2nd round playoffs thread

[JustWinBaby]

Our failures above don't mean that we would be better off with some washed-up Amare and a just-retired-as-a-Sun Nash and no draft picks and no assets. In that path, we have no Booker, no Knight, no Warren, no #4 pick, etc. No thank you.

I think you are assuming we would have been a better team. I disagree. I just think we would have been more fun to watch while sucking.

We would have been a better team for at least a couple of years and then really stunk it up with Amare's contract eating up cap space. So we would have been entertained for a short time and just might have been so bad that we could have got our hands on maybe Davis, Wiggins or Towns.

[Mori Chu]

Our failures above don't mean that we would be better off with some washed-up Amare and a just-retired-as-a-Sun Nash and no draft picks and no assets. In that path, we have no Booker, no Knight, no Warren, no #4 pick, etc. No thank you.

I think you are assuming we would have been a better team. I disagree. I just think we would have been more fun to watch while sucking.

That's fine. But Amare went down with multiple years of injuries right after he left for the Knicks. I don't know that that would have been very much fun to watch. I think keeping the whole band together would have been fun for about 1 year and then gotten really depressing, kind of current Memphis Grizzlies style.

[Split T]

He had two years in NY before he went downhill if I remember correctly.

[JustWinBaby]

Our failures above don't mean that we would be better off with some washed-up Amare and a just-retired-as-a-Sun Nash and no draft picks and no assets. In that path, we have no Booker, no Knight, no Warren, no #4 pick, etc. No thank you.

I think you are assuming we would have been a better team. I disagree. I just think we would have been more fun to watch while sucking.

That's fine. But Amare went down with multiple years of injuries right after he left for the Knicks. I don't know that that would have been very much fun to watch. I think keeping the whole band together would have been fun for about 1 year and then gotten really depressing, kind of current Memphis Grizzlies style.

Other than the 48 win season with Hornacek I cannot imagine it possible to be more depressing. It has been really hard to watch a full game of Phoenix Suns basketball since Amare left town. Even with Nash and Hill around for a couple of more years, after Amare left, we were bad. Hindsight is always fantastic but why in the world did we not move Nash and Hill when we did not resign Amare, the writing was on the wall. Blow it up and acquire future assets. We have not made the playoffs since Amare left town. Pretty depressing if you ask me.

[JustWinBaby]

He had two years in NY before he went downhill if I remember correctly.

You are correct. He also did not have our trainers and was marginalized by the arrival of Carmelo and the resignation of D'Antoni. They became virtually nothing but a team passing the ball to Carmelo so he could go one on one while scoring a crap load of points. Amare became a role player, when healthy.

The 09/10 team with Gentry at the controls was one of my favorites and I wanted to see more. I was excited about how good we could be the next season with a few tweaks. I was very depressed when Amare and Sarver could not find common ground. I blame them both but it is hard to criticize Amare for taking the guaranteed money. If the Knicks would not have made that offer he might have remained with us.

Maybe we should start a list of decisions that Sarver has made that have turned out right and those that he got wrong. At this point in time the Amare decision is debatable.

[gosuns]

Yes, That western conference finals team overachieved in my opinion and had a lot of players that peaked that year or that would have slowly faded, like they did (with the suns or on other teams). Yes, Nash and Amare would have been great to watch for one more season, but we wouldn't have made it far with them. But, They could have attracted some good free agents!

Good players attract good free agents! That's what we have been missing from that point on. We have only signed mediocre players in free agency since that year and I blame the lack of charisma and personality on our roster. Phoenix was always a great destination for free agents in the 90s and from 2000-2010, San Antonio has buried us in that regard, thanks to the charisma of Duncan und co. Keeping Nash and Amare around, and also Grant Hill could have attracted the really big names and would have kept the suns on the NBA map. Involving all of them until they retired and keeping them around even after retirement could have ment too keep a certain prestige level.

From that year on the only thing we have done well is drafting. Trades and free agency meeh... And please don't compare those suns with the grizzlies. We were at a much higher level than the grizzlies ever were. The only hope we have right now, is that booker is or turns out as the player we all hope he is. A top player with a great personality that carries this team out of the mud it is stuck in.

[Split T]

Speaking of the 2010 suns squad, I was slightly surprised to discover they have the most efficient offense the NBA has seen in the last 20 years. Ahead of #2 the 04-05 suns and #3 15-16 warriors.