PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - Moves on Moves: The Phoenix Suns add Bol Bol to the roster. Will the Arizona Diamondbacks be buyers at the deadline?

Episode Date: July 21, 2023

During the offseason, the Phoenix Suns have made a ton of roster decisions… including adding Bol Bol, Eric Gordon and solidifying their bench. Cam Payne was the latest Sun to be traded away this offseason but now the Suns don’t have a true point guard. Was this the best decision to make? Despite a small slump in their season the Arizona Diamondbacks are still one of the best teams in MLB. Will GM Mike Hazen position the D-backs to be mega buyers before the MLB trade deadline on August 1st? What moves do the Snakes need to make to solidify their roster and build for future success?Join Makayla Perkins and Espo for another episode of THE Phoenix Sports Podcast!0:00 Intro7:00 Phoenix Suns have been busy8:09 New signing of Bol Bol10:50 Does Bol Bol really wanna play ball?13:10 Suns Roster breakdown33:32 Bye Bye Cam Payne40:43 No true point guard44:00 Sweet baby angel Mat Ishbia48:44 Diamondbacks hit a bit of a rough patch56:42 We need depth57:55 Possible targetsAn ALLCITY Network ProductionSUBSCRIBE to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/phnx_youtubeALL THINGS PHNX: http://linktr.ee/phnxsportsPHNX Events: Get your tickets to D-backs Takeovers, Knockout Nights & Suns Watch Parties at BetMGM, and MORE here: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/phnx-560...Head to https://factormeals.com/phnx50 and use code phnx50 to get 50% off.Go to https://saturdayneon.com and use code PHNX for 10% off your order today. Free shipping for orders over $200!Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code PHNX for $20 off your first purchase.BetMGM: Download the BetMGM app and sign-up using bonus code PHNX! (betmgm.com/phnx).Swing for the Fences: https://promo.betmgm.com/en/promo/spo...3-Ball Challenge: https://promo.betmgm.com/en/promo/3ba...Place your first bet offer and receive up to $1000 back in Bonus Bets if it loses with BetMGM. Again, make sure you use bonus code PHNX!Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER CO, DC, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MS, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY) Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA) 21+ to wager. Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (NV), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel.Visit BetMGM.com for Terms & Conditions. US promotional offers not available in DC, Kansas, Nevada, New York, or Ontario.Pins & Aces: Check out https://pinsandaces.com and use code PHNX to receive 15% off your first order and get free shipping.Circle K: Text PHNX to 31310 to join the Circle K SMS subscriber club and get BOGO 32 oz Polar Pops! Head to https://www.circlek.com/store-locator to find Circle Ks near you!OGeez!: Learn more about OGeez! at https://ogeezbrands.com//. Must be 21 years or older to purchase.Four Peaks: Follow them on social @fourpeaksbrew & @fourpeakspub! Must be 21+. Enjoy responsibly.When you shop through links in the description, we may earn affiliate commissions. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome in to the Phoenix Sports podcast. Happy Friday, everybody. You know me. You know who it is. It's your girl. DJ Mackey. The one, the only, Michaela Perkins.

And I don't know who that is. That's definitely not Sean Paws. Just kidding. It's Espo. It's the father figure of PH&X who's raining on everybody's parade on this Friday. It's our dad. It's everyone's dad. Say hi, hi, Dad.

It's Espo. That was also Emma behind the Mac. in case you were wondering, who took over Sean's the DJ MackeyP intro. Hi, Emma. How's it going? Doing fantastic. Oh, wait. I can do, I can do Bubble.

You can do Bubble Emma. It's Bubble Emma. I don't think Emma's produced this show since she was an intern. And last time I didn't go so. Oh, no. I produced it with the new launch as well. Okay, okay. But it's been a minute.

It's been a while. It has. I haven't been on this show since, like, I think the first incarnation at the old studio. Yeah. At the old studio when we used to do like a roundtable, it's been a minute, I suppose. Welcome to the good life. Also, I'm on, I think I'm on the wrong side. So when I look over that way, it looks like I'm looking.

It's okay. It's all right. We're going with it, you know? We're just going to see what's going to happen. I love it. Well, we're in, you're in got, you guys are in for a good show today. We're talking all types of roster moves, all types of trades, all that good stuff. But before we get into it, want to give a shout out to our friends at Circle K.

last week when we got back from Vegas, I was telling you guys how we stopped at Circle K while we were leaving the wonderful city of Vegas. And Sean was on the screen. What? Yeah. In Vegas? In Vegas.

What? We were shocked. Saul took a video because we could not believe it. But if you go to your local Circle K, keep an eye out for your favorite PH&X personalities because you might just see us on the screen. You never know when we'll pop up. We're kind of creepy.

We like follow you everywhere, you know? My dream is to have mind play on the pump, on the other side of me and just stick my head around and go, hey, did you get that polar pop? And then just go back to my phone. Oh my God. That would be hilarious. Talking about a jump scare.

If I was that other person, I'd be like, oh my God. Terrify the hell out of someone. I would lose my mind. The first time I heard it, I was like, what the fuck is going on?

I like forgot that we did the campaigns for him. Oh my God. Surprise. Why are they following me? Well, Circle K is the absolute place, best place to stop and fill. up you can grab a red bull which is my go-to you i always run inside and grab a sugar-free red bowl they've got the best snack selection their salt and pepper chips oh to die for they also have the best gas in the valley i mean i don't

know how you would decipher that but i'm going to give them the best gas in the valley award you'll just have to take my word for it make sure you are not missing out on all this great stuff right now you can text p h n x to 313310 to join their free sms subscriber club and get a buy one get a buy one get one free offer on 32 ounce polar pops, head to circlek.com slash store locator to find a Circle K near you. It's the best text you'll send this weekend, but you can't get rejected. Yes, exactly. There are no rejections when it comes to Circle K. Also, I am so excited about this next partner because I don't know if you know this, Espo. I cannot keep myself alive. What? Is this health insurance the next day? I don't know how to come. I don't know how to come.

you guys like I could burn water. It is tragic. I have bought myself new pots and pans when I moved into my new apartment last October. I have not touched them once. It is that tragic. That is how bad I am at cooking for myself. I don't know how I'm alive. I don't know how I'm sitting in this chair because I could easily pass away. But I'm so excited about this partner because they are keeping me alive so that I can give you this podcast every week. It's Factor. Factor is a ready to eat meal kit delivery service that will fuel you up fast with flavorful, nutritious, ready to eat meals delivered straight to your door. You'll save time, eat well, stay on track, reaching your goals. I have been using Factor before they were even a partner at PHNX.

I loved them. I got them. I got put onto them. And they, you guys, I'm not even kidding you. The meals are delicious. It takes two minutes to heat up in a microwave. I don't even put the meals on a plate because I'm lazy and I don't want to run my dishwasher. again going back to

I don't know how I'm still alive so just throw it in a microwave heat it eat it and throw it in the trash and you're good to go and I was a little skeptical at first I'm not going to lie I'm a little worried about like pre-heated meal like pre-made like eaten the microwave meals but they are so good they are

to die for the jalapeno lime chicken is my absolutely favorite but they also have bacon ranch chicken that is to die for you guys have to check factor out it's worth it they've got keto vegetarian vegan options anything you need delivered right to your door. You don't have to go to the grocery store.

You don't have to do dishes and you don't have to use your pots of pants. It's the best deal ever. Head to factormeels.com slash PHNX50 and use code PHNX50 to get 50% off. To get 50% off. Again, that's code PHNX50 at factor meals.com slash PHNX50 to get 50% off. Have you tried the smoothies? I have. Oh my gosh.

Okay. So, good. So I didn't ever try the smoothies before they started to partner with us. And then they sent me some. The banana strawberry smoothie. The mango's good. They've been my X factor in the morning. Yes.

No pun intended. To die for. Or pun intended. Well, let's get into the show, Espo, because we've got a lot of good stuff to talk about. For those of you who don't know, Espo is also on the Ph.NX Sun show. So I feel like we have to talk about the Sons while you're here, right? Do we have to? It's all I ever do on this YouTube channel.

Don't worry. We'll get into some baseball. so you can talk some baseball later in the show. But yes, we do have to talk about the Sons because a lot happened this past week. Obviously, as we all know, the Sons have been one of, if not the busiest team this offseason,

making acquisitions and changing up their roster, which I'm glad that they did because obviously something was not working for them as they got humiliated in the playoffs two years in a row. And there were obviously some glaring holes in the roster, some things that needed to be addressed. And boy, oh boy, do the sons do that?

So obviously they had that blockbuster deal to get Bradley Beal here. They also made a bunch of other acquisitions, but their most recent one, which we're going to talk about first, is the signing of the big man, Bull Bowl Bowl. He is a Phoenix Sun. He looks so thrilled in this picture. I know. He's jazzed.

It's like how I feel about being on this program on a Friday. Hey. Hey. No, I'm just kidding. You're having fun. I'm kidding. It's a lot of pressure to keep up the, the energy that Sean brings on this program.

But now, look, Bo, Bull, they sign a guy that's going to basically be the 15th man on this roster. We jokingly refer to him as the Buller Coaster on the Suns program because you don't know what you're going to get. It's going to be a lot of ups and downs. You're going to be excited. You're going to feel queasy. It's going to be a little of everything when it comes to Bull Bull,

if he actually gets minutes for this team. Yeah, Bull is coming off his best season in the NBA with the Orlando Magic. He played 70 games with 33 starts. He averaged just over nine points on 54% shooting from the field and 26% shooting from three along with 5.8 rebounds, one assists and one block per game. Not terrible. Not the worst thing I've ever seen in my life. If I've seen better, but not the worst.

Not the worst. Not the worst. So I know you kind of ran through your initial thoughts, but when you heard about the Bull Bowl, the possibility of Bull signing, it wasn't necessarily a shock because there were rumors of him coming here for a while. Are you happy about this edition?

Like, do you think this is a good move for the Suns? Like I know he's probably, he's definitely a bench player, but they needed bench depth. So what do you think Bull is going to bring to this team? Look, I'm not angry about it. I think this is the kind of guy that you have to take flyers on. When you're over the cap, you need veteran minimum and you need young guys that have potential.

bull fits all those. We'll see what kind of impact he has, if any. I think what the big thing for him is, he can come in here and just focus on one thing. Hey, come in and block shots when you come in a game. Come in and, you know, rebound. Like, he does not have to be everything and doesn't have to try to do everything like he did in Orlando. I mean, he was playing with a bunch of other young kids that they were flat out bad.

So I think that helps him immensely trying to do that. It could be an incredible season. I don't know. Yeah, I mean, it's definitely going to be one of those wait and see type of moves. We don't know what we're going to get from him until he's out there on the court and we can see how he fits into this roster. And like you said, the magic are an NBA team barely. The only thing magical about them is that people still come to watch. Yeah.

Yeah. They're like kind of an NBA team, but not really. NBA team, but not really. And so he's going from like a basically G League NBA team to a superstar team. So the way that he contributes is going to be a lot different than how he had to contribute in the past. So again, it's not like it's this major big move. But like I said, the sun's had so many gaps that they needed to fill their bench was their biggest concern. He's obviously going to be a bench player. I think the one thing that I'm worried about is some of the criticism that has surrounded Bull is just like his work ethic. And you know, does he really want to?

to be out on the court? Like, does he really want to play basketball? It seems like he's kind of writing the coattails of his dad. Like, it's just one of those things where, like, he gives, like, I'm just here so I can collect a check energy. I mean, look at the two organizations he's been in. I mean, now he's got something to be excited about. He was stuck in Denver, then he was in Orlando. Now it gets to come to Phoenix. I think he also made a pit stop in Boston. I don't remember. I, whatever. Where the two that I, really the one that I think he was like, yeah, I don't want to be in Denver and I don't believe him. So now he's in Phoenix. Good choice.

Right. So how would you grade that move, that decision to bring Bull then? A C. I mean, it was, it's an average move. It's their last. He's a guy that may or may not see the court at points. He's the third string center as it stands

right now unless he surprises in training camp and practice. I don't want to make it sound like I'm crapping on this guy because I'm not. I'm just realistic. about it. I will enjoy when he's on the court because he does things that

will really excite you but he's definitely going to be up for a shack and a fool award at some point this season too. Yeah. So I'm going to enjoy his time but I'm not going to sit here and pump him up like he's going to be some big impact on the sun's trying to win a title.

That's fair. I think that's a good assessment. I also kind of feel like he is going to be another project for head coach Frank Vogel. I think he's going to have to tinker with him. And I mean, and that's obviously one of the reasons why I was excited about the Bogle higher in the first place is because I think out of all of the head coaches, he's one of the best in developing young talent and getting them to be NBA caliber, like,

consistent players. So I think he's going to benefit from a little time under Vogel's oversight. But that's not the only addition that the Sons have made, obviously. Thankfully. I don't know if you do this. You probably do because you cover the Sons. Nope. I kind of zowed out.

the last six weeks. So please tell me what happened. Only seven players on the roster last year are back. A lot of those guys are the big name guys. DeAndre Aiton, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant. But DeAndy Aton and Devin Booker are now the only two remaining members from the 2021 NBA finals run that is on the Phoenix Suns roster. So just to quickly recap, I'm not going to go through all the numbers and all that stuff, but I'm going to go through generally what has happened so far in this offseason. The Suns have lost. Bismack Beyondbo, Tori Craig, Jock Landell, Chris Paul, Cameron Payne, Terence Ross, Langea, Shammett, T.J. Warren.

They've added Bradley Beal, Bull Bull. They drafted Tumani Kamara, Drew Eubanks, Jordan, Jordan, Yuda Wahombi. Wantonabi. And a couple other little moves there. And they also re-signed Damien Lee, Saban Lee, and Josh Akogi. it's been a busy they've done a lot they've they've done a lot this off season out of all of those things what has been your favorite roster move from this off season well bradley beale obviously is the biggest but i think my favorite is low key eric gordon okay i know he's 34 i mean he's

closer to my age than devon booker's age yeah i get all those things but this guy can still pull up from 30 feet uh without with no more than two and inches of space and can a three-pointer. He's hit the, hit the most 28 plus foot three-pointers in history of the league. I'm excited to see what this guy can do, surrounded by the stars this team has. He shot in the 40% range in threes last year. I can't wait to see how this guy can impact this offense. They struggled mightily from deep last year. year. They were primarily a mid-range team. And even after Kevin Durant came and they would get guys open in the corner for three or at the top of the key, guys like Josh Akogi, Tori, Craig,

Landry Shamet were just not hitting them. Okay. Now they got guys that can do it and Eric Gordon's the main. Okay. So you would say Eric Gordon is your favorite move so far. Okay. That's fair. I think obviously Bradley Beale is the easiest answer because it's the flashiest name. He's probably going to be one of the bigger bigger contributors on the court. For me, I think I'm going to try to avoid saying Bradley Beal as well, because that's the obvious answer. For one, I am stoked that the sons re-signed Damien Lee. I think Damian Lee is undervalued on that court.

I think he brings a lot off the court. That's like additional value that the sons really need and appreciate. He's a big personality guy. He's really liked in the locker room. I kind of think he has more of a leadership presence that's understated. But I think he does have value to the sons that I'm glad that they kept him for. And then another thing that I was really happy about, and I think it's because I got to see him play in person at NBA Summer League, was drafting to Monty Kamara. I think that that move was a little

overlooked because it was a later pick in the draft. And, you know, normally later picks in the draft don't always pan out. And they're not the flashiest names. They're not from the biggest collegiate programs like Duke or Kansas that you would like immediately identify because they made like a big run in the playoffs made it to the final four, whatever. But watching two money Kamara play, I was like, okay. Like I can't believe the son's got it was like what pick 52. 52. I couldn't believe that the son's got him at pick 52. That was my immediate takeaway was this kid looks like talented and disciplined and he looks like he could play on an NBA roster, which I mean, correct me if I'm wrong as well, I don't think that's a guarantee with pick number 52 in the NBA draft. No, they usually

they they don't get guaranteed deals to wait and see in training camp, but Tumani Kamara got one. He's 23. I actually think he's less of a project than bowl bowl. I think he knows what he is. He's a defensive guy that's got some length that hopefully can hit the three, has a little bit of bounce to him. I don't think he'll play huge numbers or huge minutes this year, but I think he will have an impact on the court from time to time this season. The one guy we haven't mentioned, though, that I think is probably the biggest of everything, Frank Vogel. Yeah. Changing the head coach, Monty Williams had lost that locker room, it felt like. And after two horrible playoff losses in back-to-back years, I think that is probably the

biggest move we've seen in bringing Frank Vogel. Yeah, I think that's a good shout out to you. You obviously can't forget the change of the head coach. I was going to ask you which addition is the most underrated in your opinion. But would you say Frank Vogel is the most underrated? No, I think there's been a good amount of attention on that front. maybe a Yuta Wananabe because he can go out there again and hit threes. I think that's a big deal.

But it's probably Drew Eubanks. Okay. Dude is aggressive, has the ability to really go out there, hustle, grab boards. You know, I loved Jock. Obviously, we had a connection with him, Jock Landale, as the backup center. But Drew Eubanks has more athleticism. than Jock did. So I think you're going to see more aggressive blocks and more dunks.

I think he's probably the most undervalued move of the off season so far. Okay. That's fair. I think I'm going to stick with my trend of talking about G league players I saw in person. But I was also really impressed with Jordan Goodwin. I know that he got injured and he didn't play as much as we were probably hoping he would and didn't get to see as much of him as we wanted to. But the looks that we did get, I think he's also going to,

to be a bench player that is going to contribute some good minutes. You know, he obviously came over in that deal with Bradley Beal from the Wizards, but I was also happy with what I saw from him at the G League. I think it was obvious that Tumani and Jordan Goodwin were like heads and shoulders above the rest of the competition on the court. That was, you can tell me if I'm crazy, but I thought that they were way more advanced than anyone else that they were playing basketball with. Not crazy at all.

They were men against amongst boys in the. in the summer league. And they better believe in Jordan Goodwin because he's really their only backup point card right now. So if they don't fully believe in him, they're going to be in some trouble. Shout out to Chris. I never do this because Chris and I have a rivalry, but I'll give her a little bit of credit here. She said retaining Young as in Kevin Young on the coaching staff. I agree there as well.

Yeah, keeping Kevin Young was huge. The coaching staff that Frank Vogel put together, I was also really impressed by because I think I was a little doubtful of the hire to start, like, right out the gate, but then watching how he conducted himself at his introductory press conference, the decisions that he made with his associate head coaches. And then the rest of his coaching staff, I was really impressed by. And I'm really, really glad that they got to keep Kevin Young as well because he was in the talks for a head coaching position, both in Phoenix and for other organizations. So I was also really happy with that move. But it is going to be interesting to see how that coaching staff has an impact on this roster,

is basically for the most part brand new. A lot of moving pieces and a lot of new pieces to this roster have happened this offseason. I'm curious, Aspo, is there anything that the Sons didn't do or any additions that you thought they should have made that they didn't? I still think they probably need a point card. I'm in the minority. Well, I won't say the minority, but on our show, I'm in the minority of thinking that they probably should have added a point card, probably still need a point guard.

I understand positionless basketball. My concern isn't Bradley Beale and Devin Booker bringing the ball up or anything. It's just into that second unit. If things go sideways and one of these guys is injured in Beale or Booker for any significant time, is Eric Gordon playing those major minutes? Do you trust Jordan Goodwin enough? He's really not a true point guard. He's a hybrid guard.

So I think that was probably the one thing I wish they had addressed directly. Yeah, that's fair. And we are going to be talking about a particular point guard that has recently departed the organization in just a little bit. So stay tuned for that. And also we'll be getting into the why don't we have a point card battle as well. But to give a little preview of that, I think it is fair to be concerned about not having a true point guard. I kind of am on the same page as you, Espo, of wondering. like why that wasn't maybe more of a focus because obviously with Chris Paul not being on the

roster anymore, you're going to need a starting point guard. And call me crazy. I just, okay, well, geez, you didn't have to say it that fast. I mean, you said to do it. I just listened. I'm the one dressed like this. You shouldn't be the one getting called crazy. Yeah, you're giving me big Barbieheimer vibes over there.

So. Barb andheimer, baby. Barbenheimer, baby. I am of the belief that like, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. and Devin Booker is in that category because he is the best shooting guard in league period point blank. And so when we're talking about having Booker play the point guard position, I just get a little bit nervous. I'm not doubting his ability to play basketball in the slightest. So don't come from me in the comments.

I'm not saying that he can't do it. I'm just saying it personally makes me nervous because he is the best shooting guard in the league. And he's done that for a reason. So I just get a little bit nervy when we're talking about this. because I just don't want to like, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, you know? Is that crazy? As my daughter says, I'm a little bit nerve-sighted for it. It's a little bit nervous, a little bit excited.

I have no clue at this point. Let's just see it on the court before we make any judgment because I've thought way too much about this. And I just want to see basketball at this point. That's fair. Yeah, that's absolutely fair. McCoy in the comments saying, no need for a point guard when you have length. That is something that I also found interesting when I was kind of. of going in depth on this team.

The overall height and the wingspan that has like gone through the roof with their changes and the roster has been crazy. Like their average height on the team went from like this to like this. That is very correct. It was wild like looking at how tall all the new additions were and like their wingspan. I was like, oh my God. Like what is what is this? Like these are like Amazon's but on an NBA team.

They have they have three guys now that have over seven foot wings. spans. Yeah. That's, that's, literally you could start bowl, Kevin Durant,

and DeAndre Aiton, have them link arms just at half court and cover the entire thing. It's basically the basketball version of Red Rover. Yeah. So, and I don't know if that's a defensive foul, an offensive foul, but I sure as hell would love to find out.

Their wingspans are like a me and a half. It is true. You could fit me and a half in their wingspan. That's, you could fit two emmas in their, a whole two emmas. I mean, I mean,

that's, That's a low blow, but probably true as well. You could put Emma and tow tree in there. You can put three tow trees in there. I'll get behind that. All right. He's not even here to defend himself. He's just catching strays and he's not even here.

It's fine. But yes, to McCoy's point, the addition of the height, the overall height and also the wingspan this season, it was just mind-blowing. Last question I have for you before we transition into talking about a dearly departed point guard. It sounds like he died. He didn't die. He's dead to us. That's what we mean. A dearly departed point guard.

Oh, God. Okay. What do you think this offseason says about Matt Ishbia as an owner? He got that cash. He got that money, honey. Straight cash, homie. Yeah, dude's going to spend. He wants to win.

He doesn't care about your stupid rules or your aprons or any of that crap. He said you want to- Skipping steps. Hey, let me just say, fuck your steps is what he's saying, all right? He does not care about your steps. Keep them in Denver, all right? Yeah, we're going to... Keep your stairs in Denver.

We like flat ground in Phoenix. We're taking the elevator, all right? We're taking the elevator. Elevator, escalator, whatever. And I love that because for 18 years, we're stuck in purgatory of, I'm not going to spend that, you know, da-da-da, all this crap that we watch. Their trip to the finals had nothing to do with a willingness to spend and more to do with James Jones getting creative.

And it's now nice to know that you have an owner that's committed to doing whatever it takes to reach the ultimate goal. And when you haven't had a title in 55 years, that's refreshing to see. Absolutely. I 1,000% agree. I have just been blown away by Matt Ischbio from the second he got here. And two seconds later, he like laid it on the table and was like, give me Kevin, motherfucking Durant. So that kind of set the tone early for me because that's not. move you make unless you're ready to put your money where your mouth is because if for whatever

reason it doesn't pan out and you don't win a title that first year because they didn't, you have to be willing to then just open the money book, the pocketbook and do whatever else it takes to surround Devin Booker and Kevin Durant with the pieces that it does take to win an NBA championship. And that's exactly what Matt Ishbia did. He was like, I don't care whatever, how far we go over the salary cabin into the luxury tax. Like, whatever, we're going to do it. And we're going to get the pieces here to make sure that we do everything we can to bring Phoenix a title. And I've just been like, I mean, I know it's easy to clear the bar that was set by the previous owner of the Phoenix Suns. Like, it's just showing up, does it? Oh, yeah. Like, you're here and

you're not an asshole. Congratulations. Like just walking into the building and not being a dighead already clears the bar that the previous owner set. So it's not like he had to do much to like be an improvement from where we were. But the fact that he has done what he has done in a short amount of time than he has been the owner of the Phoenix Suns and just the all in mentality that he has shown us has just been so amazing. And it hasn't even just been with the Suns. He's even excited it to the Mercury as well with some of the decisions that they've made

during the season and, you know, bringing a WNBA All-Star Game to Phoenix as well. Like he's not just a, I'm going to do this because I want to collect a check and say that I can own a sports franchise and put that on my LinkedIn. Like, he is an all-in owner, and I've loved watching the decisions that he's made. Yeah, we've got too many owners in this town that just want it for the ego or whatever it is, not willing to foot the bill. And Matt Ishpia is a refreshing change of pace. He literally will do anything.

Money does not seem to matter. I mean, he said, you know, we're leaving cable. We don't care if we have to take less money to get in. front of fans. There's going to be almost 3 million households that they are now going to be in front of on television this year and he took a hit

financially up front but knows it's the right thing to do to build this long term. And he says you've got to make the right moves because the money will eventually come. And I think that's exactly the way you've got to do it in sports. I mean, if you're if you're nickel and diming, you're never going to

win and then you're never going to make more money. So, and that's that's the perpetual thing in sports. If you are not the best, you are not making the most money and you might as well spend the money to be the best. Facts, put that out of a T-shirt.

Yes. That's my contract negotiation next time too. Next time you have to come on TPSP, you have to get a T-shirt out of the deal. I'm just super excited. I think I had, I was a big doubter. I'm not going to lie, ESPO. I had some hater energy on TPSP this past summer

because I was really nervous about the Phoenix Suns. I, the Phoenix Suns own a major part of my heart. They've got real estate in my heart. And I was bricking it, watching them get shit on by the Denver Nuggets. And then try hosting a post game show after. Yeah.

So I was, I was a doubter. I was a doubter. I'm not going to lie. I was questioning their decision to let Monty go. I was questioning their decision to trade away McHale and Cam because I loved them so much. Like I was, I was in a not,

I was in a dark, dark, dark place this off season. And Matt, should be just came in and shut me right up so I love being proven wrong like I I proved me wrong all day it's pretty easy on the show okay all right you're on my show can me like I can turn I can turn I'm to turn your mic off I'll take the rest of the afternoon off I'm the highest ranking official here so he's all right yeah just mute aspo um all right well before we talk about our dearly departed point card that's all I'm gonna stop stop acting like he's died all right only way I'm gonna refer to him from on I need to chill out a little bit because As well's making my blood pressure rise and there's no better

way to do that than by popping an OGs. It's Friday and the best way to kick off the weekend is to go into the weekend high. There's no better way to do that than by taking an O.G's gummy because they are the best scratch made THC gummies in the valley because guess what? They're made right here in the valley and I don't know if you guys have noticed. It might just be me. It's hot outside. Yeah, I don't think it's just you. I'm going to take a gas there. It's really hot outside. I'm not well. It has been what, 20 days now of 110 plus degree temperatures. We blew the doors off the record for that. The low the other day was 97 degrees. Yeah, when you wake up and it's already like an oven outside, you question your life decision.

I wake up and it's already 101 in the morning. Like, what are we doing? What is that noon? I woke up. It was 118 yesterday. It was 2 p.m. You're on my show. Just kidding. You want a pro tip about the OGs? Yeah. Don't leave them in your car when it's just hot out.

Oh, do not leave the OGs in the car. They'll all melt and you'll get a super gummy. And then if you do what I do and just bite off of it anyway because you don't want to waste the OGs. You have no idea how much T.HC. You're ingesting, which I do not recommend. That is not professional advice. Do not listen to me.

But don't leave your OGs in the car. But also, if you want to cool off because it's 180 billion degrees outside, OGs has just launched their pink lemonade gummies. and I'm not even kidding you, you guys. They are delicious. They are the perfect flavor for the scorching temperatures outside right now. At least you can be high and pretend like you're not on fire. A shout out to your mom, Michaela.

And that's not an insult. It's actually your mom. I don't even want to hear it because my mom wanted to get high in Vegas when it was my father's 21st birthday. So mom, I'm putting you on blast. She's fine. I don't think she's hating on getting high. She just says still can't get used to hearing my daughter promote getting high. And you know what?

I have a six-year-old daughter at home. And I think, you know, when she gets older, it still would be weird for me. So I'm right there with you. It's fun. I'm Michaela's mom. Just plug your ears, mom. If you want to partake in the OGs and get some, get in on that pink lemonade action, you can head on over to OGs online at OGs.com or on Instagram at OGs brands.

You can find them at your local dispensary. You must be 21 years or older to purchase. You also might want to keep your ears plugged mom because now we're talking about alcohol. And I love beer in the form of Four Peaks beer. Again, sticking with the theme of being so hot, there's nothing better than a crispy, hoppy IPA on a day where it is 180 billion degrees outside. Am I wrong? I don't think I've ever heard it called crispy. but yes, you were correct.

They're crispy. They're spicy. They're a little hoppy, you know? They're crispy. Spicy. Why is it spicy? If you know, you know, that's fine. All right.

Anyway, get in on this Four Peaks action and go grab a Four Peaks from anywhere you get your groceries. Fries, Safeway. They got it all. Go get a Four Peaks. My recommendation is the Hazy IPA. They're also doing a really cool thing because school is back in session, which is wild, by the way. why do kids in Arizona go back to school in July? Well, because we want to treat them and make them harder and tougher by making them go to recess when it's 119.

I don't go back to school in the playground. No, certain school, the fuck are you, how do you, what do you say? Districts. Yeah, certain school districts have longer holiday time. So they take more days off in the year. So to make up for it, they start earlier and they end later. I still think it's dumb. That's my daughter.

She starts on Monday. I don't want to sit in the classroom when it's 120 degrees outside. But look, I don't want my tax dollars wasted on all that AC. Let's think about that. Let's think about that. Like, I'm sorry, I don't need an extra two weeks or an extra week off in October. You know how tough that is for parents who work? It ain't easy.

Thanks for that school. All right. Well, speaking of school, every year, four people. I love the teachers. Let me make that. I love the teachers. This is not the teacher's decision. Every year, Four Peaks donate schools supply as to teachers around the valley.

This year, they're giving away $11, $1,000 cash grants. And one lucky teacher will win a Teachers lounge renovation provided by Four Peaks. To thank a teacher, you can go to Four Peaks for Teachers.org and complete the form to enter their chance to win. nominations are already due, but they are going to be giving back every Tuesday through July. If you bring in a valid teacher ID, you will receive $4 pints of Kilt Lifter Wow, Hasey, Or Hopnott. So teachers, this is just for you. There is one more teacher Tuesday this month, so don't miss out. And you can check out Four Peaks at Four Peaks Brew or at Four Peaks Pub on Instagram to keep up with the latest at Arizona's hometown brewery. You must be 21 years or older

to drink Four Peaks. Please drink responsibly. All right. Our dearly departed point guard. I got to ask this first. When's Mama Mac going to come sit in this chair and co-hosts with you? Oh, God. I don't think that's a good idea. I think it would be hilarious. I think the chances of me coming on are higher than Jennifer. Yeah. Jennifer, you are welcome to come here. You guys, don't say this because she's going to do it. I think you should.

I think you should take me up on it. You're going to co-host an episode of the Phoenix Sports Podcast. I'm going to make those decisions too. Do you not encourage Jennifer. She will actually do it. I love making you squirb. It's fun. Campaign is no longer a Phoenix Sun.

No. but he is still alive. Don't worry about that. He is duly departed, but he is still on the earth. To, in order to make room to sign Bull Bowl, the Phoenix Suns decided to trade campaign to San Antonio Spurs. They also got like a couple picks in that deal. But the era of the twins has officially ended

with the last twin being on his way. The McAil Bridges Cam Johnson campaign trio is officially disbanded. How do you feel about that? I'm okay with it. You're okay with that? I'm pleased. Look, I'm not a vibes guy, as you can tell by, by, you know, the few minutes you've spent with me on this show. I, look, the twin stuff, whatever, it was fun, but guess what? They didn't win at all. So you got to move on sometimes. Campaign has been consistently inconsistent and you know i mean i think they did him dirty sending him to san antonio of all places yeah but other than that like i'm i'm okay with the move yeah i mean like you said his biggest

downfall was like he like he struggled so bad with consistency and his his shooting efficiency definitely like took a dive there um and then his turnover he had a lot of turnovers so it wasn't the smoothest road with cam but he was a point guard and we are sorely lacking those um He averaged last season 10 points, 4.5 assists, two rebounds over 48 games, shot 42% from the field and 37% from three. Again, not terrible was definitely contributor. He obviously stepped up in the times where Chris Paul was injured, which happened to be a lot. Chris Paul was injured a lot. So we saw a lot of campaign.

But yes, he definitely was inconsistent. He had a lot of turnovers. His shooting efficiency was down. So it wasn't like we were losing a huge. contributor on the court, but he loved Phoenix. He died for the Diamondbacks. He was a big culture guy. He was a great guy in the locker room. He was just great vibes, great energy all around. He also tweeted something when it was, I think it was before it happened and we kind of were all panicking. We're like, oh, God, what's happening? He just said, love you, Phoenix. That was right.

That was right after he got traded. Right after. Give him credit. But look, I like campaign the guy. I enjoyed how much he loved being in the valley. He brought a unique energy to things. And I appreciate that. I just, I look at it from a basketball perspective and go, all right. You know,

I'm glad he revived his career. He was out of the league. Yeah. Oh my God. His story from going to playing in China to joining the bubble suns. That was awesome. That was really cool. You know,

that's like, that's really hard to do. No, yeah. I mean, and I give him full credit. And without him, they probably don't make the 21 NBA finals. And I appreciate all that.

I am really glad I never have to hear the nickname the Haboob ever again, though. That is probably my best thing about this deal. The floor general was probably my favorite. You know, I didn't mind the Tasmanian devil based on the way he played and stuff. But, you know, kind of generic. But, yeah, I never need to hear the Haboob nickname ever again. Habo. Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, it was really cool. I can never. Ted Lubin. Ted Lubin, did I get it right? Is that a thing? It's that name. It's something backwards, but I can never figure it out. I think it's Ted Lubbin.

Whatever, we're going to go with that in the comments. We just call him dead nibble. Dead nibble. It was great to see campaign revive his NBA career here. Yeah, it was really cool. His story of like, you know, phasing out of the league, going to play overseas and then joining the bubble sounds was awesome. It's really, really hard to do what he did.

And he did it in a way that was impactful. But you think moving on from campaign was the right move? Yeah, I mean, money-wise, obviously, it helps prepare them for a potential move in the future. You get a trade exemption. 6.5 was it? Yeah. Yeah, 6.5 million. And I look at it as they believe in Jordan Goodwin.

They knew he was going to get the minutes. And campaign was not going to have a rotation spot with this. team. So I actually appreciate it from that standpoint. They said to a guy, hey, you're not going to have much of an opportunity here. We're going to send you a team where you're going to have an immense amount of opportunity because ain't nobody playing real well in San Antonio. So I tip my hat to them to the team from that perspective. But yeah, I don't think it's going to be a huge, a huge loss. Okay. I know we kind of tease this when we're talking about it, but I really want to dig in a little bit deeper on your thoughts because I think they might be controversial.

You are not shy to controversial opinions. Nope. What do you think about this criticism surrounding the Sons for not having a true point guard, a true starting point guard? Because if you take a gander on the internet, which I don't recommend you do, but lots of people do. Never. Anybody that wants to talk crap about the Sons, it's either this is the Brooklyn Nets 2.0, which makes no sense. They're skipping steps, looking at you Nuggets fans, or this doesn't make any sense. They're spending all this money and they don't have a true point guard. Oh, you know what I hear with a lot of it is we're scared this team is going to be extremely good.

The skip, in particular, the skipping steps. It's like that's coming from a very scared. I mean, that's a fan base that just went, oh, we finally got to the top of the mountain. Crap. We're talking dynasty, but maybe we can't defend this based on the group of guys. that they put together. The Nets, you know, this is just the Nets 2.0, that's a lazy take, an immensely lazy take. Because A, the Nets, when they all were on the court, were actually a damn good basketball team.

And it was off the court, you know, crap that got in the way on multiple fronts. So I don't, I don't buy in that. And this team is better constructed, you know, and better, more fluid than that. NETNets team and a better bench, quite frankly, as well. The point guard thing, though, I talked to a former NBA assistant coach about this, and he said, look, it's not, it's not, you know, oh, you know, it's traditional basketball versus positionless. There are fundamental things about the game of basketball that if you do not have a

designated point guard, become more difficult. DeAndre Aiton gets a rebound. You're looking to start the break. Who are you passing it to? Does it overcomplicate things for those guys? Is it pass it to anybody at that point? And how does that affect things? But the real thing is when it becomes a half court game in the playoffs or latent games when things compact,

do you have guys in Bradley Beale, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker that can calm things down, make the right play, not turn over the ball? that's why you have a traditional point guard because that's what they're supposed to do. If you don't have that, do you lose some games in crunch time just simply because of that? Is it a potential problem in the playoffs? I'm not saying it's going to be, but these are questions they're going to have to answer with their play in the regular season. And if they can't do it between October and February, maybe they have to make a move for a point guard at some point. Yeah. I think that's all great points. And I agree. And I think anyone that's studying us on at this point are just scared. So watch out NBA because we're coming for you. Before we talk about some Arizona Diamondbacks acquisitions and the trade deadline, I want to leave us with a very positive note. And I love, I want to read this quote. I want to read this quote from Matt Ishbia because it makes me happy on the inside. Quote, I think our roster is phenomenal. He said, I think our coaching staff is phenomenal. I love our players. I think. we have a championship caliber team as it stands right now.

With that being said, I don't forecast or predict any other moves. But with that being said, that could change tomorrow. A certain phone call comes in. Someone checks in. You never know. We love our team right now. I think that team, I think the team that we have out there exceeds even what we hoped after the season ended.

I love that he said, I think that team that we have out there exceeds even what we hoped after the season ended because like I said, I was in a dark place. I was talking about I was a little worried and this team has exceeded what even Matt Ishma thought they were going to exceed. So Espo, my final question for you, is this the roster that wins the Suns, their first NBA championship? The Phoenix Suns are the best team in the NBA. Suck it Denver.

Suck it, L.A. Suck it, Boston. All right. And with that. He hasn't even done that on the Suns show. It's a special thing for TPSP, I guess. We got lucky. I am super impressed with the roster that the sons have built.

I think when you put Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Deion, on the same team. On the same team. On the guy, come on. It's going to be a fourth option now. It's going to be electric. We are in for a treat watching this team work this season. And I am so excited to see what they do.

I think obviously we don't know what we don't know and we won't know what this team can do until we've watched them play. But on paper, Matt Ishbia has done everything in his power to set this team up for success. And now it's going to be just delivering on the potential that we see on this roster because there is so much potential. And now they just need to show up, work hard and live up to that potential. So I'm excited about this team. I think the roster is sick. And I cannot wait to see what they do.

Speaking of things that are sick and the Arizona Diamondbacks, they have been out of town for a minute. I've been like Jonesen for an Arizona Diamondbacks game and I haven't been able to go to one and I'm really sad. Well, you did get a visit the stadium last night. I did. Yes, I was at the stadium for the Morgan Wall and concert and I almost died of heat stroke. So hopefully when the Diamondbacks are back in town, they will have the AC on and it won't be as hot.

But regardless, if you guys have been like me and your Jonesing to go to an Arizona Diamondbacks game, there's no better way to do it than by getting your tickets on game time. because listen, game time is the fastest growing ticketing app in the country for a reason. They are the place for last minute ticket deals. They have the cheapest tickets I probably have ever seen in my life on an app. And our game time game of the week is the Arizona Diamondbacks versus the St. Louis Cardinal series that is coming up. Our dearly departed first baseman. our dearly departed previous basement, Paul Goldschmidt, is coming back.

I think he still might be dealing with some injury stuff, so I don't necessarily know if he'll be playing, but he will be in the state. He's dead to us. And there's, well, not, maybe not. Maybe not. If you've been watching this show, you know my conspiracy theories about potentially bringing Paul Goldschman back to be in Arizona, Diamondback. He can, he can be revived. He can come back and I'll root for him. But until then, you're dead to me. So those are the Cardinals versus Diamondbacks is our game time.

Game of the week. And if you missed it, you can get tickets up as cheap as $13. 11. If you go on Wednesday. Oh, if you go on Wednesday, tickets are $11. You guys, this team is worth going to watch. They had a little bit of a slump, which we're going to talk about in a second. But they're back on the upswing.

They just took two of three from the Braves, which is the Braves are one of the best teams in the National League. So now is the time to go see them. You can possibly have a Paul Goldschmidt siding. You never know what happens at these baseball games, but you got to get your tickets to them on the GameTime app. All you have to do is download GameTime, create an account and use promo code PHNX for $20 off your first purchase.

Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code PHMX for $20 off. Download game time today. Last minute tickets, lowest prices, guarantee. Can I try a new tagline for them? Sure. Game time. The ticket app,

Taylor Swift's never sued. Anyways. There you go. We also talked about that last week about how shitty Ticketmaster is and how amazing game time is and why no one should ever use ticket master. I just implied it. Well, all my hobbies hate Ticket Master. Connor Brum in the comments, if you know, you know. All right, Arizona Diamondbacks.

They had a little bit of a rough patch before the All Star break and after the All Star break. They were swept by the Mets, swept by the Blue Jays. They are four of six in their last 10, but I'm doing my best. Why would they do that? Why would they do that? Why would they do that?

They just took two of three from the Braves, and I just mentioned how the Braves are one of the hottest teams in baseball, one of the best teams in the National League. And it was a great, great series. We'll talk about some of the crazy things that happened, but vibe check, they are currently sitting second in the division with a 54 and 43 record, and they are only two games back from the team that shall not be named that lives in the worst city in the world five hours west.

The Rockies? Oh, you said West. You said West. I just heard the worst city and I went Rockies. Okay, Denver is not the worst city. It is. I love the city. LA is way worse than Denver.

Are you kidding me? It is way worse. And the team that shall not be named is. The Doyers? Yeah, that one. There are only two games back from the Dodgers. So even though they hit a little bit of a rough patch, things are looking up. And the game, the game on Tuesday, the first game in that D-Back's Brave series was...

The craziest baseball game I've ever seen. I don't know. I don't even know how to describe what happened because we would be here for hours trying to recap the game. All I know is that after six innings, there had already been three go-ahead home runs. And five lead changes. It was wild. Like I had no idea what the outcome in that game was going to be. And the Diamondbacks ended up winning.

They won 16 to 13 in the middle of the night. They took the lead. Top of the night. They took the lead. It was electric. It was wild. I, there were things happening. People were scoring in ways that were so unconventional.

So many lead changes like, I, okay. It was a wild game. So if you watched it, I am so happy that you got to see that game because it was absolutely crazy. The 29 combined runs set the single game season high for Major League Baseball in 2023. So lots of things were happening that day. I mean, look, I shouldn't admit this because it's illegal.

But I had to take my parents to the airport. And I so badly wanted to watch that game. The radio did not do it justice with us admitting homers and weird things going on that I put the MLB. TV app on the phone, set it on the dash, and drove home because I could not miss what was going on in that baseball game. We do not condone that action. I didn't say I can do it. I just said I did it. Oh my gosh. I mean, yeah, it was an electric game. I get to talk about debacks with Sean all the time, but I feel like I don't really get to ever talk about the Diamondbacks with you, Espo.

But as a resident Arizona fan of all Arizona teams, have you been enjoying the Diamondback season this far? It's great to see them being good. Speed thrills. Corbin Carroll is now my second favorite athlete in Arizona. I apologize, Kyler Murray, but Corbyn Carroll has surpassed you. It's Devin Booker. It's Corbyn Carroll, and everybody is below him. He is so, so entertaining to watch play baseball. I love this young group of guys led by Corbyn Carroll.

I love watching Zach Gallen pitch. This reminds me of the good old days with the dimebacks where you had a true ace. You had guys that could steal bases. You had guys that could go yard. I mean, Christian Walker's been entertaining as hell going deep this year as well. But I love the fact that they made the bases bigger. And you get a guy like Corbyn Carroll being able to swipe as many bags as he can. That was missing from baseball.

And it's fun to watch him. And the fact that he's going to be in the 30, you know, 40 club. 30-50 club this year with homers and stolen bases. And it's his first year in the bigs. Yeah, I couldn't, I couldn't be more excited about this debacks team. Hell yeah. I absolutely love to hear it. I agree.

It's been great watching them be good. However, the MLB trade deadline is knocking on the door. We are about 10-ish days. I can't do math. 10, yeah, 10 days away from the MLB trade deadline on August 1st. And there are some questions surrounding this team for sure. I think the biggest issue they're looking at right now is their starting rotation. Zach Gallin is that gallon. He is incredible. Don't get me wrong, but he does struggle on the road.

That is a big concern. Merrill Kelly. The road's not kind to all of us. Merrill Kelly has been on the IL, the 15 day IL for a while and he isn't expected to come back until the series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Zach Davies has lower back inflammation, which to me means he sucks so bad that they did not want to put him in the rotation anymore. So they went to him and they're like, hey, Zach, I heard your back's really hurting. How does the IL sound? And Zach was like, okay. I thought it was.

He got kicked so hard in the ass in his last start that it caused him back pain. Yeah, that also was very highly probable. Zach Davis has been shit all year. I'm not even going to fart with you guys. Don't pull punches here, Mac. It's been bad. Like, I've been wanting to warm up that bullpen cart and go out there and pick his ass up from the mound. Like even before he threw a pitch out in a game because I already knew

it was going to be bad and it wasn't going to go well. Zach Davies has sucked. I think our good friend Brandon Buckingham in the comments, if you scroll up a little bit, Emma said something about Davies. DFA Davies now. Yeah. If him being on the 15 day I.L with lower back inflammation is a way to get him out of the rotation for now. Fine with me. I think that they did that instead of DFAing him because they have a bunch of question marks surrounding their rotation right now and they haven't fully executed their plan for their rotation

before the trade deadline. So instead of DFAing him and getting rid of a starting pitcher that I guess can sometimes pitch and hold a spot in their rotation, they kept him on the aisle as just like a backup option. So I would also be fine with them DFAing him though. I mean, honestly, like I could go out there

and pitch better than Zach Davies can at this point. So I would take a rock on the mound over for Zach Davies. So if they want to DFAM, you won't hear any gripes for me. But Brandon, Brandon also gave us a super chat, which was great. Thank you so much, Brandon. And no Mac, don't trade for Otani unless he agrees to an extension. I'm not even going to talk about Otani as a possibility because we're being realistic on today's podcast. And I'm going to be talking about options that are more in the realm of possibilities. I think Otani is a little bit out of the realm of possibility.

I did have a question for you. Do you think the bullpen card could make it from Chase Field to the airport so you could take him out of town. Honestly, I'm willing to try it. Like, that thing is not street legal and it probably tops out at five miles an hour and it would take us two hours to get to the airport from Chase Field. But I will sit in that bullpen car in 119 degree heat and drives Axe Davies happy little ass down the road for as long as it takes to get him out of Phoenix. That is the sacrifice I am willing to make for you, Phoenix.

You're welcome. I understand how you feel. Does that answer your question? answers my question fully. Love that. So going back to my issues with the starting rotation, on top of all of that, we also have Ryan Nelson, who was extremely inconsistent, although he shoved in his outing against the Braves.

It's been an up-down, up-down type of performance all year around. So the starting rotation is a little bit scary. If the Diamondbacks want to make a playoff push, I think adding pitching depth to their starting rotation is a non-negotiable, right? Only option. And honestly, I think the bullpen is. as well. I mean, a lot of those guys have been playing well above their own standard, which they have throughout their career. I would be looking to strengthen that as well.

But you got to start with starting pitching and then worry about the bullpen. Yeah, absolutely. Starting pitching has to be their focus at the trade deadline. No questions asked. The bullpen has been serviceable. Kevin Dingle had a great outing against the Braves. He struck out the side to end the game, which was awesome, although I hated how he tried to one up Acuna Jr. on the basis, like, it's a Cooney Jr. Like, just pitch the ball. And Joe Manciply has been called up to take the roster spot that was, um, freed up by Zach Davies.

Our own Jesse Friedman had the scoop that the Diamondbacks were going to be calling up the Joe Manciply. The Manciply. The Joe Manciply. Not to be confused with the others. Former DeVax All-Star. Okay. Put some respect on this name.

Um, so the bullpen is getting some help in the form of Joe Manciply. supply. It hasn't been terrible, but it hasn't been outstanding. So they have to focus on their starting rotation. And here are some options I have for you. Espo. I think these are reasonable. Okay. I'm not going to go down the Otani route because A, I don't want to get my hopes up. B, everyone wanted to cancel me because I thought it was a good idea, but they would have to sell the farm for a rental, whatever. We're not going to talk about Otani. You know what? If they made that kind of deal, I think they would at least make the NLCS. Wow.

they added Otani. Okay. It fixes your pitching problem and it adds the bat that you want. See, that's why I didn't understand what people were mad at me about suggesting it. He is a once in a million, once in a lifetime generational player that we may never, ever, ever, ever see again while we are on this planet Earth. Like, I know that he would be a rental, but like, Otoni wants to play for a small market team and you can have conversations with him like, hey, if we do this, like, are you going to resign here like beforehand? So I don't know, whatever, I digress. I'm not even going to get started on it because I will go forever.

All right, reasonable targets. We have Marcus Drumman, starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. He is currently sitting at a 288 ERA. We won't go through all these numbers, but for those of you who are watching, you can kind of see the breakdown. He's had a pretty good season with the Cubs. He's been a pretty reliable, reliable starting pitcher. Even when he was with the Mets, he has just had like a pretty consistent career. And I think more than anything, the Diamondbacks needs stability.

Yay or nay, or Marcus Tremant. Yay. I mean, if you can actually pull it off. If you add a 2.88 ERA to your starting pitching a guy that averages over seven strikeouts and outing, yeah, you've all of a sudden given yourself one of the best one, two punches at the top of a rotation. You add it to this young lineup of bats. All of a sudden you're going, okay, what kind of noise can this team make in October? Yeah. potentially a lot because in in the first round you're looking at you know a three game series

which means your top two starters if you win those two games series over like i just that that kind of a move puts you in the discussion i think out of all of these proposals that i'm going to make marcus sherman's probably my favorite but not to not to spoil the question i'm going to ask you at the end of this keep marcus sherman in mind i think he should be the ideal target if i had to pick a starting pitcher for the diamond backs to go get Marcus Roman's my number one. Some other options that I think are reasonable, Lucas Gialito, the starting one of the starting pitchers for the Chicago White Sox. Chicago White Sox are terrible. I mean, the Cubs aren't much better, but the Chicago White Sox are horrible. So the White Sox are definitely going to be sellers. And with a 3.82 E.R.A, a 1.18

whip. I mean, he is another, Lucas Geolito is another great option. I think that is in the realm of possibility for the Diamondbacks to go acquire. That I also do. don't think would necessarily cost too much because the white socks are in a very like fire sale mode. So I would be happy with Lucas Gioito. Another picture I'm interested in is Michael Lorenzen from the Tigers. Um, I think he'd probably be a little bit lower on the priority list. If I was Mike he's in, he has like probably the higher a higher ERA. Again, 3.75 ERA is not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but, uh, not necessarily my preferred. He's also a righty and we have. plenty of those. You can't have two starters at the top of your rotation with the same look.

You just can't. You can't do it in baseball. It's illegal according to us. You can't. And then my final option, which I don't have a card for, would be Shane Bieber from the Guardiansans. Again, I just like the name, right? I do. Yes. Lower on the priority list. But if I had to pick in order of priority, obviously Marcus Charmin won Lucas Golito two. And then you can get fancy if those two options aren't available. Out of those options, though, as though, as though, who would be your favorite for the debacks. Why not both stroman and Gilego? Give us both. Go all in.

Yeah. You know, look. I was going to ask you if you think one is enough or if you would go get two starting pitchers. I mean, look, I know the dimebacks in the past have fallen victim to, oh, look, we're semi good. Let's go all in and it backfires because they give up too much. And I get that. But I feel like this is different this time.

You've got the young court. Corbyn Carroll is not some. flash in the pan that is going to completely disappear next year or severely disappoint. Zach Allen is the real deal that you don't know how long you're going to have him for because there's a very good chance that he's out the door the second that he becomes a free agent. So you might as well embrace this and as long as it's not too cost prohibitive, try to pick up to starting pitchers, really bolster that starting lineup, Find another, you know, another reliever.

And, you know, hell, if you're really feeling spicy, go find a bat too. Go get Paul. Now, I mean, that I'm acting as if Matt Isbio owns the Diamondbacks. And I don't, that's obviously not the case. Ken Kendrick. Throwing cash. Yeah, Ken Kendrick tends to be a little bit more conservative. But if you had the opportunity to get two quality starting pitchers to add with Zach Allen,

I think you make the move. I have a thousand percent agree. I'm so glad you said. that because I think I would not be happy with just one starting pitching acquisition because they need they need more than one honestly like Ryan is too inconsistent Zach Davies needs to be DFAed like Merrill is injury prone like they have to get help in that rotation if they want to make a playoff push this year which I think is in the realm of possibility like they are firmly in a wildcard spot at least right now they're only two games back from the Dodgers and it's July 21st so

like anything can if the diamondbacks get hot they could win the division. Oh my God, I can't believe we just said that. I mean, you know, I still think we're at this tipping point. If you don't do enough at the deadline. Yeah. You could wind up being one of those teams that was a fun first half story. Yeah, totally.

And youth and all this stuff catches up to you and you wind up either just barely sneaking into the playoffs and you're one game, you know, wonder in there. Or you legit, you know, come in with some moves. at the deadline and you put yourself in the discussion. I hope they put themselves in the discussion because if we've learned anything in Arizona sports is you get very few opportunities. And if you don't capitalize when you get them, you could be waiting for a while. Yeah, waiting a very long time to make it happen again.

They have something special going on. Yep. I say buy into it, own it and try to make the most out of it. Yeah. My only thing, and we'll end on this. My only thing is I have been a stickler for Mike Hayeson sticking to the plant. Like do not deviate from the plan. Don't do anything to blow up the plan because he has put in so much work to rebuild this roster to restock the farm system.

And we're seeing the fruits of that labor now. But timeline wise, it all really wasn't officially supposed to come together and like really start making an impact until the 2025 season. So we're ahead of timeline. We're ahead of the curve, which is great. I love being ahead of the curve. The only thing I get nervous about is just abandoning the timeline too soon. soon and making a dumb ass move like signing a pitcher that's old and way past his prime. I'm looking at you, Madison,

bumgarner for money that they shouldn't have even given him in the first place or like selling the farm and getting some starting pitching help that like isn't going to pan out. And then they overpaid with prospects. I'm just getting, I just get a little bit nervous because technically the the it wasn't all supposed to be here. We were all supposed to be like destroying the every team in baseball until like 2025. So we are ahead of the curve, which is great. And for me, this season is already a win.

Like they have far exceeded my expectations for anything that I thought that they could have this season. They have Corby and Carroll locked up. It's not like they're under the gun with that. So I just like I don't want them to sell the farm for it to be too soon, if that makes sense. I think Mike Kazin had built into this plan. Eventually you would give up some of your youth and some of your farm system to make bigger moves. And, you know, if I trust him to have. have a good feel on this farm system and fully understand what they have in the Major League

roster. So I don't think it'll overpay, but I also would not be surprised if they leverage some of this prospect depth and the farm system that they've built to go out there and get somebody to help them now. Because again, sure, the plan was 2025, but if 2023 and 2024, there's an opportunity, don't sit there waiting for, oh, what we said 2025. So we're just going to sit here and wait and that's when we'll try to make something. Yeah, I just don't want them to go too hard too early and then the talent that they have doesn't match up with the talent that they acquire and then they're like at a mismatch for where they were supposed to be.

That's my only thing, but I'm down for them being aggressive. It's exciting to be a fan of a baseball team that's a buyer at the deadline. It's exciting to be a fan of a baseball team that goes out there and you actually think has an opportunity to weigh two out of three games in a series. I haven't been excited for an MLV trade deadline in a while, really long. time. Can't do that math. I don't know how long. It's been a minute. It's been a really long time. So it's cool to see them being competitive and I'm glad that they put themselves in their in a position to even be in this conversation. It's nice to not even have to or to even be worried about this and not just be like, well, diving backs aren't going to be doing anything because they suck. So I'd rather be here than on the other side. Yep. You know where else I'd rather be. Anywhere. Anywhere.

With anywhere than Arizona. But if I have to be in Arizona, I would like to be sitting my happy little butt in a illegal peats with a burrito and a margarita. of queso. Oh, that would slap right now. Max, can you get me some illegal peat. Max, I need a margarita. Shout out to illegal peats for making the office happy this week and bringing in some delicious chips in queso and salsa. They can't bring us margaritas, but that's okay. The chips in case. They brought us margaritas early. Yeah. Oh, you just have to bring. Yeah, we had it. You just missed. I wasn't here. I was sorry. They brought margarita mix. No, they brought a big old in a plastic handled thing.

It was convenient. Then we had the, we had what we needed. Oh, look at that. It's right there. Chug, chug, chug, chug. It's just a mix. You can bring the chips over here. I'll hold the chip box.

Oh, my God. What is this? We are, this is a huge. Graduation. This is unhanged. We're throwing tortillas. I haven't seen a margarita mix in a bag. This is giving me violent flashbacks to slapping the bag.

when I was in college. You know I did Max. Max and I partied together in college. This is going to be violent flashbacks to my college days. I've never seen Margarita mix in a big ass bag like this. I'm old. What is slapping the bag? Okay.

So like you would go to like a frat party and like the frat boys would like hold the bag up. And then you would like turn the little knob of wine and it would start coming out. And then you would slap the bag to like get the wine to come out faster and you would just chug it. I know. Nobody take a screen. recording of that. I knew what it was. I knew what it was. I was just wondering if she'd actually do it. Oh, dang it. I just got set up on my own show. Nobody put that on the internet. Sorry, Jennifer. I swear to God. I do not put that on the internet. Um, well, dang, I wasn't here when the illegal

peas dropped it off. I didn't know they brought margarita mix, but now that I know what they did, I am stealing that giant bag of margarita mix and I'm going to the store and I'm getting tequila and I'm going to get, I'm going to get my weekend started off right. So thank you, Olegalpeeds for that. And thank you for possibly also rooting my internet reputation even more with that screenshot that I am positive will be in my DMs and on the internet in 0.2 seconds. Don't worry. We will cut that out of the replay. Oh gosh. Illegal Pee's is your go-to-spot this summer. Kickback and enjoy an ice cold margarita or cool off with a bucket of high noons. Five highnoons for just $22. And don't forget to follow at Illegal Piz on Instagram to stay up to date with all

their big event deals going on this summer. Stay tuned to their stories to win free tickets to a concerts that you were dying to see. Legal Piz is here to make this summer one for the books. I knew Connor was going to, oh, God, all right. Anyways, Espo, did you have fun? I didn't slap the bag, but it was still good. Thank you so much for filling in for Sean. So I appreciate your time on this lovely Friday before you go and do the Sun Show. Check out P.HNX Suns live today at three. And also want to, if we wrap this up, soon it up, baby. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Also, big shout out to P.H. tonight's time of backs for letting us hijack your beautifully made picture of graphics.

They are live right now. Go check them out if you want to. They are an awesome show. If you want to join the family, you can do so by signing up to be a diehard. We definitely recommend it because you get so many cool perks like discounted event tickets, access to our members only Discord, free t-shirt, all that good stuff. So go sign up to be a die-hard, become a part of the fam. Thank you, Espo, for being my family and for filling in on the show.

I'm sorry that it took so long, but I'm glad that you had a good time, at least. Emma, can you bring the bag over? bring the bag over. Let's see. I didn't, as you can tell, I didn't attend a lot of frat parties, but you said turn it, tip it,

and then slap it. All right, there you go. You got that too. So Mac, my reputation, not that I had one left anymore, is also.

You're the best. We will see you next Friday at 1230. Have a great weekend. Chris, dead nibble, Connor and from Charles Woodall Pike. You guys are all the best. We'll see you next Friday at 1230.

Bye. Bye.