Game Day: Thunder (35-26) @ Suns (19-42), Fri 3/3/17

[Mori Chu]

I haven't had as much time to post lately in the game threads because my mother-in-law is visiting for two weeks (!). But I have had a lot of these recent games on in the background and have really enjoyed them. Primarily I just absolutely love the way Ulis is playing; he's such a joy to watch. A pass-first PG is all I want in life. Seeing Williams, Jones, and other younguns step up as well is also great. And just in general the team has a much better energy level and enthusiasm and seems to be playing the right way more often. This is the difference between enjoyable losing and depressing losing. Keep it up, Suns.

[Superbone]

It feels like this place just s*** on everyone on this team that isnt under 23 years old, its gross.

LOL. That's a good way to put it.

[Superbone]

Knight is a player that we're supposed to be trading and why not get him some mins and see if he can put up some empty stats and maybe bring up some trade value? His value won't rise with his ass glued to the bench all game. And I'm not saying his minutes should come at the cost of Ulis minutes, but maybe give him more or all of Dudley and Barbosa's minutes. Worst case scenario he'll help us tank and lose games....basically the same thing that Nick Young is doing for the Lakers.

You know the phrase, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt."? That's how I feel about Knight's playing at this point. It's better to just sit him. He has looked absolutely terrible out there and with huge negative results for most of the season. I'd rather just not play him and hope teams forget about how bad he is.

[Superbone]

Well, I for one can't be disappointed with this.
I've moaned all season when we have won and the young guys got little from it in either playing time or experience.
Now we are winning and the young guys, and the second unit are getting all the minutes we wanted. The only negative is Bender still recovering, but other than that, job done.
This will be a better experience for our young guys than those in LA for the sake of one place in the draft.
Yes that drafted player may be a frinchise maker etc, but as a whole for this group of players it's the perfect situation.

I agree. I can't fault these young guys for playing so well and playing team ball. Maybe the basketball gods will even take pity on us and finally give us the number one pick in the draft. A guy can dream, right?

[Superbone]

But it certainly can't be Jeanie's fault, right?

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/24 ... ohnny-Buss

Jeanie Buss has thwarted an effort by Jim Buss and Johnny Buss to oust her as president and controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Attorneys for Jeanie Buss sought a temporary restraining order in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday to prevent the brothers from holding a meeting next week to elect a new board of directors for the team that didn’t include her.

“This is no doubt the beginning and not the end of the game-playing,” Adam Streisand, the attorney for Jeanie Buss, told The Times. “They don’t have a legal leg to stand on. This is a legal strategy doomed for failure.”

The way they fired them mid season was pretty classless. Sending in Magic Johnson in to interview your brother to see if he keeps his job? Like Magic has a lot of experience in a NBA front office. She made a power play and then tried to use Magic to give it a softer edge with the fans. Ditching a GM that has done great things for that team and starting a fight with her brother. She shouldn't be surprised if he fights back.

What is interesting is how the media and most of the Laker fans are just loving Jeanie right now. She didn't interview to get the best front office people. Instead she just hired Magic and Kobe's Agent.

I am really interested to see how this all unfolds a few years down the line. Unless they get lucky and someone they draft turns into a superstar they are a long way from contending.

Talk about being awkward at Thanksgiving for the Buss family!

[Superbone]

Wow. Dr. Buss should have done his family a favor and sold the team. Lesson for everyone. Do not leave your children in business together after you die.

He's got to be looking down in disgust. It's going to tear that family apart.

[Superbone]

I haven't had as much time to post lately in the game threads because my mother-in-law is visiting for two weeks (!). But I have had a lot of these recent games on in the background and have really enjoyed them. Primarily I just absolutely love the way Ulis is playing; he's such a joy to watch. A pass-first PG is all I want in life. Seeing Williams, Jones, and other younguns step up as well is also great. And just in general the team has a much better energy level and enthusiasm and seems to be playing the right way more often. This is the difference between enjoyable losing and depressing losing. Keep it up, Suns.

Hint: We won the last two.

[Superbone]

And for all the Watson haters that talk about how he never talks to his players, why has nobody commented that he's been seen on the last 4 broadcasts talking to his players in almost every timeout?

[TOO]

And for all the Watson haters that talk about how he never talks to his players, why has nobody commented that he's been seen on the last 4 broadcasts talking to his players in almost every timeout?

I've chalked up the hate to just not liking the hire at the time, he's been just fine. Like the rest of the young team, its a learning process for everyone involved.

[Superbone]

And for all the Watson haters that talk about how he never talks to his players, why has nobody commented that he's been seen on the last 4 broadcasts talking to his players in almost every timeout?

I've chalked up the hate to just not liking the hire at the time, he's been just fine. Like the rest of the young team, its a learning process for everyone involved.

Yep, I'm pretty sure you're right. He couldn't win with many from the start and they looked for every opportunity to put him down. Is he perfect? Of course not. Is he bad? I don't think so. Like you said, he's been fine. The way he commands the team is admirable. Not all coaches have that and it is not easily learned. You could argue that his strategy has been so-so. He has plenty of time to learn on the job. He's the second youngest coach in the league for darn sakes. Here's to hoping he becomes a great coach in time.

[Mori Chu]

And for all the Watson haters that talk about how he never talks to his players, why has nobody commented that he's been seen on the last 4 broadcasts talking to his players in almost every timeout?

That is a good point. He has looked much more active on the sidelines and in timeouts lately. Maybe he didn't feel as comfortable giving such advice to the older veteran players because they're so close to his age. But whatever it is, it's a positive sign for Watson.

[Split T]

I think there is a chance someone trades for Knight this off-season. Some team who strikes out in free agency might be willing to take a flyer on him.

[TOO]

I think there is a chance someone trades for Knight this off-season. Some team who strikes out in free agency might be willing to take a flyer on him.

I think we'll have to eat a bad contract in return no matter what, I just hope we don't have to attach any assets to move him. Maybe NO will want him when Jrue bails on that mess.

[Split T]

I think there is a chance someone trades for Knight this off-season. Some team who strikes out in free agency might be willing to take a flyer on him.

I think we'll have to eat a bad contract in return no matter what, I just hope we don't have to attach any assets to move him. Maybe NO will want him when Jrue bails on that mess.

I don't necessarily think so. And if teams required us to take a bad contract in return, we should just keep knight. I don't think we'll get much value, but I think we'll be able to find a team willing to take him. He's still young and very talented.

[O_Gardino]

And for all the Watson haters that talk about how he never talks to his players, why has nobody commented that he's been seen on the last 4 broadcasts talking to his players in almost every timeout?

That is a good point. He has looked much more active on the sidelines and in timeouts lately. Maybe he didn't feel as comfortable giving such advice to the older veteran players because they're so close to his age. But whatever it is, it's a positive sign for Watson.

Talk about damning him with faint praise.

[carey]

I think we'll have to eat a bad contract in return no matter what, I just hope we don't have to attach any assets to move him. Maybe NO will want him when Jrue bails on that mess.

Some podcast I was listening to were ranking all the PGs ahead of Jrue and trying to figure out who would want him at $18M a year. They named like 20 PGs before they got to him. I'm not so sure he's going anywhere or if anyone would really want him if he did. The places that would (NY, Sac, NJ) are even more disfunctional.

[EDC]

And for all the Watson haters that talk about how he never talks to his players, why has nobody commented that he's been seen on the last 4 broadcasts talking to his players in almost every timeout?

Mostly because I'm forced to watch the other teams broadcast and they don't show the Suns bench at all. Those comments came because someone earlier in the season left a message saying Watson didn't talk to the guys when he was at the game. So I kept asking because I couldn't get any confirmation.

[JCSunsfan]

I think there is a chance someone trades for Knight this off-season. Some team who strikes out in free agency might be willing to take a flyer on him.

I think we'll have to eat a bad contract in return no matter what, I just hope we don't have to attach any assets to move him. Maybe NO will want him when Jrue bails on that mess.

We do not have to eat a bad contract. We can just keep the one we have. Isn't one bad contract as good as another. After all, the one position where we lack depth (without Knight) is the two. Leandro is not a long term answer and Knight is still young. We might as well keep him until we can replace him with a better young prospect at the 2.

[In2ition]

There are some tremendous SGs potentially in this draft.

[JCSunsfan]

There are some tremendous SGs potentially in this draft.

Really? Jackson is clearly a sf, not a shooting guard. Other than him, you have to go to the 20's to find shooting guard prospects. This draft has a TON of pg's.