2nd Half of season

[Split T]

Personally, I picked the 2nd option. As much as I would absolutely love a top 3 pick, I think improvements from our current youngsters is more important. If Booker continues to play like he has the last 5 games, Warren gets back to how he started the season and at least one of Bender or Chriss starts making real contributions, I would be very happy. We'd still land a pick probably around 10 or 11 in this scenario and could still draft a very good prospect.

Option 3 would be just fine with me as well. I don't like option 1 at all and think it would be more harmful than helpful to the teams future. I didn't include option 4(we continue to lean heavily on vets and keep losing) because that's the worst of the options and I think we all know that.

[TOO]

Trade the Vets and be terrible. Something we should've done years ago.

[Hermen]

Well, number 2 is what you hope to achieve with number 3, only with slightly lower lottery odds, which is a worthy sacrifice for 4 players making big progress.

[Superbone]

Trade the Vets and be terrible. Something we should've done years ago.

This regime doesn't seem interested in doing that.

[Superbone]

Yesterday was a good sign toward option 2. Booker, Warren, Len, Bender, Ulis, and Chriss all got significant playing time.

[OE32]

Bender's positive contributions have been a nice surprise.

Still gotta learn to grab that ball.

[JCSunsfan]

tough between option two and three. I don't mind seeing Tucker, Knight, or Chandler traded. Knight definitely. Tucker, yep. Chandler would get us good value. I am not sure I want to see the Suns finish last in the west. We need to develop our young talent and losing like that won't help.

[Mori Chu]

I don't think you can get any self respecting coach to do Option 3. They know they will be fired if the team is last in the West, so they insist on playing some of the vets and trying to win every game. If the younglings play a lot and we muddle our way to the 10-11 seed in the West, that is fine with me. I don't think we are going to get the 1st or 2nd pick or anything like that; probably like 6th.

[Shabazz]

Marielle Fultz, please

[The Bobster]

There is no future in holding onto Tucker and Chandler, there is little point in hanging onto Knight.

#3 please.

[Nodack]

I don't have a big problem with this season. Could it have gone better? Of course. It has been a combination of the rooks and vets. Some prefer the vets go away and we only play the youngest guys. I think you need a combination and it has been.
I would say yes to Knight being traded but, wouldn't pull my hair out if it didn't happen

The Suns as I see them.
Bledsoe- Started a little slowly but, has been playing great IMO. Trade him? Not high on my list at all.

Booker - It seems we have felt let down by him this year, he has had some quiet games but how many 20 year olds have 7 games over 30 points at mid season? He has really picked it up lately and is no doubt solidified his ownership of the starting SG position for many years to come.

Warren- I always liked his unorthodox offensive skill set leading up to this season. I wasn't sold on his defense. He came out to start the season playing like an All Star and then the mysterious head injury sidelined him for awhile. He is just now getting back to his old form. He seems to have solodified his spot for the time being.

Chriss- Rookie Chriss landed the starting job from the get go. Has played ok. Hasn't made too many mistakes and hasn't had any offesive explosions either. Seems to have a good 3 Pt shot and is athletic. Has recently notched it up a little. Foul prone and gets a few technicals. My jury is still out on him.

Chandler- The veteran brought in. He has solidified the starting job this year it seems over Len who has been groomed for the starting job for awhile now. Chandler has a limited offensive game which is mostly lobs to keep the defense honest and put backs. Has been a rebounding machine for the Suns and I feel will likely go down as the best rebounder in Suns history. I feel like he is one of those rented guys to hold down the shop while we rebuild and bot part of the long term plans. A rent a vet.

Len- He has been groomed for some time now and has become a decent center but, hasn't quite gotten over the hump. Has great games and bad games. He has a decent shot but, inconsistent. On a 1-10 grade for him I have to give him a 6. I haven't given up on him though.

Tucker- Has been a workhorse for the Suns. Nobody is hated more by Suns fans around here than him except for Knight. People hate him getting so many minutes over the rookies. A few Suns coaches now have used the crap out of Tucker. He obviously is a guy coaches like to use. He has been their pit bull. Defensive specialist although many Suns fans think his defense is overrated. My sentiment? He earns his minutes by effort. If somebody wants his minutes they can earn it.

Bender-People wonder when Chriss is a starter all season and Bender barely cracks the rotation. I can't answer that. Has had very limited playing time but, has earned more and more time as the season has rolled along. Bender is tall and lanky. Will need to put on some muscle. I'm sure it will happen. Has a sweet 3 pt stroke and seems to get a lot of blocks, near blocks or puts the guy on the line without getting his shot off. I see promise in him.

Knight- Least favorite Sun this year by most. The Black Hole. Booker stole his job last year and now he is a sixth man. I thought he would make a decent sixth man. He started out slow and has sort of picked it up as of late before hurting his ankle. The Suns are dead last in assists and he is as big a culprit as any. Can almost be unstoppable sometimes and other times shoot you right out of a game by himself. I haven't been a big fan of his. I would be OK if we traded him sooner than later but, I won't slit my wrists if he isn't traded this season. As the rookies gain confidence his minutes can suffer. His minutes have been going down in favor of the rookies.

Dudley- Seasoned veteran and fan favorite kind of guy. He has been shooting the 3 ball well and doing savy veteran plays. Not an All Star by any stretch of the imagination. His minutes have dried completely up lately. That shows that the coach is starting to give the rookies more time and Dudleys minutes are where some of that is coming from too. A rent a vet.

Barbosa- Total fan favorite and has played well all season.I love Barbosa. He was out of control when he came in the league. Crazy drives to the basket with impossible shots off the backboard that sometimes went in. He is much more refined now. He is another savy veteran brought in to shore up the team and mentor the rookies. A rent a Vet.

Ulis- Rookie who also has had trouble cracking the rotation. He is the Suns best distributer and plays like Suns fans like theor PG's to play. Is undersized and can be a liability on defense because of it. Still is fast and gets a lot of steals because of it. Has a mixure of shots on offense. Has been getting more minutes lately. Makes a few mistakes here and there and is immediately pulled from the game after every mistake. Super short leash on him. Future starting PG of the Suns? Hard to say. If Knight is moved maybe he can be PG #2 and sixth man. It might still fall to Barbosa at this point but, we'll see.

Williams- Haven't seen much of him. I really liked what I saw. Plays with passion and gets after it. Not sure what we are doung with him yet. He's the backup to the backup Center.

Watson- I am slightly disappointed in him. The Suns dead last in defense and assists and a turnover machine are not good stats. Their passing has been horrible and too much one on one ball. This can't be all on the coach but, some of it is. Pop always has SA playing disciplined basketball. The Suns are not very disciplined on the court. Part of that has to be the coach.
5 out of 10.

Overall I think we are generally right on schedule. The Suns have improved their play as the year has gone on. I am happy with losing all year to get a good puck again but, can't help but be happy at a San Antonio victory now and then. I thought they would be a little better than they have been this season. The seem to be gettng better and the rookies are getting more playing time.

As a Suns fan I give them 6 out of 10 stars.

[pickle]

Can I pick option 2 with an asterisk of "winning the lottery" tacked on the end?

[In2ition]

I like pickle's option

[Cap]

Booker - It seems we have felt let down by him this year, he has had some quiet games but how many 20 year olds have 7 games over 30 points at mid season?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... der_by=pts

That gives Devin a total of 13 (and counting) 30-point games before drinking age. That puts him 4th on the all-time leader board, after LeBron, KD, and Melo. http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... der_by=pts

[SDC]

if there's a legit chance to make it as an eight seed, you do it.

[TOO]

if there's a legit chance to make it as an eight seed, you do it.

Sarver Doesn't Concede. I get it now.

[Split T]

Booker - It seems we have felt let down by him this year, he has had some quiet games but how many 20 year olds have 7 games over 30 points at mid season?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... der_by=pts

That gives Devin a total of 13 (and counting) 30-point games before drinking age. That puts him 4th on the all-time leader board, after LeBron, KD, and Melo. http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... der_by=pts

Looks like he'll pass Melo eventually. Not gonna catch the other two.

[Ring_Wanted]

I would say yes to Knight being traded but, wouldn't pull my hair out if it didn't happen

I absolutely would. Knight has showed time and time again that he can't help a team like ours. He needs a winning team where he is surrounded by the right group of players and perhaps more importantly, the right coach. He is Jamal Crawford before he found his niche on the Clipps. We don't need that unless we want to keep racking up frustration. He needs to be gone asap and we need to forget about what he did cost. What is done is done and all we can look forward to now is finding him a new home so we can move on from being the worst passing team in the business.

Bledsoe- Started a little slowly but, has been playing great IMO. Trade him? Not high on my list at all.

I think this is the perfect time to trade him. His knees are not acting up, his production is stablished at 20-5-5 and he still has enough left on a now cheap contract. He is a very good player but his shortcomings as PG are clear by now so if we want to put our future on Booker's hands, we need to move Bledsoe, whose age is not in line with the kids anyway.

Booker - It seems we have felt let down by him this year, he has had some quiet games but how many 20 year olds have 7 games over 30 points at mid season? He has really picked it up lately and is no doubt solidified his ownership of the starting SG position for many years to come.

No real complains here. His shot selection could have been better, but we are developing him as the alpha and that comes with the territory. Part of his progression will be figuring out when not to take a shot despite the internal feeling that you can put any shot in. It will come in due time, and this season's relative struggling is actually good for the long run.

Warren- I always liked his unorthodox offensive skill set leading up to this season. I wasn't sold on his defense. He came out to start the season playing like an All Star and then the mysterious head injury sidelined him for awhile. He is just now getting back to his old form. He seems to have solodified his spot for the time being.

Warren just needs to get some continuity. Just when he is about to break out something happens to his body.

Chriss- Rookie Chriss landed the starting job from the get go. Has played ok. Hasn't made too many mistakes and hasn't had any offesive explosions either. Seems to have a good 3 Pt shot and is athletic. Has recently notched it up a little. Foul prone and gets a few technicals. My jury is still out on him.

I think the starting sport should have gone to Bender. Beyond some relatively minor flashes, Chriss has showed less. He needs to tone down with the refs. And to be brutally honest, I just don't see the athleticism everybody raves about. He jumps effortlessly for sure, but basketball athleticism is much more than that. He's got a nice spin move, though.

Chandler- The veteran brought in. He has solidified the starting job this year it seems over Len who has been groomed for the starting job for awhile now. Chandler has a limited offensive game which is mostly lobs to keep the defense honest and put backs. Has been a rebounding machine for the Suns and I feel will likely go down as the best rebounder in Suns history. I feel like he is one of those rented guys to hold down the shop while we rebuild and bot part of the long term plans. A rent a vet.

Chandler is doing his thing but he is not a relevant defender anymore. He rebounds and is a good influence but I think it would be wise to try to sell relatively high on that rebounding %s. Not having a good PG on the roster hurts his alrealy basic offensive production.

Len- He has been groomed for some time now and has become a decent center but, hasn't quite gotten over the hump. Has great games and bad games. He has a decent shot but, inconsistent. On a 1-10 grade for him I have to give him a 6. I haven't given up on him though.

Len seems to be developing a career arch similar to RoLo's. I see some solid games and more invisible performances than I'd like. He still doesn't use his size to its full extent and there are concerns he may never will. Hands are not great. We need to make a decision soon, and if we choose to sign him, I am afraid it won't come cheap. On that note, even if Lopez turned into a solid player for a number of teams (basically everybody but NOP), we found a replacement quite easily (Gortat). I dangle him and see what I can get this trade deadline. Maybe some team with little cap flexibility is willing to pony up. At this point, I basically don't take in mind that he was drafted #5.

Tucker- Has been a workhorse for the Suns. Nobody is hated more by Suns fans around here than him except for Knight. People hate him getting so many minutes over the rookies. A few Suns coaches now have used the crap out of Tucker. He obviously is a guy coaches like to use. He has been their pit bull. Defensive specialist although many Suns fans think his defense is overrated. My sentiment? He earns his minutes by effort. If somebody wants his minutes they can earn it.

Tucker has been a good soldier but you can't be playing him 40 minutes, even if he is all effort. When his first contract was up, I was one of the more vocal fans wanting to re-sign him. At this point, though, he doesn't help the franchise going forward unless his role is reduced to 15-18 mpg, with the occasional increase in playing time if for some reason he is not being a liability on offense. Anyway, he should be on the trading block for sure.

Bender-People wonder when Chriss is a starter all season and Bender barely cracks the rotation. I can't answer that. Has had very limited playing time but, has earned more and more time as the season has rolled along. Bender is tall and lanky. Will need to put on some muscle. I'm sure it will happen. Has a sweet 3 pt stroke and seems to get a lot of blocks, near blocks or puts the guy on the line without getting his shot off. I see promise in him.

Bender showed defense, team play and shooting potential since the start. That alone should have put him ahead of Chriss. Watson has some explaining to do on this one.

Dudley- Seasoned veteran and fan favorite kind of guy. He has been shooting the 3 ball well and doing savy veteran plays. Not an All Star by any stretch of the imagination. His minutes have dried completely up lately. That shows that the coach is starting to give the rookies more time and Dudleys minutes are where some of that is coming from too. A rent a vet.

Dudley has done a more admirable job at his thing than say Chandler. Makes his threes, plays team defense and doesn't commit mistakes, plus his usual chemistry and leadership. I wouldn't treat him as a rental.

Barbosa

Barbosa has rendered Knight useless to us. Very little else to say.

Ulis

Good backup material. Moving at least one of Bledsoe-Knight is the only way he can get minutes.

Williams- Haven't seen much of him. I really liked what I saw. Plays with passion and gets after it. Not sure what we are doung with him yet. He's the backup to the backup Center.

His rebounding %s are great. I think he can play a role for a decent team, but like Ulis, he has two guys in front of him that he can't beat, perhaps for reasons not entirely related to their production on the court.

Watson- I am slightly disappointed in him. The Suns dead last in defense and assists and a turnover machine are not good stats. Their passing has been horrible and too much one on one ball. This can't be all on the coach but, some of it is. Pop always has SA playing disciplined basketball. The Suns are not very disciplined on the court. Part of that has to be the coach.

Agreed. I'll give him just 4/10, though. Playing Tucker a fvckton of minutes and putting Chriss ahead of Bender keep me from giving him a pass.

As a Suns fan I give them 6 out of 10 stars.

4/10. The ugly ball is still here. The dumb has been reduced, but overall the product is not good. Only Booker makes it watchable to some extent.

[Superbone]

I would say yes to Knight being traded but, wouldn't pull my hair out if it didn't happen

I absolutely would. Knight has showed time and time again that he can't help a team like ours. He needs a winning team where he is surrounded by the right group of players and perhaps more importantly, the right coach. He is Jamal Crawford before he found his niche on the Clipps. We don't need that unless we want to keep racking up frustration. He needs to be gone asap and we need to forget about what he did cost. What is done is done and all we can look forward to now is finding him a new home so we can move on from being the worst passing team in the business.

Depends on if you want a top lottery pick or not. The numbers don't lie. When we play Knight any significant minutes, we lose. Keep Knight and we have an excellent shot at a top pick. Trade him and then we'll probably end up 9th or 10th in the West with a low lottery pick.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

Can I pick option 2 with an asterisk of "winning the lottery" tacked on the end?

THIS!!!