Game Day: Pelicans (37-30) @ Suns (35-33), Thurs 3/19/15

[carey]

I don't think they did have a time out. They didn't on my screen. Suns had 2.

[Cap]

I don't think they did have a time out. They didn't on my screen. Suns had 2.

FSAZ had NO with 1 and Phx with 2.

[LazarusLong]

Al del Greco kicks a 35-yarder and Arizona wins!

[LazarusLong]

Refs take the ball out back, shoot it, and bury it in a pauper's grave ...

[The Bobster]

Glad I missed tonight's game - it looks like it was one for the ages!

[Mori Chu]

I'm moving this week (just down a few miles to a bigger place) so I had to watch this one out the corner of my eye while I was taping up boxes and such. I'm still glad we won, even though the Hornets were without their best player. What came over our guys? Bledsoe 2-15, Marcus Morris 1-11, Markieff 5-15, Gerald Green 1-4? What the heck happened? I saw the ending and saw us up 1 and get fouled and thought, here we go again. But luckily Monty Williams is a complete idiot and either didn't have a timeout left or didn't think to call it. Either way, duuuuuh. Suns win.

I really hope we keep Brandan Wright. The dude is just good. He's the kind of guy you have on a winning team. And he's a fish out of water on such a team of idiots and knuckleheads.

I don't understand this trend of "Put TJ Warren in during the 1st half, he kicks ass, then don't play him any more." What's the problem? Same with Archie. They do so well in their minutes, why aren't they getting more?

[jkalldaway]

Archie was awful.

[carey]

Archie was awful.

Huh? He had a couple defensive lapses but he was pretty good tonight.

[carey]

Btw, looks like FSAZ had it wrong...

With the Suns leading 73-72, Wright's outstretched arm on help defense was the deterrent for Tyreke Evans to miss a go-ahead shot in the lane with four seconds to go and no timeouts remaining after a P.J. Tucker rebound and free throw.

[carey]

Bledsoe doesn't lack confidence but this really pisses me off.

"I played great defense," said Bledsoe, whose counterpart, Tyreke Evans, went 4 for 16 with three assists. "I had 11 rebounds. I helped my teammates on the boards. I had a bunch of steals (four) too. So, if I'm not making shots, I don't worry about it because I do so much to help my team win."

[Indy]

Bledsoe is an elite DB that is forced to play WR half the time.

[LazarusLong]

Wright played well. TJ and Archie played well, but played little in the second half.

Starters played an average of 38 minutes; save for Wright, shot about 30%. No offensive flow in the second half. Morris twins pile up assists by passing to each other. Bledsoe looks like an improved version of Ronnie Price, and that is not a compliment.

It's discouraging to see how a team with promise has devolved.

[Mori Chu]

Bledsoe doesn't lack confidence but this really pisses me off.

"I played great defense," said Bledsoe, whose counterpart, Tyreke Evans, went 4 for 16 with three assists. "I had 11 rebounds. I helped my teammates on the boards. I had a bunch of steals (four) too. So, if I'm not making shots, I don't worry about it because I do so much to help my team win."

That's a horrible quote. I'm not a total Bledsoe hater and don't insist that we get rid of him ASAP, but a quote like that really rubs me the wrong way.

[Indy]

Bledsoe doesn't lack confidence but this really pisses me off.

"I played great defense," said Bledsoe, whose counterpart, Tyreke Evans, went 4 for 16 with three assists. "I had 11 rebounds. I helped my teammates on the boards. I had a bunch of steals (four) too. So, if I'm not making shots, I don't worry about it because I do so much to help my team win."

That's a horrible quote. I'm not a total Bledsoe hater and don't insist that we get rid of him ASAP, but a quote like that really rubs me the wrong way.

I am a fan of getting rid of him, but I will be the first to say that context could play a huge role here. He could have been asked, "You really struggled offensively tonight, but you guys got a win. How did you guys get a win on a night when you, personally, struggled so much on offense?"

[Indy]

I was there last night, and despite the fact that our offense really struggled, it was fun. It might not have seemed like it on TV, but I thought turn-out for a 10th place team on a week night was really good. And the place got really loud a few times.

From being there in person, my take-away could be very different because you don't get to see a lot of the same stuff on the broadcast.

But from my seat, I wasn't bothered by Bledsoe's performance. I did cringe after his 4th or 5th miss in a row, and that late turn over under the basket really hurt. But man, that guy really has a nose for the ball on defense in both the passing lanes and rebounding. He really is like a DB out there.

What I was really bothered by were missed FTs. And Marcus fucking Morris. That guy needs to go, and needs to go quickly. He gives us nothing except occasional points. He ruins every flow we have going. And most importantly, he is costing us more TJ time.

TJ and Archie were great last night. I really want to see more of them. And not in the creepy way.

PJ had a couple nice shots, but I am done with him. Then he misses the free throw he needs to make, and then makes the free throw he should have missed. Damn.

[Indy]

And I would be remiss to not say what a clutch shot Keef hit (again). It has been a while since I saw one of those, and it still doesn't make me want to keep him, but you have to give him credit for it.

[Mori Chu]

In terms of Goodwin's playing time, I found this tweet that might shed some light into why he isn't getting more burn:
https://twitter.com/paulcoro/status/578763500878606336

[Mori Chu]

And I would be remiss to not say what a clutch shot Keef hit (again). It has been a while since I saw one of those, and it still doesn't make me want to keep him, but you have to give him credit for it.

I actually want to keep Markieff. I don't know what to do about Marcus; I think Marcus should be brought in off the bench and get minimal minutes or something. I don't think we can trade one but not the other. But I really do like what Markieff gives us and I think it'll be a bit like IT or Dragic where the guy leaves and suddenly there's a huge gaping hole in our team that we didn't realize would be there.

[Indy]

And I would be remiss to not say what a clutch shot Keef hit (again). It has been a while since I saw one of those, and it still doesn't make me want to keep him, but you have to give him credit for it.

I actually want to keep Markieff. I don't know what to do about Marcus; I think Marcus should be brought in off the bench and get minimal minutes or something. I don't think we can trade one but not the other. But I really do like what Markieff gives us and I think it'll be a bit like IT or Dragic where the guy leaves and suddenly there's a huge gaping hole in our team that we didn't realize would be there.

I got there 3 months later than INF, but it isn't worth keeping Keef if it means you have to have Marcus too. It just doesn't. He doesn't give us anything we need. Honestly, if he went down with an injury and couldn't play these next 15 games, I actually think our wins go up, not down. It isn't worth keeping a guy like that in your rotation to keep your pretty good scoring, non-rebounding PF on the team.

[Mori Chu]

I got there 3 months later than INF, but it isn't worth keeping Keef if it means you have to have Marcus too. It just doesn't. He doesn't give us anything we need. Honestly, if he went down with an injury and couldn't play these next 15 games, I actually think our wins go up, not down. It isn't worth keeping a guy like that in your rotation to keep your pretty good scoring, non-rebounding PF on the team.

My only counter is that maybe they're just young knuckleheads who will grow out of it. Would you put up with them if you knew that in 1-2 years they'd have cut out the crap and would be playing with more maturity? Marcus might not morph into a great player, but maybe he'd become one we could put up with on the roster and who didn't actively hurt us. I wouldn't bet my life savings on that, but it is certainly possible. They are 25 and still somewhat young all things considered.