Game Day: Cavaliers (25-15) @ Suns (20-20), Sun 1/8/23

[ShelC]

Feels like the Suns haven't won since last year.

[LazarusLong]

Suns got 12 points total from the four guys ostensibly at forward: Saric, Craig, Wainwright and Okogie.

Meanwhile, Okoro scored 14.

[The Bobster]

1-9 in their last 10 games, outscored 112.3-103.1

[djy2j]

Yeah, this is essentially negligence at this point without knowing of the transaction limitations, if any, placed on Jones.

From contenders to trade deadline sellers in a span of a month. Yet another way the Suns have broken the hearts of fans. This is just awful. Most uninteresting team in the league.

[LazarusLong]

At this point, if management is playing the long game for next season, Jones and crew damn well better make some great off-season moves.

[virtual9mm]

All I care about is the development of Ayton and to the extent possible, Bridges.

How did Ayton shoot such a low percentage? How did he get those 6 assists? Won't punish myself by watching the game haha.

[JeremyG]

I have never actually been angry at Monty until tonight.

He waited until the game was basically already over (down 16 at 6:25 left in the 4th quarter) to bring back our best player--and frankly our best point guard tonight also--Deandre Ayton. He was probably going to have his first triple-double of his career. Especially the way he was playing in the third quarter and was starting to hit his shots, he could very well have ended up with a 20/15/10 game or close to it if Monty brought him back with 10 or 11 minutes left when we were still in the game and we may have had a chance at the end. Instead, we get a couple minutes of DA after the game has already gotten out of hand and then he sprains his left ankle again. So frustrating.

Ayton had a team-high 6 assists tonight, nobody else had more than 3. Yeah, he missed a bunch of shots (mainly in the first half), but he had a couple of great moves into the paint off the dribble (he just missed the shots), and he did a great job of not turning the ball over even in difficult situations (0 turnovers, 16 for the rest of the team).

[LazarusLong]

Ayton was bothered by Allen and Mobley. Did OK rebounding, I'll give him that.

[JeremyG]

[The Bobster]

Ayton was bothered by Allen and Mobley. Did OK rebounding, I'll give him that.

He missed some shots he normaly would make (and shot 6 for 16), but he had 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 0 turnovers in 30 minutes.

That lineup at the start of the 4th just killed them though.

[LazarusLong]

Lee, Shamet and Washington kept taking it deep inside in the fourth and getting smothered by Allen and Mobley. Not smart.

[Shabazz]

Every Landry Shamet box score looks the same. If you want consistency, you can pretty much always count on Landry for 11,3 and 2 on 4-14 shooting in 32 minutes. Take it to the bank.

[Shabazz]

I have never actually been angry at Monty until tonight.

He waited until the game was basically already over (down 16 at 6:25 left in the 4th quarter) to bring back our best player--and frankly our best point guard tonight also--Deandre Ayton. He was probably going to have his first triple-double of his career. Especially the way he was playing in the third quarter and was starting to hit his shots, he could very well have ended up with a 20/15/10 game or close to it if Monty brought him back with 10 or 11 minutes left when we were still in the game and we may have had a chance at the end. Instead, we get a couple minutes of DA after the game has already gotten out of hand and then he sprains his left ankle again. So frustrating.

Ayton had a team-high 6 assists tonight, nobody else had more than 3. Yeah, he missed a bunch of shots (mainly in the first half), but he had a couple of great moves into the paint off the dribble (he just missed the shots), and he did a great job of not turning the ball over even in difficult situations (0 turnovers, 16 for the rest of the team).

I had written a whole response to this post, but at this point I give up.

[Split T]

Nobody is going to convince me that Damian Lee is a rotation player for a playoff team.

Not even the fact that he was literally a rotation player for the title winning warriors in last years playoffs?

[Split T]

Didn’t watch tonight…worth catching a replay?

[The Bobster]

Nobody is going to convince me that Damian Lee is a rotation player for a playoff team.

Not even the fact that he was literally a rotation player for the title winning warriors in last years playoffs?

He averaged 20 minutes during the regular season because Curry missed 18 games, Thompson missed 50 games, etc.

He averaged 8 minutes in the playoffs and was nailed to the bench in the Finals (8 minutes in the whole series).

That's not a rotation player in the playoffs.

[The Bobster]

Didn’t watch tonight…worth catching a replay?

Turn it off after the third period.

[Split T]

Nobody is going to convince me that Damian Lee is a rotation player for a playoff team.

Not even the fact that he was literally a rotation player for the title winning warriors in last years playoffs?

He averaged 20 minutes during the regular season because Curry missed 18 games, Thompson missed 50 games, etc.

He averaged 8 minutes in the playoffs and was nailed to the bench in the Finals (8 minutes in the whole series).

That's not a rotation player in the playoffs.

He was definitely in the rotation for the middle two series. But when GPII was healthy he wasn’t. I would call that a playoff rotation caliber player…the warriors literally won two rounds in the playoffs with him in the rotation. He’s just an 8th-9th man. He’s been great this year when we are healthy and he can play alongside by our starters.

[Split T]

Didn’t watch tonight…worth catching a replay?

Turn it off after the third period.

Thanks for the heads up haha

[The Bobster]

Nobody is going to convince me that Damian Lee is a rotation player for a playoff team.

Not even the fact that he was literally a rotation player for the title winning warriors in last years playoffs?

He averaged 20 minutes during the regular season because Curry missed 18 games, Thompson missed 50 games, etc.

He averaged 8 minutes in the playoffs and was nailed to the bench in the Finals (8 minutes in the whole series).

That's not a rotation player in the playoffs.

He was definitely in the rotation for the middle two series. But when GPII was healthy he wasn’t. I would call that a playoff rotation caliber player…the warriors literally won two rounds in the playoffs with him in the rotation. He’s just an 8th-9th man. He’s been great this year when we are healthy and he can play alongside by our starters.

His playoff minutes a game by series last year - 4.2/12.2/8.5/2.0

And he's good at one thing. Just like Shamet, he's a good standstill three-point shooter who doesn't score enough to make up for his lack of production anywhere else. Fortunately he's not overpaid like Shamet is.