REShow: Lane Johnson/Chris Mannix - Hour 2

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Try Dove Men Plus Care Dry Spray goes on dry, clean feel all day. I find it very hard to see the logic behind some of the moves you have made with this fine organization. This is the Rich Eisen Show. All right, here comes the judge. Aaron Judge. The Yankees want to give him 17 million. Judge wants 21 million. Hey, Yankees, 4 million bucks.

How's got that and the ashtray? Earlier on the show, ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Villas. Coming up, Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson, senior writer for Sports Illustrated, Chris Mannix, plus actor Michael Mando. And now it's Rich Eisen. Oh yeah, our number two, the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. 844204 Rich is the number to dial here on NBC Sports on Peacock. NBC Sports Sirius XM Channel 85.

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431,853 last I checked for those scoring at home. And we appreciate anybody who subscribes to us. Chris Brockman, we ended that last hour with a fascinating question because it's the 38th anniversary of the karate kid, right? And we're asking people to call in and the phone lines are lit about what fictional sporting event would you like to have been, for instance, at the All Valley competition where, spoiler alert, a crane kick wrapped things up 38 years ago in the valley here in Southern California. How about Ty Webb, Danny Noonan against Judge Smales and the Judge. And Dr. Beeper.

And then Dr. Beeper. Yes, of course. Would you like to be at that sporting, that's not really an event. I get it. So call in 844-204-rich number to dial and we will take your calls this hour.

Sit back and enjoy the conversation. We're gonna have about 18 minutes time with the Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix with all the intrigue surrounding the NBA draft going on in the trade front. But joining us on the Mercedes-Benz phone line is one of our favorites from the Philadelphia Eagles. I don't know. Has he ever been on this program, Christopher? I don't.

Okay. He is the fourth overall selection of the 2013 NFL draft out of Oklahoma. Man who's still manning that line for the Philadelphia Eagles. Lane Johnson here on the Rich Eisen Show. How you doing, Lane?

Doing good. Nice to finally be on with you. So this is your maiden voyage on this program.

Is that correct? I believe unless you might have interviewed me maybe draft night, but that'd have been a long time ago. Okay. Well, I am glad that you are here on this program.

And I know there's a lot going on in your life. We are focused many times in this business on that tight end summit that's going down this very week with Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen and George Kittle putting something together. But you have your own summit for offensive linemen. The fifth annual offensive line masterminds summit coming up in Oklahoma City in July. That is coming up, correct? Did I get that right?

Yes. It's coming up. It's actually down there at the star there in Frisco. That's where we've been meeting. This is our fifth year.

July 8th through the 9th. And it was really just a way to get a bunch of veteran, former NFL players, hall of famers to come in there and just spread knowledge to guys in the game. Coaches wanting to learn about the game or maybe college players that are trying to improve their game. So I think I screwed that up.

It's Metro Ford of Oklahoma City that is sponsoring the mastermind summit. So a couple questions here then. So does that mean you, Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles doing this in Frisco, Texas, you have to reach out to Jerry Jones and the Cowboys and make a deal?

Is that what's happening? No, we rented a spot out from Baylor Scott White. So where a lot of guys train at and rehab at. So this is where we have it. It's a nice place. Yeah, but it is unfortunately in Dallas, SC territory. Like the heart of it. Okay, and so do you do reconnaissance when you're there? Take some, any recon while you're down there? No, I just walk around and admire how nice everything is. Okay.

Very lovely place. Okay, very good. And where does the term masterminds come from, Lane Johnson, in relation to this? Masterminds comes from learning from the best in the game. So my whole intention was whenever I was a young guy coming out, I only played Albany Taco for two years. I played quarterback in JUCO, and then I played tied in B and then finally moved to Albany Taco. So my whole goal was to learn from the best.

So I remember coming out. I remember hearing about Edgy Munoz. I remember hearing about Walter Jones, Jason Peters, but I never got that really a chance to get in the room with him and learn from him. So what I'm doing here is bringing Hall of Fame players to come and speak guys that are really good in the league now that are having stellar careers come in and share how they approach the game, how they attack training and really just talk ball. So this year we have Willy Rope coming in, Steve Hudson, Mark Slerith and Nolan Crude. So those would be kind of the keynote speakers.

I think Will Shields might show up. So we're looking forward to him too. So yeah, I mean, it's a great way for guys to just learn more football and talk for a few days before training camp starts here in a month or so.

That's right. Training camp starting for a Philadelphia Eagles team that's got the fan base all fired up, not only because you guys made the playoffs last year, but also have acquired some talent, not only in the draft through the actual draft, but on draft night. Were you as surprised as everybody else that A.J. Brown was acquired by the Eagles on draft night, Lane?

I was surprised and then, man, I was very happy. He's a physical specimen. I mean, when you look at him, he has like an Andre Johnson type built explosive. So I'm excited to have him to pair with Devontae and the rest of our receiving corps. And then the guys that we had in the draft with Jordan Davis and George Nacobee, Cam Jurgens from Nebraska.

So I think those guys can help out immediately. Well, let's focus on some of those guys. Let's start with Jordan Davis at first. I don't know if you were tuned to the combine. I was sitting there doing it for NFL Network and watching Jordan Davis move around and be as fast as he was. It was just ridiculous. Were you watching that at the time? Yeah, I wasn't watching, but I remember hearing about the 40 times that I went and watched it. I was going, oh, it was unbelievable seeing somebody run that fast in that size.

It's unheard of. I mean, just his physical presence, man. I mean, that's a guy that can clog both A-gaps, can play no's, can probably play all over. Very versatile. I think he's just going to complement what we already have interiorly with Javon Hargrave and Fletcher Cox.

What do you think? I mean, from just your point of view, being an offensive lineman, you might not square off positionally right across the line from somebody like Jordan Davis, but what will he present as a problem, do you think, to the rest of the colleagues of yours on the offensive lines across the league, do you think? When we have tough matchups and tackles, every now and then we'll play the Rams and the guards and center will have Baron Donald, so we call it just passing the offering plate, kind of like what they do in church. Yeah, man, when you see guys like that, it's like, whoa, better be ready on the inside. I got to worry about my guys on the outside.

But yeah, I mean, really the only time I'll be attacking that guy is really on a down block or a combination block with a guard, so that's a good favor for me. Speaking on the inside, Cam Jergens, you mentioned him. We had him on prior to the draft and Beef, I love the nickname Beef because he's got his own beef Jergens. Have you sampled some of that dried meat yet, Lane? I haven't got a chance to, but I figured training camp would be a good opportunity for us to get, for all of us to get some of that. Freebies, right?

Yeah, I didn't even know that. Yeah, it's going to be freebies from the rookie. You got to get that. Freebies, absolutely. You're not paying for that.

Come on. I'm not paying for it, no. You should show up. You should show up.

You should take your bags. He's going to sponsor the room with it. Oh, did you not know about it? Am I informing you about it? Yeah, you're informing me about it.

I had no clue. Yeah, he's got his own beef jerky called Beef Jergens. And so he's got it going and he's nasty.

Apparently that's his streak. He is nasty, nasty. Have you gotten to meet him at all yet?

I have. I've gotten to watch him move around. So I think what Philadelphia has had in Kelsey is one of the best centers maybe of all time as far as athleticism.

And I think what they're trying to do is find somebody that can fit that mold, that can make all the checks and blinds. So the center is a very cerebral position. It's much like the linebacker, the linebacker for the defense making all the calls. He might be a little bit longer in Kelsey.

They look at arm weight, but very similar makeup as far as athleticism and explosion. Well, Lane Johnson here on the Rich House Show, obviously Jason Kelsey is still manning that position. He has decided to stick around and still play football. I am mandated to ask you your favorite Jason Kelsey story that you can tell right here on live television and radio. You got a good one for me? Yes, this is, yeah, I don't think you'll get mad at this one. Okay, so I'm a freshman. I'm the first, you know, I'm the first pick, or not a freshman, I'm a rookie.

Yep. Chip Kelly's the coach. We're doing walkthrough in the indoor and, you know, the linemen were over there in their own section doing, you know, blocking on buckets, you know, looking at different different defenses. And so they called to a broken whistle to walk through and I had his helmet and helmet underneath one of those trash cans and it takes him about five minutes to find it. He's throwing on, he's flipping them, and the coach is telling him to come on, what are you doing? And he sees me laughing so he knows I'm the culprit behind it.

And he runs at me full speed and tries to cat magazine, tuck me in the private area. He misses, he hits my kneecap, he thinks he breaks his foot, and he leaves practice to go get an MRI on it the same day. What? But was everyone healthy after all said and done? Yeah, yeah, yeah, he just screws his foot, but yeah, he missed, he missed the rest of that day with a foot train. Well, I'm glad you can laugh about it now, obviously. Did you know he was showing up in the Mummer's outfit for the parade?

Did you know that, that day or no? Yeah, I mean, yeah, I saw it, I saw it earlier in the day before we took off, so yeah, I was, I knew he was going to get hot and all the running around he did in it, but uh, what a speech. No doubt about that, and obviously, Lane Johnson here on the Rich Eisen Show.

In order for the Eagles to get back to the Super Bowl and win another one, it's a quarterback driven league, and Jalen Hurts is the man, there's no question about it. Is it true he is working out in your house with you, Lane Johnson? I think he trains all over. When we were up there, we were training mostly at the, at the facility, but whenever I'm not there, a lot of the guys train there. My trainer's there full-time, you know, year-round.

He'll send me workouts if I'm not there, so yeah, it's really kind of open door policy, just kind of let me know, so if you're in the region and need a good workout, I know Baldy gets in there from time to time, so it's just, I think it's just a little getaway slowly turning into a country club. So are you saying Brian Baldinger could be, you know, working in with Jalen Hurts? Is that what you're saying?

That's what I'm saying. You'll know if Baldy was there, because he usually deadlifts and does some other stuff. I am not surprised. I'm not surprised at all. By the way, Chris Brockman, write it down, great nickname for a fantasy team, Baldy's Deadlift.

That would be a great fantasy team, man. So how does Hurts look to you, Lane, because that is, I'm sure you're aware, that is the conversation nationally by a bunch of fans saying that the Eagles are still looking over the steering wheel at a replacement for Jalen and that's not really his long-term team, that he's still lacking at that position. I'm just giving you what the general sense of what a lot of folks are saying. What do you say to that, Lane Johnson? I'll say, you know, what an opportunity. I remember when I was a young player and trying to prove myself and as much as you may not like some of the criticism, that can be your best motivator and best ally throughout the thick of it.

I think you can ask a majority of players and they'll say the same thing. So the good thing about Jalen is that he's always very composed. He's a great leader. He works hard and he's just a tremendous athlete and I think he only saw a little spark of what he can be last year and I and I think with the compliments of what we have offensively, I think we can we can explode this year. But the main thing coach Sirianni teaches us in check is he teaches us just one day at a time to stay in the moment and control what you can control which is easier said than done. So this hurts his team as far as you're concerned, not just this year but beyond, Lane?

Yeah, exactly. And so what what does he say about this stuff off camera or just hanging out while you're working out? Is there any conversation about his approach, his mentality, his mindset to all of this, Lane? No, I mean mostly he kind of lays low. Most of the time he spins, he'll come over and work in my place some but a lot of it's with his receivers, guys he's going to be throwing to. You know, I can only do so much. I'm trying to keep these guys off of him so he can make plays. Yeah, as far as ability, he has it all. I think he wants to put it all together and I think whenever we do that, I think we can we can take off. But yeah, I mean like everybody, everybody hears criticisms about themselves and that's something that I had to face and something that everybody has to face.

But yeah, this year as you know, usually they give guys, you know, two-year window at any position really to make a stance. So here we go. And last one for you, is it true that the place that you're referring to where folks work out at your house is called the bro barn? Is that a true story as well? Yeah, that is fact. People ask me how I came to name.

You know, I really don't know. Just a lot of my bros are there. I'm training every day. They're kind of kind of good, kind of stuck with everybody. So yeah, open door policy. So let me know if you're in town. We can hook you up.

Well, I'm a bro. I don't mind being in a barn. Does it look like a barn? Is that why it's called that or is it just for alliteration reasons? It actually was a barn and it was owned by the adjacent property and they eventually sold it.

So when I inherited, when I bought the place, I had to revamp it. But we actually have a turf strip on the back too, about 25 yards. So if you want to work on your start for the 40-yard dash, I think we can probably get a few tenths off the next time you run in Indianapolis.

A few tenths, that is a very high bar for me, to be very honest with you, Lane. But I'll take it. If I'm in the area, look for me. So I just stop by. Is that what I do? Just ring the doorbell and say, I'm here for the bro barn?

That's what I basically say. Yeah, we may be in the barn. So you may have to just knock on the barn door. Fantastic. I will do that. Lane Johnson, have a great time at your fifth annual Offensive Line Mastermind Summit, presented by Metro Ford of OKC on July 8th through 9th. And look for my call during training camp.

I'd love to chat with you when things really, the sweat starts to flow. Thank you. Yes, sir. Appreciate it.

Thank you. That's Lane Johnson right here of the Philadelphia Eagles. Love talking to offensive linemen.

Masterminds of the sport. Jalen hurts his team, baby. I'm slowly talking myself into that one, too.

I'm taking some time here. We got Jason Garrett on tomorrow. Coach.

To be fair and balanced, I assume he still has some Cowboys blood in him. We're going to have a nice, clean 500 show tomorrow. Wow.

This is just. Are you saying we're going to clap a lot tomorrow? I mean, there's going to be a lot of clapping and it's going to be totally average. You do know that Jason Garrett is one of the nicest, sweetest, smartest coaches that's ever existed. And now he's part of NBC Sports, which is part of our world and community.

You realize that? I'm going to be very excited. We're going to clap in our home and we're going to disrespect them. Like, I'm surprised if he just backs out. All right, here's the deal.

So many people are on hold wanting to tell us about their. I didn't ask this of Lane Johnson. I should have asked him.

Dang it. Which fake movie sporting event would he want to have attended to most? Well, lastly of Maddox then. And then Chris Maddox is next. And then we're going to clear the phone banks. We got nothing but time for you after we talk to Chris Maddox Sports Illustrated to find out just who's coming to the Philadelphia 76ers for T.J. Jefferson.

That's coming up next. And what is up with Kyrie Irving? And what is up with the draft?

What is what is going on in tape? Chris Maddox coming up. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show NBA draft tomorrow night, we already talked about it with Jay Bilas of the worldwide leader in sports and joining us from Sports Illustrated, getting set for the NBA draft and its coverage and all the intrigue surrounding it on the Mercedes-Benz Vans phone line.

None other than Chris Maddox back here in the program. How are you doing, Chris? Are you in Brooklyn yet? Have you made it? You going? No, I don't get a lot of value out of being at the draft.

It's just better to kind of work from home and, you know, you work the phones, do things that way. All right, so let's get into it. How do you think it plays out tomorrow night? What's your best guess right now? Well, it sure seems like Jabari Smith is trending towards the top of the draft. And after that, I don't know if anybody's guess, I was talking to an executive this week who felt like there was a lot of fluidity, not just in the top three or four picks, but top eight picks, really. So this could be one of those drafts we look back on four or five years later and say, hey, you know, the seventh pick could try to be the best player in this draft.

At least that's how it's viewed by a few of the decision makers across the league. So who is that player? Who do you think that player could wind up being?

I don't know. There's a lot of intrigue around Chet Holmgren right now. I don't think he goes inside the top three.

Could be wrong. I mean, I've been more locked in the finals and free and things like that in the draft. But Chet is the guy that I think could wind up in that four to seven range. And, you know, if he develops the kind of strength you need to have to play at the NBA level, he's got premier defensive instincts. He looks like he's going to be a good three-point shooter. He's got all the physical, or at least all the tools, the skills to be a great NBA player. Physically, how his body develops is the question. And if he's going to play a lot of five, some of the four, he's going to have to need to develop the strength to keep those bigger players off the glass.

So, Chris Maddox here on the Rich Eisen Show. So in advance of the draft, what is happening outside of the draft world that can affect the draft? Positioning, players being traded, things of that nature.

What are you hearing about? Well, there's a lot of jockeying of teams trying to move up. And teams with multiple draft picks are the ones you really want to keep an eye on. Oklahoma City, you know, for one, you know, they've got several picks in that first round. And quite frankly, the Thunder don't have the roster spot for them at this point. I mean, they'll keep the number two overall pick in the draft because they need another franchise player to, you know, play opposite Shay Gildas-Alexander, Lou Dort, Josh Giddey, a really nice court they have in Oklahoma City right now. They hit on this number two on this number two overall pick. They'll be in a great position moving forward.

So they're probably the team I'm watching most right now because of the number of picks they have in the first round. And our colleague at the Worldwide Leader, Woj, said today that if you're a general manager and you haven't heard from Daryl Morey asking for a player on your roster being offered Tybal on the 23rd overall pick in the draft in return, then you don't have your phone on. What do you think Daryl Morey is up to?

What do you think? Well, he's trying to create some financial flexibility on that roster, whether that's to try to make a run at a guy like PJ Tucker or somebody else. It's not entirely clear at this moment, but he is trying to create financial flexibility. They're going to be a very expensive team over the next couple of years. And even with James Harden back, that team obviously needs something. And a guy like PJ Tucker, who by the way is I think still a strong favorite to go back to Miami and will have a handful of other suitors, including Brooklyn, that'll be recruiting him hard over the next few weeks. He would look pretty good playing opposite Joel Embiid in that front court or backing him up in some spots.

So that I think is one of the top targets of Philadelphia and why they're trying to clear some cap space and create some flexibility. No, I know NBA Twitter is having their fun out of the age of PJ Tucker, but I mean, you just take a look at championship teams over the last few years or teams that have aspirations of championships over the last few years and PJ Tucker's on it. I mean, the guy's a winner and he does everything. He's sort of a modern day, you know, and he wasn't really a modern day big when he started in the NBA, but he's really developed into that over the last few years where he can play multiple positions. He's really, really developed that corner three, which is critical when you're playing driving kick in today's league. So he's mastered the things you need to master to have longevity in the NBA. And you mentioned kind of the experience that, you know, playing from Milwaukee, playing for Miami, winning a championship, showing the kind of toughness defensively against Kevin Durant in the playoffs. You know, he's as valuable a role player as you're going to get. So as I said, the market, if PJ decides to explore it, from what I've heard, he's very happy in Miami. And financially, there's a reason for him to opt out of that contract because he can get a bigger one with Miami if he stays, if he just by opting out. So that may just be procedural for PJ Tucker, but if he looks elsewhere, the market will be pretty strong. And then just, you know, with Miami, Chris Mannix, you know, Riley, you just know, I think he's itching to make a big move or be part of whatever next big move can be made, that the team is close.

And I'm just wondering what the big move could be made, not just by Miami, but just by anybody right now, whether it's tomorrow night or next week in advance of the new league year in free agency, like what is a foot on that front? Well, most of the teams that I've talked to, at least the ones that are looking to do something along those lines, are monitoring Bradley Beal, the closest. Now, you know, Beal said recently at an event, he's made a decision about his Wizards future.

He has not yet revealed what that is. You know, Washington has been operating with an expectation that he is going to re-sign a max contract there. But, you know, Beal is the kind of guy that Miami has craved for years. Philadelphia is another team that's been hot after Beal for a long time. Boston has had a lot of interest in Bradley Beal. You can bet a team like Golden State is very interested in Beal and has the young asset potentially to offer the Wizards in a situation like that. So, you're really looking at him as being one of the true kind of team movers or landscape altering kind of deals that could potentially be out there. For Miami, though, as well, you know, I think Miami is a probable landing spot for John Wall if he gets bought out and when he gets bought out of this contract. Wall, of course, hasn't played in a calendar year. But, you know, given how Kyle Lowry looked banged up last year and, you know, looked a little bit older at this stage, having a player like John Wall who could step in either in a backup role or a complementary role I think would be valuable and enhance Miami as well.

Chris Mannix is Sports Illustrated here on the Rich Eisen Show in advance of the NBA draft in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday night. So, speaking of Brooklyn, your host of the NBA draft, what is the latest on Kyrie and their maneuverings, do you think? Well, it's going to come down to what kind of contract Kyrie can swallow and what kind of contract the Nets can swallow. It's really as simple as that. I mean, my read of the latest round of reporting is that it's Kyrie's way of seeking leverage.

It's pretty obvious that's the case. There's no upside for the Nets to kind of leak something like that out there. There's all upside for Kyrie to make it seem like there's a market for him when the reality is there really isn't, not unless he's willing to take a significant pay cut, you know, in the neighborhood of $26 million per year to play somewhere else, like whether it's the Lakers, the Clippers or another franchise. He's not going to Indiana. He's not going to Portland.

He's probably not going to San Antonio. So, this is about creating leverage for Kyrie. I wrote about this a little bit this week, and as expected at this moment was where Kyrie and the Nets reached something of an impasse in contract talks, to me, so too is the resolution where Kyrie and the Nets figure something out, because both sides need each other. I mean, Kyrie needs the Nets for a big contract, a chance to play with Kevin Durant, and a chance to win.

The Nets need Kyrie to have any chance of competing at the highest level and to keep Kevin Durant happy, because if Kyrie walks, I mean, Kevin Durant's going to be looking around going, all right, I've got Ben Simmons. I've got Joe Harris. I've got Seth Curry. Is that enough to win me a championship in the twilight of my career?

He's 34 years old at this point. He's probably got two or three more elite years left in him. You've got to keep Kevin Durant happy at this stage. So, my feeling all along is that these two sides would come to some kind of agreement where it's not quite a max contract, which is a win for Brooklyn, and it's not a massive haircut, which would be a win for Kyrie. And in the most Los Angeles moment in the near eight-year history of my show, Chris Mannix, I had Darvin Hamm call in, even though he was a two-minute walk away from the studio, and he is all in publicly on Westbrook. He had dinner with Westbrook. Westbrook was there at the press conference when he was talking up Westbrook, that Westbrook is going to absolutely sacrifice and play defense, because that's what Darvin Hamm is bringing to the Los Angeles Lakers.

And I even said to the coach, a lot of people are saying good luck with that, and he couldn't be more positive, and I loved talking to him, but I still am sitting here in the good luck with that category. I wonder what you think the Lakers are thinking deep down as they get set for this draft night. Well, they're hoping that Darvin Hamm is right, and that Russell Westbrook is more than just talk at this point, because they don't have a choice in bringing Westbrook back. There is no market for him whatsoever if you're not going to attach draft capital to him, and the Lakers are the Lakers unwilling to do that when teams have called to discuss that.

So this is where they're at at this point. Now, I'm a little bit bemused by the idea that Westbrook is now willing to sacrifice and change. I know Westbrook was frustrated by his relationship with Frank Vogel, which also bemused me since I mean Vogel played Westbrook 81 games. He started him in every game.

He played him 33 plus minutes per game. The idea that Frank Vogel didn't believe in Russell Westbrook is not supported by facts or supported by evidence, and look, I love Darvin Hamm. I came on your show and told you it was a home run off of the Lakers, but the idea that Russell Westbrook is going to be an elite point of attack defender, again, doesn't line up with the facts. The last time Russell Westbrook was an elite defender, I think, was in college when he was, what, the Pac-12 defensive player of the year at one point. In the pros, he's been athletic and he's collected steals, but that doesn't make you a great defender in this league. So I don't know how in his mid-30s Westbrook's going to become this key to a Lakers defense.

It just doesn't fit who he is at this stage. And look, all last year, you know, Frank Vogel and Lakers coaching staff talked to Russell Westbrook about the importance in the offseason of developing into a shooter, because that's what's going to carry Westbrook into the latter stages of his career. It's going to keep him in the league, quite frankly, in the latter stages of his career. And for what I was told, those comments, that advice fell on deaf ears with Westbrook. Now, maybe Darvin Hamm has a stronger relationship.

Maybe he's been able to get through to him. Maybe Westbrook at this, you know, in weeks and months after the season has had something of an epiphany. But Richard, if Westbrook doesn't come in a significantly better shooter, I'm not sure how you do that in one-off season, but if he does come in a significantly better shooter, the Lakers are going to be right back where they started with Westbrook, being a player who can give you some highlight reel moments during the season, but in the totality of it, not be a net positive for you. Well, put your NBC Sports Boston hat on for a minute, Chris Mannix. What is the post-mortem for the Eastern Conference champs after coming two wins shy of the whole enchilada?

It's that everything's fine out there. I mean, I keep seeing some talk about replacing Marcus Smart because you need a lead ball handler. That's ridiculous. Marcus Smart is the defensive player of the year, and this team is in the finals not because of their offensive fluidity, but because they were the best team in the NBA defensively by a country mile. And that had a lot to do with Marcus Smart.

You don't need to shake up Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown. They just went up against a more experienced team that was just a little bit better and a little bit more confident in what they could do in that type of situation in the finals. If they had gone up against, say, Phoenix, if they had gone up against Memphis or Dallas or any of those other teams that were in the Western Conference playoffs, I didn't go to beat those teams. Golden State, the core of that team with Curry Thompson and Draymond were just too refined for that type of moment. They were too prepared for that type of moment. The Celtics looked like a team in their first finals. They threw the ball away. Jason Tatum, more turnovers than anybody in playoff history in that postseason.

These are all things that get better with time and with maturity. And I think the Celtics have as much chance of organic growth than maybe a team in the league right now. I mean, you look at that team. Tatum is coming back better.

It'll be 25 next year. Jalen Brown, 26. He'll be better. Off the bench, Peyton Pritchard, Grant Williams, Robert Williams, when he's not dragging you on his knees, is going to be better. They do need to add something to that mix, preferably kind of a 6'6 to 6'9 perimeter player who can defend, make open jump shots.

Those guys aren't everywhere, I understand that, but they need to find that somewhere. But if they do, they'll come back next year 9 or 10 players deep and be every bit as good, if not better, than what they were this year. And they'll still be an elite defensive team. So I think the Celtics are in great position without making any substantial moves to be right back in the finals next year.

And what's the sense of the Warriors? Because they did this without James Wiseman playing a single minute. And he was the first overall selection from a couple of years ago. Jordan Poole has just ascended. Andrew Wiggins looked the way that he looked. And the sense is, Klay is going to be healthier.

And Curry is like that fine wine. Could we be seeing another dynastic run for this team, do you think? Yeah, we might. We might at this point, because we're now kind of past the point of the Warriors kind of dangling some of their young pieces for another star. I mean, I mentioned Bradley Beale.

I guess that's certainly possible. But I don't even know if you do that if you're the Warriors right now. Because in order to make a deal like that happen, you need to include a big salary. Well, that big salary is Andrew Wiggins.

And you're certainly not trading with this. Andrew Wiggins, at 27 years old, is now part of that team's core. And a very big one, would you consider, is now a 40-ish percent three-point shooter who defends everybody.

They had a great series, or a multiple series, where they play really well against Luka Doncic and then shut down Jason Katem in the finals. He is a part of that core. And Wiseman, what he can add will be great. He'll be kind of an heir to Kevon Looney, I think, with that team. You saw last year, Jonathan Kaminga showed he could play.

He didn't play in the postseason, but he's going to be ready, I think, next year. Chris, they have Moody sitting down. They have Moody on the bench, too. And they have a general manager who's brilliant, and owners who don't care about the luxury tax.

They don't care. And by the way, Rich, I see that a lot about the Warriors are willing to spend. Every NBA owner is willing to spend. Your team is worth like $3 billion. If you don't want to spend, just sell. Sell and get out. And make a nice profit off of it. But the Warriors, yeah, with the Chase Center, and I think they're getting like $50 million a year from the patch on their jersey at this point.

I mean, they're just pricking money over there. So they're in a great position. They've basically got the Oklahoma City Thunder on their bench, right? They've got three lottery picks, including the former number two pick in Wiseman, just sitting there on the bench. So they're going to be in a great position to kind of allow the stars on this team to have a more relaxed regular season, play like 30-ish minutes per game, go into the playoffs fresh with a rotation that's nine or 10 guys deep of guys who can all play. So yeah, Golden State was telling everybody afterwards, we'll be back next year. We know what we are. We know what we've got. And I see no reason to not believe that. That is a great team potentially for the next three or four years. And I'm just glad that Klay came through it healthy, not just with the minutes played, but also tripping over that rut in the street for the cable car.

I will never criticize athletes for getting drunk at parades. I love it. Me too. Keep at it.

Me too. Have as many drinks as you can. Chris, enjoy the draft. Look for my call as free agency hits. Thanks again, as always, for your time. Right back at you.

Thank you so much. At SI Chris Mannix, I follow him. You should as well, right here on The Rich Eisen Show. Let's take a break and clear out the phone banks. A lot of folks have been holding on based on what we started about an hour ago in the 38th anniversary of The Karate Kid.

What is the fake sporting event that you would have most liked to attend? That's coming up. 844-204-RICH. Call us. We've got a phone line open. Back here on The Rich Eisen Show, 844-204-RICH, number to dial. So it is the 38th anniversary of The Karate Kid premiering in a theater near you.

Technically could be today, 38 years ago today. First time I fell in love with Elizabeth Shue, and it's been over and over and over and over again. I say that fully aware that I'm saying it into a live microphone, but I think many people share that opinion. To quote Joe Rogan, I understand. Yes. I was, you know, I was looking at babysitters for a long time going, how come, you know, you're not the same one in the same one in the movie. Yeah.

Okay. So we asked, based on the big finale, the All Valley, what was it? Was it technical? Was it the All Valley Karate competitive tournament? I don't know what it was, but spoiler alert, big crane kick. You asked, what's the fictional sporting event you would most like to attend? Yep.

Named a few of them. I said I wanted to attend the, I guess, league championship series, the pennant winning moment for the New York nights when Roy Hobbs destroyed the light tower. I would love to have been there for that. It's the All Valley under 18. Aha. Thank you, sir.

So we asked you to dive in and say what you'd like to do to be, which you were there for. Let's go to Tom and Detroit. First in, first up. What's up, Tom? Hey, Rich. First of all, go blue, baby.

Attaboy. Also, I would have loved to have been sitting in the stands when the players came out of the corner to fill the dreams and saw Shoeless Joe Jackson. And the players that came out of that corner, especially with the great, even though it's a fantasy, with the great Ray Liotta in that movie. James Earl Jones is there as well on talking about baseball. Of course.

Yeah. I grew up with a father who got the sporting news and could tell you what players were playing for major league teams and came from what minor league teams. He loved baseball that much.

So my brothers and I all played baseball, so I would have loved to have played that or saw that, been there for that. I have to ask Tom, what's going on in the background there? What's happening?

Where are you? What do you got there? That is a Morning Dove by the name of Stanley. Ah, Stanley the Morning Dove likes calling into the Rich Eisen Show.

Clearly. Thank you. He's a fantastic pet.

They take about five minutes to clean and he's a tremendous pet. Very good. Say hi to Stanley for me. That's Tom. I will, sir.

Tom in Detroit, chiming in. See now again, it's, I don't want to push back. I mean, is that an event? It's just a moment in a sports movie.

The event is the game that's played after. Okay. I guess. Well, I mean, I don't know if I'd want to have attended that game that night.

The traffic is, you know, I don't like dealing with traffic. And as you saw, Kevin Costner told us when he was here on the show a few years ago, that was a real traffic jam. That wasn't green screen. That was literally people in Iowa that they asked to come and be part of the event.

And that was truly what they had lined up. But people aren't even going to think, Rich, they're just going to hand over $20 without even thinking. Clint in Atlanta, you were here on the Rich Eisen Show. What's up, Clint?

Hey, what's up, Rich? Hey, Clint. First of all, I just want to say you have actually mentioned me before in a sports cast. I was at Trinity High School in Weaverville, California. You were the sportscaster at KRCR News 7. That's me.

Yes. I was running track and I was the mile and two mile section leader, winner for that year. And I name dropped you on my sportscast one night, huh? Yes, you did. You name dropped everybody that won at sectionals that year in that area. And I was one of them twice. Okay, fantastic.

Good to chat with you again. But I would like to say that the sporting event I would like to have been at, just because it's so corny, but it's a great movie. I would have loved to seen Shane footsteps Falco throw that pass with Jeff tight end Mr. Murphy for the win to get the Washington Sentinels into the playoffs. New replacements, everybody. Yes, sir. For coach Gene Hackman. Right. Okay. I like it.

Coach Gene Hackman. Very well done. Good to chat with you again. Thanks for the call. That's a good one right there.

Nice. Everybody talks about Gene Hackman as coach Norman Dale. If he was complaining about being on the set of that movie and making that movie as David Anspaugh, the director of that genius sports film Hoosiers, like if he told us that Gene Hackman was you know, difficult. What's he have been like on the set of the replacements, by the way? Just thinking about the cabin that he was going to buy after cashing the check for that movie. This is the house that the replacements built.

Perhaps that's where he is retired right now is the old time great that he is. Rob in Flint, Michigan, you're on the Rich Eisen Show. What's up, Rob?

Hey, how's it going, boys? You know, I have to plug Maison Bleu as well, of course. Thank you. I do also have to comment that, you know, there's one clear game in a small town called Urbana, Ohio, where Rick Moranis' Little Giants took on the Cowboys with the debut of the play of the annexation of Puerto Rico. There you have it. You would like to have been there for that, huh?

You wanted to see the annexation of Puerto Rico? You know, it's amazing, right? You get that. And then also, who doesn't like to see the Cowboys lose?

You know what I'm saying? Oh, very good. We appreciate that broad side of Dallas Cowboys fan, TJ Jefferson, you're going out the door. Thanks for the call.

Appreciate it. Do you remember the coach of the Cowboys on that team? We played, I'm not mistaken, the Carolina Panthers ran the annexation of Puerto Rico as a two-point conversion play in an actual NFL game. And if I'm not mistaken, we broke many different rules of being able to use that video on this show by showing it to Ed O'Neill, correct? Didn't we do that once? We showed that play to him.

Ed O'Neill, who got cut in 1969 Steelers training camp by new head coach, Chuck Noll. So I got one for you. Yeah.

In 1966, the city championship, Andrew Johnson High versus Polk High, Al Bundy scores four touchdowns. You want to be there for that one? That's what I want. I mean, I wasn't alive, but I'd love to be there. That's the fake. Well done, Jay. That's the fake sporting event you'd want to be part of. Well done. That's tremendous.

By the way, he beat his nemesis, Bubba Sparetire Dixon on that final. Who wouldn't want to be there for that? Polk High's best and brightest Al Bundy before he sat on a couch with his hands down his pants.

Our number three, Michael Mando of Better Call Saul in studio. Good job. You even sent the football card home to be put up on the screen.

Multitasking over here. How about him providing his own answer and also... By the way, that was expert. That's the type of production value that chair's not used to. Well, I mean, for you to come up with your idea, provide the production value to send to the guys at home and also bring it up at the end of our hard out for our radio audience and get it in like that. Yeah, well done. I have everything ready. There he is.

Great job. There he is. Let's go to Ray in Annapolis, Maryland. What's up, Raymond? Hey, Rich. How you doing today?

Well, it's great. You sound like Del Tufo, right? What's going on, Ray? You're not from Annapolis, are you? I am from Annapolis. Okay, great.

Okay. I'm a little surprised I haven't heard about a team that was built to fail. A team of has-beens and never will be owned by ex-showgirl Rachel Phelps.

I would love to be at that Yankee one game playoff in the old municipal stadium. Chanting wild thing? Chanting wild thing as he comes out of the pen? Is that what you're saying? Lots of drama hanging around that team.

Lots of rumors hanging around that team around the Dorn allegations. It would have been a lot of fun. Well done, man. You know, with Willie Mays Hayes leading off, right? Very good. Appreciate the call.

Thank you. You know what's amazing, too? Didn't the Indians suddenly become good just as Major League came out, right? With Kenny Lofton leading off?

Oh, yeah. Just as they had Wesley Snipes be- Andy Alomar, Jr.? Like they literally put together- Carlos Baerger. Carlos Baerger, Albert, Joey Bell. Don't call me Joey Bell.

Call me Joey. When did Major League come out? What is the actual date? I feel like that's about 89. Because, I don't know, I think it might have been a little later, no? 89.

89. All right, because I remember I was in college when that came out and the Indians were just about to get good right after that, right? When did Kenny Lofton and the rest of Baerger and the rest of them show up? It was mid-90s. They had a great run of World Series, playoff, lost World Series, lost ALCS in four years. Because I remember the Sports Illustrated cover the year I arrived in Michigan was Corey Snyder and Joe Carter ready to take the Indians somewhere.

And as you know, that didn't happen. Michael Mando of Better Call Saul coming up in studio. For the real story behind some of wrestling's biggest moments, it's something to wrestle with Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson too. All-time Hogan opponents. Macho Man's got to be in the conversation. Where's Andre for you? I've always said Andre was number one. Wow. Because even going back before Hulk Hogan was a babyface, Hulk and Andre were able to go in and headline at the New Orleans Superdome at Shea Stadium in Japan. Wherever they went, that was an attraction. Something to wrestle with Bruce Prichard. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.