Suns News: Week 14 (1/20 - 1/26)

[Cap]

The problem is that Ishbia's "competing for a championship" amounts to spending money and chasing names. That's not a basketball strategy. Look at the last two coaching hires. Vogel won a championship. Budenholzer won a championship. It's like Ishbia just said, "I want to win a championship so I am going to get a coach that has won a championship." Ishbia thinks stars win championships, so he tries to get every single one that he can.

And hey, Isaiah Thomas has also won championships!!

What’s Darko Miličić up to these days?

Doc Rivers is available, isn’t he?

He will be soon enough.

He can follow the Bud path to Phoenix. Getting fired from Milwaukee is just one step away.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I don't love the path Ishbia is taking with this roster right now, but I really wouldn't love winning fewer than 30 games and putting all hope into a 19-20 year old every summer that might be really good 4 years later.

Well I definitely don't think it's either/or.

I didn't really put much thought into sauce's anti-draft pick rant the other day, mainly because he is irrationally against building through the draft, so I didn't realize how inaccurate his statement was about OKC. After they finally ended the Russell Westbrook era, they only missed the playoffs for three years, and one of those years they finished 40-42. That's actually a pretty impressive turnaround.

I'm with you, it's not either/or. I'm responding to the sentiment from a lot of people who are treating it that way and perpetually project a defeatist outlook while dramatically overvaluing the unknown.

Take a look at this trade today as an example (putting aside the intention). How many people though it would be possible for the Suns to turn one first round pick into three? Yet they whined about future picks at every opportunity. A lot of it just sounds like a lack of conviction and imagination to me.

[Cap]

I'm with you, it's not either/or. I'm responding to the sentiment from a lot of people who are treating it that way and perpetually project a defeatist outlook while dramatically overvaluing the unknown.

Take a look at this trade today as an example (putting aside the intention). How many people though it would be possible for the Suns to turn one first round pick into three? Yet they whined about future picks at every opportunity. A lot of it just sounds like a lack of conviction and imagination to me.

One unprotected pick that could be very early for three late picks… I’m not sure how to take that. I’ll just cross my fingers and hope it works out well.

[INFORMER]

Take a look at this trade today as an example (putting aside the intention). How many people though it would be possible for the Suns to turn one first round pick into three?

There is definitely a level of resourcefulness at work here, but the fine print matters. This deal was possible because another team stockpiled picks and had a surplus they wanted to manage. If you ignore intent, both teams are gambling, but the Suns would have a little more to lose.

[iLLmatic]

So I see we’ve reached the point that all trades are bad because of what we think it means for the future…we really down bad.

Just feels like it's another move to kick the can further down the road is all.

[Kryptonic]

So I see we’ve reached the point that all trades are bad because of what we think it means for the future…we really down bad.

Just feels like it's another move to kick the can further down the road is all.

Wait, who are we to judge? I mean the guy did make his billions in the mortgage industry.

[pickle]

Take a look at this trade today as an example (putting aside the intention). How many people though it would be possible for the Suns to turn one first round pick into three?

There is definitely a level of resourcefulness at work here, but the fine print matters. This deal was possible because another team stockpiled picks and had a surplus they wanted to manage. If you ignore intent, both teams are gambling, but the Suns would have a little more to lose.

You are absolutely right. On the other hand, several teams have gone down that stockpiling assets route and therefore the value of late first rounders to them are somewhat diminished, and we took advantage. The other factor that made this trade a slight net plus for me is the fact that we've consistently demonstrated an ability over the last few years to identify players who outperform their draft positions in the late first or second rounds, while we haven't exactly hit our early picks out of the park. Most of them were earlier regimes, and I'm not sure if Ayton counts against Jones, but as others have alluded to, you need a combination of draft class talent level as well as early pick to maximize the value of early picks.

[TOO]

So I see we’ve reached the point that all trades are bad because of what we think it means for the future…we really down bad.

Just feels like it's another move to kick the can further down the road is all.

Wait, who are we to judge? I mean the guy did make his billions in the mortgage industry.

We're just gonna refinance in 2029.

[Kryptonic]

So I see we’ve reached the point that all trades are bad because of what we think it means for the future…we really down bad.

Just feels like it's another move to kick the can further down the road is all.

Wait, who are we to judge? I mean the guy did make his billions in the mortgage industry.

We're just gonna refinance in 2029.

Gonna be an adjustable rate mortgage that constantly raises.

[INFORMER]

I guess one thing you can credit Ishbia with is that he has kept Booker happy. Book is cool competing for the play-in game because he has Durant. We could probably have the same record with Book and a bunch of role players, a manageable cap situation, and our picks, and Book would probably be chirping behind the scenes to be traded. So Book might actually be a lot like Ishbia: as long as he has a big name with him, he feels a since of accomplishment.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Booker has never once indicated a desire to be traded in his career, so that's a pretty ridiculous assumption.

[TOO]

Booker always wanted the players to "come to him" so he probably sees this as a success.

[specialsauce]

I don't love the path Ishbia is taking with this roster right now, but I really wouldn't love winning fewer than 30 games and putting all hope into a 19-20 year old every summer that might be really good 4 years later.

Well I definitely don't think it's either/or.

I didn't really put much thought into sauce's anti-draft pick rant the other day, mainly because he is irrationally against building through the draft, so I didn't realize how inaccurate his statement was about OKC. After they finally ended the Russell Westbrook era, they only missed the playoffs for three years, and one of those years they finished 40-42. That's actually a pretty impressive turnaround.

Oh yeah, how many WCF appearances do the Thunder have? They've sucked ass basically since Presti took over and have repeatedly shot themselves in the foot
In the name of draft picks. First round exits ain't it.

[specialsauce]

Who the F is Eddie Gonzalez and why should I care what he has to say? lol

KD's podcast partner and close friend.

[pickle]

Saucy, I love your passion, but please... I'd trade rosters and situations with the Thunder any day.

[Wally_West]

I’ll take the fun fan fic until the next shoe drops, which I honestly think gonna happen within the next day or so. Until then, let’s have fun.

[Cap]

I don't love the path Ishbia is taking with this roster right now, but I really wouldn't love winning fewer than 30 games and putting all hope into a 19-20 year old every summer that might be really good 4 years later.

Well I definitely don't think it's either/or.

I didn't really put much thought into sauce's anti-draft pick rant the other day, mainly because he is irrationally against building through the draft, so I didn't realize how inaccurate his statement was about OKC. After they finally ended the Russell Westbrook era, they only missed the playoffs for three years, and one of those years they finished 40-42. That's actually a pretty impressive turnaround.

Oh yeah, how many WCF appearances do the Thunder have? They've sucked ass basically since Presti took over and have repeatedly shot themselves in the foot
In the name of draft picks. First round exits ain't it.

Have you looked at the standings lately? I’m just curious. I haven’t checked, so maybe you could do me the favor of telling me the records of the Thunder and the Suns.

How many WCF appearances do the Thunder have in the last 15 years? How about the Suns?

[Split T]

I’ll take the fun fan fic until the next shoe drops, which I honestly think gonna happen within the next day or so. Until then, let’s have fun.

Good ole DCColdest…how 2 1sts for this and 1 for Jimmy?

Booker/Jimmy/Dunn/KD/Richards
Tyus/Grayson/Royce/Deni/Reath

That would be fun

[ShelC]

Ok Deni and Reath for Nurk (and a pick or 3) would get my attention.

[INFORMER]

Yeah Sauce, you're not making any sense. The first round exits had nothing to do with getting draft picks. If anything, it was because they didn't want to rebuild. So when Durant left, they held on and tried to make things work with Westbrook as the focal point.

Last year they got to the semifinals, and this year they have the best record in the West.