Phx-Suns.Net

Too little, too late. Now he has to reengineer his shot without the obstruction.

https://twitter.com/sbordow/status/997509892603895808

I think I liked Payton more than most folks here. If we do draft Ayton and don't snag an elite PG in some other way (trade/FA), I would be fine with bringing him back. I thought he showed a lot of talent in his first ~10 games here before it started turning sour. I don't know what happened after that. It seemed like he lost the confidence of the coaching staff or something, and then lost confidence in himself. He just stopped playing the way he had been playing, and they drastically cut back his minutes. Very weird. Haven't seen a team give up on a newly acquired-by-trade starter so quickly in a while.

And I think it is fantastic news that he cut his hair. It was literally blocking his vision. It affected his play on the court. It's a little thing, but the fact that he was willing to cut it is a great sign that he wants to do what it takes to get better.

Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:And I think it is fantastic news that he cut his hair. It was literally blocking his vision. It affected his play on the court. It's a little thing, but the fact that he was willing to cut it is a great sign that he wants to do what it takes to get better.

And the fact that he wasn’t willing to cut it during the season is a sign that he wanted to do what it took to get Ayton.

For the Suns, it had a bearing on whether they would bring him back or not. Finally, someone said something.
https://twitter.com/sbordow/status/997509155689779200

I like the idea of Payton, just not sure he's a "winning" PG. Maybe it was coaching, maybe it was the hair. He can certainly put up gaudy numbers, but those don't mean much if he's a negative on the floor. I like that we (supposedly) told him to cut his hair, I like that he did it. It was ridiculous to see a guy playing basketball with hair flopping over into his eyes. Might mean nothing at all, but at least he went along with it and didn't put up a fight or take it as a personal attack. Whether it was affecting his shot or not...that remains to be seen.

If we think he's our PG and are willing to commit some money to him longterm, maybe Ayton becomes our guy? Don't see the sense in drafting Doncic and then re-signing Payton and trying to find minutes between Payton, Booker, Doncic and Jackson. Not to mention Warren.

I'd rather just pass on Payton. He'd need to make significant defensive improvements and at the very least be a consistent spot up threat for me to want him back.

ShelC wrote: If we think he's our PG and are willing to commit some money to him longterm, maybe Ayton becomes our guy?

If you trust Gambo, Ayton already is our guy, and that’s very unlikely to change.

Cap wrote:

ShelC wrote: If we think he's our PG and are willing to commit some money to him longterm, maybe Ayton becomes our guy?

If you trust Gambo, Ayton already is our guy, and that’s very unlikely to change.

How much should Gambo be trusted?

And I would not feel great about our odds of getting back to the playoffs next year if our PG rotation in October is Knight/Payton/Ullis.

I wouldn't be mad at that, I just wonder why we're so convinced this early and I think it's funny it's supposedly not even a discussion considering we hired Igor.

ShelC wrote:I like the idea of Payton, just not sure he's a "winning" PG. Maybe it was coaching, maybe it was the hair. He can certainly put up gaudy numbers, but those don't mean much if he's a negative on the floor. I like that we (supposedly) told him to cut his hair, I like that he did it. It was ridiculous to see a guy playing basketball with hair flopping over into his eyes. Might mean nothing at all, but at least he went along with it and didn't put up a fight or take it as a personal attack. Whether it was affecting his shot or not...that remains to be seen.

If we think he's our PG and are willing to commit some money to him longterm, maybe Ayton becomes our guy? Don't see the sense in drafting Doncic and then re-signing Payton and trying to find minutes between Payton, Booker, Doncic and Jackson. Not to mention Warren.

The most McD solution is to send the coach a lineup of Payton / Knight / Booker / Doncic / Jackson / Warren and tell the media it's a "good problem to have."

O_Gardino wrote:

ShelC wrote:I like the idea of Payton, just not sure he's a "winning" PG. Maybe it was coaching, maybe it was the hair. He can certainly put up gaudy numbers, but those don't mean much if he's a negative on the floor. I like that we (supposedly) told him to cut his hair, I like that he did it. It was ridiculous to see a guy playing basketball with hair flopping over into his eyes. Might mean nothing at all, but at least he went along with it and didn't put up a fight or take it as a personal attack. Whether it was affecting his shot or not...that remains to be seen.

If we think he's our PG and are willing to commit some money to him longterm, maybe Ayton becomes our guy? Don't see the sense in drafting Doncic and then re-signing Payton and trying to find minutes between Payton, Booker, Doncic and Jackson. Not to mention Warren.

The most McD solution is to send the coach a lineup of Payton / Knight / Booker / Doncic / Jackson / Warren and tell the media it's a "good problem to have."

I had the exact same thought.

Basically saying we are open to anything from trading the pick for a star to drafting Ayton, Doncic or someone else.

Is there anyone "available" you'd trade #1 for? I can't see it, unless someone like Davis asks out, but then Boston could swoop in pretty easily.

TheOriginalOriginal wrote:Is there anyone "available" you'd trade #1 for? I can't see it, unless someone like Davis asks out, but then Boston could swoop in pretty easily.

For AD there is no better trade piece in existence than the first pick in this draft. There is nothing Boston could do to match it. Even then, I would not necessarily do it. There is no one else in the league I would trade this pick for. No one.

JCSunsfan wrote:

TheOriginalOriginal wrote:Is there anyone "available" you'd trade #1 for? I can't see it, unless someone like Davis asks out, but then Boston could swoop in pretty easily.

For AD there is no better trade piece in existence than the first pick in this draft. There is nothing Boston could do to match it. Even then, I would not necessarily do it. There is no one else in the league I would trade this pick for. No one.

Davis, Giannis I'd do with no hesitation.

JCSunsfan wrote:

TheOriginalOriginal wrote:Is there anyone "available" you'd trade #1 for? I can't see it, unless someone like Davis asks out, but then Boston could swoop in pretty easily.

For AD there is no better trade piece in existence than the first pick in this draft. There is nothing Boston could do to match it. Even then, I would not necessarily do it. There is no one else in the league I would trade this pick for. No one.

Eh. Boston has Sac and Mem picks next year I believe, Tatum and Brown. Some combination of that beats #1.

maybe now josh jackson can follow elfrid's lead?

Hermen wrote:

JCSunsfan wrote:

TheOriginalOriginal wrote:Is there anyone "available" you'd trade #1 for? I can't see it, unless someone like Davis asks out, but then Boston could swoop in pretty easily.

For AD there is no better trade piece in existence than the first pick in this draft. There is nothing Boston could do to match it. Even then, I would not necessarily do it. There is no one else in the league I would trade this pick for. No one.

Eh. Boston has Sac and Mem picks next year I believe, Tatum and Brown. Some combination of that beats #1.

Best pick in the best draft in more than a decade? Nope. The nba is about the best possible pieces.

Keep an eye on the KAT situation. No way I see the Suns giving up the #1 pick, but what if they can pick him up for other assets and select Doncic? The Suns have a treasure trove of picks.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/24 ... hony-Towns