Game Thread: Suns vs. Pistons

[Yuma]

I highly doubt either of those coaches will ever coach for the nba. Maybe coach K in a few years, but definetly not olson.

I agree he is more likely to retire soon. However, I can't think of many other college coaches who I personally think would do a good job with the Suns. Olsen just seems to have a way of relating to young players. If we are talking former players, how about 5 time champion Steve Kerr? LOL!

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Originally posted by Yuma
I agree he is more likely to retire soon. However, I can't think of many other college coaches who I personally think would do a good job with the Suns. Olsen just seems to have a way of relating to young players. If we are talking former players, how about 5 time champion Steve Kerr? LOL!

Lol, how about the one player to score over 20k points and never be on an allstar team?

THe one and only Eddie Johnson

 

[JCSunsfan]

Originally posted by elindholm
No wonder coaches don't last in this league.

It is the coach's responsibility to make sure that his players are not making the same basic errors game after game. Even if Frank Johnson is saying "Move without the ball" in every practice and every time out, and the players still aren't doing it, he is still a bad coach. If the coach can't get the players to listen to him, he is not qualified for the job.

No one said it was easy.

The problem is that if the players don't play, the coach gets fired. In that case, the coach has no authority. If we don't play, we get a new coach. If I don't like what the coach is doing, I don't play.

There was a day when coaches ruled the roost. A team would hire a good coach and then if a player balked--they'd trade him for a player that would buy in. Now it is so hard to move players--that scenario is almost impossible.

I've always had the feeling that FJ was still and interim.

When FJ gets fired (and he will), one of our assistants will become the interim. If the team responds, he will get be named the coach at the end of the season. And so the cycle will continue.

 

[Joe Mama]

There is a positive side of the losses. The Phoenix Suns are losing to good teams for the most part. If they were winning again some bad teams in between nobody would even think about pushing the panic button. I don't think for a second first one to be a coaching change, but perhaps a small change in the way the team is coached.

Perhaps I'm being naïve.

Joe Mama

 

[Yuma]

I like Johnson's answer to everything tonight, SHOOT! When Marion got tied up looking for Joe Johnson on the break, Eddie said he would have been OK if he shot the ball. There were a couple more instances where he was saying guys should have shot the ball that were weird. He speaks like a true shooter!! LOL! I can just see Eddie, you can't have assists if noone shoots! Marbury as soon as you get over half court and they are pressing you and you don't know what to do, shoot!! Everyone, if you forget the play, or get confused, SHOOT! Tired of running through screens to get open, SHOOT!!! Eddie coaching would be like us playing NBA2K!!

 

[matt_whitlock]

Suns really fold it in at the end now....all the time. They panic and fall apart. They seem to have all the skill in the world but no brains behind it.

I forget. Last year, we were good in the 4th quarter, because we had some guy who used to really steady the offense. He knew when to run, and when to slow it down. He was good at recognizing defenses. He used to inbound the f*cking ball with a minute left to go in the game when we were down by 5 points. Not Casey !#%@#$%#$@%@#$@#$!@!@#$!@#$!@#$!$!@#$@#$@#%'ing Jacobson!!

 

[Joe Mama]

Originally posted by matt_whitlock
I forget. Last year, we were good in the 4th quarter, because we had some guy who used to really steady the offense. He knew when to run, and when to slow it down. He was good at recognizing defenses. He used to inbound the f*cking ball with a minute left to go in the game when we were down by 5 points. Not Casey !#%@#$%#$@%@#$@#$!@!@#$!@#$!@#$!$!@#$@#$@#%'ing Jacobson!!

What does your mom think when you emerge from a half-hour visit to the bathroom with a framed picture of Penny Hardaway?

Does everything that is right or wrong with this team have something to do with Penny Hardaway?

Joe Mama

 

[matt_whitlock]

And stop criticizing Stephon Marbury for our losing. It's not his fault. Could he be better? Yes. But we need to see improvement from everybody else a lot more than we do from Steph.

Yeah, he only had 5 assists tonight. Shawn Marion missed 3 or 4 3's from the corner tonight, off Marbury kick-outs. Amare missed more than a couple shots right around the basket. Casey was Casey. JJ actually made shots tonight, but all off his own dribbling. Penny was the same innefective player we will see all season. Jahidi was fat.

What do you expect out of Marbury? Yeah, it's his team (well, Frank seems to think it's JJ's team), but this isn't the Matrix, and the man is only human. The fact that he got 5 assists with the crap he has surrounding him is merely a testament to his unselfishness.

And yes, Chancey Billups scored on him a lot, but Chancey is one of the quickest guards in the NBA, and in the fourth quarter, he's a dead-on shooter. Those last 2 3's he hit were with Steph right in his face, but everything else, you can't expect him to shut him down on his own. If he gets beat, which is going to happen in this league, he needs help from his teamates. Amare and Jahidi have been good at protecting the basket somewhat when the ball gets into the lane, but again, this is the NBA, and if the ball gets all the way to the lane, you've pretty much already lost the battle. It's not Stephon's fault that our help defense sucks.

 

[matt_whitlock]

What does your mom think when you emerge from a half-hour visit to the bathroom with a framed picture of Penny Hardaway?

Joe Mama, I didn't know you were 13.

 

[matt_whitlock]

Does everything that is right or wrong with this team have something to do with Penny Hardaway?

For everyone else who isn't wants to talk about basketball, however:

No, everything right on the team has to do with Penny. Everything wrong has to do with Joe Johnson.

Just kidding.

 

[creed]

Even though I hate Penny with all of my being I say start the SOB. Our team is turning into a circus so bring in the clown!

 

[matt_whitlock]

Even though I hate Penny with all of my being I say start the SOB. Our team is turning into a circus so bring in the clown!

Why do you hate him? I'd really just like to know.

Were you a Suns fan last year? If so, did you like him then?

 

[matt_whitlock]

God though, I wish there was something we as fans could do. I live in Pennsylvania, so going to their games is out of the question, but I just feel helpless.

I have a life outside of the Phoenix Suns, mind you, but basketball and watching this team play is a big part of it. I just hate watching this much talent struggle this much.

The other day I was in the gym and I heard somebody say, "The Suns have Stephon Marbury and Shawn Marion.. why do they suck?" and then follow that up with, "and they have Amare Stoudemire.. and Penny Hardaway!! Jesus, they should be better than they are!"

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Joe Mama]

Originally posted by matt_whitlock
Joe Mama, I didn't know you were 13.

I'm not, but sometimes I have to act like it. I hope I didn't offend you too much. I was really just joking around.

Joe Mama

 

[elindholm]

I'm not, but sometimes I have to act like it.

I don't think a 13-year-old would joke that it would take half an hour.

 

[creed]

Originally posted by matt_whitlock
Why do you hate him? I'd really just like to know.

Were you a Suns fan last year? If so, did you like him then?

Last year sometimes I almost appreciated Penny but deep down I still despised him. He never lives up to expectations and has a whiney demeanor. I feel we were tricked into getting him...assurred of his good health...paid through the nose...and have been let down ever since. He totally robbed the organization, fans, and even mugs his woman too...at gun point. Now he's playing lousy even by his own pathetic standards.

WILL THIS PENNY NIGHTMARE EVER END?

 

[Krangodnzr]

Originally posted by Joe Mama
I also think the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Cardinals both have a competent head coaches, but that's really were the similarities end. The Arizona Cardinals are a talent deficient team. The Phoenix Suns are not.

I'll have to agree with one caveat. The Cardinals DON'T have a competent head coach, and neither do the Suns. But as you said the Cards are talent deficient and the Suns are not.

Frank Johnson will be fired by the end of the year...

 

[Wally]

OK, I confirmed my beliefs about the need for this team to have a real coach. I went to the game tonight and saw unbelievable individual talent with little or no direction. I haven't read all the posts yet so most of this may have already been covered - anyway, here goes.....sorry if I rant / rave & hope it’s not too long.

I spent a lot of time watching the coaches & players during the time outs....... CJ pays no attention at all - he watches the TV monitors as FJ is talking and it's obvious by his facial expressions that he is not multitasking...... Amare & Steph are talking to each other......Googs is just picking away at part of his face...... Hardaway is sitting there looking like my grandson when he's been told "NO, you can't play with that toy". The only player who seemed to pay attention consistently was Jake. As far as the assistant coaches are concerned, I don't believe they get to contribute much during the game

FJ never sits down & is always up & down the sideline contrasting to Brown is an exact opposite.

Time outs for the suns are a chance to mill around and discuss the movie they saw or what restaurant has the best beer. There was one time out that Brown called toward the end of the game when it was close - Brown & his coaches were all huddled together discussing options and the sun's didn't even get together - they just milled around. I believe FJ realized this was an error so he called a 20 second time out following the Pistons free throw(?)(not sure of the timing / play or perhaps he wanted to see what the Pistons were going to do). Then he had that screwy line up (again) and CJ threw the ball away. You may have heard me yell to FJ “Why don’t you put Hardaway in for Amare”.

Other notes.... White is a mean machine, Trybanski is one TALL dude, Zarko DNP (unbelievable!), The dancers have more enthusiasm for their dancing than the Suns have for doing their job(my wife pointed out that no 6'9" 290 pound played was banging the dancers around).

At times the Suns looked like a American tourist driving in downtown London on the wrong side of the road without a map. Other times they looked like they were in small (or home) - town USA on a Sunday morning when church is in session. Take your pick but it's a shame to see all that talent going to waste like it's doing under the present system.

 

[hcsilla]

Originally posted by Krangthebrain


Frank Johnson will be fired by the end of the year...

The problem is that he signed a 3-year contract in Summer of 2002 so it doesn't seem to be likely that he will be fired soon.

 

[elindholm]

my wife pointed out that no 6'9" 290 pound playe(r) was banging the dancers around

What a shame. Now that would have been worth the price of admission.

 

[elindholm]

The problem is that he signed a 3-year contract in Summer of 2002 so it doesn't seem to be likely that he will be fired soon.

I agree. I really don't understand the Colangelos' compulsion with locking people in to long-term deals before they know enough about them. They do it with players, and they do it with coaches, and it is almost always a mistake.

Aren't they still paying Skiles?

 

[Wally]

Originally posted by Joe Mama
That's true to a certain extent, but Amare Stoudemire and the other big men or always open on the pick and roll. Seldom do they get the ball. This offense just stinks. There really is no game plan.

Joe Mama

Exactly, BUT, where is this plan supposed to come from? Individual talent is the ONLY reason this "team" is as good as it is..... Just think what could happen if the ship had a compas and a captain who knew how to use it.

 

[elindholm]

Just think what could happen if the ship had a compas and a captain who knew how to use it.

I think we could all tell Frank Johnson what to do with a compass.

 

[matt_whitlock]

You may have heard me yell to FJ “Why don’t you put Hardaway in for Amare”.

Wow, I actually remember hearing that. I couldn't really understand what was being said, but I heard the names Hardaway and Amare. That's kinda funny that it was you.

And for the people that imagine me laying on the couch not really paying attention, and then having my ears pop up, suddenly becoming alert when I heard the name "hardaway" as a dog would when it hears another barking companion, well, you're just wrong!

 

[Wally]

Originally posted by elindholm
Just think what could happen if the ship had a compas and a captain who knew how to use it.

I think we could all tell Frank Johnson what to do with a compass.

Are you talking about the ex-sponsor's ex-wife?