Landale defending Ayton, Reda on my mind, NIL issues…

Nice of Jock Landale to defend a teammate, as was the case on Saturday, when he sat behind microphones and went into attack mode for those who dare question Deandre Ayton. Never mind that the criticism of the Suns’ starting center is fair and warranted. Landale played hard Friday night. Fans pay big money to watch big efforts. It was clear to most anyone watching game three that Ayton’s motor wasn’t in the highest gear, and Monty Williams made the correct call by putting in a player with a higher mother. Landale delivered, but that shouldn’t mean that Ayton should sit and watch as some suggested on Saturday. I’m certain that Landale will receive big cheers when he enters the lineup, just as I’m sure that Ayton will hear it from the paying public Sunday night if he doesn’t bring energy and effort. Regardless of how the postseason turns out, the Ayton era in Phoenix almost certainly ends this summer…

Former Suns great Raja Bell will be with on this weeks show. Not many tougher dudes than Raja…

Staying on the topic of energy and effort. I give you the Diamondbacks. Fun to watch. Easy to root for…

Mark Reda passed away on Friday—one of the brightest broadcast minds and all around good dude. I was fortunate to work on a television pilot for a national show with Mark. More importantly, w shared time on many topics other than sports. “Reda” was a special, special person . I’m crushed by his passing, but I know he’s no longer in pain…

I could clutter up Three Dots with NIL wrongdoings. The chaos it is causing should be expected. Crazy parents + egos of boosters + runners for agents disguised as financial planners, personal trainers, etc, etc equal mass chaos. NIL money given to a player, who cashes the check and then enters the transfer portal. I’ll do a deep dive into it at some point, but for now, it’s exhausting…