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Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2026 10:06 am
by Superbone
TOO wrote: ↑Sun Apr 19, 2026 1:16 pm
I hate Doris Burke. She's a fucking idiot.
Was she rooting for the Thunder or what?!
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2026 10:17 am
by Superbone
Mori Chu wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2026 7:01 am
Shabazz wrote: ↑Sun Apr 19, 2026 4:23 pm
Let’s all be honest, if you match our best guy against theirs, our 2nd vs their 2nd, all the way down to 15th vs 15th, they win the matchup every time. We’re not in the same class as the Thunder.
This is an interesting exercise. Can we list their/our top 7-8 guys in this way?
1) SGA vs Booker - Shai wins
2) Jalen Williams vs Jalen Green - Williams wins
3) Chet Holmgren vs Dillon Brooks - Chet wins
4) Hartenstein vs Jordan Goodwin - Hartenstein wins
5) Lu Dort vs Collin Gillespie - debatable, but Dort probably wins
6) Ajay Mitchell vs Oso Ighodaro - ?
7) Isaiah Joe vs Royce O'Neale - ?
8) Alex Caruso vs Rasheer Fleming - ?
9) ...
I don't know exactly how to order each team's players, and I left out a few of ours like Williams / Grayson Allen who were hurt last night. I think it's pretty fair to say that they have a better top 3-4 than we do by a considerable margin, not only in individual talent but in terms of how well they complement each other to make a winning lineup. I think you could make a case that some of our 6th-10th men might be better than some of theirs, but only marginally so.
Our third string crushed their third string to end the season so there's that.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2026 10:18 am
by Superbone
AmareIsGod wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2026 7:09 am
At least we get the pleasure of making it to the dance and getting slaughtered.
They get playoff experience against the best team in the NBA. Even if it's only four games, it is invaluable.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2026 10:33 am
by Split T
We are truly an off-brand Thunder. We play like them, just worse.
Shai is a better Booker
I guess Jalen Williams is their Brooks and he’s way better
They’ve got 3 Jordan Goodwin’s and all might be better(Wallace, Caruso, Dort)
I guess Ajay Mitchell is their Green
Jared McCain is their better Gillespie and he doesn’t even play.
Grayson Allen might be better than Isaiah Joe…that’s our one win.
Chet/Hartenstein is way better than any C combo we have.
Jaylin Williams is better than Fleming
Kenrich Williams is better than Dunn or Highsmith
We really have no advantage here.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2026 12:02 pm
by TOO
Split T wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2026 10:33 am
We are truly an off-brand Thunder. We play like them, just worse.
Shai is a better Booker
I guess Jalen Williams is their Brooks and he’s way better
They’ve got 3 Jordan Goodwin’s and all might be better(Wallace, Caruso, Dort)
I guess Ajay Mitchell is their Green
Jared McCain is their better Gillespie and he doesn’t even play.
Grayson Allen might be better than Isaiah Joe…that’s our one win.
Chet/Hartenstein is way better than any C combo we have.
Jaylin Williams is better than Fleming
Kenrich Williams is better than Dunn or Highsmith
We really have no advantage here.
The advantage is the friends we made along the way.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2026 12:32 pm
by Aztec Sunsfan
BigLewy wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2026 8:54 am
The biggest win for me in making the playoffs is to get out of the lottery...knowing the Suns luck, they'd win the lotto in a generational year and then ship that pick off. They'll be lucky to stay within double digits in the series that will be an easy sweep, and I am totally fine with that.
There’s a big gap between both teams, but not enough to merit a triple digits difference.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2026 2:58 pm
by In2ition
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2026 5:52 pm
by Superbone
Aztec Sunsfan wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2026 12:32 pm
BigLewy wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2026 8:54 am
The biggest win for me in making the playoffs is to get out of the lottery...knowing the Suns luck, they'd win the lotto in a generational year and then ship that pick off. They'll be lucky to stay within double digits in the series that will be an easy sweep, and I am totally fine with that.
There’s a big gap between both teams, but not enough to merit a triple digits difference.
The differences are logarithmic. So, yes. Yes they are.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 6:57 am
by Mori Chu
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 8:01 am
by TOO
Tall guys good, short guys bad.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:12 am
by AmareIsGod
I don't want us to overspend on Williams. He's too injury prone. Can't even rely on him to play in our playoff games. I appreciate the good games he had this season but his availability kills us.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:24 am
by Superbone
It's going to be a veeeerrrryyy interesting off-season.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 10:38 am
by The Bobster
AmareIsGod wrote: ↑Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:12 am
I don't want us to overspend on Williams. He's too injury prone. Can't even rely on him to play in our playoff games. I appreciate the good games he had this season but his availability kills us.
I think you'd have to say the same for this year's version of Grayson Allen too.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 11:34 am
by virtual9mm
With the injury, Williams has low value right now. See what the offers look like. Match a reasonable one. Let him go if otherwise.
Grayson Allen is a trade chip.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 3:14 pm
by Split T
I don’t think there will be much offers for Williams..I think we can get him cheap
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 5:13 pm
by Aztec Sunsfan
virtual9mm wrote: ↑Tue Apr 21, 2026 11:34 am
With the injury, Williams has low value right now. See what the offers look like. Match a reasonable one. Let him go if otherwise.
Grayson Allen is a trade chip.
Williams and Gillespie cost themselves a lot of money during the last month or so. No need to lowballing them, but let’s not break the bank either.
Grayson looked like a bargain but I agree that he should be used as a trade chip to get a real PF on board. Hopefully the gathering for rebounding guards that play bigger than they are but still smaller than needed is over.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 5:57 pm
by virtual9mm
Aztec Sunsfan wrote: ↑Tue Apr 21, 2026 5:13 pm
virtual9mm wrote: ↑Tue Apr 21, 2026 11:34 am
With the injury, Williams has low value right now. See what the offers look like. Match a reasonable one. Let him go if otherwise.
Grayson Allen is a trade chip.
Williams and Gillespie cost themselves a lot of money during the last month or so. No need to lowballing them, but let’s not break the bank either.
Grayson looked like a bargain but I agree that he should be used as a trade chip to get a real PF on board. Hopefully the gathering for rebounding guards that play bigger than they are but still smaller than needed is over.
MLE for Gillespie. Smaller contract for Williams or give him a bonus tied to games played.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 7:05 pm
by The Bobster
Williams made $6.3 million and the average NBA starter made $21 million, so I would guess they'll be looking at around $15-20 million so they should be able to work something out. If they give Gillespie the full MLE that would be about $15 which feels like the upper limit of what I'd pay him.
Allen is scheduled to make $18 million next year and O'Neal is scheduled to make $11 million. I'd be fine with letting either go. The thing is, with so many of their picks traded away they have to get something useful in return in order to improve.
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 7:58 pm
by The Bobster
Games played this season by select centers -
Wendell Carter Jr. - 78
Rudy Gobert - 76
Karl-Anthony Towns - 75
Onyeka Okongwu - 74
Bam Adebayo - 73
DeAndre Ayton - 72
Myles Turner - 71
Jalen Duren - 70
Nick Claxton - 69
Chet Holmgren - 69
Nikola Jokic - 65
Victor Wembanyama - 64
MARK WILLIAMS - 60
Jarrett Allen - 56
Jaren Jackson Jr. - 48
Ivica Zubac - 48
Jakob Poeltl - 46
Joel Embiid - 38
Kristaps Porzingis - 32
Anthony Davis - 20
Domantas Sabonis - 19
Re: Game Day (Playoffs Round 1): Suns (0-0) @ Thunder (0-0), Sun 4/19/26
Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:49 pm
by Wally_West
I don’t think Mark comes back, mainly because Man Man is too good to be a 3rd stringer again. I think they sign and trade him for a few 2nds and then reroute the money to retain Goodwin.
Unless they do something crazy, like using Man Man to get Giannis, I think Mark is gone in a sign and trade.
