2018 Suns Offseason News

[INFORMER]

you think steph had better teammates at davidson?

Also a good point.

[Split T]

westbrook also led the nba in assists once.

You're right, Westbrook did, but comparing Trae to Westbrook would be a mistake. Honestly, if you watched him play much, he is a mix of Steve Nash and Steph Curry and no where near a Westbrook type. Who wouldn't like that on your team?

he is high usage rate with poor shot selection. more wrstbrook than nash.

That's more out of necessity than actual style. I'm not a huge Trae fan, but his lack of good teammates forced him to play differently than he's going to in the NBA.

you think steph had better teammates at davidson?

No, but I don't think Trae is Steph Curry.

Also, Curry played in what ever division Davidson is in against mostly teams filled with guys exactly like his teammates. Curry played really well in the tournament as well, but teams don't really have a chance to prepare for who they are playing in the tournament. Trae was pretty dominant in non conference play, his conference figured him out a bit and he struggled.

[carey]

https://twitter.com/Gambo987/status/1006012811095433216

[Superbone]

https://twitter.com/Gambo987/status/1006012811095433216

Hmm. Never heard of either of them.

[Wally_West]

I found this article about Jason Staudt. Seems like a nice guy.

http://pressreporter.com/Content/News/S ... t/1/4/5366

[Superbone]

Here's what I found on Staudt:

Staudt spent seven seasons with the Bucks, working under head coaches Terry Stotts, Larry Krystkowiak and Scott Skiles.

Terry Stotts hired Jason Staudt to replace John McCollough, bringing a person with nearly two decades of NBA scouting experience to the organization. Staudt spent the last four seasons as the Houston Rockets' advance scout, but was let go when Mike D'Antoni became Houston's coach over the summer. He has worked for multiple NBA and CBA teams over the years, including the Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers.

When Stotts became head coach of the Bucks in 2005, he hired Staudt to be his video coordinator, a job he held until 2012, when he joined the Rockets. Staudt also has a coaching background, having served as a head coach in the CBA and an assistant coach with the Georgian National Team.

"His work ethic, his basketball knowledge, he knows the league," Stotts said, when asked what he liked about Staudt. "He's also worked for Scott Skiles, who is a very detailed coach. Jason has a lot of good experience."

Staudt comes to Houston after working seven years as video coordinator for the Milwaukee Bucks. Part of his responsibilities with the Bucks was preparing videos on upcoming opponents and scouting tapes on college and international prospects. Prior to joining Milwaukee, Staudt was an assistant coach with the Idaho Stampede of the CBA. Following the CBA season, he served as an advance scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers. A native of Lamesa, Texas, Staudt also worked for the Orlando Magic (2001-04), where be served as an intern, then as video coordinator, and his final season with the Magic, as video coordinator and advance scout. In addition to the NBA, Staudt worked abroad with the Georgian National Team, serving as an assistant coach.

[Superbone]

Devin Smith was a professional basketball player overseas that just retired from playing last September:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devin_S ... asketball)

[Mori Chu]

I am not that excited about Trae Young any more. I thought he looked great at the start of the college season, but it seemed like defenses figured him out and they were able to shut him down. He might still be a good pro, but it seems like he's not the superstar/phenom I once thought he was.

I'm a little leery of guys billed as the "next Steph Curry." Curry is amazing, and I'd love to have a guy like that on the Suns. But I think he's a once in a generation talent, maybe once ever. His style of play only works because he is ridicuously good at shooting 3s. If he were a little bit less accurate, he would be an offensive liability who chucks too many shots and takes crazy 30-footers that clang off the rim. I guess what I'm saying is that an 85%-as-good Curry is actually a bad NBA player who you don't want on your team. But a 100%-as-good Curry is a Hall of Famer. Trae looks more like an 85%er to me.

But I admit that all of my college takes are surface-level and likely to be wrong. I would still be happy to have Trae if we could get him without surrendering a crucial asset.

[UglyTruth]

Spoiler: show/hide

https://twitter.com/Gambo987/status/1006012811095433216

Hmm. Never heard of either of them.

https://twitter.com/esidery/status/1006023271643373569

[TOO]

That's good IMO, europeans seem to value fundamentals, team ball, passing, and actual offense to just iso 3pt chucker bullshit. Hopefully we play something that is enjoyable to watch on both ends.

[UglyTruth]

That's good IMO, europeans seem to value fundamentals, team ball, passing, and actual offense to just iso 3pt chucker bullshit. Hopefully we play something that is enjoyable to watch on both ends.

If only there was an European player with the talent to be drafted at #1 overall...

[UglyTruth]

Devin Smith was a professional basketball player overseas that just retired from playing last September:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devin_S ... asketball)

This seems like a hire that's made exclusively for Bender. I expect him to be like Bender's personal development coach. This may be the last draw for Bender before the Suns cut bait if he remains to be a meme for John Olliver to use.

https://twitter.com/BrightSideSun/status/1006037975052967936

[TOO]

That's good IMO, europeans seem to value fundamentals, team ball, passing, and actual offense to just iso 3pt chucker bullshit. Hopefully we play something that is enjoyable to watch on both ends.

If only there was an European player with the talent to be drafted at #1 overall...

I've made my peace with not getting Bamba or Doncic, you should too.

[O_Gardino]

You're right, Westbrook did, but comparing Trae to Westbrook would be a mistake. Honestly, if you watched him play much, he is a mix of Steve Nash and Steph Curry and no where near a Westbrook type. Who wouldn't like that on your team?

he is high usage rate with poor shot selection. more wrstbrook than nash.

That's more out of necessity than actual style. I'm not a huge Trae fan, but his lack of good teammates forced him to play differently than he's going to in the NBA.

you think steph had better teammates at davidson?

No, but I don't think Trae is Steph Curry.

Also, Curry played in what ever division Davidson is in against mostly teams filled with guys exactly like his teammates. Curry played really well in the tournament as well, but teams don't really have a chance to prepare for who they are playing in the tournament. Trae was pretty dominant in non conference play, his conference figured him out a bit and he struggled.

What makes Steph special isn't his college play. As a freshman, he really didn't do anything besides shoot. What made the difference between the Steph we have and the floor Steph teams were worried about is his continued development. He does a ton of stuff now that he couldn't do in college - especially in his freshman season.

The question with Trae is how much his game will improve.

[O_Gardino]

I am not that excited about Trae Young any more. I thought he looked great at the start of the college season, but it seemed like defenses figured him out and they were able to shut him down. He might still be a good pro, but it seems like he's not the superstar/phenom I once thought he was.

I'm a little leery of guys billed as the "next Steph Curry." Curry is amazing, and I'd love to have a guy like that on the Suns. But I think he's a once in a generation talent, maybe once ever. His style of play only works because he is ridicuously good at shooting 3s. If he were a little bit less accurate, he would be an offensive liability who chucks too many shots and takes crazy 30-footers that clang off the rim. I guess what I'm saying is that an 85%-as-good Curry is actually a bad NBA player who you don't want on your team. But a 100%-as-good Curry is a Hall of Famer. Trae looks more like an 85%er to me.

But I admit that all of my college takes are surface-level and likely to be wrong. I would still be happy to have Trae if we could get him without surrendering a crucial asset.

Well said.

[O_Gardino]

Devin Smith was a professional basketball player overseas that just retired from playing last September:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devin_S ... asketball)

This seems like a hire that's made exclusively for Bender. I expect him to be like Bender's personal development coach. This may be the last draw for Bender before the Suns cut bait if he remains to be a meme for John Olliver to use.

https://twitter.com/BrightSideSun/status/1006037975052967936

I know a lot of folks around here are impatient with Bender and consider him an obvious failure, but I don't think the Suns are even close to that conclusion.

They drafted a project who improved a lot in his second season.

There's no way McD is in his office saying "this is the last draw for Bender!" More likely, he saying "If Bender can keep improving like he has, he'll be a good player for us."

[O_Gardino]

Spoiler: show/hide

https://twitter.com/Gambo987/status/1006012811095433216

Hmm. Never heard of either of them.

https://twitter.com/esidery/status/1006023271643373569

I hope we are getting the best basketball coaches in Europe, and not just buddies. There is a lot of people just hiring their buddies in the NBA.

[ShelC]

Prunty's a vet. He's been around for a long time with multiple teams.

[In2ition]

Devin Smith was a professional basketball player overseas that just retired from playing last September:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devin_S ... asketball)

This seems like a hire that's made exclusively for Bender. I expect him to be like Bender's personal development coach. This may be the last draw for Bender before the Suns cut bait if he remains to be a meme for John Olliver to use.

https://twitter.com/BrightSideSun/status/1006037975052967936

In that pic, I'm imagining him passing the ball to Dragan in a shooting session and getting frustrated and yelling at him, "More ARRRRCCCCC!"

[jonh]

In that pic, I'm imagining him passing the ball to Dragan in a shooting session and getting frustrated and yelling at him, "More ARRRRCCCCC!"

I keep wondering why he wrapped a basketball around his left elbow.