If there’s a decision being made in Arizona sports, there’s a good chance someone involved in that decision is on Arizona Sports’ Doug & Wolf this week.
Newsmakers Week rolled on Thursday with Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill and Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams among the guests hoping for in-house improvements. Meanwhile, Phoenix Rising FC hopes for improvements thanks to a new house.
Here are all the interviews from Thursday’s show, including a quote from each guest:
Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill
On his confidence in Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim after an 8-8 season: “We’ve had some great conversations internally. Both are as disappointed as I was at the end of the season and they’re digging deep and they know what they gotta do and we all know what we gotta do, which is we’ve got to improve.
“I liked the improvement between Year 1 and Year 2 with Kliff. I think Isaiah Simmons is gonna come on, he was a big contributor so I was glad to see draft choices working out under Steve’s leadership. … Our future is very exciting.”
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams
On how Chris Paul has impacted his younger teammates like Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton: “Well, I mean, there’s the visible stuff that you see, especially in closing moments. The ability to give Chris the ball and he can make plays. I think that takes a lot of pressure off Devin, for sure. Playing with Deandre in pick-and-roll, we were introduced to a little bit last year with Ricky (Rubio) but I think it’s a little bit more dynamic now with Chris. That’s something that’s growing. I haven’t seen as many lobs as I thought we would see at this point, but I think we’re going to as they gel more and communicate better.”
Arizona Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall
On head coach Torey Lovullo entering a contract year in 2021: “I think the really good managers don’t worry about that, and Torey is one of those guys. If it was an issue with Torey, we’d probably be addressing it or we’d be worried about it. Torey does not care. It’s not something that we have to focus on right now, which is really refreshing. It’s a guy not focused on his own situation or his own contract, he’s trying to be as accountable as can be, which is good.
“We’ll address it when the right time comes.”
Phoenix Rising FC general manager Bobby Dulle
On the team’s move to a new facility at Wild Horse Pass: “It checked a lot of boxes for us in the short-term. We’ve been talking a lot about improving the fan experience … silly little things for some, it means a lot to us as an organization.
“From a long-term, we want to take this to a highest level and there’s certainly room for growth and expansion at that location.”
Arizona Rattlers president and head coach Kevin Guy
On the decision to delay the start of the Indoor Football League season: “We’re getting ready for the season and we also made the decision that we want to have fans in the stands so we pushed the season back as far as we could. Our first home game is not going to be until mid-June and usually we’re starting in March. For us to have a season, this is what we had to do.”
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