Game Day (SL): Heat (2-1) @ Suns (2-1), Thurs 7/14/16

[Split T]

Ulis is so good. Looks incredible today.

[ShelC]

Guys who play basketball






Basketball Player

[Cap]

Ulis is so good. Looks incredible today.

He's ready to be a rotation player, which doesn't leave a lot of minutes for Barbosa.

And Alan Williams, might as well go ahead and guarantee that contract today.

[In2ition]

Suns win! Suns win! Ulis was filthy POG, Bender played well, took people off the dribble and nearly had a double double. Revenge for the summer Suns.

[AmareIsGod]

Ulis is SO FILTHY!

[AmareIsGod]

I can't get over how impressive Tyler Ulis looks. At his size, he uses it as a complete advantage to slice and move in space. Incredibly crafty with extremely high basketball IQ.

[AmareIsGod]

[youtube][/youtube]

[Sunsfan4life]

If you watched Ulis play in the SEC (I am an Auburn fan so...I follow the SEC more then I probably should haha) then you know he wasn't the 34th best player in this draft. He went that low because of his size (which will be an issue vs certain teams, but Shouldn't of masked his other talents)+a rumor that he had an injury that caused him him drop. It's only summer league but it isn't surprising that he is our best rookie right now and looks like a rotational player. He flat out knows how to run an offense. Better then both knight and Bledsoe.

Didn't catch the game tonight...someone give me a run down on Bender, heard he looked better?

[The Bobster]

Ulis was the shortest consensus All-American since Johnny O'Brien in 1953 (he was also 5'9").

So there was never really any question about whether he could play, it was a matter of how it will translate to the pros. First impression is that it may translate pretty well.

[ShelC]

Bender looked a lot more active and engaged. Was flying around for rebounds, bringing the ball upcourt. Again, very impressive for a guy his size to be moving around the court the way he does. His shot wasn't falling for the most part but he looks fine shooting the ball, has good court awareness on his passes. He's not afraid of contact on either end, mixed it up a few times. I think he definitely needs to work on his left hand, driving and finishing.

[O_Gardino]

I only got to see the final 5 minutes or so, but what a 5 minutes.

I love rooting for role players, and Alan Williams is my favorite Sun right now.

Ulis just owned. Why isn't Ulis my favorite? He's too good to be an underdog / role player. In the NBA, he still has a lot to prove, but in the Summer League he's a star.

Bender was more comfortable / fluid. He did look 18, but he looked like a basketball player. The 2 shots I saw were much more comfortable than the last couple of games, and I get the feeling that he just needs to get used to his role and get used to his body. I loved seeing his involvement during inbound passes late in the game. He can make the passer hesitate with those long arms. And when Bender takes it out on the sidelines, he can see over everyone and make the right play. We will see a lot of that over the years, I hope.

[Sunsfan4life]

Bender looked a lot more active and engaged. Was flying around for rebounds, bringing the ball upcourt. Again, very impressive for a guy his size to be moving around the court the way he does. His shot wasn't falling for the most part but he looks fine shooting the ball, has good court awareness on his passes. He's not afraid of contact on either end, mixed it up a few times. I think he definitely needs to work on his left hand, driving and finishing.

Thanks for the recap. I thought the speed of the game overwhelmed him the last two prior to this. So he seemed to be more comfortable with that? Not sweating him missing a few shots, I like his stroke.

[ShelC]

I think the speed of the game, plus fatigue and guarding smaller players, impacted him. He's really being thrown out there and asked to guard the opposing perimeter players and has looked good for the most part. Last night he was at the 4 and seemed a bit more in tune. He had a nice block early in the game but was called for a (questionable) foul. Things like that obviously hurt rhythm.

[Mori Chu]

Bender looks like a legit NBA forward out there. He looks like he needs 1-2 years of bumbling around to really have it together out there in a real game, but you can see all the pieces there. He moves well, has good hands and feet, has a really nice shooting form, mostly controls his body well, hustles. He doesn't always make the right decision and sometimes makes mistakes, and he missed several shots, but you can just tell that he will improve and will become a net positive.

[OE32]

I like the way we used Bender on offense last game - having him start from the inside out. Treat him as a shooter. If the defense has to worry about that shot first and foremost, that will create opportunities to penetrate, no matter who's guarding him. Offensively, I think that's his game.

[Big Jake Little Jake]

I like the way we used Bender on offense last game - having him start from the inside out. Treat him as a shooter. If the defense has to worry about that shot first and foremost, that will create opportunities to penetrate, no matter who's guarding him. Offensively, I think that's his game.

Agreed. And I don't think he got enough credit for his passing in this game. They were all (mostly) right in the shooters pocket and he made very quick decisions when swinging the ball from side to side.

His shots have all been straight, just a little short. A little more legs and he'll be hitting those.

Ulis is so much fun to watch.

[Indy]

I love Earl Watson. Come at me.

Did he give you a hug?

He fills my heart with joy.

I am sincerely glad to read that.

Got to watch most of the game last night when I got home. Every time I hear him talk I love him. I just hope that turns into production with the players.

[TOO]

I love Earl Watson. Come at me.

Did he give you a hug?

He fills my heart with joy.

I am sincerely glad to read that.

Got to watch most of the game last night when I got home. Every time I hear him talk I love him. I just hope that turns into production with the players.

Can't remember the last time I was actually rooting for a coach.

[JCSunsfan]

Watson's solution to everything

"LOVE"

When he talks strategy and personnel, I like him. When he talks luuuuuuuuuv, I feel like I want to barf.

I think its an old guy thing.

[Indy]

Watson's solution to everything

"LOVE"

When he talks strategy and personnel, I like him. When he talks luuuuuuuuuv, I feel like I want to barf.

I think its an old guy thing.

Or maybe your...