Suns News: Week 14 1/14-1/20

[INFORMER]

Even when Ayton comes back, keep Bender in the starting lineup. Move Bridges or Warren to the bench.

[Indy]

His rolling to the basket is really nice to see, and he can rebound... nobody but Ayton does that in the starting line up.

[Mori Chu]

Bender is actually legitimately good. We talk so much about how this team needs a PF, a guy who will play good D, get rebounds, give us a few 3s and layups, set screens, score but not demand the ball, be good but not demand the max, ... Bender is *exactly* that guy. Yes, he isn't 100% ready to excel every night, but he is exactly the kind of player we need at the PF next to our other talent such as Ayton and Booker. And we have squandered him. We should have picked up his option and we should keep him on the team. The way that we have buried him as a player and undermined his confidence is criminal negligence of management of an NBA prospect.

[Split T]

Bender did most of that to himself, he’s played awful in the past

[specialsauce]

Even when Ayton comes back, keep Bender in the starting lineup. Move Bridges or Warren to the bench.

Agree.

[specialsauce]

Bender is actually legitimately good. We talk so much about how this team needs a PF, a guy who will play good D, get rebounds, give us a few 3s and layups, set screens, score but not demand the ball, be good but not demand the max, ... Bender is *exactly* that guy. Yes, he isn't 100% ready to excel every night, but he is exactly the kind of player we need at the PF next to our other talent such as Ayton and Booker. And we have squandered him. We should have picked up his option and we should keep him on the team. The way that we have buried him as a player and undermined his confidence is criminal negligence of management of an NBA prospect.

Dude, you’re dead ass wrong IMO.

He did it all to himself. He played 30 mpg and would consistently put up zeros across the stat sheet. His best skill was to take the ball and immediately pass it to the first teammate he saw.

What we’ve seen the last two games is really encouraging. He’s taking the ball to the rim and trying to make a play. I haven’t seen that from him consistently like that his entire career here. It shows his natural athletecism. I’d give him a shot now to start aside Ayton. We’ve proven the current starting lineup isn’t working and he’s earned a chance at least for a couple games.

[Superbone]

Bender is actually legitimately good. We talk so much about how this team needs a PF, a guy who will play good D, get rebounds, give us a few 3s and layups, set screens, score but not demand the ball, be good but not demand the max, ... Bender is *exactly* that guy. Yes, he isn't 100% ready to excel every night, but he is exactly the kind of player we need at the PF next to our other talent such as Ayton and Booker. And we have squandered him. We should have picked up his option and we should keep him on the team. The way that we have buried him as a player and undermined his confidence is criminal negligence of management of an NBA prospect.

Dude, you’re dead ass wrong IMO.

He did it all to himself. He played 30 mpg and would consistently put up zeros across the stat sheet. His best skill was to take the ball and immediately pass it to the first teammate he saw.

What we’ve seen the last two games is really encouraging. He’s taking the ball to the rim and trying to make a play. I haven’t seen that from him consistently like that his entire career here. It shows his natural athleticism. I’d give him a shot now to start aside Ayton. We’ve proven the current starting lineup isn’t working and he’s earned a chance at least for a couple games.

This. Old Bender deserved what he got. And maybe it even knocked some sense into him.

[Superbone]

BTW, the vote by the board is this afternoon regarding the arena renovations.

[The Bobster]

This. Old Bender deserved what he got. And maybe it even knocked some sense into him.

Keep in mind they gave 8 starts to Ryan Anderson's corpse and didn't bother to give Bender a try. Certainly he's in the category of "prove to us that you can play" but wouldn't it have made some sense to play him and give him a look rather than doing the same thing game after game and getting their asses kicked in the post playing SFs against PFs?

In the last three games Bridges has played 94 minutes and collected 1 rebound. 1.

Time to try something different.

[Split T]

Bridges should be rebounding better, but he’s playing SF and covering the top perimeter threat, who is often the pg. we’re not asking him to rebound.

And as for Bender, he sucked in summer league, sucked in preseason, and sucked in the few minutes he played early in the season. It’s easy to say now that we should have played Bender more, but he has been absolutely awful outside these last two games. Maybe he’s turned a corner, I hope he has, but let’s not pretend like we’ve been burying this bender on the bench all season. Even with these last 2 games, he’s shooting .38/.12/.63 on the season

[The Bobster]

Looking back (with 20/20 hindsight of course) Bender probably should have spent a good portion of his first year (or two) playing in the D-League and waiting for his body and game to mature. This team did him and Chriss no favors by throwing them out there every night with little chance of success.

The Suns' track record of drafting and developing big men (Len, Chriss, Bender) the last few years has been terrible/horrific/a travashamockery.

[The Bobster]

Bridges should be rebounding better, but he’s playing SF and covering the top perimeter threat, who is often the pg. we’re not asking him to rebound.

When you're getting out-rebounded by 20 rebounds a night over those three games, it's a problem.

[Split T]

Bridges should be rebounding better, but he’s playing SF and covering the top perimeter threat, who is often the pg. we’re not asking him to rebound.

When you're getting out-rebounded by 20 rebounds a night over those three games, it's a problem.

Of course, we’re not a good rebounding team and our only two consistent rebounders missed the last two games. Other players need to step up, but I’m not surprised we got killed on the glass by a team that starts towns and gibson

[Superbone]

The problem is that's we're not getting any rebounding from the PF position (Warren).

[gosuns]

Even when Ayton comes back, keep Bender in the starting lineup. Move Bridges or Warren to the bench.

I agree.

[carey]

Doubt it happens. Igor says that he sees Igor as a 4 and while I agree, Bender has had nearly all of his success playing the 5. You can't give him either Ayton's or Holmes' minutes. He's going back to the bench I bet.

[In2ition]

Doubt it happens. Igor says that he sees Igor as a 4 and while I agree, Bender has had nearly all of his success playing the 5. You can't give him either Ayton's or Holmes' minutes. He's going back to the bench I bet.

What would keep him from having success at the 4?
He would basically be doing the same thing he is now, with exception of not being the main screen setter. He is spotting up on the perimeter, and he's already taking the ball off the dribble to the basket 5 times as many times in the past 2 games as I've seen Ayton do all year. I know everyone was killing him this summer because his numbers were nonexistent, but his +/- numbers were actually really good. He provided a lot of help defense and backline defense behind for and behind Ayton, even though he didn't collect stats to quantify his impact.

[specialsauce]

Doubt it happens. Igor says that he sees Igor as a 4 and while I agree, Bender has had nearly all of his success playing the 5. You can't give him either Ayton's or Holmes' minutes. He's going back to the bench I bet.

Igor see Igor. Igor score basket.

[Indy]

Doubt it happens. Igor says that he sees Igor as a 4 and while I agree, Bender has had nearly all of his success playing the 5. You can't give him either Ayton's or Holmes' minutes. He's going back to the bench I bet.

Igor see Igor. Igor score basket.

this made me laugh much more than it should have.

[carey]

Doubt it happens. Igor says that he sees Igor as a 4 and while I agree, Bender has had nearly all of his success playing the 5. You can't give him either Ayton's or Holmes' minutes. He's going back to the bench I bet.

What would keep him from having success at the 4?
He would basically be doing the same thing he is now, with exception of not being the main screen setter. He is spotting up on the perimeter, and he's already taking the ball off the dribble to the basket 5 times as many times in the past 2 games as I've seen Ayton do all year. I know everyone was killing him this summer because his numbers were nonexistent, but his +/- numbers were actually really good. He provided a lot of help defense and backline defense behind for and behind Ayton, even though he didn't collect stats to quantify his impact.

Sorry for the typo!

The prevailing opinion on twitter is that he's too slow to play anything but 5. I disagree but that's what the thought process is.