Listen, the way you sleep is unique to you, and that's why having a sleep number smart bed is so crucial. Cause you can adapt to your changing needs for just right. Can't wait to nestle into bed, luxurious comfort.
So whether your needs are softer or firmer, cooler or warmer, you are never stuck. You can adjust your comfort whenever you like. And it gives you your best night's sleep night after night, year after year. I love my smart bed. My sleep number setting is 60.
My wife's is 70. Just 10 numbers apart, but it means the world of difference because I can change my side of the bed to however firm or soft I want. And the same thing. For Suze.
So, why choose a sleep number smart bed? Again, so you can sleep just the way you like. The only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like your sleep number setting. Sleep number's biggest sale of the year is here. All beds on sale up to 50% off the limited edition smart bed limited time, exclusively at a sleep number store near you.
Sleep number, official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL. See store or sleepnumber.com for details. Pump up the volume. This is the Rich Eisen Show with guest host WWE Superstar The Miz. Kevin Sabanski is leading us to an unfeated season.
We're proud to go all the way to the Super Bowl. You heard it here first, baby. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Today's guests, Cavaliers Forward Larry Nance Jr., Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. Plus, your phone calls, latest news, and more.
And now, sitting in Barid, WWE Superstar The Miz. Yo. Here we go. Whoa! Wow, what?
What is happening right now? Ugh. I mean, uh again again? Hi. Yeah.
I know what you're thinking. That's not Rich Eisen, and no, it's not. But this is the Rich Eisen Show. I am the most must-see WWE superstar of all time, the first ever two-time Grand Slam champion in the history of WWE. And you might think, Wait a second.
The first ever two-time Grand Slam champion in the history of WWE is not Hulk Hogan. It's not Stone Cold Steve Austin. It's not The Rock. It's not John Cena who is on his farewell tour. And We are not going to see him.
for a very like ever in the ring in like 10 more appearances, 9 more appearances, something like that. But no, he is not the first ever two-time Grand Slam champ in the history of WWE. I am. I am The Miz. I am your host.
And let's get down to business. You saw me hobble in here, and I have.
Some unfortunate news. Oh, man. What happened? Yeah. Last Friday on SmackDown, I was in a pre-tape.
And for those that don't know what a pre-tape is, it's kind of a backstage segment. It's filmed. I heard a pop in my knee and it ended up being broken. I went to Birmingham, and they said I have a broken knee. And so, unfortunately, I am going to be out of WWE for a significant amount of time.
Oh, man. Yeah. How are you feeling, though, bro? Like, how am I feeling? I mean, I know mentally, it's got to be tough for me, bro.
Mentally, thank you for asking about how that mentally affects a WWE superstar getting injured. It's something that you have to deal with, and you have to take it day by day. I'm already trying to get myself better, get myself ready. And get myself hopefully in a position where I can fake an injury. And come on to the Rich Eisen Show and make everyone feel heartfelt for me, and then go on a month later to bamboozle everyone.
And become a world champion.
So maybe if I fake an injury coming in here hosting the Rich Eisen show, maybe in a month I will be world champion. And you know what? Why doesn't everybody do it? Why doesn't all the Cleveland Browns, you know what? Shadur, maybe Miles Garrett, come here.
Fake an injury, host the show, and in a month, a couple months, we'll be going to the Super Bowl. How about that? And by the way, when Seth Rollins did that, I texted him. Oh no, what you said? I texted him.
I said. Hey man. Uh, and by the way, I was filming American Gladiators, so I wasn't um doing anything WWE-related. I was filming, I was away, so I haven't talked to anyone in a while. I was hosting American Gladiators, which by the way is going to be pretty amazing on Amazon Prime in 2026.
Let's go! Amazing host right here, might win an Emmy for it. Not gonna say anything, but look. I texted Seth Rollins. I saw the injury.
I saw the backflip. I was like, oh, that kind of happens. And it actually happened to him before, where it kind of was a weird thing that he busted his knee.
So it reminded me of when he was in the ring with Kane. He was trying to do a power bomb. He busted his knee. He was out for, I think, like a year. Legit.
I was like, oh my gosh, my buddy, my friend. He's out. One of the most talented superstars in a WWE ring is out for a significant amount of time. I saw him on here. I was almost, I was like almost in tears looking at him talking about it, but he obviously he's a professional.
He did his job. And I texted him, I said, Hey, man, you're in my prayers, hoping for a speedy recovery. He sent me a heart. Oh, that's nice. I said to myself, I went, you know what?
That's so nice. He doesn't want to talk about it. And to be honest, if I ever got injured, which I don't, I would be like, you know, I wouldn't want to talk about it either.
So I believed. Everything that he was doing. I believed this man was injured. I believed everything he said when he came here and hosted and said he was injured. I believed when he came out at SummerSlam, it was just a fake.
He hobbled out, but then all of a sudden, he throws. The Crutches He turns around, takes off his jacket, and sprints. Down. And Cashes in the money in the bank on CM Punk at SummerSlam in front of a sold-out MetLife stadium, in front of millions watching on the Peacock app. And there he is with the World Heavyweight Championship.
So I said, you know what? I'm hosting The Rich Eisen Show. And if I can put some jujil. Into me winning a world championship, then I'm gonna do it. If this is the place where you fake an injury, and then all of a sudden, a month later, magically poof it happens.
I'm in, I'm in all day.
So, I am here for the next three hours. We have Larry Dance Jr. as a guest. We have Kurt Warner as a guest. We have Brock over there.
Yo, yo. You feeling buddy? I'm feeling great. Both my knees work totally fine.
So, you know, if you need extra ligaments, I'm here for you. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Got it. Jason, how are you feeling?
Doing good, man. I believed you. Thank you. I was. Steeling Hartfeld for you.
Did you believe? Did you guys, when you guys, and TJ, and TJ's here as well, did you guys believe everything at all? Absolutely. Seth was saying. Absolutely.
100%. I was intrigued. You're kind of smart on all things, WWE. You kind of know when things are awkward or when things seem a little iffy. Were you a little iffy on it?
You know, and these guys asked me that, and I said, I was 99% sure he was telling the truth because I'm going to take a man at his word, obviously, right? But I'm like, there's always that 1% that makes you go. Hmm, I don't know, man. And so the 1% was, it was there. I don't believe anything anymore.
No, you can't. After watching Unreal on Netflix, which by the way gives you an insight of everything that happens as WWE superstars, man, I'll tell you what. After seeing that show and then also knowing what I know, and then what happened with Seth, I don't believe anything anymore. I don't even believe anything. And I'm a WWE superstar, so I can only imagine what the fans are doing.
Well, it got started too for us at the Super Bowl when Miles Garrett, one of your favorite players of all time on your Cleveland Browns, came to our set first, looked in our faces, and said, It's not about the money. It's about winning. I will never play for the Browns again. I want to be somewhere else. I care about Super Bowls and championships and legacy.
And then. A couple months later, he's the highest paid defensive player of all time, staying with Cleveland.
Well, why wouldn't he stay with Cleveland? He wants to win Super Bowls. He wants to win championships. Why would he stay with Cleveland? And so he wants that Cleveland is primed up and ready, my friend.
That's what you guys just don't. You know what? Everyone makes fun of me. I see, oh, by the way, don't think I didn't see your little, your little power rankings of who's not going to be in the talks for the Super Bowl. And number three was the Cleveland Browns.
And the Jaguars weren't anywhere to be found in that top five. They have actual good players. What do you mean? I am so excited that the fact, like when I first heard that we were trading down from Travis Hunter. I was just going to say that we've got a tab.
Uh, Dawkins, yeah, shout out to Dawkins, who actually took the photo on a flight, who woke me up, by the way. I was sleeping on that flight, and he we were talking about the draft before, but it was a long flight. I was sleeping, he woke me, he goes, Hey, did you see what happened? I go, No, we're on a flight. What would happen?
He goes, They traded down. I go, No, they didn't. They got Travis Hunter, they got the generational player. We were no, no, you didn't. You traded down now.
I was upset. You saw the picture, yeah, I was very upset.
However, Now seeing preseason. And everyone's always like, you know, nobody wanted Shadur because of the circus. I feel like Travis Hunter is a bigger, bigger circus. Bigger circus. A bigger circus than Shadura right now.
You don't think so? Is he going to play offense? Is he going to play defense? That's all anyone is talking about, is these two players, Shader and Travis Hunter, what feels like as rookies. Am I wrong?
I mean, I did say this week that I'm worried that he was going to kind of like not pan out. But I think, in all seriousness, Travis Hunter is. It's awesome. It's one of the most exciting stories and possibilities that we've seen in the league in quite some time. And you were like, no, we don't want them.
Yeah, but someone else really didn't do anything in the preseason, though. And there was a lot of good players still available at that time. And we got a Kings ransom. We have a first-round draft pick from the Jaguars next year, which is probably going to be a top 10. Oh, you draft pick.
Oh, top 10. Yeah, you guys hang out on that. You think the Jaguars are a threat? Yeah, I think they could win that division. Come on!
Really? Come on! I mean, they're going to have a better record than the Browns. Absolutely not. You can't say you think Travis Hunter is going to be not going to pan out and then think the team is going to have to.
Well, I didn't say that he wasn't going to. I was a little worried. Based on we were overreacting to one preseason game. Offense or defense? Or both.
I think he probably plays a little bit of both. He can play a lot. Where do you think he plays more? More on defense. More on defense.
Yeah. I don't know, man. I look at it and I go, now hearing everything, like, I don't know what it takes to be an NFL football player. I've never done it before. I know what it takes to be an elite athlete in a sport.
That has a lot of pressure, and I know all the insights of what it takes to do these types of things. And it seems to me what everyone is saying is this cannot be done. But also, I feel like. Things that people say can't be done.
Sometimes it can be done. People said I would never be a WWE superstar. I was six foot nothing. I was off of a reality show called The Real World, which was very popular at the time. It was.
And I became the first ever two dumb grants. I'm champion in the history of WWE. That is something that everyone said would not happen. People said I would be fired within three months.
So, when people tell me, hey, this can't be done, I think there's exceptional circumstances. Is Travis Hunter that guy? And why hasn't anyone else been able to do this? is my question. Anyone?
They haven't been able to do it on a full time. I mean, like Charles Woodson and Dion have been able to do it. Why not, though? Why not Dean Sanders? It takes a lot.
You have to really devote. I think a significant amount of time on one side of the football to really become a superstar, right? And Dion, obviously, he was the greatest. Cornerback of all time. That's where most of his practice time was was was placed.
Yeah, he got some reps with the Cowboys at wide receiver. He did fairly decent, but obviously he was the third or fourth wide receiver for the Cowboys back in those days. And I just think it takes so much effort to be a star on one side of the ball to do it on both. It just seems to most people like it can't be done, like you said, but there is. There's always that anomaly, right?
Do you think Dion didn't want to do the wide receiver as much as because he's the third or fourth wide receiver and I'd rather be great at one thing? It's kind of like Shohei, right? Shohei is the amazing hitter, incredible hitter. Pitcher, he's good, like top 20, but he's not number one. He's not number two, he's not number three.
You know, so is that something that you think a Travis Hunter would look at? Would he look at and say, you know what? I'm going to be a top. Cornerback. I'm going to be a top wide receiver.
And if I can't be Other side, Then I'm just going to devote my time to that. But what would the coaches want? I'm sure they both Yeah, you think? In the NFL, it's all about winning.
So, was it Dion who brought it up? It's like, how are you going to be late in the game and you're trying to stop a team from scoring, and you're not going to have your best defensive player on the field? Right. And then Flip it the other way.
Now you're trying to come back. You're down five. There's a two-minute drill. How are you going to have one of your best offensive players not on the field? You've got to have him out there.
The thing is, why? Why hasn't anyone done it? Why didn't Dion do it full-time? Why didn't Charles or any of these other players? Because no one ever thought they could.
Travis Hunter. You don't think. Wait a second. Travis Hunter thinks that he can't be a good player. I'm in big disagreement on that.
Full-time in the NFL. No, I can play some receiver, but am I going to be a full-time wide receiver? No, I'm a full-time defensive back. If you're talking to a 20-year-old Miz. And you tell me I can't do something, I will literally try to prove you wrong.
And I imagine there's a lot of kids out there and a lot of college kids that are like, and even Travis Hunter would be like. Uh, I can do this. A Deion Sanders literally didn't take meetings in the draft because he was like, You're not even going to be where I'm going to be drafted.
So, and you're telling me that guy's going to be like, I don't know if I can play wide receiver and cornerback. That guy, his mindset is, I'm greatness. I'm greatness at no matter what I do. If I set my mind to a wide receiver and cornerback, I can do that. Like, that, but then you have all these outside right, all the people, all the coaches, front office.
Hey, it's never been done before, you can't do it. It also took Deion Sanders, literally the guy to allow someone to do it. And look what happened: won the Heisman Trophy, second pick in the draft. And now he's in a situation where William Cohen says, Yeah, we're going to do it. We're going to try.
We're going to give him the best shot to succeed at both positions. And look, Was it spectacular in his first preseason game? No. But he played a handful of snaps. He had two catches.
He did miss a tackle. Looked kind of bad on that when he was out there on defense. First time out there? Not a big deal. Let's see how it looks moving forward rest of the preseason, week one.
We're going to see him out there. And he's gonna play, I don't know. 50, 60%, 75% on both sides. And then we'll see how he recovers, reacts. We'll see how the practice situation goes.
I mean, look, he's in a situation. Was it Josh Hines Allen who was here? Was like, look, he is in the wide receiver room talking smack to the defensive backs, how he's going to beat them on defense. Then he goes, flips on the other side, puts on the other jersey, and is like, oh, yeah, now I'm going to shut you down, Brian Thomas. Wait, are we teammates?
Aren't we on the same side? It's never been done before, but I'm curious to see if it works out. And I would imagine that it probably might. God, I love preseason, right? There's nothing like preseason because we're just talking hypotheticals here.
But one thing is certain: big news. has happened this morning. And if you watched hard knocks last night, you saw. Man, James Cook. He's holding in.
Not holding out because they don't hold out anymore. They hold in. They go to all the meetings, but they just don't practice. And James Cook wants a new contract. Guess what, ladies and gentlemen?
James Cook got a bag, baby. Four years. $48 million, 30 guaranteed, $12 million a year. Does he deserve it? Yes.
Yeah. 16 touchdowns last year. Absolutely. He was a dog last year. He's a three-down back.
And even so, Chris, don't they really give Josh Allen a lot of goal line work, too, which is kind of surprising, it seems, because you do have that back. In Cook, who, like I said, he finds the end zone quite easily. Yeah, I led the league in touchdowns last year. He was awesome. Main reason why the Bills get as far as they have the last couple of seasons.
Now, look, he does, I mean, Rich complains about it because he had James Cook in fantasy. He comes off the field in the second half, kind of weird. Like, why wasn't he on that drive? Where was James Cook on that drive? That's yeah.
So, yeah, he wanted, he demanded, he wanted $15 million. Look, you got to prove to us you're an every down back, and let's play. You got to play the whole game. You got to be out there in the closing minutes when we need you. And I imagine, look, he gets $12 million a year, $30 guaranteed.
That's a nice payday for him. Got more than Kyron Williams got. And we've seen what kind of dog running back Kyron Williams is. We need James Cook to kind of do it for 60 minutes. And I think Buffalo is going to ask him of that.
And I imagine he'll deliver. He's a good player. He didn't take him to the cleaners either. Yeah. Like, he got a good back.
But he's like, hey, guys, I feel like this is a super caliber winning type of team. You got Josh Allen, who is arguably the best quarterback out there. And you have a bunch of weapons on the offensive side. You got a good offensive line. I mean, you're feeling pretty good going into this season, especially if you're James Cook.
We're going to take a break. Up next in the next segment, we got Larry Nance Jr. Let's go, Cleveland Cavaliers. Listen, the way you sleep is unique to you, and that's why having a sleep number smart bed is so crucial. Because you can adapt to your changing needs for just right.
Can't wait to nestle into bed, luxurious comfort.
So whether your needs are softer or firmer, cooler or warmer, you are never stuck. You can adjust your comfort whenever you like. And it gives you your best night's sleep night after night, year after year. I love my smart bed. My sleep number setting is 60.
My wife's is 70. Just 10 numbers apart, but it means the world of difference because I can change my side of the bed to however firm or soft I want. And the same thing. For Suze.
So, why choose a sleep number smart bed? Again, so you can sleep just the way you like. The only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like your sleep number setting. Sleep number's biggest sale of the year is here. All beds on sale up to 50% off the limited edition smart bed limited time, exclusively at a sleep number store near you.
Sleep number, official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL. See store or sleepnumber.com for details. I cannot believe you watched Charles Oakley get dragged out of Madison Square Guard with your own two eyes, Bob. I mean, I could not. Mike Lee was there.
He couldn't believe it. And everyone just like a during the day. Wait a minute, Mike Lee was there?
Next thing you're going to tell me, Jack Nicholson was at the Lakers. McEnroe was there. I know he was right there with Woody Allen. He was practically in Oakley's lap. Was Woody Allen there?
He was not. I don't know why that's funny. John Lithgow, was John there? Steve Earle was there. I saw Steve Earl.
This is the new Madison Square Guard. Leon was there? Yeah. Oh, sure. Yeah.
What about Costas? Told you. Costas.
Now. Oh, yeah. You got to tell me. Oh, can you tell the story? You got to tell the Costas.
Tell the story. When I was like 21 years old, I went to the. I went to the, what was it, the Heisman Trophy. At the downtown athletic. Yeah, I managed to get invited.
Like, I had an extra ticket, or somebody gave me a ticket, and I went to the thing. And I went to the bathroom and. Uh Bob Costas was in the next urinal and I was like 21, so this was 1990, 91. And I said, and I was peeing and I went, I just wanted to say that. A big fan of yours, and he told me.
And he went, Don't you know the rule? You're not supposed to talk when you're in the urinal. And I was like, Oh, I didn't. That's how I learned the rule. Anyway, I saw him at the Knicks game.
I literally went at the Knicks game, and I was, I never met him before since then. And I said to him, Hey, uh. Costa is Bobby Canavali. I just wanted to introduce myself and say when I was 21, I told him the story and he went, that doesn't sound like something I'd say. Shot me down.
Just complete sheet down. Twice.
Well, he was also sitting on the toilet when you told him the second time. Yeah. He was the next time. He was. Yeah, so he was.
He was. Yeah. He was like, hey, Emily. And shut the door, dude. I don't care that you have two Emmys.
Ship. Shut the door, chip. Welcome back. We've got a guest, ladies and gentlemen. Lady?
And And gentlemen. Harry From Revere High School. in Richfield Coliseum, which is the same city. A former Richfield Coliseum. If anyone remembers the Richfield Coliseum, I remember it as a young Miz watching his pops, Larry Nance Sr.
play with Mark Price. I mean, it was amazing. It was phenomenal. He is the newest member of the 25, 26 clubs. Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for Larry Nance Jr. Wow, what's up? We're giving you an entrance. What an intro. I just.
I just really appreciate that. How does it feel being back in Cleveland? It just feels right. You know, born and raised here, you know, you get it. There's just something special about being back in northeastern Ohio.
Tell me about growing up in Cleveland and what the values and mindset that it brings to you. Oh man, one of the biggest things that I've missed over my travels across the country these past few years has been just the good-hearted nature of the people. And I'm not saying anything about anybody that I came across, but it's more so about the people from here is that it's just so friendly and everybody's just genuinely, ever since I signed back, everybody's just has nothing but positive words to say about the team and the and the vision going forward and even myself joining. It's been, it's been really really fun to get back around just this Midwestern type of folk. Good people, man.
I tell everyone this: I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for growing up in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. It brought me my work ethic and it taught me so many valuable lessons. And I look at some of the successes from people that have grew up in Cleveland. I mean, you look at Travis Kelsey, Jason Kelsey, MGK just had MGK Day, August 10th. I was supposed to be there, but I was like, hey, man, my kids' first day of school is a Monday, and I got to see my kids go to kindergarten and second grade.
I got to be there. I got to be a good old dad, you know? And speaking of dads, your pops is Larry Nant Sr. and I hear. That you are now number 22, which is a retired number, your dad's retired number.
How does it feel unretiring your dad's number of 22? Larry Nance Sr., and coming into the Cleveland Cavaliers and being able to wear his number, your pops's number. You know, it's something that I got to do early in my career. You know, when we went on that 2018 run and the years after that, I wore 22 as well. And being able to see it in my locker for the first time was just like.
Hard to put into words. You know, hopefully, I've done some really cool things. I've gotten to, hopefully, I'll get to do some more really cool things. But, you know, being able to wear the number that my dad got retired for the team that I grew up cheering for. It's hard to put into words and it's really hard to describe how it feels wearing it.
It's something that even when I left, I knew for a fact I'd have to do it again. It's just such a special, special thing. How much of an impact has your dad been with you growing up and playing basketball? Did you get like lessons teaching? Was it hard?
And how is it coming into the NBA knowing that your dad is Larry Nance Sr.? Is there a lot of pressure to that, right?
So growing up, there was pressure. Pressure not. That I put on myself, really. You know, growing up as Larry Nance Jr. in Cleveland, Ohio, where, you know, seniors jersey is hanging in the Cavs arenas, it's daunting and what has always been daunting for me.
But over the past few years, and as I got older, it's, it's, um, I've been able to kind of look at it more and been like, man, like, we're very two different people. That man was incredible. He's a three-time all-star, first ever denominator. Come on, man. No, sure.
I appreciate that. But no, like, he was incredible. And I, you know, I'm biased, but you know, I think I'm doing all right for myself as well. You know, this is going into my 11th year. And for me, it's always been about separating that.
Like, he is. one of the all time greats. And I'm just I'm incredibly happy to be able to honor the legacy that he left for us and continue continue with the Cavs, but even continue with the NBA as a whole. Let's talk about the Cavaliers. They're number one in the division last year, went to the playoffs, got taken out by the Indiana Pacers.
What do you think they're missing in the playoffs that can set them apart this season?
Well, with the NBA, it's such a long season that one of the biggest things when it comes to playoffs is. Who often the times whoever's healthiest wins. And I think we saw that a lot when it came to Oklahoma City and Indiana a little bit. It's like, obviously, two very good teams, and to take nothing away from them, but like, you know, some of the teams, you know, Tatum went down. You know, obviously, Darius and Hunt were dealing with the various things they had.
Then you have Damon Milwaukee and just several injuries here or there that. you know, that that you know left the healthiest teams available. And so I would say that's one of the biggest things. And that's one of the biggest things for me as a whole with the Cavs is just: look, we got to get more games out of us. We got to play.
We got to be hitting our peak in April and June as opposed to earlier in the season. And that's something that, you know, that's something that we'll work towards. What's your off-season training like? How's your knee? Great.
Great. I actually just came from the gym a little bit ago. Um, it drove right back down 77. Yeah, yeah. Are you staying at your parents' corner?
Like, are you in your old bedroom, like from high school? No, so when I played here, we bought a house that we every single summer, whether I was in Portland, New Orleans, or Atlanta, I spend my summers here. This is where I'll retire. This is um. I'm just right, actually, right in Richfield, you know, still.
So, you know, workout's been great. I feel fantastic. My knee is. You know, with the Hawks, had we made the playoffs, I would have played in it.
So I'm ready to go, and I'm just really, really anxious to, you know, see what kind of role this team needs me to play. Do you have a different diet? For offseason to where you're in season and off season. Like for me, I'm like 2645 in calories. Like I count macros.
Like I've got 200 grams of protein, 85 fats, and like 220 carbs. Like this is how strategic I am if I want to lose weight and lean out. But if I want to gain weight and sometimes I'm like, I'm getting a little too lean, I'll go to 3,000. Do you have that kind of strategic way of looking at diet and How does that work?
So, for me, not necessarily. There's a lot of guys that do have their own personal chefs that do count every calorie and make sure they get their daily percentage of whatnot. You know, for me, at a young age, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease that made me start watching my diet at 16. And so, for me, it's just kind of. Pretty passive at this point.
Now it's very, very easy to exclude certain things that. That we don't need. At the moment, I'm doing kind of a gluten-free thing.
So it's, just try to mix it up. We do so much exercise and so much running that, like, unless you're. Obviously, genetics plays a part, and I have my dad to thank for that. But unless you're like gorging yourself, it's kind of hard to, it's kind of hard to. You know, it's kind of hard to get out of line with how much we work out.
Now, have you guys worked out a lot together? Have you worked out with the team? Have you been in contact with the team? Have you talked with them? Do you have a vibe in what the culture is and where you sit in this on this team?
Yeah, look, I mean, these are all guys that I've either been teammates with or been in the league with for, again, a decade now. I was teammates with Darius and Jarrett and Dean, and, you know, I'm close with Max and I know Sam real well. I've been playing against Don for all these guys. It's relationships that I've had. Throughout the course of my career, and it's a close-knit bunch.
But for me, the biggest thing that I'm, look, they won 64 games last year. And that's Awesome. Awesome. I think that's fantastic. And if they need me to, you know, if they need me to play 10, 15 minutes, if they need to play 30 minutes, whatever they call on me that night is what I'm there to do.
But I hope my biggest impact is going to be felt come later in the season in the playoffs. I love it, man, because. I remember in 2018 when you guys were in the finals, basically what I thought was going to be the last time. I flew with my wife to Cleveland. I watched the game because I was like, LeBron's leaving this year.
And if LeBron's leaving, no one's going to come to Cleveland. I love Cleveland. I love it, but I just can't see superstars going, man, I got to get myself to Cleveland, Ohio. No, they're going, I want New York. I want, I want L.A., I want Miami.
So I was like, this is it. This is the last time I will see the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, probably in my lifetime.
So I want to watch it. I want to witness it. You were there. And then all of a sudden, we started just drafting these. These superstars that nobody knew would become superstars, but someone did, and they made the right moves.
And then all of a sudden, Spider comes in and you're like, oh my God. And then last season we have this. And then this season, if I'm looking forward, I'm licking my chops because Indiana, Tyrese Halliburton got injured. I love Tyrese. I've met him.
He's come to WWE events. He's been inside the ring. When he got injured, that was heart-wrenching. But man, when he took out, when that team took out the Cavs, I was like, my gosh, this is, I thought it was going to be the Boston Celtics. And if you look at the Belson Celtics this year.
Tame's gone. Brzingas, holiday, see a bye.
Okay, so. I think they're not really a threat anymore in my mind. I'm looking at threats like Orlando because they seem like they're new, young Atlanta, maybe even a little bit. But I mean, the biggest threat I think is the New York Knicks. What is your mindset with the teams and the landscape?
Do you look at this sort of thing, or am I just being a fan here and fanboying out and being like, look, the Cows are going to the NBA Finals and we're winning this year? No, look, dude, again, you got to keep in mind, I'm a Cavs fan.
So I'm sitting here going, like, the Cavs are going to the NBA Finals. And that's just a matter of fact. And that's just how I was. I was a Sean Kemp era, though. You didn't get to witness like your dad and Mark Price, Craig Elo.
I mean, did you get to witness hot rod at all? Like, you got to get to witness any of them. Like, you're a Sean Kemp era, right? I was born in 93. My dad retired in 95.
So, no, I never saw any of that. But I think that's a little bit of what makes me a true Cavs fan. Is like, you know, I wasn't born into the good times. You know, I was, you know, some of my favorite years were early Zedrunas and Lamon Murray. You know, I mean, just really like, you know, Bimbo Coles.
I just really, you know, some of the, some of those days, like, really, you know, build your character as a sports fan and all that.
So it's all right to think like a fan. And I think to a certain extent, that's. I mean, you know, that's the reality of it. But as a player, you got to look at it as like, no, every single team is a threat. You got to, you know, you got to do your job night in and night out.
Can't take on any off night. These guys are so good, man. On any off night, you know, anybody can beat anybody. They're all good, but. They're not.
LeBron James, and I might be speaking out of turn here, but like, is there a. When you're playing with like a LeBron James, is there a different aura? Is there just a difference that? Because everyone's good in the NBA, right? But then there's the exceptional, there's the elite, there's the greatest of all time, in my opinion, in a LeBron James.
When you're in that locker room and you witness him building a culture, is there a difference to playing with him than any other team that you have played with? Very much so. Yeah, and I think what is that? I think it's It's uh obviously the physical aspect of his game is Undeniable. You know, he's he's one of the best athletes we've ever seen.
In any sport, but it's the mind that really separates him. And there's a few guys in the league like that, like Chris Paul, Jokic, Braun obviously comes to mind. A little, you know, Draymond is on that level to a certain extent where they are just controlling every aspect of the game. And you don't even realize it until you're on a team with them that, like, you know, they're directing and they're barking orders, and they're even when they're on the bench, they're telling guys where to be and what to do. It's a whole different level of genius that You know, I would hope that every player gets to play with somebody like that because it is eye-opening to like, hey, man, like, You know, I've been one of the top 450 for a decade now, but there's another level that, um, There's another level that exists, and he's he's, I happen to agree with you.
He's, you know, being from Akron, I couldn't deny that he's, he's, he's my goat.
So I agree with you on that. When he left Cleveland the first time, were you upset? Yeah, absolutely. Oh my God. I was throwing things.
I was so angry. But then hearing his reasoning, I didn't know what it was like. To be a champion, and I needed to go somewhere to be a champion. And then when he came back to Cleveland, he was like, I had to learn how to be a champion to make Cleveland a championship type of environment. And do you see that?
Like, do you see why he did it and what he was doing? Like, as an NBA basketball player, when you go into these other teams, you know, you've played for the Lakers, you've played for Atlanta. Like, how, like, how different is it? And with playing with him than it is going to these other cultures? And is there something that you've learned from him about culture and about that mindset that you can bring to the new Cleveland Cavaliers that could maybe take us over the hump of the playoffs and into the finals and win?
Yeah, look, when you play with a guy like that, you get to see under the covers of their work ethic and what drives them. And so, you know, for him, one of the biggest things that. that I took from it is like, look, this guy is. You know, scored, you know, he's the leading scorer in NBA history. He's done all these things, or I guess he wasn't that at that point, but he was, in my opinion, the greatest of all time at that point.
The ring in Cleveland did that for me. But, you know, for me, it was, it was. He's the best on the team. He's the best in the league. But he's still.
The first one in the gym and the last one to leave. And it's, I think it just speaks to, like, hey, you know, if you, if you. How good do you want to be? You know, if you if you want to be what everybody else is, if you want to do whatever every other team does, then You know, great. Do the do the median.
But if you want to do, if you want to be great, if you want to excel, if you want to, you know, reach the heights, the highest heights that you can, it's got to be consistent. You know, your best players are supposed to set the culture. And that's something that I've tried to, you know, Teach some of the younger guys that I've worked with in a, you know, in New Orleans with Zion and Trey Murphy and some of the guys that, like, hey, you know, we want. If you're going to set a culture anywhere, it's got to start from the top down. And that's one thing that he certainly did.
And, um, You know, these four guys, you know, the core four, they call them, is they're as good of a group as you could imagine you could hope to be with. And so, um, again, like I said, I'm hoping my. Where we start to feel my impact is later in the season in the playoffs, but um. I do think there will be some lessons that I can impart on these guys. I can't wait, man.
I am super, super excited for the NBA season to start and to watch you as a Cleveland Cavalier. I have one last question. And this is a fun one.
So, your dad was in the Slam Dunk competition, the first ever. He won the first ever Slam Dunk competition. You and your dad are the first ever father-son duo to take part. in the NBA slam dunk contest. Who would have won in their prime?
Ooh. Would you have beaten your dad in a slam dunk contest the first ever? Would you have beaten your dad? Blindfolded with one hand. That's easy.
Easy. That's what they were doing back then. Like, come on, we got all that now. Oh, I hope he's watching because you know, we got him going on. All right.
I'll challenge him to a dunk contest today. Of course, you would. Of course, you would. All right, Larry Nance Jr., thank you so much for coming onto the show, talking with us, enlightening us, and good luck with this 25-26 Cleveland Cavaliers season. I am a huge fan, and I look forward to watching you guys go all the way to the NBA Finals.
I'm calling it, you don't have to, because you're not going to jinx yourself, but it's going to happen. I feel it. I feel the momentum. I see the cards laying our way. Thank you so much.
We appreciate you. I love it. Thanks so much for having me on. And that CAS logo next to my name looks pretty darn good. Yes, it does.
Yes, it does. Thanks, guys. Take care. Thank you, Jeremy. Double deuce, baby.
Double deuce. Yeah. Taking it on. Ah. That was amazing, huh?
It was the journey. All the times we got our butts kicked and we're going to do a prayers-only meeting and then just go get our butts kicked some more. You know, going through all of that, I'll tell people this. Troy in at me, we never. Never had a falling out, never had an argument, never had a fight, because we knew what it was like building it from the bottom.
And that's the thing that made us as good as we were. We all knew what the mission was, and we all bought into the game plan of transforming the organization from one to 15. to a championship organization and Jimmy was at the helm of it. I knew once I got there what the expectations were going to be. I just did not know how difficult it was going to be to get all of that together.
But Through that whole entire process, we grew together. We matured together. We played at a high level together and we lost together. We went through a lot together. And so that team itself was built inside out.
And it was built to go out and destroy whatever it was in front of.
Now we competed at the highest level amongst ourselves, which made us ready for anybody and anything that was out there. That's why we were different.
So people look at us and they ask us, how about the Kerry Cowboys? They ain't gone through this. They haven't had to deal with the 1 in 15. They don't even know what it's like. Even if you're hairdoing the 1 in 15.
I don't mind some of Jimmy's old tricks. You know, when we lost in Washington, we should have won the game. We lost in Washington. That poor lady was trying to feed us on the airplane. Jimmy said, You take that damn food and put it away.
If they were hungry, they should have ate on the football field. Yeah. Every away game, every away game, we get late in the game. I used to come to the line, we're gonna eat a knife. We're gonna eat a knife.
Cause y'all know y'all lose this game. Ain't no fight served on nothing. You know, so playing for your supper five hours before the game. Yeah. That's that you eat five hours before the game every day.
So now you play the game, you exhaust, everything's gone. You want some food. You want some food. And if you didn't win that game, ain't no food. You want no party leave?
Whoa, nothing, nothing. Nothing. You gotta ride the playing like. Play was quiet. Whole time.
I'll never forget the one time we did lose to Washington, but we were coming back. I may have been coming back from Mm. And there's a little noise on the plane. He came back there. Went off.
I've seen him. He had just got done watching the live feed. He came back there, man, and Rob. I mean, everybody. Everybody here is on the block.
Yeah, yeah. I'm not going to call her no names, but it's everybody. Everybody here is on the block. Shut up and shut up. But I'm going to cut you.
If you say another word, I'm going to cut you before the plane lands. He said that. He said that. We sitting back there like this. Dude.
Damn, dude. Damn.
So you get in the fourth quarter, you're like, Joker, what y'all gonna do now? We're talking about. You can either whoop these Jokers or we're gonna deal with that Joker. Let's go. And it was always easy.
Just whoop their ass. Exactly. It's one of those things where you wear to go outside and whoop somebody behind and then come back to the house and say, Mama, we did what we needed to do. Can we get something to eat now? Can we get something to eat now?
Ladies and gentlemen, we've got news. Got news about my Cleveland Browns. Mm-hmm. We've got an oblique problem. Obliques are big deals, especially.
When it's your quarterback.
Now he might be fourth on the depth chart, but he was number one in the preseason game last week, and he did a great job. 138 yards, two touchdowns. Shadder Sanders has an oblique injury. That is not good. I do not like this.
I hate this because. I want to see more reps for Shader Sanders. I really do. Do you guys? Yes.
I mean, w uh yeah, I'm a fan. I'm not even going to try to hide it, Rich. You guys are fans. Like, you guys talk about Cleveland Browns quite a bit. Yeah, but it's almost annoying to me.
It aggravates people. Like, people don't like the fact that Rich talks a lot. Too much love on here. But it's like, you know, you have a friend, and that friend's child is following in the family's footsteps. You want them to do well.
I don't know why people have such an issue. I know Rich is supposed to be impartial, but it's kind of hard when you have that type of tie to it. But yeah, I'm rooting for Shadura, man. And I was watching that game. And I don't even, I can't take, I can't say I don't watch Cleveland Browns because I listen to Andrew Ceciliano and Nathan Zagura.
So I do. That's right. Yeah. I'm all in. Nathan Zagura, one of my best friends.
Yes. And I hope this is. I was in his wedding. I was in mine. He didn't invite me, but you were in it.
I was in it. I was in the wedding. Cleveland Browns Daily. Listen to it all the time. But yeah, man, I hope the best for this kid, man, because it feels like he got such a rotten deal on draft weekend.
And it's, I'm happy that he showed improved a little bit. I know it's preseason. I know it's week one, but. He belongs, and I think that's evident. Yeah, let me ask you a question.
Sure. Is Kenny Pickett and Dylan Gabriel back to healthy. Uh nah, so he was starting. Flacco's not. Is it Snoop?
Kenny Pickett? No, he is not out there yet. He's still dealing with the hamstring. Dylan Gabriel did take some reps today, so he is kind of trending in the right direction. But if this could keep Shador out on, I believe they play, what, Friday?
They play Saturday. When do they play the Eagles? It could keep him out this weekend against Philly. And that would be a bummer for just his development and kind of the momentum building off of last week. Not going to see Flacco, right?
You got to keep that guy in bubble wrap for week one of the NFL season.
So we could be looking at, you know, three quarters of Snoop and maybe one quarter of Dylan Gabriel. Not really exciting for the fans. Of course, it would be nice to see what Dylan looks like. Did spend third-round capital on Gabriel and you want to get healed. You want the reps.
You want to take these reps.
So. What do you do to prepare yourself and get ready? Because, man, when rookies get injured, it's like these reps are so valuable. Yeah, it sets them back a lot. We do have some video here.
Mike Garifolo had some video of Jalen Hurts kind of helping Shador use his cart to get off the field here, which is pretty cool. And then Mike Gerfill did have a picture. Why does Jalen Hurts have a cart?
Well, he's not, you know, I don't know. He's getting his reps. He's probably done for the day. He sees Chador's out there. Hey, man, let me give you a ride to the sideline.
Wait, you're telling me you're the starting quarterback, you're a franchise guy. And you're helping out the young kids. Yeah, but you get a cart? Yeah, of course. You get your own golf cart on there.
Look, I've been watching hard knocks. I don't see Josh Allen have his own golf cart. But maybe if Josh Allen got a golf card, he'd win a Super Bowl. Wow. Wow, we're going there with that?
Man. He's got a Patrick Mahomes problem. I think we all do.
Well, Joe Burrow doesn't really have a Patrick Mahomes problem. Joe Burrow has a Cleveland Browns problem because he can never beat us. That is a fact, too. But not in the playoffs because you're not there. Oh, wow.
We were there two years ago. I'm trying to like. At the end of the year, we're still talking about facts. We live in a society now that hate facts, and I'm just like spitting some facts, and I'm just hoping you take away the story. Facts are facts will help you.
You know what I mean? I don't like you anymore. You might get your ass kicked today. I mean, I'm sorry, probably. No, no, it's first action.
Good work. There was another picture that was cool that Mike had. I don't know if we have it or not, but Jalen Hurts was talking to Shador, and Big Dom was like ten feet away, kind of like keeping guard. Big doms everywhere. I love it.
You know what's crazy about the Philadelphia Eagles? Last year, during this time, And even a month into the season. Everybody wanted Siriani gone. He was yelling at fans. They couldn't stand him.
And then, all of a sudden, this drama that happened surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles kind of compacted, and they utilized that energy, that negative energy, and basically put it to a Super Bowl win. Do you think that kind of drama in Philadelphia? Is what they needed to get to the Super Bowl. Yeah, I mean, Philly's one of those cities, kind of like Boston and New York. They're just kind of built.
I hate that phrase, built different, but they really are built different there. Fans, organizations, the temperament of the city, you know, and Siriani kind of is the perfect Philly guy. He's loud, he can be obnoxious, abrasive, kind of in your face. And it's the perfect personality for the city and for that team. You know, they're offensive and defensive line driven, which is obviously you got to have a different mentality to play that position to begin with.
Jalen Hurts is just like. Stoic, like GQ model-looking dude who is just like, Yeah, I haven't even looked at my ring yet. I'm thinking about next year's ring. You're like, whoa, okay, this dude's different. Saquon comes in, obviously, a lot to prove, big chip on his shoulder, and has one of the greatest running back seasons, arguably of all time.
And, you know, AJ Brown's that type of way. They have all these just dudes, a lot of Hall of Famers, I think, potentially on this roster. And Siriani is just kind of the perfect coach to kind of guide them. And you saw what happened last year, and I have no reason to believe they're not going to be back in the Super Bowl again this year. Any Super Bowl hangover.
You don't think there's going to be every time. Top of Philadelphia, man. Everyone says that about Kansas City. Oh, they're not going to have a hangover. They're going to be the Kansas City Chiefs.
And then the next year, they kind of had a hangover.
So it kind of happens. Like, and I know people say, Hey, it's Philly. Philly's different. They're built different. Every team is built different.
I hear it all the time, but there's always some sort of hangover. There's not really a hangover for the winners when you're kind of happy. We've seen the Super Bowl losers kind of have a little bit, you know, struggling out the gate. The week one stats, you know, are what they are. But I mean, if you're talking about which team Kansas City or Phillies likely to have a hangover, I would bet Kansas City, the team that got absolutely lamb-basted on the biggest stage.
Alright, well. Coming up on the second hour, we're going to take some calls. 844-204-RICH. Let's go to break. I am Michael Rosenbaum.
I am Tom Welling. Welcome to Talk Bill, where it's fun to talk about small books. We're going to be talking to sometimes guest stars. Are you liking the direction Plois is going in? Yeah, because I'm getting more screen time.
That's good. But mostly, it's just me and Tom remembering. I think we all feel like there was a scene missing here. You got me, Tom. Let's revisit it.
Let's look at it. See what we remember. See what we remember. I had never been around anything like that before. I mean, it was so fun.
Talk Bill. Talk Bill. I just had a flashback. Follow and listen on your favorite platform. Let's get into it.
