REShow: Brian Windhorst - Hour 1

This is the Rich Eisen Show. Cocaine bear. Saw it. Survived it. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.

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Yes it is. It's time for another edition of the Rich Eisen Show here live on the Roku channel. And for those watching on the Roku channel, you can see what I'm about to describe to the radio audience.

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That's I guess the royal we. That's me. I'm getting ready for combine next week.

I already got that on my brain right here. And we've got ourselves a great guest list again on this program as the NBA season resumes tonight. We're back.

Yes we are. After an all star break that lasted, I think the entire league went on load management for about a week. So they're back tonight. The NBA returns this evening. Brian Windhorst will be joining us shortly here on the program to get us all up to speed on what's going on in the association. One of my favorite humans on the planet, Tom Izzo, is going to be calling in. In hour number two, Michigan State Spartan head coach.

His team came out with the dub two nights ago in their first home game since the horrific shooting on campus in East Lansing, Michigan. And Tom Izzo is going to be joining us in the middle of hour number two. 844-204-Riches. The number to have a conversation with us here on this program. Once again, we are live on the Roku channel, free on all Roku devices.

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That's how you can follow us. Eric Bienemie has been introduced as the Commander's Offensive Coordinator. And again, perfect time to do it. Thursday before the combine, it's being covered by three networks.

It's the State of the Union address. So it's a perfect time. Right now, if you want to make news in the NFL, now's the time to do it. The Broncos have hired a new defensive coordinator. It's their old head coach, Vance Joseph.

How about them apples? So Rex Ryan will still be on ESPN. And Matt Patricia is still going to have his pencil behind his ear, I guess, for the New England Patriots. Sean Payton is hiring one of his predecessors. His predecessor once removed.

And that's always fascinating subject matter right there. So 844204, Rich is the number to have. How are you, Chris Brockman? Good to see you over there. Hey, Rich, I'm good. It's, you know, we're bracing for the Arctic blast. I know that.

I know that. DJ Mikey D, how are you, sir? I'm good, Rich. And TJ Jefferson, light the candle. How are you, TJ?

I'm fantastic. Excellent. And this is, I think, is a sign of the times. Here we are.

NBA resumes tonight. And football, we are now going to soon to be two weekends removed from the final football game of the season and the combines right around the corner. So thus, when a quarterback of note emerges from his darkness therapy, it's the top story on the new stack on ESPN.com. Aaron Rodgers out of the darkness. Out of the darkness. And by the way, I guess the guy who runs the Oregon facility where Aaron Rodgers went into his therapy doesn't want Aaron back because he's confirmed, yeah, Aaron just left here Wednesday. So isn't that a little chatty where you talk about who you're... How'd they find out where he was gone?

I don't know. Great job by ESPN. ESPN, yeah. You can't sit in the darkness if you're somebody who's going to be a first ballot hall of famer and multiple MVP and your decision whether to play or not affects what'd you say?

About a third of the league? It seems like it, yeah. So Aaron Rodgers has emerged from his darkness retreat according to ESPN that happened on Wednesday. He is out. So everybody be careful what you say about him, he now hears it. And I guess the way they described it, according to the man who runs the facility, SkyCave Retreat, let's give him a little shout out.

SkyCave, little SkyCave Retreat. Any relation to Chris? I don't know. Do you give it a Yelp? Are they on Yelp? I don't know. I don't know.

Rodgers might give it zero stars because the guy's chatty about him and you know he doesn't like people talking about him. He was in a 300 square foot room, a partially underground structure. What does that mean? Well you know like houses from the 70s and 80s maybe like half of it, you know how like you'd have that bottom floor that was kind of half in the ground? Well there you go. Partially underground structure devoid of light, queen bed.

Okay. Queen bed, not bad. A bathroom, that's good to know. Bathroom, yeah. And a meditation like mat. What does that mean? Just probably a yoga mat. Got it. Fully powered, the lights can be turned on from inside the room. So you can just say screw this darkness thing, hey. Yeah, I want one. I'm gonna flip it on, I'm gonna sit on this mat.

I'm gonna do a crossword puzzle, I have no idea. I would be so out of my friggin mind, I couldn't even think about doing this. Alright so I'm on this flight right now. Honestly I'd be thinking like, is Del Tufo gonna be at work today or not? Ooh, one of the rooms has a bathtub. You didn't stop thinking about it.

Rich. I don't know, Mike you weren't here yesterday, now you're here today, are you here tomorrow? Uh. Nope, you're out? Good enough? It's the end of college basketball, then I'll be here.

I had no idea, end of college basketball, who knew? It's all good. See that's the sort of stuff I'd be sitting there on my meditation like mat in my half house. I'd be asleep. Look brother.

They have a bathtub, you can take a bath. It's time. We gotta know, we gotta know. The combine's next week, Gudekunst is gonna be talking, or at least he'll be available to talk, or at least he'll be walking around the building. You're gonna see the floor there, I mean it's, it's, so they could technically go there and say we're still waiting.

Still waiting. New league year begins in two and a half weeks. I do believe it is maybe even three weeks from today.

Just thinking about it off the top of my head, cause I'll be doing the Monday show on NFL Network of that week on the thirteenth, Monday the thirteenth. Just mark your calendars, I'll be sitting there open, as the don't call it tampering window opens up. I mean that's how quickly these decisions are gonna have to get made. Negotiation pyramid. Thank you for that, I should get ready for that conversation to be had with me.

Hey Rich, don't call it tampering window. Look, I can't believe the Jets are waiting for a guy to come out of the darkness because for 53 years that's where I've been living with this team. So, if they think Derek Carr is a first ballot hall of famer and have told him that, well we think you're first ballot hall of famer, but can you wait cause the owner wants Aaron Rodgers.

That's the word on the street. And you know, I guess Woody wants to take a big swing. I guess the Favre attempt didn't leave enough of an emotional scar. I was there that night when the San Diego Chargers whipped Brett Favre and the Jets on Monday Night Football and that was in Woody Johnson's suite where he kindly welcomed me into it and I slunk out of there without saying a word cause it was a brutal night. So we wait because if Rodgers says he's going back to Green Bay that means it's a green light for the Jets to sign whoever else they want and if they want to make a big swing do they call the Baltimore Ravens?

That's what Peter King said. The Jets don't get Rodgers, it's Lamar Jackson time potentially and if you do that you're willing to give up first round picks cause that's what it would take cause the Ravens will just place the non-exclusive franchise tag on him meaning you can sign him to a contract and if they don't match you have to give them two first round selections. So that's where the negotiations would begin. We'll give you a one this year and a one next for Lamar. Is that the guy you want or do you just get Derek Carr for nothing or you wait for Jimmy G for nothing because if the Jets make that move then what do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do? What do the New Orleans Saints do? What do the Indianapolis Colts and the Texans do for a veteran for their rookie quarterback who we're assuming they're going to go get? What do the Washington commanders do? We'll see if Eric Bienemy who just stepped down from a podium said anything about Sam Howell.

What do the Seattle Seahawks do? Is Geno Smith going to sign there or not? How about Brock Purdy having his elbow surgery delayed this week cause it's still too inflamed? Yeah that was wild.

How about that one? What if Purdy doesn't get surgery until later next month and that delays him into the season and what if Lance suffers a setback? Do we see a scenario where Jimmy G just stays there?

Why not? What are the Rams doing? We haven't heard a single thing about Stafford and Baker Mayfield sitting there. Baker Mayfield is a hell of a quarterback to give a shot to and see what's going on right there. What do the Carolina Panthers do with their quarterback situation? What are the Raiders going to do with their quarterback situation?

Is that a Jimmy G spot? Could that be an Aaron Rodgers spot? If Aaron Rodgers has emerged from the Sky Cave Retreats with a clear eye and a full heart and he wants to leave Green Bay.

I believe Aaron's going to stay put and I believe all these other places are going to have to figure out what their quarterback situations are and it starts right now cause Rodgers is out. If you're Green Bay do you call him or do you wait? Wait for him to call you? Yes.

Don't think you can. Is it like when you meet someone at the bar and you gotta wait two days to make contact? Yeah I mean do you call him like you call Nicky from Swingers? Hey! Are we popping a U-up text? Is he 818 or is he 310? That means a lot.

Good Swingers reference gents. The team can't wait for him right? They can't wait cause they're trying to figure out. They can wait another week. Can they?

Of course they can. The Jets can't really wait. The Jets can wait too because Derek Carr apparently isn't saying sign me now.

I don't get it. I mean I guess you could make all these tours or whatever if you're Derek Carr. Don't you say sign me now?

Yes. Wouldn't you force the Jets to sign him? Like if you love the Jets and the Jets love you and you don't want to actually go on a free agency tour. Give him a deadline. Right. And find out and if the answer is like yeah we're waiting to see what Aaron Rodgers says adios I'm nobody's plan B. I'm out of here.

It's the way I would handle it. Correct. Are we missing any other teams here?

How about this one? Saints, Panthers, you know Chicago Bears. Is Justin Fields going to be made available at some point?

That's the one part about the scenario. That's the one part about this scenario that I saw coming that's really interesting is when would the Bears cut bait on Justin Fields and wouldn't it have to be done right around now because teams are making their plans at quarterback or is it right after let me put a pin in that I want to talk about that a little bit later. Brian Windhorst is going to be joining us shortly as soon as he puts his microphone down on the worldwide leader in sports. He's in Phoenix where the Suns are getting set to start their second half of the season and it starts tomorrow night. They're one of those teams that do not play tonight. They get one more day. Just one more day.

How is everybody not playing? They go one more day. They played the final Thursday. They played the final game of the first half if you remember. They played the final game of that first half against the Clippers who start tomorrow night against the Kings I know because I'm taking Coop and some friends to that game for his birthday. But Durant will see when he's coming back. I believe Windhorst mentioned it possibly could be this weekend. Sham says it's March 1st. So that's what Durant is is planning. That's a big return and one would think that that's that's all she wrote for the West.

Maybe. Think about you're a Suns fan. This trade was made on the 9th.

It's on the 23rd. You just you want to see KD out there so bad. These two weeks must seem like a month to a Suns fan. Well I guess you got to wait to see what his knee is right?

Yeah but still they can still win games. It's like when you're a kid at Christmas you know it's in that box. You know it's wrapped up but you know you can't touch it you know for another week until Christmas happens. That's how I feel as a Suns fan. And then we'll also see what happens with your clips when Russell Westbrook makes his crypto.com return tomorrow night. I got a good feeling Rich.

I got a good feeling. What's his role gonna be? Is he gonna finish games?

See that I don't know. You know he's been finishing games for your clip for your clips lately is Batum. Batum is great. He's been closing he's been on the on the floor cuz as you know I'm always focused on who are your closers yeah as much as who your starters are cuz Russell Westbrook was a closer for the Lakers and I wondered does this impact his sixth man of the year award as a sixth man of the year award winner ever been traded in the middle of the season or cut how about this traded bought out and then hired again right is that I don't know if that's ever happened before. He didn't have to move. Correct. He probably never showed up a single day in Utah right.

You didn't have to leave his house right same kind of route to get to practice and work every day. Right you know so at any rate you look at the the way that the West is all lined up and you think this is the Suns conference to win right now when you've got Booker, Paul, Aten, Durant and a coach who can put it all together man. Let's take a break.

I can't wait. Everyone knows it's windy. He's coming up next. Brian Windhorst from the Worldwide Leader in Sports right here.

Tom Izzo also still to come and there's you at 844-204-RICH. Men do you get distracted during the day thinking about your underarms sweating itching or emitting an odor? Do those thoughts keep you from showing care when it counts? New and improved Dove Men Plus Care Antiperspirant with 72-hour sweat and odor protection and one-quarter moisturizing cream helps you forget about your underarms so you can be present for the moments that matter. Don't let underarm insecurities keep you at arm's distance from the ones you care about.

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Brian Windhorst of the worldwide leader in sports back here on the Rich Eisen Show. How you doing Brian? Hey Rich, I'm in Phoenix. I was told this was the place to be but I got here and you're gone. I know. I know.

But it's also the place. We were there Brian. It happened the Thursday of Super Bowl week when the trade deadline went nutty and Durant shows up in Phoenix and people there are flipping out about it and can't wait. When do we see them do you think for the Suns? Yeah probably yeah so the Suns are about an hour from now we're going to go through their first practice post All-Star.

They were the last team to finish first even at the end of the all at the end of the first half it's kind of laughable there's only 20 games left but so they get the benefit of not having to start until Friday. So they're having their first practice after All-Star weekend today. Rich I don't think Durant can be ready to go by tomorrow. He wants to do some live contact because he hasn't played you know full five on five in six weeks.

He wants to do some live contact and see how his knee responds to that. So they haven't announced he's not going to play tomorrow for all you folks who might play for Wager but I would not bet on it nor would I buy a ticket for tomorrow's game if you're thinking about seeing Durant. They do play Sunday in Milwaukee and as much as my executive friend the ESPN would love to see him debut in that ABC game against the Bucks there's a chance that that's going to be no Durant no Giannis and that I think that the I think it's most likely although Milwaukee isn't ruled out it's most likely next Wednesday in Charlotte against the Wobegon Hornets which is a much more comfortable first opponent than the Bucks if you ask me. Yeah I mean the Wobegon Hornets a great way to put it because the the Hornets were one of those teams that was a seller on trade deadline and just you know which team do you think improved itself the most let's let's remove Durant from the equation because clearly well you know that is one as well give me give me one that we're not talking about that you think you know what they really did a great job give me that one. Well the Clippers for what the Clippers traded for what they got back I thought they upgraded nicely then they took this Westbrook gamble which I've really been thinking about it ever since Monday when it came down trying to wear it and I think I'm kind of in the same boat that the Clippers were because I think they weren't 100% on board from a front office standpoint at the start Paul George is probably the biggest Russell Westbrook fan in the NBA and he lobbied publicly and privately the Clippers to make that move and so they just really started playing their best basketball the season they made some nice additions at the at the at the deadline and Kawhi Leonard is playing the best basketball he has and Pete Torrey they see on the playoffs two years ago and they do that so they're a team that I just like where they were as a team and now I'm not sure the Westbrook thing and the other team I'll mention is the Memphis Grizzlies but the Grizzlies have lost I think they hit the break having lost I think nine their last 13 games they lost position in the Western Conference Denver now has a five-game lead I think for the number one seed and one of the reasons they've really struggled this year is they've been just dreadful shooting the ball they've got Desmond Dane and that's about it they went out and traded for Luke Kennard you wouldn't say that Luke Kennard is a difference-making player but he's one of the top he was the number one three-point shooter in the NBA last year I think he's in the top three again this year and so to have him as an option adding him to that roster that you know you you have the ability to add one of the best three-point shooters in the league he could make a nice difference for them for a team that was already pretty competitive when they were healthy. So let's return to the Westbrook subject matter Brian Windhorst for a moment what's your concern I mean because if it wouldn't Ty Lue be one of the guys who could tell you know PG-13 I know you liked him but it just doesn't fit and he's sitting on the bench and he could pull that off if it doesn't work or how would it not work with I guess how would you how do you envision this looking yeah so I mean Ty obviously was for it otherwise he wouldn't be on the roster right so but I think you know the the Clippers play a style where they don't have a true point guard that they traded away to their point guard at the deadline Reggie Jackson and John Wall the wall was out and not it was injured and not playing and they basically made Terrence Mann who was a point guard but also kind of a combo guard and he traded for Eric Gordon which is one of the moves I really liked the Clippers did and he handled the ball in fact in their last game before the break Eric Gordon led them and assists and also Paul George handles the ball Kawhi Leonard can handle the ball so they kind of had a team that was designed to have multiple different players sort of run their offense and like I said Rich it was working I mean they they've been they probably have played their best basketball in the last 10 games and that's mostly because Kawhi looked good to be clear and so you know they needed a point guard which is why they did this move for Westbrook but they also didn't need a point guard and you know Terrence Mann played arguably the best game of the season of his season the last game as a starter point guard and he went and went away on his break and came back and found out he maybe had been replaced so I'm not saying that Terrence Mann is going to swing the balance of power at the Western Conference but it was just a it's a move to carry some risk and so the the thing that that Lawrence Frank their team president said yesterday when he talked about the signing for the first time and he used two varies he said they were very very honest with Westbrook about what their role they expected and you know I'm gonna take that to heart but I could also see a situation where Westbrook starts and so my question is like if you bring in Westbrook do you bring him in and start him and if you do and it doesn't work out now what do you do because you're already putting on a position of the problem with the Lakers and if you bring Westbrook in and don't start him and you bring him off the bench is he going to be okay with that he was okay with it under the with the Lakers but is he going to be okay with it with the Clippers and here's the big thing I think on the Westbrook front no matter what happens you have to understand with the Lakers they traded three quality players you know Kyle Kuzma who's an excellent player contagious Caldwell Pope very important part of the team that won the title for the Lakers and a first round draft pick and they were paying Westbrook forty seven million dollars he was clogging their cap it was one of the reasons why they couldn't really afford to balance out the team that's what the Lakers had that's what the skin in the game Lakers had the Clippers are paying him a few hundred thousand dollars for the rest of the season and if it doesn't work out they can theoretically just cut him so that difference is very important when you think about how to frame the way Westbrook played for the Lakers and the way he's going to potentially play for the Lakers and if he does start would he be the first potential six man of the year award winner to get traded then bought out then signed and then start the final twenty games of the year is that is that ever happened with all due respect there was never a chance he was winning six man of the year and it's one of those things where I mean the Lakers were in thirteenth place and one of the reasons they were in thirteenth place is because Westbrook not every night there were nights where he definitely helped them win but there was a lot of nights where he was a big reason why they lost and it's just an example of why I would tell people never ever ever bet anything on the Lakers because even if you win the bet the price that you will get is going to be so bad that you could probably put your money elsewhere because the sportsbooks take advantage of the Laker fans willingness to bet crazily on their team so the reason that Westbrook was the number one in six man of the year was because crazy Laker fans were under the impression that a player like who's playing like that on the thirteenth place team would win that award. Brian I just love the way you talk man Brian Windhorst here on the Rich Eisen Show let's talk LeBron a little bit here waking up on this first day of the quote unquote second half of the season getting set to take on the Warriors tonight in the night the late game on Turner here on this rainy chilly day in Los Angeles what is he thinking what's going through his mind today do you think? Well there's kind of two types of LeBron James there's LeBron and then there's LeBron who believes in his team and we've seen this occasionally it happened in Cleveland his last year in Cleveland he had kind of got I don't know if he'd agree with this verb he kind of got a little disillusioned of where the team was he was kind of he played 82 games that year so I'm not I'm not implying that he wasn't invested but like he went on kind of like this sort of headspace departure and trying to be kind and then they traded Isaiah Thomas and a bunch of other players and all of a sudden the LeBron James who came back and played down the stretch that season was as good as he's ever been and the Cavs you know privately said yeah we traded for Rodney Hood and Larry Nance but what we also traded for was prime you know fully engaged LeBron so when LeBron came out at All-Star Weekend and basically said he believes in this team and that these are the 23 of the most important games of his career which I don't think is true but the fact that he said that leads me to believe that LeBron that you're going to see not that he wasn't fully engaged but there were a couple of times with this Lakers team in the last few years where he knew they weren't making the playoffs and he either shut it down to deal with an injury or you could tell his foot wasn't fully on the gas I think you're going to see a full foot on the gas LeBron James starting tonight and look he's dealing with some injuries he's been dealing with a sore foot he's been dealing with a sore knee he's 38 years old I'm not saying you're going to see the LeBron from the Miami days but I think you're going to see LeBron going full bore and I think he is trying to get his teammates he's trying to set the tone for his teammates to do the same particularly Anthony Davis because when Anthony Davis was playing well in December the Lakers were a good team they were a playoff quality team and I believe Rich this roster that they had if you look at this roster now one through seven it's a roster that is a playoff roster but what happened with the Lakers is that they started this season two and ten because the roster designed at the start of the year was atrocious and Westbrook in the starting lineup was a terrible thematic decision they finally got what forgot to start a lineup they finally started to find a little bit of their footing and then Anthony Davis dealt with an injury and LeBron dealt with an injury but this is a roster that should be in the top six and most years if you were talking to me in the last and you know the at last week of February about a team in 13th place making the playoff I said Rich I can't believe we're talking about this right now but I can't I can look you in the eye and tell you with the way the West is bunched up that some of the moves that the team in front of that teams in front of them have made which are kind of quasi taking maneuvers and with some injuries in front of them including Zion Williamson who just re-injured his hamstring and now is facing maybe missing most of the rest of the regular season like it can be done they can get into I mean Darvin Ham said he think they can get into sixth place that's a that would be a hell of an accomplishment to pass six teams in you know six weeks but they can definitely get to the play-in and you get to the play-in you know you could have you have a shot with LeBron James on your roster and then the Warriors the world champs are in town to take on LeBron and the Lakers tonight what's going through Steve Kerr's mind you think this morning so it's very frustrating season for them and they've basically been a 500 team for four months their defense has been really really down from where it was last year and particularly where they were what they were going on their real dynastic run when they were top three defense year after year they've been in the bottom ten for most of the year it's driven Kerr crazy and of course you've got the two different injuries to Steph Curry the injury to Andrew Wiggins which really derailed them a little bit and then Klay Thompson didn't start the year real well and so all of those come together you got a 500 team now most of the time I would tell you that if a team is 500 after 60 games there are 500 teams if you know your record is what they what you say it is however when the Warriors have had their starting lineup together this season which has only been for about 300 minutes which is minute at this point of the year but when those guys who were basically on the floor together at the end of the year last year were are together they outscored the opposition by 20 points for 100 possessions in other words they are absolutely the most devastating five-man lineup in the NBA so the Warriors can again look you in the eye and say if these five dudes are together and playing and healthy when you get to the postseason they are very difficult to stop and you would say well my god they might be a play-in team and I would say yeah but they have won a record at least one road playoff game in 27 consecutive playoff series 27 which is the all-time record so you're not going to look at them and say boy I don't think they can win on the road so if they're all healthy particularly Steph by mid-April I am again talking about team or whatever they're at eighth place and I am normally I would tell you you bring them up as a title team I think would be insane I absolutely think that they could win it and might even be the favorite which makes people's blood in Denver boil because they're the best team by a mile right now but I can't rule that out and then there's of course Phoenix as well few minutes left here with Brian Windhorst here on the Rich Eisen show who do you like in the east when you like there yeah it's a grinder and it's almost someone in my job rich I'm almost more like who's going to be disappointed because between Philly Milwaukee and Boston all three of those teams in a lot of years in the last decade in the Eastern Conference would have walked to the final I mean a couple of those LeBron Cavs teams that he got to the playoffs now a couple of them were really good but a couple of them that made them made the finals would have been buzz sawed by one of these top three teams and one of them's going home in the second round it's a mathematical guarantee and you know in in Milwaukee you've got Chris Middleton can be a free agent Brooke Lopez can be a free agent and Yanis has an extension option in this contract in the fall in in Philly James Harden is headed to unrestricted free agency so like somebody's going to be sent home in the second round with a lot of questions but that's what I'm looking at like oh my gosh this East race is going to make somebody really upset because these teams are all spending and they're all you know they can all win it so you know look Boston has been the number one team from front to back and I certainly can't deny that they are much deeper than they were a year ago when they went to the finals but Milwaukee has barely been a hole and it's sitting there in second place and has won 12 games in a row and I think when they're when everybody's fully healthy and a full power I think Milwaukee is the best team I actually believe that last year Chris Middleton hadn't gotten hurt I think the Bucks would have won their second straight title but Chris Middleton did get hurt and Yanis has dealt with several injuries this year and so you know and Joel indeed has gotten hurt routinely in the postseason so I think health unfortunately is going to play a huge role in who ends up winning well I mean I I can't believe it it looks like a misprint the Nets being 10 games over 500 after everything this year with Kyrie and his Amazon video tweet and his suspension and then we all know now he's on the Mavericks Durant getting hurt you know Simmons hardly really doing very much with the exception of like a two-week burst during you know the fall is Jacques Vaughn getting like any outside dark horse coach of the year conversation I mean that's unbelievable Brian he's not getting that but he's getting a lot of people sympathy yeah it helps when you go on a when you go on a streak where you go 18 and 2 yeah that helps your overall record they went 18 and 2 when Kyrie and Durant were healthy and engaged and that was why people thought they had a real chance I was one of them and I thought it was going to be questionable whether they could win three playoff rounds with Ben Simmons and Nick Claxon both of whom can't go to the free throw line but that you know they had a really good team that's one of the reasons why they held on rich for so long with so many you know drama that hit because they were trying to just give themselves one honest chance and they weren't even able to do that but they do have a very stocked roster and while people here in Phoenix still you know are very excited about picking up Kevin Durant there's still melon they still tinge of melancholy because they gave up Mikhail Bridges who was one of the most beloved Suns players in the modern era and Bridges you're going to see what he's not you know yielding to Booker and Chris Paul which he should have that's not that he shouldn't have he's really talented so they have a really talented team but I think they've got a really talented team that's going to finish fifth or sixth for the next few years right because they gave away their elite talent but you know there is someone interesting team but they're but they're really a story of missed opportunity and two more for you the Hawks go where with their coach now is it Quinn Snyder it's gonna be him I mean I don't think I've ever seen a general manager at a at a press conference where he announced the firing where he openly said who they wanted to hire Landry field who know the Hawks I should point out have have fired their general manager I mean I guess he resigned Travis Schlenk and coach mid-year never good that's I've been around covering the NBA for 20 years that's my knowledge rich I can impart to you this great wisdom it's never good when you move on from your GM and coach in the middle of the season but Landry field comes out at the press conference announcing they fired named McMillan and said yeah Quinn Snyder is the guy we want I mean I mean it's kind of like LeBron's open recruiting of Kyrie Irving over the over the all-star weekend the only thing LeBron didn't say was boy Kyrie I love the way you're wearing your hair these days it was just short of that and that's essentially what the Hawks did they were just like you know yeah we're trying to get a jump and we'd love to have Quinn Snyder the thing about Quinn Snyder is that just about every job opening is going to happen and you know there's almost certainly going to be a handful more it's going to walk with fighter and Quinn Snyder might want to see what happens with the draft lottery because Victor Wambunyama who's coming over from France one of the most intriguing if not the most intriguing draft prospect in 20 years and I'm not saying that that's where Quinn would go but I'd like you know if I had four or five options I'd like to see everything play out so I'm sure the Hawks I say I'm sure it's really come out of Anthony about Landry field mouse they'd like to hire Quinn Snyder this afternoon but Quinn Snyder is gonna probably wait and see how everything plays out he is the most desired coach on the market and then the last one for you with a 20 some odd game sprint to the end of the season have have have we now departed the injury management stars that were injured a year and a half ago our injury management and they're sitting on back-to-back games portion of the season or we're gonna still see that no no I mean we'll definitely continue to see load management and in some cases I think it makes sense there's some teams that probably should prepare for the postseason but there's some teams that cannot afford even one one loss so so like like the Lakers cannot afford to give away one game if they're going to accomplish this so I would say that unless LeBron is really or AD is really banged up you're not going to see load management but if you're the Denver Nuggets and you're protecting Jamal Murray your your point card is just now playing well coming off a torn ACL and you got a five-game lead in the West I could see you holding him out of some games so it's going to depend team to team but this is the load management era and it's a complicated issue and it's it hurts the NBA on a regular basis and it's not going away anytime soon yeah all right thanks again Brian let's uh let's do this more often I greatly appreciate it all the time thank you sir you're the best rich take care the absolute best nobody better than Brian Winhorse back here on the Rich Eisen show love that guy just makes me smarter every time and I just love the way he just is not a single sacred cow he just tells you exactly the way it is every time eight four four two oh four rich number down we'll take your phone calls still to come Tom Izzo of Michigan State we'll kind of rehash a little bit of what Wendy just gave us back here on the Rich Eisen show eight four four two oh four rich is the number to dial if you're on hold stay on hold we're going to take your calls in a matter of moments uh Tom Izzo calling in shortly Brian Winhorse with a lot of food for thought he said that the reconstituted Lakers the new look Lakers as I put in air quotes much to O'Shea Jackson Jr.'s chagrin yesterday when I talked about the new look Lakers with Mo Bamba in that list too Bamba Mo Bamba Mo Bamba Mo W's maybe for the Lakers right now D'Angelo Russell who was the first one that Magic sent packing now he's back much more mature called it a top six playoff roster in the west and tonight in the downtown hoops dojo you and you in crypto they take on the Warriors who he said Winhorse if all healthy best five starting on the floor in the playoffs and that the fact that they have been so horrendous on the road when I say horrendous Chris would you please just look up the record the Warriors have posted I was looking at the Lakers away from the Chase Center this year when I say horrendous it is stunning how bad they are on the road he said that don't forget this is the team that's won a single as one at least one road playoff game in 27 straight playoff series so don't look at what their road record is this year 7 and 22 don't worry Chris our producers doing more things than you the 22 7 and it's 7 so which one would you which one would you put your you put your marker on right now to make a longer run in the playoffs the Lakers are the Warriors I mean the Warriors it's kind of like the Tom Brady thing right I don't think you can really count them out put up the Western Conference standings if you don't mind mr. Hoskins one more time there they are at 13th like the Lakers 27 and 32 however as Darwin ham said he could they could they could climb all the way up to six because they are just three and a half games behind the Mavericks it's pretty we're six three and a half games separate six and 13 let's go even further four and a half games separate 13 and five and five full games separate four and 13 in the West you can make up ground fast the Warriors are currently sitting there at nine how about Warriors thunder for the right to go on the road and when a winner go home playoff game against playing tournament game against the winner of the Pelicans and Timberwolves I think you'd sign for that right now right thing is two guys we're gonna find out real quick if the Lakers team is gonna hang around because their next seven games are all against teams ahead of them in the standings Golden State Dallas Memphis twice go sorry Golden State twice Memphis twice Dallas OKC in Minnesota there it is man and don't forget the two remaining games against the Chicago Bulls and the revenge-minded Patrick Beverly who went on his podcast and said his main goal is to eliminate the Lakers from the playoffs I hope he's successful with this particular once a clipper always a clipper well more like the enemy of my enemy is my friend is that how that goes so that's what I mean that he he's once a clipper always a clipper trying to beat the Lakers so I got no problem with that so I would take the Warriors too but you do look at the Lakers now and it's just like a totally different field in the first six weeks of the season and hearing Winhorse say LeBron pedal to the metal LeBron let's go pedal to the metal on a guy who's battling through injury who knows with him he's he's sat out games recently because of his sore foot well I mean and then to rest up for the pedal to the metal final 23 games of the season kind of like what I was telling you rich about Kawhi him doing all those sitting out all these games I want Kawhi healthy now I need him healthy in November and December will they sit him out on a back end of a back to back more than likely the playoffs are here but you take a look at those standings again you can't even if he said the Lakers can't afford to lose a single game board the Clippers so you would rather have to go on the road to the Suns you'd rather have to go on the road to the Mavericks definitely not look I'm not sure games you're in the playing if you're the clipper damn straight look I want to see him play every game but I just don't believe that's a possibility well it is a possibility he looks pretty damn healthy to me that's what I'm saying so and Westbrook in the starting lineup is a possibility right now PG and him back together don't forget PG one state in Oklahoma City to play with Westbrook rather than team up with LeBron interesting Tom Izzo coming up whoever's have four back-to-backs rest of the way that's significant I mean that's four back-to-backs so that's eight of their final 23 are our back-to-back games so they'll miss four games maybe I mean the back end of those games is at Sacramento they on March 3rd who the team that they play tomorrow night right in front of them in the standings we can't afford to lose that's back-to-back at Portland is a back-to-back at New Orleans is a back-to-back and then the last day of the season at Phoenix is a back-to-back I also liked your question to Wendy rich about the Westbrook thing like if it doesn't work out well if it doesn't work out exactly you sit them cut them you keep it moving but I again I just I don't know man that there's talent with that guy right what if the story turns into Russell Westbrook shows up for the Clippers refines his point guard scoring disseminating self and you know and leads the Clippers to a championship with Paul George not in Oklahoma City but in Los Angeles where the Lakers wanted Paul George and he said now I'll stay with Russell for the moment before Kawhi said how about you join me in Los Angeles for the Clippers all three of them together you finally get your parade beating everybody with the guy that the Lakers had and basically hand it to you how's that for a storyline well she come to the parade with me you think Tom Izzo coming up our number two for me you love Lala Kent on Vanderpump Rules now get to know her on Give Them Lala with her assistant Jess LA it can become suffocating did something happen where you felt like I have to get out of here do you just think it just happens sometimes I think it just happens but also just everything going on in my personal life like I want to get on this mic and be like this is what I've been dealing with for 14 months give them Lala wherever you listen.