Gotta know that one of the big 3.5 is gonna be on the floor at all times with the bench guys, rotations will matter more than just flat depth. I don't think Vogel will do the Monty thing where they just bench all the starters at the same time.
After sleeping on it a bit, I think I'm sobering up on these signings. We got the guys we were rumored to be interested in but it seemed pre-planned and leaked, especially with Yuta and KBD. Maybe it was a way to get fans excited, similar to the draft, rather than be let down while other "name" players were being signed. We only had minimum deals to offer so these might've been the best options for us; they could also could just as easily be 8th-9th-10th guys we're expecting to be major contributors/starters. And because the names were leaked and we struck early it feels like "we got our guys!". Maybe with Book, Beal, KD and DA they'll suffice and be better than what we had last year post-trade. But these aren't exactly proven, winning vets turning down more money and playing time elsewhere taking minimum deals to play with our stars.
I am going the other way on this one. I called my doctor because it'd been four hours and my "excitement" hadn't subsided yet.
One thing I was watching for is, did we actually get a 5th starter in all of this? And it seems like the answer is yes, in Diop. Seems like a very serviceable PF and really much better than you should be able to get with such low cap room. The other thing I asked myself is, are there #6-8 guys here, or just guys who ought to be your 9-12th man (as I feel most of our bench was last season)? And I do think several of these guys can count as 6th men. Retaining Okogie is huge. Yuta seems like he'll bring great energy and shooting off the bench and great synergy with KD. Eubanks seems like another steal as a backup big.
The other thing I find interesting about these signings is that they all work with or without Ayton. I was convinced we would need to trade DA in order to get any depth, but we've filled out depth just fine already. So I actually am just fine with keeping DA for now. Pretty surprised we were able to get this deep without giving away DA for a couple of rotation pieces.
Maybe I'm just being a homer but I really like the signings we made. I'm excited for the new season to start.
Could be the case all around. I'm just in wait and see mode. We know what Okogie can and can't do, especially on offense. KBD couldn't average double figures on a bad Spurs team last year but did seem to come on later in the year when he got minutes. Watanabe's shooting looks legit, but if he's working best with our starters, it leaves us thin on the bench where Payne might be our only other scoring threat and isn't exactly reliable. I guess our stars will have to do the heavy lifting on offense, but that's what they're here for.
If our big 3 remains healthy, there's no reason one of them couldn't be with the 2nd unit all the time.
Re: Welcome to the New Suns
Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2023 3:49 pm
by Sunsfanatic76
These free agency signings aren't earth shattering moves by any means, but still pretty solid and intriguing considering our situation and what we had available to work with. We now have a lot of long rangy versatile wings that should be able to scramble defensively and swarm the opposition if utilized optimally in our system. I'm somewhat excited to see what our scheme under Vogel will look like and also what he can do with Ayton defensively.
Also curious what potential "ring chaser" that's still out there that we might add with our last spot?
More off the bounce juice than I thought and some creative passing in this video.
One subtle thing that stood out to me aside from his smooth athleticism and cutting abilities was his underrated playmaking skills. This guy looks to be a pretty good passer too. That might help address some our playmaking concerns possibly?
After sleeping on it a bit, I think I'm sobering up on these signings. We got the guys we were rumored to be interested in but it seemed pre-planned and leaked, especially with Yuta and KBD. Maybe it was a way to get fans excited, similar to the draft, rather than be let down while other "name" players were being signed. We only had minimum deals to offer so these might've been the best options for us; they could also could just as easily be 8th-9th-10th guys we're expecting to be major contributors/starters. And because the names were leaked and we struck early it feels like "we got our guys!". Maybe with Book, Beal, KD and DA they'll suffice and be better than what we had last year post-trade. But these aren't exactly proven, winning vets turning down more money and playing time elsewhere taking minimum deals to play with our stars.
Way to piss on the new Suns in their welcome thread! Come on, Shel. Your mom raised you better than that!
Re: Welcome to the New Suns
Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2023 2:32 pm
by bajanguy008
Of all the clips I been seeing so far
I think Yuta might do quite well
Basketball is popular in Japan as polca is to brazilian people...
Roll out the barrels...
Unfortunately, that clip is not nearly as good as the original. They changed all the music and arrangements to be much further from the originals I guess due to copywriting issues. Although I thought they could get around that with parody laws. The original opener was a polka rendition of Can You Read My Mind from the original Superman. All others are not nearly as good either.
Re: Welcome to the New Suns
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2023 2:13 pm
by Superbone
Here's one where the music is still intact as I know you are all dying to hear the polka version of Billy Jean.
Re: Welcome to the New Suns
Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2023 4:09 pm
by LazarusLong
A classic.
Up there with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing "La Bamba" (I'm not making it up, I swear).
Or a young, All-American girl-boy duo singing "One Toke Over The Line, Sweet Jesus" on Lawrence Welk ...
and Welk thinking it was some sort of a religious song ...
Come on, Shel. Your mom raised you better than that!