Phx-Suns.Net

Starters

G Goran Dragic (cocaptain): I’ve written this before, but it bears repeating: Dragic has been the most electrifying player to watch in the NBA this season, full stop. It is crazy to watch Dragic today and remember that his earliest NBA coaches had to urge him out of what seemed an ingrained timidity.

You want to see perhaps the most fearless performances in the NBA this season? Cue up the Suns’ two-game sweep of Indiana and watch, jaw agape, as Dragic sizes up Roy Hibbert near the basket, puts his head down, and zooms right the fuck at the league’s best rim protector. Hibbert scares the bejesus out of everyone. LeBron developed a floater for use exclusively against Hibbert, and he rarely goes to the rim against the big fella until the last two minutes of a close game in which Indiana has smashed the other parts of Miami’s offense to pieces.

Dragic didn’t give a crap. He just went right at Hibbert, and everyone else in his way this season. And the rim attacks highlight what makes Dragic so fun to watch: He’s effective both at full throttle in the open court and at slower speeds in tighter spaces. Watch his pick-and-roll drives in the half court against Hibbert and the league’s other beasts, and you’ll see Dragic use a hesitation dribble to get the big man to stand up straight — allowing Dragic to blow right past him. And if that doesn’t work, Dragic might continue on to the rim with a lefty drive, dip his right shoulder into the big’s chest, clear just enough space, and loft a lefty layup over the backpedaling post player.

He’s a wizard at all those small things — the killer step-back midrange jumper, prodding changes of direction on the pick-and-roll that confuse a defense trying to suss out help assignments on the back line:



Dragic should have made the All-Star team in the end. What a splendid season.

FC Channing Frye: Frye is the feel-good stand-in for all the league’s truly dangerous stretch power forwards — the no-brainer All-Stars too obvious to list here (Kevin Love, Dirk Nowitzki), and the slightly smaller version who has missed most of the season because of injury (Ryan Anderson).

A lot of teams shoehorn facsimiles of the stretch power forward into the role. But some of those guys either don’t shoot 3-pointers well enough to be of much danger, or need so much time to release the long ball as to be irrelevant against dialed-in defenses. Some are really just taller wings an opponent can exploit in the post on the other end.

But guys like Frye? They’re the real deal — big enough to defend power forwards (and centers, too, in Frye’s case), and with hyper-accurate 3-point shots they can release in an instant, and with a hand in their face. You have to scrap your entire game plan to account for these guys. Normally defend the pick-and-roll by having the big man guarding the screener drop down to protect the paint, like this?

FRYE1

Can’t do that against Phoenix, because it leaves Frye wide open and/or forces a third defender to fly at him from one of the corners.

FRYE2

Teams have to adapt by either switching defenders, creating two mismatches, or in some other way — perhaps by having Frye’s defender just stick to him, hoping other defenders can corral Dragic.

None of those adaptations are comfortable. Frye isn’t a post-up beast, but he’s good enough to score over smaller guys. There’s a reason Phoenix has put up nearly 113 points per 100 possessions when Dragic and Frye play together — way better than Miami’s league-best overall mark. They have been the most productive pick-and-roll combination in the league, per John Schuhmann at NBA.com.

Frye becomes dangerous just by setting a pick, and there are Phoenix baskets that happen three or four passes after that pick precisely because of how Frye’s initial screen scrambled the defense. A great comeback story.

carey wrote:I still think you guys are ignoring how unimpressive Green has been as a bench player.

Shabazz wrote:Zach Lowe wrote about his All Enjoyably To Watch Team. on Dragic:

You want to see perhaps the most fearless performances in the NBA this season? Cue up the Suns’ two-game sweep of Indiana and watch, jaw agape, as Dragic sizes up Roy Hibbert near the basket, puts his head down, and zooms right the fuck at the league’s best rim protector. Hibbert scares the bejesus out of everyone. LeBron developed a floater for use exclusively against Hibbert, and he rarely goes to the rim against the big fella until the last two minutes of a close game in which Indiana has smashed the other parts of Miami’s offense to pieces.

Dragic didn’t give a crap. He just went right at Hibbert, and everyone else in his way this season. And the rim attacks highlight what makes Dragic so fun to watch: He’s effective both at full throttle in the open court and at slower speeds in tighter spaces. Watch his pick-and-roll drives in the half court against Hibbert and the league’s other beasts, and you’ll see Dragic use a hesitation dribble to get the big man to stand up straight — allowing Dragic to blow right past him. And if that doesn’t work, Dragic might continue on to the rim with a lefty drive, dip his right shoulder into the big’s chest, clear just enough space, and loft a lefty layup over the backpedaling post player.

http://grantland.com/features/the-marc-gasol-all-stars/

Mori Chu wrote:Markieff has taken great strides, but if we start to really bet on him and depend on him, he will break our hearts. I still don't think he is consistent enough.

INFORMER wrote:

Mori Chu wrote:Markieff has taken great strides, but if we start to really bet on him and depend on him, he will break our hearts. I still don't think he is consistent enough.

His rebounding still a little lackluster too. He's really helping to drive the Suns lately, but ultimately I'm still committed to moving him and his brother.

TheOriginalOriginal wrote:Len, Dragic, Bledsoe tidbits.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/ar ... ck_check=1

Mori Chu wrote:Kirk Goldsberry of Grantland posted a nice article today about Dragic's improvement and the lethal pick and roll between him and Frye.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/how-t ... evolution/

carrrnuttt wrote:

TheOriginalOriginal wrote:Len, Dragic, Bledsoe tidbits.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/ar ... ck_check=1

Mori Chu wrote:Kirk Goldsberry of Grantland posted a nice article today about Dragic's improvement and the lethal pick and roll between him and Frye.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/how-t ... evolution/

The BB code needs to be updated to make URLs open in a new page, instead of opening in the same page, blog-style.

Superbone wrote:

carrrnuttt wrote:

TheOriginalOriginal wrote:Len, Dragic, Bledsoe tidbits.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/ar ... ck_check=1

Mori Chu wrote:Kirk Goldsberry of Grantland posted a nice article today about Dragic's improvement and the lethal pick and roll between him and Frye.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/how-t ... evolution/

The BB code needs to be updated to make URLs open in a new page, instead of opening in the same page, blog-style.

I always ctl-click to get that result.