Blazers @ Suns 12/11/15

[BC867]

Close game approaching halftime. It is good to see Len contributing.

The Suns are a lot more fluid without Markieff.

 

[Hoop Head]

I know it's Friday night but I'm surprised the board is this dead during a game.

I wonder what will bring fans back, if possible this season. Hopefully when, not if, Markieff is traded more people will be able to enjoy this years team. Outside of Markieff, I think it's a talented team with likable players. Hornacek's rotations have been the main reason I've avoided watching all the games I can live. He coaches the team right into losses some nights.

 

[devilalum]

IMO once Morris is gone Hornecek will establish a consistant rotation and the team will improve.

 

[Absolute Zero]

Brandon Knight 0 for 8, Booker 3 for 3

 

[Absolute Zero]

I know it's Friday night but I'm surprised the board is this dead during a game.

Maybe people are sick of hearing people rip on the coach all the time, I don't know. And in general, this board is well known for its negativity and criticism. That's mostly what people post here, so not the most fun place to hang out I guess.

 

[Catlover]

Maybe people are sick of hearing people rip on the coach all the time, I don't know. And in general, this board is well known for its negativity and criticism. That's mostly what people post here, so not the most fun place to hang out I guess.

I agree. You can't stem the tide of negativity especially when your team is struggling. And while the negativity is understandable it does tend to drive away posters.

 

[devilalum]

I bet more players have had their career game vs the Suns than any other team.

 

[slinslin]

So again Hornacek played Price instead of Warren.

Surprising result especiall the 4th quarter.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Pretty simple with this one. When your starting 2 plays more than 30 minutes and goes 0-12, well that's 8-10 points right there and that doesn't take into account the frustration of the big men who had to just watch him out up those shots.

And Booker is just the opposite. He does not put up a high volume of shot, but what he does go in. He is now 75% from three. It's really hard to imagine an 18 year old rookie shooting like that.

 

[elindholm]

Pretty simple with this one. When your starting 2 plays more than 30 minutes and goes 0-12, well that's 8-10 points right there and that doesn't take into account the frustration of the big men who had to just watch him out up those shots.

And Booker is just the opposite. He does not put up a high volume of shot, but what he does go in. He is now 75% from three. It's really hard to imagine an 18 year old rookie shooting like that.

Yeah, but how many of Booker's shots are tightly contested from just inside the arc, early in the shot clock? It's like he's cheating if he doesn't attempt those regularly. Knight has the integrity to make those a main part of his arsenal.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Yeah, but how many of Booker's shots are tightly contested from just inside the arc, early in the shot clock? It's like he's cheating if he doesn't attempt those regularly. Knight has the integrity to make those a main part of his arsenal.

good grief man. Green font, green font.

Yup. I am now convinced. Booker needs to start and Knight needs to be the first sub for Booker or for Bledsoe (getting about the same minutes he is now).

I think I would normally be against starting a player that is so young, but this is not about developing the player, its for the sake of the chemistry on the court. That is saying alot about Booker.

 

[Mainstreet]

Maybe people are sick of hearing people rip on the coach all the time, I don't know. And in general, this board is well known for its negativity and criticism. That's mostly what people post here, so not the most fun place to hang out I guess.

I don't see this stream of negativity for the sake of being negative. Fans have right to express their opinion and quite frankly the Suns are struggling. It's been a long time since the Suns have been in the playoffs.

IMO, the Suns forum needs an influx of new posters who bring fresh ideas to balance the forum. Surprisingly enough, it seems some of the posters who complain about the forum being negative are frequently the most negative.

 

[elindholm]

IMO, the Suns forum needs an influx of new posters who bring fresh ideas to balance the forum. Surprisingly enough, it seems some of the posters who complain about the forum being negative are frequently the most negative.

The biggest turn-off for me is that the forum does not promote real discussion. We have the same people saying the same things over and over again, in the face of overwhelming contradictory evidence. It's the equivalent of a six-year-old holding his hands over his ears and going "I can't hear you! Blah blah blah!" I've grown tired of those "discussions," but if a poster tries to be a little more forceful in challenging people to think more critically, the moderators swoop in and shut the thread down, shunt it to a side forum where no one will read it, or start banning people.

This forum is pretty much like a junior-high twitter feed, only more vapid. The concept of "discussion" is relegated to the realm of fantasy.

 

[Catlover]

I don't see this stream of negativity for the sake of being negative. Fans have right to express their opinion and quite frankly the Suns are struggling. It's been a long time since the Suns have been in the playoffs.

It's kind of funny that the negativity of which we speak really isn't rampant right now. It seems to crop up when the board gets a little more active and a little more hopeful. Right now about the only thing to get excited about are possibilites and some of them border on longshots. Our reality doesn't appear to be all that bright. It's not all that dim either but mediocrity in the NBA can sometimes feel like the worst position of them all.

 

[devilalum]

Pretty simple with this one. When your starting 2 plays more than 30 minutes and goes 0-12, well that's 8-10 points right there and that doesn't take into account the frustration of the big men who had to just watch him out up those shots.

And Booker is just the opposite. He does not put up a high volume of shot, but what he does go in. He is now 75% from three. It's really hard to imagine an 18 year old rookie shooting like that.

This comes with the territory. If Knight had a conscience he'd be useless.

The only problem I have is that really elite scorers have ways to get themselves out of slumps. They drive to the basket. They get to the line. Knight just keeps chucking 3s. Eddie talks about this all the time. Its Basketball 101.

 

[Catlover]

This comes with the territory. If Knight had a conscience he'd be useless.

The only problem I have is that really elite scorers have ways to get themselves out of slumps. They drive to the basket. They get to the line. Knight just keeps chucking 3s. Eddie talks about this all the time. Its Basketball 101.

I hate to sound like I'm making excuses for him but I wonder if his ankle is still bothering him. At the start of the season he said it was and his offensive game was very one dimensional. Then all of a sudden he was able to drive to the basket again and his game really picked up. About 2 or 3 weeks ago he sprained the ankle again and since then he's seemed less confident about driving.

I could be way off base but I really haven't been thrilled with his play since that day despite some really hot shooting quarters. If this is just who he is we may have to move him or Eric soon. Bledsoe is also inconsistent and I don't know if we can thrive with both of our starting guards being that up and down. It would probably work fine if we had a dominant low post scorer but we'd likely have to trade one of them to get there anyway.

 

[Mainstreet]

The biggest turn-off for me is that the forum does not promote real discussion. We have the same people saying the same things over and over again, in the face of overwhelming contradictory evidence. It's the equivalent of a six-year-old holding his hands over his ears and going "I can't hear you! Blah blah blah!" I've grown tired of those "discussions," but if a poster tries to be a little more forceful in challenging people to think more critically, the moderators swoop in and shut the thread down, shunt it to a side forum where no one will read it, or start banning people.

This forum is pretty much like a junior-high twitter feed, only more vapid. The concept of "discussion" is relegated to the realm of fantasy.

What is the harm of challenging a poster? As long as posters follow the rules of the forum I do not see why anything related to the Suns can't be discussed. The whole point of the forum is discussing different views. I do not get offended if posters push on the same point even if I may find it redundant. I usually find a bit of truth in most every argument. IMO, the more posters the better. I think posters should put on their big boy pants while posting but not leaving etiquette behind. I don't view comparing posters to a six-year old as particularly constructive. I think one of the worst things posters can do is give subtle digs like having to quit posting because of perceived negativity or even compare legitimate discussion to trolling. Tuning out others is not the answer.

Anyway, I think post of the problems related to the Suns forum is the lack of new posters to balance out the forum. This needs to be addressed. It would help avoid cannibalism.

 

[hcsilla]

It would be nice to trade Brandon Knight and try to develop Devin Booker into the 2nd version of Ray Allen, but the problem is there won't be a market for Knight.

The only team I can think of is the Knicks that could use Knight since triangle doesn't need a full-time PG but requires a good midrange jumper and some defense and Knight would offer a massive upgrade over Calderon.

But Porzingis is untouchable, their pick goes to Toronto and otherwise they don't have anything to offer.

 

[devilalum]

It would be nice to trade Brandon Knight and try to develop Devin Booker into the 2nd version of Ray Allen, but the problem is there won't be a market for Knight.

The only team I can think of is the Knicks that could use Knight since triangle doesn't need a full-time PG but requires a good midrange jumper and some defense and Knight would offer a massive upgrade over Calderon.

But Porzingis is untouchable, their pick goes to Toronto and otherwise they don't have anything to offer.

If they trade Knight the whole front office might as well resign.

 

[BC867]

If they trade Knight the whole front office might as well resign.

OK!

This revolving door of two starting tweener Guards over the years to try to make the experiment work . . . isn't working.

Right now their goal seems to be to eek their way into the playoffs for the first time in, what, six years. It has become their long range goal. Suns fans deserve better.

And, as McDonough said, "As long as I am here, we are going to have two starting Point Guards." 'Sorry to repeat it, but supporting devilalum's post calls for the reminder.

And, with Hornacek on thin ice, moving one without the other isn't going to improve things very much. December 15th should be the start of a new chapter in our eyes and not just at the Power Forward position.

 

[Phrazbit]

OK!

This revolving door of two starting tweener Guards over the years to try to make the experiment work . . . isn't working.

Right now their goal seems to be to eek their way into the playoffs for the first time in, what, six years. It has become their long range goal. Suns fans deserve better.

And, as McDonough said, "As long as I am here, we are going to have two starting Point Guards." 'Sorry to repeat it, but supporting devilalum's post calls for the reminder.

And, with Hornacek on thin ice, moving one without the other isn't going to improve things very much. December 15th should be the start of a new chapter in our eyes and not just at the Power Forward position.

Not only did he never say that, but the guards are the least of our problems. But you don't watch the game so how can I expect you to realize that?

 

[JCSunsfan]

The biggest turn-off for me is that the forum does not promote real discussion. We have the same people saying the same things over and over again, in the face of overwhelming contradictory evidence. It's the equivalent of a six-year-old holding his hands over his ears and going "I can't hear you! Blah blah blah!" I've grown tired of those "discussions," but if a poster tries to be a little more forceful in challenging people to think more critically, the moderators swoop in and shut the thread down, shunt it to a side forum where no one will read it, or start banning people.

This forum is pretty much like a junior-high twitter feed, only more vapid. The concept of "discussion" is relegated to the realm of fantasy.

It would be nice to have Steve and some of the others back posting.

I agree with this. I don't mind critical discussion about real solutions. But if you are going to say something, you need to be willing to have someone challenge you.

I think the combination of the poor play of the Suns, the present success or the Cardinals, and the recent activity of the Diamondbacks probably has led some to the disinterest here.

 

[JCSunsfan]

OK!

This revolving door of two starting tweener Guards over the years to try to make the experiment work . . . isn't working.

Right now their goal seems to be to eek their way into the playoffs for the first time in, what, six years. It has become their long range goal. Suns fans deserve better.

And, as McDonough said, "As long as I am here, we are going to have two starting Point Guards." 'Sorry to repeat it, but supporting devilalum's post calls for the reminder.

And, with Hornacek on thin ice, moving one without the other isn't going to improve things very much. December 15th should be the start of a new chapter in our eyes and not just at the Power Forward position.

He never said that. We have already had this discussion. I do think Knight is a problem on nights like last night. He is trying to shoot his way out of a bad shooting night. He has to pass his way out. When he gets frustrated he reverts to a ball hog.

To me, the easiest solution is for Bledsoe and Booker to start and for Knight to come off the bench with similar minutes to the other two. The ball moves better with Booker in the lineup. It would get the big men involved earlier and Knight can be that huge spark plug off the bench. It is quite amazing that the interest in Booker starting is NOT to develop him, but because his game would be the better fit.

We do need to get the front line involved more. They cannot add to the offense if they never get the ball in a position to score.

 

[Chaz]

He never said that. We have already had this discussion. I do think Knight is a problem on nights like last night. He is trying to shoot his way out of a bad shooting night. He has to pass his way out. When he gets frustrated he reverts to a ball hog.

To me, the easiest solution is for Bledsoe and Booker to start and for Knight to come off the bench with similar minutes to the other two. The ball moves better with Booker in the lineup. It would get the big men involved earlier and Knight can be that huge spark plug off the bench. It is quite amazing that the interest in Booker starting is NOT to develop him, but because his game would be the better fit.

We do need to get the front line involved more. They cannot add to the offense if they never get the ball in a position to score.

He did lead the team with 10 assists last night.

It will be nice to get Chandler back. Maybe more defensive intensity will come with him.

 

[Mainstreet]

OK!

This revolving door of two starting tweener Guards over the years to try to make the experiment work . . . isn't working.

Right now their goal seems to be to eek their way into the playoffs for the first time in, what, six years. It has become their long range goal. Suns fans deserve better.

And, as McDonough said, "As long as I am here, we are going to have two starting Point Guards." 'Sorry to repeat it, but supporting devilalum's post calls for the reminder.

And, with Hornacek on thin ice, moving one without the other isn't going to improve things very much. December 15th should be the start of a new chapter in our eyes and not just at the Power Forward position.

BC, if you have a link to this quote, I would like to read. I do not remember McDonough saying this, at least in these exact words.