Suns News: The Offseason (2016)

[Indy]

Shel said he would be interested to see if Bender or Chriss would grow.

[O_Gardino]

Patience, guys. No way an 18 year old is already what he's going to be. He seems like a determined kid that wants to get better. Give him time. Lots of it.

I didn't mean he can't become a better basketball player by saying he is what he is. I meant that you don't get faster as you get older. You might get stronger, and you will certainly learn a lot. What I was saying was, if his speed is the problem with his defense, well, he better get a lot smarter.

It's not his foot speed that is slow, it's his reaction sped. And that can certainly improve as he gets comfortable. Here's hoping.

[Indy]

Patience, guys. No way an 18 year old is already what he's going to be. He seems like a determined kid that wants to get better. Give him time. Lots of it.

I didn't mean he can't become a better basketball player by saying he is what he is. I meant that you don't get faster as you get older. You might get stronger, and you will certainly learn a lot. What I was saying was, if his speed is the problem with his defense, well, he better get a lot smarter.

It's not his foot speed that is slow, it's his reaction sped. And that can certainly improve as he gets comfortable. Here's hoping.

I don't think reaction speed can get quicker. You can anticipate what is going to happen and start moving their sooner, or maybe he is over-thinking right now. Either way, I don't expect what we have seen in Summer League to be the end-all-be-all of Bender.

[ShelC]

It's just a matter of getting used to the speed of the game. He's played 3 SL games. Things will slow down for him.

Again, I'd like to see him at the 4/5, closer to the basket, rebounding and maybe challenging some shots.

[Cap]

It's just a matter of getting used to the speed of the game. He's played 3 SL games. Things will slow down for him.

I hope you're right, but I'm impatient. I'll give him till the end of summer league before I panic.

[In2ition]

Patience, guys. No way an 18 year old is already what he's going to be. He seems like a determined kid that wants to get better. Give him time. Lots of it.

I didn't mean he can't become a better basketball player by saying he is what he is. I meant that you don't get faster as you get older. You might get stronger, and you will certainly learn a lot. What I was saying was, if his speed is the problem with his defense, well, he better get a lot smarter.

It's not his foot speed that is slow, it's his reaction sped. And that can certainly improve as he gets comfortable. Here's hoping.

I don't think reaction speed can get quicker. You can anticipate what is going to happen and start moving their sooner, or maybe he is over-thinking right now. Either way, I don't expect what we have seen in Summer League to be the end-all-be-all of Bender.

Yeah, when talking about reaction speed, it's more about him still thinking instead of reacting. Even though he's had a lot of great coaching, he hasn't had a ton of playing time at Maccabi. It's going to take him a little while before thinks without thinking and the game slows down for him. Might take him longer than the end of summer league though, Cap.

[Shabazz]

His lateral quickness on D has been as good as advertised. I've seen smaller, (supposedly) faster players repeatedly try and take him off the dribble without success. The flip-side is that he's a 3 on offense and when he gets the ball on the perimeter, he's not explosive enough to blow by anyone. He'll learn some moves that will help in that regard, but like Shel said, his ideal offensive position is the 4 and eventually the 5, where his shooting and speed are advantages.

[carey]

More Suns praise: https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/d ... in-phoenix

One year after Phoenix's dream of a LaMarcus Aldridge and Tyson Chandler tandem was dashed, and two years after a string of disastrous transactions that saw the franchise's All-Star point guard count go from two to zero, the Suns have restocked their lineup with two of the most versatile and intriguing frontcourt prospects in the 2016 NBA draft: Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss. For a team that's attempting to renovate on the fly, betting on length and youth is probably the best play available.

As the two headliners on Phoenix's Las Vegas Summer League squad, the duo has not yet provided much more than an antsy, foul-prone mirage of potential. But the outline of something special—and Phoenix's path to upper-tier legitimacy—is visible with them in place. For a team trying to escape the league's late-lottery doldrums, a little bit of hope goes a long way.

Given that the Suns have invested $100 million over the next 3-4 years in Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, and that 19-year-old shooting guard Devin Booker appears to have a ceiling of "Klay Thompson with an imagination"—he's really good at basketball, is what I'm saying—using two lottery picks to reconstruct the frontcourt makes sense. Bender is a 7-foot-1 prodigy from Croatia who moves like a guard and started playing professional basketball when he was 15. Chriss is pure energy, crackling within a 19-year-old body that has very few limitations.

In three Summer League games, Bender's PER was 1.9; even with the usual caveats about disregarding summer stats, that's obviously not great. Still, Bender will ideally establish himself over the next decade as an unbreakable kickstand: a taller, longer, better-shooting Shawn Marion who won't ever let the Suns topple over. He can make teammates better and fill crevices all over the floor by himself. Bender may never become a franchise player, but his position-less agility should complement whoever eventually fills that role.

Booker may well be that guy, but it's possible that it could be Chriss, too. A lottery ticket that fell into Phoenix's lap when the Sacramento Kings decided to trade back in last month's draft, Chriss may be nothing more than Amar'e Stoudemire karaoke. Or, he may be an epic stretch four who was born to thrive in today's league, where athleticism and outside shooting have never been more important. He's a teenager with three Summer League games to his name—he's averaging a double-double, which, again, you should disregard—and it would be foolish to read too much into his future.

In that first game, the Suns played Bender at small forward and had him shadow Portland's Luis Montero, a 6-foot-7 shooting guard. Up next was Jaylen Brown, the athletic small forward prospect Boston selected one pick ahead of Bender. He stuck with them both reasonably well, sliding his feet, and keeping his arms up so as to snuff out any obvious path to the basket. At the risk of belaboring the obvious: this is a seven-footer who debuted at small forward and looked comfortable defending guards. That's not normal!

[Ring_Wanted]

More Suns praise: https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/d ... in-phoenix

and two years after a string of disastrous transactions that saw the franchise's All-Star point guard count go from two to zero

Hohoho so harsh

the Suns have restocked their lineup with two of the most versatile and intriguing frontcourt prospects in the 2016 NBA draft: Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss.

People love our forwards and think we have nailed it. I am still not buying. We need to see. Look at Booker and TJ. That's good stuff at the summer league.

As the two headliners on Phoenix's Las Vegas Summer League squad, the duo has not yet provided much more than an antsy, foul-prone mirage of potential. But the outline of something special—and Phoenix's path to upper-tier legitimacy—is visible with them in place. For a team trying to escape the league's late-lottery doldrums, a little bit of hope goes a long way.

Given that the Suns have invested $100 million over the next 3-4 years in Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, and that 19-year-old shooting guard Devin Booker appears to have a ceiling of "Klay Thompson with an imagination"—he's really good at basketball, is what I'm saying—using two lottery picks to reconstruct the frontcourt makes sense.

Maybe what made the most sense was throwing the towel on those two, handing the team to Booker and drafting the best talent period. The latter could even end up being true, but I have a bad taste in my mouth.

I still love TJ, though. Nigga was a bout to blow up.

[TOO]

Devin Booker is younger than Ben Simmons. Heh.

[INFORMER]

Maybe what made the most sense was throwing the towel on those two, handing the team to Booker and drafting the best talent period. The latter could even end up being true, but I have a bad taste in my mouth.

I think about Bledsoe, Knight, and what could have been of the 2016 draft, and I just want to vomit.

[TOO]

I think about Bledsoe, Knight, and what could have been of the 2016 draft, and I just want to vomit.

Because you'd have traded them both and made different selections?

[INFORMER]

I think about Bledsoe, Knight, and what could have been of the 2016 draft, and I just want to vomit.

Because you'd have traded them both and made different selections?

Absolutely.

[TOO]

I think about Bledsoe, Knight, and what could have been of the 2016 draft, and I just want to vomit.

Because you'd have traded them both and made different selections?

Absolutely.

You can take solace in the fact that you're not the only one. I'm far more excited by Ulis than I am with either 1st, because he could be the guy that finally gets McD away from Bledsoe and Knight.

[Indy]

I think about Bledsoe, Knight, and what could have been of the 2016 draft, and I just want to vomit.

Because you'd have traded them both and made different selections?

Absolutely.

Not a fair assumption or something any of us wanted, BUT assume we didn't want to trade Bledsoe at all, and were only willing to trade Knight after he played half a season and showed something, AND assume no trading of picks: How would you have used our picks with who was on the board at the time?

[In2ition]

Maybe what made the most sense was throwing the towel on those two, handing the team to Booker and drafting the best talent period. The latter could even end up being true, but I have a bad taste in my mouth.

I think about Bledsoe, Knight, and what could have been of the 2016 draft, and I just want to vomit.

Go ahead, you'll feel better.

[Indy]

I think about Bledsoe, Knight, and what could have been of the 2016 draft, and I just want to vomit.

Because you'd have traded them both and made different selections?

Absolutely.

You can take solace in the fact that you're not the only one. I'm far more excited by Ulis than I am with either 1st, because he could be the guy that finally gets McD away from Bledsoe and Knight.

Amen to that. But I don't think he will. I said this before, but I totally get why they are in love with Eric. He says all the right things, works really hard, has great athleticism and instincts on defense, gives back to the community, and is supposedly even becoming a leader. Those are all things you would love to have from a player in your organization. The problem is, he isn't the right fit.

[In2ition]

I think about Bledsoe, Knight, and what could have been of the 2016 draft, and I just want to vomit.

Because you'd have traded them both and made different selections?

Absolutely.

You can take solace in the fact that you're not the only one. I'm far more excited by Ulis than I am with either 1st, because he could be the guy that finally gets McD away from Bledsoe and Knight.

Amen to that. But I don't think he will. I said this before, but I totally get why they are in love with Eric. He says all the right things, works really hard, has great athleticism and instincts on defense, gives back to the community, and is supposedly even becoming a leader. Those are all things you would love to have from a player in your organization. The problem is, he isn't the right fit.

I agree with this.

[INFORMER]

Not a fair assumption or something any of us wanted, BUT assume we didn't want to trade Bledsoe at all, and were only willing to trade Knight after he played half a season and showed something, AND assume no trading of picks: How would you have used our picks with who was on the board at the time?

Cap asked me the same thing. I don't see the point of placing conditions and limitations on it.

But I'll give you the same answer:

4- Hield
13 - Valentine
28 - Diallo
34 - Bolomboy

And I would have really tried to land another second rounder for Cornelie or Zipser.

[TOO]

Its too bad he's better suited to a 20mpg bench role because he's got glass knees.