REShow: Bill Oram - Hour 1 (6-7-2022)

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Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Salty Tua. Let's go Salty Tua. What is what? What's the point?

The Dolphins at Lamar this season are they Super Bowl contenders? At Rich Eisen Show. Yay or nag? Salty Tua.

Let's go Salty Tua. The Rich Eisen Show. Today's guests. Lakers beat writer for The Athletic. Bill Orem. Actor O'Shea Jackson. Rams general manager Les Snead. Plus actor Michael Chiklis. And now it's Rich Eisen.

Yes sir it is. Welcome to this edition of The Rich Eisen Show. Welcome to this show on NBC Sports on Peacock and NBC Sports Audio Sirius XM Channel 85. The Rich Eisen Show. Terrestrial Radio Network.

Coast to Coast. Those listening to us on the Odyssey app. You can also get this show in podcast form. We say hello to those listeners who are listening whenever they darn well please. It's available where all podcasts are acquired through the Cumulus Podcast Network.

Youtube.com Rich Eisen Show for anything that you may have missed. What a fun show we have in store. Not just one but two. Count them two in studio guests. O'Shea Jackson Jr. is coming here to chop it up with us and particularly Chris Brockman. They have such a wonderful Twitter relationship with each other. I've got a whole outfit plan.

Going back and forth. Oh is that right? Fantastic.

We'll put a pin in that for the moment. O'Shea Jackson Jr. who is one of the more vocal Los Angeles Lakers fans. Let alone one of the more vocal Los Angeles Lakers fans here from the acting community in Los Angeles, California. He is here in studio hour number two and his Laker fandom and love of all things Lakers and hatred of all things Celtics will be counterbalanced to be fair and balanced in hour number three with our in-studio guest Michael Chiklis who is a die-hard Celtic fan and right up his alley right up all of our alleys played expertly the role of Red Auerbach in Winning Time on HBO. Can't wait to have Michael Chiklis here in studio. Those are two in-studio guests we're very much looking forward to seeing. We've also got DJ Mikey Diaz and Deez Nuts. Good to see you.

And TJ Jefferson is lighting the candle to officially start this program. I mean the Mets are eight and two their last ten rich and we're up nine. Life is good right now.

It is good. I love baseball. You want to tell you want to tell them what day it is Chris because anytime a New York baseball fan talks about how fantastically their season has begun he's like he's like the watchman over there. It's June 7th. It's only August 15th. At some point we're going to get to that point. Well that's still two months away.

This is chicken confetti out of our hair in the Canyon of Heroes and he's like but it's only November 3rd. You want to give me the field? Are we doing a New York versus the field? Let's hold off on that. Oh you're the one counting the standings.

Look at you getting your your hackles up. Just get your wardrobe change ready. I'm fired up.

Man fired up. We start this show with the tale of two ADs here in Los Angeles, California. The tale of ADs. You don't mean assistant director.

Here in LA. No I don't mean the assistant director. Not athletic director. No no no.

Two ADs. Let's start with the the one who just made a ton of money yesterday and that's Aaron Donald. Aaron Donald said he would have been at peace with his career had he no longer played another down. He told that to our friend Brandon Marshall on his I Am Athlete podcast and this is the Aaron Donald who was front and center on Super Sunday and I'm not just talking about his walk-off sack essentially of Joe Burrow. I'm talking about the pregame. I'm talking about the conversation that the what what before kickoff and the what what was Aaron Donald's thinking of retiring?

Really? The guy who had the walk-off hurry of Jimmy Garoppolo in the NFC Championship game. The guy who had the walk-off sack of Kyler Murray in a crucial regular season game that put the Rams up and the NFC West for good. That guy. That guy. The perennial first team all-pro player. The guy who's pretty much got a bust in Canton, Ohio already. That guy? He's done?

Age 31? Really? Well he said he was at he'd be at peace if he didn't play another down even though he kind of went to the parade and said he wanted to run it back. But you know what will make you at peace? I could think of a few things. What will make you at peace is a 40 million dollar raise.

Hey I'll do it. A 40 million dollar raise. Over his final three years of his remaining contract the Los Angeles Rams essentially ripped up his three-year deal that he had and replaced it with a three-year deal that will give him 40 more million dollars over its lifespan. And he basically he's got a no trade clause so the Rams can't send him anywhere. He now gets 65 guaranteed million dollars over the next two seasons and in 2024 can either tap out and go and be at peace or he can come back and play for another 30 million bucks.

That's an incentive to say stick around for 2024 when you're 34, 35 years old. The average of his contract over the next three years is north of 31 million dollars. It is easily the most lucrative contract on an annual basis of any player in the NFL who does not play the quarterback position.

And Aaron Donald is worth every single cranky cent of that contract. It is exactly why when I heard him say he was at peace and there was a business aspect of this whole thing exactly why I knew that our third hour guest in the general manager of the Los Angeles Rams Les Snead would figure it out in the same way that we're constantly asking about Les Snead. Does he not care about the draft picks?

How does he keep doing it? Building a winning team without a first round selection or top first two day of the NFL draft selection. Now we're sitting here wondering do the Rams not have a salary cap? How can they redo Stafford's contract? How can they redo Donald's contract? How can they have a 100 million dollar quarterback under the same cap? And Jalen Ramsey how can they go and sign Allen Robinson? How can they just fill in the blank? That's the Rams.

How can they? And I'll tell you what when Les Snead is on an hour three and I ask him Cooper Cupp's next you know what his answer is going to be? Oh yeah. We're good. We'll figure that out. We got it done. It's not going to be yeah we have no there is less pie.

There's no pie. I got nothing left in the store for the MVP of the Super Bowl. The guy who just had the triple crown of the wide receiving position in 2021. A guy who as I heard on coming to work the other day as I listened to the show that precedes this one on NBC Sports on Peacock.

I've read Dan Patrick's show. One of his listeners nicknamed Cooper Cupp white rice. I've not heard that one before.

They're gonna pay white rice. That's not a good name for Cooper Cupp by the way. That's what the guy nicknamed him. He deserves better.

No that's not a good name. He is going to get his okay and that's why the Rams are not only a next level franchise where they are a team that can go back to back this season. One thousand percent that can happen. They have the roster to do it. They've got the coaching staff to do it.

All they've got to do is stay healthy and they're going to be winning more games than not. They have the best player all-around player in football which is a way to say he's not a quarterback. Best all-around player in football and Aaron Donald may be the best player at that position ever. There's an argument that he's the best defensive player ever and a lot of people are like hold your horses. There's Lawrence Taylor. There's Reggie White.

Yeah. There's a lot of hold your horses. Guess what can be held in the next two to three years?

More parades here in Los Angeles and those horses no longer need to be held. Aaron Donald over the next three years can indeed make the case that he's the best defensive player in the history of the National Football League and part of the reason why he could pull that off is because the Rams are smart enough to say we're going to pay this guy and that resonates in the locker room as well and if you want to go next level and we always do here. Les Snead is clearly doing this for many reasons and they're selfish reasons. He's the best player in football. He deserves to be paid this money.

If he can spend it, give it to him. Kroenke is smart enough to say Les you're the general manager. You do it. Go for it. Team president Kevin Demoff.

Go for it. Take that money. His leverage is I'll just retire.

I'm at peace. Give it to him and giving it to him. Do you know who that places pressure on too? How about the team that you played for the NFC championship game happens to be in your division that has Nick Bosa ready to be paid? And what do you think Nick's thinking? And you could sit here and go well Nick you haven't done what Aaron Donald's done. Nick that's a fact. You haven't done what Aaron Donald's done. Hey Nick you're not you're not.

Nick's also 24. Nick's also ready to be paid and the market says a player who is stellar on the defensive line can make this amount of money. You have reset the market. You're the Rams. You can afford it.

You can give it to them and you do it. How do you think that contract got lobbed into Santa Clara at the front offices of San Francisco? Who has apparently Debo Samuels showing up for mandatory minicamp this week and he's got to be paid and maybe you pay cup before Debo's got to do that deal and you throw that into San Francisco's front office and you kind of blow things up for your opponent too. Chef's kiss giving Aaron Donald this money. As for another AD again we just talked about Aaron Donald here on this program.

Another AD here in Los Angeles, California. His name's Anthony Davis. He's already been paid. He's paid a lot of money but unlike the other Aaron Donald, the other AD here over the last couple of years he's not been able to dress very much.

Charles Barkley's nicknamed him street clothes. There would have been a parade here had there been no pandemic and no bubble in which the Lakers won that championship. Unfortunately for them no parade. Remember LeBron kind of said maybe we have two parades when the Rams won it. Remember he suggested that the Lakers can have their belated parade that never happened and it was kind of like okay all good and the general sense is you know what just wait a year because you've got Anthony Davis and you've got LeBron and Russell Westbrook showed up and you put them all together. It's an outstanding fantasy team for the 2015-16 season right but what about 21-22?

No bueno. Again because AD part of the equation for LA, L the Lakers, 76 games played over the last two seasons. Put the last two seasons together he hasn't even played a single full season but as LeBron pointed out at the end of the season he's healthy. LeBron is healthy and Russ stays healthy.

Just run it back, run it back. Unfortunately in the 22 games that they played with each other last year they were 11-11. That's a 500 team that will get you in the playoffs as a play-in tournament team but that's not what the Lakers are about. They're about championships, they're about hanging banners, they're about hashtag winning time. So enter Darvin Ham, the new head coach.

This is what's placed in front of him. An incredibly talented player who can't stay healthy. An all-time great GOAT who is playing well beyond the expectation level of anybody at age 37 last year but then you think he's LeBron James and you expect it and can you expect to do he does it again as age 38 which is what he'll turn in December? I think you can expect LeBron's greatness to show up. What about Russ?

Is he going to be on the team? Well Darvin Ham was introduced yesterday as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach and interestingly enough Ham was asked about Westbrook and Westbrook was standing right there. Did you see this?

I did not. Russ okay so Ham and Polinka are sitting at the front of this press conference and to the left is Russell Westbrook just standing off to the left kind of standing there watching the press conference. Watching and observing and Bill Orem our guest who's going to be joining us in five minutes time from the athletic asks him the question about what about Russ and we'll play that for you in a second before Bill joins us and essentially the answer was Russ is going to be here and he kept on saying over and over and over again that it's about defense and that Russ will be asked to sacrifice. LeBron's going to be asked to sacrifice. Anthony Davis is going to be asked to sacrifice and my question is what's Anthony Davis going to sacrifice? You know what he needs to sacrifice? Whatever needs to be sacrificed to keep him healthy.

What does that mean? Like a chicken or something? Like what do you got to do? Like do you got to sacrifice something on the altar of the basketball health gods because what's he going to sacrifice? I don't know what's LeBron going to sacrifice? I don't know what that meant and certainly in terms of defense you know what he said about the defense is that Russ may have to do things without the ball and that's let me look it up not his forte playing defense not his forte and he hasn't made a shot in like two years it feels like. So the Lakers like the Rams are going to run it back.

I like the Rams running it back a hell of a lot better and their AD and the chances of them running it back with their AD and Aaron Donald a hell of a lot better than this one. I don't know Lakers fans you couldn't get excited about Darvin Ham he's a six foot seven former player he's bringing Rashid Wallace with him they're going to have some toughness and again that's what Palenka kept talking about as if Frank Vogel was just not the toughest guy around. You gotta have toughness maybe he's watching all these Celtics games and he's seeing toughness he's seeing guys being put on their ass he's seeing offenses like the Warriors getting disrupted he's seeing teams like the Heat getting out muscled and beaten he's seeing the defending champs in the box get bounced but the star players of the Celtics are young. The team in its entirety with the exception of Al Horford is young. The Lakers are old. The Lakers are old and they've got their young stud in street clothes. Running it back a fascinating concept here in Los Angeles and maybe they have no other choice they have no other choice if they're not going to attach a first round selection to the trade of Russell Westbrook to get him out clear his salary bring in players right now that can play well and do complement what Anthony Davis and LeBron James can do but you're asking a team to start sacrificing and playing tough defense when one guy is 38 another guy who can block your shots isn't playing because he's hurt and Westbrook is he is he suddenly going to turn into Marcus Smart at the advanced age of of his career. I don't know man I mean it sounds great it sounds great from their new head coach but the roster doesn't match. Bill Orem who was at that press conference is our first guest we'll talk about this with diehard Laker fan O'Shea Jackson Jr. Our number three Michael Chiklis who plays right a hour back on winning time diehard Celtic fan New England sports fan can't wait to have him here him here in studio and then the man who just made Aaron Donnelly piz aid player Les Snead will join us top of our number three and then there's you at 844-204-rich number to dial the San Francisco 49ers organized team activity and mandatory minicamp starting today was where's Deebo all googly eye emojis are on there 844-204-rich number to dial we're off and running here Bill Orem who covers the Lakers for the athletic when we return back here on the rich eyes and show 844-204-rich number to dot bill Orem covers the Los Angeles Lakers for the athletic and he asked he asked the the number one question and fascinating enough Russell Westbrook was standing right there watching this entire exchange that started by the bill Orem asking the new head coach Darvin Ham about Westbrook specifically on Russ you know a lot has been made about his fit with LeBron and and we didn't see it a ton last year with with injuries but um how do you see those three working together how do you see Russ fitting and um I guess more you do see him here I guess based on the way you're talking absolutely I mean just our running habits and Russell don't don't get it messed up Russ is one of the best players our league has ever seen and there's still a ton left in that tank I don't know why people tend to try to write him off I'm gonna approach him like I do every player I've ever encountered we're gonna talk about our running habits with the ball without the ball and again the the team's the rhythm right there and trying to establish a rhythm with LeBron Russ ad and and again share the load defensively and offensively defensively is where you're going to see us make our biggest leaps and bounds we have to commit to the defensive side of the ball or we don't have a chance to do anything the offense won't even matter if we don't get stops so I'm telling you Darvin Ham was talking about defense non-stop like say something bad on on Monday and Russ standing right there bill Orem here on the Mercedes-Benz phone line on the Rich Eisen show did you see Russ there when you started posing the question bill oh oh yeah I I saw him over there and then I immediately if uh I immediately trained my eyes on Russ while Darvin was answering because I was curious how he was going to respond to um hearing hearing that kind of direct you know feedback and perspective from the guy he's going to be answering to you know this this next season assuming the Lakers keep him around and you know it was interesting like you said I mean the message is not that different from what I think other coaches have asked of Russell Westbrook you know play defense be willing to um you know really commit offensively when you don't have the ball um which is obviously going to be key with um with LeBron James when he's on the floor with LeBron um but you know it's just going to be a matter of whether or not Russ feels a different connection with Darvin Ham than he felt with Frank Vogel and if Darvin can get you know even 50 percent more buy-in from Russ than than Frank did because that was a huge problem for the Lakers last year was um Russ was tuning Frank Vogel out almost from the beginning as he sort of revealed after the season when he you know was kind of griping that you know Frank didn't had had something against him so if he feels a little more um engaged with Darvin Ham that's going to be huge but at the same time Darvin is asking Russ to do things that Russ has shown that he either doesn't want to or can't do so I'm I'm going to be really fascinated to see how this goes if the Lakers keep Russ around well I mean uh Ham's been around this league a long time uh he's a smart cookie as well uh is it possible he's just throwing these rose petals at the feet of a guy who was in the room and the idea is he's not going to be there anyway what do you think of that I mean that there's certainly wisdom to that and it's certainly the you know I wrote something you know a month or two ago saying that the Lakers needed to reverse the narrative on Russell Westbrook because everyone was so cocksure that the Lakers were you know hell-bent on trading Russ at any cost this summer that it was completely driving his value down and they have certainly gone the other way and made everyone think that they're going to keep him and so are they posturing are they are they positioning themselves for leverage or are they kind of breaking for the realities of a you know an uninterested marketplace where there isn't going to be a trade that makes sense for Russell Westbrook where the Lakers can recoup some value without completely hamstringing themselves for the future so are they sort of preparing the fan base and preparing themselves for the idea of doing this for one more year and hoping that new leadership and a new voice might yield a different result and that's kind of what we don't know at this point but you know everything I've talked because I asked people at the Lakers yesterday like how sincere is is the you know keeping Russ um chatter and the response was you know hey if we you know if we can't get um if we can't get a fair deal then we may have no choice so you know I think the Lakers are are mentally preparing themselves for the possibility of bringing Russell Westbrook back I don't think anybody is is saying that that is the ideal scenario I think this is a a marriage of necessity not a marriage of choice at this point you know they backed themselves into a quarter and they kind of have to live with their decision um so I I think that you know Darvin Ham like you said he's smart he certainly understands the situation and by the way like Darvin blew a lot of smoke up uh you know in Russ's direction you know a lot of praise a lot of hype but he also said you know he wants him to be the same high intensity and energy player that he's been in his career but that a lot of that's going to need to be defensively and off the ball and so you know I think that that is sort of you know preparing Russ for a lot of the same demands that Frank Vogel tried to make a year ago which is you know you're going to have to adjust your game in order for it to work here but we've never seen Russ yield he's not a player who yields or adjusts and um that means we could be in store for another awkward season if he's if he stays well I mean your your your answer you just gave there Bill Orm the athletic here on the Rich Eisen Show when you said you asked Lakers folks yesterday about Westbrook's future there the answer wasn't absolutely like what Ham said it sounds like their plan is to absolutely see what they can get for him first and then resignedly hold on to him and make it you know make chicken salad if that's necessary is that the plan basically for him right now you think I mean that's what that's 100 my uh read of the situation where um you know they still I mean we aren't to the draft yet we aren't a free agency you know the Lakers obviously pulled off the deal for Russell Westbrook uh on draft day last year that's when a lot of this stuff comes together so I think there is a real curiosity on the part of the Lakers to see how the marketplace sort of shakes out and what could be available um but I do think also that there has been sort of a a grudging acceptance of of of maybe needing to hold off on a deal that this is not coming together in the way that they would have hoped um you know where a clear you know opportunity to unload Russ and recoup some value was going to present itself so yes I mean it makes sense for Darvin to say absolutely because if he's if Russ is still here you know it's going to be your Darvin Ham's biggest task getting Russell Westbrook to buy in and adjust his game and so if Russ is standing right over there in the corner listening you know you can appeal to Russ by saying I believe in you you are one of the greatest players of all time that is going to resonate and what I wrote my story today uh at the athletic was you know Russell Westbrook had to have loved what he heard from Darvin Ham but the worst thing that could happen for the Lakers is if he starts to believe it and they need to kind of thread this needle of massaging his ego but also you know find a way to hold him accountable without losing him which is definitely a risk with a player with a player like Russ Bill Orem of the athletic here on the Rich Eisen show what about LeBron's future doesn't that have to be handled in a way similar to maybe what happened with Aaron Donald right where uh you pay him more um obviously Donald didn't get more years on his contract but there's the contract has to be addressed right for Lebron it does it does obviously he's a free agent in 2023 if they don't get an extension done this summer um you know the thing that the Lakers have sort of you know back channeled is they're very comfortable with the Lebron situation they feel that you know they have you know Lebron on on board they believe that he is committed he obviously loves being in LA um you know he has shown a commitment in those private in those private conversations the Lakers have sort of indicated and my colleague Sam Amick has reported that they would be comfortable with him going year to year if if that was what he wanted to do um you know to sort of maintain his flexibility at this stage in the career in his career so I don't think they are necessarily panicking if he doesn't sign an extension this this summer but um I think that would obviously be their preference to ensure that you know they are the ones who benefit from his talents but at the same time you're talking about a player who's going to be you know 38 years old uh by the end of the year and um who knows what you know Lebron looks like at the end of a two-year extension if if he ends up signing that so it's a delicate situation but obviously the Lakers know that they don't have Lebron James they don't have they don't have much going for them especially with the way the rest of the the rosters have been built and assets have been expended so um you know that that extension can't be dealt with until August so there's a lot of pieces that are going to have to fall into place first and I guarantee you I mean Lebron James is going to be basing his decision in some part on what the Lakers do and what the Lakers put together and how he views you know the next three years of you know Lakerdom and I do think I do think hiring Darvin Ham was a good first step um you know Lebron's tweet in support of Lebron I thought was very encouraging you know showed obviously a a real uh level buy-in from Lebron um and excitement from Lebron with with the coaching decision and so that's kind of the first piece of the puzzle what do they do uh you know around the draft and then in free agency and does Lebron then think that that's something worth signing up for three more years of or does he want to maintain his flexibility and that's a decision I guess the Lakers are comfortable leaving up to him well obviously the Lakers want him in a Laker uniform when he breaks Kareem's record that's for sure and um but there's more than just a ceremony here the the ceremony they want is a parade that's the what they want to get and I'm wondering if you if you got the Laker front office if not Jeannie Buss in a room and ask them is this what they envisioned when they first signed Lebron um towards the end of his contract to have a roster that does have a young stud star on it but he um not only can't stay healthy you did have to trade away a ton of young talent to go get him and you're watching them blossom elsewhere especially Ingram in in New Orleans um you know do you think that this is what they were hoping for are they are they pleased with the result and the future of it Bill Orem do you think boy that is a that's a that's a good question rich because I think I think the Lakers were prepared to trade all those young guys when they got Lebron I think they understood that the rules of the game had changed when they got Lebron James in the summer of 20 of 2018 um but I mean listen they've made the playoffs you know they've they've they've only made the playoffs two out of Lebron's four years they lost in the first round one of those two years so really three of the four years they've had Lebron have been absolute duds and and then in there you've got a championship so it's a really hard situation to evaluate but I think you know I mean give the Lakers truth serum they believe that they can be contenders next year with with the state of the roster as it is and you know that is going to require luck it's going to require certain things breaking their way in in roster construction it's going to require you know some players you'll continue to grow and evolve I mean maybe you need Austin Reeves to become a even higher level impact player you know but the Lakers believe that they still have more championships in this Lebron James construction and and so in that sense I think that you know they do feel like it's a success but I also think they understand that mistakes have been made along the way and that they've made this a lot harder on themselves than it than it than they certainly would have hoped. Bill Orem a couple more minutes left with the athletics uh Bill Orem covering the Lakers here on the Rich Eisen show uh our colleague Mark Stein um reported on his sub stack last week that Darvin Ham extracted some concessions about his staff makeup uh as well as keeping one of the Ram by out of his um coaches meetings um in a way that Frank Vogel was not afforded is that true Bill? That's what I was told I was told the the day that Darvin agreed to the contract that he was going to have the full latitude to hire his own staff um which you know um is is something that you know Frank Vogel was very open about and you know he said he acknowledged that the Lakers brought Jason Kidd to him and he you know interviewed him and he you know made the decision but it was obviously it was the organization's wish to have Jason Kidd on his staff and of course he was on his staff and I think there were elements of that elsewhere because I mean there was it wasn't like Frank Vogel had a history with David Fisdale um so I think that I the question really for the Lakers is how much have they learned from their past mistakes with their coaches because they've been so heavy-handed with Luke Walton with Magic Johnson basically threatening Luke's job two weeks into the season in 2018 setting the kind of you know the course toward his eventual firing same with Frank Vogel uh last year the one-year extension uh micromanaging his staff being in the coaches meetings um Kurt Ram is blowing up on the coaching staff really early in the season threatening their jobs can the Lakers get out of their own way and more importantly can they get out of Darvin Ham's way and let him do the job they've hired him to do if they can if they have if they've realized that they are um that they are that that the way they've handled coaches reflects poorly on the organization causes bad blood between the coaching staff and the front office um if they've learned that then there's a chance that this could work um you know I just don't know we just haven't seen that from from this Lakers front office really an ability to sort of learn from their mistakes but um it's a good coaching hire it seems like they've done the right things so far I'm going to be very curious to what Darvin's staff looks like because you've got a lot of cooks in the kitchen with the Lakers right and Frank Vogel's staff had you know Phil Handy who obviously has a history with Lebron Mike Penberthy who is the preferred um you know assistant coach of Anthony Davis and was with him in New Orleans so you know are those figures who obviously are very important to the stars and the stakeholders with the Lakers are they going to you know are they going to remain with the organization I mean how about some of the other the other pieces and so at that point you know it's like okay Darvin has the autonomy to hire his own staff but also if he looks around he probably also knows who he needs to keep happy so I'm going to be really curious to see what this staff yes he gets to assemble it himself but at the end of the day what's it going to look like is going to be a very interesting question I mean you just take a look at the two teams that are in the finals right now the ones that were in the finals last year right it just doesn't uh it doesn't compute I mean I guess Chris Paul being in the finals last year could be for the lack of a better analogy here Bill I understand like a Lebron type figure where the guy is towards the end much closer to the end of his career or his basketball mortality than everyone else but surrounded by uh winners and uh uh a coach of the year right or you take a look at the Celtics Jalen Brown and and and Tatum and the young kids with just Al Horford in a certain role you've got the Warriors with Kerr I mean who who has assistance on the staff that are handpicked by the stars right that are put together it's just it just seems to me like a threading of the needle to just run it back right now with a with a window to close I'm not saying it's never going to happen but um odds are which is a phrase that I I've been using a lot around here lately it just it just seems bleak Bill I'm not gonna lie I'm not gonna lie I completely agree with you and I think you know the Lakers are in kind of a constant state of evaluation of what's their best path forward and you know I think for now they still feel like it's you know running it back feels a little defeatist but it it does you know it's that or or what I mean you're trading Anthony Davis trading Lebron James completely tearing it down trying to you know recoup assets and then give yourself a five-year timeline I feel like the lake I think the Lakers feel like it's too soon for that I think that that sort of doesn't follow through on sort of the pack that they made with Lebron when they signed him in 2018 so even though that there's a very logical argument to be made for that right it's time to it's time to find a new path but I don't think they're there yet but it but you're right as you look at the at the rest of the league it's hard to see how the Lakers get back to the top with with this current assemblage Bill appreciate the time greatly appreciate it thanks for the thanks for the time the day after that big press conference always a pleasure rich thank you right back at you at Bill Orem on Twitter I follow him you should as well from the athletic you know I mean I don't know if it's fair or not you just take a look at where the Celtics are and how they're made up they're the ones who are in the finals right now it's a far cry that said Celtics look dead in the water in January and if you can't trade away Russ and you have to run it back there are worse running it back options true when when Lebron is one Anthony Davis just what I mean one time I got like I said sacrificing you have to sacrifice whatever ritual sacrifice needs to happen to keep him healthy if he stays healthy what a totally different ball of wax and and I don't know can Russ be a role player is that all we're asking of him like he's got to play a role yeah you know rich what's his thing and what would that role be like right I kind of slag on it just because you know I'm not a fan of their team but what Miami has done in terms of heat culture I think is a real thing and you kind of saw that with Boston they finally bought into Imeo Doka's culture the second half of the year and when I think about the Lakers I don't think that's a team with a culture and I think that's why you've kind of seen it all up the last two years oh no there's a culture and it looks like it's a clutch sports culture it's what that looks like well it obviously doesn't work what I mean you're hearing Lebron loves that assistant Anthony Davis loves that assistant the Rambuses love that assistant the Lakers like that guy and they put it all together and then all of a sudden it doesn't work that's what it looks like it's the culture is just hey you know let's get one guy who's the guy who's the one of the best players from clutch sports yeah but you're throwing a bunch of ingredients in a together don't go together well or they can and Darvin Ham's the right chef and that may be what the plan is here they better hope so in the same way again I guess you could just go back to and it just it looks bleak there's just no question about it but your Celtics looks look they like they were made the wrong move with the front office then the coach and the roster looked unworkable with such young players maybe you have to break up one of these young players send send Jalen Brown packing they also acquire a couple of players and then immediately cut bait on them they were able to admit hey this isn't working even though we just brought you in Dennis Schroeder Josh Richardson Sia Sia out and it looked bleak overpay for Derek White everyone up there is being like what is this move right and tomorrow night they're hosting an NBA finals game yep one one with three home games left they win every home game there's a duck boat parade again in Boston yep and that certainly didn't look that way and so if you're a Laker fan you're like well the entire equation of what we just saw in Boston maybe Darvin Ham is our Emma Yudoka right and the Tatum and Brown are terrific whatever but we have LeBron and AD and if Russ can just you know fill in the blank that seems to be the plan right now but I found it interesting that Bill Orem said that there when he asked the Lakers front office people or whomever you know about Russ and they're like yeah if we don't get anything for him that's appropriate then we'll just hold on to him and then we'll run it back but Darvin Ham was asked by Orem like sounds like he's going to be here he's like absolutely which is what he's got to say the question is will that be the case let's take a break eight four four two oh four rich number to dial tons of in-studio guests coming up here on the Rich Eisen Show O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Michael Chick listen you eight four four two oh four rich back here on the Rich Eisen Show eight four four two oh four rich is the number to dial I'll take some phone calls in a matter of moments here on the program so if you're on hold stay on hold look I'm I'm sometimes I like to say I'm a seer I see things I know that's I'm borrowing a phrase from Michael Irvin I feel things in my gut I've been around the NFL block every now and then told you Leslie Leslie was going to handle the Aaron Donald situation well I guess they kick over a rock and they find 40 million extra dollars in the salary cap for for him over a three-year span I have no idea what smoke and mirrors or tricks are used to to afford this sort of thing I I don't know apparently that deal freed up two million dollars it's entirely possible I don't I don't know and and again we're gonna have less need on an hour three and and it's gonna be like the beautiful mind I don't know I don't I don't know I mean we'll ask him best he could tell and I you know that you don't talk about getting in the weeds you're talking about well you can you know convert this and do that and it's after June 1 here and I mean honestly my my I'm more verbal than math to be very honest with you you know I never did very well with the science piece the wedge for for trivial pursuit I I don't get those things but I knew less need was gonna handle it I just felt it in my bones and and and no no personal insight on anything I just felt it I'm telling all you 49er fans no matter how it works this week if Deebo's sitting on the side or anything it's the mandatory minicamp they moved it up which is great I mean I guess you gotta re-get your plane tickets if you're not if you're not in town or anything like that I don't know how it works but yeah I'm telling everybody week one of the I feel it week one of the NFL season where's my where's my uh okay week one of the NFL season San Francisco 49ers are at Chicago I'm going to say this I see I see a beautiful September afternoon day in Chicago Illinois big it's it's it's the it's a big day it'll be the unveiling of the Eberflus release the Eberflus okay in Chicago there's gonna be Justin Fields and it's just a fascinating game San Francisco and Chicago I mean holy Mike Singletary I mean there's some great games right from back in the day there right nine or six and a half point favor who knew that there's even a line on that sort of thing I didn't see that coming I guess I should have known I think I'll take the Bears and the points San Francisco gets the let's just say the Bears want to put their defense out there first they win the toss Bears want to put their defense out there first they defer you get the ball first Kyle Shanahan you get the ball first Niners start the game on offense Trey Lance will trot out on the field and he will look either behind him or most likely Outwad because I guess this would be would that be provocative if they hand it to Debo to start the game probably not because they'll pay him he will have been paid that's the way I'm feeling snap one for the 49ers it's Trey Lance because it's his job Jimmy Garoppolo will be elsewhere he won't be on a team take the indication that they told him he's excused from a mandatory minicamp that he couldn't even participate in anyway he can't throw and Debo will be there and he will be paid he will be paid not Jimmy G handing off to Trey Sermon that is not happening no sir no sir that is not happening could be um Jock Peterson's favorite running back Jeff Wilson gets the ball from Trey Lance could be possible Tommy Pham's favorite I just feel it and I've got the Magic 8-Ball to back me up Magic 8-Ball am I right about this oh this is gonna be great signs point to yes I wanted to check signs point to yes check back later take my word for it and the Magic 8-Ball has backed my play thank goodness I have this here off to the side I feel it I feel it in my bones same way that I knew that this document for Kyler Murray would be worthy of still having on my desk to this moment he'll play too he's gonna play too but just I just said I need to hold on to this by the way it's just held up remarkably well for something that I keep grabbing off the desk and you know the way that I handle my my papers you got a lot of stuff you got a lot of stuff here I mean my schedule's already frayed at the edges I'm telling you Debo will be there and Trey Lance is starting and that's the way it's going to go in week one after the first snap but yeah you know anything goes I don't know can't help you there but with your six and a half and your Eberflus and all that business yeah bears on the point I mean that is something we're going to learn you do not bet against the Eberflus you do not betting that would be a hell of a strategy our number two your phone calls 844-204-rich number at all Tom Brady had an interesting quote that Leonard Fournette attributed to him when Leonard was on a free agent tour don't miss that your phone calls and O'Shea Jackson Jr coming up was Tom Brady fully clothed when he gave this oh dude did you see that video well I was trying not well he's selling his underwear I understand and um but I know a little too much Brady we saw the the the TV three what is that I don't know I could make a joke everywhere on Peacock right yeah you don't want me to chime in on this right now so he'd be eight and a half eight and a half okay wow dude wow come on man but Giselle shot the by the way if you're selling if he's selling underwear if he's selling underwear Giselle shooting a video of him in his bathroom in his underwear is a smart play it's a smart play man smart play it's a smart play we're talking we're talking about it right otherwise we're not talking about his underwear trending all day yesterday right just saying anything but brief goodness I mean if he wants to send us some underwear I mean we can we could you take it try it out yeah you take it I mean I don't wear much I mean you said you'd take him back you'd tell Mac Jones see you later thanks for playing Mac last year great job just for one year that's right yeah well you would stop Mac Jones's you would stunt his growth you would stop it just to take him back one more time Mac Jones can get all the reps in practice just on Sunday Brady Brady's taking the 60 understood wait did you just say you don't wear much underwear what that's what you just passed by that stuff I can't let that one go what's that mean you don't wear much underwear like you don't wear underwear it's summertime oh my god this is information that is definitely unforgettable information I did not need to know what's that line from Seinfeld there's nothing between the real and their spectacular no no no the only thing between you and me is a thin layer of gabardine I'm out there Jerry and I'm loving every minute of it for one of the first times in a long time I'm telling Del Tufo thank god you're not opening your mouth right now you don't even know what to say you're not paying attention yes I am you're not even paying attention you came back for this I don't even want to I may be off tomorrow I'm taking the day off now don't take it off we can go commando I mean that's what I'm like what are we doing by the way uh Henry Henry Winkler's on Friday show now you're not taking off Friday right I'm literally here all week I am literally here all week okay did you watch Barry and you know that I haven't seen it yet you know that literally means an actual fact right so you an actual fact will be here I mean you saw what's going on in my house Sunday night you were able to watch Barry 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 you know 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