Game Day: Suns (21-14) @ Rockets (21-11), Mon 1/5/25

[Split T]

You guys can’t see why this would feel great for KD? I know we’re on the other side of it, but it does seem like everyone puts all the blame on KD for our failed run with him. I don’t fault him for being honest and saying it felt good to beat us.

Multiple things can be true here…KD never wanted to leave and got hurt to find out we were trying to trade him and then hurt even more that we blamed our failures all on him. I think some of the failure is on him for sure, but Bud was awful, Booker wasn’t great, Beal was a disaster, Tyus Jones was abysmal…Nurkic? Plumlee? Royce stopped trying by this point in the season. Roster construction was awful.

Do I think we needed an identity change? Of course. Would that have been hard with KD still there? Absolutely…but Beal being immovable made it impossible. There was no choice but to trade KD and we have absolutely put the blame all on him as he left…of course it’s going to feel good to beat us.

[specialsauce]

KDs a ho, it was all his fault and he's a poison everywhere he goes

[Mori Chu]

Not mad about it. But this one is on the coaching staff. Blew our challenge on a long shot low reward opportunity. Best case was we’d get a foul on KD. Someone who’s never in foul trouble. We weren’t getting the ball or free throws if we won tbe challenge. In hindsight the challenge could have netted us a couple of extra possessions at the end.

It’s the second challenge this season that has cost us a game. First one being during the Laker game.

The coaching staff needs to be smarter in this area.

This is a really good point. I groaned when they did the challenge; I thought, this is low reward, we won't get much even if we do win the challenge. IMO the smartest coaches save their challenge for near the end of the game, when there is almost certain to be a crucial possession where a change of call could decide the game.

[iLLmatic]

You guys can’t see why this would feel great for KD? I know we’re on the other side of it, but it does seem like everyone puts all the blame on KD for our failed run with him. I don’t fault him for being honest and saying it felt good to beat us.

Multiple things can be true here…KD never wanted to leave and got hurt to find out we were trying to trade him and then hurt even more that we blamed our failures all on him. I think some of the failure is on him for sure, but Bud was awful, Booker wasn’t great, Beal was a disaster, Tyus Jones was abysmal…Nurkic? Plumlee? Royce stopped trying by this point in the season. Roster construction was awful.

Do I think we needed an identity change? Of course. Would that have been hard with KD still there? Absolutely…but Beal being immovable made it impossible. There was no choice but to trade KD and we have absolutely put the blame all on him as he left…of course it’s going to feel good to beat us.

Nah I disagree. I don't think everyone is putting the blame on KD for what happened last year. He's in his feelings as usual, this is nothing new with him. There were plenty of changes made to the roster and coaching staff since he left. There were a lot of Suns fans that embraced KD and wanted it to work. It's pretty shitty of him to act that way and say the things he said when he left town. Dude is not professional. I hope we make the playoffs and draw the Rockets, I'd love to see how we play them when we aren't on a back to back.

[Mori Chu]

The team didn't work, and major changes were needed. Being so top-heavy left us with awful depth and role players; we couldn't put a good enough team around KD and Book, and no incremental move would have fixed that. Trading KD was the only viable option other than a total blow-up including trading Booker AND KD and anything else we could sell off. We could have just traded Booker, but it would make no sense to keep KD around without Book; that team would have no prospects and no future. The ownership didn't want to do blow it up or trade our #1 franchise scorer, understandably, so the only real choice was to trade KD since that was the only way to replenish the roster. And it essentially did that, giving us a new starting forward in Brooks, a new starting guard/swing in Green (though injured) and a pick used to select a future center. We also got some 2nds and flexibility that let us grab Williams and make a few other moves to finish out the roster. KD wasn't really the primary problem, but trading him was the solution nevertheless. And besides all that, he wasn't a perfect player and didn't always set a good example with his effort level or attitude. All the best to him in Houston, but we are better off without him now.

[Gladiator]

I understand how KD feels like that, especially as he seems to have very little self reflection or self awareness.
Sucks that he got his moment against us but doesn’t change that we are way better off without him this season.

[Split T]

To be clear, I’m not trying to revisit the trade at all. I agree it needed to happen and I’m very happy with the early returns…I just get why KD is salty.

Imagine if Jalen Green was the the one to hit a game winner over Houston and said the same thing…he was also scapegoated as the reason they lost in round 1…I think he’d rightfully feel pretty good about it…not sure he’d be as open an honest about letting the media know as KD was, but he’d feel the same way.

[Mori Chu]

On the subject:

[Uncle_Gene]

KD wasn't the scapegoat. The Suns were deep in the second tax apron and had to blow things up. After missing the playoffs and have an absolutely no cap flexibility, changes were needed. He just took it that way.