Bulls @ Suns Wednesday game thread 3-31-2021

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

For sure. Think it had a lot to do with just being on the 2nd of a b2b. It's not something that we have struggled with much this year as far as I'm aware.

Certainly not to that extent. But lately we aren’t winning the rebounding battle like we were earlier in the season. With Ayton’s rebounding down I think that’s the main culprit b

 

[mjb21aztd]

Damn book had 45 nice did he break up with Kardashian whoever lol

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Certainly not to that extent. But lately we aren’t winning the rebounding battle like we were earlier in the season. With Ayton’s rebounding down I think that’s the main culprit b

Ayton was averaging almost 12 rpg in the 6 games prior to this one. Tonight was rough though.

 

[ColdPickleNachos]

Drummond has 4pts and 2 rbs against the Bucks tonight

Also, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, and left with a toe injury.

 

[sdscard4]

Doncic rained down on Boston....Book was STILL 9pts better

 

[Mainstreet]

Monty talks about size being an issue tonight.

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[Mainstreet]

Booker's 45 points most points scored by a Suns player against Bulls.

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[overseascardfan]

Hoping Whiteside gets bought out soon. BOS & LAC would be main competition for his services.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Ayton was averaging almost 12 rpg in the 6 games prior to this one. Tonight was rough though.

Ah he has picked it up again before tonight. I hadn’t recognized he’d shaken that 13 game stretch where averaged 7.6 rebounds per game. Now he’s at 10.6 over last 7. Or 8.7 over his last 20 games. That’s a pretty disappointing average over that stretch overall.

 

[jagu]

Good W. What happened to Cam Johnson? He doesn't look that promising anymore.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Good W. What happened to Cam Johnson? He doesn't look that promising anymore.

Yeah Cam is having an awful sophomore slump.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Yeah Cam is having an awful sophomore slump.

He was having a better year than last year prior to being out with Covid. He just hasn't found any rhythm since returning.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

He was having a better year than last year prior to being out with Covid. He just hasn't found any rhythm since returning.

I think more than anything it’s his trend line:

December: 14.4 ppg
January: 10.2 ppg
February: 9.4 ppg
March: 5.9 ppg

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

This team is currently sitting at a .702 win percentage. Last time this team had a 70+% winning percentage after this many game was the 2006/07 season.

 

[Hoop Head]

Hoping Whiteside gets bought out soon. BOS & LAC would be main competition for his services.

We don't have a roster spot so I'm not sure it matters. I don't see James Jones waiving someone and disrupting this teams chemistry for another teams cast off.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I think more than anything it’s his trend line:

December: 14.4 ppg
January: 10.2 ppg
February: 9.4 ppg
March: 5.9 ppg

Personally I just see 2 outliers surrounding what he really is. He isn't (at least yet) a guy that's giving you 14+ ppg, but he is also better than a guy that gives you 5-6 ppg as well. He will probably settle in to being that guy that gives you that 10 ppg on high efficiency and gives you the occasional scoring outburst as well.

 

[Cheesebeef]

He was having a better year than last year prior to being out with Covid. He just hasn't found any rhythm since returning.

he was tailing off a little before covid though. started the year scoring in a variety of ways, averaging 11.5 ppg in the first 22 games, with 13 games in double digits, down to 9.1 ppg in the next 12 games with only 3 in double digits before covid.

and he's hasn't scored in double digits since. overall, he's only hit double figures scoring in 3 of his last 19 games. Again, only 7 of those came after covid.

still shooting an okay 37% from 3 post covid return, but it's been a while since he looked like the impact player off the bench he was those first 22 games of the season.

 

[Finito]

Ayton was averaging almost 12 rpg in the 6 games prior to this one. Tonight was rough though.

facts shmacks

 

[AzStevenCal]

if we stick with HCA, I see a really tough first round series that can go either way. If they get to the second round, I expect an ugly 4-1 series loss.

yes, I’m saying this completely aware that I have no idea who would be our matchups.

I could see it going this way but I'm really not concerned. This team is fun to watch most of the time but I have zero expectations when it comes to how they'll perform down the stretch or in the playoffs.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I could see it going this way but I'm really not concerned. This team is fun to watch most of the time but I have zero expectations when it comes to how they'll perform down the stretch or in the playoffs.

same. Just saying what I expect to play out.

 

[Proximo]

We don't have a roster spot so I'm not sure it matters. I don't see James Jones waiving someone and disrupting this teams chemistry for another teams cast off.

you might be right, but that just means jones is stupid. Team clearly needs another big for the playoffs.

 

[AzStevenCal]

you might be right, but that just means jones is stupid. Team clearly needs another big for the playoffs.

Or he's smart enough to realize that what we'd gain by adding a marginal big man is more than offset by what we'd lose by disrupting this team. We need another big man, definitely, but we need one that is CLEARLY better than Kaminsky or a healthy Cameron Johnson. Most cast-offs simply aren't that good and the ones that are, apparently weren't interested in us.

 

[Mainstreet]

He was having a better year than last year prior to being out with Covid. He just hasn't found any rhythm since returning.

I think this is a big part of it. Also Cam Johnson had put on weight and muscle the previous season. This had to set him back.

Also I jokingly think he should have never have got a haircut.

 

[overseascardfan]

Or he's smart enough to realize that what we'd gain by adding a marginal big man is more than offset by what we'd lose by disrupting this team. We need another big man, definitely, but we need one that is CLEARLY better than Kaminsky or a healthy Cameron Johnson. Most cast-offs simply aren't that good and the ones that are, apparently weren't interested in us.

Sorry but I don't buy for a second that Kaminsky is better than Whiteside. Kaminsky is a better shooter but his minutes have been cut since we acquired Craig. People wrote Whiteside off after being dealt to POR but all he did was help POR reach the playoffs after Nurkic went down averaging 15 / 13 / 3 for the year.

Whiteside can provide rebounding and rim protection. I've read that despite his numbers he isn't considered a good defender, right now what he can provide is sorely needed coming off the bench as Ayton is the only consistent rebounder on the team. Pairing Whiteside with Saric with second unit could give it a boost.

We should be trying to get Smith minutes to develop him but Monty feels comfortable going small and outscoring opponents. Thus we are ending up in a lot of nail biters. That may work in regular season but when you have to play DEN, UTA, LAC in a playoff series we're going to get exposed.

Who would help PHX more in playoffs, Whiteside or Ty-Shon Alexander?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Sorry but I don't buy for a second that Kaminsky is better than Whiteside. Kaminsky is a better shooter but his minutes have been cut since we acquired Craig. People wrote Whiteside off after being dealt to POR but all he did was help POR reach the playoffs after Nurkic went down averaging 15 / 13 / 3 for the year.

Whiteside can provide rebounding and rim protection. I've read that despite his numbers he isn't considered a good defender, right now what he can provide is sorely needed coming off the bench as Ayton is the only consistent rebounder on the team. Pairing Whiteside with Saric with second unit could give it a boost.

We should be trying to get Smith minutes to develop him but Monty feels comfortable going small and outscoring opponents. Thus we are ending up in a lot of nail biters. That may work in regular season but when you have to play DEN, UTA, LAC in a playoff series we're going to get exposed.

Who would help PHX more in playoffs, Whiteside or Ty-Shon Alexander?

I didn't say Kaminsky was better than anyone we could target but that we can't just bring in anyone we want. They have to want to come here too and until someone shows us that we voluntarily passed on a big man that could help us a lot and who wanted to play here, I'm going to give Jones the benefit of the doubt. There's a lot of players available, most of them wouldn't beat out the 14th player on our roster.

As for Whiteside, I think you're ignoring a lot of the negatives about him but I'd agree, he'd likely help us a lot more than Frank would. And if it turns out that we could have had Whiteside or Dieng and that we passed simply because Jones liked the squad we have, I'll be pissed too.