Four categories of Phoenix Suns fans

[Mainstreet]

I'm not in favor of the name calling and nothing in my post suggested I was. But if someone tells me my opinion has less validity simply because of where I live, I think that's a bit different then just offering an innocent opinion. I would defend BC too but there's no chance I'd defend his message.

Steve

Did you read my first post? I did not defend his message.

Perhaps BC867 was speaking from the perspective of personal nostalgia. IMO, Suns fans are where you find them and they have their own reasons for being a Suns fan. I welcome all Suns fans.

It was BC's opinion, a wrong one from my viewpoint, but nevertheless, just an opinion. He apologized. Hopefully those offended can move on.

 

[Phrazbit]

That is why I yearn to see a Suns team which, for the first time in its 4 1/2 decades, will build a team that will be strong in the playoffs for awhile.

Ignoring the rest of the post as its content has already been discussed, the above line is somewhat insulting to the franchise's history. This is a team that from 1989-2010 went to the playoffs 19 out of 22 seasons, during which they won 18 playoff series. That run covers nearly half of the franchises history and was a strech more successful than all but a few teams in the league over that time frame. It sucks that they didn't win a title but they were absolutely a strong playoff team for a reeeeally long time. Furthermore, its not even like there were a bunch of less successful teams that had the bragging rights of winning a title over that time frame, as 18 of those 22 titles were split between 4 teams.

 

[cly2tw]

I've never lived in Arizona and nobody raised me to be a Phoenix Suns fan. I choose them as my team because of KJ.

Same here, except because of Charles Barkley.

 

[StreetTruckinTitan]

Thank you Chris, but I am sorry that I offended some.

I was trying to say that, not only am I disappointed as a Suns fan in their playing four people out of position regularly, but I am embarrassed that they are doing it as a larger than life representative of the community in which I live.

I should have stated it better or, better yet, I shouldn't have posted it at all.

I am really sorry.

P.S.: asudevil83, I made no reference to my post count.

Sometimes its a no win situation when you post in a forum. People will look at every angle, read between the lines, see a finger pointing at them when in fact it wasnt. In this uber sensitive PC world of today eveything a person says or writes is gonna butt hurt somebody. Sticks and stones. I'm sure someone will take offense to this post also.

 

[marios13]

Hey, newbie. 39 posts and you're telling us what to not say. 1,039 posts wouldn't give you that right.

Playing in two professional leagues year round wear out a player a lot more than playing in one.

This was his reply to me for saying that I get annoyed about people saying Goran should not play international games ...

I think I have a right to be annoyed when you want my countries top PG to sit out international games as much as you are annoyed at the fact that he could get tired or hurt if he plays them. 11 games in 2013 with 24 min per game and 8 games in 2014 with 25 min per game don't really wear him out that much ...

All I can say his age, location and post count make him a condescending expert I would call him other names, but would get booted of the forum too probably ...

I just loved this thread where he showed his colors of labeling people and putting himself on top. Anyway I don't really care what his opinion of me is and neither should anyone else.

PS: Would I get booted if I made an error in writing "post count" ... lets say I forgot an o ...

 

[AzStevenCal]

This was his reply to me for saying that I get annoyed about people saying Goran should not play international games ...

I think I have a right to be annoyed when you want my countries top PG to sit out international games as much as you are annoyed at the fact that he could get tired or hurt if he plays them. 11 games in 2013 with 24 min per game and 8 games in 2014 with 25 min per game don't really wear him out that much ...

Again, your countryman, Goran, said that it did. It isn't so much the wear and tear of the offseason play, it's the absence of recovery time. Playing 82 games (plus playoffs for many of these players) along with travel, practice and other commitments takes a huge toll on you both physically and mentally. Doing it year after year just compounds that toll.

Steve

 

[TigToad]

All generalizations are bad.

 

[JCSunsfan]

This thread needs to die. Lock it up, please.

 

[Mainstreet]

This thread needs to die. Lock it up, please.

I fully support this.

 

[sunsfan88]

This was his reply to me for saying that I get annoyed about people saying Goran should not play international games ...

I think I have a right to be annoyed when you want my countries top PG to sit out international games as much as you are annoyed at the fact that he could get tired or hurt if he plays them. 11 games in 2013 with 24 min per game and 8 games in 2014 with 25 min per game don't really wear him out that much ...

All I can say his age, location and post count make him a condescending expert I would call him other names, but would get booted of the forum too probably ...

I just loved this thread where he showed his colors of labeling people and putting himself on top. Anyway I don't really care what his opinion of me is and neither should anyone else.

PS: Would I get booted if I made an error in writing "post count" ... lets say I forgot an o ...

Let's be honest, with or without Dragic, Slovenia isn't beating US or Spain or anything.

And there have been teams like the Spurs who tell their players like Ginibili that their not allowed to play in international ball (unless it's the actual Olympics itself I think).

And like Steve already said, Dragic has been quoted saying that he doesn't like it and that he would sit out but the people in his country would see him as a coward because they don't realize the wear and tear of a long NBA season.

 

[AzStevenCal]

This thread needs to die. Lock it up, please.

I fully support this.

He made a mistake, he apologized. That's more than enough for me.

Steve

 

[marios13]

Let's be honest, with or without Dragic, Slovenia isn't beating US or Spain or anything.

Eurobasket 2013

Slovenia 78
Spain 69

the only lets be honest is the USA all the other teams our team can beat with Dragic ...

and we only came to play USA because Australians threw their game and because of a disastrous 4th quarter vs Lithuania

Lithuania 67
Slovenia 64

4th quarter was 12 : 2

RealGM: Is it difficult to negotiate with an NBA team on the terms of playing for the national team?

Dragic: It is difficult because on one side you have an organization that is paying you and on the other side, you have your people. I always like to play for my people, the national team and it is tough. But I think if you sit down and you talk with them, you can make an agreement. That’s why I’m really happy and grateful for the Phoenix Suns. They allowed me to play and I think I can gain more experience here. Also I can get in better shape for the next year.


Read more at http://basketball.realgm.com/blog/2...-Goran-Dragic-Of-The-Suns#rwVmhDiT0OlikIC8.99

 

[hcsilla]

And like Steve already said, Dragic has been quoted saying that he doesn't like it and that he would sit out but the people in his country would see him as a coward because they don't realize the wear and tear of a long NBA season.

Shame on these stupid slovenians.

 

[marios13]

Shame on these stupid slovenians.

Last time I checked Hungarians can't even qualify for the EuroBasket ...

 

[AzStevenCal]

Last time I checked Hungarians can't even qualify for the EuroBasket ...

I get mine with French Fries. Seriously though, most of us realize how important the international game is to many of the players but the year around investment clearly takes a toll on them. I don't blame Goran for wanting to represent his country and for not wanting to let down his countrymen but as a Suns fan I want to see him at his best.

Steve

 

[JCSunsfan]

I get mine with French Fries. Seriously though, most of us realize how important the international game is to many of the players but the year around investment clearly takes a toll on them. I don't blame Goran for wanting to represent his country and for not wanting to let down his countrymen but as a Suns fan I want to see him at his best.



Steve

Age starts to creep up on them too. Guys who could play year round at 24 can't do it at 28. But they still think of themselves as 24.

 

[Mainstreet]

Age starts to creep up on them too. Guys who could play year round at 24 can't do it at 28. But they still think of themselves as 24.

I still have this problem.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Age starts to creep up on them too. Guys who could play year round at 24 can't do it at 28. But they still think of themselves as 24.

Yeah, that too.

Steve

 

[hcsilla]

Last time I checked Hungarians can't even qualify for the EuroBasket ...

You missed the sarcasm from my side.

I do understand what you are talking about and I would go crazy if my national team had a Goran Dragic-caliber player and he wouldn't play for my country because the long NBA season wears and tears him down.

1st he has a nationality and job comes only second.

 

[SirStefan32]

Perhaps I've been too "Americanized" in the past 17 years, but I couldn't disagree more with you two Euros. His job pays his bills. His nationality is irrelevant. When his country can pay him more than his employer, then he has a valid claim that his national team should come first.

As far as I am concerned, a new contract needs to be fully dependent on him retiring from international basketball.

 

[hcsilla]

Perhaps I've been too "Americanized" in the past 17 years, but I couldn't disagree more with you two Euros. His job pays his bills. His nationality is irrelevant. When his country can pay him more than his employer, then he has a valid claim that his national team should come first.

Come on, you just can't forget your roots especially that you are from Serbia (I guess).

 

[SirStefan32]

Come on, you just can't forget your roots especially that you are from Serbia (I guess).

I don't. I wish Serbia well, and I am very happy to root for them in International competition. I wish all players from Serbia (and Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Montenegro, etc) the best, and I follow them and root for them individually, but if Bogdanovic becomes a star (like Dragic), once he hits 28, he needs to stop playing for Serbia.

Here is how I look at it:
If someone wants to have loyalty to his "homeland", he is welcome to make a living there. The second you make a living in the States, your loyalty is to the States. Thus, after making a living here for a few years, I became a permanent resident and started working on getting citizenship.

Now, in my own case, I was so disgusted by the entire region that I didn't want anything to do with any of the countries there, and I loved the US (Sweet smell of freedom!), so I pledged my allegiance solely to the States ('Murica!), but that's me and I don't expect anyone else to do that. I do, however, expect them to get their priorities straight and understand who pays their bills. In Goran's case, the Suns pay his bills, so they take priority over everyone else when it comes to basketball.

 

[Neo]

What I am saying is Suns fans from out-of-state or out-of-the-country are wonderful, but don't have the same total perspective as the first two categories.

There are some (like me) who are out-of-state and at times we are out-of-the-country to ensure that you remain free to say things like that. I've run for cover while watching the Suns because of incoming rocket fire coming from Sadr City. I've endured endless torment from Spurs fans as result of being stationed in an even more inhospitable location, Texas.

But there is a great connection that I have made with people in my wanderings as a result of being fellow Suns fans. Whether it is the total stranger who approached me in Tokyo because I was wearing a Suns shirt, the knowing nod of a fellow fan as we shuffle into the AT&T Center, or the friend I made in the Chow Hall in Baghdad as we cheered on the Suns, there is something special about connecting as Suns fans.

For many years, I have not been following the home team. I've never been the bandwagon fan who started following the championship team. I'm just a middle-aged guy who still follows the same team he liked when he alittle kid that thought that girls had coodies and Larry Nance was "gnarly."

I am a Suns fan. I've been one since I first was able to turn on the TV and watch games. I will always be a Suns fan. I don't care where you are from or why you started following the Suns. As long as you like the Suns and dislike the Lakers and Spurs you are family to me. I've got some weirdos in my extended Suns family. I'll probably never meet my crazy German cousin that thinks Magic Johnson was not a point guard or the music professor that always seems too pessimistic. But I've enjoyed their company for years, even when (or maybe especially) when we disagree.

 

[AzStevenCal]

There are some (like me) who are out-of-state and at times we are out-of-the-country to ensure that you remain free to say things like that. I've run for cover while watching the Suns because of incoming rocket fire coming from Sadr City. I've endured endless torment from Spurs fans as result of being stationed in an even more inhospitable location, Texas.

But there is a great connection that I have made with people in my wanderings as a result of being fellow Suns fans. Whether it is the total stranger who approached me in Tokyo because I was wearing a Suns shirt, the knowing nod of a fellow fan as we shuffle into the AT&T Center, or the friend I made in the Chow Hall in Baghdad as we cheered on the Suns, there is something special about connecting as Suns fans.

For many years, I have not been following the home team. I've never been the bandwagon fan who started following the championship team. I'm just a middle-aged guy who still follows the same team he liked when he alittle kid that thought that girls had coodies and Larry Nance was "gnarly."

I am a Suns fan. I've been one since I first was able to turn on the TV and watch games. I will always be a Suns fan. I don't care where you are from or why you started following the Suns. As long as you like the Suns and dislike the Lakers and Spurs you are family to me. I've got some weirdos in my extended Suns family. I'll probably never meet my crazy German cousin that thinks Magic Johnson was not a point guard or the music professor that always seems too pessimistic. But I've enjoyed their company for years, even when (or maybe especially) when we disagree.

 

[Errntknght]

Wonderful post, Neo