We finally get to see Joe and Boris on the same team!Split T wrote:You guys both missed the jazz. Jazz will be good
+1Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:I like our future outlook more this year, but I don't think we will make the playoffs. The past few years I have been overoptimistic and hoped for the playoffs even though I thought it was unrealistic. This year I'm just going to enjoy the journey and watching the young guys grow and improve. No expectations other than playing hard and general improvement over the course of the year.
If I had to guess I'd say we will be about 10-11th in the West.
Forward: Dudley, Tucker, Warren, Bender, Chrisspickle wrote:Take the time to develop the young 4s and to hopefully swing a trade or two to clear up the logjam in the backcourt, and set sight for on-court success a little later.
Probably. But if there is enough versatility you could get away with it. Assuming vets like Dudley, Chandler and Tucker are willing to surrender minutes without an attitude. Maybe starting next year at worst.Cap wrote:Forward: Dudley, Tucker, Warren, Bender, Chrisspickle wrote:Take the time to develop the young 4s and to hopefully swing a trade or two to clear up the logjam in the backcourt, and set sight for on-court success a little later.
Center: Chandler, Len
If the young players (Warren, Bender, Chriss, Len) are all doing well enough to earn a major spot in the rotation, there's no position where we don't have a logjam. Two centers and five forwards who all need minutes = logjam.
Jenkins? He's 15th man at best. That's if he sticks at all.Ring_Wanted wrote:Probably. But if there is enough versatility you could get away with it. Assuming vets like Dudley, Chandler and Tucker are willing to surrender minutes without an attitude. Maybe starting next year at worst.Cap wrote:Forward: Dudley, Tucker, Warren, Bender, Chrisspickle wrote:Take the time to develop the young 4s and to hopefully swing a trade or two to clear up the logjam in the backcourt, and set sight for on-court success a little later.
Center: Chandler, Len
If the young players (Warren, Bender, Chriss, Len) are all doing well enough to earn a major spot in the rotation, there's no position where we don't have a logjam. Two centers and five forwards who all need minutes = logjam.
The guards are more troublesome, I think. Ulis can play and is compatible with any of the big dogs, but the minutes might just not be there. Knight is not going to give Booker anything, the kid himself is a prodigy and Bledsoe if healthy stuffs the sheet. There's even an Archie and a Jenkins (his shooting also merits a chance). Again, Moving Knight (or Bledsoe, but at the moment is not worth it) is capital. A microwave hog who doesn't play defense is not the best thing you can put around kids. I really want to see what's Watson approach to players who leave to be desired on defense, all factors considered.
I'd much rather have a logjam at the forward position than the guard position.Cap wrote:Forward: Dudley, Tucker, Warren, Bender, Chrisspickle wrote:Take the time to develop the young 4s and to hopefully swing a trade or two to clear up the logjam in the backcourt, and set sight for on-court success a little later.
Center: Chandler, Len
If the young players (Warren, Bender, Chriss, Len) are all doing well enough to earn a major spot in the rotation, there's no position where we don't have a logjam. Two centers and five forwards who all need minutes = logjam.
Bender's usefulness as a defender is really intriguing. It looks like he will be able to defend 3's and stretch 4's. I am not sure how well he will defend the interior. But that is a fairly uncommon weapon to have. His defense will earn him playing time immediately, and his passing won't hurt. As odd as it sounds, his role overlaps with PJ most. They are just polar opposites in physical profile.Ring_Wanted wrote:Btw if Bender is the s*** as a defender we should really consider to invest in Okafor. You put inmense pressure on a defense if you have Booker and Okafor. Add defenders and shooters and you can have a nice young one two punch. Hobo Shaqtus and Kobe haha.
Even if the young guys are only doing well enough for a minor spot in the rotation, we still have a logjam across the whole team. This is why I've been advocating for a couple of old practice players all summer.Cap wrote:Forward: Dudley, Tucker, Warren, Bender, Chrisspickle wrote:Take the time to develop the young 4s and to hopefully swing a trade or two to clear up the logjam in the backcourt, and set sight for on-court success a little later.
Center: Chandler, Len
If the young players (Warren, Bender, Chriss, Len) are all doing well enough to earn a major spot in the rotation, there's no position where we don't have a logjam. Two centers and five forwards who all need minutes = logjam.
We obviously don't have minutes for him, but do you think that's where he belongs? Or do you think he could carve out a career given some minutes?Jenkins? He's 15th man at best. That's if he sticks at all.
In the summer league, he seemed really good defending the paint. Got his hands on a lot of sots.JCSunsfan wrote:Bender's usefulness as a defender is really intriguing. It looks like he will be able to defend 3's and stretch 4's. I am not sure how well he will defend the interior. But that is a fairly uncommon weapon to have. His defense will earn him playing time immediately, and his passing won't hurt. As odd as it sounds, his role overlaps with PJ most. They are just polar opposites in physical profile.
It also seems to me that Bender and TJ Warren have skills that could blend well.
Yeah, ability to defend the pick and roll, IQ plus scoring/shooting potential is a rare blend at seven feet. Also makes his floor much safer in terms of boom or bust.JCSunsfan wrote:Bender's usefulness as a defender is really intriguing. It looks like he will be able to defend 3's and stretch 4's. I am not sure how well he will defend the interior. But that is a fairly uncommon weapon to have. His defense will earn him playing time immediately, and his passing won't hurt. As odd as it sounds, his role overlaps with PJ most. They are just polar opposites in physical profile.Ring_Wanted wrote:Btw if Bender is the s*** as a defender we should really consider to invest in Okafor. You put inmense pressure on a defense if you have Booker and Okafor. Add defenders and shooters and you can have a nice young one two punch. Hobo Shaqtus and Kobe haha.
It also seems to me that Bender and TJ Warren have skills that could blend well.
The Little Guy: Tyler Ulis, Suns
Kentucky is the NBA farm system for the Suns. Phoenix has five guards who played for the Wildcats: Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Devin Booker, Archie Goodwin, and now Tyler Ulis. It sounds crazy, but John Calipari probably knows more about that group than Suns head coach Earl Watson does. With all of that depth, along with the addition of Leandro Barbosa, Ulis might not receive many opportunities early on. That’s OK, though. Ulis will likely start the year tearing up the D-League with the Northern Arizona Suns. There’s not another guard more exciting than him at that level. He’s a scrappy defender who earned the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award, and is a knockdown shooter and masterful leader on and off the floor.
“I’ve coached a lot of great leaders and great [point guards] in all my years of coaching. Tyler Ulis is the best floor general that I’ve ever coached,” Calipari said in a series of tweets in April, before gifting Ulis his Coach of the Year award just a few weeks later. “What I loved is he grew into that position. You couldn’t speed him up and you couldn’t slow him down unless he wanted to do one of those things. Tyler coached the team this season as much as I did, and I’m proud to say that.”
Ulis is an underdog. For all his positive traits, his size is the reason why he wasn’t selected until 34th. If he had Kris Dunn’s body, he would’ve been the no. 1 pick in most drafts. But he’s doesn’t. Ulis is 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds; not a lot of guys make it far at that size. Ulis’s thin frame won’t support more than another 10–15 pounds of muscle, either. Players that small rarely last long with the high level of athleticism in the NBA, and the game’s physicality will take its toll on his body, requiring him to spend endless hours in the trainer’s room receiving treatment and recovering.
All this is to say that Ulis will be an easy player to root for to find success. He’s a winner, a leader, and it’s contagious. Even as a rookie, he could make an impact with his presence. But he could eventually get playing time, too, despite the logjam at guard. The Suns could run into the same “Too Many Cooks” problem they had a few years ago when they dealt Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas. If history repeats itself, don’t be surprised if you see Brandon Knight involved in trade rumors. Eventually, Ulis will vault into a consistent role.
