It’s hard to see how things can get worse for the Phoenix Suns beyond their shambolic loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, but it seems like they can. They were extremely poor in a Game 7 loss at home, going down 30 points at halftime, and have been lambasted for their shocking display. But there was another storyline from the game that might be going slightly under the radar.
Deandre Ayton, who dominated the Mavs in the paint in the initial wins for the Suns, was pulled from the game for almost the entire second half, with Monty Williams saying that the decision was internal. Phoenix didn’t give Ayton the max contract, and after the way he played in this series, it looks like they might have been right not to. And he reportedly got into it with Monty Williams on the sidelines during the game.
Speaking on his show Undisputed, Skip Bayless revealed what he learned about the supposed fight from Lil Wayne, who was sitting courtside at the game. The situation reportedly got so bad that the coach and the player had to be restrained from going at one another:
(starts at 00:56)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zcU2whV4Yc
“Our man Lil Wayne told me, he was sitting across, I think he either heard it or could lip read, Monty got so upset with Ayton that he said, ‘you freaking quit on us’. And that led to an exchange in which each, Monty and Ayton had to be restrained from going at each other.”
This is troubling news for the Suns, with Chris Paul not getting any younger and Ayton, Booker, and Bridges considered to be the core that they will continue to build around. Monty Williams was Coach Of The Year this season for a reason though, and there is a chance that feelings got the better of both and that the situation will be sorted out painlessly.
