AYTON TRADED!

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I’m looking at it this way… between normal injuries, and his fair share of complete space cadet games, Ayton probably only showed up for 50 games total for the team. 2/3s of those were solid and 1/3rd of them were tantalizingly awesome. But bottom line is he gave effort 50 games of the season.

Nurkic will probably only play 50 games this season, but play hard in all of them so they’re a wash.

Allen is an upgrade over… everyone else on the bench.

Little has a little upside, but wouldn’t expect much.

AND almost as important as any of the above, you will have buy in from EVERY PLAYER on the team. That part addition by subtraction.

But none of that actually matters if health totally details this team. But that would have been the case with or without Ayton.

It will be interesting to watch games where I no longer complain about effort. Will there be games where somewhat limited players don’t excel? Sure. But I don’t expect to question their effort or motivation. What a relief that will be.

To be totally transparent, I’m a little crestfallen that today marks a day where we have to admit that our only #1 pick in suns history, and the seeming best suns center, failed to ever live up to our expectations as a sun. That’s locked in now. Can’t even hang onto potential. And that is sad.

What I’m not sad about is not having to root for a big goofy man-child that deep down I believe just won’t ever be what he could be. I won’t have to worry about his #1 priority being his next contract. I won’t have to hear the statements made evidence a complete lack of self-awareness. I won’t have to watch him fumble passes. I won’t have to watch him get pushed outta post position by point guards. I won’t have to see him get pushed outta bounds on box outs without effort from him. I won’t have to wish he could draw fouls.

I truly wish him well. Seems like a nice enough guy. But man am I glad that I don’t have to root for him anymore. And i was so stoked when we drafted him. But I don’t. I won’t miss it at all. In fact i feel a kind of lightness with his departure. I’ve never said that about any player on any team for which I’m a fan.

 

[Proximo]

I thought we were at 16 with Ish and Keon on the bubble. I thought thats what the guys on the radio said.

It is what gambo said, but apparently he can’t count. We are at 17.

 

[Proximo]

After this move we are deep, but that can present its own challenges.

several players are likely to be unhappy because they are unable to get playing time.

Remember all those guys signing for the minimum did so because they thought they would get playing time on a good team to showcase themselves.

 

[Sparky16]

We will definitely have to see how this plays out down the line. But....

Why am I seeing the sky is falling attitude because we traded Ayton???

Have people forgotten what Ayton had become as a Sun over the last 2 years? He was completely gutless, lack of heart, whatever you want to call it. Ayton completely disappeared and crumbled under any type of pressure. Childish behavior, and some of the lowest basketball IQ I've seen from any "max contract" type of player.

Everyone who is defending the cash checker overvalues the ability to run and jump and underestimates the ability to have heart, basketball IQ & effort

 

[Phrazbit]

After this move we are deep, but that can present its own challenges.

several players are likely to be unhappy because they are unable to get playing time.

Remember all those guys signing for the minimum did so because they thought they would get playing time on a good team to showcase themselves.

We've got three stars, a couple fringe starters, a couple okay reserves and then like 10 dudes who have not proved themselves in any way, shape or form.

For us to have meaningful depth we need a few of those dudes who have not proved anything to prove themselves.

Not saying it can't happen, we have a large amount of guys who could make a leap, but thus far, our "depth" is mostly made of guys who have struggled to find playing time on some really bad teams.

If our coaching staff is any good, then competition should be a good thing. There are a LOT of rotation minutes available, not only is everything unsettled after the top 5 players but all of those top 5 players have struggled to hit the 60 game mark over the last several seasons.

We're at 17, so we gotta cut 2 guys before the season starts, I think it will come down to Metu, Ish, Bol and Keon Johnson for those last few spots. Keon seems like a long shot to make the team, probably Ish and his non-guarantee becomes the other cut.

 

[Sparky16]

Yeah, let’s lump one man’s career into a 10 second clip. You’re not thinking with your head if you think this is addition by subtraction.

It was a 5 year clip

 

[Sparky16]

Am I the only one that doesn't think makes Milwaukee appreciably better? The game is played on both end of the court. holiday is a solid offensive player and a versatile stud on defense . Lillard is great on offense, but defense?

I'm going to be nervous about where holiday ends up

Holiday was a huge part of their success. This was done to appease the Freak. MKE is not better, unless you believe moron sports media pundits who change champ front runners like the direction of winds for the sake to talk about something

 

[Sparky16]

He's dirty - Pat Bev dirty.

except he would destroy Bev 1 on 1. He is nowhere near as dirty as portrayed

 

[Sparky16]

You might see us play a lot of super small ball where it’s Gordon/Beal/Book/Durant/Nurkic’s Corpse or Allen thrown in there when Beal is injured or Book’s hammy flares.

DA played small, whats the difference?

 

[Sparky16]

Ayton was clearly overvalued by Suns fans. Ultimately he never had more value than he was the potential #1 pick right before the draft. It's been trending south since.

All the sky is falling people are blaming the Suns for the trade value of DA..... DA is the fault, friggen PDX is the only team that wanted him and that will be over by the all-star break. DA is terrible, you think he was bad.... watch what he does with the talent around him now

 

[Sparky16]

Of course, another way to look at that is Nurkic's stats were better because he was playing against a half-assing Ayton. It's a six of vs. half dozen of kind of situation.

Again, I can understand the Suns wanting to move on from Ayton. I'm just very disappointed they couldn't (or didn't try to) get anything better than Nurkic and a bunch of less than inspiring throw-ins. I'm not convinced anyone we got in that trade adds any real on-court value. Maybe more trade flexibility down the line, but nothing that helps a championship run in the imminent future.

You think they did not try to get something better? if DA was worth a crap he would be in BKN and Bridges would still be here

 

[Sparky16]

What max contract? We essentially matched the restricted FA offer from the Pacers, I didn’t think that was a max contract equal to what we could have given.

it was a max contract - just 1 year less than what the Suns could offer

 

[Sparky16]

Okogie can shut him down. He never bullied a smaller player ever. It was either a jump shot or turnover if he got the ball with a smaller player on him. On rare occasions when he actually established deep position he could get a baby hook, but he couldn't punish a mismatch to save his life.

seriously, the Suns should start E Gordon against him when Phx play them to prove a point to the naysayers I bet Gordon out rebounds him

 

[Sparky16]

I heard him on the interviews. He wanted a chance to coach Ayton because Ayton is the type of center that fits in his system. I think it was genuine. He is a new coach and doesn’t have the pull like like a tier one coach (POP). He had no say IMO.

that was fluff to try to bump trade value.... the rest of the league called their bluff

 

[CardNots]

it was a max contract - just 1 year less than what the Suns could offer

Money and years define a max contract? We could have given him both more years and more money so I don’t consider his contract to be max.

 

[Absolute Zero]

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[CardNots]

Ayton,
I will remember you years from now as only a source of frustration and yet another failed draft pick.

 

[Peter Sheldon]

“Really great draftee” - really?

Did you watch Summer league at all? I thought for a second round pick he was quite good.

 

[Proximo]

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I am well aware of that. However as the face of the franchise, he might be supermax eligible by then and is likely to resign with the Nets.

 

[Proximo]

Did you watch Summer league at all? I thought for a second round pick he was quite good.

He looked promising, but Nas Little has more potential IMO.

 

[elindholm]

Remember all those guys signing for the minimum did so because they thought they would get playing time on a good team to showcase themselves.

True. There are four or five guys on the team battling for the last two rotation spots.

The Suns may have opportunities to trade one or more of their fringe players to teams with cap space, taking back a bit of cash in return, or maybe a distant second-round pick. I'm thinking Keon Johnson, Wainright, and Azubuike could be in that category.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Ayton,
I will remember you years from now as only a source of frustration and yet another failed draft pick.

Yeah, it will be tough to remember him for anything other than being a huge disappointment.

Part of the time he was great, part of the time he was invisible and part of the time he was servicable. We didn't get enough of any of those three Ayton's to say "that's who he is" but we got enough of each of those Ayton's to stop believing that he'd ever be the number one pick we'd expected.

Whether he was lazy or immature or overly sensitive or poorly coached no longer matters, he's someone else's nightmare, someone else's headache and maybe even someone else's star.

In the end I'm torn between saying I'm sorry to see him go and thank god he's gone.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

We've got three stars, a couple fringe starters, a couple okay reserves and then like 10 dudes who have not proved themselves in any way, shape or form.

For us to have meaningful depth we need a few of those dudes who have not proved anything to prove themselves.

Not saying it can't happen, we have a large amount of guys who could make a leap, but thus far, our "depth" is mostly made of guys who have struggled to find playing time on some really bad teams.

If our coaching staff is any good, then competition should be a good thing. There are a LOT of rotation minutes available, not only is everything unsettled after the top 5 players but all of those top 5 players have struggled to hit the 60 game mark over the last several seasons.

We're at 17, so we gotta cut 2 guys before the season starts, I think it will come down to Metu, Ish, Bol and Keon Johnson for those last few spots. Keon seems like a long shot to make the team, probably Ish and his non-guarantee becomes the other cut.

Hmm, i think nurkic is a proven starter and Allen, eubanks, Gordon, KBD and okogie have now proven to be worthy of minutes on most teams. Even if they just proved that last season it doesn’t mean they are unproven. That’s 9 guys and I think Watanabe is likely right there too.

 

[Chaplin]

Hmm, i think nurkic is a proven starter and Allen, eubanks, Gordon, KBD and okogie have now proven to be worthy of minutes on most teams. Even if they just proved that last season it doesn’t mean they are unproven. That’s 9 guys and I think Watanabe is likely right there too.

Prior to COVID, Bol Bol was like that as well, and even Little can be part of that list you gave. We are insanely deep.

 

[Chaplin]

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