How did this season go??

[pokerface]

I stopped watching the Suns after they traded JRich...figured they were tanking. Looks like they wont make the playoffs so the tank worked apparently....Did I miss anything??

 

[Roca Dolla]

yeah u missed a lot of gortat dub/dub games

 

[sunsfan88]

Damn sucks for you, you didn't get to see VC & Lopez dominate.

Oh and yes this season was a failure.

 

[pokerface]

Damn sucks for you, you didn't get to see VC & Lopez dominate.

Oh and yes this season was a failure.

I saw VC for like two games...Made me wonder why we didnt keep JRich!

 

[JS22]

I saw VC for like two games...Made me wonder why we didnt keep JRich!

Uh, maybe because Richardson was expiring and Gortat is turning into one of the best centers in the Western Conference.

A double double machine who plays good defense? Where was he last year? Amare + Gortat would have been insane.

 

[Errntknght]

The season pretty much went down the tubes even before it began because Gentry did not come up with a strategy to keep Nash's minutes down to a reasonable number. He abandoned the strategy that was fairly successful the year before. He didn't announce it until the preseason but it started with not re-upping Amundson and it got another kick in the groin with the acquisition of Warrick - who proved to be an even worse defender than I thought he was and I thought he stunk. He actually gets in the way of other defenders (switching when he shouldn't, among other things), so he drags them down, too.

I laid it all out in the summer/preseason more than once, including how Goran would suck being forced to run an offense precisely designed for Nash. Of course, he exceeded my expectations in that regard as his whole game deteriorated, even his defense. I guess that's what happens when you put a guy in a hopeless situation.

Gentry mucked up things even more, desperately trying random lineups and substitutions. Even our trainers fell down on the job, letting Childress play with his damaged digit.

The worst thing of all in my estimation is that Gentry, with strong assists from the FO, set the franchise back several years by virtually abandoning defense. I've been watching the Suns from the get go and hating their lax approach to defense - last seasons second unit was the first time a Suns squad was successful via D and we pissed it away instead of building on it.

 

[BC867]

And the Front Office bringing in Hedo to play Power Forward was an albatross that would pull the rug out under any decent Coach.

Then having to go through another major set of personnel changes during the season when they corrected that mistake.

But, as you said, the biggest factor was playing Nash to death because he is the only Point Guard who can run his system, as well as the failure of Lopez to become at least mediocre.

And now Steve is quoted as saying he wants to stay with the Suns. His inefficiency down the stretch is going to happen again next season.

I'd like to hear the Front Office say, "That's OK, Steve. We want to see you with a contender!"

 

[Mainstreet]

The season pretty much went down the tubes even before it began because Gentry did not come up with a strategy to keep Nash's minutes down to a reasonable number. He abandoned the strategy that was fairly successful the year before. He didn't announce it until the preseason but it started with not re-upping Amundson and it got another kick in the groin with the acquisition of Warrick - who proved to be an even worse defender than I thought he was and I thought he stunk. He actually gets in the way of other defenders (switching when he shouldn't, among other things), so he drags them down, too.

I laid it all out in the summer/preseason more than once, including how Goran would suck being forced to run an offense precisely designed for Nash. Of course, he exceeded my expectations in that regard as his whole game deteriorated, even his defense. I guess that's what happens when you put a guy in a hopeless situation.

Gentry mucked up things even more, desperately trying random lineups and substitutions. Even our trainers fell down on the job, letting Childress play with his damaged digit.

The worst thing of all in my estimation is that Gentry, with strong assists from the FO, set the franchise back several years by virtually abandoning defense. I've been watching the Suns from the get go and hating their lax approach to defense - last seasons second unit was the first time a Suns squad was successful via D and we pissed it away instead of building on it.

I'm not sure Gentry had much influence on the moves Sarver made in regard to player personnel. As an example, I don't think Gentry said let's not re-sign Amare and replace him with Turkoglu and Warrick. The team was in a state of flux all season with changes in players and injuries.

In any regard, it seems the Suns lack direction. I've come to believe the Suns have given up hope and and settled for going through the motions... like not playing defense. In any regard, I do believe Gentry has lost the team, even if it is not intentional on the player's part. The Suns know they are shooting blanks. Where do the Suns go from here when the Suns will not hire a conventional GM and will only hire a coach on the cheap? It does not look good unless Sarver will give Babby more control, but I'm not even sure if Babby can get it done. I guess Gentry will be the scapegoat whether he deserves it or not. Coaches are hired to be fired as Cotton put it.

 

[Mainstreet]

Dragic had 14 points, 7 assists and 10 rebounds for the Rockets tonight in a win against the Clippers. And the Suns gave up a first round pick along with Dragic to make it happen. Now the Suns are looking for Brooks to prove himself. The Suns continue to not respect draft picks. This continues to rub me wrong.

 

[Covert Rain]

Dragic had 14 points, 7 assists and 10 rebounds for the Rockets tonight in a win against the Clippers. And the Suns gave up a first round pick along with Dragic to make it happen. Now the Suns are looking for Brooks to prove himself. The Suns continue to not respect draft picks. This continues to rub me wrong.

Huh? It had nothing to do with respect. First off Dragic has been hit or miss and not consistent even since the trade to the Rockets. He was not a good back up here and appeared to have regressed.

That has nothing to do with respect. If Dragic was playing anything like he did at the end of the year last year he would still be here. I don't blame the Suns one bit. Were they suppose to continue with a player not performing when they were making a playoff push? I don't blame them one bit.

Also, the jury is still way out on Dragic.

 

[Mainstreet]

Huh? It had nothing to do with respect. First off Dragic has been hit or miss and not consistent even since the trade to the Rockets. He was not a good back up here and appeared to have regressed.

That has nothing to do with respect. If Dragic was playing anything like he did at the end of the year last year he would still be here. I don't blame the Suns one bit. Were they suppose to continue with a player not performing when they were making a playoff push? I don't blame them one bit.

Also, the jury is still way out on Dragic.

If you read my post again you will notice I use the word "respect" in regard to "draft picks." I can understand the Suns rolling the dice with a straight up trade of Dragic for Brooks. Also examine Dragic's stats with the Rockets when he gets significant minutes. Yes, the verdict is still out out Dragic but the jury should already be in on Brooks due to their age difference. I just do not like the Suns had to throw in a first round draft pick on a last minute trade without thinking it through. The trade should have been straight across.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/goran_dragic/game_by_game_stats.html

 

[JS22]

Brooks has been miles ahead of Dragic in his short stint with the Suns. Even though he's still trying to fit into the system.

There were a lot of expectations for Dragic this year after showing great improvement last year. Looks to me like he fell apart knowing that the pressure was on him this year to make the jump and take over for Nash in a year or so. Just like Lopez fell apart trying to take over for Amare.

 

[Mainstreet]

Brooks has been miles ahead of Dragic in his short stint with the Suns. Even though he's still trying to fit into the system.

There were a lot of expectations for Dragic this year after showing great improvement last year. Looks to me like he fell apart knowing that the pressure was on him this year to make the jump and take over for Nash in a year or so. Just like Lopez fell apart trying to take over for Amare.

Dragic still has a chance at least to be a good backup PG or maybe even a starter for a team someday. Lopez was never meant nor has the ability to replace Amare. Quite frankly, Lopez is just plain bad. He will probably just bounce around the league as a backup center if he is lucky.

 

[Catlover]

If you read my post again you will notice I use the word "respect" in regard to "draft picks." I can understand the Suns rolling the dice with a straight up trade of Dragic for Brooks. Also examine Dragic's stats with the Rockets when he gets significant minutes. Yes, the verdict is still out out Dragic but the jury should already be in on Brooks due to their age difference. I just do not like the Suns had to throw in a first round draft pick on a last minute trade without thinking it through. The trade should have been straight across.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/goran_dragic/game_by_game_stats.html

That's quite an assumption. Just because Phoenix fans (and a few Spurs fans) have been impressed on the rare occasion by Dragic doesn't mean the rest of the league values him the same way. Brooks has a much higher national profile than Goran and the reports (rumors?) were that we were about to lose Brooks to Minnesota if we didn't increase our bid. You could probably argue we'd have been better off losing the deal but it's hard to say we made the move without thinking it through.

 

[Mainstreet]

That's quite an assumption. Just because Phoenix fans (and a few Spurs fans) have been impressed on the rare occasion by Dragic doesn't mean the rest of the league values him the same way. Brooks has a much higher national profile than Goran and the reports (rumors?) were that we were about to lose Brooks to Minnesota if we didn't increase our bid. You could probably argue we'd have been better off losing the deal but it's hard to say we made the move without thinking it through.

Don't you think most GMs around the league know the Suns will throw in a first round draft pick if they ask... especially at the last minute on a player they like? The Suns have a history of overpaying in trade by sweetening it with draft picks. This was a trade made just minutes before the trade deadline. Perhaps you were not around when the Suns used two first round picks to move an asset in KT and the Suns were selling draft picks. Again, the Suns just do not value draft picks as they should.

 

[Catlover]

Don't you think most GMs around the league know the Suns will throw in a first round draft pick if they ask... especially at the last minute on a player they like? The Suns have a history of overpaying in trade by sweetening it with draft picks. This was a trade made just minutes before the trade deadline. Perhaps you were not around when the Suns used two first round picks to move an asset in KT and the Suns were selling draft picks. Again, the Suns just do not value draft picks as they should.

Have you ever followed a car down the street? When it turned left the first time did you assume it would turn left every time it came to an intersection? We've made a lot of deals throughout the history of this club that didn't involve giving away draft picks. Dantoni didn't like young players and his influence probably played a big role in the way Sarver felt about them at first. But, reportedly, the Thomas trade was made by Kerr, not Sarver.

We'll never know how much influence Sarver had on the actual details but one thing we do know, Babby and Blanks had nothing to do with that deal. Painting them with that brush seems wrong to me especially when you consider how horrible a fit Hedo was in Phoenix. If we really had our hearts set on giving away draft picks, that would have been an opportune moment to ship one out.

 

[Mainstreet]

Have you ever followed a car down the street? When it turned left the first time did you assume it would turn left every time it came to an intersection? We've made a lot of deals throughout the history of this club that didn't involve giving away draft picks. Dantoni didn't like young players and his influence probably played a big role in the way Sarver felt about them at first. But, reportedly, the Thomas trade was made by Kerr, not Sarver.

You don't think Kerr makes the KT trade without pressure from Sarver to save money? It was a pure and simple salary dump to save the owner money. KT was a valuable asset at the time and he was later traded for a first round pick by Seattle.

We'll never know how much influence Sarver had on the actual details but one thing we do know, Babby and Blanks had nothing to do with that deal. Painting them with that brush seems wrong to me especially when you consider how horrible a fit Hedo was in Phoenix. If we really had our hearts set on giving away draft picks, that would have been an opportune moment to ship one out.

All I know is the Suns just used another first round pick to send Dragic for Brooks. IMO, a lateral move at best. The one thing that is constant is the Suns willingness to include draft picks in trades or selling them is Sarver.

 

[Covert Rain]

If you read my post again you will notice I use the word "respect" in regard to "draft picks." I can understand the Suns rolling the dice with a straight up trade of Dragic for Brooks. Also examine Dragic's stats with the Rockets when he gets significant minutes. Yes, the verdict is still out out Dragic but the jury should already be in on Brooks due to their age difference. I just do not like the Suns had to throw in a first round draft pick on a last minute trade without thinking it through. The trade should have been straight across.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/goran_dragic/game_by_game_stats.html

Ok. I gotcha. I was thinking you meant respecting previous draft picks the Suns have made. Although you really think that draft pick would have amounted to anything? Even in that case not sure it amounts to anything other than a project player. To me it has more to do with the risk and likelihood of getting a good player with that pick versus respect.

Considering the Suns recent track record there is not much chance that pick turns into anything. Trading away a player and that pick for a proven scorer still seems like a no brainer to me. That is completely different than trading a draft pick to save on cash. Even though the Kurt Thomas trade was salary driven..... even that was a little different because they couldn't get anybody to take that contract on without a pick to throw in.

Really different scenarios IMO. You will get no argument from me that trading an additional 1st rounder simply because you don't want to pay the salary (when your under the cap) is penny pinching.

 

[Catlover]

You don't think Kerr makes the KT trade without pressure from Sarver to save money? It was a pure and simple salary dump to save the owner money. KT was a valuable asset at the time and he was later traded for a first round pick by Seattle.

I'm sure Sarver instructed Kerr to reduce salary and he probably gave him a time frame to accomplish it but I doubt he was involved beyond that, other than perhaps rubber stamping the trade. If you ignore hindsight, this was arguably the worst trade in the history of the NBA. It was done to pare salary. I'd guess at least a couple NBA teams go into salary reduction mode like this every year. Why have we never seen such a horrible trade before? Because Kerr had no idea what he was doing and he gave away the farm when a seasoned GM would have probably picked up a valuable asset in return for Thomas.

If necessary, perhaps a veteran GM could have explained to Sarver the ramifications of rushing into this kind of cost cutting move and persuaded him to wait out the market. We'll never know all the details but enough information has come from the organization to suggest that Sarver held Kerr accountable for his poor judgement in this trade.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm sure Sarver instructed Kerr to reduce salary and he probably gave him a time frame to accomplish it but I doubt he was involved beyond that, other than perhaps rubber stamping the trade. If you ignore hindsight, this was arguably the worst trade in the history of the NBA. It was done to pare salary. I'd guess at least a couple NBA teams go into salary reduction mode like this every year. Why have we never seen such a horrible trade before? Because Kerr had no idea what he was doing and he gave away the farm when a seasoned GM would have probably picked up a valuable asset in return for Thomas.

If necessary, perhaps a veteran GM could have explained to Sarver the ramifications of rushing into this kind of cost cutting move and persuaded him to wait out the market. We'll never know all the details but enough information has come from the organization to suggest that Sarver held Kerr accountable for his poor judgement in this trade.

Who hired Kerr.

Seattle garnered three first round draft picks by taking on a valuable player's contract in KT. That was thievery.

 

[Catlover]

Who hired Kerr.

True, but who showed him the door?

 

[Mainstreet]

True, but who showed him the door?

Sarver was wrong before he was right.

Your signature would indicate you are a cat lover. This is something we have in common. IMO, they make one of the best companions. I've always compared cats to like having a good roommate. They just hang out with you requiring minimal maintenance.

 

[Catlover]

Sarver was wrong before he was right.

Your signature would indicate you are a cat lover. This is something we have in common. IMO, they make one of the best companions. I've always compared cats to like having a good roommate. They just hang out with you requiring minimal maintenance.

I grew up a little bit afraid of cats but my husband talked me into giving them a chance. Our house is on a corner and we seem to be the home of choice for abandoned kittens. We're full up but we never have the heart to turn one away so our zoo keeps growing. Unfortunately, they all have to be permanent house cats as it's not safe in our area to let them out (ever). My husband went to ASU and I'm a Wildcat fan so my screen name is mostly just a dig at him.

 

[Mainstreet]

I grew up a little bit afraid of cats but my husband talked me into giving them a chance. Our house is on a corner and we seem to be the home of choice for abandoned kittens. We're full up but we never have the heart to turn one away so our zoo keeps growing. Unfortunately, they all have to be permanent house cats as it's not safe in our area to let them out (ever). My husband went to ASU and I'm a Wildcat fan so my screen name is mostly just a dig at him.

I guess you're getting a free "dig" at me as well as I graduated from ASU and I am an avid Sun Devil fan. I've had cats all my life as pets because I couldn't have a dog when I was young. So I started making friends of feral cats when I was a boy that were running around the neighborhood. Even they became good friends of mine. Many years and many cats later, my wife and I finally lost my two indoor cats of 15 years that were like family. It has been hard to replace them because of the sentimental attachment. IMO, they are the most underrated lovable pet in the world. I'm glad you you are providing homes for these cats... especially since you are rooting for the Arizona Wildcats.

Postscript: I've never met a cat I didn't like. People train dogs but cats train people.

 

[Catlover]

I guess you're getting a free "dig" at me as well as I graduated from ASU and I am an avid Sun Devil fan. I've had cats all my life as pets because I couldn't have a dog when I was young. So I started making friends of feral cats when I was a boy that were running around the neighborhood. Even they became good friends of mine. Many years and many cats later, my wife and I finally lost my two indoor cats of 15 years that were like family. It has been hard to replace them because of the sentimental attachment. IMO, they are the most underrated lovable pet in the world. I'm glad you you are providing homes for these cats... especially since you are rooting for the Arizona Wildcats.

Postscript: I've never met a cat I didn't like. People train dogs but cats train people.

As I said, all of our cats are indoors only. We recently lost our 19 year old cat that showed up on our doorstop when she was too young to be away from her mother. A month later, we lost a 17 year old cat that was abandoned and near death's door when we took him in about 10 years ago. It definitely hurts but it didn't stop us from taking in two new kittens right around the same time.

One of our cats is a Suns fan, he sits on my husbands lap for every game. Maybe he's just a lap fan instead but he never sits there when we watch movies or TV shows. Anyway, about a month ago, he stopped joining us for game time and the team went downhill shortly after. I don't think it's a coincidence.