Phx-Suns.Net

Rubio in his last 5 games: 50 assists and 6 turnovers. He was at 8.3 assists and 1.7 turnovers per game coming into tonight. I didn’t realize how well he was taking care of the ball.

Was also amazed at how much Jrue was able to get away with defensively. You get a reputation as a great defender and they’ll let you play physical and give you the benefit of the doubt.

The Bobster wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:40 pm

Oubre's not the brightest guy out there.

His low BBIQ is suddenly very noticeable isn’t it?

specialsauce wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 6:39 pm

Diallo should be starting

No reason for Saric and Frank to both start. They have the same weaknesses. If Frank ISNT wise open in the paint it’s a miss. Every time. He’s atrocious in defense. Give Diallo Franks mins.

specialsauce wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:35 pm

Oubre lets yet another player blow by him. Saric picks up his 6th foul because of it.

WAKE UP!!!! PLAY SOME DEFENSE!!!

Oubres defense leaves a lot to be desired. If he can’t look pretty doing it then he doesn’t do it. Lame.

Also heard Eddie in the first half say Suns fans need to be patient. Suns fans need to be patient? Really?

specialsauce wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 9:15 pm

If Booker does not play to the level of the opponents best player night in and out, we are toast.

He is our franchise player. Expect franchise player expectations.

It comes with the paycheck.

At least the Suns held the Pelicans to only 40 points in the first quarter. Quite the defensive battle.

For all the hate Oubre is getting he still had 15 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. He makes boneheaded plays from time to time, but he also makes a lot of really good plays. You need those guys...he’s the opposite of guys like Bender. Bender rarely did anything bad, but he also rarely did anything good. Bridges is a little like this too. Though with a higher floor than Bender as Bridges generally just makes a lot of nice plays, just not many amazing plays.

djy2j wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 9:36 pm

The Bobster wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:40 pm

Oubre's not the brightest guy out there.

His low BBIQ is suddenly very noticeable isn’t it?

specialsauce wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 6:39 pm

Diallo should be starting

No reason for Saric and Frank to both start. They have the same weaknesses. If Frank ISNT wise open in the paint it’s a miss. Every time. He’s atrocious in defense. Give Diallo Franks mins.

specialsauce wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:35 pm

Oubre lets yet another player blow by him. Saric picks up his 6th foul because of it.

WAKE UP!!!! PLAY SOME DEFENSE!!!

Oubres defense leaves a lot to be desired. If he can’t look pretty doing it then he doesn’t do it. Lame.

Also heard Eddie in the first half say Suns fans need to be patient. Suns fans need to be patient? Really?

Spot on. Oubre gets the steals and blocks but he falls asleep guarding players way too damn much.

Split T wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 9:24 pm

Was also amazed at how much Jrue was able to get away with defensively. You get a reputation as a great defender and they’ll let you play physical and give you the benefit of the doubt.

I had this same thought when I caught a possession of him basically groping Jerome outside of the 3 point line. I know its a veteran vs. a rookie, but it was absurd how he got away with it.

This team can’t ever make it easy, can they? Sheesh. Not sure if this win helped you, ‘Bazz.

Split T wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:50 pm

Not much love in here for the 44/8/9 game Booker just dropped? I missed quarters 3 and 4, but looks like he went off. Too bad we let them back into the game, but finished strong in OT.

I was just getting ready to post that it was good to have superstar Booker back.

Superbone wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 11:52 pm

This team can’t ever make it easy, can they? Sheesh. Not sure if this win helped you, ‘Bazz.

?

I really like how Bridges has been playing on offense lately. Shots falling, looks cleaner. And he's going hard to the rim with the ball.

Shabazz wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:03 am

Superbone wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 11:52 pm

This team can’t ever make it easy, can they? Sheesh. Not sure if this win helped you, ‘Bazz.

?

Sorry, I meant Cap:

Cap wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:55 pm

I have had a really s*** day and can’t take another Suns loss right now.

Good hard fought win. Gave up a big lead which was kind of expected but we battled through on the 2nd night of a B2B. The Pelicans are a dangerous team with their shooting, length and athleticism which gives us problems at the moment. I thought we had control in the 1st half and even though it was close, we looked like the better team. Book came out of the half in takeover mode and we broke out a nice lead but then the 2nd unit gave it up and the Pels got hot from 3 to make it close and send it to overtime. I feel like these are kind of 50-50 games for us at this point. We're a .500 team now, which hopefully means we'll be better in 2-3 weeks. Couple other thoughts on players:

Ricky's a steady hand for us and came up with a timely 3 and then a nice open layup late in the game. It's critical that he remains a threat to score. I've said it before, but having him out there in close games, crunch time, OT just gives you a good feeling. It's not PointBook, or Elie, or Jevon or one of the Ty's. It's a 10 year vet who's been doing this since he's 14. Even Rozier wouldn't give us this presence.

Jerome got about 10 minutes but looked overmatched physically. The Pels as a defense are pretty physical and refs were letting a lot of things go throughout the game.

Kelly had some big defensive plays but also some boneheaded plays that could've really hurt us. I guess you gotta take the good with the bad. Still, would rather him out there than not.

Frank seems to be out of his funk on offense but is still weak around the rim. His shooting these past two games has been huge. Something clicked and he just looks more confident.

Dario still does a lot of the little things if he's not scoring but he's gotta do something about those missed layups.

Bridges looked great tonight and made maybe the best 3 I've seen him make as a Sun. He's attacking the rim with more confidence too.

Cam was nearly lights out and gave us some good minutes. Had a little trouble against Ingram but got better as the game went on. Made some bigs 3s late.

Diallo gave us some good minutes as well and was surprised he didn't get more minutes. I get why people want him to play more over Frank/Dario but I think he's best in spot minutes. He shouldn't be starting or getting 25+ minutes a night. He'll get exposed more often than not.

I think that we came out and took over the game in the 3rd. We've seen that this year and I consider it a mark of good teams and good coaching. Too often average/bad teams get blown out in the 3rd because they aren't ready or didn't make adjustments. We've been good with jumping on teams coming out of halftime.

I missed this one because I am in Paris for a work trip. Oh la la!

Book had a monster game! That oughta make some folks happy who have been criticizing him lately. I think he has had a good season. Yes, a few 18 or 21-point meh games, but in general I'm getting what I want from him. I think the things I'm most happy about this season are Rubio's play and the growth of Cam Johnson. I am ready to admit that I was wrong about Cam. He's great! A dead-eye shooter, and he's the only guy on the team where every single time he puts up a 3 I expect it to go in. You can argue with the draft asset management that led us to pick him, but I just love having a guy like him on our team. I wish Ty Jerome had given us a little more. He's still learning and just getting started.

Here's the box score:

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401160961

ShelC wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 06, 2019 4:45 am

Ricky's a steady hand for us and came up with a timely 3 and then a nice open layup late in the game. It's critical that he remains a threat to score. I've said it before, but having him out there in close games, crunch time, OT just gives you a good feeling. It's not PointBook, or Elie, or Jevon or one of the Ty's. It's a 10 year vet who's been doing this since he's 14. Even Rozier wouldn't give us this presence.

<3 <3 <3 my BAE

Split T wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 9:24 pm

Was also amazed at how much Jrue was able to get away with defensively. You get a reputation as a great defender and they’ll let you play physical and give you the benefit of the doubt.

Remember Bruce Bowen ... yeah...

As others have noted, the refs sorta mailed this one in. Very inconsistent, and a number of possible calls ignored.

The Bobster wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:40 pm

Oubre's not the brightest guy out there.

He goes for the spectacular without relying on sound, fundamental choices.
EJ has noted that Oubre, in some instances, should do a layup instead of trying for a splashy dunk.
He likes to play to the crowd ...

LazarusLong wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 06, 2019 6:51 am

The Bobster wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:40 pm

Oubre's not the brightest guy out there.

He goes for the spectacular without relying on sound, fundamental choices.
EJ has noted that Oubre, in some instances, should do a layup instead of trying for a splashy dunk.
He likes to play to the crowd ...

All of that is true, but it seems like if he tried to do the easy/right thing all the time, he would be way too slow. He just reacts, which is why he can jump and get the rebound/tip on 3 straight attempts without losing the ball. If he started to think about what he did first, he might make the right decision, but it would be too late. Gotta take the good with the bad. I will take his energy/swagger along with the boneheadedness right now because the team needs it.

I'm glad to get the W, but boy oh boy.

- Cam seems to be rounding into form and is going to be more than just a shooter.
- It's nice to have Bridges back on offense. Keep it up, Noodles!
- Booker is finding that balance between being a star and playing in the system. He has consistently improved every season, so I know he will get that balance before the allstar break. It's up to the rest of the team to stay ready and keep playing within the offense even when he has a great game.
- It would be really nice to have a player like Brandon Clarke out there. Of course, he's injured right now, too.
- I continue to be impressed with how Monte's staff keeps the bench engaged and ready. Our bench has gotten killed a few games this year, but mostly they have been better than opposing benches.
- What we miss most about Baynes is his toughness. e inspired the rest of the team to play tough, and we are softer at every position without him.
- I thought folks were crazy when they said Kaminsky would be our 6th man after the preseason. I eat my words. Your boy Franky K is 4th on the team in minutes played, FGA, and FG, 3rd in FTA, assist (oubre is #8), blocks, and rebounds (saric is #1). Through 1/4 of the season, he is one of our most productive players. You called it.
- We are seeing Washington's version of Oubre more often. He's going to be inconsistent, and he's going to make dumb plays. He's got to bring the energy and emotion every game, and tonight he made up for his offense with his defense. Maybe he misses Baynes the most.