Suns News: Week 7 11/27-12/3

[Mori Chu]

This organization has shown that they're a little shaky at both drafting and developing players.

It took them three seasons to figure out Len isn't a jump shooter, I don't see much (if any) progress for Chriss this year, Ulis has regressed, and the coaches we've had have liked playing veterans way to many minutes (which would be different if our veterans were difference-makers).

I wonder whether those first few honeymoon wins under Triano were bad for his mindset. Maybe it got him falsely thinking that we were going to win some games this year and that he should favor playing vets more to help our record.

I'm glad we are starting Ulis instead of James. I still wish they'd play Len more.

[specialsauce]

OK. Who's the backup PG?

Do you also want Len to not play? Because he gave every indication over the summer that he is not coming back. IMO, potential trade acquisitions from Chandler and Monroe are far more part of the Suns future than Len.

I don't think any team in the BA can go 9 deep with players who will be there in 3 years. I'd be surprised if we have more than Ulis / Booker / Jackson / one of Bender Chriss past thier rookie contracts.

Ok can we give him backup PG minutes though? As in 17 or less? I don't think Len will be here but I don't see the upside of playing Monroe & Chandler so much either. I expect their minutes to shrink in a couple of weeks once the entire league is tradeable. My entire point is play the young guys legit minutes. Ride them 30 minutes per game. If we get blown out so f*** what. It's better than watching Monroe, Tyson, and James do whatever it is they are doing.

I just don't think players develop into winners by getting blown out. They've got to compete to win.

Problem is, we don’t have the right “vets” to compete. We’ve had the same problem for years now. PJ Tucker, Chandler, Teletovic, Ronnie Price. These are all losers. Rather you get blown out playing your young guys, or blown out playing your vets. Might as well play the young guys.

[Mori Chu]

Problem is, we don’t have the right “vets” to compete. We’ve had the same problem for years now. PJ Tucker, Chandler, Teletovic, Ronnie Price. These are all losers. Rather you get blown out playing your young guys, or blown out playing your vets. Might as well play the young guys.

I agree with your general point that we should play the young guys. But I don't think that Jared Dudley, for one example, is a "loser." Tyson Chandler also has a ring from his time in Dallas. Not a loser.

But again, I do agree that we should heavily slant the playing time toward the young guys and let them go out there and get NBA reps.

[Split T]

I don't really understand the issue with playing time. All the young guys are getting minutes and the only vets are Chandler and Dudley. Both are solid vets who are mostly here to teach. It's nice to have them on the court at times.

Len has seen his minutes go down but just because we're showcasing Monroe for a trade. And to be honest, I'm pretty sure Len is gone and not part of our future. I'm not too worried about his playing time.

[O_Gardino]

I don't really understand the issue with playing time. All the young guys are getting minutes and the only vets are Chandler and Dudley. Both are solid vets who are mostly here to teach. It's nice to have them on the court at times.

Len has seen his minutes go down but just because we're showcasing Monroe for a trade. And to be honest, I'm pretty sure Len is gone and not part of our future. I'm not too worried about his playing time.

Yeah. It's a bad season, and people are gonna complain about something, but there's really no basis for the complaints about playing time.

[specialsauce]

Problem is, we don’t have the right “vets” to compete. We’ve had the same problem for years now. PJ Tucker, Chandler, Teletovic, Ronnie Price. These are all losers. Rather you get blown out playing your young guys, or blown out playing your vets. Might as well play the young guys.

I agree with your general point that we should play the young guys. But I don't think that Jared Dudley, for one example, is a "loser." Tyson Chandler also has a ring from his time in Dallas. Not a loser.

But again, I do agree that we should heavily slant the playing time toward the young guys and let them go out there and get NBA reps.

Yawn man, yawn! Tyson Chandler hasn’t been relevant in years. You’re not gaining any competitive advantage by playing Tyson Chandler. You play vets if they help you win. Tyson is not better than his younger counterparts on the bench. He’s awful by any measurement of the game except rebounding.

We’re giving Tyson and Monroe minutes over Bender and Chriss. I won’t have that.

[djy2j]

I love that Booker has been playing well. There is just something about this team lately that has me really disinterested. I think the timing of that Greg Monroe trade took a lot out of me. It's like I have lost every ounce of faith that McDo can turn all the assets into anything.

I think we should have gone after Drummond a little harder. He seems to be playing really well and the Pistons are thriving. I say this because I think there is not a lot out there. I know a lot of people here don't like Drummond or his contract.

I would like to see what Okafor could do also. I could see the Spurs getting their hooks in him.

We're inching closer to seeing a DAJ trade with the Griffin injury. That scares me. It should scare you too.

Just seems like this franchise has created more question marks lately than found answers. Start in to take a toll on me.

[Gladiator]

We're inching closer to seeing a DAJ trade with the Griffin injury. That scares me. It should scare you too..

I want NO part of DAJ to the Suns.

[Mori Chu]

There are some who think a big like DAJ is not valuable in today's NBA. I disagree with that statement, but I do think DAJ isn't very valuable without a pass-first PG like a Chris Paul, a Rubio, etc. Plus he's got a big big contract. So it would be pretty wasteful for us to give up assets to acquire him.

[O_Gardino]

There are some who think a big like DAJ is not valuable in today's NBA. I disagree with that statement, but I do think DAJ isn't very valuable without a pass-first PG like a Chris Paul, a Rubio, etc. Plus he's got a big big contract. So it would be pretty wasteful for us to give up assets to acquire him.

Agreed. He's a good player, but that contract is more than I want to swallow.

[Superbone]

He doesn't seem to me like the kind of player that we'd go after but we'll see.

[LazarusLong]

Len and Williams should give the Suns a workable, inexpensive combo at 5. Bender also could factor into that.
Phoenix has plenty of available resources in that category.
The focus should be trading Chandler and eventually Monroe for shooters and help distributing the ball.

Also, I would not be surprised if the Suns would quietly shop DJ Jr. Josh Jackson has made DJ a somewhat redundant asset.

[Superbone]

I don't believe carey posted this one:

https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2017 ... d-suns-nba

The numbers show Josh Jackson’s elite traits on defense are translating quicker than expected

A quarter of the way through Josh Jackson’s rookie season, we have seen lots of things the 20-year-old forward will need more refinement on than we expected, but some areas have displayed his salivating two-way potential if he becomes a consistent threat on offense.

During the pre-draft process, Jackson showed off a tenacity on the defensive end many scouts haven’t seen in awhile. His relentless motor is what won over many executives, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski told me in our one-on-one podcast prior to the Suns’ season beginning.

And for other rookies, especially wings like Jayson Tatum, Jonathan Isaac, OG Anunoby, and even Ben Simmons, Jackson was placed on a pedestal for his elite defensive traits. His quick-twitch ability on steals, leading to extra possessions and in transition was one area that really stood out while Jackson was playing for Kansas.

Over his last 15, Jackson had the best defensive field goal percentage for all wings by a good margin at 37.8-percent, while showing some awesome capabilities of lockdown defense against the likes of Jamal Crawford and James Harden on some possessions.

Read more...

[specialsauce]

Len and Williams should give the Suns a workable, inexpensive combo at 5. Bender also could factor into that.
Phoenix has plenty of available resources in that category.
The focus should be trading Chandler and eventually Monroe for shooters and help distributing the ball.

Also, I would not be surprised if the Suns would quietly shop DJ Jr. Josh Jackson has made DJ a somewhat redundant asset.

I don’t think many teams see DJJ as an asset. He’s a dime a dozen athlete without any actual basketball skills.

As for DAJ, PASS. He is last decades gem, the game has evolved. He’d be great as a mid level exception player.

[O_Gardino]

I don't believe carey posted this one:

https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2017 ... d-suns-nba

The numbers show Josh Jackson’s elite traits on defense are translating quicker than expected

A quarter of the way through Josh Jackson’s rookie season, we have seen lots of things the 20-year-old forward will need more refinement on than we expected, but some areas have displayed his salivating two-way potential if he becomes a consistent threat on offense.

During the pre-draft process, Jackson showed off a tenacity on the defensive end many scouts haven’t seen in awhile. His relentless motor is what won over many executives, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski told me in our one-on-one podcast prior to the Suns’ season beginning.

And for other rookies, especially wings like Jayson Tatum, Jonathan Isaac, OG Anunoby, and even Ben Simmons, Jackson was placed on a pedestal for his elite defensive traits. His quick-twitch ability on steals, leading to extra possessions and in transition was one area that really stood out while Jackson was playing for Kansas.

Over his last 15, Jackson had the best defensive field goal percentage for all wings by a good margin at 37.8-percent, while showing some awesome capabilities of lockdown defense against the likes of Jamal Crawford and James Harden on some possessions.

Read more...

Thanks for posting. Fun read.

[specialsauce]

We know he’s great on D. His offensive development will determine if he becomes a forgettable defensive specialist (Tony Allen, Bruce Bowen, etc) or a star to build around

[JCSunsfan]

I don't believe carey posted this one:

https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2017 ... d-suns-nba

The numbers show Josh Jackson’s elite traits on defense are translating quicker than expected

A quarter of the way through Josh Jackson’s rookie season, we have seen lots of things the 20-year-old forward will need more refinement on than we expected, but some areas have displayed his salivating two-way potential if he becomes a consistent threat on offense.

During the pre-draft process, Jackson showed off a tenacity on the defensive end many scouts haven’t seen in awhile. His relentless motor is what won over many executives, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski told me in our one-on-one podcast prior to the Suns’ season beginning.

And for other rookies, especially wings like Jayson Tatum, Jonathan Isaac, OG Anunoby, and even Ben Simmons, Jackson was placed on a pedestal for his elite defensive traits. His quick-twitch ability on steals, leading to extra possessions and in transition was one area that really stood out while Jackson was playing for Kansas.

Over his last 15, Jackson had the best defensive field goal percentage for all wings by a good margin at 37.8-percent, while showing some awesome capabilities of lockdown defense against the likes of Jamal Crawford and James Harden on some possessions.

Read more...

Thanks for posting. Fun read.

Interesting article. Jackson is indeed a defensive plus. That is why we drafted him. His problem right now is offense. For every steal he gets, he goes down to the other end and fritters the ball away. He is just a bit OVER energetic on the offensive side. If he could just tone that down a little and focus, he will really take off.

[1tinsoldier]

regarding redistributing minutes, i believe some are saying our best future prospects should be prioritized over any other consideration (such as winning), and i agree. for example, don't pull Josh when he's having a crappy game -- it's all the more reason to play him more. he needs a lot of improvement. but shows signs

that article pointed out things i didn't notice about his D.
without checking stats, his defense looks sloppy, like every other part of his game.
his passing is a good example. sloppy, yet he's shown he can make some nifty passes you'd expect from a point guard.
his drives. sloppy, into traffic. yet when he finds a path he can finish like barbosa used to

speaking of impressive passing, i've been surprised by Booker's abilities
if he can work the bugs out, continue to bring the ball upcourt and be a passing and scoring threat at the same time, he could become one of the best players in the league

[O_Gardino]

I don't believe carey posted this one:

https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2017 ... d-suns-nba

The numbers show Josh Jackson’s elite traits on defense are translating quicker than expected

A quarter of the way through Josh Jackson’s rookie season, we have seen lots of things the 20-year-old forward will need more refinement on than we expected, but some areas have displayed his salivating two-way potential if he becomes a consistent threat on offense.

During the pre-draft process, Jackson showed off a tenacity on the defensive end many scouts haven’t seen in awhile. His relentless motor is what won over many executives, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski told me in our one-on-one podcast prior to the Suns’ season beginning.

And for other rookies, especially wings like Jayson Tatum, Jonathan Isaac, OG Anunoby, and even Ben Simmons, Jackson was placed on a pedestal for his elite defensive traits. His quick-twitch ability on steals, leading to extra possessions and in transition was one area that really stood out while Jackson was playing for Kansas.

Over his last 15, Jackson had the best defensive field goal percentage for all wings by a good margin at 37.8-percent, while showing some awesome capabilities of lockdown defense against the likes of Jamal Crawford and James Harden on some possessions.

Read more...

Thanks for posting. Fun read.

Interesting article. Jackson is indeed a defensive plus. That is why we drafted him. His problem right now is offense. For every steal he gets, he goes down to the other end and fritters the ball away. He is just a bit OVER energetic on the offensive side. If he could just tone that down a little and focus, he will really take off.

Agreed. He does need to slow the game down a bit and find the right pace. That's pretty common for rookies.

[Shabazz]

John Hollinger studied this a while back and Interestingly enough, from a statistical perspective, a higher turnover rate from a rookie is actually a positive sign.