Devin Booker and Kendall Jenner?

[Finito]

Has anyone else noticed that Booker's 70 point game is brought up more by people bashing him than praising him?

I'm a big fan of Booker's, the player and person, and I think he will continue to grow into the franchise leader role that the Suns so desperately need. He's dealt with a lot of adversity and has met everything head on. He hasn't responded to every issue like an All-Star but how he's responded has been admirable considering he never asked to be the franchise player, to play out of position, for a new coach every single season, to have 10 of his teammates replaced every offseason, etc.

He hasn't once thrown this team, his teammates, or his coaches under the bus. He's stayed consistent in his goals of turning things around here in Phoenix and has turned himself into a legit All-Star on a team that looks like it has a good future ahead of itself, so long as it stays the course. Staying the course includes keeping Booker as one of it's primary scorers. He may not be a #1 on a contender but he's no less than a good #2.

I can't think of a single team that improved by trading away their 23 year old franchise All-Star when they aren't demanding a trade so that's not likely to happen. Since you don't seem to be a fan and don't think he's the answer, how do you think this team can improve going forward based on Booker being signed for the next 4 seasons.

it’s funny he got a lot of BS for that game guys on the jump(Rachel Nichols and Brian Whidhorst) with the still lost BS


but they jump all over Jordan’s jock for dropping 63 against the Celtics oh it was his coming out party and so on and so on, but Jordan’s Bulls lost that game. No one ever brings that up.

it’s the way the organization is looked at

 

[GatorAZ]

it’s funny he got a lot of BS for that game guys on the jump(Rachel Nichols and Brian Whidhorst) with the still lost BS


but they jump all over Jordan’s jock for dropping 63 against the Celtics oh it was his coming out party and so on and so on, but Jordan’s Bulls lost that game. No one ever brings that up.

it’s the way the organization is looked at

If Booker dropped 70 in a playoff game it would be seen as a legendary accomplishment by the media.

To @SunsFanFirst i don’t think any Suns’ fan in here puts Booker in the class of all time greats. That post just seemed like a random way to start piling on him.

 

[cwamjn]

The other starters on the floor when Jordan scored 63 were: Orlando Woolridge, Charles Oakley, Kyle Macy and Dave Corzine.

Sarver bright a lot of negative press on himself, but Jordan was no more able to elevate that slop around him, than Booker can't elevate the turds around him.

There were only like 23 teams in the league back then, everybody made the playoffs so who cares it was in a 1/8 matchup. Lol sheesh

 

[Finito]

If Booker dropped 70 in a playoff game it would be seen as a legendary accomplishment by the media.

To @SunsFanFirst i don’t think any Suns’ fan in here puts Booker in the class of all time greats. That post just seemed like a random way to start piling on him.

playoffs would mean winning and that would mean we would be looked at different see how they go hand in hand

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

We arent winning anything as long as he is the face of the franchise. It blows my mind that most of you all treat him like he is the next MJ or Kobe all because he scored 70 one time stat padding on a historically terrible team. The Suns suck because of you guys

I’m sorry. I’ll try to draft better players, make better trades, and sign superstars.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The other starters on the floor when Jordan scored 63 were: Orlando Woolridge, Charles Oakley, Kyle Macy and Dave Corzine.

Sarver bright a lot of negative press on himself, but Jordan was no more able to elevate that slop around him, than Booker can't elevate the turds around him.

in that game Jordan scored 63, he took one of the best teams of all time into OT in the playoffs. That's elevating the team. Booker scored 70 against a mediocre Boston team and we lost in what was a blowout most of the game. So, Jordan was able to elevate his team against a much better team as opposed to what Booker did.

 

[BC867]

Devin is our superstar. And a potential NBA superstar, if he were even average at defense.

But he has obviously not been able to lift us to playoff level, let alone a winning record.

Granted, it is not his fault. But it is the fact! As long as it is, we are going into a second
decade of stagnation.

Trading Booker for a package to include a starting Power Forward and a young Point Guard
would improve our chances of building a winner. And find a backup Power Forward and
backup Center.

And remove the temptation to play Booker out of position. And not have to run the Point
or guard Point Guards and his constant injuries, which he himself has expressed. And still
it has been announced that he will continue to be our backup Point Guard, as well as
Shooting Guard, next season. Same old, same old.

 

[Superbone]

It was a fact about Jordan too until he got the proper pieces around him.

 

[Phrazbit]

It was a fact about Jordan too until he got the proper pieces around him.

Lets not start the Jordan comparisons again.

Realistic comparisons at a similar age would be players like Tracy McGrady or Gilbert Arenas.

He's can't yet carry a team, he has some real holes in his game, he is mostly a scorer, but he is getting better across the board with each passing season.

 

[SunsFanFirst]

The team can only move forward in the next four years with Booker if we bring in an actual star/leader/franchise face and Booker is willing to take a backseat to him.

TMac and Arenas are perfect examples of Booker. As long as their teams continued to build around them they were destined for mediocrity.

I say we suck because of you guys because yall keep trying to polish a turd because its the best we have.

 

[Superbone]

Lets not start the Jordan comparisons again.

Realistic comparisons at a similar age would be players like Tracy McGrady or Gilbert Arenas.

He's can't yet carry a team, he has some real holes in his game, he is mostly a scorer, but he is getting better across the board with each passing season.

It wasn't meant as an ability comparison, obviously, as Jordan was the greatest ever. It was just an extreme example of how one player, no matter how good he is, can carry a team on his own. He needs help.

Don't throw out the baby with the bath water.

 

[BC867]

The team can only move forward in the next four years with Booker if we bring in an actual star/leader/franchise face and Booker is willing to take a backseat to him.

TMac and Arenas are perfect examples of Booker. As long as their teams continued to build around them they were destined for mediocrity.

I say we suck because of you guys because yall keep trying to polish a turd because its the best we have.

Devin Booker is not a "turd". He has superstar skills in terms of scoring, which leads to greater all-around expectations.
He's not anywhere near a superstar in defense or running the Point. In the status of superstardom, he is one-dimensional.

Having him "take a backseat" would be very difficult to pull off. Unless a player is in the twilight of his career. When you
demote a player, especially your star player, it is always best (for him and the team) to give him a fresh start elsewhere,
while bringing back talent in a trade.

Keeping your star and demoting him is not just about him and the team. It involves the reaction of the Press and the fans.
Especially in today's high tech world where the public knows every detail within minutes.

Look at what it has done to running the country and States, which have become a spectator sport. In the old days, a lot
of negotiating between the political parties was done behind the scenes. Now they are Hollywood spectacles, with details
posted online, encouraging the public to become participants. And in sports as well. With advancements come side effects.

 

[Chaplin]

Devin Booker is not a "turd". He has superstar skills in terms of scoring, which leads to greater all-around expectations.
He's not anywhere near a superstar in defense or running the Point. In the status of superstardom, he is one-dimensional.

Having him "take a backseat" would be very difficult to pull off. Unless a player is in the twilight of his career. When you
demote a player, especially your star player, it is always best (for him and the team) to give him a fresh start elsewhere,
while bringing back talent in a trade.

Keeping your star and demoting him is not just about him and the team. It involves the reaction of the Press and the fans.
Especially in today's high tech world where the public knows every detail within minutes.

Look at what it has done to running the country and States, which have become a spectator sport. In the old days, a lot
of negotiating between the political parties was done behind the scenes. Now they are Hollywood spectacles, with details
posted online, encouraging the public to become participants. And in sports as well. With advancements come side effects.

Good lord, he’s not one-dimensional.

You keep pushing this narrative that he’s a terrible Point Guard and that simply isn’t the case. You have valid points about him tiring out when he has to play it, but I’ll submit he’s near the top if not the best SG in the league when talking about point guard capabilities, turnovers notwithstanding.

 

[Hoop Head]

Good lord, he’s not one-dimensional.

You keep pushing this narrative that he’s a terrible Point Guard and that simply isn’t the case. You have valid points about him tiring out when he has to play it, but I’ll submit he’s near the top if not the best SG in the league when talking about point guard capabilities, turnovers notwithstanding.

I'd say he's 2nd to Harden and no other SG is clearly ahead of him when it comes to their ability to slide over and play PG. In today's NBA you can't have guys that are pigeonholed into one position and the way BC tries to push it, you'd think Booker has regressed since he's been in the league since he's been asked to play more PG but Booker has only improved year after year.

I think it's remarkable how well Booker has taken to playing PG since he wasn't a PG or even considered a combo guard when he came into the league. There is a reason his coaches like seeing him at PG. He's taken to it better than any player I can recall. Point to another player who wasn't viewed as a PG when they entered the league, didn't play PG in their rookie year, and didn't start seeing regular playing time at PG until their 3rd season and were capable of producing at the level Booker has. If he can do what he has out of necessity then it raises the question of what he can do with quality coaching and dedication, which is why all of his coaches with a clue have talked about developing that part of his game.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'd say he's 2nd to Harden and no other SG is clearly ahead of him when it comes to their ability to slide over and play PG. In today's NBA you can't have guys that are pigeonholed into one position and the way BC tries to push it, you'd think Booker has regressed since he's been in the league since he's been asked to play more PG but Booker has only improved year after year.

I think it's remarkable how well Booker has taken to playing PG since he wasn't a PG or even considered a combo guard when he came into the league. There is a reason his coaches like seeing him at PG. He's taken to it better than any player I can recall. Point to another player who wasn't viewed as a PG when they entered the league, didn't play PG in their rookie year, and didn't start seeing regular playing time at PG until their 3rd season and were capable of producing at the level Booker has. If he can do what he has out of necessity then it raises the question of what he can do with quality coaching and dedication, which is why all of his coaches with a clue have talked about developing that part of his game.

James Harden has played in 11 seasons while Devin Booker has played 5 seasons. When one looks at their career stats they are remarkably close.

Based on the stats, I think Booker has the potential to be better than Harden. Booker is averaging slightly more assists in his 5th season.

https://www.basketball-reference.co...+Booker&player_id2=bookede01&idx=bbr__players

 

[GatorAZ]

James Harden has played in 11 seasons while Devin Booker has played 5 seasons. When one looks at their career stats they are remarkably close.

Based on the stats, I think Booker has the potential to be better than Harden. Booker is averaging slightly more assists in his 5th season.

https://www.basketball-reference.co...+Booker&player_id2=bookede01&idx=bbr__players

Booker coming close to the floor raiser that Harden is would be a shocker. His impact stats are off the charts.

 

[BC867]

Good lord, he’s not one-dimensional.

You keep pushing this narrative that he’s a terrible Point Guard and that simply isn’t the case. You have valid points about him tiring out when he has to play it, but I’ll submit he’s near the top if not the best SG in the league when talking about point guard capabilities, turnovers notwithstanding.

The eye test has shown that Devin is our best scorer, but plays the Point with the game on the line, and he is prone to turnovers.

How could he not be? The way he has been used invites double- and triple-teaming.

I'm trying to decipher your comment, ",,, he's near the top if not the best SG in league when talking about point guard capabilities."

My narrative concerns the big picture. Spreading him thin reduces his potential as a Shooting Guard, while expecting him to play
the same level as Point Guard, where he will never be a superstar.

What's the proof? We're a losing team. And have been for too long. That's the fact! That is the situation.

The Suns obsession with playing their best players out of position has not worked -- too many Point Guards to not enough Point
Guards. Too many Small Forwards and too few durable Power Forwards. No legitimate backup Center for Ayton.

High turnover of General Managers, Head Coaches and players. That doesn't build a winner. Obviously!

I'd love to see Devin legitimately make the All Star team as one of the best scorers. But, even more, I'd like to see the Suns win.

I'm not blaming any of this on Devin. I know he cares. He was quoted as saying that he would rather play Shooting Guard. Who
are we, the fans, to disagree?

 

[Chaplin]

The eye test has shown that Devin is our best scorer, but plays the Point with the game on the line, and he is prone to turnovers.

How could he not be? The way he has been used invites double- and triple-teaming.

I'm trying to decipher your comment, ",,, he's near the top if not the best SG in league when talking about point guard capabilities."

My narrative concerns the big picture. Spreading him thin reduces his potential as a Shooting Guard, while expecting him to play
the same level as Point Guard, where he will never be a superstar.

What's the proof? We're a losing team. And have been for too long. That's the fact! That is the situation.

The Suns obsession with playing their best players out of position has not worked -- too many Point Guards to not enough Point
Guards. Too many Small Forwards and too few durable Power Forwards. No legitimate backup Center for Ayton.

High turnover of General Managers, Head Coaches and players. That doesn't build a winner. Obviously!

I'd love to see Devin legitimately make the All Star team as one of the best scorers. But, even more, I'd like to see the Suns win.

I'm not blaming any of this on Devin. I know he cares. He was quoted as saying that he would rather play Shooting Guard. Who
are we, the fans, to disagree?

I see you didn't even try to disagree with the one-dimensional thing. We don't need him to be a superstar point guard, and you act like that's ALL he's going to do. You deal in such black and whites and don't understand the evolution of the game. It's maddening.

 

[Proximo]

Lets not start the Jordan comparisons again.

Realistic comparisons at a similar age would be players like Tracy McGrady or Gilbert Arenas.

He's can't yet carry a team, he has some real holes in his game, he is mostly a scorer, but he is getting better across the board with each passing season.

I have to agree, he does not have the same killer instinct Jordan has.

I think he will remain a second tier star, perhaps similar to McGrady.

 

[BC867]

I see you didn't even try to disagree with the one-dimensional thing. We don't need him to be a superstar point guard, and you act like that's ALL he's going to do. You deal in such black and whites and don't understand the evolution of the game. It's maddening.

I want to see all of Booker's minutes (and energy) on the court playing the position at which
he excels -- Shooting Guard.

With Point Guards playing the position at which they excel . . . and feeding our top scorer,
as well as playing tight defense against opposing Point Guards.

And discouraging the overwhelming amount of double- and triple-teams against Booker.

Put your players in the best position to excel. Evolution hasn't changed that.

The evidence? The Suns dismal decade playing guys out of position.

Why defend the Suns' status quo when the status quo has sucked?

See, this post isn't all black and white. It's red, too. (And green.)

 

[Mainstreet]

I want to see all of Booker's minutes (and energy) on the court playing the position at which
he excels -- Shooting Guard.

With Point Guards playing the position at which they excel . . . and feeding our top scorer,
as well as playing tight defense against opposing Point Guards.

And discouraging the overwhelming amount of double- and triple-teams against Booker.

Put your players in the best position to excel. Evolution hasn't changed that.

The evidence? The Suns dismal decade playing guys out of position.

Why defend the Suns' status quo when the status quo has sucked?

See, this post isn't all black and white. It's red, too. (And green.)

The NBA is headed towards position-less basketball. It's the new era.

Players will be able to stay on the court more if they can guard multiple positions on defense and play multiple positions on offense. A lot of the new terminology will trend towards talk about guards and wings (and perhaps a big man) and less about positions 1-5.

There is still room for players to play one position but if a player can play multiple positions they have an edge.

 

[Hoop Head]

I want to see all of Booker's minutes (and energy) on the court playing the position at which
he excels -- Shooting Guard.

With Point Guards playing the position at which they excel . . . and feeding our top scorer,
as well as playing tight defense against opposing Point Guards.

And discouraging the overwhelming amount of double- and triple-teams against Booker.

Put your players in the best position to excel. Evolution hasn't changed that.

The evidence? The Suns dismal decade playing guys out of position.

Why defend the Suns' status quo when the status quo has sucked?

See, this post isn't all black and white. It's red, too. (And green.)

This idea that you have that someone, or multiple players, playing out of position equals failure is false and it's not hard to prove that.

The best year in the last decade came with the team's 2 best players playing out of position, or one of them out of position, when Dragic & Bledsoe shared backcourt duties in Hornacek's first year as coach. The Suns went 48-34 that year and missed the playoffs only because the west was historically good that season and the injury bug bit at inopportune times. You ignore that entirely because it doesn't fit the narrative you're pushing. It goes beyond Bledsoe and Dragic also. Both Channing Frye and Markieff Morris saw a lot of time at Center, which neither are, and saw Tucker and Marcus Morris playing PF for the first times in their careers. I know those 2 play PF now neither saw extended time at PF for 4 more seasons so it definitely was out of the ordinary that year.

Then there was last season, when the Suns played their best basketball they had someone out of position since the best lineup was clearly Rubio, Booker, Oubre, Bridges, and Ayton. Neither Oubre or Bridges is a PF yet that lineup was the Suns best and stats back that up since they outscored their opponents 18.5 points per 100 possessions with that lineup on the floor.

Before you claim that injuries were caused by playing out of position look into who played out position before blaming that reason. Oubre stayed at SF while Bridges was moved into the starting PF role, so it wasn't Oubre covering PF that caused his injury. It's more Oubre's play style, which is a bit reckless, since he's suffered injuries that caused him to miss considerable time each of his 2 years in Phoenix. Perhaps he's not able to play starters minutes at the style he does but that's a different discussion and likely more of a cause for his injuries since he didn't miss much time in his first 3 years in Washington as a reserve.

You can look around the league though and see that more and more players are playing multiple positions throughout each game, especially when it comes to All-Stars like Booker. Looking at the All-Star teams this year and it's quicker to name the players who only play 1 position than those who play multiple because Chris Paul, Joel Embiid, and Nikola Jokic are the only guys who play 1 position 90% of the time, or more. Even those guys are seeing their roles change though. Chris Paul has played off the ball more the last few years with Harden previously and alongside Shai and Schroeder in OKC this year. Joel Embiid has played on the perimeter a little more now that the Sixers have Horford to play alongside him but Embiid is the larger player and stays at C more often than not. Nikola Jokic plays Center almost exclusively but how he plays Center is different than previous generations since he's also the Nuggets primary playmaker, which is a role that PG handled primarily up until recently.

So the league is changing, you don't need to like it but you can't attribute the Suns failure to it when the best players in the league play multiple positions and the Suns have played at their best over the last decade when they're playing someone, or multiple players, out of position.

 

[GatorAZ]

She might be the only one still real in that entire family..

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