Suns News: Week 21 (3/6 - 3/12)

[Split T]

I don’t know that I’d call an ankle sprain a significant injury. He’d maybe miss a game or 2, if that, if we were already in the playoffs. I assume we’re just being extra cautious. I guess it could be a more significant sprain, but I’m not worried at all. It’s a bummer we don’t get to keep incorporating him into the lineup, but it seemed like a pretty seamless fit already. We’ve got 6-7 games now to see if anyone else steps up and locks in a rotation spot. Feels like a big opportunity. Also would be nice to get the Booker/Ayton chemistry going.

[Split T]

There are only a few of us here who have any interest in it, but I was a heavy favorite to win the fantasy league before the KD injury.

You bastards got lucky and now you have a chance.

I was gonna beat you anyways FF haha

[ShelC]

[Flagrant Fowl]

Al is great. Legendary.

Spoiler: show/hide

I can't help but feel bad if the Suns don't win a title be for he dies.

[TOO]

Al is great. Legendary.

Spoiler: show/hide

I can't help but feel bad if the Suns don't win a title be for he dies.

Why? It's not like he was working for free.

[ShelC]

Meanwhile Shamet's been re-evaluated every week for the past 3 weeks.

[Shabazz]

I think the 3 seed is still very much in play, given Memphis has plenty of their own issues and injuries to deal with. 2 will be a challenge.

[In2ition]

"Just WIN, baby!" - Al Davis

[Split T]

We play Sacramento twice still and we beat them twice without KD already. We control our own destiny against them to catch them.

[TOO]

I'd like to stay in the top 4, the home/road splits aren't great.

[Superbone]

Al is great. Legendary.

Spoiler: show/hide

I can't help but feel bad if the Suns don't win a title be for he dies.

Why? It's not like he was working for free.

Cold, man!

[Superbone]

Meanwhile Shamet's been re-evaluated every week for the past 3 weeks.

Can we swap their evaluations?

[TOO]

Al is great. Legendary.

Spoiler: show/hide

I can't help but feel bad if the Suns don't win a title be for he dies.

Why? It's not like he was working for free.

Cold, man!

It made me chuckle.

[virtual9mm]

Al is great. Legendary.

Spoiler: show/hide

I can't help but feel bad if the Suns don't win a title be for he dies.

Why? It's not like he was working for free.

Wow. You're a jerk.

[TOO]

Al is great. Legendary.

Spoiler: show/hide

I can't help but feel bad if the Suns don't win a title be for he dies.

Why? It's not like he was working for free.

Wow. You're a jerk.

Lol.

[MightyMoog]

Meanwhile, we've all been rooting for this team for years for free. Sometimes even paying the team.

[TOO]

Meanwhile, we've all been rooting for this team for years for free. Sometimes even paying the team.

Win a title for this guy. #JusticeforMoog

[Shabazz]

From Zach Lowe’s “10 things” column:

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/inside ... us-bol-bol

7. KEEP GOING TOWARD THE BASKET, DEANDRE AYTON

Keeping Deandre Ayton was an under discussed subplot of the Phoenix Suns deal for Kevin Durant -- even if the Brooklyn Nets were never much interested in acquiring him, per league sources.

Ayton is 24. He's not the interior force proponents envisioned when the Suns took him No. 1 (over Luka Doncic), but he's a good two-way player. If Ayton and Devin Booker (just 26) remain mostly healthy over the next half-decade, that should fortify Phoenix against the severe Nets-style downside of coughing up high-end lottery picks as Durant and Chris Paul age.

Right now, Ayton is perhaps the most important non-superstar variable in the championship race -- presuming Durant returns in time and at 100% from his ankle injury. Phoenix needs him to be airtight defensively. He is one of the few bigs who can corral pick-and-rolls at the arc and fight Nikola Jokic in the post.

The combined supernova threat of Durant, Paul, and Booker -- perhaps the greatest collection of pull-up shooting and pick-and-roll ballhandling ever on one team -- will catapult Ayton into open spaces and mismatches. He has to take advantage with more ferocity.

Ayton's default direction in traffic is backward. For whatever reason, he prefers to gather and spin away from the rim for hooks. Ayton has never averaged more than three free throws per game.

Can we excise this nonsense?

[Video of DA posting up Pat Bev and Beverly stuffing him]

This is how easy it will be now: One Durant post touch triggers cascading rotations that remove Nikola Vucevic from Ayton, and end with Ayton catching down low with some combination of no one and Patrick Beverley on him. Go fast, and Ayton might rise up before Beverley completes his rotation. Ayton is 10 inches taller and 70 pounds heavier than Beverley. Forget this twirling finesse. Dunk it, and toss Beverley into the stanchion.

[AmareIsGod]

From Zach Lowe’s “10 things” column:

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/inside ... us-bol-bol

7. KEEP GOING TOWARD THE BASKET, DEANDRE AYTON

Keeping Deandre Ayton was an under discussed subplot of the Phoenix Suns deal for Kevin Durant -- even if the Brooklyn Nets were never much interested in acquiring him, per league sources.

Ayton is 24. He's not the interior force proponents envisioned when the Suns took him No. 1 (over Luka Doncic), but he's a good two-way player. If Ayton and Devin Booker (just 26) remain mostly healthy over the next half-decade, that should fortify Phoenix against the severe Nets-style downside of coughing up high-end lottery picks as Durant and Chris Paul age.

Right now, Ayton is perhaps the most important non-superstar variable in the championship race -- presuming Durant returns in time and at 100% from his ankle injury. Phoenix needs him to be airtight defensively. He is one of the few bigs who can corral pick-and-rolls at the arc and fight Nikola Jokic in the post.

The combined supernova threat of Durant, Paul, and Booker -- perhaps the greatest collection of pull-up shooting and pick-and-roll ballhandling ever on one team -- will catapult Ayton into open spaces and mismatches. He has to take advantage with more ferocity.

Ayton's default direction in traffic is backward. For whatever reason, he prefers to gather and spin away from the rim for hooks. Ayton has never averaged more than three free throws per game.

Can we excise this nonsense?

[Video of DA posting up Pat Bev and Beverly stuffing him]

This is how easy it will be now: One Durant post touch triggers cascading rotations that remove Nikola Vucevic from Ayton, and end with Ayton catching down low with some combination of no one and Patrick Beverley on him. Go fast, and Ayton might rise up before Beverley completes his rotation. Ayton is 10 inches taller and 70 pounds heavier than Beverley. Forget this twirling finesse. Dunk it, and toss Beverley into the stanchion.

This x1000.

[Kryptonic]

From Zach Lowe’s “10 things” column:

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/inside ... us-bol-bol

7. KEEP GOING TOWARD THE BASKET, DEANDRE AYTON

Keeping Deandre Ayton was an under discussed subplot of the Phoenix Suns deal for Kevin Durant -- even if the Brooklyn Nets were never much interested in acquiring him, per league sources.

Ayton is 24. He's not the interior force proponents envisioned when the Suns took him No. 1 (over Luka Doncic), but he's a good two-way player. If Ayton and Devin Booker (just 26) remain mostly healthy over the next half-decade, that should fortify Phoenix against the severe Nets-style downside of coughing up high-end lottery picks as Durant and Chris Paul age.

Right now, Ayton is perhaps the most important non-superstar variable in the championship race -- presuming Durant returns in time and at 100% from his ankle injury. Phoenix needs him to be airtight defensively. He is one of the few bigs who can corral pick-and-rolls at the arc and fight Nikola Jokic in the post.

The combined supernova threat of Durant, Paul, and Booker -- perhaps the greatest collection of pull-up shooting and pick-and-roll ballhandling ever on one team -- will catapult Ayton into open spaces and mismatches. He has to take advantage with more ferocity.

Ayton's default direction in traffic is backward. For whatever reason, he prefers to gather and spin away from the rim for hooks. Ayton has never averaged more than three free throws per game.

Can we excise this nonsense?

[Video of DA posting up Pat Bev and Beverly stuffing him]

This is how easy it will be now: One Durant post touch triggers cascading rotations that remove Nikola Vucevic from Ayton, and end with Ayton catching down low with some combination of no one and Patrick Beverley on him. Go fast, and Ayton might rise up before Beverley completes his rotation. Ayton is 10 inches taller and 70 pounds heavier than Beverley. Forget this twirling finesse. Dunk it, and toss Beverley into the stanchion.

This x1000.

I feel like the suns need to hand out signs to all the fans sitting behind the baskets saying “DUNK THAT !”