Suns News: Week 19 2/27 - 3/5

[Split T]

I am worried about our draft pick.

We seem to be playing better since we traded Watson's boy, benched his assistant coach while sitting McDonough's mistake.

Have we won a game since the trade?

[Ring_Wanted]

Just CHA, but we were close against CHI and MIL. Our play has been better, although as pointed we trend to do well against the East.

[JustWinBaby]

Another coaching mistake by Watson. He plays Williams, while he sits our $100 mil center and we win.

Doesn't he get it. We need ping pong balls.

[LazarusLong]

He's got the moves of Iakovos Big Jake Tsakalidis

Damning with faint praise ....

[OE32]

Another coaching mistake by Watson. He plays Williams, while he sits our $100 mil center and we win.

Doesn't he get it. We need ping pong balls.

[carey]

Another coaching mistake by Watson. He plays Williams, while he sits our $100 mil center and we win.

$100M center?

[Indy]

I think you're taking it the wrong way. I think he's just saying they need more real NBA game time to evaluate where they're at. Do you disagree with that? You think we should continue to limit their minutes in favor of the veterans?

It may sound like semantics, but I think he should know damn well where the young guys are at. He should play them to help them grow, not to evaluate.

Yeah, I'm not feeling you. We should be evaluating everybody all the time. That's how you get better as a team and make adjustments and figure out who plays better with who. Practice is one thing. NBA game experience is another.

OK, good point. So why did he wait until 75% of the season was gone before committing to playing our future?

I think it's obvious that it's coming from upper management.

Do you think Ryan is always telling him who to play and how much, or just before the deadline, or just after? I am confused which part you feel is Ryan's fault and which is the Watson's (if any).

[Superbone]

It may sound like semantics, but I think he should know damn well where the young guys are at. He should play them to help them grow, not to evaluate.

Yeah, I'm not feeling you. We should be evaluating everybody all the time. That's how you get better as a team and make adjustments and figure out who plays better with who. Practice is one thing. NBA game experience is another.

OK, good point. So why did he wait until 75% of the season was gone before committing to playing our future?

I think it's obvious that it's coming from upper management.

Do you think Ryan is always telling him who to play and how much, or just before the deadline, or just after? I am confused which part you feel is Ryan's fault and which is the Watson's (if any).

Why are you trying to assign blame? McDonough and Watson work together as a team. I don't know if you're just trying to be obtuse (thanks, Swing) but obviously their strategy was to try to win with veterans before the all-star break and now to give the young guys experience.

[Indy]

Yeah, I'm not feeling you. We should be evaluating everybody all the time. That's how you get better as a team and make adjustments and figure out who plays better with who. Practice is one thing. NBA game experience is another.

OK, good point. So why did he wait until 75% of the season was gone before committing to playing our future?

I think it's obvious that it's coming from upper management.

Do you think Ryan is always telling him who to play and how much, or just before the deadline, or just after? I am confused which part you feel is Ryan's fault and which is the Watson's (if any).

Why are you trying to assign blame? McDonough and Watson work together as a team. I don't know if you're just trying to be obtuse (thanks, Swing) but obviously their strategy was to try to win with veterans before the all-star break and now to give the young guys experience.

Asking to understand. I guess if you think all the personnel moves were good, then there wouldn't be any issue. But if you think players were mishandled, then there would be. And this seems to fly in the face of what Watson preaches. They clearly weren't trying to "win w/ veterans" all the way up to the trade deadline. We have been the worst (or second worst) team in the west all year long. You don't just realize that in late February. So there is a method to the madness, and I was just trying to understand other people's perspectives here. If you want me to drop the questions, just say so. I am not trying to be obtuse or offend.

[O_Gardino]

I don't know if they were trying to win with vets before the deadline, or if they were trying to showcase Chandler and Knight fro trades. Maybe they started out trying to win, then realized how bad we are and started looking for trades.

Either way, I'll take this opportunity for an ungracious "I told you so." I complained all summer that you can't load a roster with this many guys who deserve minutes for the simple reason that no coach will ever play more than 10 deep night in and night out. Rotations get really weird, it's hard for players to get into a groove, people are confused on roles, etc etc. We've traded one player, benched two more (all three were potential starters here) and now we can play 10 deep comfortably. The fact that we aren't any worse tells us that those three starting calibur players aren't that much better than our deep reserves. Good for the reserves! Bad for McD building a roster like this.

[Superbone]

I don't know if they were trying to win with vets before the deadline, or if they were trying to showcase Chandler and Knight fro trades. Maybe they started out trying to win, then realized how bad we are and started looking for trades.

Either way, I'll take this opportunity for an ungracious "I told you so." I complained all summer that you can't load a roster with this many guys who deserve minutes for the simple reason that no coach will ever play more than 10 deep night in and night out. Rotations get really weird, it's hard for players to get into a groove, people are confused on roles, etc etc. We've traded one player, benched two more (all three were potential starters here) and now we can play 10 deep comfortably. The fact that we aren't any worse tells us that those three starting calibur players aren't that much better than our deep reserves. Good for the reserves! Bad for McD building a roster like this.

Yep. I'm all for some veteran presence but you can't have two full teams of both veterans and youth within one squad and make it work. Our young GM has a long way to go.

[O_Gardino]

I don't know if they were trying to win with vets before the deadline, or if they were trying to showcase Chandler and Knight fro trades. Maybe they started out trying to win, then realized how bad we are and started looking for trades.

Either way, I'll take this opportunity for an ungracious "I told you so." I complained all summer that you can't load a roster with this many guys who deserve minutes for the simple reason that no coach will ever play more than 10 deep night in and night out. Rotations get really weird, it's hard for players to get into a groove, people are confused on roles, etc etc. We've traded one player, benched two more (all three were potential starters here) and now we can play 10 deep comfortably. The fact that we aren't any worse tells us that those three starting calibur players aren't that much better than our deep reserves. Good for the reserves! Bad for McD building a roster like this.

Yep. I'm all for some veteran presence but you can't have two full teams of both veterans and youth within one squad and make it work. Our young GM has a long way to go.

Yeah, but I think it's the kind of mistake he can learn through. And it's a "good" mistake in terms of the quality of young talent he is bringing in. Fingers crossed.

[Superbone]

I don't know if they were trying to win with vets before the deadline, or if they were trying to showcase Chandler and Knight fro trades. Maybe they started out trying to win, then realized how bad we are and started looking for trades.

Either way, I'll take this opportunity for an ungracious "I told you so." I complained all summer that you can't load a roster with this many guys who deserve minutes for the simple reason that no coach will ever play more than 10 deep night in and night out. Rotations get really weird, it's hard for players to get into a groove, people are confused on roles, etc etc. We've traded one player, benched two more (all three were potential starters here) and now we can play 10 deep comfortably. The fact that we aren't any worse tells us that those three starting calibur players aren't that much better than our deep reserves. Good for the reserves! Bad for McD building a roster like this.

Yep. I'm all for some veteran presence but you can't have two full teams of both veterans and youth within one squad and make it work. Our young GM has a long way to go.

Yeah, but I think it's the kind of mistake he can learn through. And it's a "good" mistake in terms of the quality of young talent he is bringing in. Fingers crossed.

Mine too!

[Mori Chu]

I think overall I'm much more positive about McDo than some others here. He isn't batting 1.000 on his transactions, but mostly I think he does the right thing. He has made a few bad signings and trades, but he seems to generally realize this before too long and try to make things right. I think he knows as well as any of us what the strengths and weaknesses of this current roster are, with the possible exception of irrational love for Bledsoe. I think he's learning on the job and improving as he goes along.

Bottom line is that I would absolutely not want him to be let go at the end of this season.

[Superbone]

I'm in the middle on McDonough. He's done some nice things and he's done some awful things. I'm willing to give him some more time.

[In2ition]

I'm back and forth, but would like stability. I'm hoping for a top pg, and then package Bledsoe for another high pick somehow. Along with getting something for Knight this off-season.

[Superbone]

I'm back and forth, but would like stability. I'm hoping for a top pg, and then package Bledsoe for another high pick somehow. Along with getting something for Knight this off-season.

I'll take the magic beans for Knight. I've given up all hope on actually getting something in return for him.

[Mori Chu]

At this point if we could just get out of Knight's salary commitment, that would be good enough. Forget getting back an actual asset in return.

[TOO]

Couldn't we just stretch provision him? Is that still a thing?

[Split T]

Couldn't we just stretch provision him? Is that still a thing?

It is, but what's the point? He's not causing problems and we're not hurting for salary cap space. Might as well hang onto him and see if he turns it around and rebuilds his value or some team gets desperate and is willing to take a chance on him.