After a decade of irrelevance, the Phoenix Suns are finally on the rise again! The Valley of the Suns podcast is here to document it all as your source for insider Suns perspectives, exclusive interviews and frequent guests from all over NBA Twitter. Hosted by The Step Back writer, FanSided editor and master binge-watcher Gerald Bourguet, this sports and entertainment pod is dedicated to straight-forward, knowledgeable and entertaining conversations about the Suns and the NBA at large, as well as the occasional hit TV show or blockbuster movie you need to know about when you're not watching the Suns play!
Episode 43 breakdown: +G-Rated: Space Jam 2 (2:15) +The Devin Booker hero-ball debate (13:40) +Is Chris Paul okay? (35:25) +What the Suns need to do to win Game 6 (42:50) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 42 breakdown: +Ease up on Chris Paul (3:30) +Points of emphasis for Game 5 (10:20) +Reasons Suns should still win the series (23:30) +G-Rated: Loki (27:35) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 41 breakdown: +Reasons not to panic (2:45) +What to do about Giannis (12:50) +Points of emphasis for Game 4 (19:50) +G-Rated: Black Widow (29:55) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 40 breakdown: +Suns' star backcourt dominating so far (2:40) +Mikal Bridges vs. Khris Middleton (13:05) +Why the Bucks could be in trouble (20:25) +G-Rated: Marvel's M.O.D.O.K. (28:40) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 39 breakdown: +Chris Paul seizing his moment (4:15) +The asterisk debate (10:40) +5 things to know about this Suns team (26:00) +G-Rated: A Quiet Place Part II (42:30) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 38 breakdown: +Are the Western Conference Finals over? (2:05) +Biggest difference in this series so far (8:15) +Deandre Ayton's impact (12:50) +Anything new on Kawhi Leonard? (17:00) +Season 2 of Mythic Quest (22:15) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 37 breakdown: +Reasons not to panic (3:15) +Devin Booker vs. Patrick Beverley (10:25) +Increasing the tempo (20:30) +Cam Payne's injury (23:45) +The 3-point battle (25:20) +G-Rated: The Handmaid's Tale (29:30) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 36 breakdown: +Contextualizing Devin Booker's historic 40-point triple-double (2:15) +Chris Paul update (12:00) +Adjustments for Game 2 (16:00) +G-Rated: Luca (23:30) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 35 breakdown: +Chris Paul looking healthy again (2:00) +Suns' offense running all over Nuggets' defense (9:40) +Suns picking on Michael Porter Jr. (15:30) +Deandre Ayton vs. Nikola Jokic (19:55) +Expectations for Game 3 (29:20) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 34 breakdown: +Reaction to Devin Booker's Game 6 (2:20) +Chris Paul contract rumors (13:35) +Initial thoughts on Nuggets matchup (26:30) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 33 breakdown: +Positives heading into Game 5 (2:45) +Beware the LeBron James game (23:40) +G-Rated: Mare of Easttown (31:20) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 32 breakdown: +Takeaways from disappointing Game 3 (2:20) +Adjustments for Game 4 (8:50) +G-Rated: Shadow and Bone (29:35) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 31 breakdown: +Positives from Game 1 (3:30) +Areas for improvement/concern (22:20) +Potential adjustments for Lakers in Game 2 (32:25) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 30 breakdown: +General thoughts on Suns-Lakers matchup (1:35) +Lakers' advantages (6:40) +The Andre Drummond factor (11:40) +Suns' advantages (17:30) +Series predictions (24:00) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 29 breakdown: +Suns' potential playoff matchups with Lakers/Warriors (2:40) +NBA Awards picks for MVP, ROY, 6MOY, DPOY, MIP & COY (24:15) +All-Rookie, All-NBA & All-Defensive team picks (55:15) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 28 breakdown: +Race for the 1-seed (1:35) +Cam Johnson's shooting slump (8:30) +Other playoff concerns for the Suns (14:20) +G-Rated: Star Wars: The Bad Batch (22:00) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 27 breakdown: +A sentimental note to Suns fans (3:50) +5 reasons the Suns could win it all (7:30) +Why they could fall short (25:25) +G-Rated: Invincible (32:05) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 26 breakdown: +Playoff expectations for the Suns and potential matchups (3:30) +Recent 3-point woes (23:00) +G-Rated: Mortal Kombat (29:45) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 25 breakdown: +Road trip so far (1:50) +Stop panicking about Devin Booker (6:30) +G-Rated: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (30:00) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 24 breakdown: +Upcoming road trip (2:45) +Jevon Carter shooting his shot (15:00) +G-Rated: Snowfall (23:30) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 23 breakdown: +How Deandre Ayton is maximizing his role (2:50) +Will Suns' lack of playoff experience matter? (18:35) +G-Rated: Made For Love (31:10) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 22 breakdown: +Lessons from Suns' win over Jazz (2:45) +Lessons from Suns' loss to Clippers (11:35) +Should Devin Booker or Chris Paul be in the MVP conversation? (17:05) +G-Rated: The New Mutants (39:05) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 21 breakdown: +Recapping the week (Start) +Suns learning how to close out games (4:35) +Keep an eye on Marc Gasol (14:00) +G-Rated: Godzilla vs. Kong (20:10) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 20 breakdown: +A few positives (2:20) +Suns' 4Q struggles (7:50) +Quote of the Week (14:30) +Dario Saric's struggles (18:05) +G-Rated: Solar Opposites (22:05) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 19 breakdown: +Suns playing down to their competition (2:10) +Trade deadline fallout (7:15) +G-Rated: Servant (17:20) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 18 breakdown: +Cam Johnson's return/Torrey Craig's debut (2:50) +Potential Suns trade targets (4:10) +G-Rated: Zack Snyder's Justice League (35:50) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 17 breakdown: +A call to action (Start) +Quote of the Week (9:00) +Torrey Craig addition (18:00) +G-Rated: "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (24:10) Links to donate and help stop AAPI hate: National Asian Pacific American Women's Fund: https://www.napawf.org/ Asian Americans Advancing Justice: https://advancingjustice-aajc.org/ Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund: https://www.aaldef.org/ They Can't Burn Us All: https://www.theycantburnusall.org/ For more resources and educational information: https://linktr.ee/geraldbourguet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 16 breakdown: +Intro (Start) +Deandre Ayton concerns (3:20) +Suns' search for the right starting five (10:10) +Jevon Carter cracking the rotation again? (21:40) +G-Rated: Letterkenny (24:50) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 15 breakdown: +Intro (Start) +Quote of the Week (4:10) +Devin Booker's efficiency (7:45) +Dario Saric's Sixth Man of the Year case (11:30) +Deandre Ayton's reduced minutes (17:25) +Trade/Buyout candidates (22:40) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From the more adult themes to the much-needed conversation about SE Asian representation in the movie, this special "G-Rated" segment has a lot to say about Disney's latest! Episode 14 breakdown: +Intro (Start) +"Raya and the Last Dragon" general thoughts (3:40) +Biggest takeaways (8:45) +SE Asian representation in the movie: Where it shines and where it falls short (12:40) +More mature themes (29:00) +Is "Raya" in our top-5 Disney movies? (35:10) +Final scores (39:40) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From the biggest takeaways of Phoenix's season to potential Achilles heels come playoff time, Episode 13 hits on plenty of Suns topics before breaking down the "WandaVision" finale. Episode 13 breakdown: +Intro (Start) +Biggest takeaway from the Suns' season so far (2:00) +Devin Booker coming to life (6:00) +Terrific bench play (11:00) +Are the Suns legitimate contenders? (18:25) +Potential Achilles heels (23:35) +G-Rated: WandaVision finale (32:00) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On Episode 12 of the Valley of the Suns Podcast, special guest Lindsey Smith joins Gerald Bourguet to discuss the excitement of this new Phoenix Suns team, the ins and outs of covering good teams vs. bad teams, what she's been up to lately and for today's G-Rated segment, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." Episode 12 breakdown: +Intro (Start) +How this Suns season feels different (1:50) +What does Lindsey miss most about the job? (5:20) +Covering winning teams vs. losing teams (6:40) +Favorite memories covering the Suns (14:20) +Favorite Suns players to interview (20:05) +What Lindsey's been up to, and is there hope for a return to the sidelines? (24:15) +G-Rated: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (30:35) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On Episode 11 of the Valley of the Suns Podcast, host Gerald Bourguet takes a look the last week for the Phoenix Suns, how they finally wound up with two All-Stars in Devin Booker and Chris Paul, potential replacement options for Damian Jones with that open roster spot, and two minor adjustments Monty Williams needs to look at. +Intro (Start) +Recapping the week (0:45) +How the Suns got 2 All-Stars (8:45) +Quote of the Week: CP3 on Devin Booker (13:10) +Replacement options for Damian Jones (17:05) +Adjustments to make moving forward (30:30) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On Episode 10 of the Valley of the Suns Podcast, host Gerald Bourguet takes a look at a roller-coaster week for the Phoenix Suns, examines whether they're really living and dying by the 3-point shot, and discusses the final 10 episodes of "Vikings" on the History Channel. +Intro (Start) +Quote of the Week (3:10) +Suns' 3-point shooting (6:35) +G-Rated: Final season of "Vikings" (15:55) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On Episode 9 of the Valley of the Suns Podcast, special guest Mike Lisboa joins Gerald Bourguet to discuss the All-Star cases for Devin Booker and Chris Paul, make All-Star picks for the Western Conference and talk about "30 Coins" on HBO Max. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On Episode 8 of the Valley of the Suns Podcast, Paul Richardson of The Sports Kave joins Gerald Bourguet to talk about Dario Saric's return to action for the Phoenix Suns, how Devin Booker and Chris Paul are finding their groove together and "Judas and the Black Messiah" on HBO Max. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On Episode 7 of the Valley of the Suns Podcast, Travonne Edwards of The Athletic joins Gerald Bourguet to talk about the Phoenix Suns' big win over the Milwaukee Bucks, where they stack up near the top of the West, and "Malcolm & Marie," Netflix's new movie starring Zendaya and John David Washington. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On Episode 6 of the Valley of the Suns Podcast, Greg Esposito of the Suns Solar Panel joins Gerald Bourguet to talk about Devin Booker's first week back from a hamstring injury, the Frank Kaminsky-Deandre Ayton starting lineup and "The Little Things," Denzel Washington's new movie on HBO Max. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On Episode 5 of the Valley of the Suns Podcast, host Gerald Bourguet is joined by FanSided's Ian Levy to talk about where the Phoenix Suns stack up in the West, Devin Booker and Chris Paul's chemistry, and the Season 5 finale of Amazon's sci-fi show, "The Expanse." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On Episode 4 of the Valley of the Suns podcast, host Gerald Bourguet is joined by special guest Anthony Reda to discuss being a fair-weather Phoenix Suns fan and Pixar's latest movie, Soul. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In Episode 3, special guest David Nash joins the Valley of the Suns Podcast to talk about Deandre Ayton's optimal role, the Suns' recent struggles and reasons for optimism in Phoenix. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In Episode 2, the Valley of the Suns Podcast takes a look at the biggest areas of concern for the Phoenix Suns recently and what they can do to right the ship. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In Episode 1 of the Valley of the Suns Podcast, Deandre Ayton's back-to-back stellar games hint at a breakthrough, Cam Johnson replaces Jae Crowder in the starting lineup and "WandaVision" hits its stride. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After a decade of irrelevance, the Phoenix Suns are finally on the rise again! That makes this the perfect time to hop on the bandwagon, and the Valley of the Suns Podcast is your source for insider Suns perspectives, NBA discourse from around the league and even reviews of the latest binge-worthy TV shows and movies you need to know about. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.