Episode 3 of the Sports Betting Tips podcast, featuring veteran NBA journalist Chris Sheridan, is now available. In this episode, Chris chats with longtime NCAA coach Bobby Gonzalez. They discuss the NBA draft, potential offseason moves around the league, and hilarious stories from Gonzalez’s coaching career. Stream the podcast below.
Gonzalez, who played collegiately at Buffalo State, was an assistant at the high school and college levels for 13 years. He made his last stop at Virginia before landing the head job at Manhattan in 1999. He went on to also coach Seton Hall, amassing a 195-136 record as a head coach. Most recently, he has coached in China.
Chris picks Gonzalez’s brain about all things NBA offseason. First, they discuss the draft. Gonzo believes the Suns, who had the No. 1 pick, deserve a resounding ‘A.’
“Give Ryan McDonough, James Jones, the front office people a lot of credit,” Gonzalez says. “They did terrific. DeAndre Ayton has a chance to be a franchise big man.”
Gonzalez also believes Mikal Bridges, for whom Phoenix traded on draft night, is a “can’t-miss guy.”
“It’s the best draft they’ve had in Phoenix in a long, long time, maybe ever, but certainly in a long, long time,” Gonzo shared.
He also liked the Dallas-Atlanta trade for both sides, as he believes both Luka Doncic and Trae Young will blossom into special players. Furthermore, he was impressed with Atlanta’s strategic pursuit of shooters, as the Hawks acquired Young, Omari Spellman, and Kevin Huerter.
Gonzo’s steals of the draft? The Spurs selecting Lonnie Walker and Celtics snagging Robert Williams. He compares Walker to Dwyane Wade and Latrell Sprewell and Williams to Clint Capela.
Potential Trades
Chris and Gonzalez also discussed a number of potential trades. Gonzo believes there are two teams in the East with a real shot at acquiring Kawhi Leonard: the Celtics and 76ers. If the Knicks would be willing to throw in Kristaps Porzingis, Gonzo says they could become a “wild card.”
Chris also sees the Magic as a potential contender, as they could include Nikola Vucevic in a deal. The Spurs could place him under tutelage of Pau Gasol and embed him in different culture.
Gonzo believes the change of scenery could reboot Vucevic’s career, as the “Spurs have winning in their DNA.”
The Legend of Metta World Peace
Finally on the pod, the two discussed Gonzalez’s college recruitment of Metta World Peace, who was known as Ron-Ron Artest or Ronnie Artest at the time. Gonzalez recruited God Shammgod, now the Mavericks’ player development coach, to Providence. God told Gonzo to look into a freshman at Lasalle Academy: Artest.
Gonzo shared the story of his visit with head coach Pete Gillen to recruit Artest in New York City. They got caught in traffic (true to New York form), and a taxi ended up literally ripping off their car door. They stopped at a gas station and tied the door back onto the car — a $40,000 Lincoln.
“At the end of it, we end up doing the visit with Ronnie, he loved us, but he ended up staying home and going to St. John’s because he was a local kid from Queens,” Gonzalez shared.
It’s an incredible story. Listen to the full narrative — and Gonzo’s breakdown of all things NBA offseason — by clicking the play audio button above.
