Amare to start against San Antonio

[Griffin]

I agree with those who say it should be Amare/KT or Amare/Diaw but I think Barbosa starting is only temporary. In the long run I think we'll see Nash/Bell/Marion/Stoudemire/Diaw most often with Barbosa, KT and Rose rounding out the 8-man rotation.

 

[phxrising]

I don't like Barbosa to be starting. This lineup is too small for Spurs. I would like to see

Marion
Boris / Thomas
Amare
Bell
Nash

Very true but with him in the line up who is going to guard him?

The only starter they have quick enough is Parker and then who guards our best shooter? NASH

 

[BC867]

At some point this season ,I hope to see the starting 5 be Amare, KT, Marion, Bell, Nash.

I wonder what happened to the idea of KT and Amare playing side by side in the starting lineup.

That's what exited Amare. With a frontcourt of KT, Amare and the Matrix, perhaps we wouldn't be decimated on the boards every night.

Winning will take more than fast shots.

 

[az1965]

Very true but with him in the line up who is going to guard him?

The only starter they have quick enough is Parker and then who guards our best shooter? NASH

I expect this Spurs lineup, this is what they had last game and how we would match:

Bowen -- Marion
Duncan -- KT / Diaw
Oberto -- Amare
Ginobili -- Bell
Parker -- Nash

If we start Barbosa, then everyone will have to slide, probably this matchup:

Bowen -- Bell (SF)
Duncan -- Amare (C)
Oberto -- Marion (PF)
Ginobili -- Barbosa (SG)
Parker -- Nash (PG)

I don't like the matchups at all... I don't like Amare on Duncan. He will be in foul trouble. I don't like Barbosa on Ginobili either, height disadvantage as well as defensively we need Bell on Ginobili, not Barbosa. We need KT's defense on Duncan. Amare is not that good defensively in the first place and he is also struggling right now.

 

[Chaplin]

I expect this Spurs lineup, this is what they had last game and how we would match:

Bowen -- Marion
Duncan -- KT / Diaw
Oberto -- Amare
Ginobili -- Bell
Parker -- Nash

If we start Barbosa, then everyone will have to slide, probably this matchup:

Bowen -- Bell (SF)
Duncan -- Amare (C)
Oberto -- Marion (PF)
Ginobili -- Barbosa (SG)
Parker -- Nash (PG)

I don't like the matchups at all... I don't like Amare on Duncan. He will be in foul trouble. I don't like Barbosa on Ginobili either, height disadvantage as well as defensively we need Bell on Ginobili, not Barbosa. We need KT's defense on Duncan. Amare is not that good defensively in the first place and he is also struggling right now.

Your second lineup is probably not accurate, it will probably be more like this:

Bowen -- Nash
Duncan -- Amare
Oberto -- Marion
Ginobili -- Bell
Parker -- Barbosa

I can almost guarantee that one. Nash will definitely be guarding Bowen a lot. It's been like that since he came to Phoenix. After what Ginobili said after we signed Bell, how can we NOT have Bell on him?

 

[Errntknght]

I thought LB was solid in his start. Did you watch that game?
22 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl.

He showed some quickness and energy on defense and offense. He was 11-12 from the line. Granted he missed the layup that would have tied the game and shot poorly from 3 (along with the rest of the team) but I thought he gave them a lot of energy to start the game.

Maybe I was a little harsh on him. What I remember is him getting out of control, throwing up some prayers off the backboard as he zoomed off the endline plus the threes you mentioned - he shot 5 of 15 overall, too. He was dribbling far out to start his rushes toward the hoop again. I thought the pressure of starting caused him to revert to the Barbosa I didn't like but clearly he had some good stretches as well.

 

[dbUNIT16]

I don't think anyone wasn't pleased with Barbosa's start, I believe it's that Barbosa is more of an asset coming off the bench. He has proven he can have the same type of production coming off the bench. He is our 6th man, a starter on any other team, who is an invaluable asset coming off the bench.

 

[Chaz]

I really want to see Amare and Kurt play together so we can control the defensive boards a little more.

Diaw can come in for Amare or Kurt while Barbosa can spell Bell or Nash.
Rose and Jones can backup Marion while Banks is the 10th man and reserve guard.

Starters
Nash
Bell
Marion
Stoudemire
Thomas

Bench
Diaw
Barbosa
Rose
Jones
Banks

reserve
Jones/Pike
Burke/Marks


Somehow I don't think D'Antoni will play it that way though.

 

[Romp]

People are talking about an Amare/Diaw/Marion/Bell/Nash starting 5 in the future, or Thomas instead of Diaw, isn't that a little lacking in 3 point shooting for the Suns style?

 

[Chaz]

People are talking about an Amare/Diaw/Marion/Bell/Nash starting 5 in the future, or Thomas instead of Diaw, isn't that a little lacking in 3 point shooting for the Suns style?

Maybe, but you can't run in transition if you can't get a rebound.

 

[JPlay]

JJ is the one who is over rated. So what if LB and Diaw would fail on another team, they aren't on another team, they are here! Lets take a look at the numbers:

Lets use last years numbers, since we haven't played enough games this year to mean anything:

KT: 8.6ppg, 7.8rpg, 1.1 apg (plus he was injured a big part of the season, and not in "suns shape" to start the year) Diaw: 13.3ppg, 6.2apg, 6.9rpg (additionally he was unknown quantity early in the year and wasn't utilized as much). LB: 13.1ppg, 2.8apg, 2.6rpg.

or

Joe Johnson: 20.2ppg, 6.5apg, 4.1rpg.

And JJs scoring is inflated because the Hawks don't have anyone else to give the ball too.

So thats a total of Suns: 35ppg, 9.9apg, 17.3rpg,. vs Hawks: 20.2 apg, 6.5 apg, 4.1 rpg.

For those keeping score thats a difference of 15 points, 3.4 assists per game and 13.2 rebounds per game!

Not to mention if your fantasy trade went through, the Suns would lose depth, and have to fill more rosters spots w/ Pat Burke type players. Furthermore, JJ has a crappy attitude. Diaw, LB and KT give the Suns a lot of different looks and options, JJ would only give them one.

Actually I think Diaw and Kurt Thomas are overrated. They have extremely average numbers for playing with Nash. Have you seen the tear JJ is on this year. Imagine how good the Suns would be with JJ still. His consistency shooting the 3 from the corner and ability to get his own shot are things the Suns are sorely missing. I don't think Kurt's or Diaw's numbers are anything to brag about, especially their rebounding numbers for center and power forward. I really wish we had a legit shot-blocker/rebounder center that could actually dunk. Yes, JJs an a-hole for leaving, but he was a damn good player that we should have locked up long before we let him leave.

 

[HooverDam]

For a center and a power forward? KT is a PF, and Diaw is a....well, he's a Diaw (can't really pigeon whole him in a position). Last year was more or less his rookie year, and he did a damned fine job. Again, you aren't addressing the fact that trading 3 guys for 1 guy would screw the Suns roster as far as depth goes. LB and Diaw are young, and will get better (JJ probably will improve as well) and KT is a nice veteran presence to have (he is one of the team captains after all).

 

[F-Dog]

If you're going to start Nash-Barbosa-Bell against anybody, the Spurs are the best candidate, because of the matchups on the perimeter:

Nash guards Bowen (D'Antoni will try to get this matchup whenever he possibly can--it's the best possible way to take advantage of Bowen's lack of playmaking)
Bell guards Ginobili (another no-brainer)
Barbosa guards Parker (the Suns definitely don't want Nash here--Parker has always killed him, even when TP was struggling against other players)


Now, in the starting frontcourt, the Suns need somebody who can guard Duncan and somebody who can keep Oberto off the glass. I think ideally, the Suns would play Diaw or even KT next to Amare against the Spurs and bring Marion off the bench (to match up with Horry or Bonner), but I doubt that D'Antoni will offend Marion in that way as long as he thinks he can get along without doing so.




The "Suns starting lineup of the future" is Nash/Barbosa/???/Diaw/Amare. Again, Marion is there for now, but his spot won't really be secure unless/until Boris develops into a reliable 3pt shooter.

In the meantime, the Suns need another shooter for spacing, so my guess is that, if the Amare experiment works, Marion takes Diaw's place and either Raja or Jalen Rose steps in at SF. I'm sure D'Antoni would prefer Raja as his starting SF--for his defense--but Raja can't hit the broad side of a barn right now, so Jalen might get the call right away if he's in shape.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

I think having Amare start is the smart thing to do. He and the Suns need to learn if he is the future of this franchise or part of the past. I believe the Suns need to feed him the ball where he can be successful. Maybe it will work or maybe it won't.

IMO, the Suns have tried to run last year's offense without including Amare as an integral option. However, there is only one way to find out what Amare can do now and in the future... play him and feed him the ball. Also, I think when Amare finds his role with the Suns, the other players will feel more relaxed because their roles will be more clearly defined.

I agree...and I think Amare's main problem is in his mind. Maybe him starting will start to bring his confidence back.

 

[AZ Shocker]

I agree...and I think Amare's main problem is in his mind. Maybe him starting will start to bring his confidence back.

Gawd I hope so!

 

[BuddyFranklin]

Hey guys. I'm back after a short stay in the sin bin.

Hmmmm, i'm nervous about Amare starting against SA! of all teams. I can see it now, Amare picks up 2 cheapies and sits for most of the game in foul trouble.
Not sure if it's the right game to do this but i hope i'm totally wrong and Amare comes out and makes a statement or more importantly regains some confidence.

Also... can i just say... i know i'm negative alot but most of it is from expectations not nearly being met, maybe i set them to high but this team has been average and i don't understand the recruiting policy anymore. Please someone tell me why we've signed so many poopy swingmen?


Please make we eat my words against the Spurs. I wanna kick the living crap out those SOB's!

Go SUNS!

 

[arthurracoon]

i'm not going to be surprised at all if Jalen Rose ends up starting once he gets healthy and in shape. DA's offense runs at it's PEAK when there are FOUR 3 point shooters and a low post threat. I think that's why he's starting Leo right now. However, I think size is going to be a MAJOR issue for that lineup. We could get away with it when TT was playing the role of the 4th three point shooter because he was 6'10 and we could better get away with it when JJ was still on the team, at 6'8, but that lineup is just too small.

You throw a starting lineup of Nash, Bell, Rose, Marion and Amare out there and you have two players that can create for others, Amar eon the block and four three point shooters, plus it's a bigger team than the shrimpo team with Leo in there.

I also think Leo's better as a sparkplug off the bench along with Boris. Damn, I REALLY thought Boris would have worked on his shot this offseason and dveloped a 3 so he could have played the role of 4th BIG who can spread the floor. Instead, he just became a tremendous fat-ass! BOO!

 

[Nash]

Hey guys. I'm back after a short stay in the sin bin.

Hmmmm, i'm nervous about Amare starting against SA! of all teams. I can see it now, Amare picks up 2 cheapies and sits for most of the game in foul trouble.

they say the sin bin breaks most men, but you've managed to come out unscathed with the -vity untouched. even if the Suns win the championship, you will have a grouse that we lost one of the games in the first round playoffs.

sh*tty swingmen? in a system that thrives on playmaking and floor spacing, you need as many shooters and versatile players as you can get. When one of them comes in the cheap, why would you want to pass up on him?
Sure, it would've been cool if Duncan or Howard came at the same price, to bolster our post defense.

 

[BuddyFranklin]

Come on man, I'm not talking Duncan or anyone of that nature, but please, we are overstocked with swingman who can't play... or at the moment, can't play in our system.... or aren't being played in our system... either way you look at it, we have alot of em and only Shawn is contributing. They are the facts Nash Bridges.


Wait till tomorrow and watch how SA's big's eat us alive on the boards and in the paint... buuuuuuut i do hope we try and start Amare and KT. I would be happy about that. Then take one out 4 or 5 mins in but try and set the tone early on that we won't be man handled in the paint.

I can't wait to see how they come out after a long break. I wanna see the passion and desperation come back.

Go SUNS!

 

[Nash]

Its true that we're bursting at our seams with big-ish shooters/swingmen. But Jalen Rose was a nice addition of experience to this team. His composure and ability to make shots under pressure may prove invaluable in the playoffs.

I've always agreed with your stance on the need to bring in bigs. But there are hardly any bigs Antoni will play. Who do you say we should bring in instead? If there were a few big guys available and Jalen was picked over them, its worth complaining about.

Yes, there is Melvin Ely who the Suns have showed some interest in, but how good is that kid? I don't know sh*t about him.. so I can't comment if he will be a good addition.

I'm so not looking fwd to play against SA's giants. Duncan, Oberto and Elson are a frikkin 3 headed monster that the Suns will need to contend with.

I don't think an Amare-KT lineup is going to happen for the next couple of months. Coach doesn't have enough faith in the combination yet. (He might say thats way too much height on the floor )

btw, welcome back

 

[JPlay]

Come on man, I'm not talking Duncan or anyone of that nature, but please, we are overstocked with swingman who can't play... or at the moment, can't play in our system.... or aren't being played in our system... either way you look at it, we have alot of em and only Shawn is contributing. They are the facts Nash Bridges.


Wait till tomorrow and watch how SA's big's eat us alive on the boards and in the paint... buuuuuuut i do hope we try and start Amare and KT. I would be happy about that. Then take one out 4 or 5 mins in but try and set the tone early on that we won't be man handled in the paint.

I can't wait to see how they come out after a long break. I wanna see the passion and desperation come back.

Go SUNS!

I agree Jalen was washed up 3 yrs ago. Why aren't we infusing young talent into this team instead of going for a washed up vet who has never been a great shooter. I hate the fact that we couldn't land Ely, Chandler, Muhammed or someone that we really need. Why can other teams do this so easily.

 

[The Commish]

I agree Jalen was washed up 3 yrs ago. Why aren't we infusing young talent into this team instead of going for a washed up vet who has never been a great shooter. I hate the fact that we couldn't land Ely, Chandler, Muhammed or someone that we really need. Why can other teams do this so easily.

I guess we should have had a rookie playing instead of Tim Thomas in the playoffs...

Experience plays a big role in the title runs. Guys like Jalen and Tim are what you need down the stretch. I agree that we should get some younger guys in our system but now is not the time. Next summer we have some good draft picks and that's when I believe you stockpile younger players.

In regards to landing a big man, I am still a firm believer that we will land Ely in a trade next month. Something along the lines of James Jones/2nd for Ely.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

In regards to landing a big man, I am still a firm believer that we will land Ely in a trade next month. Something along the lines of James Jones/2nd for Ely.

One year rental? There is no way he gets resigned here. Wont Ely be an unrestricted FA next year? They will have to cut players/payroll next year.

Hmm....