Phx-Suns.Net

A lot of folks missed my point.

The 96-97 team was awful despite having lots of players because the team had no identity. No one knew who was suppose to be shooting, who was suppose to be creating etc. which reminds me (somewhat) of this team.

The SSOL teams basically had two plays: run a fast break or give it to Nash. It was Nash's ball.

This team runs screens for Bledsoe, screens for Dragic, screens for IT, isolations for Markieff, post ups for Tucker, post ups for Plumlee and my favorite play:

Give the ball to Gerald Green and wait for the rebound.

da_suns_fan wrote:Um...he won sixth man of the year the next season.

Yes, but he wasn't the all-star he once was.

da_suns_fan wrote:A lot of folks missed my point.

No, I think we got it. We just don't agree.

da_suns_fan wrote:...and my favorite play:

Give the ball to Gerald Green and wait for the rebound.

INFORMER wrote:

da_suns_fan wrote:A lot of folks missed my point.

No, I think we got it. We just don't agree.

Thank you

INFORMER wrote:

da_suns_fan wrote:Um...he won sixth man of the year the next season.

Yes, but he wasn't the all-star he once was.

da_suns_fan wrote:A lot of folks missed my point.

No, I think we got it. We just don't agree.

da_suns_fan wrote:...and my favorite play:

Give the ball to Gerald Green and wait for the rebound.

Ok.

But, despite playing with three good point guards, the Suns are 27 out 30 teams in assists per game.

You could say that almost every player on the team has been WILDLY inconsistent (maybe except Markieff).

Theyve also been wildly inconsistent when it comes to quarter-by-quarter scoring. Sometimes the bench is great, sometimes its AWFUL.

When I watch the team play, they seem at least SOMEWHAT hesitant as to what theyre suppose to do. Which PG is getting the screen, who is setting the screen..are we setting a screen or throwing it to the post? Too many options? Too much depth?

Im known for being somewhat negative (understatement right). I mean if they pull out that win against the Kings theyre 5-2. But against the Kings they score almost 90 points in the first three quarters and then something like 12 in the fourth. Then they run off 7 quick points in OT and then dont score again.

Then in the last game they go with "all bench" to beat the Warriors when the bench (IT and Green) were pretty terrible in both the previous two games.

I remember the 96 team briefly had "the bomb squad". This was Ainges second five man unit of entirely bench players (that was an extremely deep roster) but it didnt work. They were TOO deep. It wasnt until they traded away their depth (and best young player in Finley) for Kidd that things came together. I remember the headline in the republic the day of the trade was "Its Kidd's Ball".

I see some similarities.

I get what you are saying. But abundance of guards and tweeters and no depth up front doesn't mean we have no identity. It means we have a flawed roster. I don't think it has anything to do with identity.

The system has changed a lot compared to last season. We try much more one on one, less curls off double screens, less pick and pop, almost no pick and roll and Plumlee is basically ignored. Our best performer got removed his decoy. Defensively there's much less activity too (not Tucker is a disaster), especially Plumlee, who has been basically a ghost until the last two games.

I don't know who said it, but if the Suns had lost to the Ws there would have been serious soul searching.

I don't know who said it, but if the Suns had lost to the Ws there would have been serious soul searching.

Yeah well, if we'd beaten the Kings everybody would be talking playoffs and title runs. We overreact. I'm worried about our PF/C rotation, but I also don't think we need to make a move right now. We have the Morrii who are still young and improving, and Kieff holding down our PF spot. We have Len who is getting real minutes for the first time in his career and is basically a rookie, and who looks like he has a lot of potential to grow into that spot. So maybe it'll be okay given time.

Maybe the obviousness of our lack of talent at PF/C is hiding other problems. I just don't like the fact that we have three amazing PGs out there and yet we are in the bottom third of the league in assists. How can that happen? The ball just looks sticky out there and the offense doesn't look fluid. Something about the three-headed PG hydra is not quite working yet.

Mori Chu wrote:

I don't know who said it, but if the Suns had lost to the Ws there would have been serious soul searching.

Yeah well, if we'd beaten the Kings everybody would be talking playoffs and title runs. We overreact. I'm worried about our PF/C rotation, but I also don't think we need to make a move right now. We have the Morrii who are still young and improving, and Kieff holding down our PF spot. We have Len who is getting real minutes for the first time in his career and is basically a rookie, and who looks like he has a lot of potential to grow into that spot. So maybe it'll be okay given time.

Maybe the obviousness of our lack of talent at PF/C is hiding other problems. I just don't like the fact that we have three amazing PGs out there and yet we are in the bottom third of the league in assists. How can that happen? The ball just looks sticky out there and the offense doesn't look fluid. Something about the three-headed PG hydra is not quite working yet.

Very little pick and pop anymore. That was like our #1 play the last couple years.

AKA, no Frye.

Or anyone that can pick and pop. And we also are high up there in fast break points. And it seems most of those are coming from steals in the back court. There usually aren't assists on those because nobody runs down the floor with them. So that really limits the assists per game too.

Don't get me wrong--I think we are playing too much 1:1, but I don't think our assists/great PG is that concerning.

I wish Markieff would learn how to do a pick and roll/pop. It seems like if he would add that to his game he would become extremely valuable.

Markieff is who he is. And who he is fine within a certain context. The context of being a starting power forward on a team that doesn't have a reliable, impact player at the 5 and having to have his babysitter and 4th best small forward on the roster twin brother start beside for him to succeed all while being locked into a substantial 5-year deal is not the proper context.

What I don't understand is that Markieff started well his rookie season but then hit a serious wall. The following season he REALLY struggled. He had a good season last year. Marcus spent his first season in the D-League, played solidly for Houston at the beginning of his second season, gets traded to Phoenix and does nothing the rest of the year. Last season he has his promising moments, but largely is unremarkable.

So what, about any of that, necessitates making a freaking five-year commitment to either one of them, LET ALONE BOTH?!

INFORMER wrote:Markieff is who he is. And who he is fine within a certain context. The context of being a starting power forward on a team that doesn't have a reliable, impact player at the 5 and having to have his babysitter and 4th best small forward on the roster twin brother start beside for him to succeed all while being locked into a substantial 5-year deal is not the proper context.

What I don't understand is that Markieff started well his rookie season but then hit a serious wall. The following season he REALLY struggled. He had a good season last year. Marcus spent his first season in the D-League, played solidly for Houston at the beginning of his second season, gets traded to Phoenix and does nothing the rest of the year. Last season he has his promising moments, but largely is unremarkable.

So what, about any of that, necessitates making a freaking five-year commitment to either one of them, LET ALONE BOTH?!

Locker room? Off-court? Make their teammates better? I don't know. I'm not there everyday with them. You'd have to ask McDonough and Hornacek. At least I'd hope Hornacek has input. Time will tell if it was a prudent decision. I think it's a little early to know with any kind of certainty.

I don't mind the Morrii deals, but I don't think Marcus should be starting. I think Markieff is a perfectly acceptable starting NBA PF in the right lineup, but I don't think Marcus is a very good starting NBA SF. He has gotten better, and I admire his commitment to improving his game, especially on defense. But I think he has a somewhat low ceiling given the things one often wants out of that position.

I wonder what McDonough's philosophy is on these recent contracts. Is it buy and hold? Or does he consider them valuable contracts that he can use to wheel and deal for the right pieces in the future? It's too early to know. It would seem that the Morrii contract would be tough to move though since it seems to be a package deal.

I'll tell you one thing...70mil for Bledsoe to play 30minutes a night and put 14-5-5 isn't gonna fly much longer. He needs to be on the court 36-38minutes a night, getting 22 and 8 with 5 boards and 2 steals.

ShelC wrote:I'll tell you one thing...70mil for Bledsoe to play 30minutes a night and put 14-5-5 isn't gonna fly much longer. He needs to be on the court 36-38minutes a night, getting 22 and 8 with 5 boards and 2 steals.

Agreed. And <5 TOs.

ShelC wrote:I'll tell you one thing...70mil for Bledsoe to play 30minutes a night and put 14-5-5 isn't gonna fly much longer. He needs to be on the court 36-38minutes a night, getting 22 and 8 with 5 boards and 2 steals.

Agree as well, but what are you going to do? Yank Thomas when he's rolling like he has been?

This isn't helping at all either:

Much like the Suns win at the Los Angeles Lakers when Eric Bledsoe played 21 minutes, he logged only 23 minutes Wednesday night and was alone in his lack of enthusiasm on the bench for a victorious fourth quarter.

Bledsoe's perimeter defense helped set a tone for the turnaround like it did Sunday against Stephen Curry. Bledsoe exited after his seventh turnover, just a week after he had a career-high nine turnovers against Memphis.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/n ... /18954039/

For 70 Mil he can at least cheer for his teammates. I'm not liking this body language.

Superbone wrote:This isn't helping at all either:

Much like the Suns win at the Los Angeles Lakers when Eric Bledsoe played 21 minutes, he logged only 23 minutes Wednesday night and was alone in his lack of enthusiasm on the bench for a victorious fourth quarter.

Bledsoe's perimeter defense helped set a tone for the turnaround like it did Sunday against Stephen Curry. Bledsoe exited after his seventh turnover, just a week after he had a career-high nine turnovers against Memphis.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/n ... /18954039/

For 70 Mil he can at least cheer for his teammates. I'm not liking this body language.

Could be he's beating the hell out of himself for the slump - and feeling the expectations of the big contract.....