Here’s what went down Monday on Gambo & Ash…
Just That Easy - The Lakers wrapped up their 15th NBA Championship beating the Magic 99-86 in Orlando. G&A were disappointed the match-up never lived up to the sizzle many predicted pitting Dwight Howard and a barrage of 3-point shooters against Kobe, Gasol, and the battle-tested Lakers. Gambo went so far as to say the Magic quit last night in front of their fans. Phil Jackson passed Red Auerbach winning his tenth title. He won six with the Bulls and now four with the Lakers. Ash loved the way Jackson took Howard completely out of series by swarming him defensively and putting him on the foul line. Will Jackson come back? Auerbach won nine titles coaching in the same city with mostly the same collection of players. Jackson has now won ten with two different teams in two somewhat different eras (Jordan era/Kobe era). The master of the triangle offense can now write his own script. He won’t be fired like possibly Mike Brown or criticized like Stan Van Gundy. Gambo thinks Jackson is a better championship coach than Red because there are more teams, more egos, and more money involved/at stake than in the 60’s.
Made it Personal - Kobe got his first title without Shaq last night and commented about it in the post-game press conference. Kobe said he “would cringe every time” he heard people doubt he would win a title about The Diesel. He went on to say there “was no way to argue it.” All that changed at Amway Arena. Shaq tweeted that he was happy for Kobe, but G&A aren’t sure they believe that. Gambo would love to see Shaq dealt to Cleveland and see a Kobe vs. Shaq final in 2010. The guys concur Kobe wouldn’t have accomplished his goal without the help of Pau Gasol.
We caught up with our ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler from ESPN. “Legs” broke down the Lakers dominating championship-clinching victory last night in Orlando, the newly-established legacies of Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson, and what the future holds for Shaquille O’Neal. He isn’t sure a pairing with LeBron would make the Cavs the team to beat in the east.
Packing up The Diesel - The trade winds are again swirling around your Phoenix Suns. The latest has Shaq headed off to Cleveland to pair with LeBron James. In return, the Suns would obtain an expiring contract in Ben Wallace and over-paid Sasha Pavlovich. This deal does not excite Ash - mainly because the Suns can win games with Shaq, but certainly not Ben Wallace who may end up retiring. He would be more intrigued with Cleveland sending Delonte West in a package for O’Neal. Gambo reported the Suns may end up hanging on to Amare Stoudemire-at least until the trade deadline. Other teams interested in Shaq are the Mavs and Hornets. Mark would love to see New Orleans center Tyson Chandler in a Suns’ uniform.
Pittsburgh Parade - The Pens won the Stanley Cup Friday night and celebrated today in front of 375,000 on the streets of Pittsburgh. The crowd was bigger than the Steelers ticker-tape parade following their Super Bowl victory over the Cardinals. Controversy followed the Pens and their star captain Sidney Crosby when he was late to the line for the traditional post-series handshake. G&A are willing to give “Sid the Kid” a break, but know The Great One would never allow that to happen.
Breaking Cardinals’ News - Reports say Cards tight end Ben Patrick has been suspended 4 games for testing positive for the drug Adderall. The guys shared their thoughts and how that affects the depth at tight end.
Devils Day - ASU got a big win in the CWS beating North Carolina behind some solid pitching and timely hitting. They will face top-seeded Texas in the winners’ bracket Tuesday afternoon in Omaha with ace Mike Leake on the hill for Pat Murphy. G&A are starting to believe this may be the year Murph breaks thru and gets his first title. Gambo wonders if Murphy has placed too much pressure on himself. Murphy has had great success getting to the CWS, but no title-at least, not yet.
Breaking Coyotes’ News - This afternoon a bankruptcy judge rejected the offer by Blackberry billionaire Jim Balsillie to buy the Coyotes and move them to Hamilton, Ontario. Gambo reported it appears the league will fund the ‘Yotes for the next few months-guaranteeing hockey in the desert-at least next season. Reports say the team may go to auction in August. G&A agree this is a big “win” for the NHL who is looking for stability for not just the Coyotes, but other struggling NHL franchises. The biggest loser in all this is Jerry Moyes who sank millions into the team and likely won’t see any of it come back in profit. Ash doesn’t feel bad for Moyes because he knew it was a big risk buying in the first place.
Tuesday we’ll be joined MLB commissioner Bud Selig at 2:10 and Diamondbacks’ skipper A.J. Hinch at 3:00.
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