infor Rich. You can. Hop aboard on social media. B.W.
Weber, Weber with two B's. We'll take you around the NFL in the final hour of the program when we are joined by Ted Wynn of the Athletic. The indie situation is interesting for a few significant reasons. Unfortunately, we had the death of Jim Ursay, who, just from the standpoint of someone who's in the content business, was the gift that kept on giving. Jim Mersey was a quote machine.
Now you have to transition to one of his daughters.
So. Often a new owner, even if they're a member of the family, wants to put their own imprint on the franchise, meaning could be a change at GM, could be a change at head coach and Shane Steichen. Through a couple seasons is 500, no better. 17 at 17, no trips to the playoffs. And if you don't have a quarterback, you don't have a chance.
And if we're talking about the most muddled quarterback situations in football, you start in Cleveland. You have to start there. And I'll get to Kevin Stefansky in a moment. Because if you have four quarterbacks led by Joe Flacco, you certainly don't have one. And there's creepy Deshaun Watson still lurking with all that guaranteed money.
But if we're looking at Daniel Jones having an opportunity at redemption versus Anthony Richardson, if in fact he's fully healthy for the start of the camp. Not saying much about the upside under center. Brian Dayball I talked about the other day, but it'd be foolish to presume you're with me every step of the way. I'm a guest hack after all. I think he is a good coach.
With the right quarterback. We saw the partnership he had with Josh Allen in Buffalo and what he got out of Daniel Jones year one. When they work together for the New York Football Giants. But when you win three games, it's a miracle. you have the ability to survive, and that's the description for Dable.
Now, I think a lot of his ownership is still parcels in recent years. In fact, going back to the departure of Tom Coughlin, and you could throw in Jim Fossil a million years ago, but the Giants have had some lousy hires as head coaches. I don't think that is a proper summation of Dayball. How much better do you think the Giants are going to be? And look at that schedule.
I keep going back to the 49ers having a very straightforward slate of games. Giants could open up. One and seven, one and eight.
Now, that will be the mechanism to dump Russell Wilson and get the quarterback of the future. At least that's the hope, having invested a first-round pick in old Miss QB, Jackson Dart. But Dable has a lot on the line. If he gets the six wins, maybe you could say, well, you double the output. That's enough to keep the job.
We'll find out. Kevin Stavansky is highly respected. He's a two-time coach of the year. But since I have no life and I do this for a living, I'll also point out that Mike Brown was a two-time coach of the year, and he kept getting fired because he wound up. working for the wrong organizations.
Cleveland Cleveland. Cleveland twice with Dad Gilbert, who is. Let's just say hands-on. He had the bad timing to follow, talking about Mike Brown here. Phil Jackson with the Lakers, and then ownership in Sacramento does not know what they're doing.
So I think that's the conundrum on a big word Thursday for Stefansky. Even though you can't pin it on him that he has just an awful quarterback situation, somebody's got to be the fall guy. And we know it's not going to be Watson because all that money is fully guaranteed. Plus, he works for the Haslams.
So Kevin might be in a tough spot. And finally, I mentioned it, but I'll hammer it one more time. And I'm a fan of his style. His swagger and his coaching approach. I like Mike McDaniel.
Plus, I like nerds. He went to Yale. Still? Eight wins last season. After making the playoffs first two years, did not advance to the postseason a year ago.
And how much can you tell me with certainty? What is a reasonable Expectation for how many games and how many touchdowns we'll see thrown from Tua Tunga Valloa given his injury history. McDaniel could be on his way out of South Beach. On Brian Weber, not going anywhere for at least the next hour and 20 minutes. Coming up with more football on the docket.
Ted Wynn of the Athletic joins us. Just over 20 minutes from now as we kick off the final hour of the program. As mentioned, this show is an Emmy-nominated simulcast with the streaming component. I noticed that Max is being rebranded as HBO. Not a shrewd move to take HBO off the marquee in the first place.
So what are the worst branded teams and sports? That's coming up. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy.
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Not available in all states. 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. Get in the zone, AutoZone. Restrictions apply.
Brian Weber back with you. It's always a blast to sit in for Rich and the guys, my final show. dating back to July 4th, so it's been a real enjoyable five-day run. I appreciate your patience knowing I am not in the same stratosphere as the host. I do my best not to destroy the brand he has worked so hard to create.
Last call for phone calls, 844-204-7424 coming up. In the final hour of the program, which is coming up quickly, we have motor through this show as I get more self-promotional than usual. NFL analysis from somebody who breaks tape down.
So, you might push back, hey, loud guy, you're spouting a lot of opinions. We know what opinions are like. Ted Wynn of the Athletic offers real analysis, breaking down tape, talking to coaches. Although, every time I think of Ted Wynn, because I love show business history, I think of Fred Gwynn. He played Herman Munster.
On the Munsters, went to Harvard and was the judge in My Cousin Vinny. And now you know the rest of the story. Coming up in less than 15 minutes, I will have one more NBA monologue. I have more good news for you. When I return on Labor Day, no NBA will be part of our three hours together.
All college football, all NFL, maybe a little baseball because I am antiquated and believe major holidays. From Memorial Day, July 4th to Labor Day, still should have some baseball analysis. But this show stands out because it is the nexus of sports and entertainment and Think about all of the big name guests from Hollywood that Rich gets to come in studio because they want to have a conversation with a premier interviewer. Among them, friend of the program, Larry David. And as I was preparing for our worst branded teams and sports conversation, I just was looking up.
I wanted to get the chronology, the progression of how we went from HBO to HBO Max to Max, now back to HBO. I stumbled across this nugget. It has broken today. Larry David, at the age of 78. of curb your enthusiasm fame?
And the co-creator of Seinfeld is returning to HBO. He's agreed to star, co-write, and executive produce a sketch comedy series about American history. Which is awesome. I love anything that LD's involved with. Plus, that means he'll be back on this program to promote it.
So, if you enjoy all of the banter between Rich and Larry. I can say with a high degree of confidence, more of that coming up in our immediate future.
So I went a long way to try to connect the marketing ineptitude, that is a word, of the folks who said, yeah, let's take HBO off the name because we don't want to have prestige. Associate with our brand. Let's go with Max. Not Max Headroom. Max.
Now it's HBO again. Got me thinking about poorly branded teams and sports. And I'll give it a local lean as I come to you from a Regal Studios in Southern California. Thanks as always to my friends at Westwood One for the hospitality. And I'm still sitting at the Rich Eisen Show desk furnished by Granger.
LA Clippers makes no sense. I know why they're the Clippers. They came from San Diego. I've lived in Southern California since 2003. I even go down to the Ducks.
Like Marlon Brando, I'm on the waterfront in San Pedro. San Pedro, not San Pedro. I've never seen a clipper ship. And you would think with all of the money that Steve Ballmer has to spend, they would have rebranded that team along the way. Nope.
They want to be the clips. This is a true story.
Now, if I'm prefacing by saying it's a true story, you're not going to believe me. Yeah. I am single for a reason at 55, mostly because I married my job. How'd that work out?
So I still have the ability to date here in Los Angeles. Along the way, I met somebody. who was convinced the Lakers are the Lakers because of the LA. They're the LA Kurs. Get it?
Because we're in Los Angeles. And I had to explain to this outstanding person. Who I was dating, clearly for her intellect. No, they're from Minnesota. It's the land of 10,000 lakes.
And she looked at me. like I was speaking a foreign language.
So that's me just Being self-indulgent. But it is odd. They're still the Lakers. Denver Nuggets has always been weird to me.
Now, I love history. I am aware you make the direct connection to the 49ers, the gold rush here in California, 1849. Colorado had a similar all in to get the gold, but They're named after a mineral effectively or something on the periodic table. But if we're talking about odd branding and I'll skip the Los Angeles Angels, Angels playing in the city of Angels, you have to go to Utah. I think a lot of people Because most of you young folks Don't want to hear about anything that happened beyond last week, are not even cognizant.
of the fact that the jazz were the New Orleans jazz. That makes sense. Utah Jazz. complete disconnect and then finally the hockey team.
Now I do like where they're going. As of this season, they will be the Utah Mammoth. Good name. But a blown opportunity. Another possibility was The Utah Yeti.
How dynamite without a bet. Because from my generation in search of with Leonard Emoy, We focused on The Bermuda Triangle. Bigfoot, DB Cooper, and that Yeti. Where is that Yeti? Would have been on the ice had they Pick the right day.
Coming up. What are realistic expectations for Cooper Flag year one as he makes his Summer League debut tonight? That's next 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.
