Phx-Suns.Net

ShelC wrote:Glad Spo got it. He deserved it. MikeD had a team built for his style so I think he had less work to do overall.

This is the nonsense that makes no freaking sense. They both deserved it. Spoelstra is proving to be the most under rated coaches in the league, I wish they would have made the playoffs. I could have watched him coach another ex Sun in the playoffs that generally has been trashed after he left town.

Gimme a freaking break. Sure it was built for Mike's style. That is what the GM is supposed to do. I doubt Phil Jackson would have won Jack with Steve Nash as his PG. Nash was not his style. I am not sure even Amare would have fit Jackson's style. However Mike beat Phil when he no longer had Shaq & Kobe or Michael on his bench which was Phil's style.

I just remember that everyone was happy we never went after the big additions that Houston signed this past summer. If anyone on this board says now that they wanted Ryan Anderson, Nene or Gordon on our team, they are lying. Mike has maximized all three of those guys. I do not remember any other team wanting any three of those players this summer either. Morey signed players that fit Mike's style. That is something that Steve Kerr never did for Mike.

I think Mike out coached Pop tonight or the Spurs did not follow Pop's orders. Aldridge and Gasol were invisible in the 2nd half, if it were not for Simmons making shots out his arse the blow out would have been sooner.

I really have no idea who is going to win the series. Two really good coaches that respect each other but compete like hell when they meet on the court.

I want Houston but expect the Spurs to win it. However Mike said tonight he likes Anderson at the 5. Does Pop play both Gasol and Aldridge together? How does MDA defend them?

I wonder what its like to be so wrapped up in former Suns players and coaches. *shrugs*

Yeah, it's way cooler to trash former Suns, disregard the good they did, focus only on what they couldn't do and flex those swole revisionist history muscles, all while constantly telling us how mediocre the current state is and all the apathy it induces you.

But that's none of my business.

Sorry, I really wasn't trying to take a shot at MikeD. I guess it came off that way but I didn't mean it to. I just think Spo had a lot less to work with and coached that team to way more victories than they deserved. MikeD had a team built specifically for him and had a superstar to run his offense and score the ball when needed. Now he still had to coach them and get them to win, but I think we also saw MikeD struggle as a coach when he didn't have a team/ball handler who could play his style (Knicks pre-Lin/Lakers).

And saying Suns fans were happy we didn't go after Gordon, Anderson and Nene (while MikeD made them players) isn't a great argument. None of them were fits for our team and we weren't even in a position to sign them.

Spo deserves it just because he took a team that _should_ have been tanking and had them chasing the playoffs. As much as I agree with the tanking math, I admire the pride to try to win every game.

Dejounte Murray deserves some credit for his solid play the last couple of games. Considering he's a rookie who hasn't played much all season, he's handling the opportunity pretty well.

What the Heat did in the second half of the season was really impressive. But I just don't understand giving Coach of the Year to a coach whose team didn't even make the playoffs. I wouldn't give it to Spoelstra this year. I'd choose somebody like D'Antoni or Pop or maybe even Brad Stevens.

Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:What the Heat did in the second half of the season was really impressive. But I just don't understand giving Coach of the Year to a coach whose team didn't even make the playoffs. I wouldn't give it to Spoelstra this year. I'd choose somebody like D'Antoni or Pop or maybe even Brad Stevens.

Brad Stevens and Quin Snyder have really strong cases. But I like Spo, because I think he coached them up from the second worst record in the NBA, to being .500. They went up 5 seeds, and most NBA fans probably couldn't name a single player on the team.

Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:What the Heat did in the second half of the season was really impressive. But I just don't understand giving Coach of the Year to a coach whose team didn't even make the playoffs. I wouldn't give it to Spoelstra this year. I'd choose somebody like D'Antoni or Pop or maybe even Brad Stevens.

Could you imagine how bad the Heat would have been this year with Watson? They could have gotten a top 3 pick.

Ring_Wanted wrote:Yeah, it's way cooler to trash former Suns, disregard the good they did, focus only on what they couldn't do and flex those swole revisionist history muscles, all while constantly telling us how mediocre the current state is and all the apathy it induces you.

But that's none of my business.

There is a happy medium here somewhere.

Losing Nene is going to be a big deal for Houston. I feel bad for them, as it's going to be tough knocking out SA even with him.

Yeah thats rough, injuries in the playoffs are a super bummer.

Nene did an awesome job setting screens and providing interior toughness. He totally fits D'Antoni's system.

TheOriginalOriginal wrote: There is a happy medium here somewhere.

Heheh, yeah. I like to just enjoy the things I can. Booker is all I need at the moment. For all the recent misdirection trying to win after the 13-14 season, having this kid means being on schedule for half the work towards a credible contender core. Add a quality big man prospect and suddenly you have a terrific one-two punch. This is why I believe we need to endure another tanking season, since the '18 draft supposedly brings good big men at the top.

Uncle_Gene wrote:Nene did an awesome job setting screens and providing interior toughness. He totally fits D'Antoni's system.

They have Harrell and Onuaku to bang inside. Not Nene, but could be worse.

Does D'Antoni trust them ? That's the key.

We saw Anderson and Dekker play at center alongside Capela after Nene got injured.

Harrell played a lot and played well when Capela was injured.

Ring_Wanted wrote:

TheOriginalOriginal wrote: There is a happy medium here somewhere.

Heheh, yeah. I like to just enjoy the things I can. Booker is all I need at the moment. For all the recent misdirection trying to win after the 13-14 season, having this kid means being on schedule for half the work towards a credible contender core. Add a quality big man prospect and suddenly you have a terrific one-two punch. This is why I believe we need to endure another tanking season, since the '18 draft supposedly brings good big men at the top.

I'm fine with another tankish season as well, building organically is the only way to assure a decent competitive longevity. There is nothing to be gained from spending on big money vets or trading our picks for win now treadmill team moves.

Yeah, no matter what you sign/trade for, there is no beating the Warriors, Cavs (maybe even the Spurs). For instance, I think George, Cousins, Butler plus role players still wouldn't have a chance against LeBron or GSW.

Barring injuries, the new TV contract has put a hard cap on teams' ability to compete. The NBA really should have applied some kind of progression to the salary cap spike. Affording a team adding the second/third best player on the planet, when already loaded to the point of winning 73 games is just ridiculous.

Although it gives the league a tremendous narrative as long as LeBron's prime lasts. Imagine if LeBron beats these Warriors. After what he did last finals, it would be hard to dispute that he's at least tied with Michael. The scary thing is that he has activated one more gear and looks like he has one more to go. Silly stuff.

Ring_Wanted wrote:Barring injuries, the new TV contract has put a hard cap on teams' ability to compete. The NBA really should have applied some kind of progression to the salary cap spike. Affording a team adding the second/third best player on the planet, when already loaded to the point of winning 73 games is just ridiculous.

The league wanted the cap to increase gradually, but the players union rejected the idea. Which I understand, why wait to get paid but really, it only helped last years free agents.