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Now let's get to Kyler Murray. Snap to Murray. Running right. There he goes! Touchdown!
The Rich Eisen Show. Kevin O'Connell has done tremendous work reviving some quarterbacks. Today's guests, ESPN senior NBA writer Brian Wintors, Pro Football Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, actor John C. McGinley. And now, it's Rich Eisen.
Oh, yeah. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show. Lots to talk about on this day. NBA, Brian Windhorst, NFL, Rod Woodson, and then pop culture, John C. McGinley, and the incredibly popular new show called Rooster on HBO.
Good to see everybody right here on Disney Plus on ESPN, chatting with you on ESPN Radio and SiriusXM Channel 80, 844-204 Rich. Number to dial right here on the program. Good to see you, Christopher Brockman. How are you, sir? Good morning, my friend.
Jason Feller, good to see you in your chair. Good to see TJ Jefferson with the candle lit over there. How are you? I'm great. How about you?
Awesome. Let's get things started right off the bat right here because we got lots to talk about. Because Pam Autobio just only scored 21. Um listen. National Football League World, something happened yesterday that everybody's been expecting to happen, and I've been kind of saving my powder for it until it finally did happen.
And Kyler Murray showed up in purple yesterday in the state of Minnesota. And Kyla Maury for $1.3 million is in the new. Fangled quarterback room of the Minnesota Vikings. That's the way to put it right now because nobody's naming him the starter, even though I'll tell you what. It's sure like It sure looks like he's gonna be.
But let's just start from scratch, which is Kyler Murray getting cut. from the Arizona Cardinals. After seven years of work there, after being the first overall selection. And he is now A veteran minimum quarterback able to pick and choose where he's going to go. And for whatever reason, for weeks and weeks and weeks, we've been hearing if Kyler Murray is cut loose, he's going to the Minnesota Vikings.
And sure enough, he showed up there and he signed. And now he is in the quarterback room with J.J. McCarthy, who's two years removed from his first round drafting. And this is what Kyler Murray had to say about joining the team. that he apparently rooted for as a kid.
Because when he played Pop Warner football, I believe. He was on the local Vikings team there, and he was a die-hard Vikings fan. Mm-hmm. Ever since I started playing tackle football, I was seven years old. I was seven years old.
Um Genuine, genuine fandom. Ran deep, Vikings gear through and through. A lot of purple in my household. Um I don't want to bring it up right now, but maybe later on another day. It was a lot, it was a moment.
I'll bring it up anyways, whatever. I cried real tears whenever. you know, whenever Brett threw that interception, Barbara cried real tears that day.
Well, there's Kyler as a Viking on the left as a kid, and then on the right. as a current member of the Real McCoy and he Posted that with the word skull, and I think he knows this, so I I apologize for potentially stating the obvious. When he said he cried real tears when Brett Favre threw that interception. Against the New Orleans Saints in an NFC championship game rather than just running for a first down and kicking a field goal and going to the Super Bowl. Every Minnesota Vikings fan cried real tears.
on that day. And now they see him as their Newest addition to a quarterback room. Notice how I'm stating this. What a little disdain it seems. Not disdain.
Not disdain. There is a mislusion, I think, is another word. No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm trying to. Stay within the lanes.
of what's being said right now. And Kyler Murray coming into this offense. with all due respect to everybody else who he's played with. with a in I my my mind future Hall of Famer DeAndre Hopkins And then also Um uh a young Turk Who kind of liked Kyler Murray, to be honest with you, after being drafted in the top five, has yet to show up. like he did in college.
at the professional level in a very consistent way in Marvin Harrison, Junior. Um that's Justin Jefferson. Right there. And this is the rest of the Minnesota Vikings around him. And collectively.
I don't believe he's had a group like this. with a coach like this. and an offensive mindset. Like the one that the Vikings bring to bear every single day. Hasn't had that.
in in professional football. for sure, with all due respect to his previous coaches and players. This is what he said about his relationship with his new head coach, Kevin O'Connell. Me and KO go back to the Elite 11 days. I remember during the combine, I had an interview with the Red the Redskins at the time, Commanders, and he was with them and he pulled me aside after my meeting with them.
And ever since then, our relationship, he's always made sure to check in on me, whether it was after a game. You know, things like that.
So, I always respected that. I always appreciated his opinion of me and the support that he's given me.
So, for now, getting to play for him and have that relationship with him means the world. Obviously, he's had a lot of success with quarterbacks, different quarterbacks, and he's one of the best offensive minds in the game.
So, I'm looking forward to going to work with him. What a spot for a guy drafted once upon a time, first over all, yet to realize first over all. Production And success. What a spot for him to Enter. He's got to be out of his mind psyched because also the one year deal that he signed not only sticks the Cardinals with the large tab, but also there is no franchise or transition tag possible.
For the Vikings to place on him. He had it in the contract: say, you cannot do this to me. He will be playing. For free agency. He will be playing for the bag.
He will be playing with some terrific players. He will have an opportunity to resurrect everything. in that Building. Unless, of course, J.J. McCarthy beats him out, because apparently this is a competition.
Kevin O'Connell speaking yesterday. Said of signing Carl Kyler Murray, quote, it's March. And what I can tell you is the goal of adding a talented player like Kyler to the room was to create a world where guys are pushing each other and guys are by their own growth and development or their own ascension are not only just doing that themselves, but they're creating a new standard and elevating that floor.
So that will benefit not only those players individually, it'll benefit the collective group of guys in the room.
Now, that makes complete coach speak sense to the media gathered. That sounds like a bunch of word salad.
So he was asked point blank, is there a competition between Murray and McCarthy? Quote, unless I'm confused in any way, shape, or form, I don't believe we have to name one of those currently, end quote. Kevin O'Connell. Can confirm, coach, you do not have to do that. You don't even have a schedule.
You don't even have a draft. You know, pro days. Mm-hmm. O'Connell said he did talk to McCarthy earlier this week. He knew we were going to be adding somebody to the room.
He knew that, that didn't change anything about his mindset, focus on improving, attacking this offseason the right way. And I'm really proud of him for that and excited to get back On the grass and in the meeting room with him when that time comes. And quote, I shall just shoot everybody straight here. The only way J.J. McCarthy starts week one for the Minnesota Vikings this fall is if Kyler Murray gets hurt.
As much as I love J.J. McCarthy, and you know that I do, and you said maybe the way I was positing this. Segment My thoughts earlier sounded like a touch of derision. Yeah. It's because I feel J.J.
McCarthy has. It in him. For sure. I okay, so and this also, Kevin O'Connell is a coach who came on this show and said that organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail the organizations. And it sure feels like this franchise feel Like J.J.
McCarthy somehow failed them last year. I'm not in the building. I don't see what's going on when there's nothing. Uh when there's no cameras on them. O'Connell does.
He is a quarterback whisperer. He's one of the best in the business. He's a coach of the year for a reason.
Okay. But there is no way. barring injury. that a highly talented 28 year old with almost ninety starts in him and two Pro Bowls in him. And 120-plus passing touchdowns, and almost 40 rushing touchdowns.
is going to walk in this spot. With Justin Jefferson there. And Aaron Jones is coming back and Hawkinson and the rest of them. and get beat out. By J.J.
McCarthy. Honestly. It's straight up. That you don't bring in Kyler Murray. Without Saying He's going to get the first shot, certainly, since.
Last year. You put a thumb on the scale for the kid to the point where Sam Darnold's like, I can't stick around here. I'm going to go to a spot for my new spot. And he wins a Super Bowl there. That place is a lid on a boiling pot.
And then on top of it. What more like Kylie Murray is the avatar of how quickly things can change in this world? For a kid Drafted 10th overall in a draft.
Okay. Josh Rosen was exactly that, saying there were nine mistakes. By the way, if you look at the nine kids chosen in front of him, they're all grown ass men now. But remember, Josh Rosen said there's nine mistakes in front of me, and I'm going to prove them wrong.
Well Okay. Yeah. Out he goes, in comes Kyler.
So, to me, J.J. McCarthy, unless there is some form of a. Massive seismic. Event. He's not starting week one for this team.
Shooting straight up to you all. And and kudos to, you know. Kyler forgetting his gig. And I understand, you know, O'Connell saying all the stuff like, I don't have to name anything now, and he needs to work hard because he couldn't possibly need him. Don't forget, Sam Darnold and J.J.
McCarthy, that was a competition. Young kid who doesn't have to start right away, may not have the experience. Let's bring in the veteran. There was that going on. And then McCarthy gets hurt.
It's Darnold's gig. Yada, yada, yada. He leaves, he wins the Super Bowl elsewhere.
So they had a year last year. Where they have a ready-made team right now, and they're just not going to go through that again. And I understand why they wouldn't. I understand why they wouldn't. They have a ready-made team.
They got a bunch of guys who can win this division, win double-digit games, win playoff games, and who the heck knows win the whole damn thing. And Kyler now has every reason to do it. He's got a fresh new football lease on life. He's got a coach. He's got An all world receiver who's ready to roll?
And again, just straight up. McCarthy versus Murray in a flat open competition? I think Murray would have the thumb on the scale here. or at least the first third of the season, I'll be honest with you. I asked somebody who will remain nameless, who I trust implicitly in the talent evaluation and also football.
Rostering and all that sort of stuff. I asked him: there's no chance J.J. McCarthy beats out Kyler Murray. For the starting job, he texted me back, correct?
So what people in the league are thinking and saying and what have you. And you know, good luck to having this competition. To my guy in McCarthy. He's got a, he's got a big. Uphill climb, big.
And you could sit here and go, oh, what did Kyler do? He didn't do this, he didn't do that. He's got all this experience. And he's also got. The leg up with a team that turned to McCarthy last year.
And watch the guy who Was with him in the elevated quarterback room, leave and win a Super Bowl. That will leave a mark no matter how much. They might not be saying it does.
So We will see there will be a competition at some point Kyler will start one. McCarthy will start one in the preseason, and O'Connell's going to have to make a call, and that's why they pay him the big bucks. But at the end of the day, I think they really want to see what Murray looks like in their offense. and not just in their offense at all, but when it counts. And give him at least a month.
And if he doesn't work out, then you turn to the kid. I think, am I wrong? Am I off on this? Anybody else? Bueller?
No. Why else are you bringing him in? Right, exactly. And it's not in a vacuum. Where it's rep on rep.
No, it's what happened last year, what happened the year before, what they saw from McCarthy, what they saw from their team, what they saw what their team could potentially do, and what the guy that they used to have at quarterback did elsewhere.
So That's my two cents on this move. Yeah. Look, like I said yesterday, man, if you take week 13 and 14, J.J. McCarthy, what he did against Washington, Dallas, there's something there. Right.
There's definitely some.
So, competition, even if he doesn't get the job, he gets to sit. He still gets to work on his craft. Like, you know, we met J.J. We like him too. Absolutely.
He's a very likable kid. I don't think this is the end. This is just, he's 23. But it's not a personality contest in the NFL. That's why it stands for not for long.
It stands for not for long. And what it stood for is the Vikings traded up, got him, didn't think Sam Darnold was going to be a 14-win quarterback. They hoped he did. Didn't think McCarthy was going to get hurt. Didn't think he was going to get hurt.
And the precise. I mean, these are all, and then last year they did like, we're going to have to go through our lumps. There were a lot more lumps than I thought that they were expecting. He also was not available a lot. Right.
And that, I'm sure, leads them to think we're not going to go through the ups and downs again. We're just not. And Kyler Murray's being brought in. Is he the guy to actually smooth everything out? In Arizona, he wasn't.
Let's be straight up too. But it's a new situation, slate clean. And unfortunately for McCarthy, like Slate Clean 2. It just doesn't matter where you would draft it anymore. It's a tough league.
Yeah. 844-204-Rich, number to dial. Let's turn our attention to. The NBA, Jalen Brown, is done with the whistles for SGA. And also, and I think maybe the rest of the league is beginning to feel that way too.
Bam out of bio. His 83-point game. Brian Winhorse is going to join us on that and all so much more. when we come back on The Rich Eisen Show. Bye, bro.
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Rich Eisen here. The tax deadline will be here before you know it. And you just want to know your taxes are actually being handled. But the old way, you hand everything off and then silence. Days pass, weeks pass.
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The professional parts people will even install your new wiper blades for free. Choose Rainx Latitude Wiper Blades at your local O'Reilly Auto Parts store or online at O'ReillyAuto.com. Jizen Show Radio and TV, Brian Winhorst is right here on the program. Good to see you, Brian. How are you, sir?
I'm really well. What's up, guys? It's probably the fourth or fifth time I've seen those clips, and I just sat back and smiled. I saw. That is why you smile.
I smiled the first time. Why are you smiling? I'm just here for all of it. I'm here for all of it. I have honorary, my honorary backdrop today is Miami.
Okay. Out of respect. I mean, who knows where I am? I could be anywhere, right? But I just want you to know we have Norwegian cruise lines, five-day cruise to the Bahamas.
Out of respect, you know.
So I love the attitude. The thing about this is, the way this went down, even in the moment it was going down, I had this unique perspective. Everybody is going to be a time and place when they saw this, but I was at Crypto Arena. The other crypto.com, the arena the other night, and it was pregame for the Wolves and Lakers. And that was a very late start, 8 o'clock in LA.
So, even though the Miami game was in the fourth quarter, that game was a half hour, 40 minutes from starting. And It just started making its way around the arena. Bam has 60. Bam's going for 70. And as he got closer, coaches, because when the coaches come out in the court to warm up the players, they don't usually bring their phones.
And the players. Started migrating over to the sideline, and all the NBA personnel, the scouts and the executives, and the agents who were there, the reporters, the media, we all had our phones out. and were watching the game. And some of the players went to the back to go watch it on T V. JJ Reddick said he stopped his pregame prep to watch it on T V.
There was a genuine like awe and joy and of the NBA family. And then, when they announced in the arena that he had broken Kobe's mark. Um there was loud booze. Um and I mean the uh Lawrence Tanter who I think is a American Treasurer, the PA announcer at Staples. He likes to prompted him a little bit because he was like, I have a melancholy announcement.
Bam Metabio scored 83.
So it wasn't 100% natural, but even if he had not done that, I think they would have booed. And so it was sort of the perfect storm, Rich. Because If you watch the way the game ended, there was grade A shenanigans, triple teaming, all these free throws. They're fouling to extend the game. They're missing free throws on purpose so Ban gets an offensive rebound.
Unquestionable shenanigans in the last three or so minutes of the game.
So if you're somebody who that bothers, you're going to be bothered by it. If you're a Kobe fan, Absolutely. And the Kobe fans all see themselves as stewards of his legacy.
So, and I respect it. That's an awesome thing.
So, but even if there was no way, like I've speculated what. The circumstances would be that the Kobe fans would approve someone scoring 82 points. Seriously, I want you to think about that. I'm not so sure that there are any circumstances that they would have gone over it. Maybe.
If it was like in the finals, For the Lakers. Maybe they would allow it under protest. They would give a golf clap. I don't think that a circumstance exists. Where they would have been pleased that somebody surpassed Kobe.
And then, if you've got the people out there who just didn't like the way the game ended, they don't care about the first 70 points or the first 72, wherever the game got wacky. They're gonna totally not focus on that and only focus on those last 10 points. And then you have people who were like the NBA people that I was. witnessing it with who thought it was totally awesome. Because one thing about Bam, I covered Team USA in the twenty one Olympics and the twenty four Olympics.
He was on both teams.
So I traveled the world with him. Um And I can tell you that he is beloved by the By he and totally respected by his star peers. Because of the way he plays the game and because of his attitude. And so, within the NBA field, I know that there's been detractors out there. I'm not saying all 400 members are giving it the thumbs up, but I think it's been interesting the way.
The different groups have responded to it because this particular scenario is so ripe. For different groups to take and hold the defended position. Yeah, it's the last three minutes, right? Like, that's it. It really is the way that he got to the 83.
I think that people are having problems with. And certainly. You know, in Los Angeles you saw last night, l um, it's all over the place on your phone and all, you know, any social media you're on. Luca had needed one assist to have a fifty point triple double last night. He took himself out.
You could even read his lips.
Somebody's like, You need one more assist? He says, I don't care. You could see that there's That sort of bristling going on. Um Wembanyama, I mean, basically Was the he like just sort of how would you describe? I don't know how to describe it.
He was the avatar of if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all.
Okay, is the way I took it. I would agree with that. Yeah. You know, like that's the way I took that. And then Toko is like, it's the wizards.
You know what I mean? He just came through the front door.
So, why is that then? It's the last three minutes, right? Because Atabayo is beloved and he's so likable. I mean, the fact that he had Asia Wilson with him too is awesome. Like, there were some really nice things about this.
I agree. I did not like it when they were fouling to extend the game. Really, the Heath started behaving like they were behind. They were fouling to win the game, and they were getting offensive rebounds and throwing them back out. For a bit for three.
Right, and I think I could even see that there was one moment you could read his lips screaming, don't foul. Yeah. He was screaming that to his teammates. I agree. It was nasty work, and I still loved it.
Sorry. But also, Wendy, like, Bam is like, you know, anyone would go for it. Literally, Kobe took himself out of a game where he had a chance to maybe get. you know, ninety. Yeah, that's right.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
So why why is he upset that people are upset? Um I think uh because it it um Because it was truly a moment of a lifetime. And I think any of us in that situation would feel a certain type of way about people taking shots at you. And here's just in general. And I want to be clear.
This is like people saying that Jalen Brown, who is a finals MVP, NBA champion, and has a $300 million contract, is underrated. I want to be clear. Bam at Abayo is a multi-time all-star, two-time Olympian, has a max contract. He is not underrated.
However, he is underappreciated quite often. And so I think, you know, this is, you know, you can't be. A Cinderella story if you went to Kentucky and then were a lottery pick. But he is from a trailer park. in rural North Carolina.
And he's never, I can tell you that he's never let that go away. And when he sees other people make, You know, first team all NBA or win Defensive Player of the Year. Like maybe I want to say three years ago. I can't remember who won Defensive Player of the Year that year, but there was three years ago I thought it was a particularly hard vote for Defensive Player of the Year. And there's so much nuance to that award that I don't trust my eyes because it's not always about statistics.
So I have a tradition where I call up. coaches and ask them, hey, who should I vote for? for defensive player of the year. And that particular year, I talked to a couple of coaches, but I talked to Tom Thibodeau. And Tibbs like implored me uh to vote for Bam.
He gave me his whole case and all of his reasons. And Tom watches as much tape as anybody in the world. And I respected it, and I voted for Bam for Defensive Player of the Year that year. And he's always felt that he's been underappreciated a little bit on that sort of stuff.
So, part of the way he's going to react is somebody who feels like he was. Underrated a little bit. In fact, we got, you know, I wouldn't say we got into it, but we had a one-way argument during the Paris Games. Because you remember when Tatum didn't play? Yeah.
I was on TV sort of talking about the challenges that Steve Kerr was trying to do. And um I was saying maybe a place a guy who who Kerr could take out of the rotation is Bam At a Bio to get Tatum some minutes. I said I thought it was unlikely 'cause Eric Spolstra is on the staff. And the next day there was a practice or something, and he came over the same look that he gave the camera when he said I was going to come out of the game with 70, where he like looked down at me like that, he looked at me and was like, I guard one through five. You think they're going to take me out of the game?
They're going to take me out of the game? You know, he gave that same look. And so that's when I look at that, I just laugh. And by the way, they didn't. They didn't.
They kept Adam out of the rotation.
So I think. Part of the way he's responding is to a guy who doesn't think he gets his due anyway. And now he has this historically great moment that he's going to be a Hall of Famer, by the way. He's going to be a Hall of Famer. He was probably already going to be.
He's been to two finals, two Olympics, a bunch of All-Star Games, a bunch of. He's going to be, you know, he's 28. He'll add to his career. He's going to be a Hall of Famer. And when he goes in the Hall of Fame, there's a good chance that that will be.
The headline, the 83-point game. And so he's had this moment of his life and he sees people out there denigrating it, and he feels a certain way. I respect it. Me too. Brian Winhorst here on The Rich Eisen Show.
Let's talk Jalen Brown, NBC, having the game between Oklahoma City and Boston on Thursday night. Uh, there's a an SGA drive whistle, didn't really appear to him being touched. You could hear. Jalen Brown screamed, That's not basketball. And then, after the game, he added these two cents.
I don't know. Maybe it all works in the end, but you know, I just don't foul bait. I'm not looking to flop or anything like that. But it's almost like you got to. It's almost like because there's a couple plays in the fourth quarter where I felt like I drove strong, went up strong, and I didn't get the benefit of the doubt.
But maybe if I would have flopped, maybe I was able to sell that call and those decide games. We commend players for playing the game the right way, but we give the benefit to those who, you know, who necessarily are trying to manipulate the game into their advantage. I just don't think it's basketball. Like, let's just play basketball. All the foul baiting.
I think it's whatever for me. Not basketball, foul baiting, manipulation. This year, this SGA free throw merchant. Narrative seems to be reaching a fever pitch, Brian. What do you think?
Yeah, it's like a rite of passage. You know, like when people go and tourist things to cities, you know, they go to New Orleans, they have beignets. You know, he's like the leaning tower of fouling. Is that what you're saying? Like, everybody who plays the thunder comes in and, you know, he could put together a reel of everybody complaining about this.
Of course, as soon as these comments became widely disseminated, a whole bunch of Oklahoma city-affiliated folks started producing video of Jalen trying to do some of the same things. Although I think Jalen is an honest broker. I respect that when he says things, he's being mostly honest. And In all honesty, from my perspective, And in this game, by the way, he had five fouls and fouls four and five. We're in the fourth quarter.
In fact, he had to come out of the game late because of the fouls. There was, you could suspect the Thunder players of exaggerating contact. One was a loose ball foul where Chet Holmgren went flopping into the lane. He did grab him on the shoulder, but Holmgren went back like he got hit by his pitchfork. And then there was another play where Jalen bumped Alex Caruso off the ball, and Caruso went down in a heap, and it was his fifth foul.
And so I understand what he's frustrated about. And it's like there's this parade of coaches and people who come up and complain about it. In all honesty, if you're going to complain about one thing with Shay, I think, and by the way, he's not alone in this. I think with where, and Steve Kerr talked about this a little bit too recently. He's.
The arm bar that he gets away with, not gets away with, that implies it's not legal. The arm bar that is allowed by the officials that he uses to create separation. Which he has perfected almost to an art form, not only in his ability to do it without getting called for the foul, but in his ability to do it to knock the defender off balance without like shoving, outright shoving him. And the way he's worked on the timing, you can tell he's spent hours working on it to create the space for that mid-range step back.
Sometimes it's all the way back to the three-point line, but most of the time it's that mid-range step back. I mean, that is where he gets a huge advantage. For the amount of drives that Shay has. His free throw rate isn't crazy. I know that there are various games where he might have 13, 14 free throws, and you can look at some video clips and say, My God.
But in general, I don't think. I think he is overcredited for the merchant stuff. I think where he is unguardable. Is the arm bar, whatever the proper basketball term is for it. And so he used it last night with 30 seconds left in the game.
He got isolated on Baylor Shireman. Shireman, he has good size. He's doing a decent job. By the way, if this was a playoff game, Um, you know, Tatum and Derek White would have probably played, and the switches wouldn't have resulted in matchups with Baylor Shireman and Shea in the last minute of the game. No offense to Baylor, Baylor's having a breakout second season, but that wouldn't be the matchup.
But that's neither here nor there. But he creates a separation with that arm, and so. Shake of this Alexander is going to go to the line. Jalen Brown's going to go to the line. Jalen Brown is top six or seven in free throws.
Himself this year. And what part of the reason he's able to raise his game is that he has gone in there and gotten fouls. That rule is where what I'm saying is, if you want to complain about Shea and you want to create your whisper campaign or maybe even your shout campaign to deal with what has become just a killer unstoppable force, Focus on that thing. And because by the way, That's legal. What he is doing is legal.
And um and that is something that I think the league could take a look at as they try to deal with this, you know, this guy who cannot be stopped right now. Yeah, in the two minutes I have left with you, again, I I understand everybody does it. Uh he seems to have perfected it to an art form. What is being discussed amongst the uh best you can tell uh amongst management um in the league office and and the officiating crew? To look for this sort of stuff.
Yeah, so what's really the officiating has vacillated the last couple of years. You know, for years, the rule changes that were put in all favored the offense. You really couldn't put your hands on any player moving towards the basket. Adam Silver, over the course of years, would routinely refer to it as freedom of movement. They didn't want anybody holding people off the ball.
They didn't want anybody using, you know, any sort of strength to impede a guy going to the basket. You put any sort of pressure on a guy going to the basket, it's a hand check. Those have been happening for 20 years. And then all of a sudden, two years ago, midway through the season, the officials started allowing a lot more physicality from defenses. They would allow the defense to apply, you know, hands and physicality to the offense.
And that has sort of, like I said, gone up.
Sometimes they call it, sometimes they don't. There's these, all of a sudden, there'll be these stretches where, like for a while this year, scoring was the highest it ever was. And then all of a sudden, like a third of the way into the season, scoring dropped dramatically, and the fouls dropped dramatically. And you're like, oh, the officials are coming back again.
Now we're seeing it go up.
So there's this give and take that happens in the league. But. Yeah. Freedom of movement is totally fine. I don't think that's going away, but the offensive player.
Being allowed to do something that the defensive player cannot do. If the defensive player does this to the offensive player, two shots, it's a foul. The offensive player does it, it's allowed. That's something that will be raised in the competition committee, I believe, especially if you see. Shay, go and win the finals MVP again, doing that about 25 times during a final series.
Brian, thanks for the time, man. I don't know if you're aware, but that cruise ship hasn't moved one lick this entire conversation. It's coming, sir. It's a weekend cruise. It's waiting for me.
Well, the Lido deck, Brian Winhorst, is about to hit, no doubt. Do you take requests for backgrounds? I didn't know this. Yes, would you like? I mean, it's under a certain, you know.
Okay. All right.
Next time.
Next time.
Next time.
Next time.
Next time, there'll be something different back there, and you'll be surprised. Very good. Or next time we'll just have you here in studio. That's my request too.
Okay. I would love to. TJ Brockman. Have a great weekend. Thanks, Wendy.
Thank you, Brock. Have a great weekend. I'm with you, Wendy. Man, I've never in my life seen nobody score 83, so I was down with it. Yeah, absolutely.
Come on. I thought it was racked. The first 70? Does anybody give him credit for the first 70? Or are we just going to litigate the last 12?
Wendy, here's the thing. If he had just ta taken himself out of the game with nine minutes to go with at 70, he'd be universally celebrated this week. And Wendy, this comes from a man who would never have taken himself out of a game when he got. I'm just telling you. And I don't know if you heard what was said.
They don't care that you feel that way. Nor apparently do you. Thanks for the time, Brian. You move up, button. That's Brian Winhorse to everybody.
God, I love trotting with him. He makes me laugh, but also informs me at the same time. Yeah. It's like going to see SGA being accused of being a free throw merchant. It's like going to see the sights in a famous sightseeing town.
The free throw merchant of Venice. Look, kids, Big Ben, Parliament. That's right. I don't have to go to Oklahoma City. There you go.
844-204-Rich is the number to dial right here on the Rich Eisen Show. Don't go anywhere.
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I go back and forth. Shea Gilgis Alexander is the MVP for a reason. He's supremely talented. And It just gets so frustrating to me that he gets fouls. where he doesn't get touched.
He does not get touched. He doesn't have to play like that to be great. He's already a great player. He's the MVP. They just won a championship.
Play basketball. Like, obviously, I'm with Jalen Brown here, but that's not basketball. What he does routinely. But we've seen that forever in a day in the same way that. You were talking about how we've seen you know, uh players get Big time.
You know, 100 point night for Wilt and 81 from Kobe. And that there's a lot of free throws that are being taken in those performances. And there's. Will we ever see an 83-point performance where they needed every single point to win at the buzzer? You know what I mean?
Probably not. Probably not. So. But we've seen players play like this forever in a decade. Look at Harden.
My whole thing is: this is on the reps. Harden too, I know. This is on the reps, right? It is on the reps. We all know that these aren't fouls, right?
The same thing with Hardin would always do is swing through or step back or always get through. For a third step. The refs know this. They don't have to blow the whistle. You said change the way you play back.
I'm not changing nothing as long as he's got tell them to stop blowing the whistle, and maybe I'll switch up what I'm doing. Have some pride. What is it? You really want to like. You really want to get points and win games like that?
You're the king if you ain't cheating, you're not trying. I don't like that label. But you've said it before. You've said it before many times. The rules are there to help you.
Well, and that's what he's there to do. He's using the rules to his advantage. And I don't think it's a lack of pride. It doesn't mean I have to like it. It's just, I hear you.
But your point is right, TJ. Like, the officials know this going in, they know this going into the game. 100%. They all look at film of the teams that they're playing. They all talk.
And it's just like They're the ones who are fa falling for the banana and the tailpipe, man. You know, like that's what's happening right now. And it it is frustrating as a fan. And certainly, you know, uh on the BAM Autobio front with with um The coach saying I apologize to absolutely no one. That as a fan, I find that funny.
And I'm like, Yeah, that's right. Connor McSpulson. We're not here for you, right? We're here for us. I get it.
And that's awesome. And I totally respect that. Bottom line, the thing that offended me Was here's a coach in the NBA flat out saying another team's tanking. We're not going to lose to them. I don't have a bunch of players that I'm playing because he's basically like a coach saying, Either we're load managing some people, we've got some people with injuries, we're not playing them tonight because we're playing the Wizards, they're tanking.
So I turn to my one guy and I'm like, We're all about you tonight. And all of a sudden, it turns around, it turns into a special night. And I'm sitting here thinking, here is a head coach in the NBA, flat out saying into a microphone, the other team's not trying to win. And that's a challenge for us tonight. Is the other team?
Is not trying to win.
So we're not going to lose to that team. But they weren't. They were up 25 going into the fourth quarter. No, I, but you're. That's got nothing to do with.
I'm putting the bam stuff aside. I'm putting aside that here, we're in a situation where one team. is challenged Because the other team is not trying to win.
Well, that's on the commissioner. I heard that last from him, and I'm like, what the hell? We're just gonna blow past that. That's not a problem. Because usually the issues for a team to win are matchups.
Injuries? Not not like we're we're this is a dangerous team because It's all house money for them if they take us out because they're not trying to. Come on now.
So we're going to just turn to our one guy because we have some other team. Again, I'm not. Fully aware of of the injury report for the Miami Heat. But are they all injured or are they just resting them? They're bath restarters right now.
Okay, so. It just, it, it's just, just a, so we're talking about one guy who was the MVP of the league. who we all think is playing in a way that's You know. A little bit cheap. Or disrespectful.
to himself And then you got a guy who scores 83 points. And there's a lot of shrugging and complaints. You know what annoys me. You know what I mean? Like, that's a damn shame, man.
Great sport. What annoys me is we're living in this world, like, not just sports in the world, where, like, people who are doing bad things. Always seem to be constantly celebrated. Yeah, we got two guys in Shea and Bam who no one has anything bad to say. They guys do things the right way, they're good people, everyone likes them, and collectively now we're crapping on them.
And I don't know, like, maybe it's just me, but I find that just hard to wrap my head around. Sports aren't real life. But they are real life. They're real players. The real people are in real life.
We want to go and be happy, but that enthusiastic about what we're watching, and you see what's going on, you're just like, come on, man, you're better than that.
Well The fouling at the end of the game, you can't dispute, was just like an eye roll. And then, you know, Shay is such a spectacular player, and again, worthy of the MVP. worthy of the NBA. Championship. But then you see stuff like last night every now and then and it just gets frustrating.
It's a frustrating watch at the end of the day. You know? Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show Podcast. You can watch and listen to The Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app, The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
