Grizzlies @ Suns Sunday game thread 1-5-20

[95pro]

Agreed. I do NOT understand this.

I've seen one pick and roll with Oubre and Ayton, and thought wow that's deadly. Oubre has tools that Booker and Rubio dont have when running the pick and roll.

 

[Mainstreet]

The story of the game is the Suns lack of defense. Grizzlies shot 54.2% for the game and 42.9% from 3 point range.

It's really the same old story after the opening stretch of games where the Suns played well.

Opponents get their rhythm attacking the Suns inside for easy baskets, get their confidence going, Suns defense sags and then they shoot lights out from 3 point range. Suns defense doesn't take anything away.

 

[95pro]

except here's the problem with the above... Ayton doesn't want to man the middle. He wants to be a 4 and wants to guard on the perimeter.

https://arizonasports.com/story/221...cover-from-lifeless-start-to-beat-the-knicks/

“About time! I’ve been asking them since there was a little rumor, a little tweet, saying I’m about to play the 4 so I’ve been wanting to play the 4, been wanting to guard out on the perimeter.” Ayton said, assumingly referring to a quote from late September at his fundraiser when he said power forward was his “born-and-raised position.”

“I think the league changing to where dudes are big and strong, versatile as well, so we want to be the same thing,” Ayton said. “We want to join them. Just us putting pressure on the rim, protecting the rim and cleaning up the glass. It’s even easier to me.”

The reality is that right now, Ayton's length and mobility are wasted because he doesn't want to use them in the middle. Not because Baynes can't do it. Baynes should be a backup C, not a starter. Just because our #1 pick doesn't want to do the hard work, doesn't mean blame should slide down to the guy who actually is willing to do it.

AD was born and raised as a pg. I dont see the big man asking to run the point. Ayton is a head case, has the body to be something great near the rim but his mental make-up prevents him from being great.

 

[95pro]

Monty just drove the bus over the players

Who is not "following the game plan?"

Okay so now Rubio has called out his teammates for not following the game plan and now Monty has

So who is it?

It's either Baynes, Saric, or Oubre.

No one else makes sense

.

Saric has had his minutes eliminated so that means likely who Rubio was talking about

I think Monty is talking about Baynes

Something has to be done ASAP. Coach looking this frustrated publicly while a player is openly questioning his teammates means the locker room is fracturing

Wow. Both of them. Good. If true, and I’m inclined to believe the experienced coach and the vet, the team needs be called out. But who is it?

Could be Ayton or bridges or cam. Why eliminate those guys? Could even be book but that doesn’t seem to be the case unless it’s on the defensive end.

I’m betting it’s more than one to have two call-outs.

It's Baynes, post #589 on the Suns Season Updates thread has the video of Monty saying they didnt follow the game plan so he called a timeout right away. I rewatched the opening 2 minutes of the game and Baynes allowed them to score twice pretty easily.

 

[devilalum]

What really pisses me off is that Memphis totally reshuffled the deck in one season and they are still a better team than the Suns and they are younger.

This franchise is a joke.


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[95pro]

What really pisses me off is that Memphis totally reshuffled the deck in one season and they are still a better team than the Suns and they are younger.

This franchise is a joke.


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Well they did get a better lottery pick to work with...but we already had Booker and Ayton and supposedly a better first year coach then their first year coach.

 

[BC867]

Ive heard Rubio, Ayton and Booker as the least of our problems. So who
is the problem?

Robert Sarver and James Jones.

The meddling Managing Investor and his neophyte General Manager.

In terms of basketball leadership skills, garbage in - garbage out.

It has been said over and over, but it all rolls downhill.

 

[BC867]

This coach is far from perfect, but he is the best coach we are going to get. I say give him all the room to do whatever he thinks is necessary to make this team a winner. I like the type of basketball he wants to have: tough defense, flowing offense. We have seen this team do it at times.

We will see what Monty is made of.

We won't see what Monty is made of until we have a backup Center,
both a starting and backup Power Forward and a backup Point Guard.

And a more athletic and defensive roster.

In other words, we'll probably go through many more General Managers
and Head Coaches until Sarver and his cronies cash in on the billion
dollar product they lucked into and go away.

That could literally take twenty years. I expect Booker to be the first
to take a strong stand that he wants out. With others to follow.

Sarver is a loser. Sadly, that is the Phoenix Suns ceiling.

I invite anyone to disagree with that last comment and explain why.