The caveat of partly is especially important, because unrealistic expectations were a large part of the problem, but the total lack of joy to last season was a huge problem as well. They never connected on the court, it always felt like the big 3 and the rest of the roster as the island of misfit toys. Hopefully we see a more cohesive group and more joy from the players themselves. Last year was a slog in every way.
I couldn't care less about being entertained unless it's a foregone conclusion our team will likely suck. Ishbia seems like the kind of guy to keep that hope alive for years to come to at least compete for a title when possible.
I think you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. A Nurkic/Plumlee big man combo and no other PF on the roster is still gonna be a major Achilles heel, keeping this team from being a legit title contender. But I think they’ve got potential to be the best of the pretenders and now have salary flexibility to try and make a move to shore that weak spot up during the season.
I agree with this. The difference between 4th quarter excellence under Chris Paul and the failures of last year were basically about the Suns inability to execute in the fourth quarter under more intense defensive pressure (and the refs tendency to call fewer fouls at the end of a game). I am hoping--and I think reasonably so--that Tyus will be a big improvement in 4th quarter execution.
I think of KD as a PF. Bol as well. KD seems to play more like a modern stretch 4 I think.
I don’t consider it the benchmark for success. But I’m also capable of recognizing it’s not utter failure. The decade of sarver suck put some things into perspective.
Seems to be a repeating theme.
I was thinking this last year but here I am yet again
Last year, we were all too naive to believe that with our big-3 everything would come into right places naturally. Vogel may have had the sweet talk in job interviews that met with Ishbia and JJ's naivity. The offseason market signing of a bunch projects and sticking to them plus Goodwin as main sub (in favor over Camara) ultimately killed any hope of PO successes. In hindsight, in the Blazers' deal replacing Camara with Goodwin, not shipping Payne, reconsider the min market to find anything better than Yuta, Metu, etc who we shipped off later, the dynamics would have been different.Seems to be a repeating theme.
I was thinking this last year but here I am yet again
Regardless it’s still a now or never theme. Age is setting in.
I don’t think it’s a matter of not wanting to address the issue. It’s the ability to address the issue whether that be because of rules or available players. Nobody thought Jones would be available to them either or we would be searching for both positions still.
I agree if it doesn't work.
I still think even in that case it's still 2 year window max if what Ishbia says is true and he is not willing for the Suns to be penalized during the draft. Then again, maybe he would change his tune and not care should multiple titles happen.
2 year window I can agree with, I just don't think it's ONLY this year or bust. A lot depends on how we go out -- do we make it to the Western Conference Finals and a game 7? I'd say that a hell of a lot better than what happened last year, and I would consider it a success after Bud's first season as coach.
