Hour 1: 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan, George Pickens Trade Debate, plus NBA Playoffs Reax

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1:19You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. LeBron is wearing down. This is the Rich Eisen Show. 16 seconds. James, a deep three. Short. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.

1:52Rich Eisen:LeBron's wearing down. Today's guests. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan, Colts General Manager Chris Ballard, Commander's Head Coach Dan Quinn, Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Weber, and now it's Rich Eisen. All right, everybody. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show. Just to let you know how things get made around here, I literally, I think, just took the walk to get to this desk in real time that I do for the show open. and I just sat down. I didn't just get here. But I just got here to talk with you at 844-204-RICH. Number to dial. Hello on Disney Plus, the ESPN app, ESPN Radio and Sirius XM Channel 80.

2:42Rich Eisen:I will also say hello in about 40 minutes time to the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Kyle Shanahan, who has not appeared on this show in five years. So would it be awkward if I started by saying, what gives? Kind of. Okay, so I'll just say, hey Kyle, how you been? and one of the best in the business and one of the biggest newsmakers at the head coaching position of the San Francisco 49ers is going to join us. And then after that, Chris Ballard and his biceps will show up. Honestly, the most yoked GM in the business? Oh, great question. I will ask him. Should I ask him, are you the most yoked GM in the business or are you the GM that wears the most mediums?

3:22Rich Eisen:John Lynch, I got to think, is still in pretty good shape. Okay. All right. Anyway, I'll waste Chris's time with that later on in hour number two. Good idea. Dan Quinn will join us, the Washington Commanders head coach, and then Chris Weber on what's going on in the NBA playoffs. And I will ask him a question in hour three that I'm about to ask you guys in just a shorter matter of time about the NBA playoffs and which team up 3-2 is in the most trouble. It's kind of crazy what's happening in the first round right now, But that's what's going down is the Lakers were one game away from advancing and giving Luca more time to rest and relax.

4:04Rich Eisen:And Austin Reeves, you sit back, you don't have to come back. And now he comes back last night and the Lakers lose to the Houston Rockets, who have won two in a row. We'll talk about that with C-Web in hour three and with you throughout at 844-204-RICH. Call us. We've got time for you. How are you over there, Christopher Brockman? What's going on, Matt? I'm great. Celtics play tonight. Let's rock and roll. It doesn't sound great. You said, I'm great, and then you deep sigh. Well, my baseball team stinks. Good to know. And it's going to be a long summer. Look who's back in the Rich Eisen Show audio executive seat wearing your awesome St.

4:36Rich Eisen:Jude 1 team hat. It's my new favorite hat. I like it. Well done. Thanks for wearing that. Ladies and gentlemen, Jason Feller is back on the program. That's my way of introducing him. And then T.J. Jefferson, candles lit. He's going on. I didn't know that, really. Great way to start. A lot of nothing. What are you talking about? I mean, you know, my Sixers are one home win away from forcing a game seven. Okay. My baseball team got dogged walked last night. The Mets get dogged walked after walking. Soto Homer. Hey, Soto Homer. Second game in a row. Good for him. Really happy for him, you know, coming through to Mets town like that.

5:13Rich Eisen:Yeah. You're never going to let that die. Never. Why should I? And the fact that the Yankees for years were known as the franchise who bought their players in the game, that had nothing. He has got such a pulse on the New York sports scene, having been there for all of three years. Well, he's lived there more than you. No, Juan Soto lived there for all of two years. I said two years. He lived there for all of two years before he claimed it a Mets town. It wasn't that hard to figure out, I guess. Like he's Mario Cuomo, like he's Ed Koch. He's been there forever. I'll keep going like he's Robert Moses and built the town.

5:49Rich Eisen:It only took him two years to realize. Some people are just smart. I don't mean to go down that wormhole. We'll check on the MLB standings later because they benefit me to do so. No, we all lost last year. Let's talk. You know what? Since we're already on a roll about what's going on in your neck of the woods with your teams. Something pleasant with my team. George Pickens signed his franchise tender. Yeah, final. Because Stephen Jones basically said this is all you're going to get. That's a lot. That's it. And if you're looking for more years, George, fall on Spalding treatment. You'll get nothing in like it.

6:24Rich Eisen:I think it went like that, Rich. I don't know. That's a message to be sent, unless the long-term contract conversations were going so poorly. They're like, we're pulling the plug. This is what we're doing. You're not getting any more. You might as well sign your tender. And then they can talk. from this point all the way to June 15th to sign him a long-term deal. It doesn't mean that he's not going to get what he's looking for. It's just the Cowboys don't want to give him what he's looking for right now is an indication. You can't always get what you want. But you get what you need? Yeah, you can try sometimes.

7:01Rich Eisen:Okay, you can try sometimes. And I don't know if he's – I assume he's tried. I assume he's tried. And I assume he hasn't shaken hands on anything because he does have the same agent as Micah Parsons. Yeah, that part. There's also another scenario. And that's one that you think is going to happen. Yeah, for sure. Oh, who you is in him? Oh, me. That's guy. Yeah, I think. Yeah. That George Pickens now can get traded. He assigned a tender. And that now allows the Cowboys to trade him. We'll do that. I don't think so either. But Stephen Jones has kind of made it obvious. He does not want to give George Pickens a long-term, you know, nine-figure guaranteed contract.

7:46But as we know, it only takes one team who does. And there's guaranteed multiple teams out there who want a player like George Pickens. Let me ask you, sir. No, the Patriots do not want to. Now, why is that?

8:00Rich Eisen:Well, younger than A.J. Brown. Here's what I think. I think we have. Definitely coming off of a season far more productive than A.J. Brown. Interesting. He doesn't have the same penchant for reading as A.J. Brown. On the sideline. We don't know what he does in his free time. That is correct, I think, but you're picking up what I was putting down. Why not? It seems like George might be a little bit more of a headache. And I think we're a team. Not sure if you've been paying attention to the headlines lately. We need less headaches these days. So you want to bring A.J. Brown? I don't know. Maybe he'll show up in the fan base.

8:34Rich Eisen:We'll give him a standing ovation. I think that would be lovely. You perform, you get standing O's in New England. Yeah, the standard for giving standing O's in New England have, the bar's been lowered a bit. Well, you know. Listen, let me just say this, though. Three-year-olds haven't seen a parade teacher. I will say this about what George Pickens should want. I understand you want to get paid. This is a sport where you're one snap away from not playing it anymore. True, true, true. I want you to get paid, and I want you to get paid generationally. And I want you to get paid in a manner that you're secure.

9:13Rich Eisen:And that's what every player should want. And that's what Pickens is probably searching for. But this does not appear to be the leverage moment for him. And let's just say part of this whole process is under the radar. He has been given permission to go seek where he can go. Okay. And somehow, someway, every single information woman or man in the NFL business has not caught wind of it. That it is totally under the radar. And that he does have a spot where he could wind up and get paid a lot of money the manner that he wants. I know it's not a what's more likely Friday. What's the likelihood of that?

9:59Rich Eisen:That nobody knows that he's been allowed to shop around and figure this thing out. Yeah, I mean, that's unlikely. Okay. So then let's go to he thinks this is the moment that he can force that situation. I don't know if this is the moment where he can. Because the Cowboys do have the ability to keep him for one year and go for it with Dak after a draft where they have hit it, in their estimation, and a lot of others, including me right here with their first round selection, that they have hit the defense well enough to let the offense with this kid go off. And George Pickens doing it again, I don't think a second franchise tagging is in anybody's best interest.

10:56Rich Eisen:It would be highly expensive. I don't even know how much more expensive. And I just think him staying put as well also gives an indication that he's not the trouble, Chris, that you are saying you don't want a piece of by having him in New England. That there is some form of reputation refinement that would help him. by staying put, balling out. There's CeeDee Lamb. There's Javante Williams. That's Brian Schottenheimer dialing it up. There's Ferguson at tight end. There's your offensive line, you know, solidified more. Better defense, that's Dak. Go to the NFC Championship game, George Pickens.

11:47Rich Eisen:Ball out and get your bag then. And I understand this could be the worst take ever because Pickens already has this deal, and by the end of the show, he's going somewhere else and he's generationally enriched, and he doesn't care about reputation refinement. But I don't know if another team would take him because of what you're saying, Chris. Yeah. So franchise tag this year is 27.3, essentially, for wide receivers. If you're tagged a second time, it's a 120 % of the previous year, so that's$33 million. Yeah. that's a lot of money. Certainly when you're paying C.D. Lamb, just slightly more.

12:32Rich Eisen:So, that's why the Cowboys are maybe franchise tagging him and saying, let's go one year at a time. Because if he gets traded, that means the Steelers say, wow, he's incredibly talented. Don't remember Mike Tomlin said his message for a young George Pickens was, do the routine things routinely? Right. Spectacular stuff we see. Do the routine things routinely. You'll be better. And then at the end of the day, they're like, we can't have him here anymore. Would rather have DK Metcalf. Older and more expensive. And the Cowboys, if the Cowboys off of that, coming into this season, trade him, what sort of indication does that give?

13:14Rich Eisen:Does it matter if he's going to make, you know, 40 million bucks a year for a long-term agreement? All it takes is one, as you said. I understand that. I'd kind of stay put if I was him. Oh, if you're Pickens, you'd want to stay. Yeah. Play for the Cowboys. 27 million bucks is not chicken feed. Let's talk about a long-term deal that the Joneses will be happy with. That's the floor. That's your basis. That's your annual average value right there. 27 million bucks. You know? So you get that to what? You're not breaking the Jamar Chase level. Right. You get the 30, 31, something like that? Maybe.

13:53Rich Eisen:I don't know if the Cowboys would do that if they have the – I'm not aware of their cap space. But stay put, man. Well, it's a dynamic offense, and you've proven that – what did he have? That's not the Steelers and the Cowboys saying he's incredibly talented, but you take him. We're not paying him. Yeah, we don't want the headache for the money. That's not – If there is a headache, I don't know. Seemingly, he was a headache for Pittsburgh. Not seeming. Why would they trade him? why would they trade him if he wasn't right so i'd be like stay put figure it out maybe use the next and and for your sake tj this is signing to figure out the next two months to sign a long-term deal and then he stays and you've got and you've got your t higgins and jamar chase for dak prescott i would maybe argue they're better you could i would definitely argue I'm just kind of giving you the standard of two wide receiver groups with the Eagles seemingly taking themselves out of that mix.

15:00Rich Eisen:With all due respect to Dontavian Wicks. But you, sir, saying I'll take A.J. Brown, older and more expensive than George Pickens on the come, just shows you what maybe the market is saying. Not saying that you're indicative of the market since you were always way off on the quarterback front, saying that the market should be different and the market is what it is and will always be. I think it's proving I'm correct. Okay. Even if he did. I mean, that's a hill he's going to be on, you know, for the life of this program. He's going to be like the dude on Price is Right, just climbing that hill. Oh, the yodeler.

15:37Rich Eisen:But you know what happens to the yodeler at some point? I mean, if you don't stop him, then he goes. See ya. That's why they call it cliffhanger. And quarterback contracts have fallen off the cliff.

15:50Rich Eisen:is this where i say that we're playing hole or one or two or two i was i was so excited when bob barker hit that button and it flipped to or two i don't know why oh it's a surprise i've got a top five list coming up later on on this program top five draft choices my favorite top my favorite five draft choices how about that oh favorite yeah we're still i'm still stuck on the draft I know I got one. I got two of them for sure. How many? How many? Two. When are we going to stop doing that? Never. When I give up on the quarterback. How many wins do the Rockets have in their series with the Lakers right now?

16:28Two.

16:29Rich Eisen:How many more do they need? Two. Same thing for the Sixers. Yeah. Yikes. Same things for the Pistons. We'll talk about it. Same things for the Hawks. It is big ball night. We'll talk about what happened last night next. And then Kyle Shanahan joins us. before Chris Ballard and then Dan Quinn and C-Web join us. You can throughout at 844-204-RICH. Give us a call. We'll chat with you. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.

17:04Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen here. PayPal is now the official peer-to-peer payment sponsor of the NFL, which means all the money moments that fandom creates, whether splitting tailgate costs or chipping in on tickets and game day food between friends are covered. Wherever the game is played or watched, PayPal moves with fans. You can send money through text, email, or directly to your friends with eligible accounts on Venmo. Just download the PayPal app and share all the moments that matter. Account with PayPal is required. Not available in all regions where PayPal operates. Need parts fast? O 'Reilly Auto Parts as fast.

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18:10For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves. Loved ones, neighbours, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where money means more. Connect with us at Thrivent.com.

18:47Rich Eisen:Back on the Rich Eisen Show on the radio. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial here on the program. The Los Angeles Lakers got Austin Reeves back last night. And it did not work. Didn't matter. because the Rockets, who came out with a win in game four at home, their first in the series after losing game three in mind-blowing, heartbreaking fashion, not even learning from what Duke did against UConn. Just get the ball over. Hold it. Just hold it. Yeah. Stop throwing it around. At any rate, they showed up in Los Angeles last night. Shen Goon was what he called the Turkish Jokic. right he was playing like him distributing drawn double teams his teammates made threes over and over again the rockets go into los angeles oh they're still alive all right and that's two in a row and every single time these it happens when somebody's down oh three you hear it all the time only four teams in nba history have even forced a game seven after being down three games to none and not a single one have pulled it off and all the issues that we saw from the rockets in the first three games you know crop up every now and then but they made some timely shots reed shepherd last night after the lakers cut a 13 point lead down to three with a couple minutes to go and you know everybody's going nuts in that building he comes up with a stones drive and jumper yeah a little elbow kind of back yep and then picked lebron's pocket then immediately next possession a four point a 4-0 reed shepherd run cookies and a dunk with uh kd sitting in street clothes um and the lakers can't close out the rockets now they got to go back to houston is it possible the man in street clothes comes back and plays game six i don't know what's going on i think he's been ruled out already something like that yeah he's been ruled out he has he's been ruled out already yeah i don't know what's going on with him but he's hurt i'm aware of that yeah shams a couple hours ago kevin durant all right thank you for that update i did not see it yeah jabari smith 22 points and a soundbite full of smack after the win uh i mean it's just like a mindset to have you know i'm saying i don't care who we play i don't care what team i'm on when we was winning 22 games i'll probably say we're the better team every night you know i'm saying so So it's just a mindset to have.

21:41I mean, people are going to take it how they want to take it, but I don't care whoever I'm with on the court, I'm going to think that my team is better than the other team. So it's just a mindset. But you've got to get on the court and prove it. You know what I'm saying? You can't just say it and then come out and tuck your tail. You've got to get out there and fight and do the things that it takes to win. So I'm going to stand on that statement, and we've just got to keep proving it.

22:01Rich Eisen:Jabari Smith, 22 years old, turns 23 in short order. Number 23, the Lakers didn't want to hear any of this at all. I don't care about like that, bro. The game is one between the four lines. I don't give a damn who cares. I mean, of course you say, why would you say, we're not the better team. But I don't. Ask one of them young guys that question. Too old for that. Salty James. Danny Glover. That's right. Okay. So I'll ask you this question. Celtic fan. going into Philadelphia. You could have closed out the Sixers at home. 3-0 lead. Like 3-1 lead, just like the Lakers had last night. Tonight, game six in Philadelphia.

22:55Rich Eisen:That's a wrap. Okay. The Timberwolves, up 3-1. They can close out the Nuggets tonight. Nah, Denver's winning that. Up 3-2 now. Right? They could have closed up the Nuggets. the other night in Denver couldn't. Now it's tonight. No Ant. No Big Ragu. Hawks down 3-2. Knicks can close out the Hawks tonight. You have now a team that was up 3-0. Now up only 3-2. The Pistons down 3-1. Magic could have closed them out. Couldn't do it. so which team up three games to two knicks celtics timberwolves um calves right magic which one's in the most trouble orlando more than the lakers what is it katie's out yeah katie being lakers do have a game seven in their back pocket in the downtown Hoops Dojo at home.

24:06Rich Eisen:Yeah, game seven at home. Even the last night's home court advantage did not matter at all. Houston got down by 11, came back, took the lead, and really took over. And there was only one moment where it felt like a threat. Detroit was the one seed in the East pretty much all year for a reason. You know, Orlando is a play-in team this year for a reason. Seems kind of fluky that they would be up 3-1 in this series. I think Detroit is the better team and I think they're going to come back and win this series. They should. So you say the Magic are the ones? I think the Magic are the team in the most.

24:42Rich Eisen:They've got a game six at home to wrap it. They've got a game six, yeah, yeah, home. As a matter of fact, let's take a look at this. The Timberwolves and the Magic are the only ones at home that can wrap it up 3-2. Knicks have to go in Atlanta to come up with another win yeah nuggets are six and a half point favorites tonight in minnesota and that's because of who's not playing for minnesota right right right you agree magic are the most trouble uh yeah i mean look the pistons weren't they were playing i'll be honest very bad you think the lakers are in trouble they could not figure it out last night no they couldn't it was weirdly like reeves coming back was weirdly like Embiid coming back in game four where it just kind of threw him off a little bit.

25:34But then obviously they figured it out. Embiid figured it out in game five. So maybe Reeves will be fine for game six. But it kind of threw a wrench into what they had that was working. Numbers here. Yeah, Reeves came off the bench.

25:47Rich Eisen:He was four of 16 from the field. Two of eight from three. That's rough. Now that's a problem, right? And then Luke Kennard's season that we saw in games. one, mostly game two. He had one point last night. Didn't make a shot from the field. 0-2 from 3. And that's, you could say that's the game right there. Lakers from three-point land, 7-27. I mean, and you're sitting there now suddenly wondering, like, where are they getting the offense from? LeBron's leading the way again.

26:25Rich Eisen:25.7 assists. 25.7 and uh deandre ayton is playing very good i know i went a little high register there yeah he had 18 17 last i also was wondering why why the lakers seemingly were settling for threes lebron took a couple of bad ones there in the final minutes he could not be stopped driving to the hoop in the fourth quarter he had 11 points in the fourth it was working for him getting to the rim and creating that way i didn't understand settling for three let's put it this way i think the lakers are going to have to win in seven to win this i don't think you're going to win i think you're right rockets are favored game six so then which which series goes game seven rank them rank them yeah i would say lakers most likely uh to go game seven yes i would put i kind of feel like calves raptors goes to a seventh game it feels like it yeah those games are really tight pistons magic feels like maybe game seven also i don't know dude well if you think the magic can wrap that right right right right with all due respect i think they can wrap it boston has been the a better road team in the playoffs the last few seasons and i'll i'll say this too because the knicks just can't do anything easily yeah i mean that that the hawks win tonight oh really i think you guys i know it was a blowout in game five yeah nick seemingly are figuring it out i I kind of like that maybe big tonight.

27:48Rich Eisen:The only reason why I'm saying otherwise is they just can't do it easy. Yeah. Can't do it easy. And then I just simply don't understand it. If the Lakers advance, right? Why do they go? I guess if the Lakers advance, I guess the four or five plays the one. Yeah. Right. I understand. OKC is a way. I keep I will always. You want the receipt. I will not stop on this hill until the NBA recedes their playoffs. But that's the cart before a lot of first-round horses. This is one of the more entertaining first rounds I can remember. Oh, man. Yeah. For the NBA playoffs, right? Let's see. All the six remaining series are at least six games.