Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

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carey
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Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by carey »

Weird schedule this week as we only play 2 games. The team gets a bit of a break after Thursday's game and doesn't play again until next Monday night.

Last Week's Games

vs. Philadelphia WIN! 114-109
vs. Miami LOSS 124-108
vs. Brooklyn WIN! 138-112

This Week's Games

Tuesday, November 12th vs. L.A. Lakers 9:00 PM EST
Thursday, November 14th vs. Atlanta 9:00 PM EST

Suns Stories

In case you were wondering how ESPN has us in the power rankings, we've moved up to #12. Still not in the top 10 but at least we're in the top half of the league this time! https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/280 ... ise-la-top

Devin Booker wants wins, not scoring titles, and he wants them in Phoenix Arizona - https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2019 ... ing-titles


Locked On Suns Monday: It’s been a long time since the Suns were on this side of a blowout - https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2019 ... me-blowout

'Looking forward to it': Phoenix Suns await LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers - https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/ ... 563951001/

Suns 'legit,' 'real,' 'a contender' after impressive start - https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/ ... 562024001/
Go Suns!

Og Snus!

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Superbone
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Superbone »

Thanks, carey. Bummer for us fans with so few games this week. Sucks not being able to watch them Fri-Sun.
"Be Legendary."

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Superbone
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Superbone »

carey wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 3:20 pm
In case you were wondering how ESPN has us in the power rankings, we've moved up to #12. Still not in the top 10 but at least we're in the top half of the league this time! https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/280 ... ise-la-top
Suns coach Monty Williams' 6-3 start matches the best start by a first-year coach in franchise history. Alvin Gentry, Terry Porter and Paul Westphal accomplished the same feat. The Suns were 2-7 through their first nine games last season.
Terry Porter is in that group? Yuck.
"Be Legendary."

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JeremyG
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by JeremyG »

Superbone wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 5:54 pm
carey wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 3:20 pm
In case you were wondering how ESPN has us in the power rankings, we've moved up to #12. Still not in the top 10 but at least we're in the top half of the league this time! https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/280 ... ise-la-top
Suns coach Monty Williams' 6-3 start matches the best start by a first-year coach in franchise history. Alvin Gentry, Terry Porter and Paul Westphal accomplished the same feat. The Suns were 2-7 through their first nine games last season.
Terry Porter is in that group? Yuck.
We did have a winning record that year (46-36), just didn't make the playoffs in the competitive West.
"I'm a Deandre Ayton guy."--Al McCoy, September 21, 2022.

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Superbone
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Superbone »

JeremyG wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 6:28 pm
Superbone wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 5:54 pm
carey wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 3:20 pm
In case you were wondering how ESPN has us in the power rankings, we've moved up to #12. Still not in the top 10 but at least we're in the top half of the league this time! https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/280 ... ise-la-top
Suns coach Monty Williams' 6-3 start matches the best start by a first-year coach in franchise history. Alvin Gentry, T***y P****r and Paul Westphal accomplished the same feat. The Suns were 2-7 through their first nine games last season.
T***y P****r is in that group? Yuck.
We did have a winning record that year (46-36), just didn't make the playoffs in the competitive West.
We fired Porter after the all-star break. It was a tumultuous year.
"Be Legendary."

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Superbone
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Superbone »

"Be Legendary."

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JeremyG
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by JeremyG »

Superbone wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 6:46 pm
Interestingly, Steve Kerr hit 50/50/90 for an entire season (1995-96).
"I'm a Deandre Ayton guy."--Al McCoy, September 21, 2022.

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Nodack
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Nodack »

Superbone wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 5:51 pm
Thanks, carey. Bummer for us fans with so few games this week. Sucks not being able to watch them Fri-Sun.
Not a bummer for the Suns who get some quality practice time in.

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Nodack
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Nodack »

NBA Power Rankings

https://www.nba.com/powerrankings/2019-20-week-4
NBA.com #9
Phoenix Suns
Record: 6-3
Pace: 104.0 (9) OffRtg: 110.9 (3) DefRtg: 103.7 (11) NetRtg: +7.2 (4)
Overall, Ricky Rubio hasn't shot particularly well; His effective field goal percentage of 46.6% ranks 166th among 214 players who have taken at least 50 shots. But the World Cup MVP totaled 43 points, 22 assists and just one turnover in wins over Philadelphia and Brooklyn last week, pushing the Suns into the top three in offensive efficiency. The win over Philly was about the finish, with Devin Booker scoring or assisting on 11 straight points down the stretch. The win over Brooklyn was about a 32-13 start in which the Suns made 10 straight shots. They've been the league's best first-quarter team (plus-16.7 points per 100 possessions) and their starting lineup has outscored its opponents by 19.1 per 100 in its 107 total minutes together. Only four teams (three of them bottom-10 defenses) have allowed their opponents to take a greater percentage of their shots in the restricted area, but the Suns' defense slipped out of the top 10 when they allowed Miami to shoot 15-for-28 from beyond the arc on Thursday. They're halfway through a six-game, 15-day homestand, with the Lakers and Celtics coming to Phoenix in the next eight days.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba- ... king-over/
CBS #9
Suns Is it safe to say the Suns are for real? Despite a home loss to the Heat, Phoenix continues to impress with Devin Booker averaging nearly 30 points on an absurd 67 percent field goals and 69 percent 3-pointers over the last three games. The defense slipped this week, which could be cause for concern, but they scored enough to make up for it. The Suns look like a genuine contender for a playoff spot.


Bleacher Report #9
Devin Booker scored 40 points against the Sixers last Monday, hitting a ridiculous 15 of his 19 attempts from the field, confidently staring down the Philadelphia bench after buckets and, most importantly, locking in on defense. We've seen plenty of early-season surprises so far, but the most encouraging may be Booker's commitment to playing both ends more consistently.

Booker's big game resulted in the Sixers' first loss of the year. He also crossed the 6,000-point threshold, becoming the eighth-youngest player to hit that milestone.

The Suns offense sputtered in Thursday's 124-108 home loss to the Heat, but they recovered to down Brooklyn on Sunday and complete a 2-1 week.

We're only a little over 10 percent of the way through the season, but the Suns, 6-3 with a top-10 net rating, are looking more legit by the day.

https://www.si.com/nba/2019/11/11/nba-p ... cks-lakers
Sports Illustrated #11
Monty Williams is our early favorite for Coach of the Year, and it’s not hard to see why. Phoenix’s defense has risen from 29th last season to 11th this year, receiving a major interior boost from Aron Baynes. The Australian center sports a 119.4 offensive rating, and he’s been a near-dominant pick-and-roll partner with Devin Booker. Deandre Ayton may be superfluous despite his offensive talent. Not exactly encouraging for the 2018 No. 1 pick.

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2019/10/22/nb ... ish-there/
NBC WEEK ONE #25
#25. Suns (19-63). How much does having a competent point guard in Ricky Rubio help players such as Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges get better, cleaner looks at the rim? Probably a lot. This is a team poised to make a leap and be much better than a year before, but the playoff dreams around this team are overstated. Improve by 15 games and they are still at 34 wins, which is not near enough in the West.

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Flagrant Fowl
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Flagrant Fowl »

We've avoided any serious injury so far, and I do foresee some regression to the mean on the horizon during the dog days of the season which start right around the end of the year.

I think getting Ayton back will be a significant advantage because he's still allowed to practice with the team during his suspension. He should be energized and focused on performing. That's the one thing I'm holding on to right now that could push this team into the .500 range and higher.

Over 29.5 wins is essentially a lock at this point. The team has exceeded my expectations for the first ten games, even if they lose to the Lakers. I'm still holding my breath on the playoff talk. I need to see what happens in the next 3.5 weeks, especially after our first real road trip. I have the game at Houston on December 8th as the next marker. It'll be the 22nd game of the season, and the 21st of Ayton's suspension. If we're 14-8 or better, I'll start believing in the playoffs quite a bit more.
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Nodack
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Nodack »

Deandre Ayton may be superfluous despite his offensive talent.


su·per·flu·ous
unnecessary, especially through being more than enough.

More than enough? After Baynes we have no center. Baynes is great but, can’t play the whole without going out at some point and is prone to fouls anyway. No thanks, I prefer having two competent centers. Not superfluous.
Last edited by Nodack on Tue Nov 12, 2019 12:15 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Flagrant Fowl
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Flagrant Fowl »

Deandre Ayton is quite a lot of things on a basketball court, but unnecessary to this team is certainly not one of them.
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Nodack
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Nodack »

Some of these experts don’t seem to be experts to me.

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Indy
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Indy »

JeremyG wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 7:34 pm
Superbone wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 6:46 pm
Interestingly, Steve Kerr hit 50/50/90 for an entire season (1995-96).
It is funny that his 2P FG% was less than 50% that year. :)

Also surprising a guy that can shoot that well can play nearly 2000 minutes and take less than 500 FGA.

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Mori Chu
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Mori Chu »

Here's a link to the latest Locked On Suns Podcast:


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JeremyG
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by JeremyG »

Indy wrote:
Tue Nov 12, 2019 7:34 am
JeremyG wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 7:34 pm
Superbone wrote:
Mon Nov 11, 2019 6:46 pm
Interestingly, Steve Kerr hit 50/50/90 for an entire season (1995-96).
It is funny that his 2P FG% was less than 50% that year. :)

Also surprising a guy that can shoot that well can play nearly 2000 minutes and take less than 500 FGA.
I guess there aren't very many field goal attempts available when you're playing with Michael Jordan :lol:
"I'm a Deandre Ayton guy."--Al McCoy, September 21, 2022.

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Split T
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by Split T »

6 of our 10 games have been against teams 7-3 or better right now. 3 of the final 16 games of Ayton’s suspension are against teams 7-3 or better. We’ve played a brutal schedule and it’s gonna get easier. I think 10-6 is very possible over the rest of Ayton’s suspension.

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bajanguy008
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by bajanguy008 »

Random question

Really liking what I see from Cam but my question is do y'all think he will fill out with the usual changing of diet and weight program in the off-season or at 23 he's probably gonna stay as a slim guy.

We all had fingers crossed for Mikal to start being effective off the dribble which hasn't really happened but Cam is better dribbling and quicker than I thought. I feel when he gets stronger and as guys probably start chasing him off the 3pt line that he will be quite solid going to the basket.
Every game it seems like EJ says that the other team been looking to attack him but he seems to be holding his own. Any early comps or people we will like/hope he develops into ?
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O_Gardino
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by O_Gardino »

You're right about Cam being quicker and a better ball handler than advertised. He's playing better D than I expected, too.

He'll get stronger for sure, but I don't expect him to get much bigger.
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ShelC
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Re: Suns News: Week 4 11/11-11/17

Post by ShelC »

I don't think he'll fill out and get bulkier. He's got a long, narrow frame but should be able to get stronger. He's 24 already tho so it's not like he's got much more physical development to go thru like an 18 or 19 yr old. Also not sure how much he worked out in college/UNC so maybe an NBA program can add more lean muscle. But you don't want him getting too big either.

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