Suns News: Week 19 3/2-3/8

[O_Gardino]

If we could just show up consistently. We’d be right there. Win those 2 games against Detroit and Golden State and we’d be 9th in the west right now, tied with the Pelicans. The playoffs seem out of reach, but I’d love to see us play well to finish the season and pass a few teams. Get up to the 10 seed or so.

There is no way we can catch Memphis. We'd have to go 15-2 to end the season to hit .500 for the year (where MEM is now).

Right, I’m not expecting us to catch them. They’d have to have a major collapse for it to be even feasible. Just don’t want to see us go 4-14 to finish the season. 30 wins is an improvement. I still want 35. 9-9 gets us that.

They are capable of it, but it'll be tough without Oubre. Especially if other guys are banged up.

[Nodack]

Depends on the schedule too. The Suns seem to win the games they shouldn’t win and lose the games they should win.

[Indy]

If we could just show up consistently. We’d be right there. Win those 2 games against Detroit and Golden State and we’d be 9th in the west right now, tied with the Pelicans. The playoffs seem out of reach, but I’d love to see us play well to finish the season and pass a few teams. Get up to the 10 seed or so.

There is no way we can catch Memphis. We'd have to go 15-2 to end the season to hit .500 for the year (where MEM is now).

Right, I’m not expecting us to catch them. They’d have to have a major collapse for it to be even feasible. Just don’t want to see us go 4-14 to finish the season. 30 wins is an improvement. I still want 35. 9-9 gets us that.

Got it. I agree that 35 should be the goal for the team, even without Kelly the rest of the season. Isn't Ayton back next game?

It would be great if we can finish out the last quarter of the season at .500. Then our year would look like this:

1st Q: 9-11 (.450)
2nd Q: 8-13 (.380)
3rd Q: 7-14 (.333)
4th Q: 10-10 (.500)
-----
34 - 48 (.415)

To this point, every quarter of the year has had a higher win % than any full year of Booker's career.

[In2ition]

Not bad for a guy some thought giving up Zhaire Smith and some nearly worthless Miami '21 1st was too much for.

[Indy]

Not bad for a guy some thought giving up Zhaire Smith and some nearly worthless Miami '21 1st was too much for.

This is a silly take. No first round pick is worthless. And giving up 2 first round picks for a guy that until a month ago couldn't hit a 3 to save his life is a LOT. I am extremely happy to see that he is getting away from the hitch that ruined his shot, while continuing to play very good defense. I really want to see his shooting stick around for a season while getting up a lot of shots in game. His last month has been really encouraging.

[SunsRIt]

Not bad for a guy some thought giving up Zhaire Smith and some nearly worthless Miami '21 1st was too much for.

This is a silly take. No first round pick is worthless. And giving up 2 first round picks for a guy that until a month ago couldn't hit a 3 to save his life is a LOT. I am extremely happy to see that he is getting away from the hitch that ruined his shot, while continuing to play very good defense. I really want to see his shooting stick around for a season while getting up a lot of shots in game. His last month has been really encouraging.

I can name a few off the top of my head that were pretty worthless.

[In2ition]

Not bad for a guy some thought giving up Zhaire Smith and some nearly worthless Miami '21 1st was too much for.

This is a silly take. No first round pick is worthless. And giving up 2 first round picks for a guy that until a month ago couldn't hit a 3 to save his life is a LOT. I am extremely happy to see that he is getting away from the hitch that ruined his shot, while continuing to play very good defense. I really want to see his shooting stick around for a season while getting up a lot of shots in game. His last month has been really encouraging.

In the hands of the Sarver & Jones Suns makes it nearly worthless. It will be end of the 1st round and would have been sold for cash or thrown in to get rid of an unwanted player. Can you tell me I'm wrong? You wouldn't want Mikal over Smith & Rudy Fernandez/cash?

[Shabazz]

And I have really liked the resurgent I-need-my-next-contract-and-it-won't-come-from-sitting-on-the-bench Dario.

His play hasn't moved the needle for me...yet. I feel it has been a case of "too little, too late." I am a fan of his talent/potential, but I haven't seen enough to make me want him back next year.

I'd take him back on the QO.

[Indy]

Not bad for a guy some thought giving up Zhaire Smith and some nearly worthless Miami '21 1st was too much for.

This is a silly take. No first round pick is worthless. And giving up 2 first round picks for a guy that until a month ago couldn't hit a 3 to save his life is a LOT. I am extremely happy to see that he is getting away from the hitch that ruined his shot, while continuing to play very good defense. I really want to see his shooting stick around for a season while getting up a lot of shots in game. His last month has been really encouraging.

In the hands of the Sarver & Jones Suns makes it nearly worthless. It will be end of the 1st round and would have been sold for cash or thrown in to get rid of an unwanted player. Can you tell me I'm wrong? You wouldn't want Mikal over Smith & Rudy Fernandez/cash?

So your argument is that we know we can't make good draft choices so we traded two for one. I just don't see the logic there. I do see a path for Mikal to be worth two mid-first to late first round picks, but he isn't there yet. He needs to show he can do what he did the last month for an entire season.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

My take would be about how quickly we dismiss a player instead of being emphatic. A month ago he couldn’t shoot, right now he is our best shooter, next month... who knows!!! But in this era of instant gratification, we can’t stand for a roller coaster year from a young, unproven boy, who happens to have elite potential, but needs time to put it ALL together. Same with Ayton. Bender cracked under this pressure, as Zarko did after Fortson.

And we talk about them like they were not humans.