Knights of the round table

[carey]

Do you expect any player to turn down a max contract? Tell me which player would. Can't knock him for that. We brought him in with the explicit intention of playing him as a SG next to Bledsoe and offered him the max because that was the vision of the FO. Then when the experiment failed and Booker emerged, we tried to make him a 6th man. I get that he didn't play well, maybe intentionally, in the role we placed upon him but this one is still on us. Can't be mad at Knight.

I'm a bit shocked you're giving him a pass. He knew what role he was signing up for when he took the contract and then was outplayed by a rookie. He is in charge of his own play and suggesting that the reason he's failing is because he doesn't have the ball in his hands constantly doesn't fly with me since that's how he plays whenever he's on the floor anyway. It just seems like you dislike the front office so much that you want to dump this whole mess on them. They aren't faultless but most of this is on Brandon Knight.

[ShelC]

I disagree.

[Superbone]

It all comes down to Jerry's decision to sell the team. I blame him.

Actually, if I hadn't been born and raised here, I probably wouldn't be a Suns fan in the first place. I blame my parents.

Me too.

As in, I blame your parents as well.

[O_Gardino]

It all comes down to Jerry's decision to sell the team. I blame him.

Actually, if I hadn't been born and raised here, I probably wouldn't be a Suns fan in the first place. I blame my parents.

Me too.

As in, I blame your parents as well.

Hold on now. What Caps parents did is perfectly natural. I would have done the same under the same circumstances. Most of us would!

[Mori Chu]

Hold on now. What Caps parents did is perfectly natural. I would have done the same under the same circumstances. Most of us would!

How dare you. Cap's mom is a saint!

[Mori Chu]

The poor handling of the Knight situation is all tied to the original horrible idea of having a platoon of PGs on the roster: Bledsoe, Dragic, and I.Thomas. When that didn't work, they tried to redo it with Bledsoe and Knight. It just doesn't work. I think the way we should have handled this was to trade Bledsoe and then let Knight start at PG. He'd be horrible, but at least he'd put up some numbers in starters' minutes. Then we could dump Knight for some kind of asset and build around our draft pick (Ball, Fultz, etc.) and Ulis as backup PG. That sounds heavenly compared to the situation we're in now.

[ShelC]

I'd honestly shut Bledsoe down and give Knight 35 minutes a game. Let him get his numbers, (hopefully) win some games, and show that he's still an effective lead guard. His numbers with the Bucks were right there when we traded for him. Get him back to that level. I just don't have much faith in our coach making him look good.

[carey]

I'd honestly shut Bledsoe down and give Knight 35 minutes a game. Let him get his numbers, (hopefully) win some games, and show that he's still an effective lead guard. His numbers with the Bucks were right there when we traded for him. Get him back to that level. I just don't have much faith in our coach making him look good.

That's quite the mental gymnastics. You're even giving Knight an out before this scenario takes place in case he fails in it. Is anything at all Knight's fault? The bad decision making, the turnovers, the awful shooting? How about the fact that he can barely dribble a basketball with defenders anywhere near him anymore? I don't get it. I'm not saying the front office and coach have no effect on a player but to say they bare the brunt of it... the sole responsibility for Knight's play... it's just mind boggling.

[Shabazz]

I'd be OK giving Knight Barbosa's minutes.

Watson said he wanted to evaluate Ulis as a lead guard and it would be difficult to do that with Knight on the floor at the same time because Knight is ball dominant. Hey Earl, how about you just coach them? "Ulis, you're the point guard. Brandon, you play off the ball." It's not so complicated.

[Superbone]

I'd be OK giving Knight Barbosa's minutes.

Watson said he wanted to evaluate Ulis as a lead guard and it would be difficult to do that with Knight on the floor at the same time because Knight is ball dominant. Hey Earl, how about you just coach them? "Ulis, you're the point guard. Brandon, you play off the ball." It's not so complicated.

Yeah, thought about that too. That last part. I don't care to watch Knight anymore his value be damned.

[JCSunsfan]

If it's August and he's still on the team, I think a buyout has to be done. You can't go into next season with him on the roster. He's dead weight. I like that he's been professional, because if I were him and his agent, I'd be going HAM on the suns. But I don't think that professionalism will last heading into next season and McD has to know that.

Why? He's responsible for how poorly he's played. He's been here for 2 years now. We've tried him in various roles and he's succeeded in none of them. I don't understand how this is the Suns' fault.

Its not. Its all Brandon Knight's problem and he has to take his medicine. The reason the Suns were not able to accommodate him in a trade is because of his poor play. He is smart. He knows it. Players like Chandler and Dudley will tell him so too.

If you want to have value in this league, play d, take good shots and pass the ball.

[JCSunsfan]

Why? He's responsible for how poorly he's played. He's been here for 2 years now. We've tried him in various roles and he's succeeded in none of them. I don't understand how this is the Suns' fault.

It's absolutely our fault asking him to play a role/position he's never played before. We've never made him the main or even 2nd option in the offense. He's been a starting, ball dominant scoring PG since he's been in the league and we've asked him to play the 2spot and then come off the bench. We did the same with Goran when we brought on Bledsoe and he was uncomfortable and asked out. If Bledsoe were injured and Knight were given the keys to the offense, I think he'd get back to being an 18-7 player same as when Bledsoe got injured 3 years ago and Goran went back to being the lead guard. McD had a vision and it failed. It's our fault.

Knight played horribly as a pg last year! He had the keys and he blew it. He got plenty of time early in this year. He did not take advantage of it. He is a pg who does not pass well, turns the ball over alot, takes low percentage shots, and does not work hard on defense. The more pt he gets the lower his value goes. As a 2 guard he is short and seems lost with the position.

There is a reason Jason Kidd traded him like a hot potato. He duped McD. I like McD, but he got taken on that one.

[O_Gardino]

The knight thing is crazy because he IS one of the young guys who we need to be working with. And yet Bled (with bad knees) is still getting 30+ and barbosa is getting 15 and even Price saw the court in the last game. So the Knight benching has nothing to do with evaluating or developing our young core. I don't know what good they think will come of this.

[Ring_Wanted]

The knight thing is crazy because he IS one of the young guys who we need to be working with. And yet Bled (with bad knees) is still getting 30+ and barbosa is getting 15 and even Price saw the court in the last game. So the Knight benching has nothing to do with evaluating or developing our young core. I don't know what good they think will come of this.

Knight has been in the league five season and played for three teams. He is a veteran, not part of our young core. And the good that comes form him not playing is that he can't mess things up if he is not on the floor. His season has been an abomination and his game doesn't really suit a team full with kids, at least if they are getting the playing time like they are right now. I think Knight needs a well stablished head coach and a veteran roster where there is no way he can feel entitled to minutes or touches, which is definitely not the case on one of the worst teams in the league.

[Mori Chu]

I think Knight has a lot of skills and should be able to be a productive NBA player. We aren't mentoring him or fixing any of his bad habits. He's regressed significantly as a player since we acquired him. A real coaching staff would be rounding him into shape instead of misusing him for half the year and benching him for the rest of the season.

[O_Gardino]

The knight thing is crazy because he IS one of the young guys who we need to be working with. And yet Bled (with bad knees) is still getting 30+ and barbosa is getting 15 and even Price saw the court in the last game. So the Knight benching has nothing to do with evaluating or developing our young core. I don't know what good they think will come of this.

Knight has been in the league five season and played for three teams. He is a veteran, not part of our young core. And the good that comes form him not playing is that he can't mess things up if he is not on the floor. His season has been an abomination and his game doesn't really suit a team full with kids, at least if they are getting the playing time like they are right now. I think Knight needs a well stablished head coach and a veteran roster where there is no way he can feel entitled to minutes or touches, which is definitely not the case on one of the worst teams in the league.

He's one year older than Williams; Knight is not a Vet. He's still very young with lots of groom to grow.

Otherwise, I agree with you. He has had a terrible year, and he does impede good play from other players because he wastes so many possessions. But it's crazy to be in this situation. They can say they are benching Chandler to give more minutes and "evaluate" Williams and Len. But it's BS to say they are benching Knight and playing Bled and LB for the same reasons. They are benching Knight because Watson can't coach him. They don't trust him to play the way they want him to play on the court.

[O_Gardino]

I think Knight has a lot of skills and should be able to be a productive NBA player. We aren't mentoring him or fixing any of his bad habits. He's regressed significantly as a player since we acquired him. A real coaching staff would be rounding him into shape instead of misusing him for half the year and benching him for the rest of the season.

"We haven't seen the real Brandon Knight." LOL.

But I agree in part. This is Knight's worst season, and it's not a lack of energy or effort.

[The Bobster]

A couple of things are obvious -

1. The Suns greatly overvalued Knight when they traded for him.
2. They have no idea what to do with him or how to fix him.

So, bad job by the GM in overpaying to acquire him and bad job by the coaching staff in handing him.

Knight has culpability in this too of course, but even at best case scenario don't see him as any more than an average NBA player.

[In2ition]

A couple of things are obvious -

1. The Suns greatly overvalued Knight when they traded for him.
2. They have no idea what to do with him or how to fix him.

So, bad job by the GM in overpaying to acquire him and bad job by the coaching staff in handing him.

Knight has culpability in this too of course, but even at best case scenario don't see him as any more than an average NBA player.

I think you can add 3. Bad job of continuing to overvalue him and handing him a large unwarranted long term contract.

[Ring_Wanted]

He's one year older than Williams; Knight is not a Vet. He's still very young with lots of groom to grow.

Five years in the league means vet to me, even if he is objectively young at 25.

They are benching Knight because Watson can't coach him. They don't trust him to play the way they want him to play on the court.

I don't know if that's the case, but I'll take no Knight on the court whatever is the reason. It got to a point where it was unbearable watching him play.