This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services insure your most prized possess yets.
Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to Eye on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera in today with me.
Tim Bentley, yoyo.
How are you?
My friend?
Been a wow? Did you have you eaten a sandwich any time the last two weeks?
I have not. I had to come back to this radio station because they have good snacks.
Good chips, and just have good chat chips.
And I'm like, I got to get up to the radio station and have some of these good snacks.
You're losing wives.
You know.
I've been actually running more, That's what I was gonna say. I've been running a little bit more than I have in the past, so that that's good, except that it's one hundred and sixteen degrees.
We were you running, Phoenix.
I was in Sabino, Canna. I got interviewed on a keg on yesterday. There was some reporter out there, Andrew Christiansen, looking for running out and he goes, can I talk to you? And I'm like, he goes, are you okay? And so yeah, I was on Channel.
Nine last night. Do you need a sandwich?
You need a sandwich? Would you like some water?
I run into the Fox studios for some potato chips.
So I'll be all right. I'll be up up on the hill, up on snacks. I'll be fine. Anyway, Thanks for having me again. I appreciate you.
Good to have you back. Yeah, and we got Ray behind the mic on the other side. Oh yeah, we have a good show today. I last kind of. I always give Ray your heads up this is what's coming. But I'm still waiting. Uh So, we're gonna talk to Bruce Pasco, one of my regular guys. We're gonna talk about the draft obviously, just kind of how it all played out with Caleb and with Carter and him chasing down. He's gonna be on on on the old Tommy Lloyd uh beat with the sweet Switzerland team. So we'll talk
to him about that. That's they start tomorrow at four seventeen. We're gonna have the ftally two son coach Sebastian what was his last name there, senior, he's been there. This is first year Sebastiananeda Peta, Yes, as you would say in your comebland So okay and by home, dude. So he's at four seventeen. And then a big surprise, everybody who's listening right now, Sean Elliott is going to call us at four forty two.
Get out of here.
I've been trying to track him down and today he said yes, but it was too late for our socials. But I kind of just posted, now, did you put us on Twitter? You're going to And I just pushed it on our Facebook page that he'll be on at four forty two. I wanted to touch touch up or catch up with him about Carter and the excitement and stuff like that. San Antonio is probably in love with Carter.
Forty years ago, Sean Ellet was a senior in high school. How do you know this because he and I are the same age. Okay, so he went to Choia High School. He's a big deal here, No really, he was such a big deal and he was in it was iconic and member he hurt his knee right around that time, and he soccer playing soccer, and he uh, you know, Loot took him anyway and and all the rest is history.
But I just remember that I mean, it was so crushing because back then, forty years ago, you know, an injury like that would would just take you right out of your career, right, and.
So you were aware of that all across across the city totally.
I mean, it was it was a it was a thing. It was devastating, uh to see in the paper. I mean, he was like Tucson's favorite son. Yeah, and he still is right and then he can do no wrong here, which is which is awesome.
So right, it's him, Steve Kerr that you.
Know that that era was just I mean, it just set the stage that whole thing.
Kids. I do not have you kids, So I wanted to put an analogy out there. It's like you like your first son or daughter getting out of the house and and they're you know, you're so proud of him and blah blah blah. You know, your first your first baby, you know, going out and doing real That eighty eight team, I'm thinking, I'm.
Talking about that eighty eight I ran across a VHS tape a couple of years ago of that team exactly right. I'm like, how do I play this? I was able to see it and you can look up it on YouTube. That team just played, you know, just they were so fast and they were just they were just ahead of their time.
Being from here, Tim, I've always said this, and I say this a lot. The two thousand and one team, to me, was the most talented. The eighty eight team was second to that. To me. It could be wrong, but the most the favorite sons. You know, they got them to the Final four for the first time.
Final four. I mean they set the expectations that the community to expected. You've said this, you know, like everything like every three or four years, like every you were pretty much guaranteed if you came to evade a trip to the Final four.
Yeah, And it happened for a while.
For a while, it was every three or four years.
Stopped in two thousand and one and regained its speed.
Well, you know, we can look it up on VHS. We have a VHS stave. It's good, is it?
Part of you? I have one. I have a VHS recorder with the thing's still blinking twelve.
Right for me? You know what I did as I took out my media stuff. I don't have a CD player, change it, I change it, put it all in the cloud.
Oh did you Yeah?
You can do that.
Yeah, yeah, you had someone do that.
You digitize it, Yeah, yeah, sure, somebody will sell you a big fat package, but you can take it locally. There's a couple of places and it's all in the cloud. My my dad and my my my uncles loved it because they did all the movies and it lives forever in the cloud right now. It was cool.
So yeah, okay, we'll talk about that the good old days with you being the same class, same, same forty times ago.
Yeah, okay, first.
Uh, welcome back to Friday, the final day of the week. Uh, here with you guys, five two, four, one, six seventy if you want to call us, we have a few minutes before we get to Bruce. About ten minutes before we get to Bruce. You were bringing up something with the Utah kid. Yeah, it's Bailey. It's Bailey in the news everywhere. I'll be sure that I listened to this morning. But you bought up. Go ahead and tell a situation. Well, and then we'll tell Tim's situation.
Okay, So, I mean, obviously he got drafted by the Utah Jazz, didn't work out with anybody, like anybody even like bailed on his workout with the Sixers who had to pick at three, which a lot of people had him going to the six or seventy six ers at three.
But yeah, he's just.
At first it seemed like he was refusing to go with the Jazz and I don't know, maybe he still has like certain feelings about it, but yeah, he just didn't go. Didn't well, he didn't show up the after the first day. He reports are saying that he's gonna be there on Saturday. I guess we'll see.
Okay, yeah, because he's got to be there on Monday, first practice days. But then Tim throws something on me that I had I heard.
I was listening to the station earlier, and apparently his agent who's getting advice Froom isn't.
Did they say who that was?
Whose agent is?
Yeah?
I didn't hear his name.
No, but Eversonness has gone through that with an agent or two that hasn't been reputable or or legit.
You know, and it's you know, we've talked about this before on the show. You know, these kids are eighteen, nineteen years old and they just get thrust into all this money, and you know, they just don't a lot of times if you don't have good advice and good you know, adults around. He doesn't have to be a dad or you know, anybody, but a good adult around you to give you some solid advice. Man, you can you can absolutely stumble like hasted Omark Cooper's the agent's name.
Okay, well yeah, we'll see if that's legit. That could be a factor. But he is getting bad advice because he's not gonna be able to go anywhere else but play in Utah. And you can't start your career like he's already started.
Right, And you know, I mean it's those basketball there's NBA contracts. You know, I just get in the league. But you know, I mean they're guaranteed contracts, and you know, you're that's that's they talk about generational wealth, and that's generational wealth. Just get in the league, just you know, get in and play. You know, it's not about numbers. It's just getting in.
Do you think like because they I don't know, maybe like the front office or like the big wigs and the jazz like kind of saw this being like a potential like issue that came up.
Do you think that's why they went after the guy from Florida?
He fits the guy, the Clayton kid. Yeah, yeah, No, I don't I don't know. I think it's a good fit. He's a good player, right, Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. We'll see. I guess he was the the what's his name Asian was the best player available at that time. They're not gonna skip anybody but that.
Yeah, they're not gonna, right, Danny Ainge, that's his m man. He takes the best right, takes the best talent, right, So we'll see, he'll be there.
Yeah, if he wants to get paid, the family wants to get paid or whatever, he'll to me. Here, here's my issue, Tim, and I say this all the time. Okay, so you're you're eighteen seventeen, what's your dream to do this? Right, to be in the NBA. Okay, So now you you get there and the first thing you want to make everybody happy you're going to try to do with it. Then you maybe land a year or two, and now you're the poop. Now you're the poop, and now you
start acting like your poop doesn't stink. And now that they owe you something, I mean, especially if you're like on your second or third contract and you're trying to prove yourself and they're trying to prove that you're better than you really are. And I'm going to hold out, just two years ago you were kissing a lot of button trying to get there in the first place. Why would you do that? You know what I'm saying.
And you know, we've seen NFL players do. They don't want to go to a place where they're not going to thrive. But I don't you know what by all accounts, you know, Utah is in a place where people go to, you know, being being obscurity.
It's the fan base loves you. Ye you you're You're pretty good at times. They're not good right now, but they eventually that's why they're going to try to get good because they have good, good talent coming. I don't know. To me, it's just very odd. You're eighteen and if he is getting bad advice, shame on the dude, Shame on the advice.
Shame on that whoever the adult is that's given this kid advice. You know it's bad and.
He puts the kid in the spot. Well, how do you answer those questions.
We were talking about, Like think about when you're eighteen you know how mature and sophisticated were you. We really weren't.
We're all knuckleheads, you know. Maybe, well I'll go back to you. You you stayed in school. We were talking about this before. You stay in school, however long you stay in school. My boy right here is out of the military here or older. But let's see your first job opportunity comes and he says, well, we're gonna give you twenty five thousand.
Knowing the business, and he says, well, I don't know, I'm gonna hold out for a better deal. Let me take something. You may not get a better deal, especially in this business. And actually, you we talked about it this little yesterday. Yeah, you're smart enough to know that you can. You have to start with the bops, yeah, and the other stuff because you've been there. Yeah for sure.
Yeah, yeah, I mean well, I mean yeah, it's kind of just like a thing where it's like, you know, you're always gonna start at the bottom of the totem pole, and obviously you hope that, you know, you can prove yourself and it's like, you know, I'm a I'm a good guy, good worker, and you start eventually moving up like the you know, proverbial corporate ladder or whatever kind
of business you want to get into. But yeah, I mean it's just like you got to you gotta be able to just like take the crap for a little bit.
That's not a bad totem pole starting in the NBA at the bottom. No, No, it.
Gets in fact, I saw heard the show coming in earlier this morning, uh talking about Okay, so you're not wanting to go there, go there, be the good soldier, do your thing, and eventually that could get you to where you really wanted to be. Yeah, for sure, you know you can hold out for that second third contract.
Yeah, and even then, I mean, like the NBA is such a player driven league where it's like who knows if he has like a breakout year this year, the second year, and it's like, if you really don't want to be there, you can probably force your way out. Like with the trade, you can't do it now because it's like teams don't know what what they're going to get.
But it's like if you, yeah, but you know what would you want a guy you're the owner of a team, you're the coach of a team, and you already start off like would you want a guy that's a pain in it.
I wonder you probably they probably want as Bailey's probably no good kid. They're just like, man, just you know, they're they're thinking they're going to have to deal with this agent or you know, his his representation. And you know that puts a that puts these basketball players that do this, these these rookie professional athletes at a disadvantage. You know, coaches are already angry, and players are like, hey, but I just get in here. We want to be great. Yeah, we make a run.
Imagine the locker room if you have other dudes who are pain on the asses and want to treat you poorty. Uh and you see this punk who does he think he is?
You know, you're talking to some you know, twenty twenty nine year old vet who's like, hey, get in here, man, I want to I got to make a run. I want to. I want the best talent around.
Hey, I didn't have your talent. Look at you know, I didn't have your talent. I'm a little offended by how you're acting.
Right, So he's at a he's at a disadvantage. And I hope that you know, he gets in there and and you know Danny Ainge and his I think his son is asistant GM or something. You know, hopefully they straightened this kid out.
Yeah, and then think about it, it's probably we're talking about the kid and it's really not about the kid.
You know.
Well, I don't know. I feel like you've kind of seen it a lot too. I mean, obviously we saw which the door had like that incredible slide, and then obviously I mean I think this case is a little different.
But the the.
Rookie for in Cincinnati, he still hasn't signed his contract either.
And football, yeah, yeah, I don't know who that is.
It's it was Mars Stewart from Texas A and m he was a first rounder and then but it was like that's more of a like contract thing, I think, because it's like they don't want to cover, like they don't want to guarantee the money if he gets hurt or something like that.
Well that NFL contracts are a whole another thing. Yeah, but your contract in the NBA is guaranteed. Get in the league, start playing to your point, ray and just you know, you know, hustle and ball out, and then you know, if in two or three years you write your ticket, but just get in.
Yeah, so I'll probably break your stuff. Caleb goes to Portland, Right, we'll talk to Boose about that. You talked about it being a good fit. I don't know at least Deandre's there, Deandres there. But when you're at this, everybody knows everybody because you've played against them at some level. Right. Uh, and now it's just about being good at what you do because that's what you need to do to land a spot.
Well I didn't. I didn't realize that DeAndre was there. That's yeah, that's good.
Yeah, this that's how let me take you like you like many don't follow the NBA. Right, we talked about this a couple of day. I know we gotta go, but you you don't follow him and he it's like going to Siberia after after playing in Phoenix, is the number one guy? Well he didn't do what you needed to do for us, and you were kind of surly we're gonna ship you off to Siberia better known as Poland or Porland. Could have been anywhere, but you know what I'm saying.
Yeah, but yeah, so we'll all get I hope you know, maybe they have a wild cap on and and DeAndre helps him a little bit. But just you know again, just get in and play. I think Caleb is hungry to play.
Yeah, okay, let's take a break and get ahold of Bruce now.
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This is I on the Ball with Steve Ravera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
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Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, in with me today is Tim Bentley yet Ray and now we have Bruce Pasco from The Daily Star. Bruce, I got a sense that you're pretty busy. Thanks for joining.
Yeah, yeah, sorry, see can you hear me?
Right?
Yeah, we're good, We're good, thank you?
Yeah yeah, no, yeah.
I mean between the World Cup stuff that I'm trying to advance and then the draft and the draft being two days now, you know, it's yeah, it's made for busy, busy couple of weeks or.
Really, but you know, it's been kind of fun.
I mean it was it was just like the season and the postseason was really busy through May and then there was like two kinds of light weeks and now it's now.
It's been a little nuts, but it's fun.
I promise I won't bother you in July, because I know in my July is when I was doing you stuff, it was kind of slow. Yeah, but let's let's kind of get to the Switzerland and stuff at the back end of this. How was the last two days? Did you eventually I didn't see your story on Caleb. I think he was in town. Did you get reach out to him?
Uh?
No, I don't have any way. To do that. I'm actually looking at his uh the.
Arizona posted something social media from him, and that's all I We'll see, honestly.
And the Portland I've said a couple of times with people, the Trailblazer is nothing, but it's not official yet, so they're not gonna say anything or whatever. So it's one of those deals is just you know whatever, but it, you know, it appears to be for for real, and he seems to be pretty excited about it. It seems like it's a you know, if they're gonna go undrafted, you know, the good thing is you get to pick where you're going, as you know, and this seems to be as good
as it as anything. You know, they Blazers only picked one guy, and that was a seven footer from China, and you know, they liked him. They worked him out. You know, they're a sistant GM as the U of a guy, so they're they're head coach is a guy who's kind of Chauncey Bills is kind of a you know, as I wrote, kind of like a Hall of Fame version of what Caleb Love is right now. So you know, I think there's a lot of things to line up for here.
Hey, Bruce's Tim Bentley. I'm curious, you know you've you've talked to Caleb off and on, I'm sure interviewing him all that stuff. You know, earlier on we were talking about A Bailey and some of these you know, kind of these young kids making you know, oddball decisions or getting bad advice. What's your sense on Caleb as he enters the NBA? Is he is he mature? What's what's your vibe on him?
Yeah?
Yeah, I think he is, And I think he's I think he's just he's battletis. He's been through a lot. I mean, you know, he was actually out of high school. Was kind of like is heel one and done? And well he was a vibe and done, you know as it turned out, and there was a lot of up
and down. You know, he he had that sophomore year he was kind of a you know, a hero in the Final four, and then he had that you know, really rough year the following year and kind of was a scapegoper was going on the North Carolina and I think the u of a you know, it was it was a little up and down. Even though all things considered, he was was a big benefit for that team. But you know, some people would probably like him to be
a little more efficient. But you know, he did a lot and he you know, he dealt with a lot of you know, a lot of pressure, just really unbelievable pressure, just i'm sure, trying to get to the to the NBA, but also just dealing with the expectations he's had and what he went through at North Carolina. So I think going into the NBA, he's gonna you know, I don't think he's going to be bothered by the pressure or anything.
Like that of it.
It's just a matter of can he be a little more efficient, can he be a little better you know, on the court defensively and and playmaking, And I think he showed some signs of that this year. But but but yeah, to answer your question, I think mentally, I think he's in a pretty good place.
We'll see, and you and I have covered this long enough. Sometimes college star college guys are better, uh better NBA guys because of what they allow you to do, and some aren't, you know, just some don't feel that uh that same you know, they can't transition. Uh. I think the game probably fits him better too.
Yeah, I don't know, Yeah, I mean it can. It's just it's really really hard as you know, kind of as a you know, scoring six foot for kind of scoring guard in the NBA, they're just you know, there's just a lot of guys.
Who will do that, but there's two and you know, and.
To stick in the NBA, you've got to be really, really, really skilled. And you know, I think his his skills, he's just a bucket getter, and can he translates that and maneuver and against quicker and bigger guys and more experienced guys in that league.
And he might be able to.
It's just that because he's at that position where I think that you know, there's there's a lot of options that you know, he wasn't a high pick, but you know, he's certainly got you know, NBA level talent. It's just a matter of you know, he probably needs to find a you know, and a niche that he's can work his way into and thought of it.
It is different, I'm sure in your stories in the last two weeks you were there. I was there for the press conventure. You're always there. I asked, tell me about about him. You know, he's nowhere in the in the list of anybody. He kind of shot back at me, He's as well, who you've been talking to, what did you make of that? I'm sure you quoted Tommy on any of your stories, but we were the people who were making those predictions were correct. He was not picked, and now he's got to find a way.
Yeah, I know. I thought it was a great question, Stephen.
I quoted him on all that because he basically said he's one hundred percent going to be on an NBA roster next season, and then it went through it and he went back, and then by the end of it, he was like, well, he's going to be on it, but he's got something right still going to make it from there, which is kind of what we thought. And I think that's what everybody thinks. He's not guaranteed, but
he definitely will get a chance. I think, you know, there's no question to give a guy with his you know, scored twenty seven points in.
College, you got at least give him a look.
And but I think I think Lloyd's point, it seemed like the beginning of that he really was focused on, you know, the Duke game and how how he scored whatever was thirty two or whatever on them and in that last of sixteen game, and how you know, not does anybody can do that?
And you know, and so I think he was.
You know a little bit thinking and maybe, you know, maybe just before you ask that question, maybe he was talking to somebody in the NBA who basically said, yeah, that's that's really something we've got to look at him. So you know, but it also could be just that he's you.
Know, for his guy.
Yeah, that's kind of That's kind of what I.
Thought too, you know, And that's that's been consistent. I mean, Lesban, you know, for two years, he's been nothing but a big advocate of him. And you know, every time that one of us or fans or whatever would say anything remotely like you know, what's going on with Caleb, but was always like, Caleb's a great player, I'm not worry about him. He's going to do it, blah blah blah.
You know, And that's that's that's the way. You know, he's stuck with him, and I you know, I think statistically he improved on you know, from where he came in. You know, so well, maybe in that sense it works a little bit.
You has a pretty good record of guys taking in the second or no rounds making a pretty big mark, you know, Jed Buschler, Steve Kerr, t J. McConnell, all these jets, you know, all these guys kind of you know, come in and hustle. And I do think that his age is going to help him briefs. You talk about that pressure that he that he's under, especially now you know at a at a school like you of a you know, yeah, his maturity is going to really help him.
Yeah, I think.
I mean it's funny because they you know, often the drafted all about your upside would certainly Carter Bryant have a ton of that and that's why he went so high.
But on the other hand, when you get a guy like love you.
Know who he you know, he's almost like you get downgraded for having to perceive kind of lower ceiling because you're already of twenty three, twenty four years old whatever. But on the other hand, you are ready to go, and you're certainly mature enough and you can handle all
that other stuff. And I think the one you know a number of guys that been like that, I think certainly McConnell was McConnell wasn't even drafted, by the way, he was also a classic case of the guy who didn't get drafted, and his agent did a really good job of shopping him around and saying, Okay, this looks like a good fit. You know, will you guys take him or I don't know however it worked.
But he went to the fixers.
The fixers and they knew that he had a good chance to make that team and that they would value what he does. And he went there. He made that team ben like cale b Love needs to do. Then he proved himself as a guy who can play and he got some value, and then he went to the paid pacers and next thing you know, he's in the NBA Finals. So you know, he's a little different player. Obviously, he's a really good true point guard with passing skills that are really really hard to beat, and and Love
has not been that kind of player. Love's got a little bit different skill set, but he could possibly follow a similar path if he does that. And I think there's a couple other examples too, like good guy like Solomon Hill, who was you know, like a friend's draft picked every year, was like is Solman gonna leave, and
he was never that guy. And then he stayed all four years and he got in the first round, and he had made a decent career out of it because he was ready to go with the second he got and with Indiana he was ready to go.
So yesterday, after the complete draft, I said there was eighteen freshmen taking. The average age maybe eighteen point five whatever. Yesterday no freshmen were taken, and the average age was like twenty one point nine whatever it was. And one of those, at least in the first day was was Carter Bryant. I think it's a it's a great fit.
What do you think, Yeah, I think you know, I think yeah, he's he's always had that big upside. It's just it's just such a such a drastic example of a guy with a huge upside, but you haven't seen it yet, so you just you know, it's and he didn't really have the opportunity early in Arizona. He was struggling. The whole team was struggling. It was a weird deal there.
And then you know, when the team started taking off, he was sixth, seventh man and that worked, and Tommy Lloyd wasn't going to change that formula, So it's weird. I mean, I remember, you know, there's another example of guys who averaged ten twelve points and they get.
In the first round.
This is the guy only rather stick. You know, it was playing average in less than twenty minutes a game. But but you could see flashes of it, specially towards the end of the year. I mean, the way he was hitting threes, and you know, he could descend he
was versatile. And I think also I think san Antonio liked him because he's a really high character guy, right, you know, and he's all that, and that organization's kind of valued that as well, and so I think, I mean, you know, I'm sure Bryan's probably a little bun that he didn't go as high as nine or ten where he was kind of seen as maybe going. But but if you look at the organization, it's probably probably worth it in essence that he dropped out.
Yeah.
Yeah, we have Sean Elliott on around four forty, and we're going to talk to him about that. You've watched you watched Carter playoff season, and you talk about him being a you know, a high character guy, but what about his game? I mean, you know, evaluate him like a like a scout, if you will, like, what what's what's missing in his game? Do you think that maybe won't translate or he'll be lacking when he gets to the pros.
About Brian, I'm sorry, yeah, yeah, well I think, you know, just I think mostly just experience really and you know, can you know, can he defend these guys and can can he shoot consistently? It's going to be a huge lead just because he's he's so.
Young still and.
Uh, you know, hasn't been through it and was just starting to come into his own as a college player the last literally the last month or six weeks or so, when when he really started to take off, I thought with Arizona, so to me, I mean, but as far as skills, gosh, I mean, I think he's got I think he's literally got everything you would need in in
a in a three and deep type of player. And I think that's why he went so high, you know, even you know, I think coming in the year, I wasn't sure how he would be defensively, but he's showing some signs of that and you know that's something you can definitely improve and and uh, you know, he's shooting as well.
You know, that's come along and then.
You know it's like they would say, he's got a lot of things you just can't teach. He's got a six to eleven wingstand. You know, he's quick for his size. He's just uh, you know, you just's vertical leaks. Yeah, he was with two year freeing the whole combine or.
Something like that.
I mean, you just he's just got the physical gifts that it should translates just gonna be a medicine getting experienced and getting and staying confident.
So let's go to the last couple of minutes of the of the studio show here with Tommy's team in Switzerland. What do you think and how you pulling this off? You're just watching the games on the internet or something.
Yeah, well, you know FIBA, I mean I wish I was with them, but you know, but know, FIBA has their own YouTube channel. They just screen the games on there.
They're they're free, and you know.
You get up first thing in the morning and it's already in the evening in Switzerland and watch it with breakfast or whatever. That's what I've done at some of these past European things, and so it's kind of cool that way. Their stats are really good, they post photos, you know, it's it's you can kind of follow along
even if you're out there pretty pretty closely. And so you know, last year there was I think there was zero basket U twenty where previous and well previously and Conrad Martinez are playing in it, and this is a
little bigger deal than the seventeen. This is basically I think it's kind of the top junior tournament in the world, and you know, it's it's the interesting thing to me and going I got to go to their training camp in Colorado and how you know, the organization really views it as they're really tough a kind of team to
put together. And it's not just because it's at the highest level of the oldest guys, but it's because at that U nineteen level, some of your best players are either going to the NBA or they're going to college and they don't want to play because they're getting ready, or maybe they got an NI you know, nil who
knows or whatever. You know, there's there's a lot of reasons guys may not be available and then you're so then you have to go down in a year or two, not get your really good talent, which is what they did. They got Cole Pete, They've got you know, a couple other guys that Grand McCoy, alot the other guys that could be twenty twenty seven lottery picks on that team.
So it's a really weird mix of pretty good players that are nineteen years and twenty years old or and then there's ones that are that are younger a year or two, but the super talented. So and then they had to mix those guys together in like literally ten days and then boom they're off Switzerland playing against teams that have been together for you know, months and years
at the time. It's it's so it'll be a challenge that way, but they have a ton of talents, so and you know, it'll be an interesting test because you know, as we know, Tomy Gooyd's the guy who's putting that together, that talent together, and you know, how how's he going to.
Make it work?
The seed I'm sure he was happy to see you in Colorado Springs.
Yeah you see.
Yeah, actually actually no, actually, you know, you know talk about that interview where he answered your question.
See, he was one of the first things he said, is he said, hey, didn't I give you guys.
Enough like like forty minutes to the day, what do you why are you here or whatever?
But I said, you know, I got to get some big things about how camp was going and then looking forward to the actual tournament is what I asked him about. And and I actually only talk to him to like seven manes. He was fine, but he's just those things are super busy because they're they're they practiced twice the day, they're constantly meetians, They're they're making you know, roster decisions
to the cut. It's really intense. But I was there, you know, in large parts to talk to a lot of other people, not only well Pet, but a few.
Of several of the players.
But also he's got you know, two staffers. He's got one of his assistants, and then back mess is there, and then he's got Justin Kokoski, a long time trainer, was there. I talked to him for a while. He actually gave us a tour of some of the other Olympic facilities, which is really cool. He ran into like Ukrainian wrestling team, you know, like if you're on the Ukrainian wrestling team, pretty good place to.
Be for a number of reasons. Yeah, and you know this is really cool.
It's just the dining hall is just mind blowing. The sixteen varieties of lettuce in this case on the wall. I mean, it's just ridiculous.
The things that have.
Really cool.
Did they have some Norton dogs there, because we know Tommy Lloyd's a fell.
No, no, no at all.
I don't think Bruce went to interviewing. Maybe maybe we went to have salad sixteen types of salad out there. Yeah, we've got to get Bruce a better agent.
I know Lloyd took him to some Argentinian steakhouses when they went down there. Say so maybe they'll get some Bondu and Switzerland or something like that.
I don't know. We'll see.
We got to get you an agent, so I get you on that plane on the same plane as to Switzerland. We got to get your better agent.
Oh I wish.
Yeah, that would be great, but you know it's that's that's an expensive place to go to.
That was part of the Well Bruce, thanks a bunch of men. Take care. I'll talk to you again soon or see you soon too, Okay, Yeah, all right, thank you. Yeah, thanks. Bruce and I did this beat beginning in two thousand. I started nineteen ninety do it and Bruce came on in two thousand. He's been doing it a long time. Let's take a break. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now
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Streaming live on the iHeartRadio WIP. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to one of the Oh you're a Fox Sports fourteen fifty, I'm Steve Rivera. You hello, and you got ready behind the other mic I did.
I did like his story about being up in the Colorado Springs.
Yeah.
And you know, they really do a good job taking care of their athletes and if you're a reporter, I mean they feed you up there.
It's yes, I've never been. I've never been to that situation. I've been to two Olympics, but never there. Greece and Australia years ago.
I worked at when I was up in flag Staff, I worked at the NPR station and I got to cover the Cardinals. Remember they used to come out there and they would feed the press. They would you could eat that there, sure, and you you know that. But my mind was blown. I mean they were feeding me, a college kid. And then I would bring my roommates as my quote unquote field producer and they did. They didn't fight it.
I didn't.
Yeah, you know you were. I was a hero.
God, you've always been skinny. Yep. So if you guys want to call five two oh four one six seventy four forty, appreciate it. We got a new caller yesterday, the first time caller, I think it was Can, right, yes, Can a good call. So and then our usuals. So that's cool. Team Money, uh, Team Money College. So we had the r J answer, right, Rondie Hollis Jefferson was the guy at the last minute. Oh yeah, let's got to sneeze. So again, if you want to call anything else,
oh yeah, Bruce, Bruce is on top of all this stuff. No, he's got to get up in the morning to game.
Do you remember when the NBA. Do you remember when the NBA Draft used to be like one day, one day, one day, and it was twelve rounds.
It was a long time ago, at least four or five. Yeah, twelve rounds.
Used to it used to be seven, right, used to be seven or eight rounds.
Kind of like baseball used to be like twenty six.
And you know we uh you know, I was, I was a college athlete, and we always uh joke that we were going to give up our last year of college eligibility and declare for the NBA Draft. We never got picked up, but yeah, used to be uh used to be seven r eight rounds. You know, you know how many every teams they had twenty six and it was and it was a long day, and you know, NBA wasn't a thing like it is now.
I wasn't expecting it on Wednesday to be one one round. It must be allergic to you too, I know that's something. It's something in the cold. Are here no one round? I thought they're gonna be two because it goes by quickly in the second time. Uh. The second round was just as as boring as probably the show. And it was it was like, okay, what.
Are you doing this, dude?
What what?
Just you know? Just just do it and then then tell me I want to be I want to binge the draft. I just want to I want to know. I want to know it. I want to know all the way to the end.
Right, so they should have I'm sure they're going to redo it. And then ESPN didn't do a great I was do you watch it right?
I actually did not watch it yesterday. It was just I mean, you know, I keep up with the NBA. I wouldn't say I'm like a I'm a diode like fan. Uh, but you know, obviously everybody likes the playoffs, but yeah, I'm not.
Yeah, so and then who knows about these guys gonna land in the second round. I do think that he has a chance of, you know, playing a few games in the NBA, so good prayer. Yeah.
Well, I mean it was interesting too because Ballow got picked up as well.
Did you see that?
Oh yeah, well you're gonna save it for next time? Say no, save it same because that's be interesting. I didn't know this. What about the other U of a senior Townsend? Townsend, I didn't.
I haven't seen anything on him so far or at least the Seams hasn't tweeted anything out.
That's usually where I get information from.
Isn't a bad thing. In fact, a text of Bruce you might know about Townsend yea, But other than that, there was really nobody who left right.
But you know, he was talking about the maturity of Caleb when we talked about Ace, and we talked about some other stuff. And I believe that the nil we talked about it a lot is going to keep a lot of kids in college. And it's gonna You're gonna get a lot of kids like Caleb who are twenty two to twenty three that show up to an NBA franchise and they're you know, they're young adults. They're no longer knuckle had eighteen year olds. You know, they're young adults.
Remember that a lot of them are going to take a pay cut.
From when I go to the NBA.
They were getting paid. Well. The mainion reference to that yesterday, I think on the radio the Center from Michigan. Yeah, that guy and probably Caleb, who made a lot of money here and I'll have to take a you know, a salary cut playing at the next level because here it's like free money. Free money, especially if your university loves you. We got a call? Okay, cool, although you're on the air nine of the ball. Who's this? Hey, Steve? This is done? Hey done?
Hey Don?
What's up?
Heye?
How you guys doing.
Well?
What I think the problem is with the with the drafts is the time that each team is allotted to make their pick.
You know they good?
Is it like eight minutes or ten minutes to make a pick? I think it's five, it's like fifteen. It's closer to fifteen.
I think it.
Just seems to me if you've been if you're a team and you've been studying, and Team A takes player twelve, two picks ahead of you, and you're going, wow, we got to rethink this. I would have thought that you would have had planned if this guy goes or this guy falls, you already have everything in place. I just think that the picks, the pick intervals should be shorter.
And if you go, oh, shoot, oh we're talking about a trade, you could notify the thing and then it gets extended for two minutes at least, you know why it's taking so dang long for yeah, like how long did how long did it take for Cooper Flagg to get named.
Well, that's it. They started a little late on five and they even mentioned that, uh so maybe ten minutes, ten minutes because they started five h five that's when it started late. So five ten ish. I was in the car from the show and they went five after Look, there's thirty picks times five, so win an hour and a half hour, forty minutes. If they went fifteen minutes, thirty picks at fifteen minutes, we're going to ten.
That's like the NFL draft by.
Yeah, it's different.
Yeah, yeah, the NFL draft. It's just it's like, you know, the first team knows they're going to pick that quarterback Cam Moore is going to be the number one pick. Then you had going in. Why did it still take seventy five percent of their clock to name him? Yeah, they were they weren't taking trade they weren't taking trade offers, right,
they were going to take the guy. So just take the guy and let's move on interval and say hey, we're talking trade and then you know, and then kickstart the extra time to to to see if you're going to make that trade.
Drama, Baby, we need the drama.
It's a two and a half hour TV show man, let's go.
It's boring. It's just it's just so boring when you know those we need that first, guys, we needed s VU music to something.
Don I'm gonna give you the Phoenix sounds funner. I want you to call him. They need they need draft help.
But oh no, no, no, no, I'm so I am. You know what, I don't care what happens to our one and done's but when when Carter fell past the suns, I was so happy.
For him.
That we're gonna take you to one.
I'm really concerned for. The one I'm really concerned for is Caleb Love because I just wonder how much of his ups and downs and his inconsistencies, how much of that was a product uh you know, maybe he was trying to do something else, and maybe he was you know, maybe you know, and and Tommy won't give us the strategies, so we don't know how much of it was a product of what they were trying to do, maybe what they were trying to get him to work on and
those things. But when we need when they needed him, he was lights out, especially like against Duke right, and so I just hope he gets a fair shot to show himself, and I hope he gets a fair opportunity to make a living in the NBA, because we know he's going to make money somewhere.
Yeah, there's no question about that. Thanks about We got to get out of here. Appreciate it, have a good weekend. Sorry, goot, No, that's cool. Yeah, we got about three minutes, right, yeah, three minutes. Anybody wants to sneak in a car. I think there's somebody called in Yeah, sorry Vic oh, Vic called him vict if you want to do it for Vick minute? Uh yeah, No, it's not fifteen. There's definitely
FEI that's fine, that's too long. It's five because you got to get you got twenty eight in a minute. You got thirty an hour and a half hour, forty minutes.
Yeah, it's a TV show, you know. I mean they're they're taking a peek at the NFL's model of like making an event, and they stumbled out of the gate a little bit.
You know, it's a one day thing.
It's a one day and that's what it should be.
Yeah.
I think the commercials too.
You gotta oh, yeah, you gotta stuff.
You get to pay the people it's like me gotta get more ads. Anybody want to wants to advertise, just give me a bus.
It's a good loyal audience. You and I talk about this all the time. We talk about selling this audience.
People listen, they do.
They listen, They're loyal, they call.
Yes, I'm sure people like when you come on.
People's oh Tims, Oh my god, I'm turning. I'm gonna turn the up. I don't have to talk to him this weekend. I get this to exactly. That's perfect.
The wife probably doesn't.
What are you doing today? I'm like, I'm on the radio today. She goes, okay, later something else. Always a drop off right at the beginning of the second right.
So we're we're finishing the first hour. You can have breaking He's coming up next hour the breaking news.
I guess he does have some breaking news that I don't know, the ball stuff and nobody else.
Uh.
And then we're gonna have the FC two son coach Sebastian And then we're gonna have Sean Elliott for forty two Sean Elliott. So I hope you guys stick around and listen to Sean.
Jam packed second hour.
Ready, Uh yeah, I guess we can just go