The Guarantee Game is here! As a prelude, I asked fans on my Twitter site to send me their guarantees for the game Tuesday in Memphis. Needless to say, some guarantees are not Air Tight, Rock Solid or worth their weight in Guaranteed Gold. But they are amusing to look back upon…including the Guarantees from The Suns Live Broadcasting Team: [Read more...]
It began as an attempt at some comedic content for our Suns Live Pregame Show. But now it has grown into something much bigger and possibly life-altering for Tom Chambers.
Back in September, The Basketball Hall of Fame held their first-ever golf tournament at The Wigwam Resort in Litchfield. A star-studded list of HOFers showed up: Julius Erving, Clyde Drexler, Rick Barry, Calvin Murphy, and Ralph Sampson just to name a few. [Read more...]
While recovering from his heart ailment, Channing Frye has begun to test the waters for a future in broadcasting.
We have been fortunate to have Channing’s insight and upbeat personality enhance our FOX Sports AZ telecasts of Suns games.
Channing has joined Tom Chambers and me for three Suns Live Pregame shows, along with a couple of halftime appearances. By the way, the Suns record is now 2-1 with Frye on set, with his only setback coming after the loss in OT to the Bulls. [Read more...]
It’s crazy how 20 years slips by. And from the moment Charles stepped into the terminal at Sky Harbor Airport, the sports landscape changed forever in Arizona. There never had been and never will be a bigger sports personality in the Valley. We have seen some major superstars and Hall of Famers like Randy Johnson of the D’Backs, Emmitt Smith and Kurt Warner with the Cardinals and even Wayne Gretzky skate-in to run the Coyotes, but nobody held a crowd with bravado and charisma like Chuck.
I was watching the “Dream Team” documentary the other night, and it occurred to me how modest and humble Charles was during those first couple days in Phoenix. But once he settled in to his sizzling new home after his arrival (by the way, Cotton Fitzsimmons should have raised the roof on his convertible when he drove Barkley away from the airport that smokin’ hot day), Charles let it fly. We all know what a sound bite machine he was (and still is), not to mention his antics on and off the floor that are still legendary. But I will always remember the behind the scenes events from that first year – like the first training camp up in Flagstaff. [Read more...]
Finally, a chance to find a quiet coffee shop and relax for a couple hours. This schedule has been insane! We just finished 6 games(and broadcasts) in 8 days. And if you think only the players are feeling weary, think again. But as I tell all my family and friends, it beats the alternative that we were staring at in November.
Now in my 9th season on the road with the team, I have to point out one of my favorite parts of being around this particular group: Michael Redd. He is the genuine gentleman. That was a low-risk, high reward move by the Suns. Not only can the guy still play, he has added yet another touch of class and leadership alongside Steve and Grant. Michael, from Day One, has been warm and engaging. An all-star, Olympian and scoring machine with the Bucks, he came to the Suns with no attitude or agenda. Michael instantly fit in with the guys, who love to ride him for his unique style of clothing. He has an array of colorful sweaters and shoes that light-up the charter plane! [Read more...]
(Christian Petersen/NBAE/Getty Images)
Right now Alvin Gentry feels like a chef with the recipe for Jumbalaya staring him in the face. A lot of ingredients are sitting on the counter, now he needs to figure out the directions and how to stir them together. He was a master chef last season and hopes to whip together another culinary masterpiece.
You, of course, start with the main ingredient, Steve Nash. Over the past 10 seasons, Steve’s teams have averaged 55.4 wins per season. Only two active players have averaged more: Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki (who, I might add, won many of his games with Nash). So the chance for a successful regular season are obviously high. Nash came into the preseason as fit as ever. He will have to work harder to create points as he now operates without Amar’e Stoudemire. Steve and Robin Lopez have proven that they can be a highly effective pick and roll combo. Still, it is evident so far in the preseason that Nash, who turns 37 this season, will face even more trapping defenses and double-teams without that monster in the middle and potent low-post scorer. Expect his turnovers to be higher early in the season as some of the new players like Hedo Turkoglu and Hakim Warrick figure out their spacing on the floor. [Read more...]
Most flights with the Suns are spent in the back of the plane, sifting through articles and notes, chatting with my producer (Bob Adlhoch) and director (Dan Siekmann). It’s a way to get ahead of the game and accomplish some of the tedious work that comes with preparing for each broadcast. But my routine took a detour as we flew cross-country to Orlando for the start of a 4-game road trip. An uninvited, yet welcome, visitor came back to hang with us “media guys.” He spent nearly an hour talking politics, movies, sitcoms (30 Rock was a popular show among the group), and spinning unforgettable stories. That visitor was Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry! [Read more...]
(Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images)
So in case you missed parts of the broadcast Tuesday night from Memphis, here are the Top Moments of 2008 from Suns players and coaches that I spoke with before the “thrilling” victory over the Grizzlies: [Read more...]
(Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty Images)
As the Suns landed here in Oklahoma City for the start of a back to back set with the Thunder(thanks, Dan, for releasing the naming rights)and the Wolves, my trusty Treo phone illuminated with an email message from Berlin. Lo and behold, it was Casey Jacobsen just checking in to say “hey” while he plays in the Euroleague. He gave me the update on his family–his wife Brittney is 7 months pregnant with their 2nd daughter. They have just moved into a new apartment in downtown Berlin and are loving the culture and adventure of raising their youngest daughter in this bustling, Euro hub. Just yesterday they took her to The Berlin Zoo, and they also live right across from Germany’s Niketown which gives the Jacobsens a little dose of American commerce to relieve some of their homesickness. [Read more...]
(NBAE Photos/Getty Images)
What a thrill it was to call and experience the most recent masterpiece by Amar’e. His 49 point, 11 rebound, 6 assist, 5 steal “instant classic” against the Pacers on Wednesday will be talked about for years to come.
The crescendo came when Stoudemire “YouTubed” Jeff Foster and then laughed off the weak attempt by Travis Diener to bait him into a confrontation. [Read more...]
