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

Discussion of the league and of our favorite team.
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Mori Chu
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Re: Suns News: Week 21 (3/6 - 3/12)

Post by Mori Chu »

If that's what Lowe/people want from Ayton, they probably aren't going to get it. Don't ask Ayton for ferocity. Just hope he'll make the correct roll to the basket and make the layup when he receives the open pass.

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

Post by Split T »

There was a play in the Laker game last night where AD had position on a smaller player and they got it to him and he quickly rose up and dunked it. It’s the type of play where routinely Ayton is just too slow and allows the help to get there before he does anything. He’s very quick about getting that floater range shot up, but I’d love to see him be much quicker to go up and dunk it around the basket.

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

Post by Superbone »

Kryptonic wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:23 am
AmareIsGod wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:32 am
Shabazz wrote:
Fri Mar 10, 2023 11:16 pm
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 💩!”
It's not just us fans that notice this. I'm glad the national media is finally starting to pick up on it.
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specialsauce
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Re: Suns News: Week 21 (3/6 - 3/12)

Post by specialsauce »

Mori Chu wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:25 am
If that's what Lowe/people want from Ayton, they probably aren't going to get it. Don't ask Ayton for ferocity. Just hope he'll make the correct roll to the basket and make the layup when he receives the open pass.
What?

That’s ass backwards.

Don’t lower your expectations to meet his level.

He should raise his level to meet our expectations.


As a professor if someone gets a C do you just start calling 70% an A so you’re not disappointed?

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bajanguy008
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Re: Suns News: Week 21 (3/6 - 3/12)

Post by bajanguy008 »

SUNS Fan from the Land of Sun, Sea and Sand ;)

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

Post by Superbone »

That's really cool. And Archie seems like a great guy.
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Superbone
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Re: Suns News: Week 21 (3/6 - 3/12)

Post by Superbone »

specialsauce wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 11:55 am
Mori Chu wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:25 am
If that's what Lowe/people want from Ayton, they probably aren't going to get it. Don't ask Ayton for ferocity. Just hope he'll make the correct roll to the basket and make the layup when he receives the open pass.
What?

That’s ass backwards.

Don’t lower your expectations to meet his level.

He should raise his level to meet our expectations.


As a professor if someone gets a C do you just start calling 70% an A so you’re not disappointed?
100% man! That's why I'm trying to get you to raise your game too and not get stuck with blinders on for certain guys. :P
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ShelC
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Re: Suns News: Week 21 (3/6 - 3/12)

Post by ShelC »

Archie looking like he burned one a few hours before that video.

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

Post by specialsauce »

Superbone wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 1:39 pm
specialsauce wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 11:55 am
Mori Chu wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:25 am
If that's what Lowe/people want from Ayton, they probably aren't going to get it. Don't ask Ayton for ferocity. Just hope he'll make the correct roll to the basket and make the layup when he receives the open pass.
What?

That’s ass backwards.

Don’t lower your expectations to meet his level.

He should raise his level to meet our expectations.


As a professor if someone gets a C do you just start calling 70% an A so you’re not disappointed?
100% man! That's why I'm trying to get you to raise your game too and not get stuck with blinders on for certain guys. :P
You’re high off some jock ISH

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

Post by Superbone »

specialsauce wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 3:29 pm
Superbone wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 1:39 pm
specialsauce wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 11:55 am
Mori Chu wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:25 am
If that's what Lowe/people want from Ayton, they probably aren't going to get it. Don't ask Ayton for ferocity. Just hope he'll make the correct roll to the basket and make the layup when he receives the open pass.
What?

That’s ass backwards.

Don’t lower your expectations to meet his level.

He should raise his level to meet our expectations.


As a professor if someone gets a C do you just start calling 70% an A so you’re not disappointed?
100% man! That's why I'm trying to get you to raise your game too and not get stuck with blinders on for certain guys. :P
You’re high off some jock ISH
I'm pretty sure you're a huge fan and can't contain your excitement so you go the other way and hope he notices you. I've seen that behavior before. Good luck to you.
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Mori Chu
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Re: Suns News: Week 21 (3/6 - 3/12)

Post by Mori Chu »

specialsauce wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 11:55 am
Mori Chu wrote:
Sat Mar 11, 2023 8:25 am
If that's what Lowe/people want from Ayton, they probably aren't going to get it. Don't ask Ayton for ferocity. Just hope he'll make the correct roll to the basket and make the layup when he receives the open pass.
What?

That’s ass backwards.

Don’t lower your expectations to meet his level.

He should raise his level to meet our expectations.

As a professor if someone gets a C do you just start calling 70% an A so you’re not disappointed?
fwiw, I don't work as a professor any more. I now work in the software industry as a developer and technical lead; my family and I moved from the Bay Area back to Seattle. I miss teaching sometimes, but I was able to buy a better house in a quieter neighborhood, work way fewer hours now, and feel way less stress, which is important with 3 young kids. (Now when can we get a new expansion Sonics team up here?!)

As for expectations for Ayton, I don't mind having high expectations for him. But I also don't plan to get upset about things that don't matter as much. I want Ayton to be a smarter offensive player, and yeah that sometimes means more assertive shots around the basket. But he isn't going to turn into a guy who slams it on a guy and screams like Amare. I'm content with a layup or whatever shot so long as he is smart about it and takes a high-percentage shot and doesn't actively try to avoid contact.

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

Post by Split T »

Does anyone else think next season is probably our best chance at a title? Probably especially now that KD is gonna play less than 10 regular season games this year. I just think having a full off season to build the roster the way we want and to have time to build the offensive and defensive schemes.

CP3 Is really the only one who I’m worried about falling off a cliff and he kinda already did that. I don’t think there’s another huge drop coming for him next year. I think we still have a shot this year, but next year is our best shot.

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

Post by Flagrant Fowl »

Too many offseason variables to be certain. I don't know how they can get much better if they're still paying Paul and Ayton next season.

The two superstars are secure, so I'm expecting the rest of the roster to be reshaped in a way we didn't see this past offseason.
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Superbone
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Re: Suns News: Week 21 (3/6 - 3/12)

Post by Superbone »

Let’s worry about next season in the off season. I haven’t given up on this one.
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Shabazz
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Re: Suns News: Week 21 (3/6 - 3/12)

Post by Shabazz »

We’re gonna have to hope that we can convince a lot of vets to come here for the minimum this summer. Or hit an absolute home run with the TPMLE, which we likely need to re-sign Okogie.

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

Post by Split T »

Superbone wrote:
Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:07 am
Let’s worry about next season in the off season. I haven’t given up on this one.
I haven’t given up either…I just can’t stop my mind from thinking about all the possibilities, but I’ll try to contain some of them till after the season haha

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

Post by Superbone »

Split T wrote:
Sun Mar 12, 2023 8:52 am
Superbone wrote:
Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:07 am
Let’s worry about next season in the off season. I haven’t given up on this one.
I haven’t given up either…I just can’t stop my mind from thinking about all the possibilities, but I’ll try to contain some of them till after the season haha
Gotcha. I know how your mind works after all these years! :D
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Mori Chu
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Re: Suns News: Week 21 (3/6 - 3/12)

Post by Mori Chu »

It does bring a certain anxiety to know that on balance your team will be worse next season than it is this season, not better. You can argue that that wasn't true before the KD trade, given that all of our core besides CP3 were entering their primes. Now, both KD and CP3 probably get incrementally worse each passing year, and our long-term core is only Booker, Ayton, and ... Shamet? Payne?

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

Post by Split T »

I don’t really think that’s true. Maybe CP3 and KD get a little worse(though KD has shown no signs of slowing down) but that could be offset by Booker, Ayton, maybe Okogie improvements.

What I’m talking about though is we’ll be able to fine tune the roster. We’ll know what type of players we’ll need to work around KD/Book. We’ll know how Ayton fits alongside them. We’ll also have a whole offseason for the staff to develop new plays and schemes. The players will have an offseason/training camp/full regular season to get acclimated.

Ya we won’t have a ton of resources, but I also don’t think we need a ton. Jones has nailed some minimum signings in the past. We’ll have the TPMLE…we’ll have Payne and Shamet on expiring contracts that we can trade. Craig and Bazley could be re-signed or s&t for other players. We also have the Ayton and CP3 pieces. We’ll have to get creative, but we can do things.

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

Post by Superbone »

I just hope Durant can stay on the floor. This is SUCH a bummer after all we gave up. But it's wonderful when he plays.
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