Phx-Suns.Net

Time: 5:30 pm AZ (5:30 pm PT/8:30 pm ET)
Place: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
TV: NBALP

Last preseason game of the year. One week from opening night! Let's get ready for the regular season!

Go Suns!!!

Dis • cuss

I don't get why some people think the Mavs will make the playoffs. They look awful to me. I'm not trying to read much into their preseason record, but I think they will be one of the worst teams in the Western conference.

Where is our defense?

Bledsoe was 3-10 from FT. He and Knight shot poorly from the field as well. Real thing next Wednesday. Better wake up soon.

It was a frustrating 2.5 quarters where the Suns went down 10-15 points and just could not make any headroom when they suddenly exploded from 3 and tied it up and then ran away with it. Knight hit two big three pointers in that run. No Chandler tonight for either team. Lots of guys sitting out for the Mavericks.

Been following the box scores but haven't been posting. Just hard to get super excited about the team this year. I like Chandler's leadership and some of the role players, Warren, Leuer, and Weems but find it hard to root for guys like Markieff and Eric Bledsoe. I know alot of people feel the same way about those 2 but for whatever reason it just keeps me from getting super excited like I normally am about the new season.

dj: Yeah, the team does seem to have a fairly low ceiling, so that dampens the potential for enthusiasm.

What do y'all think about our preseason overall? We won more than we lost, but W/L record in preseason doesn't mean much (the Spurs didn't win at all). I was encouraged by Teletovic and Warren and Booker, and somewhat by Chandler.

I think we have good players and guys seem comfortable in the system. I don't know what practices are like with regards to lineups but I don't like that our starting 5 didn't play much. Need Bleds and Knight to be on the same page. Need to figure out the 3 spot as well and then get a solid bench rotation going. I think Booker, Teletovic, Tucker/Warren, and Len are probably rotational guys. Leuer and Teletovic may switch depending on play/matchups.

djy2j wrote:Been following the box scores but haven't been posting. Just hard to get super excited about the team this year. I like Chandler's leadership and some of the role players, Warren, Leuer, and Weems but find it hard to root for guys like Markieff and Eric Bledsoe. I know alot of people feel the same way about those 2 but for whatever reason it just keeps me from getting super excited like I normally am about the new season.

That's why I hope they develop Booker. He is the type of player it would be easy to cheer for.

I LOVE watching Booker. It looks like his shot is going in every time. They have GOT to make time for him. I think he'll be too good to ignore.

Superbone wrote: It looks like his shot is going in every time.

That must be an optical illusion, considering that he shot 18-47 in the preseason.

I would be completely in love with this team right now if we still had Dragic running point in place of Bledsoe.... and anyone instead of Kieff. Miami is going to be interesting to follow as "Suns East" this year.

P219: Yeah, I feel like we kept the wrong backcourt. I'd much rather watch Dragic/Green than Bledsoe/Knight. And we lost that Laker pick to do it, arrrrrrgh.

Cap wrote:

Superbone wrote: It looks like his shot is going in every time.

That must be an optical illusion, considering that he shot 18-47 in the preseason.

Must be.

You guys crack me up how much you worship that Laker pick. I bet it's average at best.

Superbone wrote:You guys crack me up how much you worship that Laker pick. I bet it's average at best.

I think you're going to be disappointed if you believe the Lakers pick will be average. The Lakers are going to suck again this year.

I'm afraid that AASE is average at best.

Mori Chu wrote:P219: Yeah, I feel like we kept the wrong backcourt. I'd much rather watch Dragic/Green than Bledsoe/Knight. And we lost that Laker pick to do it, arrrrrrgh.

Definitely... I just figured I would attract more of an argument if I included Green in the mix, but I can't help but remember how he and Dragic worked together 2 years ago, and some of the insane scoring numbers he could put up when he was hot, and I'm sure there are some people still high on Knight's potential.... but I have said it from the second we signed him; FUCK Eric Bledsoe. I remember catching flack for wishing him injury on Day 1, but I stand by it; It would have given Dragic the minutes and position he deserved.

Putting the 3 former Suns from Miami back onto Phoenix while dumping the "point" guards that have no true position and the locker room disruption that has been Kieff Morris would give us a solid middle of the pack team that could make it to the second round, at least. If only.....

Superbone wrote:You guys crack me up how much you worship that Laker pick. I bet it's average at best.

We'll have to wait to find out but in my case, while the pick is a big part of why I didn't like the move, it is not the only one.

Knight is a quality player in a vacuum but for my taste, first, some of his flaws compound too much those of Bledsoe and that's not a recipe I want for the two PG system; and second, he was an impending RFA and the writing was on the wall that Milwaukee didn't want to pay him what he was demanding.

The trade had its upside, as it gave us a chance at keeping the fight for the playoffs, and more important, a second attempt at the strategy basend on having a small QO attached to a good player plus enough cap space for a top tier FA.

But even without hindsight, my opinion after losing Dragic was that it was better to just keep the pick, flush the stupid season and rethink things over the summer.

I would much, MUCH rather have:

I. Thomas @ $7M per year, Ennis, the Lakers pick, $7M more in cap space and whatever we could have fetched for Plumlee in a trade

than

Knight @ $14M per year and the Cavs pick

both for this year and the future. And it's not even close.