Heat @ Suns 1-3-17

[leclerc]

Great to see minutes for all the rookies. Bender needs more confidence in his shot. Watch tapes of Dirk. Chriss is fouling less. If he could stop talking with the refs and start grabbing rebounds instead. Chandler is playing well but I'd rather start Len. A win is good but I want a stud in the draft. Get back in the tank.

 

[Ronin]

Phoenix Suns‏ @Suns
After grabbing 20 last night, @tysonchandler is the 1st Suns player with three 20+ rebound games in a season since Barkley (5) in 1993-1994.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Good game for Len last night.

 

[BC867]

For what the Suns gave up to get him...trading him for virtually nothing is unacceptable.

Well, you can look back or you can look ahead. Keeping Knight and how he drags down the team (especially a young team) seems even more unacceptable.

The mistake was made. It's time to correct it. As has been said, addition by subtraction. And it's not really subtraction when it opens up an opportunity for a potentially better young player.

 

[BC867]

I liked Goran as well but the animosity he created by demanding a trade is hard to forget. I imagine it's sort of like getting a divorce.

Did Goran create the animosity? Or did the Suns by moving him from his lead Point Guard position to go with their ridiculous obsession of three tweeter guards.

I resented it as a fan. I can only imagine how Goran felt as a player. He took it and took it and then reacted, and I don't blame him.

 

[Mainstreet]

Did Goran create the animosity? Or did the Suns by moving him from his lead Point Guard position to go with their ridiculous obsession of three tweeter guards.

I resented it as a fan. I can only imagine how Goran felt as a player. He took it and took it and then reacted, and I don't blame him.

Let's not forget Goran did not give the Suns a heads-up that he wanted a trade. He jilted the Suns at the trade deadline giving the Suns few options to orchestrate a trade. The manner in which Goran left the Suns created the acrimony not necessarily the trade. It's sort of like giving your employer two weeks notice before you decide to leave.

 

[slinslin]

Did Goran create the animosity? Or did the Suns by moving him from his lead Point Guard position to go with their ridiculous obsession of three tweeter guards.

I resented it as a fan. I can only imagine how Goran felt as a player. He took it and took it and then reacted, and I don't blame him.

Lets review history

Suns with Goran at the 2 = winning record

Suns with Goran at the 1 = losing record

You resented it as a fan okay, we were a better team because of it unfortunately Goran Dragic showed to be selfish.

The double-standards of some fans when it comes to judging Dragic vs Bledsoe is astounding. It reeks of borderline racist tendencies honestly as the simply explanation for such discrepancies in observation.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

No, just No on the racist crap. Goran was a fan favorite. Bledsoe never earned that, right or wrong. He came in and got hurt "right away". Goran was already established as a fan favorite (from his first stint, beating the Spurs, etc) and then was "lights out" when Bled went down and the Suns had a respectable season given the roster and first year HC. You can't fault the fans for liking Goran over Bledsoe, regardless of the stats of each.

P.S. I think Dragic tried to use his standing among the fans and his previous season to force the FO to make changes to the PG situation. But the FO didn't balk, and the only way out of that awkwardness was to "demand" a trade. And now both parties are worse off for it. My opinion.

 

[Phrazbit]

Dragic is a whiny turd who'd rather have the spotlight and lose than share it on a winning team.

I think the biggest problem he had wasn't that we signed Thomas, but that Thomas was so obviously better than him. Thomas is the guy we shouldn't have traded. We fleeced the Heat, no regrets over that deal.

 

[GatorAZ]

Dragic is a whiny turd who'd rather have the spotlight and lose than share it on a winning team.

I think the biggest problem he had wasn't that we signed Thomas, but that Thomas was so obviously better than him. Thomas is the guy we shouldn't have traded. We fleeced the Heat, no regrets over that deal.

Unfortunately that pick next year is protected because Miami is awful. With the Suns' luck they'll be good again by 2019.

 

[slinslin]

They are so bad right now and it seems unlikely they can rebuild from the FA market.

The Heat are Suns level bad right now if not worse except with not even close to the young talent. Best case they desperately try to get better and land in mediocrity and we still get 2 mid first round picks for it.

 

[AsUpRoDiGy]

Unfortunately that pick next year is protected because Miami is awful. With the Suns' luck they'll be good again by 2019.

Lottery protected?

 

[Mainstreet]

No, just No on the racist crap. Goran was a fan favorite. Bledsoe never earned that, right or wrong. He came in and got hurt "right away". Goran was already established as a fan favorite (from his first stint, beating the Spurs, etc) and then was "lights out" when Bled went down and the Suns had a respectable season given the roster and first year HC. You can't fault the fans for liking Goran over Bledsoe, regardless of the stats of each.

P.S. I think Dragic tried to use his standing among the fans and his previous season to force the FO to make changes to the PG situation. But the FO didn't balk, and the only way out of that awkwardness was to "demand" a trade. And now both parties are worse off for it. My opinion.

I'm glad you pointed out Goran had two stints with the Suns helping him become a fan favorite. He was drafted by the Spurs for the Suns in the 2008 draft in the second round with the 45th pick.

It's still hard to believe the Suns traded Dragic and a protected first round pick to the Rockets for Aaron Brooks in 2011. Dragic did not get any heads-up on the trade. He found out about it on the team bus so there is an argument for payback.

It's also interesting the Spurs helped the Suns in another trade. They drafted Leandro Barbosa for the Suns in the 2011 draft (28) for a future protected first round pick.

The Suns scouting must have been better in those days.

 

[Mainstreet]

Lottery protected?

As I recall if the Suns do not get the the Heat's 2018 draft pick the 2019 pick is unprotected. The 2021 first round pick does not have protection.

 

[Ronin]

As I recall if the Suns do not get the the Heat's 2018 draft pick the 2019 pick is unprotected. The 2021 first round pick does not have protection.

The 2018 draft pick is top 7 protected, no?

 

[Mainstreet]

The 2018 draft pick is top 7 protected, no?

This is correct. I was looking ahead.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Did Goran create the animosity? Or did the Suns by moving him from his lead Point Guard position to go with their ridiculous obsession of three tweeter guards.

I resented it as a fan. I can only imagine how Goran felt as a player. He took it and took it and then reacted, and I don't blame him.

O good grief! I blame him. His reaction was totally unprofessional and unacceptable. Both leading up to the trade and after. Goran is a pouter plain and simple.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BC867]

The double-standards of some fans when it comes to judging Dragic vs Bledsoe is astounding. It reeks of borderline racist tendencies honestly as the simply explanation for such discrepancies in observation.

What a cheap shot! Racist? Are you serious? My post had nothing to do with Bledsoe.

Did Goran create the animosity? Or did the Suns by moving him from his lead Point Guard position to go with their ridiculous obsession of three tweeter guards.

I resented it as a fan. I can only imagine how Goran felt as a player. He took it and took it and then reacted, and I don't blame him."

I shared my opinion about what I took to be Dragic's being squeezed out.

 

[Mainstreet]

I shared my opinion about what I took to be Dragic's being squeezed out.

You shared a valid opinion BC867.

As I said earlier, I just didn't like the way Goran left without giving the Suns enough time to explore more trade options.

 

[leclerc]

Dragic is a whiny turd who'd rather have the spotlight and lose than share it on a winning team.

I think the biggest problem he had wasn't that we signed Thomas, but that Thomas was so obviously better than him. Thomas is the guy we shouldn't have traded. We fleeced the Heat, no regrets over that deal.

That's not how I remember it. He was a fan favourite before Bledsoe arrived and played well when stone face (as he was at the time) got injured. The team won and he was a big reason for it.

Next year they brought in IT, the third ball controlling guard on the team, instead of addressing more obvious needs in the starting line up. He ended up in the corner with little influence on the games.

It wasn't until after Dragon and IT left and Bledsoe held out for a new contract that he became more liked and started smiling.

All good guards. Not enough balls.

 

[sunsfan88]

That's not how I remember it. He was a fan favourite before Bledsoe arrived and played well when stone face (as he was at the time) got injured. The team won and he was a big reason for it.

Next year they brought in IT, the third ball controlling guard on the team, instead of addressing more obvious needs in the starting line up. He ended up in the corner with little influence on the games.

It wasn't until after Dragon and IT left and Bledsoe held out for a new contract that he became more liked and started smiling.

All good guards. Not enough balls.

^this.

Even this season, Dragic isn't having a bad year himself. He's putting up 20, 7 and 4 while shooting 40% from 3.

That Heat team is just devoid of any talent besides Whiteside. Spoelstra is also being exposed as an awful coach who has only won championships because of LeBron.

 

[Phrazbit]

Dragic is doing what he does when he is in the role he enjoys the most... losing games and putting up empty stats. If he had embraced a Manu Ginobili style role, as he did for a while with Bledsoe, he'd be awesome. But he'd rather stick in his comfort zone and play on a trash team than share the ball and win.

I know his defenders won't agree with that assessment, but it is the only conclusion one can come to when you look at how things went down here and the list of teams he was willing to be traded to. All terrible teams where he'd get to run point all by himself.

Miami is getting outscored by 4.5 per game overall but by over 5 per 48 when Dragic is on the court; so as bad as they are, they're actually worse when he is in the game.