Phx-Suns.Net

Josh and JCraw are our two best PnR ballhanders. There I said it!

Also, the lob to Ayton just isn't working. Teams know it's coming every time and Ayton ends up getting blocked/boxed out from making a clean catch. Sometimes he's able to tip it around for a lay-in/dunk but we're too predictable with the play. It also wouldn't kill us to run it from one of the wings just to get some better angles or make the defense adjust. In general, it seems like teams have our sets figured out and have been overplaying the passing lanes, especially early in possessions when we're setting up. Doesn't help that our guards telegraph every pass they're about to make.

Cap wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 12:02 am

Superbone wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 14, 2018 10:50 pm

Yeah! That's what I'm talking about. For one night, it was fun to be a Suns' fan again! Let's build on this.

No Chandler. No Ariza. Almost no Anderson. How did we manage to win without all that veteran leadership?

Josh might have had his best game of his career. I realize he had some higher point totals and much higher minutes near the end of last season, but he did exactly what was needed.

Also, big props to Igor for not getting caught up in the moment and deciding to play Josh a ton in the 2nd half. He really needs to learn to play within himself, and playing him 30 minutes last night would (likely) have led to him doing something stupid.

Lastly--nobody really talking about the "personal" issues with Ariza. Thought it was really interesting that he is AWOL right after the "insider" report of him knowing he is going to be traded comes out.

This might be the high from a good win, but I LOVE MIKAL. (still not sure he is worth anywhere close to what we paid, though...)

Who had TJ as our next 50/40/90 guy after Steve, and not Booker?

LazarusLong wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 12:44 am

Superbone wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 14, 2018 10:55 pm

LazarusLong wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 14, 2018 8:37 pm

iLLmatic wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 14, 2018 8:32 pm

LazarusLong wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 14, 2018 8:30 pm

Glad I am not the only one noting that Booker is not in the library.

Bad shots, bad passes, fumbling the ball, stupid gambles on D.

We all need to meet up again and have a bitch fest.

I'll drink to that.

Man, you guys were over there having a pity party while the Suns were having their most complete game of the season. Yeah, Booker isn't quite right but he still put up a career high 12 assists tonight.

We were not the only ones commenting on Booker's problems at that point.

For almost 3 quarters, he struggled.
His errors kept the Spurs in the game ... at one point he had six assists and seven turnovers.

He managed to smooth things out late in the third quarter, but up until then, he struggled.

Yep. I was just mentally preparing myself for what I thought was about to happen, but he settled down a little bit and quit turning the ball over late into the 3rd. It was a growing up moment for him in my opinion.

I like Crawford. I thought the Ariza signing could help when we did it, but it feels like all he cared about was that 17 million... If his plan was to just get bought out and go to a contender, I'd refuse to help him out. Trade him if we can, but I'd make him give back 5 or 6 million dollars if he wants out after not really putting in much effort.

Did any of you catch that a few of the TOs by Booker, was just him proving a point to the guys on where they are supposed to be on the floor with spacing? He threw some bad passes that went out of bounds and then you would see him yell at the guys. I know most of us were thinking that Booker was being an a-hole, but Jackson said that he was proving a point with those. I know this isn't all of his turnovers, as he lost the ball when trying to create for himself too, but this is kind of interesting. The reporter than asked Booker about it and he admitted that it's true on a few of them.

I'm kind of encouraged about this, if this is actually true. Eventually, the guys will figure it out and be in the right places to score and this won't be a problem. This will also help Booker out and create more room for him to get things done.

In2ition wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 8:17 am

Did any of you catch that a few of the TOs by Booker, was just him proving a point to the guys on where they are supposed to be on the floor with spacing? He threw some bad passes that went out of bounds and then you would see him yell at the guys. I know most of us were thinking that Booker was being an a-hole, but Jackson said that he was proving a point with those. I know this isn't all of his turnovers, as he lost the ball when trying to create for himself too, but this is kind of interesting. The reporter than asked Booker about it and he admitted that it's true on a few of them.

I'm kind of encouraged about this, if this is actually true. Eventually, the guys will figure it out and be in the right places to score and this won't be a problem. This will also help Booker out and create more room for him to get things done.

Maybe I need to go back and watch all 7 of them again, but I saw mostly him being careless.

I thought Booker looked tired and just couldn't get by his man. He's not a super athlete with a great first step and doesn't have great handles which is why I really don't like him at point. It'd be like Klay trying to play point guard for an extended stretch of time. Just let him stick to what he's great at which is scoring.

Where was the insider report on Ariza and a trade? I also think something is up with him being away. Hope I'm wrong, but I get the sense he doesn't want to be here at all since this is a rebuilding/tank year and not a push-for-the-playoffs year. I wouldn't buy him out tho. I'd wait for a trade or just sit him. No way he gets his cake and eats it too. A playoff contender will be interested towards the deadline.

wpmiller42 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 14, 2018 4:55 pm

I'm on a work trip to Phoenix and convinced my co-worker to come with me. I wanted to splurge for some lower bowl seats, but I had to settle for $6 Upper Level seats. Oh well! Hope to see a W tonight, even if it's from the cheap seats!

It's been forever since I saw a game live. What's the best way to get cheap seats?

bajanguy008 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 5:41 am

wow , I have a tough decision ahead as I tend to think my online behaviour actually makes a difference to the outcome of games
I came on to post last night in the 1st quarter as usual about "decent start from the guys" but then I felt like it was setting up to be Celtics all over again. I decided not to post and chose to not even sign on but just lurk in the shadows and see what you guys were saying. At HT, then end of 3rd I was still like I'm not commenting until the game is over and look at that We WON convincingly so I don't think I'm posting during next game
see how well that works out

Dude...

ShelC wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 9:15 am

I thought Booker looked tired and just couldn't get by his man. He's not a super athlete with a great first step and doesn't have great handles which is why I really don't like him at point. It'd be like Klay trying to play point guard for an extended stretch of time. Just let him stick to what he's great at which is scoring.

While I agree with you that Booker should stick to being a great 2 guard, I'm not so sure that he is fully recovered from the hamstring pull. Something has been off about him.

O_Gardino wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 9:27 am

wpmiller42 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 14, 2018 4:55 pm

I'm on a work trip to Phoenix and convinced my co-worker to come with me. I wanted to splurge for some lower bowl seats, but I had to settle for $6 Upper Level seats. Oh well! Hope to see a W tonight, even if it's from the cheap seats!

It's been forever since I saw a game live. What's the best way to get cheap seats?

Seat geek, if podcast commercials are to be believed.

ShelC wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 4:29 am

I tuned in during the 2nd half and watched most of the game from there...from the first possession I could tell the energy and hustle was a lot different. There was a bounce, guys were playing and reacting quicker, the defense was better. It was a lot more noticeable, without question. As much emphasis as there's been on "veteran leadership", the vets have been holding us back. The younger guys just play with more energy, urgency, have better length and athleticsm. Bridges, Melton, Holmes and Jackson need their playing time. I'd rather watch those guys play hard and lose than watch Ariza and Anderson drag themselves up and down the court.

I thought last night was Jackson's best game of the year; or at least he played his best stretch of basketball in the 2nd quarter. He was playing defense, getting into the lane, knocking down his 3s and had a great 2man game going with Ayton. I actually witnessed an Ayton post up where Jackson threw him the ball, Ayton threw it back out, Ayton reposted, got the ball back and then kicked it back out to Jackson for a 3. It was simple, beautiful basketball.

I think PointBooker needs to end. I think we're asking him to do too much and it's hurting the rest of his game. He's a scorer, let him score. And his ballhandling and passing just aren't good enough yet. I'd rather see Jackson or Crawford handling the ball.

This was a fun game to watch. I agree with most of your post. I didn't think our defense was especially good. On many plays the Spurs player would just waltz right by our guy for an easy layup. And they took what seemed to me to be a lot of uncontested or minimally contested 3s. But I do agree that our effort was better overall.

Man, I love this iteration of TJ Warren. 27 points tonight on 10-17 shooting. It just feels like every shot TJ puts up is going to go in (same for Ayton most nights). He just has such a great scoring touch, always finding good angles and soft shots that fall in the basket.

I have been as hard on Josh Jackson ("The Net Negative") as anybody, but I do see signs of life from him from time to time. He seems to have a nice two-man chemistry with Ayton. He seems like the only guy who can throw an entry pass or lob pass to Ayton, and they do a nice inside-out routine where Ayton either gets great post position or Jackson gets an open 3. I don't think I want to trade him for Fultz or anything like that. I do think we should give Jackson the entirety of his rookie contract to see if he can figure things out. If he improved his shot selection and hustled consistently on defense, I think we would have a player on our hands.

This was the first game where I felt like Jamal Crawford made a big contribution. I have not been very impressed with him until now, but he made some great shots and plays in this game. He also chipped in 4 assists.

Bridges just really impresses me. He is like a breath of fresh air out there, playing good defense, good shooting, just having a general understanding of the game and where to position himself. He's gotta be our 4th or 5th best player already, which says something about our roster. Play this kid mucho minutes.

Something seems off about Booker. He's had some rough games lately. Maybe his health is not 100% yet? I hope he will be okay and figure it out. It's nice to be able to get a win even if Book has only 13 points. But I know part of this was that the Spurs focused on Booker in their defensive schemes, so maybe it is understandable. Booker did pass out of the double-teams well, getting 12 (!) assists.

I was glad that coach played Bender a few minutes. I would rather see him out there than any of our 30+ year old veterans.

Fun win. I really do think this team is better than its record. We are so young, and we were missing our best player (Booker) for a stretch. These guys have been together for only a month or two. I want to be patient with them. I think we will look like a different team by the end of the season, and hopefully have some momentum going to next year.

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401070892

Hermen wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 9:49 am

O_Gardino wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 9:27 am

wpmiller42 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 14, 2018 4:55 pm

I'm on a work trip to Phoenix and convinced my co-worker to come with me. I wanted to splurge for some lower bowl seats, but I had to settle for $6 Upper Level seats. Oh well! Hope to see a W tonight, even if it's from the cheap seats!

It's been forever since I saw a game live. What's the best way to get cheap seats?

Seat geek, if podcast commercials are to be believed.

Any of the resale sites are good, especially if you can wait until day of/last minute. Lots of seats for bad teams go on sale for cheap a few hours before tip off.

"I didn't think our defense was especially good."

Agree, to some extent. Defense sometimes was activity over achievement.
But that's a step forward, because in past games there was little or no activity.
Suns' stretches of hyper activity did disrupt the Spurs initially.

Exhibit A is Holmes, whose contribution doesn't necessarily show up in the box score.
He can be brutal on offense, too.
But Holmes is far more active than Chandler had been.
Chandler liked to grab easy rebounds and bark orders while moving like Frankenstein in the paint.
Holmes may not be a work of art out there, but at least you're very aware that he is trying to defend.

Sadly, I missed most of this one. I like what I'm reading, though, and I tuned in late in the game to hear EJ say we stayed tough and kept fighting when the Spurs had the game close in the 3rd quarter. That's all I care about with this team now. Just keep competing.

From the box score, I see we hit a bunch of jumpers and didn't take many free throws. We won't be good until we can draw fouls and get open shots.

You guys like Mikal? I told you he would be the fan favorite. He loves to play the game, he's tough, he can shoot, he defends, and he gets tose highlight blocks and dunks. I hope he plays for the Suns till he retires.

O_Gardino wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 10:18 am

Sadly, I missed most of this one. I like what I'm reading, though, and I tuned in late in the game to hear EJ say we stayed tough and kept fighting when the Spurs had the game close in the 3rd quarter. That's all I care about with this team now. Just keep competing.

From the box score, I see we hit a bunch of jumpers and didn't take many free throws. We won't be good until we can draw fouls and get open shots.

You guys like Mikal? I told you he would be the fan favorite. He loves to play the game, he's tough, he can shoot, he defends, and he gets tose highlight blocks and dunks. I hope he plays for the Suns till he retires.

Ayton is going to draw a lot more fouls if he opts for a dunk over a layup. Granted, he's pretty damn good off the glass, but he's got to start putting opponents in foul trouble.

In2ition wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 8:17 am

Did any of you catch that a few of the TOs by Booker, was just him proving a point to the guys on where they are supposed to be on the floor with spacing? He threw some bad passes that went out of bounds and then you would see him yell at the guys. I know most of us were thinking that Booker was being an a-hole, but Jackson said that he was proving a point with those. I know this isn't all of his turnovers, as he lost the ball when trying to create for himself too, but this is kind of interesting. The reporter than asked Booker about it and he admitted that it's true on a few of them.

I'm kind of encouraged about this, if this is actually true. Eventually, the guys will figure it out and be in the right places to score and this won't be a problem. This will also help Booker out and create more room for him to get things done.

I would say I did notice his body language on some of them, I think like 3 were like "where were you going" type vibe but I not sure about the doing it for purpose theory. 7 as we all know is too many and although I think all weren't his fault he was being a lil careless, no getting around that fact.
one other thing which he has been doing all season is the lefty pass, I know he got more comfortable with his left hand due to the injury but repeatedly trying to make a one handed pass with your weaker hand is not a good fundamental play especially when he is trying lobs and cross court passes

Xylus wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 10:32 am

O_Gardino wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 15, 2018 10:18 am

Sadly, I missed most of this one. I like what I'm reading, though, and I tuned in late in the game to hear EJ say we stayed tough and kept fighting when the Spurs had the game close in the 3rd quarter. That's all I care about with this team now. Just keep competing.

From the box score, I see we hit a bunch of jumpers and didn't take many free throws. We won't be good until we can draw fouls and get open shots.

You guys like Mikal? I told you he would be the fan favorite. He loves to play the game, he's tough, he can shoot, he defends, and he gets tose highlight blocks and dunks. I hope he plays for the Suns till he retires.

Ayton is going to draw a lot more fouls if he opts for a dunk over a layup. Granted, he's pretty damn good off the glass, but he's got to start putting opponents in foul trouble.

He's also got to realize that one-on-one in the paint, he's open. When he's in good position, he can score better against a defender than most guys can wide open. He already draws attention. He can keep going at the defense until he brings that second defender.