The only time Bryant was defending Booker, the young Suns sensation tried one of Bryant's well-known moves.
"He went straight to my move," Bryant said, laughing. "You're not going to beat me on my move, man. But it was great to see. It was absolutely great to see. I did the same thing with M.J. (Michael Jordan)."
Bryant gave Booker encouragement and a pair of autographed shoes, marveling at the fact the Suns rookie wasn't even born when Bryant started playing.
Bryant and Kevin Garnett are the only active players who played in an NBA game against Booker's father, Melvin.
At 36, Phoenix interim coach Earl Watson is a year younger than Bryant.
"Too little, too late, too unbothered."
- Phoenix Suns 2023-2024 season motto.
It was a fun game to watch for me. Both teams seemed to want the win. The announcer said it was like a playoff atmosphere.
After Kobe knocks in two bombs in a row making it interesting in the end and bringing the Laker crowd to life. EJ says no other Laker should shoot the ball now. Kobe didn't get the ball again and the Suns put it away. Kobe just shook his head.
Too many loud obnoxious Laker Fans but they got real quiet at the end.
Leuer with player of the game. Len our streaky center was a little off. The announcers talking about what a great month Tucker is having but, on here he never seems to play good. Guard Kobe, get 13 rebounds and 6 assists and 6 points and no love. Booker is awesome. I like his feistiness. He has learned to talk shit well.
Isn't Budinger the only other 3 on the team though? I'm not sure anyone would be much happier with him getting more minutes. And with Tucker's 9 shots it's not like he's stealing the spotlight.
Though I suppose if they played Dragic at the 3, they could try it with Goodwin or Jenkins.
When in tank mode I want pieces of the future out there as much as possible regardless of position. I don't care if there are 4 guards out there at once. Winning should be least of their worries. Playing time and getting experience should be priority #1. No excuse for Tucker to play that many minutes. We're mathematically eliminated for fuck sakes BUT Watson is obviously trying to win to get the interim tag removed so there you go.
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I don't think Archie is considered a piece of the future. Not sure why, but they seem to be treating him as a lost cause. That leaves only the d-league signing without minutes.
I also believe it's better for Booker to play in a "serious" line-up rather than with 3 other guards.
As much as we want to develop the young guys, PJ plays harder than anyone out there. He tries to do way too much after a while, but that is better than not trying to do enough.
Indy wrote:As much as we want to develop the young guys, PJ plays harder than anyone out there. He tries to do way too much after a while, but that is better than not trying to do enough.
Indy wrote:As much as we want to develop the young guys, PJ plays harder than anyone out there. He tries to do way too much after a while, but that is better than not trying to do enough.
Green font?
Nope. And I am as sick of seeing him here as you are (maybe a little less), but I can completely understand why any coach would play him so much. He certainly isn't more talented or more athletic than the bottom of the bell curve, but he still outworks his opponents. That is something the greatest players have to have, even when they are more athletic and more talented. You don't get to be the best player in the league without working harder than your competition. Too many players want to get by on their skills, not their hard work. PJ is a great lesson in that.
That said, I will be happy to see that role filled by a different player next year. And some year, I want the hardest working player on both end of the court, to also be our best player.
I don't blame Watson in the least for playing PJ as much as he has. If I'm a coach and I'm trying to win games, I would do the same.
Sure, I understand it from a fan perspective why you'd rather see the young guys get the majority of the minutes but as a coach, I'm doing everything I can to win.
"Too little, too late, too unbothered."
- Phoenix Suns 2023-2024 season motto.
Even the best player in the NBA, who is also the hardest worker, should rarely play 43 minutes in a game. PJ played the entire first quarter, the last 7 minutes of the second and the entire second half. That's ridiculous. Watson done that with Booker too - also ridiculous. And it's not like the Lakers had some perimeter star that PJ needed to "shut down." They were playing Metta for large stretches and he's one of the biggest offensive zeros in the NBA.
I know Watson is trying to win games, but the organization needs to get on the same page about what the priorities should be at this point. We could have won this game and given Jenkins and Budinger (who we're obviously evaluating) some more burn and Goodwin a minute or two as well.
Watson is trying to hold onto his job. So is everybody else. How does Watson hold onto that job? By impressiing management. How does he do that? Win games or just play the young guys and try to lose? Either way it seems like he is doomed from the start.
Archie has had trouble cracking the rotation since he was drafted. He has been around now for a few years and is still a rookie appearently. Booker is a true rookie and has become our #1 guy. If I were Archie I would be nervous. Not cracking this rotation means you are doing something wrong.
Agreed, 'Dack. Management will want Knight to play as much as possible; they have a bunch of greenbacks invested in him. Ditto w/Chandler, when he's healthy. Tucker is the hustling face of the franchise, so he's going to play major minutes. He's an eggbeater in a vat of thick pudding, but his effort is always there.
As for Archie, he'd be fine if he was about 3-4 inches taller and about 20 lbs heavier. Then he could play small forward. But he's stuck at guard, where his decisions are erratic, at best, and his jumper comes and goes. Not a great CV for a combo guard.
