Alex Len...LET HIM GO!

[StreetTruckinTitan]

Len is always a riddle that needs to be solved. Maybe he fouls because his reflexes are slower than average or his basketball IQ is lower. How does that get fixed?

He def has an IQ problem. He's doing the same things he did in his first season. I dont see anything the Suns trainers can do at this point four years later if he cant grasp basic BB skills. The Suns are actually better with him on the bench. No way to resigning him! They need to find out what they have in Williams now.

 

[pokerface]

That's pretty sad when Lens main selling point is he's 23 years old and he could get better.

How old is Knight...24 or so? Fans are willing to give him away for bubble gum...What about his upside?

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

So what...Give him a long contract and hope he fixes himself? I think he's already peaked...The Len you're seeing is the one you're getting..Accept it guys.

A 23 year old that has already peaked? That seems pretty far fetched to me. I also didn't simply say to just give him a long contract and hope he fixes himself, but to see what the market sets for him and if it is a number low enough for the front office to feel comfortable matching than match it.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

That's pretty sad when Lens main selling point is he's 23 years old and he could get better.

How old is Knight...24 or so? Fans are willing to give him away for bubble gum...What about his upside?

Knight is a guard that has shown zero ability to make good decisions and that is a red flag for someone that is going to have the ball in his hands a much as he does. Len is a 7 foot center that has issues with being consistent. Players can and usually do learn to be more consistent over time, but don't tend to suddenly gain a ton of BBIQ over time and that is what Knight needs. Knight has also had a ton more time on court in his career than Len has had. All that being said though I still don't think it is too late for Knight, but we already have other options at his position on the roster. We don't have another young big on the roster to develop over Len.

 

[AzStevenCal]

That's pretty sad when Lens main selling point is he's 23 years old and he could get better.

How old is Knight...24 or so? Fans are willing to give him away for bubble gum...What about his upside?

So what...Give him a long contract and hope he fixes himself? I think he's already peaked...The Len you're seeing is the one you're getting..Accept it guys.

Len is 23 and he first took up basketball when he was 13 but didn't take it up seriously until a few years after that. Knight is more than a year and a half older and has been balling most of his life. And Len, as poorly as he's played at times has still outplayed Brandon Knight. Len has played a grand total of 4,762 minutes in the NBA compared to Knight's 11,939.

 

[AzStevenCal]

A 23 year old that has already peaked? That seems pretty far fetched to me. I also didn't simply say to just give him a long contract and hope he fixes himself, but to see what the market sets for him and if it is a number low enough for the front office to feel comfortable matching than match it.

Yeah, I have to think the poster is just trying to create activity as there's almost no justification for that position.

 

[AzStevenCal]

He def has an IQ problem. He's doing the same things he did in his first season. I dont see anything the Suns trainers can do at this point four years later if he cant grasp basic BB skills. The Suns are actually better with him on the bench. No way to resigning him! They need to find out what they have in Williams now.

The Suns are better with Knight on the bench, so much so that it extends to every other player forced to play alongside him.

 

[pokerface]

A 23 year old that has already peaked? That seems pretty far fetched to me. I also didn't simply say to just give him a long contract and hope he fixes himself, but to see what the market sets for him and if it is a number low enough for the front office to feel comfortable matching than match it.

It's not far fetched at all if he has a low b-ball IQ and isn't a natural baller. Then he can hoover at mediocrity for more years.

 

[pokerface]

Yeah, I have to think the poster is just trying to create activity as there's almost no justification for that position.

Huh? Age isn't always some cop out. Some players either got it or dont and can't always be taught. Look at Booker...Do you think he was taught everything at age 20 or does he have natural abilities?

 

[pokerface]

The Suns are better with Knight on the bench, so much so that it extends to every other player forced to play alongside him.

So Knight is the culprit for Lens inconsistencies? Are we reaching now?

 

[pokerface]

Len is 23 and he first took up basketball when he was 13 but didn't take it up seriously until a few years after that. Knight is more than a year and a half older and has been balling most of his life. And Len, as poorly as he's played at times has still outplayed Brandon Knight. Len has played a grand total of 4,762 minutes in the NBA compared to Knight's 11,939.

Len doesn't get minutes because the coaches aren't always liking what they are seeing...That plus he's a foul magnet and can't keep himself in the game. Who's fault is that?

 

[pokerface]

The Suns are better with Knight on the bench, so much so that it extends to every other player forced to play alongside him.

The Suns are also better with Len on the bench!

 

[AzStevenCal]

So Knight is the culprit for Lens inconsistencies? Are we reaching now?

The point was made about his +/- or stated another way, that his team plays worse when he's on the court. I refuted that point by reminding you that Knight has a horrible +/- which must, by necessity, impact the +/- of every other player forced to play most of their minutes with him.

That isn't opinion, it's reality. It doesn't mean Len played well, it doesn't even mean he didn't play horribly. It just means that stat is useless when it comes to gauging the impact of those that tend to surround Knight.

 

[pokerface]

My point is Lens +/- isn't good either...

 

[AzStevenCal]

My point is Lens +/- isn't good either...

It's horrible but it has to be when he spends most of his time on the court with Knight, it's impossible to be otherwise.

 

[JCSunsfan]

So Knight is the culprit for Lens inconsistencies? Are we reaching now?

No. Just his +/-.

 

[pokerface]

No. Just his +/-.

Oh brother...

 

[AzStevenCal]

Oh brother...

I'm not sure if you're being serious or what but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Either way, I'm not trying to talk down to you if this is something you already understand.

When Brandon Knight is in the game, whatever happens to his +/- during that stretch also happens to his teammates that are in the game with him. So if he's a -15 in a 5 minute stretch and there were no substitutions, every other teammate on the court would have also gone -15 during that stretch.

So, when Brandon Knight plays poorly, every player that shared court time with him takes a +/- hit too.

 

[pokerface]

Yeah well Lens lousy +/- can affect Knight and the team...It's not a one way street.

Knight isnt making Len foul..miss easy shots...etc etc.

 

[pokerface]

I don't think Len will get matched by the Suns anyhoo...

 

[AzStevenCal]

Yeah well Lens lousy +/- can affect Knight and the team...It's not a one way street.

Knight isnt making Len foul..miss easy shots...etc etc.

Okay, you're welcome to your opinion, as are we all. But I believe the numbers show he's by far the best rim protector we have and he's also a very good rebounder. The numbers also show he picks up too many fouls, and observation reveals that far too many of those fouls are unnecessary.

As for his shooting; absolutely horrible Len has a TS% of .556 this season. And the supposed greatest big man in the league sports an almost identical TS% of .562 this season. I'm not trying to equate the two players, that would be absurd, but his shooting isn't as bad as some apparently think it is.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I don't think Len will get matched by the Suns anyhoo...

I have no idea what we'll do. IMO there are plenty of reasons to keep him but there are two big reasons to let him go. His fouling isn't a minor problem, what good is a big man that can't stay on the court for at least 25 minutes a game? And how realistic will his agent be come contract time.

But it sets this team back in the rebuild process if we have to let Len walk for nothing even if it turns out to be the most sane move we can make at that time.

 

[pokerface]

As for his shooting; absolutely horrible Len has a TS% of .556 this season. And the supposed greatest big man in the league sports an almost identical TS% of .562 this season. I'm not trying to equate the two players, that would be absurd, but his shooting isn't as bad as some apparently think it is.

Yeah but a vast majority of his shots have come at point blank range...126/223. When he goes just a few feet out his percentage drops to 40℅...A few more feet out and it plummets to the twenties. He has no range! His attempts plummet further out too...Like even he doesn't have faith in his own shot and doesn't try much. Go look at that article again...It shows that he's not a good shooter at all...As far as range.

 

[pokerface]

I wouldn't care if Len was a backup or something but some fool team will pay him starter money. Plus too I just read McD say that he's possibly looking for two impact players to sign. Well with Brandon Knight on the books and McD wanting a couple big name players I don't know if they're going to be throwing money at Len too.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Yeah but a vast majority of his shots have come at point blank range...126/223. When he goes just a few feet out his percentage drops to 40℅...A few more feet out and it plummets to the twenties. He has no range! His attempts plummet further out too...Like even he doesn't have faith in his own shot and doesn't try much. Go look at that article again...It shows that he's not a good shooter at all...As far as range.

Well, yeah but who cares? Why in the world do you want our center to be 15 feet from the hoop? He isn't a great shooter, by any means, but I'd be thrilled if he never took a shot that was more than 5 feet from the basket. You need a big man that can pull his defender away from the rim, you don't need both of your starting big men to do that. Chriss and Bender will give us the spacing we need, we need Len to get even better with his low post game (much better).