Game Day: Clippers (53-28) @ Suns (22-59), Wed 4/13/16

[carey]

https://twitter.com/Suns/status/720479402795081728 Someone thinks they'll be around next year....

[Mori Chu]

RIP, 2015-16 Suns. GTFO.

[Indy]

If anybody is watching this game instead of Warriors / Grizzlies, I don't know what to tell you.

Eh, no other team in the NBA matters to me.

Right.

[Indy]

If the Suns are on I watch them, thick or thin and especially the last game of the year.

Watching the game hearing EJ praising Tucker over and over thinking how many here are cringing. Then again not many are watching so maybe a moot point.

I don't think people here hate PJ. We just hate +35 mpg PJ. And "I wanna be like Mike" PJ. I think we love his effort.

[Shabazz]

If the Suns are on I watch them, thick or thin and especially the last game of the year.

Watching the game hearing EJ praising Tucker over and over thinking how many here are cringing. Then again not many are watching so maybe a moot point.

I don't think people here hate PJ. We just hate +35 mpg PJ. And "I wanna be like Mike" PJ. I think we love his effort.

Yup.

[Ring_Wanted]

If the Suns are on I watch them, thick or thin and especially the last game of the year.

Watching the game hearing EJ praising Tucker over and over thinking how many here are cringing. Then again not many are watching so maybe a moot point.

I don't think people here hate PJ. We just hate +35 mpg PJ. And "I wanna be like Mike" PJ. I think we love his effort.

Ha! Yeah, those fastbreaks where PJ grabs the ball with just one hand for a layup that inevitably is botched.

I have no problem keeping PJ and Chandler, but they'd make a nice package for some playoff team in need of toughness.

[Nodack]

If the Suns are on I watch them, thick or thin and especially the last game of the year.

Watching the game hearing EJ praising Tucker over and over thinking how many here are cringing. Then again not many are watching so maybe a moot point.

I don't think people here hate PJ. We just hate +35 mpg PJ. And "I wanna be like Mike" PJ. I think we love his effort.

I think players need to evolve to last. "Wanna be like Mike" implies to me going to the hoop and making crazy shots.

As EJ noted, PJ has stepped up his game this year adding an inside presence and not just bombing away in the corner. Just being a bomber makes you predictable and easier to guard. Adding an inside presence I think should be mandatory for every player who wants to be in the league very long. PJ has done a pretty good job at evolving his game. He has been very effective around the hoop IMO this year.

You are mostly just talking minutes played and his inside moves. As far as minutes goes he must deserve it. Other guys do get time. Leuer has been in and out all year. Players shying away from what they are not good at and known for. As a musician I have a problem with that. Telling somebody to not do something because they aren't great at it is the same as telling them to never do that thing. If you never do that thing you wil never get good at doing that thing. I went through that as a musician. This being a sucky year sounds like the perfect time to practice your moves.

Mirza has done it this year. He was just a bomber with spot minutes to start. Then got a rhythm/minutes and became an assassin from deep. Then the league figured it out and started guarding him closer. Then he started driving the ball. I don't know the stats and I'm sure I'll be corrected but, It seemed like half of Mirzas points tonight came in the paint.

Booker same thing this year.

It seems all the bombers went through the the same thing and evolved their inside game. That's progress.

Williams? A North High graduate plays and has the game of his life. A double double and I don't know how many blocks. Way to make a statement. I hope he gets a chance. At first I thought he was just a publicity stunt being a home town guy but, he was a problem for the Clippers.

Yes they won and ruined everything. The guys playing are playing for their survival. They care more about having a job next year than a ping pong ball. The Clippers rested pretty much everybody. They deserved to be bit in the ass for disrespecting the Suns like that. Doc will just use it as motivation for the playoffs and maybe decide a little playing time from it.

I enjoyed the game. It had some highlights. The wrap around pass from Leuer to Len was awesome!

[Superbone]

Don't know if we are keeping Williams or not but, he is chewing up the Clippers. He scores a bucket, blocks the next Clipper shot, hits the next shot for the Suns and them makes a steal on the next play. I am watching the game tape delayed so I am an hour or so late.

I was happy for Williams tonight. He had a great night.

[Superbone]

Great thoughts, Nodack. I'm with you.

[Ring_Wanted]

PJ shot 41.5% in the paint (47% in the post). That's liability territory. 80%+ is nuts (DeAndre), 70%+ is elite (Griffin, Adams, Valanciunas, Noel, Chandler, Howard). ~60% is good.

Teletovic shot 439 threes vs 167 FG in the paint (plus 136 in between).

Players want to win, of course. I'll never knock a player for trying his best to win. The tanking has to come from above. Not really mad at #4 vs #3. Could have been much worse. Could have won enough to draft #13-14 again, which could be acceptable under certain circumstances but not when your team is dumb and ugly.

At times the team looked bottomless and for a fair amount of weeks we were the worst team in the NBA.

We have Booker, though. And many picks. Plus other kids who could turn into something. Could be much worse. The FO needs to get it right this summer. It's ok to lose again next year, but do it the right way. Find a real coach and develop a real identity.

[Nodack]

The longer the same guys play together the better their chemistry. Booker became a real good passer figuring out where guys wanted him to put the ball. He had a pass into Len deep in the paint tonight and it was almost picked off. Three Clippers converged on Len when the pass came. The ball hit Len in the perfect place where only he could get it and drop it in the basket. It was perfect with no room for error. His lobs are right on target every time. I wish I could say the same for just about anybody else.

[OE32]

Len's had a disappointing season after catching fire for a few games mid-way through. But one area he's improved on throughout the year has been passing - soon as he's doubled, he kicks it out. I don't really know what else to look for in terms of improvement, though, because he looks like he could be approaching the player he will be in his prime. Curious to see what happens with his extension this summer.

[The Bobster]

Getting some player development coaches that can help players like Booker, Len, Goodwin and Warren (not to mention the young players they'll be drafting) reach their potential and improve their weaknesses should be one of the top priorities for this organization.

[Mori Chu]

Len's had a disappointing season after catching fire for a few games mid-way through. But one area he's improved on throughout the year has been passing - soon as he's doubled, he kicks it out. I don't really know what else to look for in terms of improvement, though, because he looks like he could be approaching the player he will be in his prime. Curious to see what happens with his extension this summer.

A lot of big men hit their primes later than you'd think. I do not think we have seen even close to Len's prime yet. He will keep getting better for the next 3-4 years at least. I haven't given up on him, not even close. I don't want to let him go too early like we did to Robin Lopez.

[Mori Chu]

BTW, I made some rude comments like "RIP" and "GTFO" about this season's Suns, but I wanted to clarify that this actually isn't the worst season I can remember. Those M*****l B*****y years were worse. Childress, H**o T******u, etc. Coach L*****y H****r. I was MUCH more upset those years. We don't have a good team right now, and our coach needs to go, but you can make the case that with 1-2 more good players and a good draft pick, along with guys returning from injury, that we have potential to be a lot better in the future. I'm still excited for the future.

[Indy]

If the Suns are on I watch them, thick or thin and especially the last game of the year.

Watching the game hearing EJ praising Tucker over and over thinking how many here are cringing. Then again not many are watching so maybe a moot point.

I don't think people here hate PJ. We just hate +35 mpg PJ. And "I wanna be like Mike" PJ. I think we love his effort.

I think players need to evolve to last. "Wanna be like Mike" implies to me going to the hoop and making crazy shots.

As EJ noted, PJ has stepped up his game this year adding an inside presence and not just bombing away in the corner. Just being a bomber makes you predictable and easier to guard. Adding an inside presence I think should be mandatory for every player who wants to be in the league very long. PJ has done a pretty good job at evolving his game. He has been very effective around the hoop IMO this year.

You are mostly just talking minutes played and his inside moves. As far as minutes goes he must deserve it. Other guys do get time. Leuer has been in and out all year. Players shying away from what they are not good at and known for. As a musician I have a problem with that. Telling somebody to not do something because they aren't great at it is the same as telling them to never do that thing. If you never do that thing you wil never get good at doing that thing. I went through that as a musician. This being a sucky year sounds like the perfect time to practice your moves.

Maybe I should have said LeBron or Magic. Either way, PJ tries to do things he isn't good at and it costs the team. I complete disagree with you that telling him not to do those things is bad. I don't want Chandler practicing his 3s during games. I don't want Leuer practicing his PG skills during games. I don't want Tucker pretending he is Lebron during games. It doesn't help the team.

I don't have a problem when he is fighting for O-boards inside and puts up 3 shots to make 1, because o-boards are hard to come by and he fights like crazy. But he should not be leading fast-breaks like he is Magic. He does that too often. He even looks off Price/Archie/Booker to bring the ball up himself at times. That should be curtailed immediately by Coach.

It is like Ring said--PJ is a liability in the paint, so those shots should be few and far between.

[Mori Chu]

^ Word.

[Nodack]

Chandler going for threes? Yes that's outside his comfort range as it is for 80%+ of the centers in the league. Most coaches aren't trying to force their centers to shoot threes all game.

A power forward showing an inside presence isn't all that rare in the league. I would say 99.9% of the coaches in the league want their PFs to show a presence in the paint during the game.

Chandler shooting threes is stupid.
PJ trying to score in the paint sometimes isn't stupid.

Maybe PJ bringing the ball up the court as a PG isn't what we want, but IMO he doesn't do that very often. I think he does it when he gets a rebound and thinks he is in a position to get to the hoop running it down their throats and get a foul.

PJ was good in the paint this year, not a liability IMO.

[Indy]

PJ was good in the paint this year, not a liability IMO.

I think, based on the numbers presented, he was a liability in the paint when he was trying to score. I will agree that I want him in there fighting for rebounds. He is good at that. But he isn't tall enough to be a factor in the paint when shooting, and misses the shot much more frequently than you would like from your PF.

Telling somebody to not do something because they aren't great at it is the same as telling them to never do that thing. If you never do that thing you wil never get good at doing that thing.

I don't want Chandler practicing his 3s during games. I don't want Leuer practicing his PG skills during games. I don't want Tucker pretending he is Lebron during games. It doesn't help the team.

Chandler going for threes? Yes that's outside his comfort range as it is for 80%+ of the centers in the league. Most coaches aren't trying to force their centers to shoot threes all game.

You confused me there. You said telling a player not to try something was hampering their development. I disagreed, citing several examples. Then you say, of course, that would be stupid to let a player do that.