Suns News: Week 10 12/28-1/3

[JCSunsfan]

^ Kickin' ass and taking names. Will probably ring before the Suns ever do.

Even if the Cards do not win a championship, they are completely relevant. That's all a fan can ask.

My main criticism of this management team, and head coach, is that they seem to be poor communicators. I have just heard them say too many times, "No, I have talked to him yet." No media person should be able to ask that question before the communication has taken place. Its a level of "aloofness" between management/head coach and players.

That's the difference between a coach like Bruce Arians and these guys. Every Cardinals player feels like he has a close relationship with Arians. Every player knows he LIKES them and believes in their abilities. That gives him a relationship basis to be criticial. He can tell everyone that Calais is not playing up to his potential and Calais takes it as caring motivation.

[carey]

Gambo nails it here:

http://arizonasports.com/story/503016/t ... od-enough/

I hate how Gambo writes. He contradicts himself in numerous spots. He should probably stick to radio which I enjoy because he's so nutty.

[MightyMoog]

Hey Hornacek, here's a little note. You can't bench Morris for having -12 rating and then trot out Ronnie Price. And McD needs to read Bill Simmons' Book of Basketball. He's a great talent evaluator, just seems clueless about how to create team chemistry.

[carey]

McDonough's interview from today. Worth a listen but considerably less forthcoming than Jeff: http://arizonasports.com/player/?a=317876

[carey]

Price out with a toe sprain: http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/n ... /78112106/

They are hoping he'll be back for this weekend's back-to-back.

[Indy]

McDonough's interview from today. Worth a listen but considerably less forthcoming than Jeff: http://arizonasports.com/player/?a=317876

Well, his contract isn't up in 4 months, right?

[iLLmatic]

Did McD say we still have a chance of making the playoffs this year? Is this guy a hard headed fuck or what? Two hard headed fucks in McD and Sarver has doomed this franchise along with Babby as the leading clown. Link to the article below, the comments section is worth a read.

http://arizonasports.com/story/504453/s ... -playoffs/

[Aztec Sunsfan]

Did McD say we still have a chance of making the playoffs this year? Is this guy a hard headed fuck or what? /

I want to believe, that he wants to keep hope alive, in order to keep selling the product. You don't hear the Yahoo!'s CEO calling her company a wreck, or the VW guys recognizing that they are in a really deep hole, right?

[carey]

Did McD say we still have a chance of making the playoffs this year? Is this guy a hard headed fuck or what? /

I want to believe, that he wants to keep hope alive, in order to keep selling the product. You don't hear the Yahoo!'s CEO calling her company a wreck, or the VW guys recognizing that they are in a really deep hole, right?

This exactly. He can't come out and say they are garbage. Ticket sales are already shit. To make them even worse by admitting there is no hope? Sarver would probably kill him.

[SDC]

Gambo nails it here:

http://arizonasports.com/story/503016/t ... od-enough/

Long article...my favorite excerpts:

When last season ended, the Suns’ management and ownership identified the problem as a lack of leadership. Too many young guys on the roster and not enough veteran leadership to guide the younger players through the grind of 82 games.

So Phoenix addressed that issue by bringing in Tyson Chandler, Ronnie Price, Sonny Weems, Mirza Teletovic and Jon Leuer. And what did the effect of having veterans in the clubhouse do for this team?

NOTHING.

They fired two respected coaches who both have championship rings....Maybe rumblings I had heard that both assistant coaches were positioning themselves to replace head coach Jeff Hornacek if the axe were to fall and didn’t have his best interests at heart were true. I can live with that if that is the case.

Morris doesn’t want to be here and the Suns are actively shopping him and P.J. Tucker in an effort to create more opportunities for other players. But there is so little value for Morris that all I am hearing they can do is get off the contract. Some teams don’t want Markieff for FREE.

But the Suns need to stop overvaluing their own players. The vast majority of them are nothing special and not worth the money they are being paid. Some of them have taken the money and decided they don’t want to roll up their sleeves anymore, especially on the defensive end.

markieff is actually underpaid.

[Cap]

He'd be overpaid at minimum. He contributes nothing.

[SDC]

He'd be overpaid at minimum. He contributes nothing.

i'm basing my assessment of him from last year and the year before that.

his non-contribution to this team has nothing to do with talent, and more to do with the rift between mcdo and him.

[Shabazz]

- Len looked really bothered by his hand today. I hope it's not another broken one. He was basically playing one-handed.

- I think Archie made a pass at Hornacek's daughter or something. Couldn't even get the Bryce Cotton token minutes.

- Brandon Knight. 6-20, 6 assists, 5 turnovers. Still not a point guard. I was thinking watching the Spurs game how Tony Parker and Brandon Knight are both "Shoot-First Point Guards," but when you watch how each of them runs an offense you see that Knight is just not playing the right position. Parker probes and probes until he finds a good shot, either for him or the team. Knight pounds and pounds and makes up his mind at the top of the key what he's likely going to do with the ball before he attacks.

- Was Markieff even in the arena? I didn't see him on the bench.

[Superbone]

- Was Markieff even in the arena? I didn't see him on the bench.

Who cares?

[Shabazz]

- Was Markieff even in the arena? I didn't see him on the bench.

Who cares?

I was hoping it meant he was traded.

[Superbone]

- Was Markieff even in the arena? I didn't see him on the bench.

Who cares?

I was hoping it meant he was traded.

Ah!

[INFORMER]

Some teams don’t want Markieff for FREE.

I didn't want Markieff for free BEFORE all this nonsense began.

But the Suns need to stop overvaluing their own players.

Too late.

[Ring_Wanted]

Bledsoe-Brandon Knight pairing has caused tension in Suns’ locker room

http://nba.nbcsports.com/2015/12/31/rep ... er=ya5nbcs

Whatever. Neither can run an offense and combined make a terrible backcourt for non scoring purposes.

The goal should be to finish the season above just 76rs and Lakers while giving as much time as possible to Booker, Warren and Len. Nothing else matters.

My real issue at this point is that Bledsoe's injury means McD probably is not going to trade either player this season when in reality getting rid of at least one of them should be priority #1.

[AmareIsGod]

Sarver is trying to partner up with Steve Nash to buy a Spanish club soccer team. No wonder the Suns have been run so terribly. His mind is elsewhere.

[carey]

Sarver is trying to partner up with Steve Nash to buy a Spanish club soccer team. No wonder the Suns have been run so terribly. His mind is elsewhere.

Not the first time. There was a failed bid last year.