Suns News: Week 20 5/3-5/9

[ShelC]

I just watched that Rex Chapman interview with James Jones. That was so awesome! Answers so many questions. The culture they have built is just so amazing. He’s all about people and helping people and him and Monty seem to be on the same page in that regard.

Talking about Sarver was enlightening. Most Suns fans seem to hate Sarver. Sarver seems to be getting it. He wants to give them anything they need to succeed and it seems to be working. He was a rookie owner that is no longer a rookie owner. He took a chance putting Jones in charge since Jones was never a GM before and it paid off. I think some of you Suns fans need to give a little credit to Sarver.

I don't "hate" Sarver, I just think he's a jackass. But let's be honest, it's been 15 years now. I'm over the whole "rookie owner" excuse. He got it right this time, now his only job is not to screw it up.

[Indy]

I just watched that Rex Chapman interview with James Jones. That was so awesome! Answers so many questions. The culture they have built is just so amazing. He’s all about people and helping people and him and Monty seem to be on the same page in that regard.

Talking about Sarver was enlightening. Most Suns fans seem to hate Sarver. Sarver seems to be getting it. He wants to give them anything they need to succeed and it seems to be working. He was a rookie owner that is no longer a rookie owner. He took a chance putting Jones in charge since Jones was never a GM before and it paid off. I think some of you Suns fans need to give a little credit to Sarver.

I don't "hate" Sarver, I just think he's a jackass. But let's be honest, it's been 15 years now. I'm over the whole "rookie owner" excuse. He got it right this time, now his only job is not to screw it up.

It is like they say: Sixth time's the charm!

[Superbone]

[Superbone]

Suns make leap into top-10 of ESPN’s future power rankings

https://arizonasports.com/story/2648881 ... -rankings/

For the first time in more than a decade, the Phoenix Suns have the player talent and the front office in place to string together multiple years of success.

As good as it looks now with the team set for a playoff appearance and with a roster that includes veteran point guard Chris Paul surrounded by a core of Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges, there are not-too-far-away challenges facing general manager James Jones.

But it appears doable to keep the Suns humming over the next few years, and that’s why ESPN rated the Suns ninth in its annual NBA future power rankings, which considers how well teams are set up for the next three seasons. It’s a 10-place jump from last year, when Phoenix was 19th...

[Split T]

They have us as the 7th best market. Only the NY, LA, GS, and Miami markets are rated higher.

[Superbone]

They have us as the 7th best market. Only the NY, LA, GS, and Miami markets are rated higher.

That's good to see.

[Mori Chu]

I still don't get why Chicago and Detroit aren't hotter NBA markets. Great cities, lots of diversity and black population, proud NBA history. Why wouldn't more of today's best players want to live and play there? Atlanta is another similar one. The ATL is a great city, and they seem to have a good organization and good fans. Why do they get the scraps for free agents? I get that middling cities like Indianapolis and Milwaukee and OKC can't get a star FA, but why not these ones?

[Flagrant Fowl]

Chicago and Detroit: Too damn cold.

Atlanta: It's the South. College football and the NFL are significantly more popular. I think most players care about fan support.

There are certainly worse places to play, but there are a lot of better options across the league.

[Split T]

Atlanta got Joe Johnson from us...they signed Millsap once upon a time. Bogdonavic and Gallinari this last year. They’ve also only recently started to be more of a good organization. They were like the kings of the east for awhile.

[The Bobster]

It's mostly about winning. If you aren't a top team it takes exceptional circumstances to lure a top name free agent.

[The Bobster]

Monty handed out screws to motivate the players.

https://arizonasports.com/story/2649561 ... s#comments

It hasn't seemed to work that well.

[Superbone]

Monty handed out screws to motivate the players.

https://arizonasports.com/story/2649561 ... s#comments

It hasn't seemed to work that well.

I think it worked. We've tightened up (not in a good way) and we're screwed!

[bajanguy008]

[Indy]

I still don't get why Chicago and Detroit aren't hotter NBA markets. Great cities, lots of diversity and black population, proud NBA history. Why wouldn't more of today's best players want to live and play there? Atlanta is another similar one. The ATL is a great city, and they seem to have a good organization and good fans. Why do they get the scraps for free agents? I get that middling cities like Indianapolis and Milwaukee and OKC can't get a star FA, but why not these ones?

Have you been to Detroit in the last 10 years? It is a ghost town. The arena is nice, as it is pretty new. But it is in a weird location. And like I said, nobody lives in Detroit anymore. Detroit metro population has dropped 10% over the last 20 years. Hard to find any "major market" where that happens.

[JeremyG]

I still don't get why Chicago and Detroit aren't hotter NBA markets. Great cities, lots of diversity and black population, proud NBA history. Why wouldn't more of today's best players want to live and play there? Atlanta is another similar one. The ATL is a great city, and they seem to have a good organization and good fans. Why do they get the scraps for free agents? I get that middling cities like Indianapolis and Milwaukee and OKC can't get a star FA, but why not these ones?

Have you been to Detroit in the last 10 years? It is a ghost town. The arena is nice, as it is pretty new. But it is in a weird location. And like I said, nobody lives in Detroit anymore. Detroit metro population has dropped 10% over the last 20 years. Hard to find any "major market" where that happens.

This discussion reminds me of this:



EDIT: And there's an updated version from 2019 lol:

[Indy]

I still don't get why Chicago and Detroit aren't hotter NBA markets. Great cities, lots of diversity and black population, proud NBA history. Why wouldn't more of today's best players want to live and play there? Atlanta is another similar one. The ATL is a great city, and they seem to have a good organization and good fans. Why do they get the scraps for free agents? I get that middling cities like Indianapolis and Milwaukee and OKC can't get a star FA, but why not these ones?

Have you been to Detroit in the last 10 years? It is a ghost town. The arena is nice, as it is pretty new. But it is in a weird location. And like I said, nobody lives in Detroit anymore. Detroit metro population has dropped 10% over the last 20 years. Hard to find any "major market" where that happens.

This discussion reminds me of this:

link

EDIT: And there's an updated version from 2019 lol:

link

I lived in Michigan the last several years. I have a lot of family in Cleveland--since we were in Michigan it was a quick drive to visit. I have been in both cities enough recently to say there were no lies in those videos. Truth in advertising.

[Superbone]

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[bajanguy008]

It took me a while to figure out what Ayton was wearing when they showed him on the bench

[Split T]

CP3 has never had a 50/40/90 season...he’s currently at .497/.395/.933

[Split T]

Click through for the whole thread. Talks about a few things that Booker could improve on if we want to be a title contender.

A TLDR for those who don’t want to click through:

Book is really good, but he has a lot of room for growth amongst his fellow top tier talent peers. Namely, improved 3pt shooting(pull-up shooting specifically) and better ball control. Too many turnovers. He needs to be better if we are serious title contenders.