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Now, on with the show. Oh my god, you guys are my favorites. This is The Rich Eisen Show. The one and only. Rich Eisen.
I know what I'm talking about. That's the headline. The Rich Eisen Show. With guest host, Brian Weber. I mean, honestly, he's brilliant.
Brian Weber. I've got a long resume. Google me. It saves time. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.
And now, sitting in for Rich. It's Brian Weber. It is another hour of the program and it's great to have you with us on this Christmas Eve ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance coming up in 20 minutes. We're going to talk NBA. I devoted a nice chunk of real estate to the association as I try to have some Riz.
I am desperately trying to hang on to. What left me decades ago was We talk some NBA in the opening hour. A reminder: if you miss any portion of any program, get the podcast. It gets you everything you need. And I know how busy most of you are during the holidays.
20 minutes from now. We will talk about the games that stand out. Because all of them have something appealing attached to them. Five NBA games tomorrow. We got the fallout from.
San Antonio's latest victory over OKC, second time in the span of 11 days. We will cover it all. We check in with my friend Kirk Healand, lead NBA rider for NBCSports.com. Final hour. 2.20 Eastern Time.
A dear friend?
Well, I call him a friend. He would probably say a former broadcast partner of mine.
Now, he is a wonderful person. He's as good a person as he was a player. And he's a pro football Hall of Famer. Eric Allen will join us. We'll reflect on his enshrinement finally.
This summer in Canton, Ohio. He does broadcast work for the Raiders.
So since I Mention that Pete Carroll probably should be Renting, not buying in Vegas. You don't want to buy any brown. Bananas at this stage of his coaching career. We will look towards the future for the silver and black. We know the quarterback situation has been hideous.
What kind of changes are in store? When we get to the offseason. And will reflect not only on what he did in Philadelphia when they were an absolute wrecking crew defensively, we'll get his view on the current state of play. For the reigning champs. And if you've not looked ahead to Sunday, this one jumps off the schedule.
The Buffalo Bills. Who suddenly have found their rhythm? A lot of that has to do with what James Cook is doing on the ground very quietly, moving past. Jonathan Taylor to grab the league lead in rushing and giving Josh Allen just enough assistance so he doesn't have to be completely the one-man gang. Bills have won four straight.
Philadelphia back-to-back wins, but you do have to put that in context. They beat up the awful Raiders and then they took advantage of the Commanders. Still, That was not a foregone conclusion if you watched that game. And now kicking is a concern. As Josh Elliott missed.
Three kicks, although only two counted. They took advantage of Washington having more injury issues under center. As we get you ready for the triple header across the NFL tomorrow, Washington Dallas gets things started. It'll be the veteran. I don't use journeyman as a negative description because one could say I'm a broadcast journeyman, so I want to feel good about myself.
It is Josh Johnson leading Washington against the Cowboys in a game with absolutely no playoff implications, but we'll watch because we're addicted to football. Pro Bowl rosters came out yesterday. If I was Hacky Magoo, I would read every position and we'd call it a show. Nobody cares about the Pro Bowl. That includes the players.
That's why it's not even a game anymore. It's quote unquote a skills competition with flag football, and I don't need to do. The fill-in host. Open up the manual and do a rant on how irrelevant all-star games are. But I use the Pro Bowl as a pivot point to talk about Who is the most important player?
To any team across the NFL. And if we're talking importance, we're talking value, that is the MVP.
Now we do know If we've been around, all of us. I'm using the collective we. I'm Brian Weber, Infor Rich, the Royal We, 888-CESBN, or hit me up on the X platform, BW Weber, Weber with two B's. The MVP across sports essentially is player of the year, or more to the point, best player on the best team in the NFL. It's the quarterback on the most successful team.
Most of the time. If we want to narrow our focus, we can use the Pro Bowl selections that were released yesterday to give us some guidance. NFC. Quarterbacks include Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, Sam Darnold. And yes, his numbers have been good enough, although with Sam, you know, It's The unfortunate trend.
Of throwing ghastly interceptions when it matters the most. Even though Seattle won that wild game on Thursday night with help from that bizarre officiating decision that was accurate on the two point conversion try by the Rams. Sam still had two interceptions.
Well, that's better than the four picks he threw against the Rams, and better than he played in his last two games for the Vikings that. Had him? Right in front of him. He had the opportunity on a T. And he was not able to cash in and that had him on his way to Seattle still.
Pro Bowl recognition is an achievement. AFC, the usual suspects. Josh Allen leading the way. Drake May was a Pro Bowler last year. That might be breaking news for you.
And Justin Herbert. who continues to play. With a broken bone in his non-throwing hand and a makeshift offensive line. That guy is tough. But we're not talking about tenacity, we're not talking about.
Resolve. We're talking about value. And once more, I'm going to turn it over to ESPN's lead NFL insider, Adam Schafter, who says: if we're talking value, Josh Allen stands alone. We've spent an awful lot of time this season talking about MVP, whether it's Matthew Stafford at one point in time, whether who else has been up in the conversation. Baker Bay, Jonathan, who else?
Give me the name. Jonathan. Yeah, CMC. You can give it to whoever you want. I don't really care.
There's nobody that's more valuable than Josh Allen. Just watch that game yesterday. Like, that is the MVP. He may have won the MVP in one game because that's how he looked yesterday. And is there any player in the league today, anybody, that you have more confidence in winning one game and would fear more going up against than that guy?
That was Adam Schefter and the crew on Get Up. And he was talking about when Josh Allen had that superhuman game with the five touchdown performance.
Now, because he is not Clark Kent and he is mortal after all, one thing that You should be mindful of heading into the Bills and Eagles, especially if you get down, if you do some sports investing. Allen limped off the field just prior to halftime at Cleveland on Sunday. Giving him a few more minutes to Have medical attention on his foot. He, of course, because all these guys, deal with pain tolerance and pain management says he's going to be fine. But if we think about the foundation of what Josh does, mobility is a major asset.
If you just go through, Vould Leading rushers for Buffalo before the emergence of Cook, but if we went game by game, how many games? was Josh Allen, their number one option on the ground when it came to total yards rushing.
So that's something to be aware of. But overall, I'm with Adam. And what am I going to do? Disagree with Adam? But we also.
Found some validation for the point of view I had coming into the program. That Josh Allen In terms of the old exercise, take him off the roster. What is the state? of Buffalo football. Not good.
Because prior to the emergence, of Cook recently. Nobody was doing more with less than Josh Allen.
Now, some of that is a byproduct of the poorly constructive roster surrounding him. Brandon Bean is highly respected, but Didn't do anything heading into the trade deadline. I know they picked up Matthew Judon recently, but that's a marginal move.
Some of it comes down to Drafting poorly? At Keon Coleman, he looked to be a star in the making, especially at the podium. Remember how charismatic he was when he showed up in Buffalo and took us through how he decided to purchase that winter coat but save money. This guy can't even get on the field now because of coaching decisions and because of disciplinary reasons. That is a blown second-round pick.
So if you just take a big picture point of view. Allen really has no viable weapons on the outside. And half of these games, it feels like the Bills have to win. 38, 35, because that defense is Less than stellar. How about that?
I keep trying to be more upbeat. It is Christmas Eve. I'm Brian Weber, InforRich. You can. Spread the holiday.
Cheer by picking up the phone, eight eight eight say ESBN, or hit me up on the X platform, BW Weber, Weber with two B's. In less than fifteen minutes, we talk NVA with Curt Healand of NBC Sports dot com. If your head coach got the job primarily because of his defensive background, I'm talking about Sean McDermott, and your defense is, I'll tell it like it is, a civ, Who's responsibility is that? And it'd be one thing if Sean McDernet Had shown that he had The intellectual firepower to be A coach who shines in in-game decisions. The anti-Dan Campbell.
If you're listening in western New York, Or you're a member of the Bills Mafia, I don't have to run through all of the examples of Sean McDermott butchering situations with a game on the line.
So It is astonishing to me that the Bills still are in contention with a chance to win that division. Unlikely, but. If they're a wild card, why can't they win it all? And in fact, i if you want my opinion as the fill-in host, Who I think It is the most likely matchup to meet in the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, Super Bowl 60, it'll be coming up in February. I'll go with a pair of wild cards because I don't think the Rams are going to win their division, and I'll go with the Bills.
And I am being a little bit simplistic, just pointing out the quarterbacks there, but I am not a Matthew Stafford fan. And I will skip the normal recitation where I tell you all the flaws in his resume because with each passing year with the Rams, I look dumber and dumber. But my. Big picture view of Stafford always has been. To use the baseball terminology, he's a stat compiler.
This is just his third Pro Bowl. He's never been an all-pro. He was not the MVP of the Super Bowl. That was Cooper Cup. And the Rams got to a Super Bowl with Jared Goff.
So, to me, it's a reflection of Sean McVay, much more than Stafford, but I'm going to be totally wrong. He's going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer because of the ring and all of those numbers. And who, beyond an imbecile, would question what he's done this year? I would point out that he fell apart in that loss on the road to Carolina because Stafford, like Darnold, Can run into a situation when he's a turnover machine. I'm all in with Josh Allen.
If he can stay healthy. Because we've seen it repeatedly, your counter would be, okay, even when Buffalo had a more complete roster, they were unable to make it to the Super Bowl. But circumstance and context matters. There's no Josh Mahomes. Josh Mahomes, I just put it together.
There's no Patrick Mahomes. There's no Joe Burrow. Go back to Cincinnati, winning on the road in Buffalo not too long ago. The Quarterback feel for this postseason is shaping up. For the strong possibility that Josh Allen has a lot of separation between his level of playmaking and his skill set and everybody else, and that includes.
The presumptive MVP. According to the Oddsmakers, Matthew Stafford. I'm Brian Weber in for rich. I could combine that too. I could say, I'm Rich Weber in for Brian Eisen.
888, say ESPN. I do my best to check social media periodically through the show. That is coming up.
So if you have some opinions, pro or con, have at it on the X platform. BW Weber, Weber with two B's. Just over an hour from now. We'll keep the NFL conversation going when we're joined by Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Allen. Up next, back to the NBA.
Which team that is playing tomorrow poses the biggest threat to the Thunder? And do they play in a Lone Star State? Looking forward to saying hello to my friend Kurt Healen, lead NBA rider for NBC Sports.com. I'm Brian Weber. It's always a blast when I'm in for rich and the guys.
It's the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio. Mm-hmm. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Rich Eisen here, and we're brought to you by Sonos. This season, make your home feel alive with Sonos speakers.
From cinematic sound that pulls you into every holiday movie to game day audio that puts you right in the middle of the action, Sonos makes it effortless to fill your home with incredible ambiance. Stream everything you love, music, movies, or your favorite sports podcast, all in one place.
Sonos' holiday sale is on now through December 28th, 2025 at Sonos.com. Discover how easy it is to bring every room to life with Sonos. A Christmas Day NBA Doubleheader. First at Madison Square Guard, the New York Knicks faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then in Oklahoma City, the Thunder faced the San Antonio Spurs.
Ah, yep. Which begins at 11:30 Eastern with tip off at noon Eastern, Christmas Day on ESPN Radio, ESPN, and on ABC. We're getting you set for that compelling double header of NBA action here on ESPN Radio, part of a slate of five games. Tomorrow on Christmas Day, wall-to-wall basketball, ESPN ABC, the ESPN family of networks. I'm Brian Weber, InforRich.
Eight eight eight say ESPN I appreciate the thoughts on social media. Keep that. Positivity in the air. It is the holidays. B.W.
Weber, Weber with Two B's is how you can have a conversation with me. ESPM Radio is presented by Progressive Insurance, supporting you every step of the way, progressive.com. Let's talk hoops with an old friend and somebody who really knows his stuff. After all, it's the Rich Eisen show. I wouldn't get you.
Somebody who. Was just out there riffing. It is my pal, Kurt Healen, lead NBA rider for NBCSports.com. Kurt, happy holidays. And since we're both West Coast-based, happy holidays.
How are you dealing with the monsoon? I I'm inside, so it's fine. All right. Thanks so much. That was Kurt, and they called me Captain Obvious for a reason.
But pal, if you step outside, it y you're seeing arcs and animals lining up in pairs of two. Yeah, it's it.
Well, I don't know. It hasn't been that bad here yet, but I think. The worst of this is being saved for when I have to drive up to the family Christmas Eve this afternoon. I've got like an hour drive ahead of me, so that's I think that's when we'll get the worst of it.
So the weather gods will conspire against you.
Well, that makes me even more appreciative of you taking the time. Let me tell like it is because I think you know I'm fairly transparent. I don't try to be hot take Johnny, but I say what I mean, I mean what I say. How much of a ratings debacle could The NBA be facing tomorrow now with a triple header of NFL action. And you know, I love basketball, and I still believe that Christmas Day belongs to the NBA.
Yeah, but it's not it's not good. Not only do you get the bohemoth, the eight hundred pound gorilla that is the NFL, you get late season NFLs. You get games that have weight and meaning, or at least some of them, in terms of the playoff chase where as is tradition for a lot of casual fans, where they're just tuning in for the first they're just starting to get their feet wet in the NBA. They're just starting to get their head around this and They're tuning in and going. Who's this Alperyn Shingoon guy?
Where did he come? You know, I think it's a tougher spot for the NBA just because they go up against. Like I said, not just the NFL, but the NFL with meaningful games. That said, the league has done a phenomenal job of having as many stars, as many compelling subplots on display tomorrow.
So when I was putting my prep work together a couple of days ago, I was going to go through the rhetorical obligatory question. Should we pencil the Thunder in for 75 wins, 77 wins, and now, oh my goodness, they've lost three times in 11 days, twice to the Spurs. I think the more important discussion to have is: why does San Antonio seemingly match up so well against OKC? It's a great question. They have the athletes, right?
That's step one. You've it's just hard to match up with the kind of youth and athleticism that the Thunder and skill level the Thunder bring. But with Stephon Castle. It's not just Wemby, although it helps to have Wemby. Don't get me wrong.
Victor Wembayama debate changes a lot of things, but it's having Stefan Castle and De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper and Devin Vessel and all these quality perimeter players as well who have really come into their own. This is a deep and good Spurs team that I mean Every time, look, they just keep moving the timeline up for how good they're going to be, don't they? We're like, oh man, going into this year, we're like, man, maybe they can make the playoffs and gain some experience and start to take down that road. And they're the two seed. They just beat the Thunder.
twice in a row. Really impressive, and they look like their time is a lot sooner than we thought it was going to be, Brian.
So the future is now, but and we're talking hoops with Kurt Healen, lead NBA writer for NBCSports.com. I'm Brian Weber, InforRich. It's the Rich Eyes and show on ESPM Radio.
So certainly they're good. Are they championship good this season? I don't know about that this season, only because I am Brian, and I think you're in this boat. I think in the NBA, there is something to be said for needing to learn how to win at the highest level. I said learning curve in the last hour of the program.
Yep. Yeah, you've just It's just different in the playoffs because of the way Because of the way you can match up, because of the way things play out over a seven-game series as opposed to just a random Tuesday night. Um it it's it's a little different. And I think that's kind of what makes Christmas between the Thunder and Spurs interesting, by the way, because it is their third game. against each other in a span of a couple of weeks.
You're going to get a little more of a playoff feel. You're going to be able to get a little of, hey, we can adjust this, we can do this in a way that. You don't see during the regular season of the NBA that much just because of the nature of the schedule. and the travel.
So I think that's going to make it more fun. But I still think the Spurs, I think the Spurs and Detroit, for that matter, if we're going to talk about teams, are kind of a year away, but both of them look far. farther along than I thought they would be. Getting you set for the five NBA games coming up tomorrow on Christmas with the double letter here on ESPN Radio. Taking you across the NBA with Kirk Heelen of NBC Sports.com.
Well, you hit on the Pistons. Think about their arc. A couple years ago, they won only 14 games. Last year made the playoffs. I watched every game head-to-head against the Knicks, and arguably, you can make a case they had a real shot of winning that series.
When you look at the East in advance of the Knicks and Cavs tomorrow, What do you make of Cleveland's slow start after winning 64 games last year and being the top seed? It's kind of baffling to me because they brought everybody back and they've had some injuries. They won't have. Evan Mobley back tomorrow and Their defense is a mess without Evan Mobley on the floor. The offensive player of the year, obviously, you're going to miss him.
But it's It's quite bad, which is good for the Knicks because their offense is really clicking right now. Um, You know, Spikely is going to be well entertained tomorrow watching this team put up a lot of points. But Their problems are a little deeper than that. This is really. Their shooting has gone Off the rails.
This is a team that shot the ball well, especially from three last year. They are. I think 28th in the league in three-point percentage this year. They're still taking a lot, but they're not making them at nearly the same rate. And I had said going back to last playoffs, my excuse, for lack of a better word, for them, the reason I believed in them this season is how much Darius Garland means to that team and their flow and getting their offense.
he's still not right physically. The toe is still an issue for him. He is not quite the same player. And without him, they're not quite the same team. Kurt, in the first hour, as I was getting the audience ready for your appearance, I was going through.
Giannis's future. Scenarios and the state of Milwaukee. I think it's telling that the league did not put the Bucs on the Christmas schedule, knowing this would be a challenging year based on that roster, even with the addition of Miles Turner. If Giannis at some point makes it known publicly. I want out What do you think would be on the short list, the most logical landing spots, and where do the Knicks fit in there?
Yes. If he puts out a list, the Knicks are at the top of that list. That's not just me hearing that from people around the league. I don't think there's any secret that that's been the reporting from everyone. The problem is A, the Knicks don't.
Look, if you're the Bucks and you're trading. Yannis, you are. I don't necessarily say you're going to go rock bottom, you know, process sixers rebuild, but you're retooling this thing. You're rebuilding. This is not a rebuild on the fly.
You just lost. The best player your franchise has ever had, and there's going to be some work to replace that. You're going to have to get draft picks and all this stuff back that you don't have. And the Knicks don't really offer that. The Knicks are not.
Outside of Tyler Kullock, who have they got that's young or Giwana on that team? They have like no draft picks worth trading.
So. And the other part of this is if you're the Nicks. I I get how good Giannis is, don't get me wrong. You already look like the best team in the East. I'm with you.
You have. How much are you willing to blow this up mid-season?
So I don't know that the Knicks happen. Miami would be on that short list, I imagine. I am curious. I am curious if Another East team, and I'm going to just I don't want to start speculation too much, but let's say Atlanta wanted to jump into this card. Would he be open to that?
Would he be like, hey man, I want to stay in the East. I see myself being able to win there if it's me instead of Trey Young, essentially. on a team that's pretty deep. I wonder if you would jump into something like that. I'm curious if you'd want to do that or if you'd be willing to go west.
Like, I'm curious how. How deep that roster is, because there's not many teams poised to make a mid-season move for him. I still think he's an off-season move. We know players like hanging out in Atlanta. After all, it is a magic city.
I'm Brian Weber in for Rich Odin. We're getting you ready for the NBA coming up tomorrow on Christmas Day with Kurt Healen. Lead NBA rider for NBC Sports.com. We've covered the Cavs Knicks. Spurs OKC.
Next up, Maths at Warriors. What did you make of the latest incident involving Draymond Green? A kerfuffle this time with his head coach Steve Kerr. I did not think it was that substantial. And I also did not have a problem with Draymond going to the locker room because I think he was trying to de-escalate.
How did you see it? Yeah, that's what he said as well. Like, he just like, me being here isn't good. I'm going to remove myself from the situation. Um Here's the thing, man.
That's a long marriage there. And I I'm like I I'm while Brian, I know that you and your significant other never fight, some of us go.
Well, that's why I live alone. I'm a lonely man. That's why I work alone on ESBN radio. You notice I never call you with a co-host. Have you been tracking that development?
Yeah, exactly. I I have noticed that, but I I don't find you hard to work with, so, you know. Um, but I I think this is just one of those situations where any of us who've been in a relationship where like there are times you have a fight and even a s a big fight and then you kind of like All right, we're moving on. Like, you know, you just kind of suck it up with your friends or your significant other, whoever it is, and you're like, all right. It is what it is.
We're just moving on. I think that's where this is. I just think that. They've been down this road. This isn't the first.
rodeo for them with Raymond and Kerr and They'll get right past it and they'll be ready to go on Tuesday. And by the way, They're going to need Draymond. I mean, on Thursday, they're going to need Draymond because Cooper flat. Oh, yeah. He's the truth.
He's tearing it up right now. And they need him and Jimmy Butler to try to defend against him, and we'll see how that goes. Your time is valuable. I want to be respectful.
So let's wrap it up with the Lakers. And I'm very pleased to be. Hosting this show at the flagship station of the Lakers Audio Network, ESPN LA, here in downtown LA. I'm hopeful, and you know, Luca, he rises to the occasion, unless that's a serious leg contusion. I think he'll be on the floor tomorrow.
Yeah. And we all become prisoner of the moment. And Luca has been just so sensational as he took the time of the offseason to get his body chiseled. And we know he can carry a team to the NBA Finals. Yes, he had help from Kyrie, but he's just that transformational.
Could you see the Lakers getting hot in the postseason? I know we're only in December. Where would you slot them as a realistic contender in the loaded Western Conference? Fifth or slow lower, honestly, and it's not Luca. I don't have a question, frankly, about Luca and LeBron and any of them.
Being able to and frankly Austin Reeves, like their offense is going to be great. I don't question them in the big moments. In fact, I don't you know, they're gonna be a really tough out in the playoffs because of those guys. But J.J. Reddick was talking about it last night.
This is not a good defensive team. This is a. They got, you know, they got torched by any team with movement and athleticism. and youth, driving guards, what San Antonio and Phoenix have done to them. It's It's just hard for them.
They cannot get enough stops. And I don't know how, look, they're going to look for a defensive help at the deadline. I don't know that it's out there. I like the way DeAndre Ayton's playing for them, but I don't know if he's the Backstop that they need ultimately. Like they have got a blueprint for how you win.
with Luca has been laid out. They they did it in Dallas and then Traded him for inexplicable reasons. Um, like the blueprint is laid out, and the Lakers don't have that team right now. They're they're good, they're a good team, but I think there's a cap on how good they can be because of that defense right now. Kurt, always a pleasure.
You know I appreciate your availability and your insights. And more importantly, the audience says, thank you because I've been droning on for an hour and 20 minutes. Probably the reason why I live alone, but you have improved the show as always, and I hope you and your family have a great holiday. I know you'll be working tomorrow, and we'll chat with you soon. Yeah, hopefully, you can take a kayak across the street from those offices to the crypto.com and see the game tomorrow.
I will say I know Kurt Halen. Thank you, my friend. Take care, man. Kurt Healen, I've been having conversations, as you might be able to discern, with Kurt on the radio for a long time. And the NBA is back on NBC, of course, ESPN, the long time home.
And ABC, when it comes to the NBA Finals, I'm Brian Weber in for Rich. ESPN Radio is presented by Progressive Insurance. We all come to a conversation with a point of view. Bias has such a negative connotation, but It's real. We say we're objective.
Still, you can't turn your brain off. We have feelings and thoughts. And the reason I posed that question about the Lakers the way I did to Kurt is I don't believe the Lakers have any shot of going anywhere this year. But I didn't want to ask more of a leading question than I normally do. And he mentioned J.J.
Reddit calling out the lack of defense last night.
Now, if we're going to be objective or try to be objective, if you don't have Luca out there, Changes everything because beyond knowing he can give you 28, 35, or 40. All of the energy, all the playmaking. He is the catalyst. He is not only now the face of the franchise, undeniably. He is the engine of that team.
Now you could say defense comes down to effort. And want to. But it's just a different vibe. When Luca's not out there. I'm glad that Rich.
is not here today so I can give you my Austin Reeves is not the guy, point of view, and I'd love stories like Austin. Think about all he's overcome. to be in contention. That's early in the year for Most improved player statistically, an undrafted player coming to the NBA. But With LeBron a shadow of himself, although, in fairness, he's working his way back into basketball shape after dealing with the sciatica.
If Austin Reeves is your second best player, you have a poorly constructed roster. That's just a fact. And I think JJ calling out the defensive liabilities last night in that loss to Phoenix. really was an indictment of Here's his quote-unquote boss and Rob Polenka. Because it's Rob who put together that flawed roster, and I am speaking to you.
from the studios of the Laker flagship, so I will tread lightly. But I'm gonna give you my opinion. And yes, the Lakers potentially could get hot because Luca is superhuman. But as this team is currently constructed, when your biggest move in the offseason was the addition of DeAndre Ayton. Who Portland paid to go away because he was such a malcontent and underachieved with the Blazers, and perhaps because he has played better when healthy here in Southern California.
Fresh start leads to a new mindset. Beyond the Lakers' flaws when it comes to Personnel, they play in the West. And I thought Kurt was. Precise when he put him fifth or lower. Because we know about the Thunder, I still believe the Nuggets are the second best team.
In the West, second best team in the NBA. Put him in front of the Knicks. Joker has a better supporting cast. You know, it's Joker Murray. I like the addition of Cam Johnson.
I think it's an upgrade over Michael Porter Jr. going out and getting complimentary players like. Tim Hardaway Jr. Bringing Bruce Brown back. That's a glue guy.
Houston with all the young talent? I appreciate Kurt throwing out the obligatory shengoon reference. She can't talk Houston without saying shengoon. But they have so many young guys who can ball out. And now Durant there to be the steadying veteran, although his production has declined.
He really has never been the same after that Achilles, but still a reliable. Twenty to twenty eight a night if He's engaged. But if you're a Lakers fan, I'm not trolling you. And I'm only a guest host, so there's no upside. Coming on the air in the city in which I live and work and bashing a fan base.
I'm just giving you my unbiased view, and I'm not anti-Laker, and I appreciate the greatness of LeBron. I thought it was odd. that he decided and whatever he says I think he says with precision After the loss to the Clippers, and maybe that was part of the context on Saturday night. But when he was asked about the significance of playing a Christmas, and he came back with, I'd much rather be at home with my family. What does that tell you?
Especially when this is the man who a year ago demonstratively said the MBA still runs Christmas, or words to that effect. If you're not a big Hoops fan, I understand. Tomorrow can be your point of entry. Five sensational matchups, the double header here on ESBM Radio. But I'm also Of the belief the audience is never wrong, and you can never talk enough football.
Coming up. We'll take you on campus. As bowl season continues here on ESPN Radio, there is football tonight. The Sheridan-Hawaii Bowl, California and Hawaii, the West Coast matchup. Our coverage begins at 7:30 Eastern here on ESPN Radio.
We'll use that as a foundation to talk about. The future of the bowl system. I'm going to do the impossible. I'm going to tell you why the non-playoff games still matter and the latest on the Michigan coaching search because I'm in for Michigan bed. His name is Rich Eisen.
My name is Brian Weber. It's the Rich Eisen Show here on ESPN Radio: The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. When the holidays start to feel a bit repetitive, reach for a sprite winter spiced cranberry. And put your twist on tradition. A bold cranberry and winter spice flavor fusion, Sprite Winter Spice Cranberry is a refreshing way to shake things up this sipping season, and only for a limited time.
Sprite. Obey your thirst. I'm Brian Weber, always having a blast whenever I'm in for Rich and the guys. Christmas Eve edition of The Rich Eisen Show as we close in on the final hour of the program in less than 15 minutes. Much more NFL.
I've been going through the games coming up tomorrow. We'll expand our focus. Try to incorporate more of the significant games looming on Sunday, but in our immediate future. Third and final game tomorrow night. Kansas City, battered.
Bruised and eliminated playoff contention against Denver trying to lock up the top seed in the AFC. Are the Broncos built to be? More than an interesting regular season story that'll kick things off and coming up at 2:20 Eastern Time. Looking forward to. A conversation with Hall of Famer Eric Allen.
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So get down to your local Hyundai dealer and get away with an awesome deal. Only during the Hyundai Getaway Sales event. Visit Hyundaiusa.com for for details. It is the most wonderful time of the year for College football fans, I know conventional wisdom says That The advent of the playoff era. And a reminder: ESPN Radio is the exclusive home of the college football playoff.
With all of those quarterfinal matchups coming up next week here on this platform. I love The pageantry. I know that's a word you only hear connected to. College football bowls. But since I started the show talking about the ancient blue-gray game back in the day.
And I have a 1996 Sun Bowl watch. When my alma mater, the Stanford Cardinal, defeated Nick Sabin's Michigan State Spartans. I understand the appeal of bowl games. And in fact, I'll be listening. You should be as well.
Coming up later as bowl season continues here on ESPN Radio, our coverage begins at 7:30 Eastern of the Sheridan, Hawaii Bullets. Cal. Don't they miss Fernando Mendoza taking on Hawaii if you don't track the Rainbow Warriors? Coached by Timmy Chang. He's now guiding his alma mater.
All of these games have interesting components to them. Understanding when we got to the playoff era. Those games were moved to a different tier. I get it. And I'm not telling you what to watch.
And I can also understand at Christmas Eve, you may have family obligations. But the one thing that I do find A little bit disingenuous. are folks who just kick these quote unquote Minor games, or they say they're irrelevant. I can tell you from experience. They're not irrelevant to the players.
to the universities Two alums who still travel to these games. And I can tell you, from a sports media standpoint, they generate real ratings on television and radio.
So we're watching, we're listening because We like the tradition. We love college football. Doesn't mean it's perfect. I can't defend all of these bowl games. And some of that now has also been.
the evolution of player opting out. That wave that started with Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey, and I get it. Especially if you have millions of dollars coming up in the NFL draft. For who, for what? Why play in an exhibition game other than to be supportive of your teammates?
Now it's been. I think Become a bit more troubling from an institutional standpoint to have schools opting out. Like Notre Dame. But we know all of the dynamics around that decision. And then you had quirky things this year like Kansas State saying thanks, no, thanks, we're making a coaching change.
We don't want to go to a bowl game. But The Bulls are going to be with us. I don't think we're going to reach a point in which bulls Or Something like New Coke or some other arcane reference from back in the day. And I respect not only his broadcast skill. but his insights when it comes to college football.
Therese Davis, the best in the business. And I was listening to the College Game Day podcast the other day, of course, part of the ESPN audio platform. And I'm going to steal from Reese because it was a great idea. Are you aware of the Players' Era Festival in college basketball, where now NIL money is available directly to the players, wrapped up last month in Vegas? They're going to expand next year.
And the level of competition was terrific. big name teams and players you might know. I think Reese's suggestion that we have an NIL tie-in on the second-tier bowls to give the players an incentive to be there. Also Perhaps changing the level of competition because occasionally these games, especially when the big names opt out. can be challenging between the lines.
But overall Yes, it's not the same world it used to be. But Tradition still should matter to a degree, and I know I'm the guy chasing the windmill here. Everything comes down to the bottom line. And we understand why the college football playoff, and you may not be aware of this, the deadline for expansion was pushed back to next month. And I'll take you behind the curtain.
It was codified in the way that the decisions now come down exclusively to the SEC and the Big Ten in terms of a future format. We know it's going to 16. Maybe it's going to. 24, or if you want to talk Super League, we got 64 teams. And everybody with a big name gets in.
But I hope there's still a place for for the other bowls. Because when it comes to football, Quantity Is Poverty. There's something. That's just Warm about sitting down when the weather's lousy on the East Coast, turning on the tube, and you got a bowl game. And you learn about the players because the broadcasters are storytellers.
So I understand. That especially in sports talk radio, one of the easiest thing to do is just bash the non-playoff games. And maybe it's just a byproduct of my experience. I can tell you from. My lifetime, being a part of these bowls has meaning, has resonance, and creates memories, and they're still cash flow positive, which after all is the most important thing in any walk of life.
As we close in on the final hour of the program, getting ready to take you across the NFL. With Hall of Famer Eric Gallen, and we'll continue the countdown to kick off for the Christmas Day games here on the Rich Eisen Show. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
