Hour 3: Ranking the ’24 NFL Draft QB Class, plus Basketball Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway Sr.

0:00Rich Eisen:We're leaving today and entering a world of Mickey Mouse waving, Princess meeting and greeting, Lightsaber clashing, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror dropping, Banshee flying, Space Mountain launching, Galaxy rewinding, What's the whole deck with Galaxy rewinding? Fireworks igniting, World of Other Worlds, for whatever you love. Infinite worlds await at the most magical place on Earth. Walt Disney World Resort. So good, so good, so good. New markdowns up to 70 % off are at Nordstrom Rack stores now. And that means so many new reasons to rack. Because I always find something amazing. There's so many good brands.

0:44Because there's always something new.

0:45Rich Eisen:Join the Nordiclub 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. 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 Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show.

1:32Rich Eisen:Walt Frazier flat out said it. They're tanking. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Show me the incentive and I'll show you the result. The incentive for the teams is to get the highest pick possible. Earlier on the show, ESPN NFL draft analyst Field Yates. Royals first baseman Vinny Pasquantino. Coming up, basketball hall of famer Tim Hardaway Sr. And now, it's Rich Eisen.

2:03Rich Eisen:Oh, yeah. Hour number three of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air here from Los Angeles, California, site of the NBA All-Star Game, just up the road from us here in our El Segundo Los Angeles studios. 844-204-RICH. Number to dial. We say hello to the ESPN audience that's checking us out right now on Disney +, also on ESPN the app, and thrilled to have here in studio, This is his book called Killer Crossover, because he had one, to say the least. 13 years in the NBA, five-time All-Star Basketball Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway is here. Good to see you, sir. How are you? Hey, I'm great. Thanks for having me.

2:42Rich Eisen:You bet. It's been a while. It's been a while. It's been a while. You did some sports centers together back in the day. Yes, we did. Yes, we did. You were at the end of your playing career. Yes. Just kicking tires on the media and stuff like that. Exactly, exactly. Awesome. And it's great to see you again. Yeah, it's always nice seeing you. So what does it mean for you to come to an All-Star game? Just hang out. Just hang out, you know, network, see the guys, see the, you know, retired guys, see the, you know, new guys that's playing, just reminiscing, talking, just having fun. And, you know, Norm Nixon and his lovely wife, Debbie, we was at their dance studio last night.

3:19They doing beautiful things, beautiful work here. And we just, you know, just chopping it up, having fun. So you can confirm that fame does live forever? Yes, yes, yes.

3:29Rich Eisen:Make sure. See, I know Debbie Allen. I remember the whole business. All right, so you were an all-star for the first time in 1991. Yes. And, man, there were some all-time greats that were on these teams. What's it like a kid from Chicago by way of UTEP, Golden State Warriors, just a couple years in the league as an NBA all-star walking around? And who'd you see? Who'd you meet? What's your memories of all that? You know, first of all, when I got to the All-Star game, a friend of mine, I was like, we was going to a party or something. And it was like 30 of us. And I said, man, we're not going to get, I can't get all 30 of us in.

4:13And I turned around and he said, yo, man, you Tim Hardaway, you an All-Star. You going to get all 30 of us in. So I get to the door. And you're like, I'm plus 29? So I get to the door. I'm like, oh, man, okay, I know this is not going to work out. I know this is not going to work out. So I get to the door, and I say, hey, man, you know, he said, how many? I said, it's 30 of us. He said, come right on in. I was like, okay, I am an all-star. All right. I'm like, okay, yeah, all right. And it went from there. But, you know, sometimes you got to have friends that take you, put you over that hump to make you understand, you know, who you are and what you're doing in this league and why you're an all-star.

5:02And that's when I knew that I belonged, when he let all 30 of us in.

5:06Rich Eisen:I love that. I thought the story would be, you know, hey, I'm all-star teammates with Magic Johnson and James Worthy. And you're like, no, I could get plus 29 into a club. Yes, I get plus 29 in the club. But I will tell you this. My first game when we played at the form, the Great Western Form. Yes. Don Nelson, he kind of got on me because I was at, first of all, I was at the Great Western Form. And I was like, oh, man, I'm at the Great Western Form and I'm playing against Magic. Mm-hmm. And for the first half, I was in a daze. I was like, as a rookie, I was like, wow. And then after he got on me at halftime, I snapped out of it.

5:55But by that time, it was too late. They was killing us by 30.

5:59Rich Eisen:So Don Nelson being your head coach of the Golden State Warriors at the time, noticed that your head was in the clouds a little bit. Right, right. I don't blame you. This is the Showtime Lakers and the Great Western Forum, right? Man, you see them on TV, and you see them doing magic, and Worthy, and Kareem, and Byron Scott, and A.C. Green, and all those guys doing their thing. And then you, as a rookie, you're on the floor and you're about to compete against them. Yeah, at that particular time, it was overwhelming for me. But at halftime, I snapped out of it and I was all right after that. But yeah, it was kind of, I was, yeah, the lights was bright then.

6:36Rich Eisen:Tim Hardaway, senior here on the Rich Eisen Show. Killer Crossover is his book, Get It Where All Books Can Be Acquired, here on the Rich Eisen Show. So the Run TMC poster, we have it for you to take a look at from back in the day. When you see this poster that's on the screen, what do you think of when you see this, Tim? I see it every day at the house. You do? Yes, I have it at the house. I see it every day. I ask Chris Mullen and Mitch Richmond, do they have it? And they say yes. They see it every day. every time I see that I think that we could have won a championship with the Golden State Warriors back in the day if Don Nelson did not trade Mitch Richmond and gave us a chance and built around us as a core we would have won a championship because a lot of teams were scared of us all three of us they didn't know how to control all three of us on the court and we just needed a center And when we had Alton Lister, he had tore his Achilles the first year he was there.

7:44He had tore his Achilles and we had to, you know, supplement and we had to go to gimmicks, back in gimmicks and doing stuff again. But once he became healthy, then Mitch got traded. But I think we could have won a championship and go in the state with us three as the core and putting pieces around us. So when I think when I look at that picture every day, I just shake my head. But, you know, Chris and Mitch, we keep up with each other. We talk. Our families, we talk with each other all the time. When we get in the room together, you need a mic and a film in us because that's all we do. We just laugh.

8:23We reminisce. We joke. We have fun. And we go out and shoot some. You do? Who's still as closest to their game at this day and age and run TMC? Chris Mullin. He's still closest to his game. And then Mitch Richmond is close. I'm far the back because I just watch my son play a lot and just watch him do his thing. I get it. Right. Yeah, that's all. Right.

8:47Rich Eisen:I'm so psyched that I get to ask this question. Did you guys ever meet Run DMC? Yes, yes. Actually, Chris used to go to St. John's with one of the guys. I forget his name, which one he did, but he used to go to St. John's with one of them. And, you know, during the playoffs, we was playing L.A. That's when it came out, Run TMC and all that. So we was playing the playoffs. And the worst thing we could have ever done was have Run DMC introduce us. So we went in a form. We went in the form. We come back home. Run DMC is introducing us before the game. and as he's introducing us, I see Magic huddle his team around him.

9:40And, you know, to what some of the guys was telling me, like, you know, they're making a mockery of this game and they got run DMC here. They want to think that we're not, you know, ready to play. And when he did that, when I saw that, I was like, we're in trouble. We are in serious trouble. And as you – so I'm playing against him. I'm watching him. But on TV, how he orchestrated everything and how he – his leadership out there on the court. Magic. Magic. And what he was doing with his teammates and making them understand, yo, let's run this offense. Let's get into this offense quickly. Let's do this.

10:24This guy, they knew who was going to shoot. They knew who was going to get the ball. They were setting screens and everything. And I was just looking at that, and I watched film after we lost series to him, and I was like, that's how we got to play. That's how our mentality has to be. And from that point on, that's the way my mentality was the rest of my career. But I saw when we had Run Dempsey interview us, I was like, that was the wrong move.

10:55Rich Eisen:That was the wrong move. Was it Reverend Run? Did Reverend Run go to St. John's? No, no, it wasn't Reverend. I know it wasn't Reverend Run. It was the taller one. Okay. I forget his name. But, yeah, it was the taller one. Went to St. John's. And not the DJ either. It was not the DJ, yeah. It was DMC? It was. DMC went to St. John's. Okay. Made the mistake of. Yeah, well, our organization, we made, and we was like, yeah, yeah. All right, that's cool. Let's do it, yeah. And then, like I said, we was like, we made a big mistake. Not against Magic. You know, it could have been against somebody like the Supersonics or even, you know.

11:35Gary Payton wasn't there yet, but they wouldn't have stood for it. Right. Right. Maybe nobody would have stood for it. Right. Nobody would have stood for it. I'm just naming. I know that. I get it. But Magic, I saw Magic. Once he got them together, I was like, we in trouble, y 'all.

11:48Rich Eisen:Last night, Tim Hardaway Sr., LeBron James became the oldest player in the history of the NBA with a triple-double. When you watch him do stuff like this at this age and have more points than Kareem and what he's doing at this advanced age, maybe not even for him, but for most other humans, what do you think of when you see that? I love it. I love it. I love him going out there and competing the way he competes, how he does it out there on the court, the way he has taken care of his body for this long in his career. But he's still playing at a high level. So I can still see him playing another year.

12:31You know, because there's nobody out there stopping him. You know, like taking initiative. All right, I'm going to go out here and stop LeBron James. He's going out there doing whatever he wants to do, how he wants to do it. in his 21st, 22nd year in the NBA. And there's nobody in the league that's stopping him or taking the onuses to go out there and stop him. So I think he could play another year at the way he takes care of his body. But it's remarkable, man, what he's out there doing, how he's doing it. And I love watching him. I love watching him play.

13:02Rich Eisen:I mean, I'm just seeing at the end of your career, was he, he was just getting into the league, I think. Yes, he was just coming into the league. I got a story for you. So we was in Chicago, and we had this run. Tim Grove had this run. It was Michael, Scottie, myself, Antoine Walker, and a lot of other guys in there. And they was like, yeah, LeBron coming today. So he was in high school still. And he had just broke his wrist, and he was coming out of the cast and everything. And I knew that he was going to be really, really, really good. I didn't know he was going to be this great, but I knew he was going to be really, really good.

13:40So he came down on a fast break, and it was like a three-on-two. And we was going to see what he was going to do. So I had the front. Somebody had the back, and we went and tried so he wouldn't pass. He took off from the free throw line. He just took off. Excuse my French. And we was like, damn. And you just see him just going up. He missed the dunk because he was so frantic, but he just took off from the free throw line. You just saw him dunk. and he hit the back of the rim and went all the way down the court. But I was like, yeah, that's impressive. Even though you missed a dump, but you to just take off from the free throw line, that's very impressive.

14:20I'm sure he wanted to show off a little bit, right? I think he still had some jitters because he was in front of Mike. This was his first time playing. In front of Mike? With Mike, in front of Mike, on the same court as Mike. I think this was his first time with Scottie. And then, like I say, he had the cast. He just got the cast off a week early, and he's like, come to Chicago, let's play. So I think he was still, you know, he was just hyped up to come there and play. But after he missed that dunk, you saw what he could do out there. It's all around game. You know, his jump shot wasn't there, but you could tell that it would be there later on in his career.

15:00But yeah, we saw that he was it. What's your favorite Jordan story? Oh, man. I got a bunch of them. I got a bunch of them. My favorite one. So we at the All-Star Game in New York, and we sitting down, and Michael came to find his briefcase, you know, his briefcase, you know, that he always carry around. So he told the security guard, he said, hey, I left my briefcase at the hotel. Hell, somebody got to go get it. And he subbed himself out. And the security guard came back, and I was sitting right next to him, hit him on it. We found the brief face. We got everything that's good to do. Mike got up, called the timeout.

15:54Coach was like, huh? He said, timeout. He subbed who he wanted in with him, and this was against Kobe. He subbed who he wanted to get with him, and he went out there and got triple-double and won the MVP. I said, now that's power. That he sent somebody home. No, no. For the briefcase. No, he sent somebody to the hotel in New York. Right, for the briefcase. Yeah, security guard. He had security, Horace Barmer. God rest his soul, he passed away. But Horace Barmer came back and tapped him on the shoulder. He said, we got the briefcase. He got up. He got up. The coach didn't say call timeout. He got up and said timeout.

16:35Rich Eisen:Yeah. How was the briefcase related to the... He was discombobulated. Ah, so he finally got locked in. Right. He was, you know, that briefcase discombobulated him some way. And once they said we got the briefcase, he was like, okay, I'm ready to go. As a Knick fan hearing this story... But this is All-Star. This wasn't a Knick game. No, no, no, no. You're talking about Madison Square Garden. if all I knew to try and get Jordan off his game would be to take his briefcase away from him, I'd have been like, somebody makes... This was All-Star. It doesn't matter. It's Madison Square Garden. He's discombobulated.

17:12Rich Eisen:Take that man's briefcase away from him. You know? That was a 1998 All-Star. Well, that's the one where Kobe famously waved Karl Malone off the box, right? He's like, I want this. Yes. I'll never forget that one. Yes. That was 98. He was going against Kobe. Kobe made Michael play one-on-one against him, whole court. Like, you're going to stick me, I'm going to stick you. But that's how Kobe wanted it. Yeah. He wanted, like they say, all the smoke. He wanted it. And, yeah, he said, yeah, I got some more to work on. I'll never forget that All-Star game. Yeah, that's the one where Stuart Scott and I drove down after a Saturday night sports center because he was disappointed that he had to do sports center with me instead of hanging at the All-Star game all weekend long.

18:00Rich Eisen:Do you got a Stewart story? Do you remember him? Yeah. We loved doing your highlights. I know he loved doing – he loved your crossover. Plus, you were two Chicago guys. Yes. He loved you. I loved him, too. I worked with him, and, you know, I didn't know that he was going through all the cancer, chemo and everything. Right. And it was very, very remarkable how he did his job, okay, because you're looking at the teleprompter. Right. He really couldn't see. He couldn't see, Tim. He could not see. So when he's talking, they talking in his ear. Yes. And he's talking to the audience. Mm-hmm. And they say, yeah, we go on the video.

18:44He was like this on the table. He was looking down. Right at it. Right at it. That's how close he needed to be to see what he was talking about. And I'm right next to him, and I'm like, damn. Wow. I was impressed. And so when people talk about him, I seen it firsthand how great he was at his job. I seen firsthand how he prepared for his job. and I said, man, if anybody could see him or anybody watched him or anybody was in his, you know, just was around him, you are fortunate to have seen a great person. I mean, not only do his job, but just a great person.

19:40Rich Eisen:You know, he was also great at also. He was great at everything. But he was great at, and certainly towards the end of his life when he was really sick, he still did in any way the trophy presentation after NBA finals. Yes. he was awesome at that. He was great. You also don't want to give up the microphone because some people always grab the microphone and try and say something. He was a maestro at getting people in there and having fun and being chill about it. Exactly. But he did love you. Yeah, I love him too. We just talk all the time. When you know you got to get there early, three or four hours early, and we just chop it up, chop it up.

20:14And he'd just be doing his job, doing his work, and we doing our stuff. And we'd just chop it up for another 15 minutes, just talk. and, you know, but he loves sports in general. I know, but he also is a real competitor.

20:25Rich Eisen:Did he ever try to cross over you? I bet he did. Did he ever try to say, hey, let me show you what I've got? He wanted to go to University of Connecticut and he wanted to play me one-on-one. He did want to play me one-on-one. I was like, Stu, I said, Stu, you know. Come on, man. I mean, I love you, but, you know.

20:46Rich Eisen:This totally tracks. This tracks. I knew it. He's very competitive now. At some point, he'd be like, I know you've got to, again, the name of your book is Killer Crossover. Yes. But he probably said, I've got one too. Yeah, he did say that. And I was like, I don't want to go out there and embarrass you. I do not. Because if we're going to be on camera, then he's going to want to do some stuff. And I'm going to have to show him some stuff. And it's going to be on camera. Yeah. And I don't want to embarrass him on camera. Yeah. Who's the best point guard in the NBA today? You're sitting around. You've got your league pass.

21:21You can choose whatever point guard you want to watch in the NBA.

21:26Rich Eisen:K.E. Cunningham. Why? Why? Because his confidence. He's putting the team on his back. The team, his leadership. He's leading his team. And nobody knew this. First in the Eastern Conference. Number one in the Eastern Conference right now. And they got a five-game, seven-game lead. on New York and Boston. But he has put that team on his back. I love how he goes out there and plays. And I knew he was going to be an all-star, and I knew he was going to be an MVP candidate this year. And the way he plays, it shows. He's a hard-nosed player. And a lot of people really, really, really don't know about his defense.

22:13He plays great defense. And if you're not careful, if you think you're going up for a dunk, But if you think you're going up for a layup, he's throwing that stuff off the glass. So, yeah, he got sneaky hops. And he will throw your stuff off the glass and he will dunk on you. So, yeah, I love watching Cade Cunningham. Of course, I love watching Bronson and SGA. But I say right now the best point guard is Cade Cunningham.

22:41Rich Eisen:Well, 40 wins by the All-Star break out of 53 games for the Detroit Pistons. His five-and-a-half game lead is not too shabby. And you're a perfect guy to have sitting in this chair. News just broke that Chris Paul is retiring. Yeah. I give you the floor on his greatness. What do you think? You know, I was on my way here, and I read it on my phone. And I was like, wow. You know, first of all, it's a shame what happened with him in the Clippers. That was just a shame and atrocious. and I'm quite sure he's going to say his side and everything. But great career. He didn't go out the way he should have went out.