Game Day: Suns (21-22) @ Wolves (20-22), Fri 1/13/23

[TOO]

Cannot wait to see Jeremayton spin this shit lol.

Lol. He had a bad shooting night. On a bad ankle. Simple as that.

I said before the game they shouldn’t let him return until at least Monday. They showed him literally rehabbing his ankle while on the bench on TV. EJ noted that he wasn’t getting good lift off the ankle. Even Monty said: “He should be given some grace.”

But you guys have to turn everything into a conspiracy theory (“this is his trade request”), like he was missing his shots on purpose. Lol. DA does not want out and the team does not want to trade him. And they literally can’t trade him under the current ownership circumstances. January 15 has no significance for James Jones.

Monty hates DA no way he would say that about him.

[TOO]

This is why I want him gone. Period.

[TOO]

This is fine.

[JeremyG]

Also, let's give a little respect to Gobert. He's not a 3x DPOY for no reason.

[TOO]

Also, let's give a little respect to Gobert. He's not a 3x DPOY for no reason.

Rudy Gobert has been terrible all year.

[djy2j]

I'm not here to bash on anyone for defending Ayton but for me it's just the same excuse for him so many times over. It's a throwaway game, he came back to soon, the rest of his teammates are out. Like if these are really what is going through his head (no way of knowing) then even more reason I don't want him here.

With KAT out and no one else on the Suns to demand the ball this was a perfect opportunity for him to come out with fire and really try and carry his teammates. Instead he was just the opposite. He had a terrible start to the season then he seemed to snap out of it for a stretch and now were back to square one again, in the first year of a max contract nonetheless. It'd be more excusable if he hadn't already had a reputation for being a loaf.

There's stats, there's advanced stats, there's visible effort (lack of), and they all point to him not living up to what he's supposed to be doing. Five years of this crap but yet it feels like more.

[JeremyG]

Also, let's give a little respect to Gobert. He's not a 3x DPOY for no reason.

Rudy Gobert has been terrible all year.

This is some excellent defense:

[Split T]

Ya that’s pretty good D…I’m ok writing this one off. He does need to go right at Gobert though…most of that stuff was him trying to shoot over Rudy. You can’t do that with Rudy. Ayton needs to go through him, but that’s not really his game.

I still am ultimately underwhelmed by Ayton this year, but I don’t think this game was him sending a message of any kind. He still does look like he’s playing like someone who’s not committed to the team long term though. I don’t know if he’s gone by the deadline, but I’d be surprised if he’s on the roster next season. Then again, I said a similar thing after the playoffs last year and he is still here.

[JeremyG]

Look at that hustle. What a leader and tone setter.

That was f’n ridiculous. I’m getting sick of his schtick.

This is getting blown way out of proportion.

He stopped when he saw Bridges (who is faster) going for it, who stopped when he saw DA going for it. Just a dumb mistake by two players who aren't 100% healthy. No reason to assume laziness as the motive for either of them.

[JeremyG]

Ya that’s pretty good D…I’m ok writing this one off. He does need to go right at Gobert though…most of that stuff was him trying to shoot over Rudy. You can’t do that with Rudy. Ayton needs to go through him, but that’s not really his game.

Yeah I liked that little "sideways dribble" in the lane against Gobert while keeping him on his back; he should have kept going and perhaps could have gotten Gobert underneath the rim or gotten fouled taking the ball to the rim.

[Superbone]

Cannot wait to see Jeremayton spin this shit lol.

Lol. He had a bad shooting night. On a bad ankle. Simple as that.

I said before the game they shouldn’t let him return until at least Monday. They showed him literally rehabbing his ankle while on the bench on TV. EJ noted that he wasn’t getting good lift off the ankle. Even Monty said: “He should be given some grace.”

But you guys have to turn everything into a conspiracy theory (“this is his trade request”), like he was missing his shots on purpose. Lol. DA does not want out and the team does not want to trade him. And they literally can’t trade him under the current ownership circumstances. January 15 has no significance for James Jones.

I hope for all of our sakes that you're right.

Ayton: 11 Pts, 11 Reb, 5-18 FG

He was a walking double-double last night. Literally.

[Superbone]

I only caught the final 15 minutes, but even though the box score looks rough I’d probably agree a little with Jeremy here…I’ll cut him some slack on the first game back when maybe he came back too early.

You watched his best minutes of the game. Almost every shot hit the rim squarely. Coach didn't play him a lot of the 2nd half due to his poor performance. I hope that's the issue that he came back early. I'd rather he didn't in that case.

[Superbone]

This is why I want him gone. Period.

Sure. Quote some twitter rando.

[Superbone]

This is fine.

Given how much time these 3 play together (when healthy), it can't be overstated how catastrophically bad that Ayton number looks. Basically means that when he's the pack leader, you're going down.

That's it in a nutshell. He's not a leader. If he was making half the salary he is, I wouldn't take issue. But when he demands the max and then plays like a beta even when all the best players are out, it's extremely frustrating.

[SunsRIt]

This is why I want him gone. Period.

Sure. Quote some twitter rando.

Is he wrong?

[Superbone]

Also, let's give a little respect to Gobert. He's not a 3x DPOY for no reason.

Ayton could learn a lot from him but not last night.

[Superbone]

This is why I want him gone. Period.

Sure. Quote some twitter rando.

Is he wrong?

It was a joke! I respect Sam Cooper's takes.

[Superbone]

Also, let's give a little respect to Gobert. He's not a 3x DPOY for no reason.

Rudy Gobert has been terrible all year.

This is some excellent defense:

That's why you take it AT him! YOU DON'T SHOOT FADE AWAY JUMPERS against him!!! Argh!

[Superbone]

Ya that’s pretty good D…I’m ok writing this one off. He does need to go right at Gobert though…most of that stuff was him trying to shoot over Rudy. You can’t do that with Rudy. Ayton needs to go through him, but that’s not really his game.

I still am ultimately underwhelmed by Ayton this year, but I don’t think this game was him sending a message of any kind. He still does look like he’s playing like someone who’s not committed to the team long term though. I don’t know if he’s gone by the deadline, but I’d be surprised if he’s on the roster next season. Then again, I said a similar thing after the playoffs last year and he is still here.

Ya think?!

[Superbone]

Look at that hustle. What a leader and tone setter.

That was f’n ridiculous. I’m getting sick of his schtick.

This is getting blown way out of proportion.

He stopped when he saw Bridges (who is faster) going for it, who stopped when he saw DA going for it. Just a dumb mistake by two players who aren't 100% healthy. No reason to assume laziness as the motive for either of them.

OK, I can buy that. But I'll also blame BOTH players as it would be better that both of them went for it rather than the other team (obvs).