Are The Suns Cursed? Book it!

[1tinsoldier]

in the past decade we festered at the bottom of the standings and in recent years -- strings of blowouts and some of the most embarrassing collapses in sports history

why so bad the past decade?
the prior KJ, Barkley, Kidd, Nash eras didn't produce rings but were commendable, impressive, and inspiring

how did we get here?
puzzling, since we got rid of a horrible owner and got one willing to spend.

we got a coach with a championship ring and our starters are three superstars, a center who can rebound (finally), and the nba's best 3 pt shooter

we replaced the whole team that was 2 games from a championship 3 years ago to build around Devin Booker -- and still the collapses!

FOR A DECADE WE'VE BEEN BUILDING AROUND THE WRONG PLAYER -- A ROBIN. INSTEAD OF A BATMAN. a player who falls short of what it takes:

1. below avg bb iq. When he gets angry, he gets sloppy. Turnovers, forced shots. The team went from best 4th quarter and clutch team to worst as soon as Chris Paul was gone. Now we're one of the worst 4th quarter teams in NBA history.

local media made a big deal about his one big game winning shot this season. But their replay reel of game winning shots had to go back to THE BUBBLE for his prior game winner. Meanwhile he takes the vast majority of our clutch shots -- mostly from 3, even when we only need 2 to win.

his quote after his game winner, "i just try to make the shot, whether i'm open or not."

2. often plays point, but his instincts and ball-handling falls short. Especially when defenses tighten up in the 4th.

3. no consistent asset. Some stars can rely on their height, strength, defense or speed EVERY NIGHT. His shot must be on. When it isn't, he hasn't got much to offer. Winning superstars make their teammates better, EVERY NIGHT.

4. poor defense. Statistically, among the worst on the whole roster

Combine those shortcomings with a string of soft coach's who let him call the shots.

i haven't been reading this forum since the deniers purged the few truth-tellers from this site, but i'm sure local fans are starting to wake up to what national NBA fans have known for years. Our super-max player is just a top 15 player who, rightly so, has trouble just making All-Star teams. Why isn't he more popular? He's young and so cute, the hottest superstar model dated him for a year.

doesn't matter if he plays great and the Suns win the next 4 games to advance.
i believe he's a dead end. we must trade him. get back on course. break the curse!

 

[CardNots]

in the past decade we festered at the bottom of the standings and in recent years -- strings of blowouts and some of the most embarrassing collapses in sports history

why so bad the past decade?
the prior KJ, Barkley, Kidd, Nash eras didn't produce rings but were commendable, impressive, and inspiring

how did we get here?
puzzling, since we got rid of a horrible owner and got one willing to spend.

we got a coach with a championship ring and our starters are three superstars, a center who can rebound (finally), and the nba's best 3 pt shooter

we replaced the whole team that was 2 games from a championship 3 years ago to build around Devin Booker -- and still the collapses!

FOR A DECADE WE'VE BEEN BUILDING AROUND THE WRONG PLAYER -- A ROBIN. INSTEAD OF A BATMAN. a player who falls short of what it takes:

1. below avg bb iq. When he gets angry, he gets sloppy. Turnovers, forced shots. The team went from best 4th quarter and clutch team to worst as soon as Chris Paul was gone. Now we're one of the worst 4th quarter teams in NBA history.

local media made a big deal about his one big game winning shot this season. But their replay reel of game winning shots had to go back to THE BUBBLE for his prior game winner. Meanwhile he takes the vast majority of our clutch shots -- mostly from 3, even when we only need 2 to win.

his quote after his game winner, "i just try to make the shot, whether i'm open or not."

2. often plays point, but his instincts and ball-handling falls short. Especially when defenses tighten up in the 4th.

3. no consistent asset. Some stars can rely on their height, strength, defense or speed EVERY NIGHT. His shot must be on. When it isn't, he hasn't got much to offer. Winning superstars make their teammates better, EVERY NIGHT.

4. poor defense. Statistically, among the worst on the whole roster

Combine those shortcomings with a string of soft coach's who let him call the shots.

i haven't been reading this forum since the deniers purged the few truth-tellers from this site, but i'm sure local fans are starting to wake up to what national NBA fans have known for years. Our super-max player is just a top 15 player who, rightly so, has trouble just making All-Star teams. Why isn't he more popular? He's young and so cute, the hottest superstar model dated him for a year.

doesn't matter if he plays great and the Suns win the next 4 games to advance.
i believe he's a dead end. we must trade him. get back on course. break the curse!

agree

 

[1tinsoldier]

i should add, that, specifically, the curse is an NBA star that doesn't know their rightful place on a team. And instead of the assets they bring being a blessing, their place prevents the team from putting together the right pieces to win -- in terms of leadership, role-filling, and salary.

Booker is unquestionably a great player and asset, but only in his proper place and role. NBA history is full of players whose ambitions and egos steered their teams off course. They never should have been given the reigns of a franchise. Today players have too much power and strong coaches are becoming extinct.

 

[Mulli]

They just stink

 

[Cheesebeef]

Can’t argue any of the above.

 

[Proximo]

in the past decade we festered at the bottom of the standings and in recent years -- strings of blowouts and some of the most embarrassing collapses in sports history

why so bad the past decade?
the prior KJ, Barkley, Kidd, Nash eras didn't produce rings but were commendable, impressive, and inspiring

how did we get here?
puzzling, since we got rid of a horrible owner and got one willing to spend.

we got a coach with a championship ring and our starters are three superstars, a center who can rebound (finally), and the nba's best 3 pt shooter

we replaced the whole team that was 2 games from a championship 3 years ago to build around Devin Booker -- and still the collapses!

FOR A DECADE WE'VE BEEN BUILDING AROUND THE WRONG PLAYER -- A ROBIN. INSTEAD OF A BATMAN. a player who falls short of what it takes:

1. below avg bb iq. When he gets angry, he gets sloppy. Turnovers, forced shots. The team went from best 4th quarter and clutch team to worst as soon as Chris Paul was gone. Now we're one of the worst 4th quarter teams in NBA history.

local media made a big deal about his one big game winning shot this season. But their replay reel of game winning shots had to go back to THE BUBBLE for his prior game winner. Meanwhile he takes the vast majority of our clutch shots -- mostly from 3, even when we only need 2 to win.

his quote after his game winner, "i just try to make the shot, whether i'm open or not."

2. often plays point, but his instincts and ball-handling falls short. Especially when defenses tighten up in the 4th.

3. no consistent asset. Some stars can rely on their height, strength, defense or speed EVERY NIGHT. His shot must be on. When it isn't, he hasn't got much to offer. Winning superstars make their teammates better, EVERY NIGHT.

4. poor defense. Statistically, among the worst on the whole roster

Combine those shortcomings with a string of soft coach's who let him call the shots.

i haven't been reading this forum since the deniers purged the few truth-tellers from this site, but i'm sure local fans are starting to wake up to what national NBA fans have known for years. Our super-max player is just a top 15 player who, rightly so, has trouble just making All-Star teams. Why isn't he more popular? He's young and so cute, the hottest superstar model dated him for a year.

doesn't matter if he plays great and the Suns win the next 4 games to advance.
i believe he's a dead end. we must trade him. get back on course. break the curse!

Well i agree with you on this years version of Booker - the one from the 2 years prior was ascending and seemed to give a crap, but something has changed.

With all that said he is athletically limited to only be able to get so good, and when he was at his best last year that was pretty much it I think.

 

[Mainstreet]

The Suns should have been adding to their core at the 2022-23 deadline and beyond, instead of depleting the team of assets in the Durant trade.

I already mentioned, in another thread, how Dallas did it the right way. And the Suns were in a better position than the Mavericks with all their draft picks and expiring contracts.

 

[GatorAZ]

The Suns literally lost a coin flip for Kareem which probably told everyone our franchise’s fate right then.

 

[CardNots]

The Suns should have been adding to their core at the 2022-23 deadline and beyond, instead of depleting the team of assets in the Durant trade.

I already mentioned, in another thread, how Dallas did it the right way. And the Suns were in a better position than the Mavericks with all their draft picks and expiring contracts.

Did we regress or did the league get better?

I believe the suns are no worse than the last few years but I certainly think overall other teams have improved. We are just slipping down the pole.

 

[Mainstreet]

I hope the Suns build a solid G-League team. It would be nice to look at some young talent and focus on the future in some part of the organization.

Also, please invest in more scouting.

 

[Mainstreet]

Did we regress or did the league get better?

I believe the suns are no worse than the last few years but I certainly think overall other teams have improved. We are just slipping down the pole.

The league is getting better while the Suns are slipping down the pole. There are so many great young, talented teams out there that will only get better.

Also, the Suns chose the wrong time to spend huge dollars to build a finesse team with no depth.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The Suns should have been adding to their core at the 2022-23 deadline and beyond, instead of depleting the team of assets in the Durant trade.

I already mentioned, in another thread, how Dallas did it the right way. And the Suns were in a better position than the Mavericks with all their draft picks and expiring contracts.

This is getting so tired. Our core revolved around CHRIS PAUL. You couldn’t continue to build around him like the Mavs because they had Luka and CP3 had turned to dust.

Also, the Mavs TOTALLY blew up their 2022 team that HUMILIATED the team you wanted to keep building around and THAT is how they got better. And they could do that because they still had the Unicorn Superstar to build around. They flat out did NOT making moves around the edges as you wish we would have done and if we did it would have been an exercise in futility because you would have been doing so around totally washed CP3. He was the head of the Suns snake.

That said, the KD trade was a disaster also. But what you’re advocating for wouldn’t have been better.

 

[Proximo]

The Suns should have been adding to their core at the 2022-23 deadline and beyond, instead of depleting the team of assets in the Durant trade.

I already mentioned, in another thread, how Dallas did it the right way. And the Suns were in a better position than the Mavericks with all their draft picks and expiring contracts.

Well the difference is the mavs thought Luka was all the superstar they needed. The suns, probably correctly, didn’t think Booker was enough star power to get it done.

I still believe had we made a Durant deal without mikal this team would be good. I think he was that important for team chemistry.

 

[Mulli]

Sad if it was built around CP and not Booker. I struggle to remember the playoff games CP was a star in

 

[Cheesebeef]

Well the difference is the mavs thought Luka was all the superstar they needed. The suns, probably correctly, didn’t think Booker was enough star power to get it done.

Agree and I’m mystified how this isn’t blatantly obvious to anyone by now.

I still believe had we made a Durant deal without mikal this team would be good. I think he was that important for team chemistry.

That team with Mikal definitely is better, but the idea that we could get KD for an oft-injured with very little upside Cam Johnson and 4 firsts is fantasy. Bridges was always going to be the centerpiece needed to get a legit title contender #1 to take over the team with Booker as his wingman.

We had the right idea, but targeted the wrong guy and worse, wayyyyy overpaid for the wrong guy to boot.

 

[Mulli]

Agree and I’m mystified how this isn’t blatantly obvious to anyone by now.


That team with Mikal definitely is better, but the idea that we could get KD for an oft-injured with very little upside Cam Johnson and 4 firsts is fantasy. Bridges was always going to be the centerpiece needed to get a legit title contender #1 to take over the team with Booker as his wingman.

We had the right idea, but targeted the wrong guy and worse, wayyyyy overpaid for the wrong guy to boot.

could be worse.

Could be the Bulls.

 

[Phrazbit]

Did we regress or did the league get better?

I believe the suns are no worse than the last few years but I certainly think overall other teams have improved. We are just slipping down the pole.

The league has improved but the there is no question that we're worse.

Our 2 stars want to play an archaic brand of basketball, there is zero chemistry or trust among these guys, we play awful defense, we're the worst 4th quarter team in the league (used to be the best) and we are insanely careless with the ball.

These playoff struggles are the same struggles they had in December. The injury excuses are out the window.

It's a poorly designed, poorly led and poorly coached team.

 

[GatorAZ]

Sad if it was built around CP and not Booker. I struggle to remember the playoff games CP was a star in

He was the best player in the Denver 21’ series and New Orleans 22’. Game 6 close out vs Clipps, games 1-2 vs Milwaukee, games 1-2 vs Dallas… Problem is there was a lot of games where he was useless out there for whatever reason.

 

[Mulli]

He was the best player in the Denver 21’ series and New Orleans 22’. Game 6 close out vs Clipps, games 1-2 vs Milwaukee, games 1-2 vs Dallas… Problem is there was a lot of games where he was useless out there for whatever reason.

Crazy right?

 

[Phrazbit]

He was the best player in the Denver 21’ series and New Orleans 22’. Game 6 close out vs Clipps, games 1-2 vs Milwaukee, games 1-2 vs Dallas… Problem is there was a lot of games where he was useless out there for whatever reason.

Crazy right?

The night he seemingly fouled out on purpose in the Mavs series really seemed to be the moment that series went off the rails. We'd blown them out twice and played them really close up to that point in Dallas and then Paul just lost his mind with the refs.

 

[Mulli]

CP is kind of bonkers.

 

[Mainstreet]

Well the difference is the mavs thought Luka was all the superstar they needed. The suns, probably correctly, didn’t think Booker was enough star power to get it done.

I still believe had we made a Durant deal without mikal this team would be good. I think he was that important for team chemistry.

The Suns overpaid for Kevin Durant. They would have been better off adding to their team instead of subtracting. The expiring contracts of Crowder and Saric were valuable if they were combined with a first round pick or two. I've said all along Mikal Bridges should have not been traded.

 

[Covert Rain]

The Suns overpaid for Kevin Durant. They would have been better off adding to their team instead of subtracting. The expiring contracts of Crowder and Saric were valuable if they were combined with a first round pick or two. I've said all along Mikal Bridges should have not been traded.

Define "better off". This team was regressing as built. Better off seems like splitting hairs. In the long run? OK. We would have more assets for sure. In terms of on the court? We were not going anywhere.

 

[Mainstreet]

Define "better off". This team was regressing as built. Better off seems like splitting hairs. In the long run? OK. We would have more assets for sure. In terms of on the court? We were not going anywhere.

What if the Suns had put some of their effort into replacing Chris Paul and adding another big man. Even the Ayton trade would look better now.

The Durant trade subtracted assets from the team.

 

[Covert Rain]

What if the Suns had put some of their effort into replacing Chris Paul and adding another big man. Even the Ayton trade would look better now.

The Durant trade subtracted assets from the team.

I am with you on the assets. However, minus KD? They are way further away with getting some journeyman PG and PF. That would not have put them over the top.