2023 Suns General Offseason/PostSeason News Thread

[pickle]

[Mori Chu]

Why do we keep talking about this loser who CHOKED in three straight elimination games?!?

[Superbone]

Why do we keep talking about this loser who CHOKED in three straight elimination games?!?

This is my last attempt to get your attention. See General/Admin contacts. Probable spam but wanted to double check. I have PMed you and messaged you in every forum without response.

[Superbone]

Bol Bol getting ready...

[Mori Chu]

Why do we keep talking about this loser who CHOKED in three straight elimination games?!?

This is my last attempt to get your attention. See General/Admin contacts. Probable spam but wanted to double check. I have PMed you and messaged you in every forum without response.

Apologies! I took action on the spam message. Thanks.

[Nodack]

Clean up on isle 2!

More spam in general folder.

[Superbone]

Clean up on isle 2!

More spam in general folder.

Taken care of.

[Nodack]

[Wally_West]

I get a little annoyed when I see people rank Tatum above Book so confidently, I think Book is the better player, especially after this past year. I get why people might think otherwise but even if you think that, to pretend Tatum is heads and shoulders better than Book like so many on NBA Twitter and NBA Reddit think is just silly.

[JeremyG]

It seems the EG stuff really was false—strange that Marc Spears would get it wrong. Maybe DA was trying to recruit EG?

Please keep us posted of when the Bahamian team is playing and if it's on TV. Thanks.

Their first game is next Monday against Cuba at 3:10 pm AZ/Pacific time (https://www.fiba.basketball/opqt/argent ... nd_results). You can watch all of the games live (and on-demand) here: https://www.courtside1891.basketball/pl ... =gamelinks

I have bad news and good news, though. The bad news is you have to pay $19.99 for the two-month "Max" subscription in order to watch. The good news is that it includes the FIBA World Cup games as well.

[Superbone]

It seems the EG stuff really was false—strange that Marc Spears would get it wrong. Maybe DA was trying to recruit EG?

Please keep us posted of when the Bahamian team is playing and if it's on TV. Thanks.

Their first game is next Monday against Cuba at 3:10 pm AZ/Pacific time (https://www.fiba.basketball/opqt/argent ... nd_results). You can watch all of the games live (and on-demand) here: https://www.courtside1891.basketball/pl ... =gamelinks

I have bad news and good news, though. The bad news is you have to pay $19.99 for the two-month "Max" subscription in order to watch. The good news is that it includes the FIBA World Cup games as well.

Luckily, I subscribe to Max already.

[ShelC]

https://www.nba.com/news/offseason-powe ... -west-2023

#2↑
PHOENIX SUNS
2022-23 record: 45-37

OffRtg: 114.5 (14) DefRtg: 112.3 (7) NetRtg: +2.2 (9) Pace: 98.8 (22)

Key addition(s): Bradley Beal, Eric Gordon, Yuta Watanabe

Key departure(s): Chris Paul, Cameron Payne, Torrey Craig, Landry Shamet

Coaching change: Monty Williams out, Frank Vogel in

Three numbers to know:

• Paul, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant played 167 regular-season minutes and 202 playoff minutes together. The Suns were 12-3 in games in which they had all three and outscored their opponents by 13.4 points per 100 possessions in those 369 total minutes.

• Only 13.4% of the Suns’ possessions, the league’s lowest rate, were in transition, according to Synergy tracking.

• Durant shot 220-for-369 (59.6%) on pull-up 2-pointers, easily the best mark for a player with at least 100 attempts in the 10 years of tracking data.

Key question: Can they defend?

There’s little doubt that, even though they don’t have a point guard, the Suns’ offense will be ridiculously good. Durant will be 35 on opening night but remains one of the two best offensive players on the planet. Beal has missed 72 games over the last two seasons but is still just 30 years old. And Booker is still just 26 (until Oct. 30). All three of those guys are coming off the most efficient (Durant) or second-most efficient seasons of their careers.

Frank Vogel’s last team had the league’s No. 1 defense the season after it won a championship, which says a lot about his ability to coach that end of the floor. Durant was a terrific defender when he played last season and Josh Okogie is still here to be a bulldog off the bench. But that may not be enough for this to be a better-than-average defense unless Beal and Eric Gordon shed some of the bad habits they’re bringing from non-competitive teams.

The ceiling is high, but every team needs to play hard, play together and play defense to reach its ceiling. And those latter two elements will be the things to watch in Phoenix.

[3TheHardaway]

I get a little annoyed when I see people rank Tatum above Book so confidently, I think Book is the better player, especially after this past year. I get why people might think otherwise but even if you think that, to pretend Tatum is heads and shoulders better than Book like so many on NBA Twitter and NBA Reddit think is just silly.

I feel the same way about Tatum. If he didn’t play in Boston he wouldn’t be such a lock for top 10. He looked pedestrian in the finals, and has way too many bad playoff nights (in competitive games) to be regarded the way he is.

He’s a great player, but if I had both of them on my team, it’s Booker’s ball with the clock winding down.

[pickle]

I generally agree but I guess Tatum is seen as a better defender with the size and length.

[AmareIsGod]

Mat Ishbia targeting fan experience improvements for Suns

https://arizonasports.com/story/3530726 ... -for-suns/

New Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia wasted little time overhauling his team’s roster.

Now, he’s turned his attention to the fan experience at Footprint Center.

The Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury announced Tuesday that they’ve partnered with OVG Hospitality to provide food and beverages at games, concerts and other live events at the arena. Ishbia said the new partnership will improve the quality of food, speed up lines at concession stands and include new menu items.

The Suns have sold out 80 straight games at Footprint Center, counting regular season contests and the playoffs.

“Just because our fans love the Phoenix Suns doesn’t mean I can take them for granted,” Ishbia said. “It means I want to lean in more. That was part of the TV deal, too.”

The Suns made waves in April when they announced a new media rights deal that would make Suns and Mercury games available on local television and provide streaming options. The first-of-its-kind deal could pave the way for local sports broadcasts following the struggles of regional sports networks.

Now the deep-pocketed Ishbia — who bought the Suns for roughly $4 billion less than a year ago — is trying to up the food and drink game at his arena. The deal with OVG includes everything from “specialized beverages as fans enter the arena, customized food offerings from locally renowned chefs, to an elevated wine program for connoisseurs of every variety.”

Ishbia has quickly become one of the NBA’s most visible owners despite his short tenure. Less than a week after he was officially introduced by the Suns, the franchise pulled off a blockbuster deadline deal to land 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant.

The Suns have also been busy this offseason, trading for three-time All-Star Bradley Beal. Ishbia even had a much-publicized spat with Nuggets star Nikola Jokic during a playoff game, but the two eventually made up.

Ishbia’s fingerprints have been prominent on all the moves — whether it’s adding an All-Star or a snazzy new cocktail.

“How do we make everything more efficient so we can have a better all-around fan experience?” Ishbia said. “It’s not all going to be ready Day 1. But it’s an evolution, not a revolution.”

[Nodack]

I’m guessing prices are not going to go down at the arena.

[Kryptonic]

Lol from my generation that was locked outside and told to drink from a hose to this…. We’ve come a long way, baby!

Gone are the days when a middle class family of 4 can just pick up and go to a game.

[In2ition]

I’m guessing prices are not going to go down at the arena.

Well, we can only hope that lower prices with better options is part of the increase in fan experience, but prices in food haven't exactly been droppping anywhere.

[Kryptonic]

Hey, I grew up in the 80s-90s and guess I’m gonna have to go back to sneaking food in

[JeremyG]