This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports
fourteen fifteen powered by Nova Insurance Services Ensure your most Prized Possessions. Katie z
R. Two Sack at iHeart Radio Station. Good afternoon, Welcome down the
Ballingham, Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm your host for the day, Jay
Gonzalez. My buddy Steve is out one more day. He went to Vegas
over the weekend to bet some horses and he said he'd be back tomorrow,
so we'll see. I don't think it went well for him or a whole
lot of other people in the derby on Saturday. Everybody got kind of crushed
with a long shots coming in again. So if you had the chalk you
didn't. You didn't do well. But Steve will be back tomorrow. We'll
have some more guests. But I've got a couple of capable hands in today.
My son Adam, who's been on the show as a co host,
former sports information director at Arizona for football, women's basketball, among other sports.
He's here to join me and talking about stuff that's been going on over
the weekend and earned Devin got all our interns of wrapping up finals, and
but Devin has made some time to come in to day and hang with us.
So thank you guys for being here today. Absolutely be here all right.
Well, you know I had a place to start, and we got
another place to start and another place to start, but I'm gonna go back
to the initial place to start, and that was with the Suns yesterday.
Um. You know, they had a nice win, they've even the series
of two two. But we've got this incident with uh with Nikolajoki. Uh,
give it a little shove to mattach. Uh just be the owner of
the Sons who grabbed a loose ball. And there's a lot of just a
lot of uproar over this. And we'll have Jody Ailer from Fox Sports nine
ten and Phoenix. Uh, he'll be on the show and we'll talk to
him about not just the game but also this situation. But uh, in
the last in the last few minutes, it's come out that Yogi is not
going to be suspended. Uh, it looks like him according to Adrian Robzorowski,
he's gonna get a twenty five thousand dollars fine, but fortunately it's not
going to affect the series. Yeah, no, he shouldn't be suspended.
They were both dumb about it. Right, you're not a part of the
game. It should be a don't grab the ball. But also, yo,
kids can't just go into the stands and shoving people. Yeah, I
mean, you know when I heard it, at first I heard it that
he elbowed him, and then I watched it he just kind of nudged him.
He flopped a little bit, right, Well, okay, here,
No, he didn't flop. He embellished, And that's a different day.
Here's here's a difference because if Yokich touches either one of us here we are
following down. That is one of the largest human beings on the planet.
Okay, okay, you're right. He didn't flop. He did embellish.
He threw his hands up, he fell back. If yo push his knee
a little bit, I'm going here. Okay, I mean you say,
you know it wasn't that big a deal. Both guys were dumb. Yeah,
you know, should should have just given up the ball. I thought,
just don't the ball, I don't know, just grabbing and throwing back
in the court, right, which is you know we've sat on the sideline
games. You know, scoring and what ball comes on our way, we
get our hands on it and toss it back, right, But you know
so, so there's that. But also the way yokis Ranto the sideline to
grab the ball, I thought that little. You can't like they were both
dumb about it. You can't like there are gonna be repercussions. I have
no idea if Ishpia is gonna get fined or anything, right, matter to
him. If he gets the twenty five thousand dollars, fine, right,
But still like, you can't be going into the stands, even if it's
the owner, if it's someone else on the Sun's match, you can't be
going over there right right, I mean, what did you think, Devin
Well, I agree with him. It was done by both parties. So
I'm kind of glad the NBA decided to when they looked at the rule with
Yo Kids going into the stands, I'm glad that they decided that they weren't
going to suspend him because it just ruins the game basketball. That series is
too close one game. If Yo Kids misses Game five, Denver's knock,
Denver's gonna get blown out right and the series is over. Let me say
this. Let me say this, I'm surprised Suns fans are not like really
angry because I remember what year was the Robert Ory when Robert Rory shoves Steve
Nash, Right, a couple of the Suns players like stepped onto the court,
and right, they spend it, all of them, right goes into
ses the owner. Yeah, he doesn't get suspended, and fans have long
memories on stone saying they absolutely do. But what do you think the impact
of the owner coming out and saying that he did not want to see Yoki
suspended? Does that alter why the Suns? And I don't know either either
way. Like I'm a sunst I'm like yo, like you guys stole a
champiship from us for suspending the guys for stepping onto the court. Didn't even
do anything. He stepped onto the court. Let me suspend it. Let
me read the tweet that that HP has sent out is at seven fifty two
a m R. Time. So, first thing this morning, great win
for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far. Exclamation point that
should be and is the only story. Suspending or finding anyone over last night's
incident would not be right. I have a lot of respect for Yoki and
don't want to see anything like that. Excited for Game five ghost Sons,
Oh yeah, it would not be fun if that suck. Do you think
that does anything for him in terms of his you know, because yeah,
he's but you know, there's been a few things that have gone on that
are just kind of you know, people are a little suspicious of his character
and stuff. One. Do you think that was a necessary Uh? It
was nice? Yeah, sure, do you And you think it had something
to do with the decision. Yeah, I think it had at least a
little bit to play. Yeah. Well in the end, I like you
guys, I'm glad that that they're not gonna do anything like that that's gonna
affect the series, affect to get twenty five thousand offs. Yoki is pocket
change as well. Um, and so you know, let's say they find
me, it should be a fifty or one hundred thousand. It's pocket change
him. Guy's a billionaire. Uh, you know, send that over to
me and I'll be happy with it. Right, So, so that's a
good thing. But uh, you know, we'll get a name, we'll
get Jodi Ayler's thoughts on that as well as just the series itself. I'm
a little surprised that the Suns were able to even the series. Um,
they didn't look good those first two games on the road, and it's hard
to look good on the road, but I thought they looked so bad that
I thought I thought they could get swept or maybe go down three one at
home. I disagree, disagree. This was gonna get tied up to to
two, Okay, at home? You know, Kevin and Devin book are
gonna play better. Yeah. I mean the Suns would have won Game two
if they didn't lose Chris Paul. That kind of threw everything out of whack,
right, and then they were able to game play in Games three and
four without Chris. So how much of an impact because Paul's out Game five?
How much have been impact for say, the Suns to win in Denver
and they take a three two and they're having all the success with Chris Paul
in the court. Does it change? It's bring back? What do you
do? Right? Um? I think in the long run they need Chris
Paul, Um, Devin Booker and two of the That's a few scores in
the NBA, But I think it is nice to have a guy like Chris
Paul to be able to kind of and and if part of the issue was
that he's you know, the end of the season, he was you know,
wearing out, grinding down, having this time off, whether for an
injury or not, he's not playing, you know, will that help him
you know, kind of recoup and and you know, be what every championship
they need him. I even think it's hard to say because but ninety points,
well, that's the thing that I think they can but you know,
if if things get stagnant, Chris Paul can help that. Yeah, all
right, so we'll talk again. We'll talk more about that with Jody Ailer.
The second thing that I was thinking about starting the show with, and
I just didn't want to go into this into these weeds, but we do
have to bring it up. Bob Huggins, the head coach of West Virginia.
Um, you know we've talked about Huggins. You know, we talked
about him a lot when Kirk Crease said decided to to go to West Virginia.
Bob's kind of a grumpy guy, well known grumpy guy looks like a
grumpy guy doesn't really care if people think he's grumpy. And he was on
a radio show and the audio of it is out where he used a word
that um gets most people fired, starts with an F, has evolved in
a G in an s and uh. He used it twice in reference to
Hu. People from Xavier University called him Catholic blada bladas, and it's it's
out. He's issued an apology, the university has issued just issued a statement
of a little bit ago. The university statement says Coach Huggins remarks today on
a Cincinnati radio show where insensitive, offensive, and do not represent our university
values. Coach Huggins has since apologized. West Virginia University does not condone the
use of such language and take such actions very seriously. The situation is under
review, and we'll be addressed by the university and its athletics department. One
of the little pieces of this is that, uh, some time back,
Huggins had Tom Brennaman visit his basketball team, tweeted out, how you know
Tom Brennaman is a good guy. People make mistakes and those kinds of things.
Well, Tom Brenniman got fired as as a play by play announcer forreasing
the exact same word. So people are saying, well, it's no shock
that Bob Huggins uses that word to Tom Brennaman lost his job. You know,
the question now is does Bob Huggins lose his job? He's he's he
assured a long statement and apologizing and saying he will accept whatever consequences. But
it'll be interesting to see what those consequences are. I don't think he'll lose
his job. He will be remanded in some way. I don't know.
It sucks. Yeah, you have to be spot than that, right,
And if you listen to the conversation, you know, there's a couple of
guys on the radio, the radio host, they're pretty coupable. They're pretty
coupable too. They laughed very fast and loose. They laughed along with it,
and you gotta wonder, you know, does something happen to them?
And those guys probably since they didn't say the word, maybe orn't a suspension
or something like that. Hugans will probably get fined, maybe suspended, I
don't know. I mean, you guys are young guys. I'm the old
get off my long guy. There would have been a time when I said
he needs to be fired, and he needs to be fired right now.
I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think something has to happen.
I mean, I don't know, I don't What I'm saying is I don't
think he'll give Yeah, do you think he should get fired? It kind
of depends on like this is hard. It depends on like a lot of
stuff, Like it's he always kind of in trouble like this West Virginia right
there, like a constant issue. Well on top of insulting you know,
uh, you know the lgbtqs, you know, with his word, he
insulted the Catholics too. He insulted a religion, so maybe a little less
so, but still you know, he used you know, the word Catholic
as if it's a derogatory term. You know, so you have that too.
You just wonder. I don't know, And again he still have to
think about where he's at West Virginia exactly, you know what I'm saying.
So I don't know, I don't know what's going to happen. But so
you've got this uproar now, you know, stay two Like Bob Haggins doing
a Cincinnati radio hit in May, like and dropping this and like what's going
what are we doing here? You know, because we need stuff to go,
we need stuff going on, we need stuff happening. So so Bob
Huggins made in some hot water. Would be interesting to see what happens over
the next couple of days on whether or not he uh he he gets got
an item three, which we probably could say for for breaking news. But
item three, it's because we talked about it at length on Friday with the
Alabama baseball and a gambling a gambling a controversy over there. Now you got
two more schools, Iowa and Iowa State, who have now have gambling investigations,
gambling controversies. The Iowa baseball team, there were four guys from the
baseball team who were held out of a game. They're being looked at for
having gambled on I don't know if it's if it's gambling on their team or
other teams, but illegally gambling. And then you have like a dozen players
in the Iowa State athletic department football and a couple of other sports that are
also being looked at. Basically, it's a no tolerance for gambling if you're
an athlete if it were a college athlete, not even that if you work
at an NCAA institution, if you're working in the NCAA, Like when I
worked in Arizona, even when gambling was legal, I could as an SID.
It doesn't matter right you were in you were in the communications office.
So as a as A that's like rule number one. That's like rule number
one when you're working department. You can't gamble. You can't get anything right
on anything that has an NCAA sport. So like, yeah, well,
I mean think back Rick Newhizel got in a march Mania pool, right and
lost his job at Washington. So like even if let's say, I don't
know, trying to think of a sport that Arizona does not have, but
that is a water polo, right, Arizona doesn't have water polo, I
still can't gamble. Yeah, like anything that has an NCAA sporting. Yeah,
but the only the only thing you were allowed to, So we'll get
it. I want to have a little bit more of a discussion because we
had on this a little later. Because we had the discussion about you know,
people can say, well, you shouldn't have legalized gambling in the first
place. And the fact of the matter is these guys are getting caught because
there's legalized Ye. I don't think it's that they shouldn't have legalized gambling.
It's like this, I'm not surprised, Like this is this is what was
going to happen. Right, You've seen it happen in the NFL. I'm
sure it's happened other places that we just haven't heard about it. Right,
Yeah, it's too easy to bet it is it is, and it's it's
too easy to think you're not gonna get caught. But you know, if
you're using your phone or whatever, you're gonna get caught. You know.
I remember the wet we gotta get out for Jodey Ayler. But the player
recently who got oh, it was Stanley Barry Hill. He was gambling from
the facility and they were able to track that somebody was gambling from the Bills
facility and that's how you got caught. All right, Let's let's take our
breakwroad and come back. Jody Ayler's gonna be joining us from Fox Sports nine
ten up in Phoenix. We'll talk some Phoenix Suns. See if this uproar
over the UH the confrontation between his Bienniokich is over now that we're moving on
and what he thinks of the series, we'll stick around. We'll have Jody
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the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen, Welcome
Back on Falling Fox Sports fourteen fifteen on your host Jay Gonzalez as Steve Vera
out for one more day, but I got my co host Adam Gonzalez here
and U in turn Devin and now on the line, we've got Jody Ailer,
host of the Drive on Fox Sports fourteen excuse me, Fox Sports nineteen
up in Phoenix in the mornings following the Suns closely. So we wanted to
get some of Jody's takes on all the stuff that's been going on around around
the series with Denver Nuggets. Starting with just how the series is going.
We'll get to the mad should be NICOLAOK thing. But Jody, they even
the series. I don't know if you were surprised that they were able to
do that or what were your thoughts after they went down to zep Yeah,
I was, I was. I wasn't surprised they went down two. Oh.
I was surprised a little bit that they've been able to battle back both
games. But you know, what they've done is pushed the tempo and simplify
things. You know. They one of the things that had been bothering them
is that they did not have a lot of chemistry. That Kevin Brant had
played eight games in the regular season really three to finish, and then they
rent right into postseason mode and you know, the universal basketball languages, but
running a fast break, and it feels like the more fast breaks they run,
the better everybody else is off. And so far that's been the secret
to getting right back in this series. So it's best of three. You
know, that feels a lot more doable winning two of three than it felt
like when they were down two oh and they had to win for the next
five. Jody, do you think point book is the way to go here?
You know, I actually think Campaign has been really really good for them.
The box score doesn't say that he's put up twelve points in two games,
but he's had I believe, eleven assists in those two games. I
think it's a really smart move to have Campaign play twenty five to thirty minutes
and then you know, point book when needed. But here's like the short
answers. Whatever they're doing with Devin Booker is what they should be doing right
because it's working at such a level. You don't need to change the thing
with Devin Booker. You don't need to change anything around about or with Devin
Booker. But I do think Campaign gives twenty five good minutes of just tempo
he plays for Defensively, he's active with his hands, and I'm you know,
one of the big stories we've been kind of chewing on, guys,
is you know what happens if and when Chris Paul is able to come back
before the series is over. Today it was reported by Seams Tranti that not
for Game five, but potentially for Game six and who that would be.
That would be a tough decision for Montie Williams if then somehow win Game five,
they've won three in a row, and then Chris Paul wants to come
back or they is able to come back. Do you think the way Booker
is playing right now is kind of the reason Kevin Durin is here, Like
they can't. In the past, the Nuggets would send their entire team at
Devin Booker. Now you can't really do that with you know, maybe the
best score of the basketball of all time also on the floor. Yeah,
I mean, I think for sure, I think I think we all recognize
what Devin book was capable of doing. You know what the interesting part is,
Devin Booker has not been at his best in the playoffs the last two
years. If you go back to the NBA Finals two years ago, he
scored nineteen points in Game six. They they needed this version at Devin Booker
last year, Game six, in Game seven against the Mavericks. He scored
thirty points combined in those two games. And so to see him elevating,
what's been really interesting is that it's Devin Booker leading Kevin Durant. It feels
like this is Devin Booker's team, not Kevin Durant. And it feels like
Devin Booker's the one with multiple NBA championships and NBA Finals MVP titles and not
Kevin Durant. So yeah, I mean, I think if you're talking about
what the idea was when Devin Booker and Kevin Durant joined forces, this right
now is kind of the most optimized version of it because they have been really
This last game was the first time both dudes played four really good quarters.
We hadn't seen the best of Kevin Durant. Devin Booker has allowed the Suns
to prosper even without that. And you saw me in at one hundred and
fifty eight points combined, one like sixty seven percent shooting the last two games
for those two do. So let's go back to that question though of Chris
Paul, and I mean, how different are things and how different are they
going to want them to stay if when Chris Paul does come back. So
they're very different right now. They're just pushing tempo at every single opportunity.
It's grabbed the rebound, push the tempo. With Chris Paul, you know,
campaign can be the outlet pass and he can push tempo and then make
the right decision. Chris Paul is not a guy that you want leading fast
break at the fast break. So what I think will be interesting is if
Chris Paul is healthy for game six, will I don't know that you start
Chris Paul. But here's the beauty. The game slows down in the final
four minutes of every type game, of every type playoff game, Chris Paul
can still close with the best of them. So to me, I think
I would still want Cameron Payne playing twenty five thirty minutes quarters won through three
and a half, and then the last five minutes of the game. I
think Chris Paul's the closer on the floor. Okay, all right, so
what you know, we saw that thing you know with DeAndre Ayton early in
the you know, early in the series, kind he got caught loafing under
the Basket's what's DeAndre Ayton's role with what's going on now with these two guys.
It's just to be a role player, is kind of what his role
is always supposed to be with the suns Us. He's a role player,
and the more he embraces that role. And I think someone I can't remember
who would might have been Mike Malone recently who said, I think that role
players become sort of a dirty word in the NBA. But as we've seen
the Sun Sinker swim on how their role players play. NBA championships are won
by all time great players, but the role players surrounding those great players are
determined which great NBA player wins. And I thought in twenty seven minutes,
DeAndre Ayton made more hustle plays in Game four than he had the entire eight
previous playoff games. I mean, the first possession of the game last night,
they had three offensive rebounds because DeAndre Eighten was just getting his hands on
everything. One of the biggest plays of the game yesterday was it's a five
point game that the Nuggets have a fast break in the fourth quarter, Michael
Porter Junior pulls up for three well gets who deflected and altered that shot at
the last second. It was DeAndre eight and the hustling back on defense.
So really, DeAndre Eighten's role is play hard, grab rebounds, give solid
minutes against the Kohli Yokich and let the stars through the heavy lifting. And
here's the thing about role players too, and it's perfect with Shammont last night.
They have to win you a game in a in a tightly contested series,
the role players have to win you a game. Whether that's why I
go ahead, whether it's Landry Shammon or back in O eight when Glenn Davis
and Nate Robinson went nuts in that finals game, that's kind of the one
that comes to mind. But a role players are going to have to win
you at least one game in a big series. You look around the NBA
right now. Listen, Malcolm Brogden is the NBA sixth man. Eric White's
great off the bench. You could look at the Lake because their role players
Austin Reaves, Jared Vanderbilt, guys that swing games. The Warriors, they
get a bunch from Jordan Pool. They're basically impossible to beat. So yeah,
Kavon Looney, I will enough rebound. The Suns didn't have that a
guy. And one of the reasons I picked them to lose to the Nuggets
in this series at the beginning is because no role players is stepped that Monty
Williams had really butchered the rotation we'd been screaming for Terrence Rostiget minutes for the
entire postseason, and so if they have And the other thing about role players
guys is it's a confidence game with them, right. If you don't show
them that you have confidence in them, they're not going to play well when
they get three shot the game. I think when Landry sham It's playing,
I think you stick Landry sham At in the starting lineup for Game five.
I think you put Landry sham At camp on the floor with Durant Booker and
Eaton and Joshua Kobe, who is a zero offensive. I think Shammon,
you try that space the floor shooters. Now that Lames or Shammon's playing with
inconfidence, you, I think you ride that until the wheels fall up,
which might be the first quarter of game five, but you also want to
see that. Hey, Jody, UM, can we do this? We
got some static on the line, can we call you? Hang up and
call you right back. It's not it's nothing with you, it's our system
over here. I want to finish this conversation. Let's hang up. We're
going to call you right now. I just, uh, that was chaos.
It's that's happened to us a few times. So, UM, you
know there's nothing we can do it, and it's going to get worse and
to the point that you can't hear. So I want to see that.
About six minutes left, so I want to I want to continue. The
role player is in the NCAA tournament. It's like that time where you got
to win a game when you don't play well, right, and this one
you got to win a game where maybe your stars aren't scoring. You're where
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant aren't you scoring thirty points? And you need Landry
sham right in a seven game series, you need to be able to do
that. You know too, as you said, haven't win at least one
of those games, so you know it's a just so you know they can't
hear our listeners can't hear the dial tone and that stuff that's in our years.
Um But you know, when you have a seven game series like that,
you do have you got to win games different ways, obviously, but
as you said, at least one game where you're where you guys have to
step up and do that more often than not, like your guys are going
to lead you to a victory. But it's it's gonna come down to the
role player at Joe. Are you there? Okay, let's get okay,
you're back on the air. So okay, that was a good actually broke
it a good time. Um. Let let's talk about the situation with Yoki's
first of all, you know, we'll get back to what they decided,
but a situation like this, it took place in this game. He's had
that. You know, he's had all day with this stuff going on before
you know, we got we saw you know, he's not going to be
suspended, but just having to deal with that, you know, does that
impact anything at all going forward? Or now you just shake it off and
go play tomorrow for the Suns or for Yoki. I don't think it bothers
them, No, I don't think it's any issue for him. I mean,
he's pretty much a robot out there. He's just you know, he
putting up his numbers. You know. It's funny because the role player conversation,
I think is now a bigger issue for the Nuggets. You know,
can they get something out of KCP, Michael Porter, Junior, Bruce Brown,
someone to ease the load off Jamal Murray and and off of Yokijim Aaron
Gordon falls into that. But yeah, I don't think it'll affect Yokis at
all. I don't think. I'm just glad to me the playoffs are about
the integrity of the series, and unless it's something absolutely egregious, I did
not think Yoki should have been suspended, and I'm glad the NBA made that
decision because Game five is going to be an absolute banker. Yeah, seriously,
you know, and I know, you know we're Adam and I were
talking at the top of the show. You know, SUNS fans probably have
a long emory thinking back to you know, the guys coming off the bench
with the Robert Or situation. Guys get suspended that series seemed you know,
everybody still believes turned on that whole situation, and you know, the Sun
are saying, you know, how come we're not getting ours now? But
what do you think as far as that goes? Yeah, I mean,
listen, the Carmack scales of justice have been imbalanced again to Suns for their
inspirations, and so what I have complained that the Sun were the beneficiary of
a controversial commissioner's decision, I would not have complained about it. I wouldn't
have claimed and I wouldn't have viewed the series differently because the Sons have been
on the other end of it so much. But yeah, I mean,
obviously, two thousand and seven, when Robert or slams Steve Nash into the
scores table and I'm Mari Stott and Iron Boris ste I'll step onto the floor
and David Stern applies the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the
law, fundamentally flips that series. You're going to carry that in trauma for
a long time. But I do think you know, two years ago when
the Suns made their fine run, everybody kept saying, well, you didn't
you know Anthony Davis was injured and Jamal Murray was injured and GWHI Lenmond was
injured, which I always thought was ridiculous because they beat Lebron, James,
Nicola, Yo Kitchen, Paul George to get to the NBA Finals. But
it would have felt similar had they beat the Nuggets in Game five and won
this series. It just felt like everybody would have held it against them.
The Suns are good enough to beat the Nuggets straight up if they keep playing
the basketball they're playing, so I think competitively, I don't think this changed
as much in this series. That's also just what happened with every champion.
You have to get lucky, like you have to stay you have to stay
healthy. Someone's going to go down for the team. It's gotta take advantage
of NCAA tournament, NBA finals, whatever sport. It is, like,
that's just kind of what happens. Yeah, you don't you don't have to
apologize when the breaks go your way, and in this case, you know,
the brakes didn't go all the way the Sun's way, but you I
thought one of the more interesting things was how kind of obviously disrespectful the Nuggets
were postgame about Matt Hpiah, who just just repeatedly referring to him as a
fan kind of in a derogatory way, like this guy thinks he's bigger than
the game. This guy thinks he's something other than a fan. You're either
a player, coach, or a fan. And there Mike Malone said it,
Yoki said it. I'm just curious if the Sun's absorbed any of that
disrespect and will use it as bulletin board material for whatever slight extra motivation they
may be able to get out of it. What is an already hyper motivated
mode in game five? All right, we do have game five to a
series tight two two. It's you know, historically huge game winner of this
game tends to e you know, go on and win the series. What
do the Suns need to do in game five that continue doing what they're doing?
Do they have to find something else? What do they have to do
now? I think one of the biggest things that gets overlooked as Yokis had
four rebounds in game number four and the Sun's outrebounded the Nuggets. If they
can win the glass, they will win Game five. Now, the Nuggets
were below five hundred and the regular season on the road, They've done really
good at home. Role players tend to play better at home. In the
postseason, as we have witnessed the Sun so usually it's an advantage. I
think the Suns, if they can win the rebounding battle, they can win
this game. If the Nuggets get after it, I think the Nuggets win.
I would lean towards the Nuggets in Game five, but you know,
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant at this level are capable of beating anybody at any
time, so nothing would surprise me. Would you be concerned if you are
a Denver fan and you lost the two games where Yokits went for nearly thirty
twenty and twenty and then scored fifty and you came out with two lasses?
Definitely. I mean think about how Suns fans would feel if it was reversed.
And Devin Booker has his last two games in the first two games and
they lost. So yeah, it's a great point. And like I mentioned
earlier, I think the role players for the Nuggets right now are under more
pressure than the Suns role players. You know, Aaron Gordon is one of
the more trusting you of A players of the last twenty years because nobody denies
the size, the strength, the athleticism in college in the NBA, and
he's just one of those guys though that always leaves you wanting more. Like
Sean Miller just had this habit of recruiting guys that looked the part and had
the skills for the part, but couldn't quite put it together, which is
interesting because that basically sums up Sean Miller as a head coach, where he
had everything in place but couldn't quite come over the hump. Like every all
the best players he recruited were like the Sean Miller version of players, and
watching Aaron Gordon at this stage of his career be the same kind of guy
where you're just like man with all of that natural talent, he's never really
developed into a legitimate offensive player, and I thank Garon Gordon is a huge
X factor for the Nuggets in Game five. All right, Jody, the
sons of the Nuggets Game five tomorrow at seven o'clock our time, Slee should
be fun. Yes, Sarah looking forward to it. Appreciate the time.
So OHI man, thank you for the time. Thanks a whole bunch,
take care too, all right. The Jody Eitler Fox Sports nine ten and
Phoenix always a lot of good insight. He I mean, he's one of
those guys who's watching the game, he's tweeting during the game. He's got
he's got, you know, commentary during the games, pays a lot of
attention to it, does his job. So good to have Jody on.
So let's go and take our breakword and come back. We'll take your cost
five two zero four, one seventy four forty thoughts on the Son's Game,
Son's Series. I know Howard's out there somewhere lingering. So Howard, you
can give us a call to see tell us what you think, so we'll
be right back. If you're an Arizona Man's basketball fan, you know it's
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a team security dot net breaking down all the excess at Alls. It's Steve
Lavera and Jagen Salvins. This is I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen
fifty. Welcome back on Bolling on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm your host,
Jaken Dollas. My buddy Steve is on one more day of vacation.
He'll be back tomorrow. I've got Adam Gonzala's former sports information director at Arizona
in the house. He also happens to be my son. I I always
have to mention that Adam so that they know. And then we've got Devin
in turn. Devin here for his usual Monday Monday running the board, so
we've been talking about the Sun's you know, great stuff from Jody Aylor.
You had a you had a little disagreement with him on his opinion of Aaron
Gordon. Yeah. I just think he's gotten substantially better, like every single
year, especially offensively, Like he can shoot the ball. He's an unbelievable
athlete. But him playing with Yokich is perfect. He plays so well off
of him because of the way Yokich can pass from the from the post and
he just cuts to the rim and it's always open, always taking good shots.
Yeah, he's gotten so much better offense. He's not an offensive juggernaut
or like the lead offensive player bat he means he scored a sixteen points a
game, yeah, and shot and shot high percentage. Yeah, and there
and there's a thought that he should have been an All Star this year,
right, I mean he was even close, you know. So if he's
close enough, he has to have gotten better. If he's just one of
those like really good to elite like role players, fourth or fifty guys right
right, All right, so um we are gonna we are. We've got
some other stuff to talk about, all kinds of gambling things going on.
There's more stuff coming out about these Iowa gambling allegations. Um, it's now
the number of athletes and a staffer at Iowa that has been busted for gambling
is up to twenty six uh in football, men's basketball, track, wrestling,
baseball, and then one full time staffer. There are fifteen people that
at Iowa State who are who are implicated in some gambling stuff. And as
you mentioned, Adam rule number one right when you're an athletic department employee,
you just can't. That is literally rule number one. There there's always signs
around you know, uh, buildings within the athletic departments that says it just
says, don't bet on it. Right. It's like they're slow. And
it gets to the discussion that you know when when when the situation came up
with the Alabama baseball you got fired over uh you know he he was apparently
relaying information to a buddy of his who went and put some bets down on
LSU to beat Alabama because of some inside information that he had. You know,
people, because we knew this was going to happen, they never should
have legalized gambling when it's completely the opposite. And there's been a number of
columns by by national sports writers just talking about the fact that if this stuff
war is not legal, If all these guys are gambling underground with bookies and
whatnot, they're not getting caught. This is how you get caught. You
go do this stuff. You bet legally, there's there's monitors in place for
the books to know who's gambling, even from where we talked about Stanley Barry
Hill, the form Arizona athlete who got busted because he wasn't betting on his
team, but he was gambling, and he was gambling within the facility at
at the Buffalo Bills, and that's what he got in trouble for. You
know, they even they excuse me, the Lions, you know, they
said, you can you know, if you're an NFL player, you can
gamble on other sports legally, you just can't gamble on football, and you
can't gamble within the facility. And you know, so Stanley apparently was gambling
on other stuff, but he did it from the facility, and that's what
he got in trouble for. There're a couple other guys who are gambling on
football and they've been suspended for a year now, and so you know again,
if you know, it can't reiterate or stress enough that the gambling being
legal, that's how these guys are getting caught. So I don't know the
particulars of what's going on in Iowa, but what I can probably tell you
is that these guys are getting caught because they're gambling legally. People know they're
you know, there's a way to know if they're athletes or whatever. I
don't know if there's a database or whatever somewhere and they're finding out and these
guys can't be gambling. So I, you know, I don't know what
else to say other than guys be smarter, ye right, just be smarter.
Holy cow, Holy cow. Anyways, Um, we're gonna talk in
a little bit. We're gonna talk about the PAC twelth softball tournament coming to
Tucsons starting Wednesday. Unfortunately, Arizona had a bad weekend over the weekend and
they dropped into the play in game. They've got to play as U on
Wednesday at six o'clock at hilden Brand and the winner of that goes on to
play top seeded UCLA, who was really damn good. I'm sure didn't have
this in mind the Arizona was hosting the first Battle of tournament, that Arizona
ASU would be playing the first round game, to playing and to be in
the playing game. And you know, you know Arizona fans, right,
if Arizona's night in it, it's gonna be tough to get them out there
to the to the tournament. You're gonna rely on other fans traveling with their
team. Shela would probably be the only other team that would really travel decently.
Yeah, yeah, and so um, I don't know. Stanford is
pretty well not Stanford never travels on anything, do they? They're not catching
them? But but there, you know the baseball does baseball play at Stanford
or at home? Again? I know they got Stanford this week, and
I don't know where if they play here or there? I think it's here,
Okay, well there, maybe some of their fans will come and catch
a little both because Stanford is pretty good, right, aren't they the two
seed? Yeah? I believe that the two seed in softball. But you're
right, it's probably not the greatest year to have to have the tournament here,
but we are gonna have Kenzie Fowler former Arizona picture also a color analyst
for Pac twelve Networks. She also does it for ESPN. She's gonna be
on the show here at about twenty after and a really good video producer in
the Athletic Department of Arizona help there you go. Awesome. She helped me
so much in the when I went to the NCAA tournament basketball. Oh okay,
she like doing like what kind of stuff? Uh, edits and produces
videos. I think she mean I have worked there in a bit, but
she probably shoots more stuff now. She was mainly like editing and producing and
all that. Oh okay. She's really good. And she's really good at
social media too. She would u she would run our Instagram during games.
Okay, when when things were getting like serious, like oh, we're in
the final four series, She's like, let me take Instagram off your plate.
All right, sounds good, all right. I haven't told her you
were gonna be on, so she'll be happy to know that you're here.
All right. Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, all right, though,
would still love to take your calls five two zero four, one seventy
four forty What do you think about this thing with the suns? Uh ay
about their series and you get. I mean, you just have to be
happy that they didn't do anything that can screw up this series, right by
suspending yogat or anything like that. It's a fun series. I mean,
all the series are great right now. Right The Knicks heat kind of stinks.
I'm loving it. I'm loving it. That kind of stinks, like
just kind of gross, not fun, old nineties but cool. I know.
But it's it's an even series though, right, it's two one,
Yeah, you know, I think and here's the thing. I think Heather
sub stand actually better than the Knicks. Well, they're certainly playing better,
I mean obviously, I mean they beat the number one seed. It's it's
just kind of I might turn it on when I go, all right,
what about this? The six or Celtics series, that's fun. I mean
set like six or Celtics, like they they're going at it. They hate
each other. Yeah, they are very much going at And the thing is
the Sixers really want to beat the Celtics. They they don't beat the Celtics
just kind of the things. So they're trying to get over that hump um.
Did you watch a game? I didn't catch the end of it,
and I'm glad. I didn't because I don't want to see James Harden winning
games. It's just I don't like him. But it was finally we saw
James Harden go back to his Houston days and having a very very efficient shooting
night as well as not to throw over the ball. Yeah, he played
really well. Yeah. The problem was at the end of that game was
real, real bone head decision by Jaylen Brown. I mean, let Joel
and Be hit it two and tie the game whatever, not to collapsed.
I could hit that shot, would have hit that shot, all right,
And then you got the Lakers Warriors tonight. You think the Lakers make it
three one? Really? Why it's in La? Their role players are gonna
play well. Lebron still has not like exuded all of his energy. Yeah,
I think this could be the day that the game he does. Are
you rooting for somebody there, Lebron? You are? Lebron is kind of
my guy, Okay, like wherever he's playing, it's kind of my guy.
He leaves the Lakers, I don't care. I want Lebron to win.
I don't want the Lakers to win. Okay, he's my I mean
he's my like Michael Jordan's Yeah he is, you know, yeah, like
I was, not Steph Curry. No, it's Lebron James. Do you
like Steph Curry? I love it. I like him more and more Steph
or Lebron? Oh, you like Adam more and more because a lot of
got this big smile your faces, don't like Lebron James because they're still so
connected to Kobe. I'm a Heat fan. Why do I think Noah's a
Lakers fan? I'm the one that last summer we got in the conversation about
the Heat culture Heat cultures back. Well, you got a big smile on
your face about Lebron. You are you're rooting for him at all from the
Heat from because he was with the Heat or do you not? Or do
you hate him because he left the Heat? Oh? No, I love
Lebron. I want to see Lebron Heat finals remask from like the Bubble.
We've already seen it in the semi. I have a feeling we're gonna see
the exact same conference finals match up Boston's Heat Lakers Nuggets, and then we'll
see what ends up there. But wow, no, I was. I
was explaining to my four month old son, Will be when he gets a
little older. I'll tell him about Lebron James. Yeah, all right,
let's take this call higher on the air and I on the ball. All
right, sure was its having a beer? Okay when you're talking, So
did you you had, Jody? We did? Yeah, yeah, he's
he's So what did he say? You know, I'll set him straight.
What did he actually? He did say he thinks the Sons can win tomorrow.
Um, he said, they gotta you know, they've got a rebound
um and and and uh you know they if they cannot rebound the Nuggets and
do what they did yesterday, that they that they can win. And so
okay, he feels pretty good about him. He's happy like all of us.
He's happy that no, nothing was done with this uh uh yokich uh
thing with with shps. So, you know, Jody sounded actually kind of
upbeat about the Suns. I don't know if you think that, Hey,
the joker is unbelievable. I'm gonna tell you right now, they're they're making
all this issue by the owner of the Sons. He is an amazing That
guy is really good. And it's like, in my opinion, you know,
play the race you know that he is better than Himdeed or Yannis the
Greek. No matter what those guys suck compared to him, I never really
saw him till this year. The defense is a part of basketball. Offensively,
he's a better player. Oh yeah, he's a better passer and rebounder
than either one of those guys. I'll say, those guys are better defensive
players. Fine, all right, so here, let me go out.
Let me let me give you this Jay so we can tell you. Okay,
you got about a minute. Okay, I know because they were coming
out to it. Who have told been telling people whoever wins the Denver Suns
series, who's going to win it? All? That's not going out of
the limit all because the heat and the Knicks and and uh Steve's Warriors are
gone. That's three out of the out of him. And I agree with
you Gay that the Lakers win this. The Warriors are gone, so we
just have to beat the Warrior. That's gonna be who's gonna win it?
The Warriors and the Sun's beak because I'm sorry, we're gonna we're gonna kick
the Eastern Conferences representatives. But all right, well, there you have it
from from from Howard. Howard, I will give you, I will give
you this authority. Um, the Suns have the best one two punch and
generally in the NBA, if you have the better top players, you'll win,
all right. Yeah, the bench out scoring up forty to eleven.
Okay, there we go, all right, Howard, thanks so much,
man talcu later. Okay, you know it's kind of on Howard. He's
a huge Suns fan, so I don't know if you know that, but
um, yeah, I mean two games ago, I thought the Suns were
toasted. I mean, you gotta wait for it to go back to beings.
Yeah, but they just look so bad, and particularly DeAndre, it
looks so disinteresting. It's so much diffen when you get when you get to
play at home, that's when your your role players play. Well yeah,
yeah, well anyway, so that games, that games tomorrow, you got
the uh, you got the Knicks and the heat coming up at about four
thirty hour time, and then you've got Golden State and the Lakers tonight.
So fun stuff to talk about it, all right, So let's take our
break top of the hour. Devin's gonna be back with breaking news, and
then Kenzie Fowler will join us. We'll talk about some pack twelve SAPTA.
We'll be right back