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Now, on with the show. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Elbow, that's what we got. Elbow by Victor. This is the Rich Eisen Show.
You don't miss shots, Chris. Nick Bri's even more open and he hits a corner triple. The Rich Eisen Show. Today's guests. ESPN senior writer Vincent Goodwill.
Comedian Ron Taylor. Former Sports Center and Late Late Show host Craig Kilbourne. And now, it's Rich Eisen. All right, everybody. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show live on Disney Plus, live on the ESPN app, live on.
ESPN Radio and Sirius XM Channel 80 coast to coast. We are thrilled to be here on this Monday after a very Very dramatic weekend in the world of basketball. NBA, WNBA tipping off. We had all sorts of stuff going down in Major League Baseball. The NFL has announced its first opening game here in the United States for the season on a Sunday night.
844-204 Rich is the number to dial here on the program to chat with us. Good to see you over there, Chris Brockman. How are you? Rich, I'm great, man. What's up?
DJ Mikey D is in D's nuts. Good to see you. And a man who, as a Sixer fan, is used to being surrounded by New Yorkers. Good to see you, TJ Jefferson. What's going on, sir?
How are you? Loud New Yorkers, I guess. I'm good. Or people from the New York metropolitan area. To show there was no animosity, I wore a shirt from one of my favorites.
Yeah. New York City eats its young. How to make it in America, you know, just to show that I don't know animosity. Wow. Good to know.
Okay. I didn't know you were referring to the entire Philadelphia 76ers as young. That was a meal. Young. That was a game that ate like a meal.
We'll talk about that on this program, but we lead with Victor Wembunyama's elbow. You know, it's kinda crazy how um That timber wolves And um And Spurs series has developed easily. The series of the second round. I mean, obviously, it's the only one that's now a best of three. And the Cleveland Cavaliers can make that.
Tonight, with the Detroit Pistons visiting Cleveland in a very crucial game four of that series. And of course, you know, when one series is already a suite with the Knicks having taken care of the Sixers. And then you've got the Thunder. Uh honored. On a Sunday, getting the 12th overall pick in the draft due to the lottery and the way everything's played out with the Clippers, who did get a nice break.
We'll talk about the lottery later on. Thank you. That series is here in Los Angeles expected to close out tonight. But the Spurs and the Timberwolves. Timberwolves watched the Spurs take a two games to one lead.
Chris Finch and. The officials with Tony Rob right uh Roberts, right? The one who was trying to get that name right. Obviously, Tony Roberts is an actor from the Woody Allen movies in the 70s. But the Tony Brothers.
Trading Brothers, pardon me. You know, they're going at it and game free, and that was wild. And, you know, we got a coach calling an official unprofessional. Yeah. And, you know, Spurs are up two games to one.
And then last night, Victor Wembanyama throws an elbow and DeAaron Fox gets hurt. And the Spurs appear to be poised to take a three games to one lead anyway. But the Victor Wembanyama ejection Last night. Quite rare. for an all-star to get ejected in a playoff game.
Certainly with eight thirty nine left in the second quarter. It's so rare. How rare is it? Yeah. It's the earliest an all-star has been tossed in a playoff game in the play by play era.
Which means the way that the NBA tracks its games, that's the 1997-98. Season And the Spurs become The ninth team to watch an all-star get bounced before the fourth quarter period. Teams are now 1-8. And this moment on the screen right here. I will show you.
Victor Wembanyama learning The flagrant too is called on the elbow hitting Nas Reid. And he turns to Harrison Barnes. If you could pop that photograph up one more time, that would be great. He turns to Harrison Barnes and he says to him. Uh hey You know, what does that mean?
The other thing, too, is Harrison Barnes is six foot eight, and Wembanyama's seated and is able to put his hand around his neck to have Barnes get closer so he can hear the answer. Right. How about that? Right. And he asks Harrison Barnes, what does that mean?
And Barnes tells him you've been ejected. You gone. And he says, Okay. You know what that reminded me of? What's that?
It reminded me of the time that Private first class Downey asked Corporal Dawson about the verdict. Yeah, right? What does that mean, Corporal Dawson? How? How?
It means... We should have protected Santiago. Yeah. As uh the code red got God Pulled on Victor won Bunyama by the officials. Honestly, that's the first thing I thought of.
So it looks like, what does that mean? Yeah, you've been ejected. It's going to go on your record. And now, Victor Wembanyama is at the front and center of the latest drama. to be played out in the NBA playoffs.
Off the court. at a microphone in a press conference. Where the head coach of the Spurs, Mitch Johnson, Took to the podium and when Bunyama, I believe, is this the first time, certainly in his playoff career. That he is receiving the treatment, the star treatment, the all-world, all-star treatment of his coach caping. For him, they get better calls from the officials.
I mean, this is straight out of the Phil Jackson playbook. The Pat Riley playbook. Using the post-game podium microphone to Send a message to the officials of hey, where the hell are the whistles? Because, yeah, when you see this play over and over and over again. You could see Wembanyama.
Looking at Nas Reid as he throws the elbow.
Now, You can also say his eyes were closed and all that sort of business, but it does appear to me that he is well aware of Nas Reed's vicinity to him. The proximity to him and the elbow getting thrown, and it catches. I mean, it just barely. missed catching him like a like a left cross In a prize fight match that could have knocked him straight out. I mean, part of it caught him in the neck, which is, I think, very.
Lucky, because he could have knocked him right out. And you could also see though. I believe That is Jaden McDaniels grabbing Wembanyama's other arm with his arms. And the latest Fouling of Wembanyama that did not get called by the Refs. I mean, the Timberwolves are beating the crap out of Victor Wembanyama in these playoffs, beating him up, tugging on his jersey.
Going ahead and slapping them every time they get, knocking them over whenever they possibly can. Do what you got to do. Get off. Get off me. And I don't blame him for this.
I don't think this was intentional. And it was intentional, but I don't blame them because what else are you going to do to the duty?
Well, put a pin in that for the moment. Here's Mitz Johnson, the head coach of the Spurs, afterwards, saying. What he wanted to communicate to everyone else, potentially also in the league office, of anybody that can. Think about suspending Wembanyama off of this. I'm glad he took matters into his old hands.
Again, not in terms of hitting Nas Reed, but I'll let me be very clear about that. I'm glad Nas Reed was okay and I didn't want him to elbow him, but he's going to have to protect himself if they're not. And I think it's disgusting.
So it's it's sounding to me like you would there's something differently you'd like to see from the officials in the way they they um officiate him. I just think that the amount of physicality that people play with with him, at some level you have to protect yourself. He's gotten chucked, he's gotten pushed down in transition, running freely. All the stuff. He doesn't complain one time.
We don't complain because we're just going to play. We don't really give a shit. Excuse my language. But. at some stage he should be protected, and if not, He's gonna have to protect himself and unfortunately stuff like that happens.
So Coach the Spurs. Also asked if this means because again Um Not to go all full A few good men again. What does the flagrant two mean? It means a minimum of $2,000 for a fine, but it also means the league. The association can take a look at this for further discipline, and others have been suspended for elbowing another individual.
And catching That individual in the face. That's happened before, and there's a Game 5 coming up, and this is a massive decision by the NBA. And we'll talk about it with Vincent Goodwill shortly. But I don't know, intentional or not. He's been hammered.
He's been mugged. You could watch it. And he's got to get used to it because there's no way to guard him. You can't guard him. There's no one else that can guard him.
I mean, and if the Spurs do make it to the Western Conference finals, I can't wait to watch him and Chet Holmgren go at it.
Well, because they legit don't like each other. They don't like each other. I know that. And so somebody who. Who Can shoot threes and potentially guard him.
He's unguardable.
So, what you have to do is keep tugging on him and keep hitting him and keep bothering him, and maybe he'll throw an elbow at you. And I guess he chose the right guy to throw an elbow to. Listen to Nas Reid's reaction to getting hit. In terms of taking the elbow, were you surprised? How much did it impact you?
How much did it hurt? And uh Have you hit like that before in this game? Pain is weakness leaving the body. That's it. There you go.
Pain is weakness leaving the body. Yes, and say, that's the U.S. Army slogan. I need to think that every single time I run the 40-yard dash. Know that that's all it is.
I had no idea. Pain don't hurt. In fact, pain don't hurt. Pain is only weakness leaving the body. Nobody makes me bleed my blood.
There's a lot of weakness that left the chin and the neck area. If it bleeds, we can kill him. I don't think he should be suspended. I mean, the guy missed half the game. Man, I would hope not.
I mean, look, this is where reputation helps, right? If there's other players in the league, say, like a guy who was on the dais for a roast yesterday, automatic suspension. Wemby, kind of clean slate with most of the big wigs. I think he'll be fine. How about this?
He's not wrong. Coach Johnson about how he doesn't complain. He never. He didn't even stand up, put his arms up. What's going on?
I got ejected for that. Didn't you see I'm getting dragged? I'm getting hit. He never does say a word. You know what he also doesn't do?
It's a flop. He doesn't hit the floor all that much. He doesn't flop. He's getting hit in the chin. I watched all of the.
You know. Montages that wound up in the you know, palm of my hand on my threads feed yesterday. And he got hit in the chops multiple times. Julius Randall is grabbing him. Everybody's grabbing him.
I mean, Gobert hit him in the face at one point. In the face. And he doesn't do anything. He does not flop. He does not hit the floor.
Because that's like a fall from nine and a half feet. Then you got to get back up.
Well, I mean, as you know, this is the second time he's. Missed time in the playoffs because of a fall he did take against Portland. And So he's not used to hitting the floor. And as you, you know, that's a big timber. Is that his nickname?
Isn't it a big timber? No, that's Embiid's nickname. Come on. That's Embiid's nickname. As he's, I mean, the number of times he's on the floor, it's absurd.
We're talking about Wemby now. I don't want to go full KG on you. How do you say that in French, by the way? Big Timber. Big Timber?
Let's say. Big Timber, French translation.
Okay. So. It's tied to two games apiece because in a game we're talking about an elbow. How about a foot at the end? Do you see the way this game ended?
With a full court pass and a one-possession game, and it went through the arms of. Of Io D Sumu, and it goes through the arms and hits his foot as it flies up in the air, which keeps it from going out of bounds, and he corrals it in time for him to. Get fouled. He goes to the free throw line, and that was your road. That was wild.
Oh, and by the way, Anthony Edwards with a 36-piece, 13 to 22 from the floor. No, biggie.
So And he also said, you know, his mother who passed away when he was young, he did that for his mother on Mother's Day. is what he said afterwards.
So there you have it. What a game that was last night. Great series. Great series. The other ones are going to be, one's a wrap, one's about to be a wrap, and the other one could be a wrap if Detroit wins tonight.
Yeah. You know, we'll see. That's 2-1. Oh, and by the way, we should just basically also say the reason why it's 2-1. James Harden came up with some big points.
By the way, I just went high register. That's going to happen. James Harden came up with some big points in the paint. A three-pointer that should have been a four-point play opportunity. You know, Cleveland played really well.
They did. They're strong. They've been at top of the east the last few years.
So that's on NBC Peacock tonight, Prime Video. Has Oklahoma City trying to wrap things up against the Los Angeles Lakers? Boy, do they feel. Like Austin Reeves is a defensive liability, or what? Man, did they go after him?
And DeAndre Ayton, suddenly, the not going for rebounds version of Ayton has popped up at the worst possible time as J.J. Reddick appeared. I don't know if you saw this. You could lip read it. Him saying at one point, it seems like he said, I can't play him.
Mm-hmm.
So that's the way things are going for the Los Angeles Lakers. And that's tonight. And we'll talk about it with Vince Goodwill, our friend from ESPN. And our number two, Rod ESPN. Ron Taylor, who was the winner of Funny AF with Kevin Hart on Netflix last week.
He was at the Roast last night. As soon as the uh Stand-up comic and writer and actor who famously worked the door at the comedy store and is now. The winner of Netflix's funny AF with Kevin Hart won that competition. We're like, let's get him in here. Certainly, since he's local, he's a Pistons fan, I imagine, as well.
He's here in hour number two. And oh, perfect timing. With the Timberwolves tying this series up at two games a piece, Lord Kilby will be here. Craig Kilboard will be here. Who's drinking?
And I will, you know, give a little bit more.
Well, I'm car washing him today. I'll explain to you what I'm doing with Craig Kilbourne today and what he's doing with us. Can't wait. 844-204-Rich is that number to dial. Do you think Victor Wembanyama intended to do it?
Do you think he should be suspended? Anything that you have to say about over the weekend? Or what's going on in your life? Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. Vincent Goodwill is next.
The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Rich Eisen here with some advice. If high-interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an Audible with a SoFi personal loan. It consolidates your debt into one low monthly payment with no fees required. And with as soon as the same day funding, you can make the right play fast.
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Get a fifteen dollar O'Reilly gift card after rebate when you buy five quarts of Mobile One Full Synthetic Motor Oil for just thirty five ninety five. Stop by your local O'Reilly Auto Parts. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show, 844-204 Rich is the number to tell. We're cleaning out the crib. We can't follow you along sometimes, Mike.
Sorry, Richard. It's all right, man. You're playing them all. We're talking about the first week of the season. You're like, I smell Rams Chiefs on a Sunday night.
I'm like, wait a minute. They just announced the first Sunday night game of the season. It does not involve either of those teams because the Rams are in Australia. They're just saying at some point down the road.
Okay, very good. Thank you for that, Mike. Yeah, I mean. You all just smell what the Del Tufo is cooking. Vincent Goodwell was kind enough to push his.
You take the Acela, I imagine, right? The fast train from Philadelphia to New York, Vincent, correct? The very fast Acela train.
Okay, absolutely. I'm going to come back for you, Ray. I really appreciate that because I definitely wanted to get your two cents here. The ESPN senior NBA rider joining us here from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after the Knicks. Completed the sweep of the Sixers, but I do want to start with your.
Your two cents, what you may know, not know about how the NBA is viewing Victor Wembunyama's elbow as you and I are chatting here just afternoon. on the Monday. Uh in the aftermath. What do you got?
Well, I know some people might be clamoring. I've seen on some of our ESPN shows. One Kendrick Perkins has been clamoring for a suspension. I don't think that's going to happen. I think, honestly, the best thing for Victor Wimbenyama was that he was thrown out.
Last night, I think had he not been thrown out, had that been a flagrant one, the league probably would have come back and assessed it as a flagrant two plus a suspension. When you miss the last 30-something minutes of a playoff game, that's almost like a full-game suspension already. The league doesn't want to come in and assess another one. He's not a repeat offender. I know it didn't look necessarily like the best play, but Victor Wimbeniyama doesn't have a history of such a thing.
We know that also he's a star, you know, that plays a part in it too. But I don't think it meets the criteria of ejection plus next game suspension in game five of a hotly contested semifinal series.
Okay, so but the conversation is being had right now, league officers, anything like that? Oh, yeah, yeah, the conversation is being had. It's always going to be under review from James Jones, from Adam Silver, from the entire league office. But I haven't gotten any indication as of 1225 right now because anything can happen in the NBA. You never know.
I'm sure you know, as the Knicks fans, some of the suspensions that have been handed down to you guys. Over the course of the past 30 years. Anything can happen that can alter the course of a series. I'm just not sure that I see that happening in this case.
Well, I mean, Mitch Johnson was definitely making his case for Wembanyama being the wronged party. in every second of the game, with the exception of him throwing his elbow at Nas Reid. Where does that conversation stand, do you think, Vince?
Well, I I think, Rich, you have to protect your player. And I think Mitch Johnson, as a, this is, you know, a younger coach. He's in his early 40s. He's going to have a very long relationship with Victor Wimbanyama. This is their first time going through the playoffs.
And Victor is experiencing a level of physicality that, you know, he's not initiating. Rudy Gobert and Nas Reed and Julius Randall, they're putting paws on him. And that's the book on him so far.
So unless you have a goon, and last I checked, there's no Charles Oakley. There's no Anthony Mason. There's no Xavier McDaniel, Rick Mahorn, Bill Lambert, you know, lying around anywhere that they can add to their roster. He's going to have to be the guy at this point to protect himself. I think it was more of a macro conversation that he was having yesterday, as opposed to exactly what was happening in that moment.
And I don't have a problem with it because what better time is there to talk about protecting your player? Because you know what's going to happen in the first couple of minutes of game five in San Antonio if Victor is allowed to play. The Minnesota Timbulls are going to go at him and try to provoke him even. Yeah. Yeah, I mean to have anything on top of that, Johnson said.
In terms of a suspension, I think that would be ridiculous. End quote. Are you saying that Luke Cornett is not going to throw his weight around? Is that what you're saying, Vincent? I am not saying that Luke Cornett is soft.
I am merely saying. Are you saying that? There's only two guys who are really tough guys in today's league that I can really think of. One is Draymond Green, and the other is Isaiah Stewart. And last I checked, the San Antonio Spurs can't make any trades between now and then.
And we would have all called the Spurs foolish. If they would have gotten a designated goon, so to speak, before the start of the season, they hadn't won a playoff series. They hadn't even gotten to the playoffs.
So, for them to use a roster spot as a designated victor protector, we all would have laughed at them and said that they had gotten ahead of their skis. It's just now. I, for one, Rich, am happy that there is a level of contentiousness in the playoffs. I'm not happy that Victor threw the elbow, but I'm happy that we are able to see some real hatred and physicality competitively that would even prompt a discussion like this. Yeah, I mean, and so you hear what Mitch Johnson is saying about the lack of whistles for his big guy.
Chris Finch also calling Tony Brothers, quote, completely unprofessional behavior from Friday night. Is there was nothing, no pushback from the association on this, or where does that stand, Vincent?
Well, the league kind of chuckles at such things because they know Chris Finch likes to work the officials in and out of the game. Like, these guys are actual normal human beings. And then when it's 48 minutes, they all turn into maniacs that are unhinged and super competitive when you consider the stakes and everything else. And Tony Brothers is not a guy who's going to take a whole lot of guff from today's coaches. It doesn't look.
you know, like sonically correct and everything else to see a coach sort of walking, an official walk towards a coach and look like he initiates something. But I'm sure Tony Brothers have been hearing it all night from Chris Finch and decided to say, hey, I've had enough. These things, well, luckily, you don't have the same officials for every game, so the relationships don't carry over from game to game. But once again, I don't mind that at all, and I don't think the league minds it either. And then before we get to more of the playoffs, the draft lottery, Vincent Goodwill, the conversation.
was uh all about the body language. of A. J. DeBonsa sitting there, not seeming like his life has just been made, no tears, as the Washington Wizards won it all. What's your take on all of that?
Vincent.
Well, Rich, these guys are trained. Media trained. They know all the cameras are going to be on them. They are trained to be frozen. Even if it's, you know, Cleveland and LeBron James, if something like that were to happen, where the hometown kid knew he was going number one and knew he wanted to go to the hometown team, and that's what wound up happening, you're still going to keep a straight face.
No longer is going to be the day where, who I can't remember the executive's name for the New York Knicks went in the blue suit when Patrick Ewing was going to be announced as the New York Knicks number one draft pick in 1989. That was Dave DeBuscher. That was the old school Nick, Dave DeBusher, man. He was Dave DeBusher. Yeah, I couldn't remember which Nick it was, but yeah, that type of reaction isn't going to happen.
These guys are so sophisticated. I don't think it was a markup, man, I don't want to go to Washington, D.C. Because when you look at all four teams, Is there a better situation than the Wizards, a team that has not won fifty games since with John Wall? They haven't won fifty games since Michael Jackson put out Off the Wall? Like there's no better place if you're AJ DeBonza that you want to turn around a franchise because what the hell do they know about winning?
I agree. And plus, the Mid-Atlantic, I mean, is eager for a superstar to just. To just circle the wagons around. I mean, just ask Jaden Daniels how much love he feels walking around that town, I'm sure, whenever he does. Um so here here here comes this kid from BYU.
Let's get ready to roll. Ah, I'm with you, Vincent. Yeah, I think D.C. is one of those basketball-starved places. Like, we all know from a sports perspective, you just talked about Washington and how that.
That whole community rallies around that football team. The Wizards have never given their franchise much to care about, short of maybe a short stint with Michael Jordan on the back end that didn't turn out to be much of a playoff experience. Gilbert Arenas gave them a couple of years. Like they've had splotches, but they've never had anything consistent. And now you have a potential young piece healthy that you can build around.
They've already started the rebuild process. Maybe they figure out what they're going to do with the Trey Youngs of the world and Anthony Davis's and everything else. But as Detroit has shown, as other teams have shown, the days of the five-year rebuild is over. You can turn around an NBA franchise in two to three years if you get the draft right, if you get the coach right. Like as much as we talk about there's a lack of dynasties in the NBA and a lack of teams having staying power at the top, that means teams at the bottom, if you do things right, you're not going to stay at the bottom very long either.
Vincey Goodwill here on The Rich Eisen Show.
Okay. What was it like in that arena in Philadelphia? This weekend. You mean Vincent? You mean Nick South?
MSG South? I think that's what. I think it's Southwest of Manhattan. Got to work on that geotagging. Got to work on it.
It was. It was weird. Cause, you know, Rich, this is my first year covering the Eastern Conference in full. Like the past years when I was at Yahoo Sports, I did a lot of Western Conference stuff with Stephen Curry being over there and LeBron James. I was always sent to the number one story.
I've always seen these Knicks seventy Sixer Playoff Series, but T V doesn't do it justice. When you're in there and Joellen Bead is at the line and he's getting booed and Tyrese Maxie's at the line and he's getting booed and every time a Nick does something right, the crowd just erupts. Or what's worse, Rich, 76er fans Leaving the building at some point in the third quarter. Knick fans waving them out as if they're saying, Thank you for leaving this place that you've squatted for a while. We're taking this over.
And it was great that they had white towels because that's exactly what it looked like with the 76ers. It looked like they waved the white towel for two consecutive games and yielding that. I think for as much as the Knicks have played well and they played excellent basketball, when you hit 10 of 11 threes in the first quarter, 11 or 13 or whatever it was, you're playing a high level of basketball. But the Philadelphia 76ers played the part of the Washington Generals for the better part of four games in this series. Yeah, and I don't know.
Uh we talked about it with uh our colleague uh Brian Winhorst that Putting Cat in the role of point center. Has kind of cracked a code here offensively for the Knicks. From you know, being down in the series to one to Atlanta. Since then, pedal to the metal, they're just blowing the doors off of everybody. Right now, and they get to sit back.
and rest for a full week Um, and root for the calves and the pistons to beat each other up. What's the deal with OG Ananobi? Best you can tell. For the next series, Vincent.
Well, Rich Eisen, do you believe that the New York Knicks would be very forthcoming about what they would say about OG Ananobi's health? If that hamstring was falling off the bone, we wouldn't know about it, right? Like, that's just the way it goes with the Knicks, okay? But I do think that the nine-day, potential nine additional days of rest, the Eastern Conference finals, may not start until May 19th. That will give OG Ananobi almost two weeks to come back from this two years ago during the same semifinals of the Eastern Conference.
He had a similar injury on his left hamstring. He missed games two through six of that series against the Pacers. Tried to come back in game seven. It did not work.
Now, to your point about what the Knicks have done. In their eight playoff wins, they have averaged a point differential of 24.5 points per game. None of these games have been competitive. They've lost two games by a total of two points, and they've won these games by a total of 196. This is a generational run that the New York Knicks are playing right now.
You said it. Carl Anthony Towns in the Draymond Green, sort of Arvidas Sabonis position of point forward. It's almost Golden State-esque. Like Mike Brown spent a lot of years with Steve Kerr and Golden State, and he picked up on some things offensively with the cutting and the three-point shooting. And it looks like it's bearing.
And maybe it took a lot of things for the Knicks to get here. Had to change their offense at mid-season. He had to change it again after game three of the Atlanta Series. Similar to the way that Golden State had to change how they were playing in the lineups that they were using in their first championship season with David Lee and bringing in Draymond Green, and then again in the finals, going to that small death lineup against LeBron James. And it yielded championships after that.
You couldn't explain it. You just have to be in a desperate situation where, boom, in case of emergency, this is what we're going to do. I'm not saying the Knicks are going to win the championship, but I'm saying they have unlocked something that nobody could have expected. They could have obliterated the three-point record of threes in the game had that game been competitive. Instead, they had to settle for a tie at 25.
Well, and then the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers, Vincent. I mean Big time come back to eliminate the Celtics, feeling good about themselves. Then they get the doors blown off of them. And Joel M. Bede, um had this to say uh after the game and the series ended.
I'm excited about next season. I think All right, VJ is going to, I know, you know, and you know, I'm going to talk to him. He's going to be better. And he was amazing for his first year. Tyrese is going to be better.
And he's taking a step every single year. PG that we saw the last couple weeks, you know, he still got it. And then everybody else, I don't know who's going to be here. I don't even know if I'm going to be here, but you know, whatever happens, happens. And but for me, I'm excited about really getting back to myself.
What does he mean by that, Vincent?
Well, first things first, I just got a couple of texts from league officials who said no further action on Victor Wimonyama, no suspension, no fine. That is official.
So he'll be available for game five. Thank you. The second point to Joel and Biade, Let me assure you. He has a three-year extension that is kicking in next year, where he will be making, I think, an average of $58 million. He's going nowhere.
He doesn't have anything to worry about on that front. But I do think. For one, the fact that he was able to end the series on his feet rather than being the next game of operation where his knees is getting worked on and it's buzzing and his hip is getting worked on and it's buzzing. Like, maybe, maybe, Rich, I'm old enough where I remember the game of operation. Maybe you guys don't remember the game of operation, you young guys, but I remember the game of operation.
And that's what Joe LB looked like for the better part of his career.
Now to the 76ers. Is Daryl Murray still going to be the guy heading up that operation? He gave Paul George a really big contract when I'm not sure he warranted that at this stage of his career. He gave Joel Embiid this extension when MB was, yes, coming off of MMBP, but also has been a health issue. And now you have two long-term contracts that you know you can't get off of.
And I'm not sure if there's any hope.
So I wonder if... that organization, which has Bob Myers as an advisor to the Harris group, is going to make significant changes in the offseason or will at least entertain it because there's not a lot of hope in Philadelphia. There's a lot of ifs and maybes. And those ifs and maybes only amounted to a game seven win and an impressive comeback over the Boston Celtics. But we look at that Celtics team now, that's a who's a team full of who.
Yeah, yeah. I'm with you. I'm with you. And the Eastern Conference appears to be uh cracking open for the Knicks to to you know Make a move here. Obviously, the Pistons would be a very difficult team for them to handle since they were handled by Detroit this year.
And obviously, Cleveland, who knows what they would look like in the next round with. A resurgent, certainly after the first two games did not go James Harden's way. The Beard had a big time finish right there.
So, before I let you go, the Thunder just. I mean, that's just one way to put it, right? I just say the Thunder, you go, whoo, you know, 74 second half points, and then this whole conversation about flopping this, flopping that. The Lakers had 15 more free throw attempts than the Thunder in game three. 15.
They had 25 to the Thunder's 10, and they just. I don't know. I don't know who beats them. I don't know what happens. What is the conversation on that front league wide, watching the Thunder do what they're doing?
It appears they'll be closing out the Lakers tonight. Vincent.
Hold on, my phone is ringing. I think the 2002 Sacramento Kings are calling asking about the Lakers complaining about free throw calls. Yeah, there's that. Gross was last. Hello, phone you have.
That's some great reception you have there. Thank you, Rich. But no, I think Oklahoma City, what people are saying about them is. The only way this team doesn't wind up holding up the trophy is if San Antonio, who has had their number this year, takes them out, or B, Health. Catches them.
Jalen Williams, J-Dub, the all-star J-Dub, he's been out with a hamstring injury. He's only played less than 30 games this season, and he's out right now. You're hoping from the standpoint of competitiveness that he gets back on the floor and that he's healthy. Shea Gilgis Alexander, they're doing all this work against the Lakers, and the presumptive MVP hasn't had one MVP-like game. They are an absolute machine right now.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing the Western Conference finals because I think Minnesota, if they get there, this will be their third straight trip. A little bit of desperation will kick in. A little bit of this Anthony Edwards will start to kick in. I wonder if that'll be a tougher out. And San Antonio, as I mentioned before, Victor Winmaniyama learns really quickly and he despises the Oklahoma City Thunder in ways that a young player should not despise another team.
So I, once again, throughout the tone of our conversation, Rich, in addition to Detroit and Cleveland not liking each other, in addition to Detroit and New York hating each other. If we wind up getting that matchup, hatred is good for the NBA. Hatred sells, and so does physicality. Let the boys play. Vince and Goodwill, everybody.
Amen. Love it. I'm glad you did this because we couldn't do this if you were sitting in the quiet car. You know what I mean? Oh no, I'm not sitting in no damn quiet, so don't you worry about that.
Nobody puts Vincent in the quiet car. Thanks again. Look for more of my texts and calls, Vincent. I really appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
Appreciate you, Rich. That's Vincent Goodwill, everybody, right here on the Rich Hodgshow. Let's go, baby. That was great. 2002 called from Sacramento.
That's amazing. Wow. Boy, that's got to rack up the data on that plan. Know the world a two-way page. Oh my gosh.
Sidekick, baby. Doug Christie is calling. Wait a minute. Why is Doug Christie on?
Okay. Did I get that right? That's good, yeah. 2002? I didn't even look it up.
I just took that dark throat. Mike Bibbing, Vlade, smoking haters. You know. Doug Christie goes like this and just Vincent Goodwill gets called, right? He does the wife.
I thought he rubbed his face. No, that's Jeff Hornisek. Jeff Hornisek did that. Oh, I defoulted. Jeff Hornisek was waving to his kids.
My gosh. My bad. 1997 just called me a car. All right.
Okay. Let's we'll take a break. When we come back, somebody is basically saying, do not turn me into Dallas' general manager. And I don't mean the cowboys. Talking about the maths.
That's coming up next. The Rich Heisen Show, the podcast. Rich Eisen here. Take a second and look at your city's calendar. Everywhere I go, there's always something coming up.
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Much is being made again of A.J. DeBonsa's. Poker face, straight-faced demeanor upon learning that he's been drafted. Basically, by the Washington Wizards. He's the.
De facto largely assumed, I think wisely so, first overall selection in this NBA draft, correct? Yeah, he's minus 500 to go.
Okay, which means you would win five cents if you bet a dollar? No, bet $5 to win $1. Hey, see, I don't do math organization. That makes no sense. To do that or the fact that Debounce is considered such a favorite?
Bet five dollars to win the dollar. And everybody's saying that it's the media training. He's been trained to you know, these kids are all trained to to not Shown emotion or Because you're media trained. And there's two things I have to say about that. One is, The straight face, uh not media trained emotion.
I would have loved to have seen if he got. Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, but we'll just leave it at that. Hmm. I don't think he can sit there and assume like I. No, I just don't know.
That was my way of. Commenting who was there on behalf of the Bucks. But listen. Um I think the folks in DC are going to love this guy, and he's going to love them at the end of the day. It's going to be a friggin love affair from Chump.
Yeah. From jump, what a position to be in. The Wizards are now, I don't want to say contenders, but they're not players in the East. And basically, if you want the first overall selection to drop in your lap, just get Anthony Davis. Yeah.
That's true too.
Okay. Yeah. Trade for Anthony Davis.
Now, this is now three times this has happened. By the way, Anthony Davis. And Trey Young and this kid. In Washington, D.C., right? Who's going to want to go?
Everybody in Washington, D.C., they are starving. For decent basketball, let alone reasons to get excited.
So I don't buy it. Plus, I mean, what does that mean? He's media trained.
So if he's media trained, I would say look excited because you're going to just make a ton of money.
Well, also maybe he's a little bummed to not be staying in Utah. I don't know. Maybe that's true too. I doubt that's it. I don't know.
We have no idea. Guess what? We're all reading into it, but I just know it's going to be a love affair there. And speaking of getting Anthony Davis, you can get the first overall pick. It's not like the general manager in Washington, DC needed to be bailed out anyway.
Like the way that it seemed like Nico Harrison was for a hot minute in Dallas. Right. But, um This is also something that I had not seen before coming out of a draft lottery. A president of basketball operations of a team apologizing to fans on the spot of the way things worked for the Indiana Pacers. They got hosed by the ping pong balls, And they're Fifth overall choice does not belong to them because they traded for Zubach at the trade deadline.
Big Zoo. And at the time everyone's like clippers are Waving the white flag, and it's not going to work out for them. And what are they doing?
Well, Kevin Pritchard, the general manager who trades for Zubach, winds up losing the fifth overall selection, and he also traded away. Benedict Matherin in that trade. And also Isaiah Jackson in that trade and A first-round pick in 2029 that apparently is not protected, and a 2028 second-round pick. And he apologized to fans. Basically, and he's also appeared, as I noticed, with talking to Vincent Goodwill, because I'm.
You know, I got my head on a swivel hosting a show like this. You know Pritchard went on Pat's show. Talk about getting in front of something. Like Maya Culpa, folks, I know this is not good. I know this is bad.
I know we just went through a season where we tanked and we tanked. For nothing. We tanked for nothing to go full caddyshack on you. Their pacers are not anywhere in the draft order. It's the Clippers sitting there, five.
And I guess Zubach is going to have a lot on his shoulders when he comes back and healthy and he starts playing for the Pacers and then. You know. Halliburton's going to come back, and they're going to hopefully put Humpty Dumpty back together again with his Achilles. But that's what it looked like to me was.
Okay. A general manager like Could you imagine if While Nico Harrison made the trade To get rid of Luca because they didn't want to pay him. I think it's. apples and oranges a little bit here, but The only thing that we're in the same You know, section of the supermarket here is fans are going to be pissed. Like, I just sat through all of that.
Mm-hmm.
We just went through all of that, and a lot of it was born out of an untimely Achilles injury on Halliburton's leg.
Okay, so that forced a hand for the Pacers, and it was the smart hand to play. But do you think if he could wave a wand you don't trade for Zubach? You make that you make that Decision Like to set yourself up for next year, it's kind of like the Wizards just did. Let's get young. Let's get Davis And they wind up with the first round pick.
First overall, Check the box. You tanked properly. And you got ready for next year, and now you're going to get your kid. Pacers try to do it, and it now. Winds up in the lap of the clippers.
And that's why you start apologizing on the spot. I think that's a smart move. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop.
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