2018 Suns Offseason News

[Flagrant Fowl]

I'm calling 32 wins. Ayton and Booker play no defense. Jackson can't space the floor. Ariza is a 34% 3 point shooter, who will be playing out of position. Knight is... well... awful. SO are all our real PFs. We just have too many holes in our roster full of bad players, and the few really good ones we have on offense are defensive liabilities.

We have to pay Booker, but I think we may end up regretting it if his defense doesn't improve.

So you are essentially expecting no improvement from any of our young players.

I think Chriss and Bender haven't shown enough improvement to warrant more optimism.

I don't think Ariza helps us at all, anywhere really.

I wonder where the hell Bridges or Jackson will find minutes with the other 3 SFs we have that we're paying 35 million for.

Jackson will get better, but he's unlikely to become a great 3 point shooter, which is what we desperately need. (His FT% says it's unlikely, they're highly correlated)

I don't think Booker will suddenly be an ace on defense.

I think Ayton's awful defense will be exacerbated by being a rookie. He's going to have a hard time helping us on the court as a rookies (seriously, Kevin Durant was a net -8.8 points per 48 in his first year)

I don't believe that Knight is a big improvement over the flotsam and jetsam we had at PG last year.

So, Jackson will be a little better, but he's not going to help on offense. Ayton will need a year before he's a net positive. Bridges will have little impact with 4 other SFs on the team. Bender and Chriss have both been awful in their first two seasons. Bender shows negligible improvement, and Chriss regressed if anything this year.

Things you forgot:

Kokoskov turns out to be a horrible coach and is discovered to be a serial killer.

Chriss purchases a Krispy Kreme franchise and subsequently balloons to over 300 pounds.

Bender is discovered to have "tiny balls" and surgeries to correct the condition go horribly wrong.

Booker, tired of losing, quits basketball and joins a boy band and inflicts horrible agony upon his fans as his harmonies are slightly off.

Pretty sure Worm predicted last year that Josh Jackson would have committed a violent felony by this point.

LOL. I do recall something like that. That dude is the epitome of glass half empty. Actually, their might not even be a glass for him when it comes to the Suns. Despite his silly player perspectives, I think he's in the ballpark for total wins. I have us at about 32-35 wins right now, and that's if everything goes well regarding injuries and player progression.

[AmareIsGod]

I'm calling 32 wins. Ayton and Booker play no defense. Jackson can't space the floor. Ariza is a 34% 3 point shooter, who will be playing out of position. Knight is... well... awful. SO are all our real PFs. We just have too many holes in our roster full of bad players, and the few really good ones we have on offense are defensive liabilities.

We have to pay Booker, but I think we may end up regretting it if his defense doesn't improve.

So you are essentially expecting no improvement from any of our young players.

I think Chriss and Bender haven't shown enough improvement to warrant more optimism.

I don't think Ariza helps us at all, anywhere really.

I wonder where the hell Bridges or Jackson will find minutes with the other 3 SFs we have that we're paying 35 million for.

Jackson will get better, but he's unlikely to become a great 3 point shooter, which is what we desperately need. (His FT% says it's unlikely, they're highly correlated)

I don't think Booker will suddenly be an ace on defense.

I think Ayton's awful defense will be exacerbated by being a rookie. He's going to have a hard time helping us on the court as a rookies (seriously, Kevin Durant was a net -8.8 points per 48 in his first year)

I don't believe that Knight is a big improvement over the flotsam and jetsam we had at PG last year.

So, Jackson will be a little better, but he's not going to help on offense. Ayton will need a year before he's a net positive. Bridges will have little impact with 4 other SFs on the team. Bender and Chriss have both been awful in their first two seasons. Bender shows negligible improvement, and Chriss regressed if anything this year.

Things you forgot:

Kokoskov turns out to be a horrible coach and is discovered to be a serial killer.

Chriss purchases a Krispy Kreme franchise and subsequently balloons to over 300 pounds.

Bender is discovered to have "tiny balls" and surgeries to correct the condition go horribly wrong.

Booker, tired of losing, quits basketball and joins a boy band and inflicts horrible agony upon his fans as his harmonies are slightly off.

Pretty sure Worm predicted last year that Josh Jackson would have committed a violent felony by this point.

Holy crap! I totally forgot about that. He did predict that Josh Jackson would commit a violent felony.

[specialsauce]

That is so wrong on so many levels

[TOO]

So you are essentially expecting no improvement from any of our young players.

I think Chriss and Bender haven't shown enough improvement to warrant more optimism.

I don't think Ariza helps us at all, anywhere really.

I wonder where the hell Bridges or Jackson will find minutes with the other 3 SFs we have that we're paying 35 million for.

Jackson will get better, but he's unlikely to become a great 3 point shooter, which is what we desperately need. (His FT% says it's unlikely, they're highly correlated)

I don't think Booker will suddenly be an ace on defense.

I think Ayton's awful defense will be exacerbated by being a rookie. He's going to have a hard time helping us on the court as a rookies (seriously, Kevin Durant was a net -8.8 points per 48 in his first year)

I don't believe that Knight is a big improvement over the flotsam and jetsam we had at PG last year.

So, Jackson will be a little better, but he's not going to help on offense. Ayton will need a year before he's a net positive. Bridges will have little impact with 4 other SFs on the team. Bender and Chriss have both been awful in their first two seasons. Bender shows negligible improvement, and Chriss regressed if anything this year.

Things you forgot:

Kokoskov turns out to be a horrible coach and is discovered to be a serial killer.

Chriss purchases a Krispy Kreme franchise and subsequently balloons to over 300 pounds.

Bender is discovered to have "tiny balls" and surgeries to correct the condition go horribly wrong.

Booker, tired of losing, quits basketball and joins a boy band and inflicts horrible agony upon his fans as his harmonies are slightly off.

Pretty sure Worm predicted last year that Josh Jackson would have committed a violent felony by this point.

Holy crap! I totally forgot about that. He did predict that Josh Jackson would commit a violent felony.

Stupidity plain and simple. No other words for that.

[Shabazz]

Here's someone who I would target now and then call it an offseason: Tomas Satoransky.

1-year, $3M left on his deal. Wiz just traded for Austin Rivers and are in the tax.

[INFORMER]

Here's someone who I would target now and then call it an offseason: Tomas Satoransky.

1-year, $3M left on his deal. Wiz just traded for Austin Rivers and are in the tax.

He is one of my 2019 free agency targets.

[AmareIsGod]

I think Chriss and Bender haven't shown enough improvement to warrant more optimism.

I don't think Ariza helps us at all, anywhere really.

I wonder where the hell Bridges or Jackson will find minutes with the other 3 SFs we have that we're paying 35 million for.

Jackson will get better, but he's unlikely to become a great 3 point shooter, which is what we desperately need. (His FT% says it's unlikely, they're highly correlated)

I don't think Booker will suddenly be an ace on defense.

I think Ayton's awful defense will be exacerbated by being a rookie. He's going to have a hard time helping us on the court as a rookies (seriously, Kevin Durant was a net -8.8 points per 48 in his first year)

I don't believe that Knight is a big improvement over the flotsam and jetsam we had at PG last year.

So, Jackson will be a little better, but he's not going to help on offense. Ayton will need a year before he's a net positive. Bridges will have little impact with 4 other SFs on the team. Bender and Chriss have both been awful in their first two seasons. Bender shows negligible improvement, and Chriss regressed if anything this year.

Things you forgot:

Kokoskov turns out to be a horrible coach and is discovered to be a serial killer.

Chriss purchases a Krispy Kreme franchise and subsequently balloons to over 300 pounds.

Bender is discovered to have "tiny balls" and surgeries to correct the condition go horribly wrong.

Booker, tired of losing, quits basketball and joins a boy band and inflicts horrible agony upon his fans as his harmonies are slightly off.

Pretty sure Worm predicted last year that Josh Jackson would have committed a violent felony by this point.

Holy crap! I totally forgot about that. He did predict that Josh Jackson would commit a violent felony.

Stupidity plain and simple. No other words for that.

What was his reasoning? Because he made some threats towards a female basketball player at a bar?

[TOO]

Things you forgot:

Kokoskov turns out to be a horrible coach and is discovered to be a serial killer.

Chriss purchases a Krispy Kreme franchise and subsequently balloons to over 300 pounds.

Bender is discovered to have "tiny balls" and surgeries to correct the condition go horribly wrong.

Booker, tired of losing, quits basketball and joins a boy band and inflicts horrible agony upon his fans as his harmonies are slightly off.

Pretty sure Worm predicted last year that Josh Jackson would have committed a violent felony by this point.

Holy crap! I totally forgot about that. He did predict that Josh Jackson would commit a violent felony.

Stupidity plain and simple. No other words for that.

What was his reasoning? Because he made some threats towards a female basketball player at a bar?

Yeah it stemmed from whatever happened when Jackson was in college.

[Shabazz]

Kevin Ray is really rockin the shit in this Nugenix commercial.

[In2ition]

I think we’re too used to having a star point guard as Suns fans. Most championship teams don’t have all-star point guards, whether it’s the Bulls/Rockets in the ‘90s, Lakers in the 2000s, or Heat in the 2010s.

Yes, but... the way the game is played and officiated nowadays has changed the worth of the PG and Center. Obviously, pg is really important now. Cleveland wasn't as lethal without Kyrie and three of the last four championships where won by Curry and GSW. I think you are best to have a balanced team with stars at pg and around.

I look at it more long-term than that. Since 1990, Tony Parker (twice) and Steph Curry (three times) are the only two point guards to win a championship in the same year they made an all-star team. The other 23 years it didn’t happen. If we can develop a “Shaq and Kobe 2.0” type of team, I don’t think we’ll need an all-star PG.

Didn't Kyrie make the All-Star team in 2016? I'm just saying that I think you will see it happen more often now. Back when Shaq was winning, he could ignore his man, knowing that he wouldn't be a threat out to the 3 pt line, and Kobe and the other perimeter players would pressure the opposing guards and wings to put it on the floor and attack the basket only to be funneled to Shaq who would swat them. Now, those centers are switched and have to protect the 3 pt line and can't just seemingly camp in the lane.

[JeremyG]

I think we’re too used to having a star point guard as Suns fans. Most championship teams don’t have all-star point guards, whether it’s the Bulls/Rockets in the ‘90s, Lakers in the 2000s, or Heat in the 2010s.

Yes, but... the way the game is played and officiated nowadays has changed the worth of the PG and Center. Obviously, pg is really important now. Cleveland wasn't as lethal without Kyrie and three of the last four championships where won by Curry and GSW. I think you are best to have a balanced team with stars at pg and around.

I look at it more long-term than that. Since 1990, Tony Parker (twice) and Steph Curry (three times) are the only two point guards to win a championship in the same year they made an all-star team. The other 23 years it didn’t happen. If we can develop a “Shaq and Kobe 2.0” type of team, I don’t think we’ll need an all-star PG.

Didn't Kyrie make the All-Star team in 2016? I'm just saying that I think you will see it happen more often now. Back when Shaq was winning, he could ignore his man, knowing that he wouldn't be a threat out to the 3 pt line, and Kobe and the other perimeter players would pressure the opposing guards and wings to put it on the floor and attack the basket only to be funneled to Shaq who would swat them. Now, those centers are switched and have to protect the 3 pt line and can't just seemingly camp in the lane.

Kyrie actually was not an all-star that year. But he has been an all-star 5 of the past 6 years, so I’ll give that one to you lol!

[Hermen]

I think we’re too used to having a star point guard as Suns fans. Most championship teams don’t have all-star point guards, whether it’s the Bulls/Rockets in the ‘90s, Lakers in the 2000s, or Heat in the 2010s.

Yes, but... the way the game is played and officiated nowadays has changed the worth of the PG and Center. Obviously, pg is really important now. Cleveland wasn't as lethal without Kyrie and three of the last four championships where won by Curry and GSW. I think you are best to have a balanced team with stars at pg and around.

I look at it more long-term than that. Since 1990, Tony Parker (twice) and Steph Curry (three times) are the only two point guards to win a championship in the same year they made an all-star team. The other 23 years it didn’t happen. If we can develop a “Shaq and Kobe 2.0” type of team, I don’t think we’ll need an all-star PG.

Didn't Kyrie make the All-Star team in 2016? I'm just saying that I think you will see it happen more often now. Back when Shaq was winning, he could ignore his man, knowing that he wouldn't be a threat out to the 3 pt line, and Kobe and the other perimeter players would pressure the opposing guards and wings to put it on the floor and attack the basket only to be funneled to Shaq who would swat them. Now, those centers are switched and have to protect the 3 pt line and can't just seemingly camp in the lane.

Kyrie actually was not an all-star that year. But he has been an all-star 5 of the past 6 years, so I’ll give that one to you lol!

Don't step back now, it was a great trap!

[UglyTruth]

I think we’re too used to having a star point guard as Suns fans. Most championship teams don’t have all-star point guards, whether it’s the Bulls/Rockets in the ‘90s, Lakers in the 2000s, or Heat in the 2010s.

Yes, but... the way the game is played and officiated nowadays has changed the worth of the PG and Center. Obviously, pg is really important now. Cleveland wasn't as lethal without Kyrie and three of the last four championships where won by Curry and GSW. I think you are best to have a balanced team with stars at pg and around.

I look at it more long-term than that. Since 1990, Tony Parker (twice) and Steph Curry (three times) are the only two point guards to win a championship in the same year they made an all-star team. The other 23 years it didn’t happen. If we can develop a “Shaq and Kobe 2.0” type of team, I don’t think we’ll need an all-star PG.

The way basketball was played in the 1990s is a lot different than how it’s played in the last half a dozen years. The game has changed. Shooters are more prioritized than post players. Trae Young is being drafted ahead of guys like Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter. None of this would have been true in the 90s or even the 2000s.

[JeremyG]

I look at it more long-term than that. Since 1990, Tony Parker (twice) and Steph Curry (three times) are the only two point guards to win a championship in the same year they made an all-star team. The other 23 years it didn’t happen. If we can develop a “Shaq and Kobe 2.0” type of team, I don’t think we’ll need an all-star PG.

The way basketball was played in the 1990s is a lot different than how it’s played in the last half a dozen years. The game has changed. Shooters are more prioritized than post players. Trae Young is being drafted ahead of guys like Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter. None of this would have been true in the 90s or even the 2000s.

And maybe players like Ayton will start to turn that back around. If he starts dominating down low, other teams may start to emphasize that again. It goes in cycles, depending on trending styles and the league’s personnel.

The Bulls and Heat (2012/2013) won titles without a point guard or a center!

[Nodack]

I look at it more long-term than that. Since 1990, Tony Parker (twice) and Steph Curry (three times) are the only two point guards to win a championship in the same year they made an all-star team. The other 23 years it didn’t happen. If we can develop a “Shaq and Kobe 2.0” type of team, I don’t think we’ll need an all-star PG.

The way basketball was played in the 1990s is a lot different than how it’s played in the last half a dozen years. The game has changed. Shooters are more prioritized than post players. Trae Young is being drafted ahead of guys like Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter. None of this would have been true in the 90s or even the 2000s.

And maybe players like Ayton will start to turn that back around. If he starts dominating down low, other teams may start to emphasize that again. It goes in cycles, depending on trending styles and the league’s personnel.

The Bulls and Heat (2012/2013) won titles without a point guard or a center!

Talent is talent at any position.

[JustWinBaby]

If Ayton comes as advertised, an unstoppable force. He will make us competitive from day one.

I really find it hard to believe any real Suns Fan is not excited about the start of next season, especially in lieu of the crap we have had to watch for the last decade.

[In2ition]

If Ayton comes as advertised, an unstoppable force. He will make us competitive from day one.

I really find it hard to believe any real Suns Fan is not excited about the start of next season, especially in lieu of the crap we have had to watch for the last decade.

I'm excited for sure. I'm even excited to see the Summer Suns. If the rookies are as advertised and Chriss, Bender and Jackson can take a significant leap(not an unreasonable request), this team could be deep, talented and super fun to watch.

[n4th4n]

If Ayton comes as advertised, an unstoppable force. He will make us competitive from day one.

I really find it hard to believe any real Suns Fan is not excited about the start of next season, especially in lieu of the crap we have had to watch for the last decade.

I think if that is the standard we are establishing for Ayton out of the gate, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. He is super talented. And more than ready from a physical standpoint. But he is still a rookie. And rookie almost NEVER contribute to winning. Especially when they are playing on an incredibly young team. This is going to be another year of ups and downs. But I think we can safely say the high will be much higher and much more frequent. While the lows will be fewer and farther between. Hopefully, they are less soul-crushing as well!!

[INFORMER]

And rookie almost NEVER contribute to winning.

Donovan Mitchell says hello.

[TOO]

And rookie almost NEVER contribute to winning.

Donovan Mitchell says hello.

Tell him I say hi.


Also, that team was below average without Gobert.