Phx-Suns.Net

Split T wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 10, 2020 7:25 am

5. Deandre Ayton and Aron Baynes together, and the vanishing of Dario Saric

The Suns are plus-6 in 50 minutes with their double-barreled center, but I'm skeptical. I get the reasoning. The Suns have to start Ayton, and Baynes has been their keystone on defense. He spaces the floor, clearing the paint for Ayton.

It just doesn't look right. Phoenix wants Baynes barricading the rim on defense, forcing Ayton to chase stretch power forwards. He is out of his depth there. Smart teams are going to run his guy off pindowns and pick-and-roll him to death.

Opponents reverse the matchups on the other end; they stick power forwards on Baynes and assign centers to jostle with Ayton. That can neuter Baynes' shooting. Power forwards are faster than centers closing out on him.

Cross-matches create chaos in transition as teams scramble to find optimal matchups, but so far that chaos seems to work more against Phoenix. Ayton is still learning the basics of NBA defense. It's asking a lot of him to toggle assignments on a dead sprint as the game whirs around him.

The Suns built their roster not to play this style. They have a decent power forward in Saric, and three rangy wings filling time there in small-ball lineups: Kelly Oubre Jr., Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson.

The Ayton-Baynes duo has marginalized Saric; he hasn't cracked 20 minutes in any of Phoenix's past five games, and didn't even reach 10 in two of them. Phoenix traded down from No. 6 in last year's draft to acquire Saric and the No. 11 pick -- which they used on Johnson. Johnson's shooting is as advertised, and he's nimbler than expected on defense.

But Saric was a key component -- a potential long-term starter. What now?

carey wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 10, 2020 10:12 am

I still don’t understand why Monty won’t give us the game one starting line-up. The big run in the third quarter that put the Suns up 20 before pissing it away? Was with that lineup. What do you think is his reason for going away from it?

INFORMER wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:31 pm

I wonder if Minnesota would be interested in bringing back Ricky Rubio. I would love to swap him for Jeff Teague, and then be able to go into the offseason shedding Teague's, TJ's, and Kaminsky's salaries, giving us possibly $36 million in cap space.

Cap wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:34 pm

INFORMER wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:31 pm

I wonder if Minnesota would be interested in bringing back Ricky Rubio. I would love to swap him for Jeff Teague, and then be able to go into the offseason shedding Teague's, TJ's, and Kaminsky's salaries, giving us possibly $36 million in cap space.

And do what with the cap space?

Cap wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:34 pm

INFORMER wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:31 pm

I wonder if Minnesota would be interested in bringing back Ricky Rubio. I would love to swap him for Jeff Teague, and then be able to go into the offseason shedding Teague's, TJ's, and Kaminsky's salaries, giving us possibly $36 million in cap space.

And do what with the cap space?

INFORMER wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:46 pm

Cap wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:34 pm

INFORMER wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:31 pm

I wonder if Minnesota would be interested in bringing back Ricky Rubio. I would love to swap him for Jeff Teague, and then be able to go into the offseason shedding Teague's, TJ's, and Kaminsky's salaries, giving us possibly $36 million in cap space.

And do what with the cap space?

See if there is a team who wants to give us a young player who averages 17 ppg, shoots 50% FG and 40% 3PTs, is on a reasonable deal and include a second pick. And all we send back is cash considerations.

specialsauce wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 7:32 pm

INFORMER wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:46 pm

Cap wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:34 pm

INFORMER wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:31 pm

I wonder if Minnesota would be interested in bringing back Ricky Rubio. I would love to swap him for Jeff Teague, and then be able to go into the offseason shedding Teague's, TJ's, and Kaminsky's salaries, giving us possibly $36 million in cap space.

And do what with the cap space?

See if there is a team who wants to give us a young player who averages 17 ppg, shoots 50% FG and 40% 3PTs, is on a reasonable deal and include a second pick. And all we send back is cash considerations.

Warren could win 5 MVPs and id still be happy we sent him on his way. One of the least enjoyable players to watch.

INFORMER wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:04 pm

I have no desire to have Warren back.

I like that Indiana was a playoff team, got another team to pay them to make them better, and are still winning team even without their star player. Conversely, the Suns were an abysmal team, that paid another team to take a good player away, so that they could pour premium resources into mediocre players to be less abysmal. So yeah. Yay.