Suns News: Week 10 12/28-1/3

[Shabazz]

The he lays out the stats:
https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681722681570529280 https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681722828018827264 https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681723034668019712 https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681723379892629504 https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681724147496517633 https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681724334075949056 https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681724448492417024 https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681724586547896320

[Shabazz]

Finally:
https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681725186580852736 https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681726082274463744 https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681727627955154944 https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681728176691777536

[Ring_Wanted]

https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/681728176691777536 Sure, in a perfect world you give out 1 year deals and the players take them. But people want security and stuff. On the other hand, you still need vets who have been around for long and have been winners in this league. Chandler will make a great backup to Alex Len when/if the madness stops, but he is no savior of a struggling franchise. His last real hurrah was bodyguarding Melo to that Knicks 50+W season.

One thing irks me, though. He should pay attention to actually rising his non contact arm to disrupt lines. I don't like watching the ball fly around while my big man plays defense with his body only.

[Indy]

But they have to commit to it.

Don't plan on it. Sarver doesn't seem interested in doing what it takes to get better. Remember he walked into an incredibly successful team, and even after a huge setback (like losing Amare for the year) we succeeded. He held onto that too long, and wouldn't invest in it when it was going well. So now we are stuck with an owner that doesn't know basketball, and agent running the team, a very young GM that is smart but not wise, a roster that isn't held accountable by anyone, and a coach that isn't bothering to read the stats of his player combinations.

On the bright side, we will likely have a top 10 pick and a top 3 pick from the Lakers... oh.

[Nodack]

How about those Cards?

[iLLmatic]

^ Kickin' ass and taking names. Will probably ring before the Suns ever do.

[carey]

Y'all should listen to this Hornacek interview: http://arizonasports.com/player/?a=317831

They surprised me and asked some tough questions. They asked if Hornacek thought Morris was all in with the organization and he said "no." They asked about the assistants being fired to. Worth a listen.

[Danimal]

thanks Carey

thank you to ever was the person who tweeted the player combinations, and pray that someone on the coaching staff realises this asap. But why 'kings fans take note'? Isnt their owner even more meddling

[Indy]

Y'all should listen to this Hornacek interview: http://arizonasports.com/player/?a=317831

They surprised me and asked some tough questions. They asked if Hornacek thought Morris was all in with the organization and he said "no." They asked about the assistants being fired to. Worth a listen.

Thank you for this, carey. I skip almost all of these. I had no idea that he was being interviewed by two subs (so they don't have any relationships built up). It was a good interview. I was surprised how honest Jeff was. It is clear that Sarver stepped in and asked the starters who they wanted as their coach. That is fucking crazy.

[The Bobster]

When the owner starts stepping in and asking the players who they think they should be the coach, or which assistants should stay, that's a sign that your ownership (and front office) is pretty fucked up.

Unfortunately, Sarver is here until he gets tired of playing with his toy. The only way that would possibly happen is if public criticism is so strong that he's not getting his ego massaged by being the owner of the team.

[Mori Chu]

We can dream. I don't think the Suns can win a title while Sarver is the owner.

[Nodack]

One of these days we will all meet and have a drink to celebrate the Suns Championship. Hopefully I'm not using a walker then.

[Indy]

When the owner starts stepping in and asking the players who they think they should be the coach, or which assistants should stay, that's a sign that your ownership (and front office) is pretty fucked up.

I am still unable to comprehend why this would make sense to Sarver. I just can't think of a motivation for him where this makes sense, unless it was all a ruse to find a way to get their cheap guy lined up for the next contract while not having to fire JH and have to pay two coaches.

[Nodack]

No coach these days is going to last over 4-5 years before being fired. After MacLeod nobody has coached the Suns more than 5 consecutive years for the Suns.

1 Johnny Kerr 1968–1969
2 Jerry Colangelo* 1970
3 Cotton Fitzsimmons 1970–1972
4 Butch van Breda Kolff 1972
— Jerry Colangelo* 1972–1973
5 John MacLeod 1973–1987
6 Dick Van Arsdale* 1987
7 John Wetzel* 1987–1988
— Cotton Fitzsimmons 1988–1992 1988–89 NBA Coach of the Year
8 Paul Westphal 1992–1996
— Cotton Fitzsimmons 1996
9 Danny Ainge* 1996–1999
10 Scott Skiles 1999–2002
11 Frank Johnson* 2002–2003
12 Mike D'Antoni 2003–2008 2004–05 NBA Coach of the Year
13 Terry Porter 2008–2009
14 Alvin Gentry 2009–2013
15 Lindsey Hunter* 2013
16 Jeff Hornacek* 2013–present

[Gladiator]

Y'all should listen to this Hornacek interview: http://arizonasports.com/player/?a=317831

They surprised me and asked some tough questions. They asked if Hornacek thought Morris was all in with the organization and he said "no." They asked about the assistants being fired to. Worth a listen.

Thank you for this, carey. I skip almost all of these. I had no idea that he was being interviewed by two subs (so they don't have any relationships built up). It was a good interview. I was surprised how honest Jeff was. It is clear that Sarver stepped in and asked the starters who they wanted as their coach. That is fucking crazy.

x2. Thanks Carey - good find, very interesting listen

[Superbone]

One of these days we will all meet and have a drink to celebrate the Suns Championship. Hopefully I'm not using a walker then.

I'm looking forward to that day. I'm hoping to have another 50 years. But don't push it, Suns!

[pickle]

Sarver is such a joke. I guess you can be successful in certain aspects of life and be completely ignorant in others.

[ShelC]

If you have an inexperienced, undisciplined team of (mostly) young guys, of course they're going to want their friendly, push-over coach kept in place. They don't want 3 hour practices with Thibs. Or Lionel Hollins getting in their face and holding them accountable/challenging them.

Player input is important, but it sounds like the inmates are literally running the asylum. And players don't always know what's best. Iverson hated Brown when he was coaching the sixers, then saw the other side with the likes of Randy Ayers, Chris Ford, Jim O'Brien, Mo Cheeks. This past summer the Bulls players all said Thibs had to go (a recent report alluded to Jimmy Butler being one of those players), and now Butler's complaining Hoiberg needs to be tougher. I can't rely on input from Knight, Bledsoe, Tucker, Len, Warren, etc because those guys just don't have the resume to talk about good coaches.

The one guy to hear out is Chandler. If he still backs Hornacek and says he has faith in the coach/ roster and they just need to figure things out, that'd be good enough for me.

I do get the feeling like Hornacek is liked by Sarver and McD and he's their guy. Hornacek's just a solid guy and they probably know they've put him in a tough spot with this roster after he won 48 games with pretty different team just two years ago. It would reflect poorly on the FO to toss him aside. But if the players are tuning out or not respecting him, Sarver and McD won't have a choice.

[carey]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/n ... /78042600/

This season, Bledsoe was the Suns' leading scorer and playmaker, averaging career highs for points (20.4), assists (6.1), steals (2.0) and turnovers (3.5) while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from 3-point range.

With Bledsoe out, Knight takes on the primary role of running the offense, as he has for Detroit and Milwaukee over his first 3 1/2 seasons before coming to Phoenix’s two-playmaker system. The Suns are adapting the lineup and offense to be more traditional with rookie Devin Booker starting at off-guard and running plays that initiate offense from other positions.

On a five-game losing streak, the Suns will be hard-pressed to turn it around swiftly with games at San Antonio tonight and Oklahoma City on Thursday night.

[ShelC]

Gambo nails it here:

http://arizonasports.com/story/503016/t ... od-enough/

Long article...my favorite excerpts:

When last season ended, the Suns’ management and ownership identified the problem as a lack of leadership. Too many young guys on the roster and not enough veteran leadership to guide the younger players through the grind of 82 games.

So Phoenix addressed that issue by bringing in Tyson Chandler, Ronnie Price, Sonny Weems, Mirza Teletovic and Jon Leuer. And what did the effect of having veterans in the clubhouse do for this team?

NOTHING.

They fired two respected coaches who both have championship rings....Maybe rumblings I had heard that both assistant coaches were positioning themselves to replace head coach Jeff Hornacek if the axe were to fall and didn’t have his best interests at heart were true. I can live with that if that is the case.

Morris doesn’t want to be here and the Suns are actively shopping him and P.J. Tucker in an effort to create more opportunities for other players. But there is so little value for Morris that all I am hearing they can do is get off the contract. Some teams don’t want Markieff for FREE.

But the Suns need to stop overvaluing their own players. The vast majority of them are nothing special and not worth the money they are being paid. Some of them have taken the money and decided they don’t want to roll up their sleeves anymore, especially on the defensive end.