Game 1: Suns at Portland

[Mainstreet]

And again, the potential of what Hedo CAN bring to the Suns is better than what Barbosa DID bring to the Suns. Do you dispute that?

I'm just thinking if Babby were not involved, the Suns would likely not have Turkoglu. The same with Childress. However, I'm liking Childress. I was a huge fan of Hedo since his days with the Kings. However, Hedo's play in Toronto last season should have raised a red flag as well as his high salary. Also Hedo does not fill a need as he is currently being played. Now if the Suns use Turoglu as I have suggested, then I can see some potential. But if the Suns use Turoglu as a high post center (still calling him a forward) for the second it could turn ugly. I don't know.

Certainly Hedo can "potentially" bring more to the Suns than Barbosa. What's the saying, bigs over smalls generally holds true but not always.

 

[Chaplin]

I'm just thinking if Babby were not involved, the Suns would likely not have Turkoglu. The same with Childress. However, I'm liking Childress. I was a huge fan of Hedo since his days with the Kings. However, Hedo's play in Toronto last season should have raised a red flag as well as his high salary. Also Hedo does not fill a need as he is currently being played. Now if the Suns use Turoglu as I have suggested, then I can see some potential. But if the Suns use Turoglu as a high post center (still calling him a forward) for the second it could turn ugly. I don't know.

Certainly Hedo can "potentially" bring more to the Suns than Barbosa. What's the saying, bigs over smalls generally holds true but not always.

I agree that we are using him very badly right now. To me, that's on Gentry's head--there is nothing so far that says that putting Hedo as the PF is a good thing. I thought the main reason we put him at that position was because of his offensive output, but that has been nonexistant. So are we keeping him there in the hope that he'll simply break out?

The way he's being used doesn't make a lot of sense unless you consider it the traditional having to start simply because he make more money than everyone else.

 

[Mainstreet]

The way he's being used doesn't make a lot of sense unless you consider it the traditional having to start simply because he make more money than everyone else.

This is the way I see it. Turkoglu could be a good bench player if Gentry can get Turkoglu to accept the idea.

 

[Chaplin]

This is the way I see it. Turkoglu could be a good bench player if Gentry can get Turoglu to accept the idea.

Hedo was quoted a few days ago as saying he's willing to come off the bench if it comes to it.

 

[Mainstreet]

Hedo was quoted a few days ago as saying he's willing to come off the bench if it comes to it.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

 

[green machine]

And again, we were ahead in this game with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter. After giving up 18 offensive rebounds. And 19 turnovers.

Yeah, we lost, which sucks, but come on, can't you see even a little good in that? This was EASILY light years better than all our preseason games and you're still proclaiming doom? This was the first game with an actual rotation, not just a bunch of strange lineups and Matt Janning getting 30 minutes.

Chap, you know most NBA games are close, but in the end the team that can get stops (and rebounds) as well as easy buckets tends to come out on top.

That the Suns were competitive is nothing to be proud of, not if you have actual expectations for this team.

 

[jagu]

The ideal situation for me is

Lopez
Warrick
Hill
Richardson
Nash

6th man: Turk
Dragic
Dudley
Frye
Childress

Clark
Lawal

Warrick plays tougher and is a stronger player than Turk, and I can see his athleticism blending in with Nash well. Turkoglu is just not a great athlete. This situation would probably lead into bad chemistry as Turk probably wants to start. I think Turk will be better. I have no hope for defense or rebounding because we have guys like Frye, Turk, and others who just aren't rebounders and Nash is a huge liability on defense as well. If we shoot well we will win, if we are off we are in trouble because its going to be a rare thing getting stops against large teams.

 

[Chaplin]

Chap, you know most NBA games are close, but in the end the team that can get stops (and rebounds) as well as easy buckets tends to come out on top.

That the Suns were competitive is nothing to be proud of, not if you have actual expectations for this team.

What exactly are your expectations? The team isn't going to win the championship. The fact that they were competitive for 43 of the game's 48 minutes sounds pretty good to me.

 

[green machine]

What exactly are your expectations? The team isn't going to win the championship. The fact that they were competitive for 43 of the game's 48 minutes sounds pretty good to me.

I expect very little from this year's squad, to be honest, and nothing that happened yesterday leads me to change that thought.

 

[Mainstreet]

What exactly are your expectations? The team isn't going to win the championship. The fact that they were competitive for 43 of the game's 48 minutes sounds pretty good to me.

I'm sure you don't mean this long term. The Suns will have to learn to be competitive for 48 minutes. Just trivia, but I read that Portland has won their past 10 season openers at home. It's not like the Suns did something new last night.

 

[Mainstreet]

Part of the problem is that Frye and Turkoglu are much the same type player with no inside presence and they both love the outside shot. At least Warrick knows he is not an outside shooter.

 

[Chaplin]

I'm sure you don't mean this long term. The Suns will have to learn to be competitive for 48 minutes. Just trivia, but I read that Portland has won their past 10 season openers at home. It's not like the Suns did something new last night.

You know as well as I do that a large number of people, including a bunch here, expect us to be bottom feeders. One even thinks we'll be a top 5 pick in the lottery next summer! Many people also thought we'd get blown out last night because of Portland's size and the fact that everyone, including you, thinks the team sucks.

Well, guess what? They could have won the game if only a few things were different, even with the huge rebounding difference. As much as I love him, Nash lost the game for us, the outcome might have been different if he hadn't started passing to ghosts and if JRich had touched the ball more.

The point is, even though they weren't competitive for a full 48 minutes, they proved that they can be. Every team, even the Lakers, can't be competitive for 48 minutes every single game. Hell, we were competitive for a lot longer in our game than Miami was in theirs.

 

[Mainstreet]

Here is an interesting read from Paul Coro at azcentral.com dated 10-26-10.

"I'm going to have to be really aggressive to make plays and maybe score more but we've got to find a way to make people pay," Nash said. "They were doubling me off the pick-and-roll and we didn't make them pay as much as we should. That should be able to give us an inside presence just by having four on three on the weak side."

The turnovers were as simple as being tired and losing a ball out of bounds in the backcourt, being off with Channing Frye on a behind-the-back pass to the 3-point line that he has thrown him 100 times or waiting for Robin Lopez's roll and having the defense recover. Suns coach Alvin Gentry had a better way to describe the lack of rhythm: "He doesn't have that Amar'e thing."

"A lot of it is we just don't have the spacing, the chemistry or the cohesion right not to have simple options," Nash said. "That could happen a lot here early. At the same time, I can't not be aggressive and not try to draw double teams and probe and keep trying to do the best I can to take pressure off teammates. If I have to put myself in bad situations, I'd rather do that than put my teammates in bad positions."

Nash called the game "a positive sign" and said he would work into season shape and the burden on him won't stay like this.

"Offensively, we stood around and let Steve go one on one," Suns forward Jared Dudley said. "He's really good and that can work sometimes but we have to do a better job of making it easier for him."

It is interesting and discouraging that Nash takes on the burden of carrying the Suns without hesitation.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/Blog/PaulCoro/102845

 

[Griffin]

I am encouraged that the Suns played better in this game than most of the preseason, last five minutes notwithstanding. But, as others have said, we absolutely cannot rely on Nash to carry our offense. I feel confident that JRich will do his part, but that won't be enough. We will need interior points from the front court.

If Turkoglu can't make the necessary adjustments to his game, then I'm all for giving Warrick a shot, although, aside form pick-and-rolls and crashing the boards, I don't know what else he can do offensively. Meanwhile, the Suns should continue to explore trade possibilities to bring a quality big to play alongside Lopez.

 

[Covert Rain]

I agree that we are using him very badly right now. To me, that's on Gentry's head--there is nothing so far that says that putting Hedo as the PF is a good thing. I thought the main reason we put him at that position was because of his offensive output, but that has been nonexistant. So are we keeping him there in the hope that he'll simply break out?

The way he's being used doesn't make a lot of sense unless you consider it the traditional having to start simply because he make more money than everyone else.

This is the very reason some of us were wondering what the hell the Suns were doing before the trade. The Suns obviously didn't have a replacement for Amare. They really didn't need anymore SF's on this team.

The Suns have done this too many times to count. Bring a player in, play him out of position and try to force it. It never works. The Suns tried to go cheap when they signed AW IMO then panicked and pulled the trigger on the HT trade.

This blunder may haunt the Suns all season unless we can figure out another starting lineup that works.

 

[elindholm]

Jeez, I'm already sick of the Suns whining about Stoudemire's departure. I expect infantile behavior from a fan board, but these guys are pros. It's time to sack up. First Nash and now Gentry are talking about how much harder everything is going to be. The world doesn't end because a different team decided to take a $100 million gamble on Stoudemire that the Suns couldn't stomach. If the team is going to be worse, fine, but show some dignity.

 

[elindholm]

But, as others have said, we absolutely cannot rely on Nash to carry our offense.

No, but the Suns can absolutely rely -- or should be able to rely -- on Nash finishing a play himself after he's already beaten the defense. Several of his turnovers last night were from "unselfish" over-passing, and it played right into the Blazers' hands. Nash needs to start making simple plays instead of pretty ones, and that means taking the damn layups himself rather than trying to thread the needle to a teammate.

 

[cly2tw]

Speechless! Nash and Gentry finding excuse for their failure and playing armchair GM, by alluding to Amare.

 

[mjb21aztd]

bad ending to the game, hopefully the suns rebound next game man this is going to be a long season . Kinda missing Amare now heh

 

[Bufalay]

Amare was one turnover away from a triple double tonight...which means he rebounded well.

 

[Superbone]

Amare was one turnover away from a triple double tonight...which means he rebounded well.

He hit big shots at the end of the game during winning time. Something we could have used in Portland.

 

[Covert Rain]

He hit big shots at the end of the game during winning time. Something we could have used in Portland.

It's more then that. Amare had a nack for getting to the free throw line at the end of games. Sure he would hit a big shot but I think he put more games away be getting fouled in the paint.