D'Antoni Says Suns Were a Good Defensive Team

[nowagimp]

JVG's opinion noted. And here is my question, if it is obvious to outside coaches that the Suns bench isn't strong, would you agree that it is a weakness? Wouldn't it be to our own best interest to improve on a weakness, if we could? How could we improve on that weakness if those guys aren't playing in games to gain experience? Maybe practicing to prepare for some playing time to help the team whose ultimate goal is to win in the playoffs.

Ok D'antoni doesn't want to have long practices because he plays 7 or 8 guys long minutes in games. What about practice for the other 5 or 6 guys who really need it or do you just ignore them during the games AND light practice? Where are they supposed to show that they are improving if they are left on their own. Where is their "coaching?" D'antoni doesn't run long minutes himself during the games so he shouldn't be too tired to coach, run and drill them during practice. Ok Pike is old and on the decline athletically so has less to gain, but the others aren't.

I think it is all BS anyway D'antoni saying I don't play my starters any more than other teams, it is just that the 6th 7th and 8th guys play starter's minutes. Ok, if that is true, tell me why they can't practice if they don't play anymore minutes than other teams? I think it is just easier for him to say this so he doesn't have to work with the guys who need help the most. Convenient isn't it?

Did D'antoni do everything he could to improve the team throughout the year and make the Suns the strongest they could be going into the playoffs? My opinion is NO.

Bottomline, he didn't believe in helping these guys. With his coaching they would have been better and, therefore, the team would have been better, but HE QUIT ON THEM A LONG TIME AGO. What successful leader does that when his success depends on their success?...I'm so glad his lazy stubborn ass is gone.

Teams with alot of veterans dont like to practice alot as older bodies get run down easier. the old pros just want to play, they dont want to leave their energies on the practice floor. I expect Nash, Hill, and shaq(and guys like KT in the past) have not interest in practicing hard long hours. Unfortunately the younger guys NEED that to develop. So you have a bit of a conundrum with the 2nd oldest team in the NBA. Do you run down your starters to develop the bench? If DA were to run Nash down with hard practicing, what would be the point? Either way the coach will get the blame, he chose to conserve his old guys and the young ones(of questionable skills) did not get quality practice time. If you have a young player that is close to cracking the rottion skill wise, it'd be easier. In order to practice hard the suns would need to be deeper at the '5' and the '1' positions.

Also high player turnover on the suns makes it difficult to establish cohesion in the team defense. A high turnover rate combined with old players(as new players, shaq, hill) means that team defense may never get a chance to really gell as these guys may only have one or two years left. The suns made some gambles, actually several gambles and it didnt work out. Yes the trades, releases were questionable and appeared to come back to haunt them. But dont worry, the cause of failure has been removed and the foam finger will lead the suns to victory.

 

[shazaam6]

Teams with alot of veterans dont like to practice alot as older bodies get run down easier. the old pros just want to play, they dont want to leave their energies on the practice floor. I expect Nash, Hill, and shaq(and guys like KT in the past) have not interest in practicing hard long hours. Unfortunately the younger guys NEED that to develop. So you have a bit of a conundrum with the 2nd oldest team in the NBA. Do you run down your starters to develop the bench? If DA were to run Nash down with hard practicing, what would be the point? Either way the coach will get the blame, he chose to conserve his old guys and the young ones(of questionable skills) did not get quality practice time. If you have a young player that is close to cracking the rottion skill wise, it'd be easier. In order to practice hard the suns would need to be deeper at the '5' and the '1' positions.

Also high player turnover on the suns makes it difficult to establish cohesion in the team defense. A high turnover rate combined with old players(as new players, shaq, hill) means that team defense may never get a chance to really gell as these guys may only have one or two years left. The suns made some gambles, actually several gambles and it didnt work out. Yes the trades, releases were questionable and appeared to come back to haunt them. But dont worry, the cause of failure has been removed and the foam finger will lead the suns to victory.

I can see what you are saying and if it is done as you describe I agree with you. I think there is a middle ground where you practice without running the guys like Nash Shaq Hill into the ground. They can do other things while D'antoni is running the other guys harder, doing what you would do with the starters if you could. The bench guys would get better. They could be a tough team top to bottom.

I just think there must be another way to coach guys who need help without running Nash down in practice. He is not the one that needs to run, fine but there are more players that do. It seems it was all or nothing and all was ridiculous so nothing was the choice.

If Foamy is our hope for victory, we're doomed.

 

[Covert Rain]

What bench? Even JVG laughed at that criticism. The suns bench has stunk for years, and it got worse this year with the departures of KT, JR. I'd take JR over pike, marks, DJ, tucker, skinner, banks. Saying DA doesnt play the bench has a cause and effect relation which alot of posters ignore. If Giricek wasnt getting playing time, thats a problem, but DJ "cant hit an open 15 footer" strawberry, are you kidding? "Lost out there after 12 years a pro" skinner, are you serious? The suns probably had the worst bench in the playoffs. So when teams go harder in the playoffs, yeah, the bench is a problem.

the hornets are not considered to be deep on the bench but

pargo,wells,Ely, James,Julian Wright, armstrong

versus

barbs, GG, Skinner, pike, DJ, Marks, Diaw,

Whether DA in his one year of semi GM is entirely responsible for the bench over the last 4 years is laughable. Why is it that this year the suns have so few usable 3pt shooters? Is that what DA wanted? How does that work with an offense designed to spread the floor?

FTFY.

Diaw and Barbosa were getting regular minutes and are legit bench guys. GG was getting inconsistent minutes and was a legit bench guy. Skinner should have gotten more minutes and was a legit bench guy. Come one. Most teams would take Diaw, Barbosa, GG and Skinner with regular minutes coming off their bench. Every team has a Pike, Marks and underdeveloped talent (Tucker and Strawberry) on their bench. Those guys don't even count.

The Suns problem is not that fact that their starting 5 or bench is devoid of talent. It's usage of that talent and the system that they are in that has been the problem. When you have a coach that has been riding his starting 5 all season then decides to run crucial stretches through your bench guys like Diaw and Barbs....that is a problem.

 

[Irish]

I don't know how much time the players spend watching video, but I think this is something that could be done without wearing the guys down.

What does the other team like to do? Where does a guy go? Can he put the ball on the floor? Can he use his off hand?

With Manu, he always goes left and rarely makes dump passes. Why is it so hard for the help defender to figure out where he's going and put a defender in his way? As it is, it doesn't help to practice when there is no one on the team that plays like Manu, but IMHO at least they can get it in their headS what they should be doing.