Hour 2: Brian Mahoney, AP NBA Writer

0:00Rich Eisen:Right now, get up to 15 % off select storage solutions. Put heavy-duty HDX totes to good use, protecting what's important to you. The solid, impact-resistant design prevents cracking, and the clear base and sides make items easy to find even when the totes are stacked. Find select shelving and tote storage up to 15 % off at the Home Depot to organize every room in your home, from your garage to your attic. Visit homedepot.com. How doers get more done. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.

0:45Rich Eisen:Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. 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. Oh my God, you guys are my favorites.

1:27Rich Eisen:This is The Rich Eisen Show. The one and only. Rich Eisen. I know what I'm talking about. That's the headline. The Rich Eisen Show. With guest host, Brian Weber. I mean, honestly, he's brilliant. Brian Weber. I've got a long resume. Google me. It saves time. From The Rich Eisen Show's studio in Los Angeles. And now, sitting in for Rich, it's Brian Weber.

1:58That long resume includes soccer play-by-play on the college level not too long ago. So be prepared for useless soccer knowledge coming your way as we kick off our number two of this Monday installment of the Rich Eisen Show. Always an honor to keep the chair warm for Mr. Eisen. We'll do it again tomorrow and hopefully as the United States will be celebrating. Yes, I am throwing all semblance of objectivity out the window. When it comes to American sports, I become a fanboy. Irrespective of the outcome, hopefully 24 hours from now, the United States is celebrating a victory over Belgium, in part because of the gift they got from FIFA with the return of Balogun.

2:46That red card has been suspended, and we'll go through how we got here again. But coming up tomorrow, scheduled to be joined and get expert soccer analysis when we say hello to Danny Higginbottom. You've heard him call World Cup games on Fox Sports. You hear him throughout the MLS season on Apple TV, and he played the sport at the highest level for the Premier League, the Premiership, and MLS. And coming up in 20 minutes, we'll bring in today's first guest. As I do my best to go with the skinny Rondell, maximize your opportunities to get interactive on social media. That's B.W. Weber, Weber with 2B, So I never overwhelm you with too many guests.

3:25Brian Mahoney, NBA writer of the Associated Press, will join us as we continue to spin the wheel of LeBron. Where will the king be taking his talents next? But it's all about soccer today. And it was going to be all about Team USA with or without Balogun. But yesterday, FIFA did the right thing. So let's not get things convoluted here because I realize my style is different than Rich and a lot of people, but specifically the host of the show because he has an ensemble. As a fill-in guy, it's a lot of me, and I can understand how that can get tedious. That's why I am a fill-in host. It's not the Brian Weber Show.

4:09So as I try to be comprehensive and go through all of the elements that are important, I don't want anything to get lost in the sauce. That red card on Wednesday should never have been levied. It was the wrong decision. And the goal in sports always with technology and the ability for leagues and governing bodies to get involved is to get it right. So the outcome is proper. My issues are FIFA related because FIFA is always going to FIFA. Why did it take them until yesterday to make that decision? What kind of disadvantage will this be for Belgium? Because they've been practicing for days with the assumption that Ballyum wouldn't play.

4:54And how would we feel if this had happened to the United States? Look, I don't take a ton of phone calls. I could, had that been the case, come in, put my feet up, and just roll calls like I was doing satellite radio in the middle of the night. Because the outrage would have been incredible. So while this broke the United States' way and the decision ultimately is correct, I can't overlook how flawed and, if you want to take a step back, how lacking of integrity the process is. Still, a match is going to be played tonight. And United States' leading scorer will be on the field alongside the face of American soccer.

5:35That's Christian Pulisic, as you know, who was asked if tonight's match against Belgium will be the biggest game he's ever competed in.

5:44Rich Eisen:Depends how you want to look at it. I mean, I've played in a Champions League final. I'd say it's a pretty big match as well. But it's a World Cup knockout round for my country. It's a big game for sure. but I don't need to rank it in any way. I'm going to prepare as best I can and try to enjoy the moment. Now, if you don't follow soccer that closely, that is not in any way a departure from the normal approach of Christian on and off the field. He's intense, but he's not over the top, certainly not verbally, and he's not going to walk into a verbal landmine and say anything that creates expectations he can't live up to.

6:25the bracket tells the story and yes i have now march madness in the first or second week i get lost where are we first week of july i have an actual bracket in front of me with illegible notes advancing last night england over mexico in that game for the ages and in fact if i was more of a soccer nerd and thankfully for you i'm not i'd be giving you detailed thoughts on the battle on the iberian peninsula between portugal and spain because the winner of that match will get the winner of the United States against Belgium. We have talked so much about how things have now been set up, ideally for the United States, with the return of Balogun, with the venue for this game.

7:10If you've not been paying a ton of attention, I understand. If you want to parachute in, the more the merrier when it comes to the patriotic and nationalistic element of World Cup soccer. But if you were flipping around the last time the United States was in Seattle when they took on Australia, just as I was talking about that atmosphere last night in Mexico City was incredible. Seattle, not that loud, but in the vicinity. And how do you quantify that? And I don't do gambling shows yet because I have not been compensated for them. But if we're just talking about what's the advantage, that's got to be worth like a quarter of a goal, a half a goal.

7:48So, Balogun's back. The best venue in terms of intensity and crowd support for the United States is the side of the game. And they're taking on an opponent, while without question, that will be their most skilled opposition yet. Because if you care about the FIFA rankings, Belgium, number nine in the world. I'm not going to go through head-to-head. I'm not going to talk about what happened between these nations the last time they played in qualities because he cannot replicate the atmosphere nor the stakes of the World Cup. But they're taking on a Belgium team that is older, and they've had a grang effect.

8:28This is the last stand for this bunch that's had a lot of international success. But the balancing act is, does the United States have the athletic advantage? Because while we have more experience than we've had in the past, with so many players coming back from the last push four years ago, in Qatar. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich Eisen. If you're not hugely into soccer, hang with us. This is the only soccer portion of the hour in less than 15 minutes. We'll hit the NBA hard with Brian Mahoney of the AP coming up in 40 minutes. Not just because I'm older. Last time I checked, millions and millions of people still watch baseball.

9:09I'm based in Southern California. I watched the Dodgers play and seemingly win every time they take the field, though they were mortal last night, losing to the Padres. Still, L.A. took three out of four against San Diego. They have a double-digit lead, so let's call it in the National League West. We'll get into, as this is the last week prior to the All-Star break, what the dominance of the Dodgers means in terms of the labor war that's coming up and do they have real competition when we get to the postseason? But that is all on the horizon. I bring that up not only because it's my job always to forward promote, but I understand there are a lot of people who are still not that revved up about soccer, even with the American connection to it.

9:58But I can only tell you from a standpoint of TV ratings, because I still dabble in that medium, the numbers have been gargantuan insanely big numbers not only when the united states is playing so if we're talking about the impact of what's happening so far this is the confluence that we have been waiting for for generations i always trot out i saw pele play i shouldn't say 1977 i was a kid just put it that way although my tweets about the bicentennial celebration in 76 have given away that the Botox is not working. I am older, and hopefully it's implied by my enthusiastic delivery. We have been waiting for generations for the United States to be relevant in soccer.

10:46It's been 50 freaking years since my peers grew up playing the game, and we've seen the ebbs and flows. But here's a chance, with all of those factors I just laid out, knowing that Belgium is a good team. Without any debate, the best team we'll have faced so far. And if you're just thinking about different elements of the game, they have the most refined offensive attack of any of our opponents. So what will be the response defensively from Team USA? It's hard to find any flaws in the Harvard man's approach. Not only did he have good SATs, he's a heck of a goaltender. I'm talking about Matt Freeze.

11:28couple shutouts and only one goal allowed in his three games so it's not just about the boost that Balogun gives the United States men's national team in terms of keeping it going with their goal scoring which has been another huge asset United States tallying 10 times so far it's going to be the other side of the field and how much support and linkage and I'll just bore you with soccer terms, defensive shaping, because the issue with Belgium is they don't have just the one star. It's not a situation where even though he's in the twilight of his career, but he's still unbelievable. When you play Argentina, obviously you've got a key on Messi.

12:14Or if you're thinking about Mbappe in France, or if you watched the, and I keep going back to atmosphere, but I'm just looking for good content to talk about and enjoy as a sports fan. After all, that's why I got into the business. What the Viking squad from Norway was doing yesterday and Holland with the brace to knock out Brazil, just sensational. The Belgians don't have that kind of one-star driven approach offensively. Much more balanced, but that's also a challenge because they had a bunch of strikers who can't be lethal in the right situation. And yes, Belgium had to dig deep just to survive in advance after they spotted the Senegal team, a 2-0 advantage.

13:00Just five minutes left, and they did rally to win with the penalty kick in extra time. But if you think about their road to this match tonight in Seattle, Belgium erupted for five goals, dismantling New Zealand in their first match. So this is a team that can get it done in that finishing third of the field. And I'll be interested, as I watch tonight, what kind of defensive answers the U.S. has. Now, if I know that, obviously, Mauricio Pochettino and his staff are aware of that. And the decision to part ways with Greg Berhalter after his second stint as the head coach continues to be justified by not only the results on the field, just the change it feels like in culture, attitude, confidence, and for lack of a better term, swagger.

13:57Pochettino's a cool dude. He's seen it all. He's done it all. And that rubs off on his players. And now he's got his best scorer back. So while I have issues with the lack of transparency, while I have issues with the timetable, why did it take until yesterday for this red card to be suspended? Remember, if you care about the semantics, it wasn't overturned. But the results all that matters. Baligan's back. I'm a little bit conflicted because the process has to matter. Look, if I want to get USA, USA, USA driven coming off the 4th of July, what's the phrase we use all the time? Due process. FIFA has none of that.

14:37It's an organization that has been plagued by corruption for decades. And in this instance, and I'm not implying a quid pro quo in any way, but in this instance, a corrupt organization has benefited the United States. And I know a lot of you listening don't care about any of that. Don't tell me how the sausage is made. Just give me a hot dog like Joey Chestnut. So, advantage United States. No excuses. No asterisks. No explanations. Full strength against a team we can beat. Don't know if we will beat, but it's going to be fascinating theater tonight in Seattle. And we'll break it down and give you our thoughts when we return tomorrow here on the Rich Eisen Show.

15:20I'm Brian Weber in for Rich. If you want to throw me a follow on the X platform or share your perspective, feel free to do so. My handle is BWWeber, Weber with two Bs. In 35 minutes, we'll talk baseball coming off the 4th of July and heading into the All-Star Game in eight days in Philadelphia. Straight ahead, more NBA conversation, the latest on LeBron. Plus, with the addition of Jalen Brown, where do the Sixers now belong among the premier teams in the Eastern Conference? We'll find out when we check in with Brian Mahoney, NBA writer for the Associated Press. My name is Brian Weber. I'm thrilled anytime I have the opportunity to pitch in for Rich as we continue on The Rich Eisen Show.

16:12Rich Eisen:While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup this summer, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent, Future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. Because Next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability. Because the future isn't some far-off concept. It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. Rich Eisen here with some advice. If high-interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an audible with a SoFi personal loan.

16:50Rich Eisen:It consolidates your debt into one low monthly payment with no fees required. And with as soon as the same day funding, you can make the right play fast. Call an audible on your debt today at SoFi.com slash debt play. Loans originated by SoFi Bank N.A. Member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. Fast funds terms apply at SoFi.com slash debt play. Rich Eisen here for gusto. On my shows, we talk a lot about what happens in the spotlight, the games, the highlights, and the moments that get replayed and debated. But in any successful operation, what happens behind the scenes matters just as much.

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18:34Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show podcast. Keep the pyrotechnic theme rolling on on ESPN Radio. I'm Brian Weber. And for Rich, if you enjoy my approach or at least can tolerate it, I'm back with you tomorrow. Then you get a break because you deserve it because I was here on Friday as well. Always a blast to try my best not to destroy the impeccable brand of Mr. Eisen. 844-204-RICH is the phone number. 844-204-7424. to use my favorite media term. We are efforting a conversation about the NBA with Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press. I fully understand a lot of people are taking today off, as you should maximize it.

19:19If you have Friday off, make it a mini vacation. So if Brian's not available, it is my job. It's a talk show. We talk to take you around the NBA. So let's do so presently with a reminder in 30 minutes. And I understand even as challenging as it is to talk soccer to a mainstream audience. And I'm one of you. The reason I got into this business decades ago, primarily radio, is I love sports talk radio. I love the notion of somebody hopefully not talking at you, but talking with you. And I realize that I don't always live up to that pledge with my, I have a microphone, you will listen to me style.

19:58But baseball is challenging to dissect on a platform like this because it's now more than ever such a regional sport. And I try not to be a prisoner of my area. And I'm pleased when I fill in occasionally for Rich on the East Coast that I give you a different slant. And I understand there's a big portion of the United States between New York and Los Angeles. So I don't want to just talk Yankees and Dodgers all the time. But I'd be a fool to overlook what's going on with the Dodgers beyond the fact they're piling up all these wins. They're doing it without significant contributors because of injuries.

20:39We'll talk about the implications of the Dodgers' success as they try to become the first team in National League history. The three-peat. We'll do that to wrap up the second hour of the program. So, first hour, we talk LeBron. I don't know there's been enough attention paid to what's happening with the Lakers without him. And it was clear when he decided to take his talents elsewhere that some of that was motivated by personality and feeling wanted. And it's bizarre to say the all-time leading scorer in the history of the NBA would have that mindset. And I don't want to personalize things too much, but I am here in Southern California.

21:24And you do see, quote, unquote, stars if they exist now that everybody has a show because everyone has a phone with a camera and high speed editing and everything else. But when you get used to seeing somebody that for years you saw on a movie screen at your local grocery store, it does remind you these are just people. Yes, they have a lot more money than you and I, and yes, they fly private, but they're still human beings with real feelings and real emotions. I think LeBron, in part, decided to move on from the Lakers because he didn't feel wanted anymore. Now, you could say that's diva behavior.

22:05You could say that's LeBron making it about himself. But I get back to individuals with human responses that can't be just thrown into some spreadsheet and say, well, the data comes up with this conclusion. LeBron, I think, would have preferred to stay here in Southern California, given the compound he has and the toniest of neighborhood, given all the meetings he takes as he builds his empire in all sorts of different platforms. And this is where he wants to build his life long term. But when the Lakers made it clear that they were prioritizing Austin Reeves, not only with the money, giving him Max Steel, but in terms of the flow of the offense, because they want somebody to be, for lack of a better term, the Kyrie Irving, or dare I say the Jalen Brunson.

22:59How's that feel, Maverick fans? Although we know Brunson always wanted to go home, and he took the discount, and he got his old man a job in the process. But once Nico Harrison handed the Lakers the donation of Luka Doncic, it was clear the Luka era had started and it was only a matter of time and the sequence of events as to how LeBron would leave. But part of me, just thinking about economics, has the idea that the Lakers would have done everything they could to accommodate LeBron if an ownership change had not have occurred. Because remember, the Buss family, while I'll go back to the notion they have more commas and zeros than you and I, I'm Brian Weber, just a common man, the son of a plumber, in for Rich Eisen.

23:48You can pick up the phone, 844-204-7424, or have at it on the X platform, B.W. Weber, Weber with two Bs. The Buss family was run, or the Lakers, I should say, when run by the Buss family, was run like a mom-and-pop operation. And I don't know that Jeannie Buss would have had the gumption to go to LeBron or his intermediates, Rich Paul and his team, and say, yeah, it just doesn't work anymore. Because I think they love the notion of having the ability to monetize the farewell and think about what the seats would have gone for for LeBron's last regular season game and all the rest as his farewell tour was winding down.

24:29but with the shift to the Dodgers ownership with their deep pockets and their analytical bent. And they have nothing invested personally in LeBron because they weren't involved in his first decision to take his talents here to Southern California. I think that was a shift in organizational approach. And they're just looking at it from a basketball standpoint. Now, you can back it up and say before Luka got hurt and Reeves got hurt, the Lakers were clicking in March. There's a reason why they were the four seed and won over 50 games in the regular season. But another year coming up, meaning LeBron more susceptible to injuries as he gets older.

25:10Did he want to be the third option on the floor? And did he have the mindset of being accepting of the facts that he was going to make significantly less than he's accustomed to? don't overlook that he made 50 million dollars last year what if the lakers came to him and said hey how does 12 sound and you could say hey radio man whoever you are he's a billionaire not just on paper tangible assets back to the notion we're all people with real feelings and real emotion so i'm not surprised we got to this conclusion it just feels a little clunkier the need be but where does that leave the lakers because they are still a premier brand in the nba it brands matter at all and i'm biased in that i am fortunate to fill in for rich and other hosts throughout their summer vacation cycle so i've been doing these kind of shows for a long time and as recently as three years ago there was nothing better than nba free agency talk in fact You could argue that the transaction was often more compelling than the action on the floor.

26:22Everything changed with the new CBA. And yes, I'll bring up the dreaded second apron. But the results are what the owners wanted. We now have had eight different champions crowned. That has never happened in the history of the NBA. Still, for all of the competitive balance, if you flip around the dial, You see the usual suspects on national TV and Amazon. And the Lakers brand is right there with the Knicks, the Celtics, if we're talking about the heritage and the luster of big-name teams. So the Lakers need, in addition to the reset with Luka, they got to find a third scorer now. Just because you say goodbye to LeBron for all the reasons I laid out, who's going to be the third option?

27:11And I realize that the offseason was all about making Luka happy because his people had made it clear. Based on what he did in Dallas with a handful of big dudes, he wanted a legitimate big man to help run the offense on the pick and roll and give this team a rim protector that they didn't have because DeAndre Ayton was a mirage in the paint. Now, in fairness, he did finally play over 70 games. That's the best compliment I can give him. But he has been fraudulent since he got that massive deal after helping the Suns make that unlikely run to the finals when they lost to Giannis. There's a reason why Portland was pleased to see him go and ate some of the salary on his way out the door.

27:59So it was all about coming up with the right big fella to run with Luka and Austin Reeves. And I think that the Lakers gave up too much, but you can't quibble with the outcome in getting Walker Kessler because he is in his early 20s. He is seven feet tall. Dare I say, you can't teach tall. You might have heard that once or twice when we talk about the dying skill of being a post player. But this is a traditional back to the basket big dude who you can funnel the offense through in the post and he's going to give you a shot blocking element if he can be healthy i don't want to poo poo this big move and i keep mentioning lakers gave up a ton to get an unproven commodity hoping that he will build into his skill set and fill out physically as he pushes deeper into his 20s but he missed the majority of last year with an injured shoulder, even if he's out there healthy and vibrant, who's going to be the third scorer for the Lakers?