Nodack wrote:I would say yes to Knight being traded but, wouldn't pull my hair out if it didn't happen
I absolutely would. Knight has showed time and time again that he can't help a team like ours. He needs a winning team where he is surrounded by the right group of players and perhaps more importantly, the right coach. He is Jamal Crawford before he found his niche on the Clipps. We don't need that unless we want to keep racking up frustration. He needs to be gone asap and we need to forget about what he did cost. What is done is done and all we can look forward to now is finding him a new home so we can move on from being the worst passing team in the business.
Bledsoe- Started a little slowly but, has been playing great IMO. Trade him? Not high on my list at all.
I think this is the perfect time to trade him. His knees are not acting up, his production is stablished at 20-5-5 and he still has enough left on a now cheap contract. He is a very good player but his shortcomings as PG are clear by now so if we want to put our future on Booker's hands, we need to move Bledsoe, whose age is not in line with the kids anyway.
Booker - It seems we have felt let down by him this year, he has had some quiet games but how many 20 year olds have 7 games over 30 points at mid season? He has really picked it up lately and is no doubt solidified his ownership of the starting SG position for many years to come.
No real complains here. His shot selection could have been better, but we are developing him as the alpha and that comes with the territory. Part of his progression will be figuring out when not to take a shot despite the internal feeling that you can put any shot in. It will come in due time, and this season's relative struggling is actually good for the long run.
Warren- I always liked his unorthodox offensive skill set leading up to this season. I wasn't sold on his defense. He came out to start the season playing like an All Star and then the mysterious head injury sidelined him for awhile. He is just now getting back to his old form. He seems to have solodified his spot for the time being.
Warren just needs to get some continuity. Just when he is about to break out something happens to his body.
Chriss- Rookie Chriss landed the starting job from the get go. Has played ok. Hasn't made too many mistakes and hasn't had any offesive explosions either. Seems to have a good 3 Pt shot and is athletic. Has recently notched it up a little. Foul prone and gets a few technicals. My jury is still out on him.
I think the starting sport should have gone to Bender. Beyond some relatively minor flashes, Chriss has showed less. He needs to tone down with the refs. And to be brutally honest, I just don't see the athleticism everybody raves about. He jumps effortlessly for sure, but basketball athleticism is much more than that. He's got a nice spin move, though.
Chandler- The veteran brought in. He has solidified the starting job this year it seems over Len who has been groomed for the starting job for awhile now. Chandler has a limited offensive game which is mostly lobs to keep the defense honest and put backs. Has been a rebounding machine for the Suns and I feel will likely go down as the best rebounder in Suns history. I feel like he is one of those rented guys to hold down the shop while we rebuild and bot part of the long term plans. A rent a vet.
Chandler is doing his thing but he is not a relevant defender anymore. He rebounds and is a good influence but I think it would be wise to try to sell relatively high on that rebounding %s. Not having a good PG on the roster hurts his alrealy basic offensive production.
Len- He has been groomed for some time now and has become a decent center but, hasn't quite gotten over the hump. Has great games and bad games. He has a decent shot but, inconsistent. On a 1-10 grade for him I have to give him a 6. I haven't given up on him though.
Len seems to be developing a career arch similar to RoLo's. I see some solid games and more invisible performances than I'd like. He still doesn't use his size to its full extent and there are concerns he may never will. Hands are not great. We need to make a decision soon, and if we choose to sign him, I am afraid it won't come cheap. On that note, even if Lopez turned into a solid player for a number of teams (basically everybody but NOP), we found a replacement quite easily (Gortat). I dangle him and see what I can get this trade deadline. Maybe some team with little cap flexibility is willing to pony up. At this point, I basically don't take in mind that he was drafted #5.
Tucker- Has been a workhorse for the Suns. Nobody is hated more by Suns fans around here than him except for Knight. People hate him getting so many minutes over the rookies. A few Suns coaches now have used the crap out of Tucker. He obviously is a guy coaches like to use. He has been their pit bull. Defensive specialist although many Suns fans think his defense is overrated. My sentiment? He earns his minutes by effort. If somebody wants his minutes they can earn it.
Tucker has been a good soldier but you can't be playing him 40 minutes, even if he is all effort. When his first contract was up, I was one of the more vocal fans wanting to re-sign him. At this point, though, he doesn't help the franchise going forward unless his role is reduced to 15-18 mpg, with the occasional increase in playing time if for some reason he is not being a liability on offense. Anyway, he should be on the trading block for sure.
Bender-People wonder when Chriss is a starter all season and Bender barely cracks the rotation. I can't answer that. Has had very limited playing time but, has earned more and more time as the season has rolled along. Bender is tall and lanky. Will need to put on some muscle. I'm sure it will happen. Has a sweet 3 pt stroke and seems to get a lot of blocks, near blocks or puts the guy on the line without getting his shot off. I see promise in him.
Bender showed defense, team play and shooting potential since the start. That alone should have put him ahead of Chriss. Watson has some explaining to do on this one.
Dudley- Seasoned veteran and fan favorite kind of guy. He has been shooting the 3 ball well and doing savy veteran plays. Not an All Star by any stretch of the imagination. His minutes have dried completely up lately. That shows that the coach is starting to give the rookies more time and Dudleys minutes are where some of that is coming from too. A rent a vet.
Dudley has done a more admirable job at his thing than say Chandler. Makes his threes, plays team defense and doesn't commit mistakes, plus his usual chemistry and leadership. I wouldn't treat him as a rental.
Barbosa
Barbosa has rendered Knight useless to us. Very little else to say.
Ulis
Good backup material. Moving at least one of Bledsoe-Knight is the only way he can get minutes.
Williams- Haven't seen much of him. I really liked what I saw. Plays with passion and gets after it. Not sure what we are doung with him yet. He's the backup to the backup Center.
His rebounding %s are great. I think he can play a role for a decent team, but like Ulis, he has two guys in front of him that he can't beat, perhaps for reasons not entirely related to their production on the court.
Watson- I am slightly disappointed in him. The Suns dead last in defense and assists and a turnover machine are not good stats. Their passing has been horrible and too much one on one ball. This can't be all on the coach but, some of it is. Pop always has SA playing disciplined basketball. The Suns are not very disciplined on the court. Part of that has to be the coach.
Agreed. I'll give him just 4/10, though. Playing Tucker a fvckton of minutes and putting Chriss ahead of Bender keep me from giving him a pass.
As a Suns fan I give them 6 out of 10 stars.
4/10. The ugly ball is still here. The dumb has been reduced, but overall the product is not good. Only Booker makes it watchable to some extent.