In short
The Rich Eisen Show - Episode Summary
Episode Overview Title: Hour 1: ESPN’s Brian Windhorst Talks Pistons, Giannis & Lakers, plus NCAA Tourney Predictions Description: Rich Eisen is joined by ESPN's Brian Windhorst to discuss the impact of Cade Cunningham's injury on the Detroit Pistons, the Milwaukee Bucks' situation with Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Los Angeles Lakers' recent performance, and predictions for the NCAA Tournament.
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Key Topics Discussed
Cade Cunningham's Injury Impact
- Injury Details: Cade Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung after a play during a game against the Wizards.
- Potential Recovery:
- Unable to fly for a while, may return in time for playoffs if no serious rib injury accompanies the lung issue.
- Implications for Pistons' title hopes: Without him, the team's offensive creation is severely impacted.
Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Giannis' Injury Issues: Giannis has struggled with injuries this season, raising concerns about his health and potential contract extension.
- Contract Considerations:
- Bucks may hesitate to offer a five-year, $275M extension due to Giannis' recent injuries.
- Discussion of whether the Bucks should consider trading Giannis if they believe he can fetch significant value elsewhere.
Los Angeles Lakers' Resurgence
- Winning Streak: The Lakers have won 7 of their last 8 games, showcasing improved chemistry and performance.
- LeBron's Role Adjustment:
- LeBron James has reduced his shot attempts and minutes, allowing Luka Doncic to thrive within the team's structure.
- Comparisons made to the Miami Heat years where LeBron, Wade, and Bosh learned to share roles effectively.
NCAA Tournament Predictions
- Final Four Predictions: Rich and his team share their predictions for the NCAA tournament brackets, highlighting key matchups and potential upsets.
- Players to Watch: Brian points out that the performance of certain players can significantly influence their draft stock, especially in this tournament.
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Key Takeaways
- Pistons Without Cunningham: A cautious outlook for the Pistons’ playoff aspirations without their star player, highlighting the importance of his return for any success.
- Bucks' Dilemma: The Bucks are at a crossroads with Giannis; determining whether to commit long-term could shape the franchise’s future.
- Lakers' Newfound Path: The Lakers’ recent success illustrates the importance of role definition among star players and effective coaching strategies.
- NCAA Tournament Excitement: The tournament offers a fresh start, with potential surprises that could shape both team standings and individual player futures in the NBA draft.
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Conclusion The episode combines sports analysis with personal insights from Rich Eisen and Brian Windhorst, blending humor and expert commentary. The discussions provide a comprehensive look at both the NBA's current state and the upcoming NCAA tournament, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of sports.
Stay tuned for more episodes of The Rich Eisen Show, available on various platforms including ESPN, Disney+, and podcast services.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOMarch Madness Kickoff
1:30 to 2:29
Rich Eisen discusses the excitement of March Madness and brackets.
“Live from The Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.”
NBA Bracket Challenge
2:29 to 3:17
Details on the Rich Eisen Show group for the NCAA brackets.
“And by the end of today, we are going to have three quarters of the South region complete, half of the East and West regions complete, and a quarter of the Midwest regions complete.”
Welcoming Brian Windhorst
3:17 to 4:19
Introduction of Brian Windhorst and chatter about bracket submissions.
“Well, in a second, all you got to do is just turn on Brian Windhorst's mic and then just take care of your business.”
Cade Cunningham's Injury Update
4:19 to 7:25
Brian Windhorst provides insights on Cade Cunningham's injury status.
“And our favorite Brian Windhorst is back here on the program, ESPN senior NBA writer.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo's Situation
7:25 to 13:36
Discussion about Giannis' injuries, the Bucs' strategies, and trade talks.
“I think where they really would need him would be for the second round.”
Giannis and the Bucks' Contract Dilemma
14:03 to 17:27
Exploring the complexities surrounding Giannis's future with the Bucks amidst injury concerns and contract decisions.
“in giving him that five-year massive contract, although I'm imagining based on just the basic knowledge of the rules here, they would be the only one to enrich him in the manner in which you're talking.”
Lakers' Winning Streak and LeBron's Role
17:28 to 22:32
Discussing the Lakers' recent success and how LeBron is adjusting his play style for team success.
“I can't control that Giannis keeps getting hurt.”
March Madness and Draft Implications
22:33 to 23:25
Analyzing how March Madness could impact NBA draft prospects and player rankings.
“I mean, LeBron was 13 to 14 from the field last night.”
NCAA Tournament Update
29:06 to 30:26
Discussion about the current NCAA tournament games and bracket challenges.
“The first half, just under 11 minutes to go.”
Final Four Predictions
30:27 to 36:28
Hosts share their Final Four predictions and thoughts on potential champions.
“who did not choose Michigan to win at all, chose Duke and apologized to me as that child clicked on the Duke button.”
Show all 14 chapters
Michigan's Tournament Challenges
36:29 to 42:00
A caller discusses Michigan's performance and challenges leading into the tournament.
“And by the way, I reached out today because we're, as you know, back on our Disney.”
Michigan’s Tournament Challenges
42:00 to 42:50
Discussion on Michigan's performance and potential challenges in the NCAA Tournament.
“It's possible they could play Wisconsin or Purdue, just to name two, in the Final Four if they could somehow beat Arizona.”
Miami of Ohio's Surprising Victory
42:50 to 44:51
Exploration of Miami of Ohio's unexpected success in the NCAA Tournament.
“And now you popped a bubble for somebody else from a bigger conference that we feel is better than you.”
The Impact of Swim Team Distractions
44:51 to 46:58
Analyzing how Miami of Ohio's swim team distracts opponents and boosts team morale.
“I think at this point, you know, the sports department has to open up the budge a little bit and get them on the road.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Brian Windhorst:Get in the game with the college-branded Venmo Debit Card. Wreck your team with every tap and earn up to 5 % cash back with Venmo Stash, a new rewards program from Venmo. No monthly fee, no minimum balance. Just school pride and spending power. Get in the game and sign up for the Venmo Debit Card at Venmo.com slash college card. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank N.A. Select schools available. Venmo Stash terms and exclusions apply at Venmo.me slash stash terms. Max$100 cash back per month.
0:30Rich Eisen:So good, so good, so good. Spring styles are at Nordstrom Rack stores now, and they're up to 60 % off. Stock up and save on Rag & Bone, Madewell, Vince, All Saints, and more of your favorites. How did I not know Rack has Adidas? Why do we rack? For the hottest deals. There's so many good brands. Join the Nordic Club to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite Rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. This is The Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck.
1:07Rich Eisen:You 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 richeisenshow and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. I'm a true champion. This is The Rich Eisen Show. Let the March Madness begin! A 12 seed is moving on! Live from The Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. I love college basketball. Today's guests. ESPN senior NBA writer Brian Wintorst. Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin. Host of Pro Football Talk Mike Florio.
1:55Rich Eisen:And now, it's Rich Eisen. Well, hey, everybody out there watching us in our usual spots of Disney Plus and the ESPN app and listening to us in our usual spot on ESPN Radio and Sirius XM Channel 80. The reason why I'm setting everything up like that is because we are on ESPN cable for the next couple of hours today. Thrilled to be right here with you as March Madness is about to tip off with an insane number of games today. Let's go. And by the end of today, we are going to have three quarters of the South region complete, half of the East and West regions complete, and a quarter of the Midwest regions complete.
2:41Rich Eisen:That's the way we're rolling with our brackets today. Over 29 million have been submitted, maybe closing in on 30 million submitted in time. on ESPN, the same thing with our group, the Rich Eisen Show group. No spaces, Rich Eisen Show. Join our group while you still can. Anybody who wins the group gets themselves a Rich Eisen Show swag bag. How about that? How about that? I know. We're over 1 ,200, so still get in, still time. You got 13 minutes. Yeah, all three of my kids have put in brackets. I've put in brackets. Still twofold. Have you put in a bracket? Not yet. All right, well. I got one done, so I could quit.
3:21Rich Eisen:Well, in a second, all you got to do is just turn on Brian Windhorst's mic and then just take care of your business. By the way, hello, Chris Brockman. Good to see you. Hello, Rich. Good to see you. Mike Del Tufo, happy birthday to you. Look at that big-ass balloon behind you there. All right. Happy birthday to— Spinning balloon. You got a spinning balloon for turning— It's your 39th annual 21st birthday. Congratulations on that. Yes, 100%, Rich. I don't feel day over. For those doing the math, it's a big 6-0. So I appreciate you being here for that. That a boy, Mike. What's up, TJ Jefferson? You got an actual candle to light.
3:53Rich Eisen:Good to see you, sir. I got the candle. You know, I stopped at Ralph's this morning to buy it, and I'm in the candle section, which is weird anyway. This guy comes up behind me. He's like, yo, you're on the Rich Eisen show, right? I was like, well, yeah. Spotted in the candle section of a local supermarket. It could have been awkward in other sections. Phone lines are all that we appreciate that. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial. We'll take your phone calls. Don't normally do this sort of thing to start the program, but this is when this man is available. And my goodness gracious, are there NBA stories abound right now?
4:23Rich Eisen:And our favorite Brian Windhorst is back here on the program, ESPN senior NBA writer. Good to see you, Brian. How are you?
4:29Brian Windhorst:I want to apologize to you and your show on this very important day. Because I threw you a curveball, and it was because I forgot about my son's parent-teacher conference. And it was disrupt Rich Eisen's show and all of his viewers and listeners. or disrupt my wife. And the decision was clearly made. I'm forcing you to disrupt your whole rundown.
4:54Rich Eisen:Brian, we don't need your, I guess, put it this way, to be put on a 10-day contract.
5:03Brian Windhorst:You know what I mean? I want to be clear. We don't want that from your wife. It was my fault, Rich. I am the offender everywhere here, but I had to make a choice.
5:10Rich Eisen:Let's start with the first order of business in the NBA world. Cade Cunningham is out for how long and with what? What's happening here, Brian?
5:19Brian Windhorst:Yeah, this is brutal. So if you actually see the play where he gets hurt, and I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't seen it because it doesn't look that bad. He was in Washington a couple nights ago, and he dives for a loose ball, and he kind of gets kneed in the side by Trey Johnson there by the Wizards. It didn't look that bad. Now, he came out of the game, and he's got a collapsed lung. Now, a couple of things about a collapsed lung. First off, you can't fly for a while. So I would guess he's going to be driving back to Detroit because they're still in Washington. I remember like 15 years ago, this happened out here in L.A.
6:00Brian Windhorst:where Gerald Wallace, who was playing for the Charlotte Bobcats, got elbowed in the ribs by Andrew Bynum, collapsed his lung. He had to drive back to Charlotte in a bus. It took days because you can't fly. So that's one thing that can happen. But when the Pistons made the injury announcement a short time ago, they didn't say anything about a rib injury. Now, that's important because you can get your lung collapsed because you break a rib. And then you're recovering from the collapsed lung and you're recovering from the rib injury. They didn't say a rib injury here. So if he avoided a serious rib injury, you know, I'm sure he's not feeling good today, but he theoretically should be able to return in time for the playoffs.
6:45Brian Windhorst:It'll take some time to know for sure. So this is a blow. It stinks that I'm going to tell you now that I think he's going to be out of awards contention because I would, you know, they're saying he'll be reevaluated in two weeks. Re-evaluated does not mean play in two weeks. He's only only he's played 60 games. He needs to play five more. I'm not sure he's going to get five more. So I would say that the Pistons, you know, they've got a four game lead for the number one seed. They're, they're, they're, they're okay there. They're five and two when he doesn't play this year, there's tankers on their schedule because he's in the Eastern conference.
7:17Brian Windhorst:I think they'll be able to hang on to the number one seed would be my projection. And I think slash hope that he'll be okay. I think where they really would need him would be for the second round. but I think there's hope within the Pistons that he'll be able to be back by the start of the playoffs, which is in about a month. So not great news, but hopefully not devastating for them.
7:41Rich Eisen:Yeah. I mean, I guess if you're going to have this injury happen and you are going to be the heart and soul of a team that has felt destined, then a month out would be, I guess, the gray area of pushing it, you'd say. Right, Brian? Is that the way we could look at it for the Pistons?
8:04Brian Windhorst:Yeah, you know, look, I'm not a doctor. I don't have all the details. I would just say, historically, this type of injury without a broken rib, I think he's going to be okay. Now, I don't know what his conditioning will be and all that stuff like that. But this is a blow to the Pistons, but hopefully will not completely derail their playoff hopes. Because if he can't play, let's just be honest, they're not the same team. I mean, anybody who loses an MVP, you know, serious MVP candidate won't be the same team. But they're particularly vulnerable because they rely so much on his creation and their offense.
8:38Brian Windhorst:That's where they're a little bit short of shooting and they're really short on offensive creation. So hopefully he's going to be okay. and you know here's the thing rich like you can do playoff analysis for the rest of the afternoon it's not going to matter if you're not healthy and you know i i unfortunately with as we've seen this season goes these playoffs probably will come down at one point or another to who's healthy and here we have the pistons dealing with an injury right now brian winhorst here on the
9:08Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen show the Giannis Atenecumpo relationship with Milwaukee currently is what Brian
9:16Brian Windhorst:not connected um and you know this entire season has been really a complete just sort of disappointment for them you know they made really one of the more aggressive transactions I can remember in the modern era last summer when they waived Dame Lillard's$100 million on their, you know, keeping it on, paying it off over the next five years on their books, basically, and then immediately went out and signed Miles Turner for$100 million. So it was like a$200 million transaction there, $100 million in dead money,$100 million in new money. And while Miles Turner is a quality player, Dame Lillard is a difference-making player.
10:02Brian Windhorst:Miles Turner is not. And that transaction has not worked out. And then you've basically had Giannis being sidelined for more than half the season with injuries. And you have this in and out situation with whether Giannis wants to be there or not. You have a bunch of people talking in circles. Nobody will give you a straight answer. They absolutely had trade talks for him. Whether they ever actually seriously were thinking about trading him, that's a different story. But the teams that they were talking to thought they were. and look if you want to come out to the you know i would say two thousand things there are two things from the 10 000 foot view here number one when he got that calf injury around the trade deadline they elected to keep trying to win i felt at that time as annoying as it is for me to say this that the correct decision was to tank and tell janice you're not going to play the rest of the season um instead they went nine and one while janice was out now that seems admirable like oh oh man, great job.
11:01Brian Windhorst:And you can say that that's what a team should do, but that was the wrong organizational decision. And I'm not passing judgment on the idea that you should lose. I'm just telling you that the strategy said that they should have lost. Instead, they won. And when they came back, now they're in no man's land. They are in distant 11th place. They are not going to make the play in. And they are probably, their only really hope of going forward was to get a good draft pick this year so that they can either trade that pick or draft a player that you could say will refresh their roster because they're really not in position to improve their roster in another meaningful way, unless a miracle happens.
11:40Brian Windhorst:Now, the miracle could happen at the lottery. They could go into the lottery with the 10th or 12th odds or whatever, and they could leap up. That could happen. But we're talking about single-digit percentage chance. The second thing from the 10 ,000-foot view, Rich, that I think is material here is Giannis has been injured all season. He has been injured routinely now over the last three years. He has had five different injuries this year that have caused him to miss time. And so really the Bucs' way to keep Giannis is to sign him to a five-year,$270 million contract extension this fall. And I ask the question, and I don't know the answer here.
12:21Brian Windhorst:I am not reporting anything. I am just saying, are the Bucs prepared to give him$275 million at this point? Maybe the answer is still absolutely, and he signs it and he doesn't get traded. But not only have you not traded him and you sort of have a lost season here, how do you feel about his health now that he's in his 30s going forward? And he's had all these injuries. Again, maybe the answer is we feel great about it. We're ready to sign him. But to me, I'm not sure that that is an absolute no-brainer. So, you know, these are, and now, I mean, I haven't even gotten to why you're asking this.
13:03Brian Windhorst:The reason you're asking this is because the Bucs want to shut him down for the season and Giannis wants to play. And I would just say to you, this just sort of follows their disconnected thinking. The Bucs should have shut him down for the season when they decided not to trade him in February because he'd already had four injuries on the season, and the best thing for the organization was to lose. Second thing is, you know, now you've got another injury. So either you should have handled your business for the lottery or you should have protected your player. They brought him back and he's hurt again.
13:37So just in general, an absolutely complete disillusioning, disappointing season in Milwaukee
13:44Brian Windhorst:where Giannis and the Bucs have never seemed like they're acting in concert.
13:48Rich Eisen:Well, I guess just to sound this out with you, Brian, maybe the Bucs need to, even without a high sign from Giannis, kick a tire on who else in the association would be interested in giving him that five-year massive contract, although I'm imagining based on just the basic knowledge of the rules here, they would be the only one to enrich him in the manner in which you're talking.
14:17Brian Windhorst:No, he can be traded and signed it elsewhere. Okay, so then you could figure that.
14:21Rich Eisen:Who would be willing to do that?
14:23Brian Windhorst:I'm sure there are teams who would be willing to do it. I'm just questioning now whether or not that that's something the Bucs are absolutely positively ready to do. They may be. The guys, unfortunately, had a lot of injuries the last couple years.
14:36Rich Eisen:Well, I'm just saying that that would be the first part of the due diligence of their process and kind of crossing streams between sports here. The NFL just saw what happened with Max Crosby, where he got sat by a team that wanted a better draft choice, pissed him off, wound up trading him. Now, we all know what happened after that. Now, that would be wild if that happened with Giannis in the NBA. But all that said is, if they sit him and then, if they find a partner and then they sit him and it pisses him off enough for him to say fine i want out of here then then they get their way and they get him out and they start from scratch uh or they give him this contract and just say you're you're a buck for life i mean somebody's got to make that decision i imagine the next month or two right it's not what it is on the
15:26Brian Windhorst:side can i just say as a browns fan i was so annoyed by the fact that they won a couple of those games late yeah no i hear you really wasn't saving the head coach's job and now they're like out of it to get any of these quarterbacks like or at least the top quarterback the meteor came
15:41Rich Eisen:too late brian in northeast ohio you know i mean like it was just i know boom but that's mind
15:49Brian Windhorst:boggling to me should i should i comment that the same guy owns the bucks and the browns i'm not actually going to comment on that i'm going to move on from that um uh because there's multiple ones for the Bucs. It's not a simple decision. But I'm not seeing a clear strategy line on what needs to be done. Again, I wish that NBA teams were not incentivized to lose. Unfortunately, they are incentivized to lose, which is why so many of them are losing. And the thing about it is the Mavericks had the 10th or 11th best odds last year, ended up with Cooper flag. So that lottery falls right and the whole world changes for the Bucs.
16:31Brian Windhorst:And by the way, it doesn't have to be the number one pick. If Bucs go into the top four, things could get interesting. Now, the problem is that their pick potentially go to Atlanta, which is another situation. However, they were incentivized to protect Giannis' health and to improve their lottery odds in February. And not only did they do neither now they're even stuck farther into no man's land and they're gonna they're gonna make the decision that's apparently gonna piss janice off anyway or they're seriously considering pissing janice off anyway fine they should have made that decision six weeks ago and then they could have pissed janice off but then been in a better organizational position so this is what i'm saying i'm not if i was a bucks fan i would be pretty annoyed that my team has not handled its business a lot better.
17:28Brian Windhorst:I can't control that Giannis keeps getting hurt. It's, you know, he has been a beast for many years. He provided many healthy seasons for the team. Maybe he'll play the next three years and not be injured, and whoever signs him will adore that contract for every day. I'm just saying that he has had a run of injuries here, and he has not been supported, in my view, by cogent strategy, and now we are left wondering how the cogent strategy is going to go
17:56Rich Eisen:going forward considering how things have gone all right one last uh topic for you brian winhorse before i send you off to that zoom where you and your wife find out just how studious and well mannered your child is um the lakers have won seven in a row they've won 10 of 11 luke is out of his skull right now they kind of stole the rocket's soul over the last three days i mean durant after monday's loss was talking about maybe should be more of a role player to sum up his post-game commentary. This seems for real, Brian. Your thoughts on that subject matter?
18:32Brian Windhorst:Yeah, I mean, we can certainly talk about them and the seeding. It was like a double win last night because they got not only the game and the standings, but also the tiebreaker. So they really pushed Houston down. Houston got a break that Denver had an absolutely reprehensible loss to Memphis, who's really right now tanking more efficiently and harder than anybody I've seen in the league. Like Memphis has done some incredible tank moves. Indiana is right there. But a real setback on the tanking machine for the Memphis last night. But that's another topic. Regardless of where they are in the seating, regardless of what their winning streak is, what I care about the Lakers is that they seem to have found a pathway for how to play with this roster.
Read the full transcript
19:19Brian Windhorst:Okay. OK, and this was, you know, in the middle of the season, Rich, they had a 39 game stretch where they went 19 and 20. They were middling for half of the year. OK, and a significant factor in this is that their team is mostly healthy now. I mean, every team is going to look better when it's healthy. So that's, you know, a factor here. But J.J. Redick has rolled up his sleeves and found a way to get LeBron to buy into a role, which is I'm going to take fewer shots. I'm going to play fewer minutes I'm going to have the ball fewer and I'm going to spend a little bit more energy working hard on defense and they're trying to keep him away from being a perimeter defender he does sometimes still do that but they're trying to play him more as an interior defender when he can he's basically been playing backup center minutes at times and they say LeBron you want your baskets get easy baskets by getting out and running and he's doing that and as LeBron has taken this step back and his usage has gone down it's freed up Luka to step forward and do that usage.
20:22Brian Windhorst:As a result, we've seen Luka have the seven best games he's had as a Laker. And I very much am being brought back to the Miami years with LeBron. It's appropriate that they're in Miami tonight. I have a big story on ESPN.com today about the 27-game winning streak that the Heat had in 2013, because it's just a little retrospective with LeBron going back. And I would just say that in that Miami situation, that team found out how to play in its second year together i know that they had success in the first year and they made the finals but they really didn't figure out how to play together till the second year and a big factor that was number one chris bosh understanding that he was going to have to play sort of a um you know do the dirty work role number two it was duane wade saying i'm going to reduce what i do for this team so lebron you know there was this idea that they were going to share.
21:10Brian Windhorst:And Dwayne said, no, no, no. LeBron, you go. And it was by year two that they ramped up. And year two and three, they were at full power and they were a sight to behold. This is essentially year two with the Lakers has really just started with Luka because they traded for him last February. And then the beginning of the season, LeBron had sciatica. He wasn't even on the court. So this, I sort of am comping that Heat team had three guys in their prime it's not and they also complement each other better it's not obviously apples to apples but i'm saying is it took that institutional knowledge and the time for eric spolster to figure it out and everybody to identify their roles that's where the lakers are and so not only do i think the lakers potentially have something here going forward in this season that they can maybe replicate if this keeps going i'm seeing a pathway where lebron could remain with this team he's going to have to adjust his salary but if they can continue and keep this going and find this balance where Reeves has a lane Luca has the lion's share and LeBron has a role this is this is something I wasn't sure they were going to be able to do and it's and it's JJ Reddick who deserves credit it's LeBron it's Luca it's Reeves it's it's Marcus Smart they're doing something right now that isn't just important for how this season comes out but for the next few years that
22:32Rich Eisen:That can't be denied, man. I mean, LeBron was 13 to 14 from the field last night. And then Luka, a master class with three and a half to go, makes a three, splits two double teams with ridiculous dribble moves to set up Hachimura and James for easy alley-oops. And then a dagger three where he's barking at the fans, saying all sorts of nasty words that you can lip-read. Yeah, better the fans than the refs. I know that. He hasn't gotten a technical in weeks. He's won away, right? He hasn't got technical in weeks. Isn't he one technical away from having to be set?
23:02Brian Windhorst:Yes, and I mean, like, I don't think that's the entire reason why the Lakers are winning, but if you want to look at the pie chart of things, I think Luka backing off the refs is part of the equation.
23:11Rich Eisen:Pie chart. I like it. You're getting ready for that parent-teacher conference using pie charts. I hope for Dane's sake that this is going to be a good report. Last thing for you before I send you off to that. March Madness tipping off right now. Is it still an open question who could be first overall? Do we need to see somebody shine? Can somebody improve their standing with a nice six-game run here in the tournament?
23:34Brian Windhorst:Yeah, so typically when you talk about the draft process, the NCAA tournament doesn't usually weigh in that much. In fact, there will be some scouts out at games, but most of the scouts for teams all get together. They all have like, they go to Vegas or they go to Miami or they go to Arizona or they go to LA and they all get in a room and they sort of, their scouts all sort of watch games together. In this particular situation, because Darren Peterson has a little bit of uncertainty about that injury and his whole thing, I think Peterson potentially could help his stock more than, normally, you know, top two or three pick, like no matter what Cooper flag did last year, whether or not Duke made the final game or got knocked out in the Sweet 16, he was going to be the number one pick.
24:28Brian Windhorst:In most years, I think that's the case. I think Peterson especially has a lot to gain. Also, Acuna from Arkansas. This is a guy who's, I think, at the beginning of the year would have been viewed as a mid-to-late first-round pick. His incredible play, especially in the back half of the regular season, I think has brought him into top 10 range. I think if he continues to play in Arkansas and continues to thrive, I think he is a guy who could elevate his status also.
24:53Rich Eisen:Yeah, Lendeborg has got six games left, hopefully, as a Michigan Wolverine. We'll see what he can do and all that stuff. Brian, I send you off. Oh, that's right.
25:01Brian Windhorst:He went to Michigan. Yeah, yeah.
25:02Rich Eisen:Just got headed. Come on, Brian. You knew. Hey, Brian. Hey, listen. You know, the Browns are putting a rule out there, apparently, that the NFL team should be allowed to sell off their draft choices five years in the future. That's only three years. NFL teams are only allowed to trade first-round draft choices three years in the future. the Browns are like, let's do this like the NBA. You know, five years. Let's just keep going.
25:26Brian Windhorst:This is a team that is building a stadium at the airport.
25:34Rich Eisen:You're the band, Brian. Have a great weekend, guys. You too. I believe in the Windhorst progeny here. I believe this is going to be great.
25:45Brian Windhorst:I think I'm the one who's more in trouble at this juncture.
25:47Rich Eisen:No, you're a present dad, man. You got this. You got this, Zoom. Get going in case the Zoom link doesn't work. Okay? All right. Take care. Have a good day. That's Brian Wernhorst, everybody. Brian Wernhorst and the Hoop Collective podcast, as well as all the ESPN family of networks.
26:01Brian Windhorst:Suited for the Zoom.
26:03Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, he did first take. I get it. And then now he's going to be showing up for the parent-teacher Zoom right now, and it's going to be good. Yeah, he hit me up about half hour before the show. Hey, what can we do here? I helped him. We moved things around. All right. let's take a break here when we come back we were gonna what we were gonna do to start the program until um you know the uh wind horse family uh zoom um needed to be accommodated uh our final four picks we got that going on yours as well at 844-204-rich number down we're on espn people that's coming up
26:45Rich Eisen:the rich is a show podcast
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28:12Rich Eisen:Limits apply. See store for details. Stop by your local O 'Reilly Auto Parts store or shop online at OReillyAuto.com. Want to earn extra income for your business? Amazon Hub Delivery is looking for ambitious business owners to assist with local deliveries. When you become a partner, you and your staff will deliver packages to customers in your area on a schedule that works for you. With each package delivered, you'll gain extra income and exposure for your business. Plus, Amazon Hub Delivery makes it easy to get started. There's no upfront costs, delivery experience, or long-term contracts required.
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28:53Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show is one big happy simulcast family streaming linear cable on ESPN, Terrestrial Radio, ESPN Radio, Sirius XM, Channel 80. All right. The NCAA tournament, it's already tipped off, right, Chris? Oh, Rich, we're at the second timeout. Oh, the second television timeout. The first half, just under 11 minutes to go. TCU leads the Ohio State 14-13. Okay, it's tight. That's game one in Greenville, South Carolina. And then we've got more games. And we're going to keep track of them all. We'll keep you updated on them all. Thank you for watching us and listening to us as well. We appreciate it.
29:38Rich Eisen:And there is our bracket challenge. If you want to connect your bracket on ESPN.com and the app to our show group, it's very simple. Just join a group. It's Rich Eisen Show with no spaces. No spaces. If you win our group, you get a Rich Eisen Show swag bag. It's a backpack Knapsack as Mike and I probably used to call it With TJ back when we used to have metal lunch boxes And some other goodies are going to be in there And it'll be fun Women's bracket challenge starts Friday So get in while the getting's good there Same offer, you win that? Same offer And my kids have put in brackets in this one There is one child of mine A sweet child of mine as they might say who did not choose Michigan to win at all, chose Duke and apologized to me as that child clicked on the Duke button.
30:37Rich Eisen:Sorry, would you care to guess which one it is? Which child of mine did that? Cooper. Cooper. No, Coop's definitely taking Michigan. He wants to go there. Yeah, but that doesn't mean... That doesn't mean... You choose Taylor? I choose Taylor. I'm going to go Taylor. Okay, and you chose Cooper. No Xander's in the bunch, huh? It's Taylor. Yeah. Sorry, Dad. Sorry, Dad. As she clicked on it this very morning. And I said, listen, it's all good. It's all good. She chose Duke all the way, Mike, if you have that drop from when we had Ken Jong here years ago. And we had him do NCAA updates as Mr. Duke all the way.
31:18Rich Eisen:That's right. Okay. So our final fours. Let's reveal them, and then we'll take some phone calls here on the program. Chris, you want to go first? Sure, why not? First, your final four, and who wins it all? I know absolutely nothing. I'm taking Duke. By the way, great way to lead with it. I mean, I think I've watched four games all year. Okay. Duke, Houston, Arizona, Virginia, and I'm taking Duke over Arizona simply because while I was driving to work this morning, there was a car in front of me that had a Duke mom sticker and then an Arizona sticker on the other side. I felt that was a sign. Duke against Arizona in the championship.
31:59Rich Eisen:All right, then. You have Virginia knocking off my Wolverines prior. I guess that would be an Elite Eight game. Why not? There's got to be some upsets, right? And you have Houston beating Florida, or who do you have Houston beating? Oh, great. How do you knock Florida out? Great question. Love where your head's at. I have Houston beating Illinois. Nope, Nebraska. Okay, so Nebraska is the one that bounces Florida. They've been plucky all year. Fred Hoiberg's team, Nebraska plucky. It's like calling a left-hander crafty. Jim Rat. It goes without saying. Okay, a Fred Hoiberg team is definitely going to be plucky.
32:37Rich Eisen:TJ Jefferson, who do you have in your final four and winning it all? What do you got for me over there? So what I got is the Blue Devils taking on the Cougars of Houston and the Wolverines against the Longhorns. The Longhorns. You got an 11 seed. What are we doing there? Making a run. Wow. Why not? From the first four to the final four. It's Arch Manning. Has that ever happened? Probably not. Okay. Mike Hoskins just said, yeah, it's happened. Like, it's definitely happened. Wow. UCLA a few years ago. Look at that. I mean, look. Mitch is probably yelling from his house right now. It's a tournament, man.
33:13Rich Eisen:You never know what could happen. Okay. Then I got Duke and Michigan coming out and meeting in the championship game. and then much like, what, 93? I got the Blue Devils. That's fun. Oh, my goodness. I just, I don't know. Their injuries, I think, is really going to keep Duke from actually winning. Duke out of the way. Okay. Both teams have Duke and Michigan injuries. Yeah. All right. All right. Beltufo, anything? I don't think he gave it in. Oh, you do have one, Mike. Okay, what do you got over there, Mr. Seaton? By the way, everybody, I... Oh, you've watched more.
33:44Brian Windhorst:You've watched more than all of us.
33:46Rich Eisen:There's no question he has. No, he's listened to more. He wasn't paying. No, no, no. He has no choice but to work the faders in no way. And by the way, I did like four or five Michigans. Hey, man, you got to know in the same way that you seamlessly worked in Freebird 19 times going to break after a strikeout in the World Baseball Classic. I went viral. You're the king of working in Round Ball Rock going to break. I was in the trending. Okay. So saying this, I got it. And everybody, when you play Round Ball Rock, they're like, why is Fox doing it? We're done. It's done. It's over. I got one more event.
34:15Rich Eisen:Oh, you got one more event, and then John Tesh is locked it in for NBC, huh? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. All right. Or it's not, my bad. It's not John Tesh. It's John Tesh's brother who did it, right? Yes. Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-basketball. We just got sued. I know. It's okay. By the way. Don't get it. Sorry. What do you got? UConn, Florida. Coming out of the U. Oh. And Arizona, Michigan. And I, by the way, everybody, I, Michigan, it's hard for me not to pick you guys, Rich. I got it. But Arizona, I had to do it because they are the best team right now. Oh. In my eyes. Okay. In my eyes. All right. In your eyes, see, Arizona over Florida.
34:53Rich Eisen:UConn, I got to pick my guy, Danny. I traveled with him back in the day. I don't know what that means. Danny Hurley on UConn. I got to take him in. You traveled with him.
35:03Brian Windhorst:Yeah, he traveled with the basketball team.
35:04Rich Eisen:He played on the team that I was traveling with when I was at Seaton Hall doing radio. Oh, okay. With Liza Minnelli? No, that was right pre. Okay, that was a different time. Okay, very good. It was two years before. Very good. Here's my final four pick. It's mostly chalk, people. Yeah. And I have my team winning it all. You know I was going to do this. Actually, I've never, I don't recall the last time I had Michigan winning a bracket. You didn't do it last year? No, no, no. Oh, you went all four and ones. Yeah, you went all ones. I went chalk. I went chalk. You guys are learning from me. It's not going to happen two years in a row, right?
35:37Rich Eisen:Guess what? Mike. I'm taking a shot at it. I have Florida beating Illinois, Duke beating UConn, Arizona beating Purdue, and Michigan beating Iowa State. I have damn near chalk the whole way through. Yeah. Everybody thinks it's going to be a bunch of upsets. I don't. I'm going the other way. If it's a bunch of upsets, my pool is shot. My bracket is shot. But I'm going to go Michigan over Duke. And if Michigan plays Duke in the final and Xander and Cooper and dad have Michigan beating Duke and Taylor has Duke beating Michigan and she just wants to win her pool, Susie is going to need to be the umpire.
36:12Rich Eisen:That'll be fun. She's going to be the Mills Lane. She's going to be separate. It's going to be wild in our TV room. That's great. But that's what I'm going with right there. Love it. Michigan winning it all over Duke, which would just be incredible. We got C-Web on tomorrow's program to just hash it all out. And by the way, I reached out today because we're, as you know, back on our Disney. We're on ESPN right now, for crying out loud. I submitted my bracket saying hey you want to pop it up there with everybody else's I'll put my stuff out there and it's out there it's up there it's out there it's in there on the ESPN app for everybody to check out with Dickie V's and Stephen A's and SVP Greeny, Billis I'm going toe to toe I'm the only one with the maze M up there man join our group Rich Eisen Show all one word Now, if you're wondering what the most popular picks are to win it all, Mikey, you're up there.
37:16Rich Eisen:Arizona, 30 % of our entrants in our group picked Arizona. 23 % Michigan. 18 % Duke. Then it really falls off. Those are the top three. More people picked Michigan over Duke? Yeah. Yeah. By a good amount. 6 % Houston. 6 % Florida. 2.5 % Connecticut. 2.5 % St. John's. Milk. We're down to milk now. A ton of milk for everybody else. Okay. All right. Let's see. We're off and running. Off and running. Let's go. Great weekend. All right. Let's take a break. We come back. We'll take your phone calls on this subject and so much more. If you're on hold, stay on hold. Did you see how Miami of Ohio was able to pull it out, if you will, Hey Now, against SMU.
37:59We're back in a Speedo Quickie.
38:04Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
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38:45Rich Eisen:So I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points.
38:52Brian Windhorst:Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade.
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39:05Brian Windhorst:Bad advice? You talking to me?
39:07Rich Eisen:Kayak. Got that right.
39:14Rich Eisen:Terzo in Iowa here on the Rich Eisen Show. You guys are the best. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. There you go. That's Terzo in Iowa, everybody. I give honest answers. I give honest answers. It's a fair counterpoint. You know what I mean? Sunday of Labor Day weekend. It's a big ask. That's the beginning of like. The beginning of like. Yes. You know what I'm going to need to do right now? I'm going to take a phone call from my heartland. I just took one from the heartland.
39:42Brian Windhorst:But my heartland. Your heartland.
39:44Rich Eisen:As a matter of fact, there is a part of Staten Island called Heartland Village. Really? Yes, there is. Oh, and. Sal in Staten Island knows what I'm talking about. What's up, Salvatore?
39:53Brian Windhorst:Hey, Rich. How are you? How you doing? Westerly guy here.
39:57Rich Eisen:Yo, Westerly. I'm from Willowbrook. How you doing? That's where I am. I grew up in Willowry. Hey. I'm Harold Street. That's where I grew up. Harold Street. Right down the block. Your father was a teacher, I think. That's right. Did he teach you at Port Richmond High School, Sal? I went to Port Richmond. Yes, I did. Graduated in 81. In 81. My dad probably did teach you. He might have still been at Sheepshead Bay High School then, but in Brooklyn. Anyway, how are you doing, Sal? Anyway, I did call back then. I did use that
40:24Brian Windhorst:sports phone to get scored.
40:26Rich Eisen:Right.
40:26Brian Windhorst:You guys just talked about that. That was great. But anyway, my question is, me and my daughter are follow Michigan and would be big Cadeau fans. Yes. We just want to know what you think about the struggles they had down the stretch here.
40:39Rich Eisen:Well, the issue is LJ Kaysen went out with a, with a knee injury, Sal. And what he was able to do in a way that very few others on the team do with regularity is get to the rim and push and push and also provide Michigan with a bit of an opportunity when Cadeau is out to maintain some half-court stability on offense. And now that he's gone, they've had trouble when Cadeau hits the bench. And if Cadeau does not get to the rim, you're seeing a lot of stagnant offensive sets where they settle for jumpers or they can't get to the rim. And that's been Michigan's bread and butter for much of the year, is getting the other team over the limit before they do and shooting free throws.
41:28Rich Eisen:And that's the way, you know, one possession games become double digit leads. And that's been a problem. And that is a massive concern of mine going into the tournament. But in Dusty May, I trust he is clearly one of the best in the business. And he knows exactly what I'm talking about. I'm sure he also knows about 15 other Achilles heels that maybe keeps him up. but you know otherwise they have a very talented team that has played very well together and in the early parts of the season Sal while other teams were still learning how to play together Michigan gelled much quicker and that's why I think they were blowing the crap out of everybody that hasn't happened too much of late but they have also played Big Ten teams that know them well over and over and over again there's not a single Big Ten team in their region the the first Big Ten team that they could see would be, you know, in the West.
42:25Rich Eisen:It's possible they could play Wisconsin or Purdue, just to name two, in the Final Four if they could somehow beat Arizona. I don't know what the answer is here, Sal, but the invincibility factor seems to have dipped a little bit. At least I'm concerned about it. Yeah, I agree.
42:41Brian Windhorst:I appreciate the take of my call, and, you know, thanks again.
42:46Rich Eisen:You got it, buddy. That's Sal in Staten Island from my hometown, everyone. Nice. See you, Sal. There he goes. yeah thank you mike for that yeah i love saturday i know it's like you're practically part of it non-part of yours in new jersey i did a couple clubs there okay um miami of ohio uh was this year's what james madison right just to use a football analogy right am i wrong you know i mean like everyone's like you know what what are you doing here yeah cute story cute story you're undefeated until you lost in your tournament. And now you popped a bubble for somebody else from a bigger conference that we feel is better than you.
43:25Rich Eisen:And Miami Valhalla is like, okay. Okay. Okay. All right. We'll take your first four invitation and we'll beat SMU about the head, neck, chest, and face throughout the first half. Take a nine-point lead into half. Play well enough in the second half and win by 10. And come up with our first tournament victory in 27 years. Man. And yeah. That's fun to watch. Yeah. Miami of Ohio also had a secret weapon, which I've never seen before. I've been following college basketball since I was, as Warren Sapp once said, knee-high to a jackrabbit.
44:02Rich Eisen:Their swim team showed up in Speedos to distract SMU at the free throw line, and it worked a couple times. You know? Oh, God. You know what I mean? As you can see, SMU wasn't, in this photograph, the only one wearing white. There they are. Wow. And their Speedos getting it done. My favorite part is that you see the guy and the two guys or a handful of them. They're wearing their swim caps and goggles. Yes. You know what I mean? So they're in full uniform. A couple of them just said, all right, here's my Speedo and my six pack. You know what I mean? I think that works for them. By the way. Ain't no half-step.
44:42Rich Eisen:I can do it. If you got it, flaunt it. I was just going to say, if I could do that, I'd be doing it. But what an idea. I'd do this show like that. What an idea to get your team through to the first round. Now, do they travel? I think at this point, you know, the sports department has to open up the budge a little bit and get them on the road. Where are they going? They're going to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There you go. Are they going to be like, in a way, remember DeMar DeRozan's daughter? Screeching. and everyone's like we got to get her on the road for the next game but then he didn't no because she had school at school right he has his priorities right bad parenting these kids have school but this is college now get on the road go to philadelphia with your speedos and your goggles and your swim caps and stand there behind tennessee's basket it'll be spring break right look at that dude on the left paint it all red he didn't get the assignment i don't think that's going to come out.
45:39Rich Eisen:You don't think so? I don't think that's pink. I don't think that's pink. What is it? He's the devil. The blood of their enemies. Look at him. Game of Thrones right there. All of them. Red Wedding. They're trying to go Red Wedding every week. There you go. Valor Margolis. Miami of Ohio, man. Bruce Pearl, your thoughts?
46:07Rich Eisen:a lot of people were like they don't belong they're gonna get their ass beat they're gonna get whipped they're gonna get and and they show up like here's our three-point game here's our defense there's our speedos try and beat us did you guys pick them to win no no in the first round no uh i i chose tennessee to advance i think i'm gonna change it right now can you do that You're locked. You're locked. You can change it up until the game starts. Oh, really? Until the game starts, you can switch it up? No. Can you? Why can't you? Why couldn't you? I don't know. I thought your brackets get locked.
46:43Rich Eisen:You're locked. Wait a minute. Well, on ESPN, they are locked. There you go. Oh, I'm the administrator. I can go in. Oh, my God. No, no, no, no, no. What do you mean? On behalf of the thousand other people in the pool, you're locked in. I'm announcing it that I want to take a man of Ohio. What was it? Somebody else. What was it? their defense, their shooting, or the Speedos that's caused you to do this. I like seeing Ron Harper in the stands. Got it. I say the Speedos. Wally Zerbiak flashback package. Is that the only package? As I was saying it, I realized
47:15Brian Windhorst:it was probably not the right thing to say.
47:17Rich Eisen:Video package. The Ridge Isis Show Podcast. Monster Energy. Everybody knows White Monster.
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From the publisher
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst tells Rich how Cade Cunningham’s collapsed lung injury could impact the Detroit Pistons’ title hopes, why the Milwaukee Bucks might be hesitant to hand Giannis Antetokounmpo a 5-year, $275M extension giving his recent string of injuries, why Luka Doncic, LeBron James and the Lakers have looked like legit contenders of late, and how the NCAA Tournament could impact how the top of the NBA Draft.
Rich and the guys reveal their Final Four March Madness predictions, and weigh in on Miami (OH)’s statement win over SMU in their play-in game in their first matchup since their 31-game win streak ended in their conference tournament.
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