Suns News: Week 10 12/18-12/24

[JCSunsfan]

They better lock Ulis in a gym and make him shoot 1000 jumpers a day all next summer if he wants to stick on the team. I have a lot of hope for the guy but he needs his shooting to become a fearsome weapon if he's going to make it.

I just don't have a lot of hope for Ulis. I think fatal flaws have been exposed. He is just too small. He had a short run of being really effective, but teams have figured him out and I do not think there is a solution.

Or maybe he's only 21 and it's premature to talk about "fatal" flaws in his game. He may not end up being a great NBA player, but normally he'd be a college junior right now. He has a lot of years left to learn and improve. If he doesn't show more improvement this year, he may have to do it in the G-League or overseas or whatever, but we don't have to write his NBA obituary just yet.

His flaws have nothing to do with age or experience. I am all for giving young players time, but time is not going to overcome his height or lack of athleticism.

[O_Gardino]

You can say that again?

[Mori Chu]

Ulis is perfectly capable of being a good NBA backup PG, despite his lack of size. We'd be lucky to keep him, and he'd probably stay on a reasonable contract. I don't think he is the answer for us at PG, but I think he can run the second unit and contribute.

[Split T]

Agreed, I think he'll be fine. He's small, but I don't notice a huge issue on the court. He's aggressive defensively and that seems to help make up for his size. If he develops a consistent shot, he'll be a solid weapon. And big sauce will make him look better too, they had incredible chemistry last year.

[O_Gardino]

You guys who think Ulis needs a consistent shot are crazy. He has a consistent shot. OK, he didn't shoot well last game. But every player has ups and downs. He's shooting 45% and 39% from 3 since the Houston game. He is regularly our only starter to make a 3pter. His shot is fine.

[Split T]

You guys who think Ulis needs a consistent shot are crazy. He has a consistent shot. OK, he didn't shoot well last game. But every player has ups and downs. He's shooting 45% and 39% from 3 since the Houston game. He is regularly our only starter to make a 3pter. His shot is fine.

That's great, but let's see if it sticks. He's shooting .40/.28 on the season

[Superbone]

You guys who think Ulis needs a consistent shot are crazy. He has a consistent shot. OK, he didn't shoot well last game. But every player has ups and downs. He's shooting 45% and 39% from 3 since the Houston game. He is regularly our only starter to make a 3pter. His shot is fine.

That's great, but let's see if it sticks. He's shooting .40/.28 on the season

Which is...not consistent.

[O_Gardino]

You guys who think Ulis needs a consistent shot are crazy. He has a consistent shot. OK, he didn't shoot well last game. But every player has ups and downs. He's shooting 45% and 39% from 3 since the Houston game. He is regularly our only starter to make a 3pter. His shot is fine.

That's great, but let's see if it sticks. He's shooting .40/.28 on the season

Which is...not consistent.

He started the season injured and out of shape. That's not indicative of how he is going to play going forward.

He's never going to be a point-a-minute guy, and he isn't going to be a volume scorer. But he's good enough that defenses do have to respect his shot, and that's just fine. If he can get on the court with some actual NBA talent, he's good enough to run an offense and give opposing coaches some difficult decisions.

[specialsauce]

Tyler Ulis is not our problem.

He shouldn’t be counted on to be a starting PG, and that’s not his problem it is on management to put him in the right position. He’s going to be one of the better backups in the league.

[Split T]

You guys who think Ulis needs a consistent shot are crazy. He has a consistent shot. OK, he didn't shoot well last game. But every player has ups and downs. He's shooting 45% and 39% from 3 since the Houston game. He is regularly our only starter to make a 3pter. His shot is fine.

That's great, but let's see if it sticks. He's shooting .40/.28 on the season

Which is...not consistent.

He started the season injured and out of shape. That's not indicative of how he is going to play going forward.

He's never going to be a point-a-minute guy, and he isn't going to be a volume scorer. But he's good enough that defenses do have to respect his shot, and that's just fine. If he can get on the court with some actual NBA talent, he's good enough to run an offense and give opposing coaches some difficult decisions.

I'm a believer in ulis and I get that he came in injured, but he was a poor shooter last year too. A couple weeks of improved shooting is not enough to convince me it's his new baseline. It very well might be, but I'm gonna wait a bit before deciding his shot doesn't need work.

[Mori Chu]

Tyler Ulis is not our problem.

He shouldn’t be counted on to be a starting PG, and that’s not his problem it is on management to put him in the right position. He’s going to be one of the better backups in the league.

+1

[Split T]

Tyler Ulis is not our problem.

He shouldn’t be counted on to be a starting PG, and that’s not his problem it is on management to put him in the right position. He’s going to be one of the better backups in the league.

I just played a game on nba2k with our current roster, so no Booker. If that was any indication of our problem, it's that we don't have anyone besides Booker to create offense.

With Bledsoe gone, Booker has to create almost everything on his own. Warren is decent and can create his own shot a little bit, but he's more opportunistic than creator, and he doesn't create for anyone else.

If we envision Booker as our only definite core player, here's what we need to surround him with most:

1. Another shot creator to take pressure off Booker. They need to create their own shot and create for others. PG position would be the easiest place to find this, but it could be a wing or perimeter 4. Players like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Colin Sexton. Maybe Marvin Bagley.

2. A defensive anchor. Len is serviceable here, but I doubt he stays. Bamba, Ayton, Jaren Jackson make sense.

3. Versatile wings. Would love a guy or two that just fits in, plays tough D, shoots the 3, hustles, crashes the glass, makes the extra pass, can create a bit off the dribble etc. They don't need to be stars at anyone thing, but all around players with no real weaknesses. Josh jackson could help fill this role, but his shot making ability needs to improve. Mikal Bridges, Bruce Brown, Nickiel Alexander-Walker come to mind.

4. Then fill the bench with guys who fill a role. Similar to the guys above but willing to overlook some weaknesses. Shooting, defense, passing are the key skills I want. Tyler Ulis, Davon Reed, Dragan Bender, Alan Williams could all possibly be these players.

5. End of the bench guys. 1 skill players or athletic projects. Troy Daniels, Derrick Jones Jr, etc.

So my checklist

1. Offensive star to pair with Booker
2. Defensive anchor
3. Versatile wings

I think we need 2 of those 3 this off-season.

[jonh]

Tyler Ulis is not our problem.

He shouldn’t be counted on to be a starting PG, and that’s not his problem it is on management to put him in the right position. He’s going to be one of the better backups in the league.

I just played a game on nba2k with our current roster, so no Booker. If that was any indication of our problem, it's that we don't have anyone besides Booker to create offense.

With Bledsoe gone, Booker has to create almost everything on his own. Warren is decent and can create his own shot a little bit, but he's more opportunistic than creator, and he doesn't create for anyone else.

If we envision Booker as our only definite core player, here's what we need to surround him with most:

1. Another shot creator to take pressure off Booker. They need to create their own shot and create for others. PG position would be the easiest place to find this, but it could be a wing or perimeter 4. Players like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Colin Sexton. Maybe Marvin Bagley.

2. A defensive anchor. Len is serviceable here, but I doubt he stays. Bamba, Ayton, Jaren Jackson make sense.

3. Versatile wings. Would love a guy or two that just fits in, plays tough D, shoots the 3, hustles, crashes the glass, makes the extra pass, can create a bit off the dribble etc. They don't need to be stars at anyone thing, but all around players with no real weaknesses. Josh jackson could help fill this role, but his shot making ability needs to improve. Mikal Bridges, Bruce Brown, Nickiel Alexander-Walker come to mind.

4. Then fill the bench with guys who fill a role. Similar to the guys above but willing to overlook some weaknesses. Shooting, defense, passing are the key skills I want. Tyler Ulis, Davon Reed, Dragan Bender, Alan Williams could all possibly be these players.

5. End of the bench guys. 1 skill players or athletic projects. Troy Daniels, Derrick Jones Jr, etc.

So my checklist

1. Offensive star to pair with Booker
2. Defensive anchor
3. Versatile wings

I think we need 2 of those 3 this off-season.

Honest question--how likely is it that Len leaves? Historically, how frequently does an UFA come back to the team that drafted them? Do we need to OVERpay him (relative to his value on the market) in order to retain him?

[bajanguy008]

https://twitter.com/MikeSGallagher/status/943604083100762112 https://twitter.com/MikeSGallagher/status/943604270871470080

[Split T]

Tyler Ulis is not our problem.

He shouldn’t be counted on to be a starting PG, and that’s not his problem it is on management to put him in the right position. He’s going to be one of the better backups in the league.

I just played a game on nba2k with our current roster, so no Booker. If that was any indication of our problem, it's that we don't have anyone besides Booker to create offense.

With Bledsoe gone, Booker has to create almost everything on his own. Warren is decent and can create his own shot a little bit, but he's more opportunistic than creator, and he doesn't create for anyone else.

If we envision Booker as our only definite core player, here's what we need to surround him with most:

1. Another shot creator to take pressure off Booker. They need to create their own shot and create for others. PG position would be the easiest place to find this, but it could be a wing or perimeter 4. Players like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Colin Sexton. Maybe Marvin Bagley.

2. A defensive anchor. Len is serviceable here, but I doubt he stays. Bamba, Ayton, Jaren Jackson make sense.

3. Versatile wings. Would love a guy or two that just fits in, plays tough D, shoots the 3, hustles, crashes the glass, makes the extra pass, can create a bit off the dribble etc. They don't need to be stars at anyone thing, but all around players with no real weaknesses. Josh jackson could help fill this role, but his shot making ability needs to improve. Mikal Bridges, Bruce Brown, Nickiel Alexander-Walker come to mind.

4. Then fill the bench with guys who fill a role. Similar to the guys above but willing to overlook some weaknesses. Shooting, defense, passing are the key skills I want. Tyler Ulis, Davon Reed, Dragan Bender, Alan Williams could all possibly be these players.

5. End of the bench guys. 1 skill players or athletic projects. Troy Daniels, Derrick Jones Jr, etc.

So my checklist

1. Offensive star to pair with Booker
2. Defensive anchor
3. Versatile wings

I think we need 2 of those 3 this off-season.

Honest question--how likely is it that Len leaves? Historically, how frequently does an UFA come back to the team that drafted them? Do we need to OVERpay him (relative to his value on the market) in order to retain him?

The big question is how often has someone who took the qualifying offer returned to the same team? I'm not sure it's ever happened

[ShelC]

Whatever we do decide with Len, it'll be the wrong decision. That I'm sure of.

[Superbone]

Book and The Rock with a handshake agreement:
https://twitter.com/DevinBook/status/943340406036672514 https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/943328418489360384

[Danimal]

Book and The Rock with a handshake agreement:
https://twitter.com/DevinBook/status/943340406036672514 https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/943328418489360384

I actually think promoting the celebrity of devin booker is fairly important for us now. Only thing we got going and may help attract another star. Hopefully they watch twitter and not our games.
I expect Md to try and make a splash at the deadline for fear of devin turning into the next anthony davis - a frustrated lone star

[Indy]

Book and The Rock with a handshake agreement:
https://twitter.com/DevinBook/status/943340406036672514 https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/943328418489360384

I actually think promoting the celebrity of devin booker is fairly important for us now. Only thing we got going and may help attract another star. Hopefully they watch twitter and not our games.
I expect Md to try and make a splash at the deadline for fear of devin turning into the next anthony davis - a frustrated lone star

1) I don't think McD thinks that far ahead.
2) His talent evaluation has been extremely lacking
3) Like Shel said, whatever we decided to do, it will likely be the wrong thing.

[Indy]

Whatever we do decide with Len, it'll be the wrong decision. That I'm sure of.

ding. Ding. DING.