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Now. On with the show, Jalen Brown, Jamison. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Duncan Robinson and the Doctor of Distance makes this a four-point game. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.
Chaching that Thunder Moneyball number ten earlier on the show. ESPN college football analyst Josh Payte, actor Jalen Best. Coming up, BYU head coach. Kalani Satake, and now it's Rich Eisen. That's right, everybody can confirm it—not just with the sound of my voice, but here I am.
Hey. Here on Disney Plus, the ESPN app, ESPN Radio is how you can listen to us every day between twelve and three Eastern Time. SiriusXM channel eighty as well. Delightful chat last hour with Jalen Best, the young actor who's getting his first big break. I would imagine, right?
It's a heck of a break. Playing Cassius Clay and Muhammad Ali in the new eight part series on Prime Video that's debuting in November, called "The Greatest." This just in: It's about Cassius Clay and Muhammad Ali, and one in the same. And Josh Pate was on an hour number two. If you missed it, there's our Disney Plus page. There's also our podcast for you to listen to.
ESPN Plus, their ESPN app is also another way that you can follow us. If you don't, if you don't check us out live, we always greatly appreciate that. Back here on the program, been a while since we chatted with the head coach of BYU football, but fresh off the win. Over Notre Dame coming in as the second-ranked team in the country right now, undefeated. Kalani Sitake back here on the Rich Eisen show.
How are you, Coach? Good to see you. What's going on, Rich? How you doing? I'm doing great.
What's going on in your mind right now? With your team, what do you got for me? Just trying to move on to the next week, but everybody wants to keep talking about the Notre Dame game. Yeah, I'm okay with. Yeah, I know it's as long as as long as I do it, and the players move on.
We've had some you know great practices already, and after seeing what happened, I mean, the experience of last weekend in college football should be a good lesson for everyone to learn. Even our game included that anything could happen.
So, in the 60 minute game, we have to be at our best. Regardless of what opponent and where we're at, that's that's just college football. The parity is even better than it's been before. Yeah, it's tough for us to turn the page when you beat a team like Notre Dame in a spot like that in that environment. Looked amazing from my living room.
You know, it just sounded amazing, looked amazing. Did you? I mean, I don't know. Obviously, you're coaching a game, but do you take a moment? On a sideline, and just look around the stadium for a split second during a game like that in an environment like that, coach.
I definitely do because I grew up a BYU fan, you know, and living in in Lahia, Hawaii, and and we had players from my neighborhood that were playing on the team back in the day, and so we won a national championship, BYU, 1984. I was a young boy and cheering them on from that entire time.
So the fan is still there, even though I played for Lavelle Edwards as a as a player, and now that I get to be the head coach, I'm still a fan.
So whenever there's a break, I take it just time to just look around and see how lucky I am, fortunate to be in this position, and I don't take it for granted. But the fan is always in me. There, I mean, I was here in Provo back in 1990 when we beat Miami, a number rank, number one ranked team, and I I stormed the field with my father and my family, and so to see that on Saturday night was really cool. And my college football, there's nothing. Better than and a chance for for everyone to see BYU and us show off our fans in a stadium named after my mentor and a man that I love.
So it was it was a great moment and glad that I got to be part of it. But you know we we got to learn from it. It wasn't like the game was perfect for us and just really grateful that Notre Dame wanted to play that game. It's not easy to come to Provo and play that game in altitude in the mountains and with that hostile with the noise. I mean.
Yeah, so it was it was a tough. I was impressed with the way Notre Dame handled all of it, but more than anything, just a really cool event, and and I think made some really great memories. But for me, we got to turn the page with the team, and I'm comfortable talking to you guys about it. And I appreciate that. Don't tell the boys; let the boys focus on.
No, I know. I get the rat poison aspect of it. To use a phrase that's been put out there by another coach of of note, and I'm aware of your history for sure. And obviously, this isn't BYU's first. Big game rodeo, I get it, but you're building something of your own here, right?
And you have for quite some time, and there's still more to go. But in this day and age, where quite frankly, so many teams are focused upon because they they do their business in the southeast or the east coast, or even you know, listen, I've been out here on the west coast for twenty something years, and I know the old pack. Twelve teams would be like raising their hands and go, come on now! Like what we're doing out here is pretty good. That's what I'm talking about for you to be looking around and seeing that.
That's where I kind of was targeting there, you know.
So and and but and please tell me, please tell me, there is video of you and your family hopping a fence and getting out on a field somewhere and storming the field. Does that exist somewhere? Does that exist?
Well, I mean, I don't think anybody wants to watch grainy film, but I think you can see it if if you go back and look at the film. That there there are pictures of me and my my dad. I think we were on a local newspaper cheering as we're running down the concourse, and so yeah, there's a. Those now the memories are are are captured on on on their phones and and it's been really fun. I mean, my my family has been showing me nonstop videos of.
Fans as they watch from home, and as they, you know, the the outcome of the game, the the joy that they they're expressing, and man, just really proud of Cougar Nation. Glad that we get that win for them. But you know, I'm fortunate I get to be around amazing young men that have great leadership qualities and and skills. And so, and then coaches, that these guys I came in here to work, you know, on Monday morning to, and the team had already moved on. In fact, even that evening in the locker room.
A bunch of the guys had already moved on, and so having a mature team with a bunch of leadership has been really helpful for me. And that's that's been really the key to everything. I wish I could take credit for it all, but have great coaches that that work really hard and have amazing players that that have great leadership qualities, and and they take the reins and makes it makes it easy for me. For me. When's the first time you ever laid eyes on Bear Bachmeyer, Coach?
I remember Bear Bachmeyer in high school and trying to recruit him. I mean, he's a he's a force, and and you know he's he's he's got the perfect body, which was just like you know I'm a fullback, so I think the fullback body. I'm biased. I like the thick bodies that that. And then he the fact that he wears forty seven, it it speaks to me.
And but more than anything, he's he's got he's he's got an amazing family. He's He's a great young man. I like who he is as a person and as a leader. And the football stuff is just icing on the cake. This guy's work ethic and his commitment to his team and his commitment to serve others.
I see him using his platform to help change people's lives and then to bring smiles to young people. And so I love coaching this guy, and I'm glad that he's he's you know he's a true freshman for us last year, and he's but he's grown up quite a bit. And he's really taken the leadership role, and has has done a great job leading this offense and leading this team.
Well, he's clearly buying what you're selling, Coach, because in his post game comments after the win over Notre Dame, he was talking about it being personal for him because I guess Notre Dame slighted him and his family in some way. But he prefaces that by saying, "Coach is going to get upset with me for talking about myself." Is what he said.
So, how did you take those comments when you heard him? Say that, Coach.
Well, I mean, I listen. I my job isn't tell young men what to do; is to teach them and educate them, where I think they can be at their best. And I think even when he he mentioned those things, I think he tried to, even at the end, try to talk about it. I think when you're emotional, it's okay. I think there's there's times for for for people.
Our culture is love and learn. This we talk about it often. Lavell Edwards did that for me when I was a player. And I want to do that for these young men too. It means that you can make mistakes, and you can even say some things that you regret, and you just learn from them.
But the way you learn from them is you embrace it, and you you love them, and you educate them. And so my job is a as a mentor and as a head coach is to educate them and to learn from them as much as as they can learn from me. And I've become a much better person because of my relationship with Bear Bachmeyer and his family. And so I'm a better person because of. All these young men that I get to coach, and my interaction with all the fans and everybody that's involved with BYU, and so what we do is we let Bear have his moments sometimes, and we talk about it, and then we learn from it.
We move on.
So, but you know, for him to say, "I know, coach won't like me saying this," it's I just want him to be at his best. But it's okay if if sometimes you're not. I have not met a quarterback that that doesn't make mistakes or throws interceptions and things like that, but but. If you're going to make mistakes and throw interceptions, let's learn from it and find out why that happened, and then see if there's an option for us to avoid it next time. Kalani Sitaki, the BYU head coach, right here on the Rich Eisen show.
You've turned a page, obviously. You got a a trip to Central Florida coming up, and then a home date with Arizona State, the big one that all of us in the media, because you know we do like to, you know, look over steering wheels. Unlike coaches at Utah, that's a massive. I mean, my God, the whole State is just going to be lit up for that, and you know you you you matriculate your way into you know a postseason position. Do you like the twenty four team playoff idea, Coach?
You like it. Oh yeah, me personally, I like the 2014 playoff. I think it'll make football more interesting, especially every game will count in November. I think it gives an opportunity for for everybody to prove it on the on the field, and I don't have a problem with it. The FCS level has been doing it for a long time, Division II, and it's created a lot of entertainment and a lot of excitement.
I think that's going to happen with us. You know, in the meantime, I. I'm not really worried about playoffs this year or even next year. I'm trying to get our team to be at their best, and I am I am a coach that goes right back to we're we're week to week. We're focused on this week.
I'm trying to get these guys to focus on what we're able to. Everyone has talked about the Notre Dame game from the beginning of the year. We had five games before that one, and so we're going to be focused on what. I mean, we know the entire schedule. We got to be focused on one week at a time, and our guys are bought into that.
And we we want to respect our opponents and and everybody that we're facing. And I believe that gets us. We we're still developing as a program. We're still developing week to week. And so, in order for us to develop week to week, we have to take advantage of the time that we are built to prepare for UCF this week and work work Monday through Friday to be at our best by the time we show up against UCF because we know they're going to get they're going to give us their best.
And then we we see if we can perform with our best and. And then be comfortable with whatever the result is, and then you repeat it the next time. And then at the end of the year, we figure out how it all looks with playoff and with seating, with bowl games, and all that stuff. Postseason, right now, yeah, I'm week to week guy, man. That's how it works has has worked.
But in the future, I think 24 teams is going to be awesome. You do, huh? Because again, and I know that this is, and I know you're compartmentalizing and you're going play to play, snap to snap, game the game, week to week. But for and this may be, you know, what's the proper word for it here? This may be disrespectful to say to somebody who's locked in, and it does mean so much every snap.
But the fans, you know, a game like yours, say for instance, you versus Notre Dame with twenty four teams, I'm sitting at home thinking both these teams are going to make the playoffs. You know, and it's less stakes for fans. And I know, like I said, it's disrespectful, maybe insulting to say that to a coach, for who every snap means a lot for every kid. Every it means a lot, but at the end of the day, the stakes are are feel less, coach, to many with twenty four teams. You you would disagree with that.
Yeah, I mean, I mean, if if you want to put your hat on that, go ahead and make that statement now, and then we'll find out next year. I don't know how anyone can even predict it when we haven't gotten there yet, you know.
So I know a lot of people have been aggressive with what what they're going to say about the playoffs and things like that. And listen, with every idea, there's going to be resistance either way. It causes it causes conversation and and brings a lot of attention to it.
So the more you complain about it, or anyone complains about it. It's going to feed the beast, and that's college football is is a great game. It's it's the best team sport that that's around, and so the game is going to be in a really good spot as long as you have fans that are interested. And you you know maybe people want to diminish the value, but I think this place is going to be rocking no matter who shows up. And that's my job is to fill the stadium, and that's going to be everybody's job.
And I think there's interest in college football. You know, I would be worried if there was no. Never a system in place before, but there's been a system in the FCS conference and FCS level, and it it created a lot of excitement and energy around that. And so, you know, this isn't something that's just thrown out there and just to see if it sticks. It's it's something that's been thought through.
And I've been in some of those meetings, and I understand the criticism behind it. Go ahead and keep criticizing and talking about it, and having conversations around BYU, around BYU football, around college football together playoffs twenty. Twelve twenty-four, it only just feeds the beast. Yeah, and my my level of concern, and then you know, I got one more for you, and then I'll let you go on with your day to get ready for Central Florida. My concern also is that if the revenues are going to explode and go up, right?
Which clearly this would do. Then programs like yours might be somewhat handicapped by that, because the rich get richer, and nil deals go crazier, and rosters now reach forty, fifty, sixty, seventy down the road million dollars to get a team together in college football, and then by presumably byus of the world get a shorter end of the stick. Is that a viable concern? Do you think, Coach?
Well, we currently aren't at the top of the of the paying of you know if you are looking at that. Roster size and money, but our focus is on transformational focus and and and making those that part of your program. And we're faith based institution, so we're going to focus on on educating. Like, listen, the money is still there, but it depends what your focus is. In for us, the representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and being able to represent our families and our loved ones, this is still an education institution.
So. We still want these young men to learn and to receive education, so they're still working on getting their degree. My job is to educate them and everything.
Now that they have money, they have to learn things about taxes. When we were when we were younger, we didn't have; it was all amateur, so we didn't have to worry about that.
Now they have to know the difference between W two ten ninety nine tax breaks, all those things, and it's my responsibility to teach them that.
So this is still education process.
So we're still working on on giving them that knowledge. It's just there's more to teach now, and so, but our focus will be on on transformation rather than transaction, and what other schools can do, and what other universities and programs do. That's on them, but it'll never be about money for us. And we know that there is money out there, and that the players are going to be receiving compensation. But it's education that's going to give them the freedom and the the knowledge to to use their money the best they can and make that thing.
Rather than, and avoiding instant gratification and learning about purchases and investments and things like that, that's really important in their life. That's going to be the key. Otherwise, the the teams that have the most expensive roster and salary cap things like that are the ones that should win championships every every year. And you're looking at sports today. That's not the case.
And so you you know if if we were to predict and see who who wins Major League Baseball, who wins the the NFL, who NBA, all those championships. The guys with the highest roster should should win the championships, and that doesn't even happen. Even in all those other sports, it's not going to happen in football. Culture does still matter, and and strategy. Culture beats strategy every time.
That's that's how it's going to work. And we're going to work culture, and then we're going to work education. We're going to work knowledge, and we're definitely going to work around what we feel is the right method, which is you know honoring God and having a connection to something bigger. Than yourself, and when you do that, I think it creates this intrinsic motivation that that will be a force in itself. And sometimes you can't measure that on on a paper sheet or stats and things like that.
Coach, I appreciate that answer. And just out of curiosity, have you connected Steve Young with Bear Brockmeyer? Have they connected at all? All our quarterbacks and all our players have a great connection with our alumni. Our alumni are always interested in what our team's doing, and and the the mentoring that they can give our quarterbacks.
I mean, we have a long line of quarterbacks. You know that, Rich. I mean, you look at the the tradition of quarterbacks that have played here. It's good to see guys like Steve Young, Jim McMahon, Ty Detmer, you know, Beck and Max Hall, and all all these great ones. Zach Wilson.
So. All these quarterbacks that have been around and have been Gift Nielsen, Mark Wilson, all these great quarterbacks from the past, always welcome to be here, in every position.
So, so we try to encourage our our former Cougars to come home and be connected to our players. We have a safety named Dewey Gray who he's always consistently coming back here and connecting with our players.
So, this this is a this is always going to be home for a bunch of our guys. And in order to make it home, it's got to be about transformation. Can never ever be about transaction, and that's going to be our goal. And you know, we'll see how it works when we get to the games. Coach, thanks for the time.
Really appreciate it. Thanks, guys. You got it. Congrats on everything to this point, and best of luck moving forward. We'll chat again soon.
Allah, thank you. You bet. Right back at you, that's Coach Kalama Sataki of BYU football. What a great answer that was. You know.
It's more than just money. We'll see how that works out. But right now, he's right. By the way, how about that? Brewers versus Rays.
Right. Case in point. Because the other sports have salary caps. The one that's closest to Major League Baseball. That's it, right there.
Doesn't matter. Got most. Let's yeah, spend whatever. Spend whatever. Eight four four two zero four.
Rich number to dial right here on the program. At Hyundai, the SUV trophy shelf is getting a little out of hand because U.S. News and World Report named Hyundai the best SUV brand that's five out of six years. With hybrid SUVs like the premium and capable Palisade, the adventure built Santa Fe, and the tech infused Tucson, which means at this point, the shelf's going to need its own structural support system and a dedicated construction crew. View U.S.
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At Hyundai, the SUV trophy shelf is getting a little out of hand because U.S. News and World Report named Hyundai the best SUV brand. That's five out of six years with hybrid SUVs like the premium and capable Palisade, the adventure-built Santa Fe, and the tech-infused Tucson. Which means at this point, the shelf will need its own structural support system and a dedicated construction crew. Probably need those little visitor hard hats too.
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Not particularly.
Okay, you missed Paul George's burst in Detroit, or not? Watched in the first half, and then Sarah and I went to a movie yesterday, and so you know, what'd you see? That new, you can see everything. Oh, did and you could see everything. I'm told could.
Okay, I could have watched ten more hours of it. Is that is it that good? Yeah, it's that good.
Okay. Um.
So when you saw everything after, you saw everything. Everything getting caught up on my phone afterward, and I'm like, because I knew that the Celtics were up at the half by fifteen. And wait, wait, wait, we lost. Yeah. Wait, Paul George did what?
Yeah, the Pistons. Wait, Tatum was six for twenty three or whatever. Yeah. Eh, it's first game.
Well, then I'll take that approach. Basketball. Let me tell you, your Sixers that starting five, that's a tough starting five. Yeah, but the the problem is like the next six seven, we got to work on our bench a little bit. The starting five.
Oh, I mean, Simon's hit a bunch of threes from the ocean. Low key. You know, like that was good. That was a nice sign. They're bigs.
You know, LeBron had to play center a little bit, which he did a great. It worked out. LeBron's done that before, you. Yeah, you know, he's big. He's six nine.
He's got that old man strength as long as you don't need them to do it. And I'm watching Jalen Brown out there. And again, I know Paul George. That was a, by the way, crucial, crucial because you knew when Jalen Brown's going to play for the Sixers in Madison Square Garden. Later on that night, you knew he would look like Jalen Brown.
Of course, you know, you knew it. He's a great.
So it kind of helps if the Celtics lose and Jalen Brown wins. You are just like, right? But hey, but Paul George, Paul looked amazing. Seven threes, thirty eight. Right?
He's back. Playoff P. What do we call them? October P. What version of Park K P.
Park K P.
Well, wasn't the Park K? I know, but not. It will be. It's funny. You said I thought that yesterday at home.
I wish I would have said it first. But I was looking up. I was like, Pakipsky. No, that's in New York. Like Pakipsky.
Park K P.
But you know, with all due respect, as well. Um, um, you you texted the group. Pistons are going to be a problem for you. Yeah. Well, they were the one seed last year.
So right. I mean the way they came back in that third. They're a good team, dude. Good team. Cade Cunningham.
They fly right under the radar because Cade Cunningham is so good. But you know he's like the Larry Fitzgerald almost, like too flashy. Yep. You know his game is flashy, but you know you're not like where you like to say you're not going to get the call at midnight about something. Oh, you are not.
He's not going to sit there and argue and fight with the refs. You know he's just going to go about his business, and you know it's fun to watch. Yeah. Then the Knicks started. I did tune into the ring ceremony and the banner.
Was it cool, dude? That ceremony was. As great as I ever could have dreamt it to be, yeah. And I was dreaming of this moment for a long time. Yeah, I mean the Knicks did an outstanding job because the rings were given out to the front office and coaching staff first, and they had the Knicks of the '70s who are still around, knocking on wood here, like Bill Bradley.
I believe Dave the Busher's kid. Willis's reads widow and Clyde. They had they had old time Knicks hand the rings to the current coaching staff, and you know Leon Rose, Worldwide West. You know that's neat. And I gotta be honest with you, I I started tearing up.
I started crying, and I'm like. Kind of went almost full sign for like, what is this salty discharge? You know, Taylor was watching it with me, and she's like, "Dad, are you crying?" No, no, and no, I, I'm, I'm fine to admit it. She's seen me cry. I'm, I'm, I'm the crier of the, of the parental group.
If you've, this just in, you know, and I, I got choked up. I believe it. I got choked up. And then the players, one after another, step up for their rings, which are stupid, huge. Jason the Beverly Hills makes those, and he, yeah, and and and so you could twist the the top, right?
And you could take the top off, and you take the top off, and you there's a uh of the um. The floor of Madison Square Garden. It's the garden inside. Yeah. But or you could take the top and twist it, and it pops up, and it's the mat.
It's Madison Square Garden. The garden. Yeah. And here I thought I would. I went to the greatest ring ceremony in the history of Madison Square Garden this summer.
Right. That's not anymore. With all due respect to the lovely couple. Holy crap! I I was crying, and then and then they show.
Oh my gosh! This is one. This is what got me. I'm getting to me now. What?
They showed a video. They took the banner around New York City first. Oh, cool! Like, and they let fans the actual banner. Like, it was unrolled and everything, dude.
They took the banner itself around New York City and let New Yorkers. Keep it, wear it, touch it, look at the camera, and go. Like, is this the real thing? Like, yes. They, I'm getting goosebumps.
Talk about it.
So beautiful. I mean, it was that got me. That's pretty. Because they, they said, you know, because they had all the Knicks part of it as well. Like, I mean, I'm really even choking up right now.
Think about, like, they saying this is for you. I've never heard. We did this for like this is yours. Wow! Like damn straight it is.
You know, like yeah. Thank you for acknowledging that. Like for fifty freaking years. You know, it was a beautiful. It was a quick video, but it was beautifully done.
Like they had Brunson front it, throw to the video. It was an incredible ceremony, and then they raised the banner. And then watching the game, you know, my buddy Paul hit me up. I'll read his text. Rod, no, Rod, my buddy Paul going.
Paul, I am going to read your text on the air. Cause he he nailed it. I'm I can't say it any better the way he did. He wrote, "It's a unique and weird feeling to be watching these Knicks players and feeling unabashed love, no baggage, no what ifs, just eternal gratefulness and joy." Ooh, that's nice. Like yeah, that's nice.
Like there's there was nothing hanging over us. It was great. And then you know the third quarter happened. He texts me. Of course, if they blow this game, they're dead to me.
So we're back. It's a true fan, right? That's a New Yorker, real fan. Tongue in cheek, tongue in cheek. That's a New York.
Oh yeah, they didn't want to lose the Sixers last night. We just lose it all. No, you made that. It was dope. It was.
It was. You want to lose a bet? I mean, I turn to the guy who knows most about. Banner raise nights. You don't you don't want to lose.
You don't want to lose on banner night. You don't. It's an emotional night, though. You know. You know.
Boston teams have lost on. I know. On banner nights. And and so this is the first banner ring night I've been waiting for for fifty plus years, and it comes down a hero ball at the end that I thought we were supposed to get through all that. But you know, unreal.
Really, Knicks did an incredible job. Whoever worked on that, they must have been working on it for quite some time. Yeah, and they had the rings in the middle of the of the court on some table, and they were all you know individually spinning all the rings, and then one by one, Clyde handed the rings to each Knicks player. You know, yeah, that's pretty awesome, incredible.
So. And your Sixers look great, brother. They did. That Maxi something else. He is superb.
He's terrific. And what you want to do is take another team's mistake and go transition. Like that's the that's the way basketballs played now. You know, you either try to go fast and beat everyone down the floor, transition, or Bombs away from three and beat them that way. And if you're really good, you can do both.
Right? The Knicks did that last year, certainly in the playoffs. And the Sixers can do that. The only question is what happens with the invariable Embiid injury and the health at age, you know. And they zoomed in.
The NBC broadcast zoomed in on LeBron's patch. They gave him NBA gives him a patch that says number says twenty four on it because it's his twenty fourth season. Is that what it is? That is that why? Yeah, yeah.
He's wearing a special twenty fourth season patch. Yeah, because you know you know who else is wearing that? Nobody. No one ever. You know, but as they're zooming in on it, that's when he starts barking at that fan about being from Ohio.
You know. And you know Reggie's Reggie's going on and on about the twenty fourth patch, and I'm like, wait a minute, is he going at a fan? Is it Spike? No, it wasn't Spike. It was somebody in the stands talking about.
I guess he's coming from Southern California, and he's soft. He's like, I'm not from the West. I'm from Ohio. And Spike had to like sort of mediate.
So LeBron is coming and salty. Yeah, well, you know, sometimes people say stuff out of pocket too, so we don't know what was being said. I am sure it wasn't nothing nice, though. But whatever, man, it got him going. And if that's the case, we need, you know, eighty one more of those because, like he said, after you can't go eighty two and oh, Chris, unless you are one to know the story.
Yeah, exactly. But so it's health, Rich, just like you said. Hey, look great on paper, on the court right now, first game, but they got to stay healthy if they can all play together and stay healthy. They're going to be superb, superb, and and championship quality. Same thing with the Pistons, yeah, right.
I'm hoping the Knicks running it back like that. That's just a one off, like a letdown night, whatever. And then the Spurs and the Thunder play. Yeah, they don't like each other.
Well, that's understandable. And the Spurs, the the question is going to be how long is it going to take?
Now that Dylan Harper is rightfully a starter, yeah, because they're going with three guards. They're going with De'Aaron Fox because you're not going to. I got a Dylan Harper coming off the bench. Those days are over, right? Castle too, and and Castle, you're not going to right.
Like you're starting Castle and you're starting Harper, and you're going to start Fox. Yep. And so Wemby misses his first twelve shots. He goes one of thirteen. My guy, a Dime Mara.
From the University of Michigan, blocked him. Started a break that he finished. That was his big moment. He's good. Welcome the NBA.
But Wemby Wemby comes came after the game. Let me get the exact quote here. Talking about, I need to go back to playing the basketball I like. It's four quarters in. What's that mean?
Well, he had what one field goal yesterday. This is not the sport I like right here. I've got no reason to be hesitant. No reason to not be myself. I'm good when I have fun.
Yeah, overthinking, Eddie. Yeah, interesting.
So that's going to take some time for that to get used to.
Okay, but by the way, I was telling Coop too, since we're obviously we're very locked in on Adai Mara and Morris Johnson and Yaxel. This year, Mara, Hartenstein, and Holmgren—huge! Like they're just going to keep running them. And by the way, I can attest as a Michigan Wolverine, Mara does it all. He runs the floor.
You can run the offense through him. He can block. He can shoot. He can post up. Good Lord, they got longer and.
And younger. That's a problem. And now the rest of the association goes tonight.
So that's our recap of it. We'd like to to get into the some nitty and gritty because we have the real estate for it. Um.
Or we could just turn to EMJ SBN. Oh yeah, Urban Magic Johnson. After the first bad night of hoops, what a great opening night in the NBA. Detroit beat Boston one twenty one one thirteen. Philadelphia spoiled NY's ring night with a one oh six one hundred.
And the Thunder beat the Spurs one sixteen to ten. Exclamation point! Listen, let's just sometimes we can't distribute properly, even Magic. I mean. We've all put out tweets where we, yeah, sure, that was AI.
But look, Magic doesn't really take the time, like, tell me what the score is. He gets this, like, I am so fascinated by this process, Cookie. Like, Cookie, can you look up the score really quick? Also, Magic knows people are busy. He doesn't want to waste your time.
I give you the facts. I feel this is the who can't be posting this himself. He simply cannot. A hundred percent. Come on, USA Today.
He loves the game. This is like a. This is one of our our dearest. American icon. He's getting on his businessmen.
Yeah, and he's busy, busy, busy, taking the time to give you the sports score. Is he like toggling back and forth between the ESPN app and and threads and writing and cutting and pasting? Because that looks like a bad cut paste. There, oh, maybe he got cut off. Whatever.
I hope he. I'm telling you, he pasted. He hit send too fast because you you know sometimes even he too fast has uh. Trouble passing, yeah, because he gets excited and he hits send. He got the one.
It's just like the insight this man can give you, and instead, it's just like he's the 21st century version of sports phone.
Well, he's got limited care. This is what we used to get when we dialed nine seven six one three one three to get our sports news instantly, which is awesome. Twenty five cents it called. We, my parents got so upset when they got the phone bill, and they're like, Richard, what is this? My brother Frank.
Did it all, Frank did, huh? Frank was the big one every night. Got in trouble. Of course, I try to pass it on to Jeff, and they're like, they knew he was way too responsible to do that. They knew who they knew.
They knew who was calling sports phone. Frank got caught. The little he did have another tweet where he broke down the Sixers.
Okay, there we go. Yeah, all right. I was very impressed with the Sixers' defense in the second half of the game. Six guys in double figures, led by Tyrese Maxey with 28 points. The key to the Sixers' victory was Anthony Simons' three threes in the second half.
What did I say? Thirteen total points off the bench. Here we go. I mean, what more do you want from the magic? Magic and I are like we're C and I and I here.
Somebody, one of the one of the first comments is just facts. Exactly, like I said. All right, let's take a break. There's a fact that O'Shea Jackson Jr. is here, and he's got something wants to talk about.
He's peddling something. What's he peddling? Lakers, Jackson. Why does he got to pedal? Why not?
He's out here peddling. Good God, that's how we're wrapping up the show. You're from LA. Today's forecast: falling leaves, football, and an eighty percent chance you're going to need a few more things for that backyard project. Running low on yard bags?
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here. We've got Cage Brockman there. Yeah, we've got a lot going on here. You mentioned now this show on Haman Hustle TV about you, you and Cody Rhodes and Charlotte Flair and Charlotte Flair and Jacob Haman. Talking about dads, discussing our dads, what it was like growing up with you know fathers that have such heavy legacies, what that means for us growing up, and and what it means for us as adults trying to find our way to make our own names, and it was kind of therapeutic, dude.
Like it was my right there.
Okay, well, hopefully, there's it's successful.
So one day, Cage Brockman could be on a show like that talking about his dad. By the way, that coop. My my my youngest. That's a savage. What about him?
Him in that group chat sometimes. Be like he's cool. He's sneaky savage. Man, I know. I'm the one who gets the sharpest elbows, but that's the way it should be, right?
That's how it should be. Absolutely, that's the way it should be. That sounds okay.
So did you? I don't know if you get the Los Angeles Times. Oh, I used to read it, but the news kept changing. Understood. The a full page ad was taken out today.
Oh yes, of course. I, Lee Donchuk. Yes, saying that he looks forward to everybody coming out and supporting what he calls a special team. You would agree with that assessment? Absolutely.
All hail Luca, the Night King. We are we are on our way, baby. We're going to run a blizzard offense. We are we are coming in. It's no blizzard offense you're talking about.
It's going to be just a lot of. Shots, a lot of. It's gonna be a lot of scrappy play, playing the game the right way. Oh, no! High motor, yeah.
High motor, wasted movement. What is mother? What is Jim Rat? Jim Rat, yeah, bro. Not since Jerry West and Gayle Goodrich have we seen a Laker team like this.
Blizzard, yeah.
Okay. Don't don't don't let us get our in sync starting five out there. All right, we play in sync, baby. In sync, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to snow time.
It's snow time, baby.
Okay. And Walker Kessler adds the the extra bit of mayonnaise. Mamu, don't forget Mamu. Mamu's coming, bro.
Okay. Yeah, it's going down. I'm excited. Come on now. I'm excited.
You like this roster? You like it? Yeah. You're excited for it? I really championship quality.
Thunder are kind of scary, but I will never be on any media and say that the Lakers aren't going to win the championship. He ain't built like that. By the way, I saw you guys did a nice little ceremony. That was great. Oh, did you say?
Wasn't that? I mean, that was really good. I'm telling you, I got choked up even recalling. You should. They they they took the banner around New York City, man.
What a great touch! They treated that that thing the right way. That was great. Now it's hanging. And also, I love that the Spurs are sad.
Who doesn't like that? Is a it's going to take some time for them to figure out. Good, okay, fantastic. Good, yeah. I remember my four or five ring ceremonies that I've been to, and it's a great time.
I'm so happy for y'all. I like that. Yeah, man. Let's sneak in Jimmy in San Antonio real quick. Spurs, what's going on, Jimmy?
Got about a minute plus. Come on, Thomas said, "Man, we we can chat. What's up?" All right, it's a great Wednesday. The housekeeper just left. I've got some port wine, cheese, some red cab, multi-grain crackers because I'm PJ's age.
In a smoothie bowl. What time is it? It's two o'clock. There. How old is TJ?
I'm younger than Jimmy. I tell you that. Hey, y'all, either step up or keep up. You choose which one.
Okay, okay, okay. All right. We hear you. All right. I'm calling in because I have a little beef with you, Rich, real quickly on the what's more likely you and Coop totally wrong about.
I asked what's more likely JJ McHarghy pass or fail at Minnesota. You said past that was wrong. No, and then I asked, and then I asked Cooper, "What's more likely, Shador being a starter and finishing a full game, or JJ McCarthy named starter the rest of the season?" Cooper was wrong. That's going to really take Cooper out of the rest of his day.
So I'm not going to lie. Cooper does not like being wrong or anything like that.
So is that is this is this worse than the text chain that Cooper had to endure this year? Jimmy in San Antonio, way to come correct. Thanks for the call, buddy. There you go. That was nice.
I was told there would be no checking our homework. Yeah, Jimmy's more likely. You know. These shows you you you have a take and it's it's gone. Yeah, unless it's right, yeah, exactly.
And it's not going going anywhere except out of our mouths again. It's like a jump shot. If it goes in, I remember it. Who's on no contest wrestling today, gents? What are you got?
Oh, we got the talented Ren Sinclair, which is great for TJ because he has been pushing her name to great heights on the show. Happy Ren Day! Yes, this is hopefully Ren clears her schedule the rest of the day. She's got a two and a half hour interview coming up. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast.
You can watch and listen to the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to three Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
