This is Eye on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I want to take part in the show. Call up Steve now at five to two oh four one, six seventy four forty.
Hey, welcome back to Island Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, you're Dave Silver. Got to time for people to call us here before we talk to Doug in about eighteen minutes five two zero four one six seventy four forty. Where do you think Carter will end up? Will Caleb be picked? Well, have tomorrow show. I think you're not in right. I got Blake coming
and tomorrow we'll talk a lot about that. In fact, I'm gonna try to reach out to a former GM at the NBA level to talk about tomorrow show.
Yeah, I mean, the draft starts, I guess at five o'clock our time. So just as you're wrapping things up, it's o'clock. It's a one hundred to one. Uh mister, what Cooper flag? Cooper flag will be number one. That's pretty obvious. Yeah, but yeah, got some trades going on. Celtics dealing away Chris STAPs perzingis just a few minutes ago. So teams are making some last minute moves to clear out some salary. The Pelicans traded CJ. McCollum earlier to
the Wizards. So yeah, teams are, like I said, trying to clear things up and get ready to start adding some young players their rosters.
Yeah, okay, Yeah, we'll see what happens. A lot of stuff going on, a lot of movement here the next twenty four hours probably.
Yeah, I mean even tomorrow, especially like we have a trade, you know, as the guys are coming up, it will always be that kind of thing going on as well.
Yeah, we'll see what happens. I just texted my buddy to one of the former gms in the league. See if you can come on tomorrow for like ten fifteen minutes, I'll talk about all that stuff. We'll see what happens. Uh, anybody else we got to Caleb? We have in I was googling stuff, but yesterday and I was or maybe this morning, and I don't know why looking at Treer.
I didn't google Treer.
But you know Kobe Simmons remember him, Yeah, he he He had some time in the NBA every now and again with a few people. He's now in Uh, he's now overseas in Europe somewhere, Yeah, somewhere. Hold on, hello, you're on the airline the ball.
Who's this?
Hey, Steve?
This is gone done? Hey?
What's going on?
Oh?
Not too much?
I just I don't know if you guys covered much of Chip Chip Hale getting his extension yesterday.
Yeah, we did some, but go ahead.
No, I'm just I'm just glad for it, just to keep that continuity in the program.
You know, if you listen to the social.
Media's, a lot of people are crying that Kevin Vance left and if we had a better package and we could have kept him like he went, he left for a head coaching job, and if he was under contract, the multi year contract, Chip would have let him go.
Yeah, I think I.
Think that he would because why would you Why would you.
Deprive a guy a promotion? No question?
And if you didn't do that, And if you don't do that, who's going to work for you? Sure, You're exactly right, who have any quality is going to come into work for you? You're going to be stuck with high school rejects as your as your assistant coaches. And and I'm what I'm hoping to see as a twosonan as a lifelong Arizona Wildcat fan, is that I hope Chip is turning over his assistant staff every four or five years, maybe sooner, as long as he keeps quality guys coming
in and he's bringing those guys up. That I mean, that's what you want. You want continuity, but you want good guys coming in and the and everybody's always going, oh, we want a young guy like like you know there, you know everybody wants Seth Dagy to be the head coach in waiting. Well, it's like yeah, but for how long?
Well let's get through the first how long is he going to be here? Gets the first season? First? Right, you're talking about football.
I like, I'm talking football and assistant coaches and coaching in general at Arizona. I mean, I want I want coaches that are going to stay and build and have a program. Go ahead, And everybody everybody has pipe dreams of national championships, and I think Arizona's best shot is in baseball. To be honest with you, but you know, everybody, everybody is always wanting, you know, we should hire this young guy.
Yeah, but to be here?
How long?
Go ahead?
There you're talking as far as a head coach or assistant coaches.
Well, I'm saying for head coaches, every you know, you see on on Twitter and and and in the social media is we always should go get this this young guy, you know, and it's like, yeah, but how long is he going to want.
To be here?
Right?
I mean usually, and usually it seems like the assistant coaches are the ones who are You're gonna jump after a couple of years maybe and get some experience, then go maybe to a smaller university. I don't know. It seems like that's kind of how it's usually worked. Although Kevin Vance pretty young, going to San Diego States is An isn't a good.
Jump for him, I don't know.
Yeah, and I had heard that it was his hometown. I didn't know that he played there. Of course he's going.
To want to go there.
Yeah, he's gonna want to go there, and everybody thinks that's going to be a hot job. The only thing is Tony Gwynn didn't do anything coaching there. Of course, he was a player. He played there, But you know, done, it's let.
Me don't put stock in Twitter. Don't put stock in Twitter. Just a bunch of dudes who have no time on their hands to put stuff on the internet.
It's it's it's hard because I want to correct people like Howard last week. I well like Howard when he called in after after Arizona fell out of the World Series and he and he pooed college baseball. But if you were watching the telecast of our Friday game against Coastal, Ben McDonald said, fifty four percent of the opening day rosters in Major League Baseball where guys that had played college ball. Yeah, and it's fun baseball to watch. It's just it's you know, it's it's like college softball.
It's fun.
It's exciting because they hit and run, they steal, there's a lot of stuff going on.
You know. It's it's baseball baseball, not like.
Not like Major League baseball. I don't watch Major League Baseball. I don't even watch during the playoffs.
Yeah, no, it's fun baseball.
Go ahead, you can say a lot of the guys who played you said, a lot of guys who played college. I was watching the Diamondbacks last night. The catcher for the White Sox, oh he was, you know, he's in the College World Series. I mean you know people are making it. They're they're coming out of college, you know, at twenty two pretty well formed as a baseball player.
Yeah, there was a kid that hit his last college home run last year in the College World Series, and just this last week he hit his first major league home run. In one year. He went from college to the big.
That's and that's surprising obviously, right with like the schemes and the even the Gonzales kid who grew up here and played here, uh and then played in the majors pretty quickly.
See what he said last night, He got up pretty fast. He went to New Mexico State, right, Nick Gonzalez was at New Mexico State, and then he got drafted and I think within two more years he was in the majors.
Yeah, yeah, Dave said, what do you happen?
What?
He went five for five last night. He's hit in like three twenty so he's been really hot. But he got hurt earlier in the year, I think running to first base. He either twisted his ankle or did something to one.
Of his legs. But he's come back, so he's doing well.
But you're right, Nick, product of New Mexico State and Sianaga High School.
Yeah, he was right here.
Well, thanks done for your college. He was right here.
But you just don't know what these baseball players there's so many of them right right.
Thanks to bunch Man, appreciate it. Thanks for yeah, thank you.
Anybody else want to call, please do five two oh four one six seventy four forty take your call, no problem.
Uh.
Good to kind of find out what your listeners are going to be doing for sports this summer, Like what are they going to be watching until until football season?
You can do a lot. I've tried to drop this call and he's still on. What are you doing? Done? Hang up? I'm trying to hang up.
Donet Okay, Yeah, anybody else want to call, please do five to two oh four one six seventy four forty will take your call. We have there, we go. We have time for you guys to call in. We got about eight minutes uh before we get with Doug Holler.
What were we talking about before?
Not baseball or the draft, draft and anything that's going on. I'm finding guys to come on the show tomorrow and have Blake Eager on, so we'll get some more baseball stuff.
Then you get the draft tomorrow.
So that's gonna be a yeah, going to take over the National Sports News.
Tomorrow for sure, with more trades probably coming in Earlier in the day.
Oh, we were talking.
About X guys, Did I google that Kobe Simmons remember him?
Yeah?
Plaid He had a few couples of coffees in the NBA at a few different places. And who would have thought that because he was just kind of the filling for Trier when Trier was out with his hand and all his all his issues, you know, And maybe that was like Solomon Hill lasted a long time too, he was in any long career, long career and just but a dude who just played well right, played smart, did what he did, kind of like a Luke Walton type. So, but this is kind of where Arizona made its legacy
outside of being a successful program. A lot of dudes ended up in the NBA and and where are you going to go?
The NBA factory And you know, you hope that you can if you really want to and play basketball somewhere along the road like Joseph Blair, Correy Williams, guys like that that picked up and went and played international basketball and had a great time and come back to Tucson. At times, Corey has Pete, Willie Williams, I mean a lot of guys, and he smid that and he Smith so I mean Alonzo true, I was just looking him up.
You know, he really has stopped. Yeah, he played. He was waived in twenty twenty four out of the G League, so I mean he really did not play very long.
He played one year I think with the Knicks, right for the Knicks signed that and he really had to shine.
And he had that shining, shining year for you.
Know, he was scoring, doing really well and then all of a sudden he dropped out of the off the face of the It.
Was waved by the Knicks in twenty twenty in June twenty twenty, and he played for the in the G League and that's as far as he went. So there's no guarantees you could be all American.
Well, here's the problem. He didn't know how to pass the dam ball exactly. You know, you know another guy who's been fantastic when I thought this was no brainer was Lori Markenen. I love how he played inside out game big guys. Just a fantastic player. Uh and probably in my mind, in my mind, Sean's best recruit.
Well he was here.
Yeah, he's gonna have a nice career.
I mean he's just getting he's already getting seven eight years in now or party more than that.
I play another seven or eight more years and make a lot more money and fantastic player. Seems like, you know, he's kind of hidden away in Salt Lake City and you don't really see him as much as you because they're not any good, they're never on TV. Well here's another guy that's going to kind of fade away too, is DeAndre? I mean, what was the last thing we heard about him? Exactly?
You know, they exiled them to Portland, and he's not a guy who to me, he's just a big dude who plays basketball. Well, not that he has a desire to play basketball. Does that make sense, Yeah, because he's always been that way. It was just not coming in. I remember those stories that we were asking Sewan and Sean poo poo dose, and then he got here and he was kind of still like, kind of indifferent to basketball, played when he wanted to.
And that's such talent and such potential. Yeah, you never saw a guy like him that big. Yeah, I can't coach that size.
I mean, that's huge, and he just never really showed the fire of the intensity.
I guess, well, you can't coach that size, right, but you can't coach a guy who.
Doesn't really feel it.
Yeah, you know, Brian Williams was a little like that, you know, odd and off. Uh, and he was good. He was what a fantastic talent, but not every day right you know.
But you know he also managed to stick around the NBA for quote quite a while too.
Right, right, here's another guy who was fantastic and had that too, but not as much, uh, not as bad as Brian and or DeAndre Kalid.
Was gonna just say, you asked me earlier about who might have been one of more disappointments right at the top in the top couple, and he was a fantastic round pick.
He just he had the gate, he had the body, he had everything. And it was just like as Damon said, if he had my determination and work ethic, he would have been a superstar.
Yeah. You wonder where that just where he lost that drive kind of thing.
I think happened. I don't think he ever had it. Did he ever come with that Dave, I don't know this. I don't know this because it's never going to happen to me. When you're that good, sometimes you think I could just be as good, you know, and then guess what.
Oh man, there's other.
Dudes that are pretty good that have been working harder, yes, very much, helping their games more or just you know, learning how to become professional.
I don't know.
I mean, he was first round pick I got. He couldn't have lasted more than five years, I guess in the NBA if.
That right, and just a smooth talent, you know, and just give him the ball, get up the hell out of the way.
Yeah, he had a good sidekick. Those two guys. I've said this a million times. When they hit the court, I think I've ever seen any two faster and two faster guards. But just the way they transformed from being a whole bunch of big guys two years before that. You know, these guys come flying out of the gate, and then Reggie being the third guy, totally changed the style of play, flipped it basically in like a three year period.
It's pretty amazing this guy regards. Yeah, we gotta go now, right now.
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Steve Rivera, he's got his eye on the ball on Tucson's sports station yet Fox Sports sporteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to I'm the ball here Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. You're Dave Silverton. Now we have a longtime guest, Doug Holler from the Athletic How are you doing?
Doug? You there?
Hello, I'm here. Can you hear me?
Yeah?
I can hear you now? Yeah? Yeah? Hi? You taking one hundred and twenty degree heat in Phoenix? How's that going?
Uh?
Yeah?
I mean you would think after twenty years, i'd be used to it. I'm it's definitely not used to it. So yeah, I'm just trying to survive like everybody else.
Right right with six million people. Good luck with that. I hope it doesn't go as well. Hey, so the Sons, what the heck? Not a surprise, right? They've been talking about the trade at some point and it finally happened.
Yeah, you know, I think after the trade deadline when they explored trading Kevin Durant and it didn't work out. I mean I think since then, it's just been kind of a countdown to what happened on Sunday. You know, Kevin, to his credit, knew that his time in Phoenix was over and he went out and still played hard, and you know, I mean he knew that this was coming. And I mean, I don't know, people the fact that the Sun's worked with him, I don't know if that
was the smartest move. I think that kind of killed their leverage in a lot of ways. But maybe Kevin's learn that, you know, being in the league as long as he has, being as good as he's been. But you know, I could there have been a better deal out there for the Suns probably, but this is the one they chose and we'll see how it looks here in a few months.
So if I could did real quick.
So you covered the team, How was it covering him? Because I think we all think that he's sensitive to things, but is he?
No, he it's well, it was awesome, and yeah, he's sensitive. The thing, I mean, he is aware of everything that's being written about him, that's being tweeted about him. So you know, he's not one you can't just throw questions out. Uh.
If it's you know, something.
That he knows that can be twisted to be made a headline, that's going to get a lot of reaction on social media. Uh. Just for an example, you know, I asked Mike Budenholzer early last year about, you know, how's Kevin been as a leader in your first month on the job, and he, you know, he went on said, Kevin's been great. I mean, he's been really you know, because Kevin has that reputation of not being a leader.
So you know, about a week or two later, I went up to Kevin, it was just me and him in the locker room, and I said, hey, I want to ask you. I mentioned this. I asked, Bud, how you've been as a leader before he before the conversation even went one second further, he said, why'd you ask him that? One of what my intentions were about asking that and then But so, I mean, he was great
to inter you. He is the most knowledgeable person. You could ask him, Steve, about anybody in the NBA, about college players and he would be he would know enough about them to give you an intelligent answer.
You know.
Was he moody at times? No doubt, No doubt he was moody. Uh you know if there wasn't a question, if there was a question he didn't like, he would challenge you. But you know that's kind of what you know, we as journalists like kind of that back and forth. And he was great to cover in that regard.
Meantime, they've they've kind of flipped their roster again for what the second time in what three years? And now we're going to have another coach, they have a high pick tomorrow.
What do you see the.
Future looking like here at least in the next year or so.
Uh, Well, I know they're trying to kind of do like this soft rebuild where you know, they're not they're in a rough spot because it's they can't really tank to get you know, better draft position in the future because they've already given up that the draft, right, so you know, they got to try to stay competitive with Devin Booker. I don't see how it's gonna happen now. I have talked with a lot of people who know their new coach, Jordan Otwell, and they said, without quite
they said, everyone's saying they're gonna be worse. He said, they're not gonna be worse than what they were. He'll have them fighting for a playoff spot. I don't know how far that gets them. I think they're a long way from you know, contending in the Western Conference. Uh you know, can they be you know, a team that gets that eighth spot, Yeah, that seventh spot in the playoffs? They can I don't know how much better they're gonna be, just because they're still you know, their roster still has
major flaws. They still have to figure out what to do with Bradley deal, which was really what kind of killed them in the first place, making that trade. So they're still gonna make a lot of moves. They're going to try to do what they can to get rid of get off of Bradley Bill's contract. So we'll see they have they have a they're in position to do something in the draft, so we'll see what the roster
looks like. But I think they're gonna it's going to be a couple of years of you know, of kind of struggling, you know, maybe get into the playoffs, but not not not doing much beyond that.
So we do this for a living, right, We're doing it for a long time. But Dave did it for a long time. I did it for a long time. You do it continue, You cover some great stuff and it's what we were built for, right, So were there times covering a team like this because you do ASU and other things that you said, God, I don't want
to go to that. I don't want to go to the arena to deal with this stuff because it's sometimes it seems like it would be tough with these personalities that you have to deal with.
Yeah, I first covered the Sun, so gosh, it was.
Well.
I was around during the Nash years and Amari years. That was awesome. That was fun, and then I was brought back. Of course, I coverers will stay for a long time and then there was a year that I was brought back into it during It was Devin Booker's second year. Earl Watson was there. They won twenty games. They were terrible thirteen year a row that year, but it was still fun covering the NBA steam. You would still go, I mean, the whole basketball universe was available
to you. You would go on the road, you know, if you just waited out, if you wanted to get somebody, you could find them. It was fun. I had a blast cover him that year. This year was the most mimorable, most miserable. And you know, I don't travel with him except in the playoffs, so I was out there mostly just a home game, but it was it was miserable there that last month of the year. Mike Budenholzer, I think, kind of knew his fate and it was surprising to me.
I knew he did not have, you know, a reputation. He kind of was groomed under Greg Popovich, so I knew he wasn't great with the media, but it just seemed like everyone walked I mean, Sun staffers, everyone just kind of walked on eggshells around him. He was just not a pleasant person, not me, not rude, but just unwilling mostly. You know, he's been in the league for his whole taught adult life. You would think he could tell some stories about Tim Duncan. No, you weren't going
to get anything like that. And then you know, towards the end, when Kevin knew he was going to be on the way out Bradley Beal in his no trade clause, it was just a miserable People were kind of waiting for the end of the season for sure.
Yeah, no, those are not the fun time. What do you think they'll do with Beal? Is there a way they can get rid of him?
Well, they're they're gonna try, They're gonna explore it. There are two options. You could find a trade partner for him, which I have a hard time believing. They tried at the trade deadline, and you know, no one. As it turns out, there's not a huge market for guy owed one hundred and ten million over two years, who is just mostly unreliable just because of his injury history. Know, when brad was healthy, I thought he was good at
times last year, particularly coming off the bench. He played hard for a while, and I thought there were times where he was just kind of going through the motions, which happens to in an NBA season. So they could try to find a trade partner, and of course there are no guarantees with that because he can he can decline the trade, he can be tow the trade with
his no trade clause. The other option, they could negotiate some sort of kind of settlement and kind of wave and stretch him to where they're paying him off over the next five years. For that to happen, you know, brad would have to take less money, which would he
do that? I don't know. In order for them, I think to even get to that point, I think they would have to say, like, hey, look something that may be happy with Drake J. Crowder a few years ago when he was here, just say like, hey, you know, don't come around the team, and I do know that Bradley Beali's competitor wants to play. That may be where
we end up. And then the third option is that they just have to bringing back next year, go just fight through it, and then he'll have a little bit more value the following year, when you know Kings might be interested in getting that contract because it's the final year of that contract and making cash in on it, but no good options, that's for sure.
So now with getting the tenth pick tomorrow, Uh, you know, everyone says, oh, I'm hearing that, h Carter Bryant could go to Phoenix. You know they're hearing because somebody put it on a mock draft. Are you doing a mock draft? And what do you think about number ten tomorrow?
I've not done a mock draft in a long time.
Smart.
Yeah, you know, Uh, he makes sense for them. They need size on the wing, for sure. They do have some some players. They have a lot of backcourt players who can kind of you know, play the wing positions, but they're not very big. And you know, Carter Bryant.
Has that side.
He's a great shooter. You know, it's interacting. I mean, like I probably like you, Steve. I mean I saw Carter up close a few times this year and I never thought that he was ready for right. But as you know, I mean, it's not necessarily production. It's you know, the the profile, it's you know, the skills that you have. They got to go side on the wing. Well, sides on the wing would be one way to go if they need. You know, they're really really thin in the
front court. So it wouldn't be It wouldn't surprise me. If you know the kid from Duke, the big kid, if he's around, I don't know if he will be. I think he would be somebody they would look at. You know, if there's a few pure point guard that you know is around there. The Yakatona's kid from Illinois might be good. He's a good playmaker. But you know, they need to they need to really make that pick count. That was the big key in the in the Durant
trade was getting that number kid pick. If they can, if they get hit on that, that would that would definitely put them in a better position to where they are right now.
You've been there forever a long time at least. And how are the fans dealing dealing with this?
Are they?
You know?
God?
This this because this franchise is kind of like, you know, hasn't won. They were in the finals a few years ago, but that's been like the latest success since Study three in Charles. Uh, it's kind of are they begging like people here begging it's too strong aboard like here with you try and get back to the final four.
Yeah, I mean, I mean Matt HB has taken a lot of blame from the fans. I mean when he came, you know, and coming off the Farvard years, you have an owner who's going immediately bring trades with Kevin Durant, who shows he's not afraid to spend money. But you know, you could go through all the moves they've made the last three years since he's been here, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beale, maybe over spending for Grayson Allen. You know a lot of these have not worked out really well in the product.
You can see the results on the court. So you know, I don't know how popular he is right now with the fan base, but you know there are really hardcore fans. I spent one night during the season late year before they decided they were going to build around Devin Booker, just asking fans like, you know, what would it mean? This is right after Luka Danzik was traded, what would
happen if the Sun's traded them Booker? And it was more so I got, you know, I got the people say like if they if they trade Devin Booker, I'm done with them. I got a few of those, but more so Steve than than not. It was fans like, you know, if that's what's best for in the organization, I wouldn't like it, but I would be I would be behind him, you know, I'll support the team no matter what. So I was a little bit surprised by that.
So I think, you know, there's there's some diehard fans here who you know, they're not happy with the way things are going, but they're they're they're willing to stick around just to just because that's the team. This is the team they've always followed, and they're going to continue to do that.
Have you been following the whole Diamondback story with the stadium? Is that something you've been covering with the money that's covering?
Uh, not covering, monitoring is probably a better word.
You know.
I was out there last weekend when they were trying to get people to you know, sign and uh a petition. I think it was. You know, I think it's it's good. Obviously it's good for PETINGIX. I don't think this town could afford to lose another pro sports franchise, especially the Diamondbacks. That stadium to me, you know, when it's open. I don't know if you guys have been there, recently. When it's open, when the panels are open, the roof of open, it's a nice place to watch baseball game, I think.
But I do know that there are some repairs that you know, they've had to do, and you know, the diyingbacks don't own the building, so they've asked for help. So it seems like it's going in the right direction, just me the governor's signature to to put that into law. Uh So in that sense, I think the people here are a little bit believed that they don't have to go through another situation like the Coyotes.
What do they need to do to the stadium? Anything you can talk about specific I.
Think it's just more infrastructure stuff, stuff that's been ongoing for a long time. I think that's the main thing. I don't know the specifics of it. So yeah, I think that's a lot and you know it's you think about it, it does it.
It is an.
Older one of the older stadiums, so uh it's probably I know it's due for a lot of upgrades and repairs. So I think that's, you know, just infrastructure stuff. I don't know specifically needs to be done.
I think it's what thirty five years old. God, that makes me feel old.
No, well.
Eight, so.
One of the olders, one of the oldest, really makes me feel old because it just happens that way. So are you covering some ASU stuff when they start coming back for football.
Yeah. Yeah, I've been out there a little bit over the off season and you know, just trying to you know, make sure you know, it feels like they're Yeah, it seems like they're you know, you know the story. You guys know the story. I mean Arizona State, Like Arizona has had good years and the problems always been sustaining it. Right outside of probably the the two years, the back to back ten win season with Ty Grant, it seems like they're probably his best position to build off that.
I know. Their quarterback Sam Levitt's getting some early Heisman attentions, for whatever that's worth. But you know, he was a guy last year, to be honest, when he first started early in the season, the first couple of games, I wasn't I asn't sold on him, but you know, being you know, the long term solution at quarterback. But man, did he just keep getting better and better and better and better. It'll be interesting to see what they can do without Cam s Kataboo, just because he was so
important to what they did. But you know, having you know, as many start returning starters that they do, you know, Jordan Tyson, a receiver who will probably be a preseason All American, you know, they're in a pretty good position, I think too, you know, at least challenge in the Big twelve.
Yeah, just I don't just your thoughts, because I know you saw him play at least a couple of times. Caleb Love just kind of an enigma can play. But are you not good enough?
I don't know.
Yeah, enigma is a great word. I think you could watch Caleb Love twenty times and come away with a different opinion everywhere, you know, towards the you know, in the NCAA. I'll be honest, I thought, you know what, maybe he might be a better pro than he is a college player. I don't know what made me think that, but I do know that my respect level for him went way up, as everyone should have right in the nc definitely tournament just because they needed him and he delivered.
I mean, he was really really good.
You know.
Just was it the game against Duke where I thought like, Okay, Duke's going away. Yeah, he wasn't going to let him do that. There's something to be said for somebody I think who you know doesn't do it. It maybe may not be pretty all the time, may shoot three for fourteen in a couple of games in a row, but still you know, doesn't isn't afraid of the moment, not afraid to take the shot that needs to be taken in those moments. And I think he's definitely one of
those guys. And I think somehow that that translates to the to the NBA better than some of the other skills that we measure in college.
Right, No, I totally agree with you. I just don't know, there's got to be more than just basketball with him because it's just oddan. He's a good player. But you're right, you want some twenty times you see that. Wow, there's a different look. Yeah, Doug, as usual, thank you for your insight. Appreciate it having good.
Summer, all right, Appreciate you guys having me take care.
Doug Haller from the athletic We'll take a break here and come back.
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Streaming live on the iHeartRadio app. This is Eye on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to tind the ball Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, your Dave Silver We got about twelve minutes or so. You guys want to call, please do five to zero, four, one, six, seventy four forty. We'll take your call. There's a new video out with the Carter Bryant. I guess he just spent about twelve minutes out in New York being interviewed for tomorrow's big draft.
It was It's funny though.
One of the things that he said in the first five minutes, I said he had always planned on being a two year guy, not a one year guy. I don't know. I think I've always heard he was gonna be a one year guy.
Yeah, I mean he didn't didn't play a lot, and you know, he's obviously going on the potential situation where people think he's gonna do do some good things. We saw some great moments, you know, some highlights. Almost every game he played, it seemed like he had a highlight, but didn't play a lot average what six points a game. But he's there in New York and he's wherever the draft is in Brooklyn, Yeah, doing the news, doing the news conferences.
Today.
He'll be there and getting ready to be selected tomorrow. So are probably in the ten to fifteen range is kind of what we've been seeing with a mock draft for what those are worth. Remember Team Act, we weren't quite sure where he was going to get picked, and he goes number seven, So that turned out pretty well for him.
Give me a second, give me a second. I want to try to play. Okay, I have him on, Henry. Henry says, it's one of these one of these things. I don't think it's on. I don't think it's work because it's one of these monks and it's not all can't hear it because we'd be able to hear it.
I think, yeah, he handles himself well.
That's the whole thing part of the media to if you remember it, if you remember two three years ago when Dalien came out right and we're thinking, what is he doing. He's not ready for the NBA, blah blah blah, but he he was obviously athletic. But he handled himself so well that they did. Chicago at least found it. He found him worthy enough to draft him. Sure, and h Carter Bryant's probably more reserved. But a bright kid, has a nice background, speaks well, and here we are.
It's you know, it's such an important time for them. It's an important time for these teams. Doug Haller was who we just talked to talking about the Suns have so many.
Different things going on with you know, new coach.
They traded away half their team, They traded away one of the best players of all time, and they got the number ten pick on the draft him.
There's a lot going on just in.
These couple of days with Phoenix and that guy like Carter Bryant. He could be he could be dropped into that drama possibly to you know, do you really want to go there at this point?
I think the check cash is fine and he'll be a star. I mean, I don't know if he'll sell more tickets, but people from here will go see him play. Yeah, probably see a more playoff. We see him play more up there than he did down here.
That's true.
We'll play a lot more games total if he's you know, if he's healthy and can go.
It's funny.
I'm sure you saw him, and I saw him a lot earlier because I covered the team, But he was like a baby deer, a baby deer coming out very shy, very you know, wanted to find his place. Wasn't very aggressive, and then about early January he kind of found that rhythm. Yeah, and then by that time Tommy didn't want to screw up the lineup.
And you know, you come in with all these expectations, you know, McDonald's all American and all the stuff that you know comes with that, and just just coming too a program like this where you're gonna get a lot of attention. I'm sure that he felt the pressure, and you know, maybe he just wasn't you know, maybe ready in October November, but like you said, my January he
kind of got a little more comfortable. He knew that, you know, Tommy wasn't going to yank him if he you know, kind of stumbled a little bit, and he was making plays, I mean, especially defensively. He had a lot of great block shots and things like that that you kind of forget about when you're watching highlights of a game, but sometimes that's the most important part.
In that interview, early on he talked about his favorite thing to do is pass and I don't remember him being a great of a passer, although I wasn't noticing it. And then he says playing defense that too. I mean, because he was a freshman, right and what's the last thing the freshman want to do.
Play defense?
Well, sometimes that's what's going to keep him on the court. You know he's not getting burned because like a lot other times, you know, you're watching somebody just getting you know, moved around her maneuver, you're not in a position. It seemed like he was pretty good at that. I think did he did He have one big play where he committed a foul late in the game.
Was it him, I don't remember what game was.
Happened towards some guy in the corner set a three pointer, like near the end of the game, and he fouled them like.
You shouldn't have.
Yeah, probably those are like freshman mistakes sometimes, but he was trying to make a play which happens.
Did you see the Red Blue game? Were you there?
So that's kind of when you realize how good he was athletic. I think he won the dunk contest and then he was a heck of a shooter. I think he may have won the three point contest too, being his size and his long arms and his ability to play multiple positions.
So he definitely has the He definitely has the body and the skill. It looks like just to move up to that next levelt least he thinks he does. And you know, I'm sure he did work out with teams and oh ye yeah, if they're picking him projecting him, I should say, you know in the ten to fifteen range, those teams have seen him and they're probably going to pick them right.
You know, I would be surprised now that I see all these mock drofts now with the result with Phoenix and then what Doug said that they need somebody like him. You know, when Saint Stanley Johnson came out in twenty sixteen, it was and it was not a surprise because he was the one undone guy and knew it. My question to him was, you know, are you ready? Are you really ready for this? Because the NBA is a big
man's lea. It's it's a it's a man's league. It's a man's league, although it's a young man's league, right because you know, look at Okay, see the youngest team out there in forever winning the title, and it's a it's a young man's game, but it's still a man's game.
It's gonna be a big night for Duke. They're gonna probably three or four guys picking the top.
Well it's been that way for Arizona that time or two right, Yeah, but it's Duke. So we'll see what. I saw one D and one in one of the drafts. I can't you know, I've looked at so many. I might have been on s I where they had Carter going to Oklahoma City with with what number in the again in that range, which will be an interesting landing spot for I don't see him playing a whole hecu a lot next year.
Now. I just don't depends on the team it really does, you know. I mean, if it's going to.
Be a team that needs instant help, I'll just throw him out there and see.
What he can. Then he'd get lost. You know, when you're playing with a bad team.
If you're going to be a first round pick, they kind of expect you to you know, if you played for the Sons, you expect to be playing a lot starting if you're ready to go.
Right right, We'll see what happens with him. Good luck to him and to to Caleb as well. I can't remember the last time it was like I saw Caleb situation, but I'm sure they're out there I don't know, maybe maybe a Nick Johnson who was a fantastic player in college but was not was not an NBA guy, you know what I'm saying. Too short, but athletic as all hell, and maybe even like yuh and I hate to compare this, but this name popped into my mind.
Hasan Adams.
Oh yeah, you know, a guy who could do a lot of different things, but it wasn't didn't have a position. He needed to be like two or three inches taller. Yeah, and you know where he you know where he best played under the basket. He was fantastic and whenever when Luke moved him to the perimeter, it was like you lost something. A guy who could rebound at any against anybody.
He could.
It was tough inside. He was great, but he wasn't going to play there in the NBA. No, he did play a little bit, right, He played a year or two, a couple of coffee. But yeah, he couldn't have been more than six four six. No, he could jump out of the gym, but he couldn't play it outside. He couldn't be a wing. He couldn't shoot good enough? Is that proper English? Well enough? Yeah?
No, ESPN has Cardiff wand English.
I was the wrong dude, ESPN mock draft Carter Bryant eleven to.
Portland, Portland, Yeah, well that was was.
That he who did it ESPN, ESPN okay today, So they moved him down one who they put a ten.
Colin Murray Boyles again moved South Carolina.
Okay, because they had him at ten earlier I think in the day or Yes.
Interesting, there's usually a number of international players in that top group and this year really there's only.
Like a Spain in that mix.
A lot of them aren't going to be coming playing for the college teams now because it can make some moneys, right, However, they're doing.
It exactly right. So yeah, I mean really remember.
The last few years of a couple of guys from France were picked in.
The top top five.
The guy from Duke I'm want to butcher his name, but come on, mallow walk the Center. Yeah, yeah, he's from he's from Africa. But still, you know, here's a guy from Germany picked possibly to Toronto. But yeah, really, it's a lot of a lot of the American college players who stuck Wonder made their money and now they're going on.
I guess Bruce would know this. But is Tommy already in Switzerland?
I don't know.
You can start this weekend this weekend, right, so I'm wondering if he is going to be in New York. And maybe because you typically that's the situation, it could be a stopping off wint to get out to be there in the green room or whatever.
Yeah.
My only NBA expert with the draft was h They sent me to Vancouver when Mike Bibby was going to be the potential number one guy. Uh, and I wrote a column because we all kind of knew that either he was going to be number one or number two. And your guy, your guy at Stockton you mentioned his name not too long ago, the big guy Conny, because you know why, they were telling me, you can't teach hyde, but you can teach basketball, and you didn't have to
teach bike baby basketball. And so he went to Vancouver and Ali Condi went to Clippers. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Because then I wrote a column the Clippers were just being the Clippers because that was our history.
Right and a chance to get the best guard in the country and they do that.
Yeah.
And then well then he had help because Michael Dickerson went to Vancouver as well, but.
Yeah, that was that was an interesting sign on the from the TV side of things. We never went to the draft, but we were given access to the players, like they would set up these, yeah, one on one interviews literally like twenty minutes after they were drafted. They put them in front of some screen and then they would call in and we could interview them like they were you know, the two box.
That was the best way because let me tell you something, going to Vancouver didn't help me. It was a big, big room with people and sometimes you got them and sometimes you didn't. Yeah, and then you have to use the quote chets or whatever. Yeah, because they were parading them everywhere.
Now, this is really really well set up. They would just like go from station to station and they would go NBC, CBS affiliates or whatever, and they put them up, put a little earpiece in microphone, off they go.
Dave, that was quick man, two hours of talking sports. Thanks for coming in today anytime, maybe Thursday. I'll see maybe Thursday. Thanks everybody for listening. A decent show today. We'll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks appreciate it.