I'm on board!

[BC867]

As my posts have indicated over the years, I'm a basketball traditionalist, as well as a Type-A/anal retentive/tight ass personality -- a place for everything and everything in its place.

I like to see a traditional Center, a traditional Power Forward, etc., as well as equal parts of offense and defense, rebounds, blocks and steals.

But I'm going to make my best effort to enjoy the Suns strengths and Alvin Gentry's leadership. Not because the Suns have gotten off to a good start, but because of how they have gotten off to a good start.

Gentry seems to be recognizing each player's strengths and potential and giving them an opportunity to excel. I truly admire that. You take what you have and make it work.

He's using the Suns SSOL approach, but supporting it with sound coaching. A 9- or 10-man rotation vs.D'Antoni's 7. Taking defense seriously vs. making jokes about it. Developing young players vs. saying that it is not his job. I like it!

I'm on board. Go Suns.

 

[AfroSuns]

Welcome!!

 

[DeAnna]

Bandwagoner.

Seriously, tho, Gentry seems to be the perfect blend of D'Antoni and Porter which the players respond to.

 

[Superbone]

About time.

 

[tibbs84]

welcome!! enjoy the ride

 

[BC867]

welcome!! enjoy the ride

Thanks. I've been loyal to the Suns since the '70's. Just very vocal about their direction.

I want to feel good about them. I will enjoy their accomplishments.

 

[Wonder]

we know who to blame if they lose tomorrow.

 

[Stargazer]

we know who to blame if they lose tomorrow.

Agreed. This has 10-game losing streak written all over it.

 

[Forrestham]

I have been a fan since the 70s. He is taking D'Antoni's strong point and adding a 9 man rotation. D'Antoni was too stubborn and non flexible for his own good. Porter was a train wreck for this group. The whole team seems to by buying in to Gentry. What has helped them is the improvement of players like Dragic. Louie and Dudley are really thriving on the 2nd unit. Something nobody brought up is the Orlando game. In the 3rd quarter it was obvious the team just did not have it that night. Rather than keep pushing his starters, he got them out of the game and chalked it up as a loss. In an 82 game season the team is not going to play good every game. It allowed the players to be fresh and they got a big win in Boston

 

[mojorizen7]

Not sold yet, as this is basically the NFL equivilant of week one.
Gentry has certainly gotten my attention though. He has this team prepared and ready to compete nightly.

 

[Mainstreet]

I have been a fan since the 70s. He is taking D'Antoni's strong point and adding a 9 man rotation. D'Antoni was too stubborn and non flexible for his own good. Porter was a train wreck for this group. The whole team seems to by buying in to Gentry. What has helped them is the improvement of players like Dragic. Louie and Dudley are really thriving on the 2nd unit. Something nobody brought up is the Orlando game. In the 3rd quarter it was obvious the team just did not have it that night. Rather than keep pushing his starters, he got them out of the game and chalked it up as a loss. In an 82 game season the team is not going to play good every game. It allowed the players to be fresh and they got a big win in Boston

This is a very nice summary of what Gentry is doing. I hope it can continue but it is a long season. I do worry about the Suns lack of size upfront. Earl Clark will be needed before the season is over so I hope he develops.

 

[Chaplin]

This is a very nice summary of what Gentry is doing. I hope it can continue but it is a long season. I do worry about the Suns lack of size upfront. Earl Clark will be needed before the season is over so I hope he develops.

Like it or not, Robin Lopez will be part of that size up front.

 

[Gaddabout]

I guess the way to defend the Suns is to press the perimeter and force them to put it on the floor. It will give up a lot of layups, but you don't get the multiplying factor of shooting 3s. Either that or you go zone and let the Suns shoot themselves into and out of a game. I think that's when Nash goes crazy, though.

I'm sure problems will crop up, but right now I can't think of any scheme that can stop the Suns outside of a premium man defense on their A game. The Celtics brought their B game and got out-gunned.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

This team is flawed and probably isn't a true championship contender, but they're entertaining, easy to like, and play with very good chemistry. Keep those things up and Phoenix will again have something to be proud of.

Finding 12 guys that will play hard and selflessly is half the battle in today's NBA.

 

[Errntknght]

BC867,

Gentry seems to be recognizing each player's strengths and potential and giving them an opportunity to excel. I truly admire that. You take what you have and make it work.

He's using the Suns SSOL approach, but supporting it with sound coaching. A 9- or 10-man rotation vs.D'Antoni's 7. Taking defense seriously vs. making jokes about it. Developing young players vs. saying that it is not his job. I like it!

I'm on board. Go Suns.

My sentiments exactly - Gentry's doing a much better job this year. I have to admit I had my doubts after last season. Unlike D'A, he appears to learn from his mistakes and he undoubtedly benefited from having the reins from the get-go.

Channing Frye has been a pleasant surprise - he's not as good as Diaw at his best but he's a whole lot better when Amare is on the floor with him than Boris ever was.

Assuming no one has a major let down and the team chemistry remains good, what would it take for this team to contend this year? Here are my thoughts on that formidable task...

#1 Dragic has to improve his play making enough to make Gentry comfortable sitting Nash 5 minutes more per game. This is probably doable but Alvin is going to have to squeeze Barbs a bit so Dragic gets more floor time.

#2 Earl Clark is going to have to figure out what his role is - he looks fairly lost on the floor right now and quite uncomfortable shooting the ball. We're dangerously thin in the front court and unless Lopez returns a different player, he'll still be a negative factor. I haven't seen enough of Clark yet to have any idea what his role ought to be, though I would like him to play some at SF and see how that goes on both ends of the floor. I also don't know whether there's any chance this is doable this year.

#3 The first unit is going to have to improve a bit on defense. They are never going to be good but they should be able to cut down on mental lapses and improve their awareness of when and what kind of help is needed. The coaching staff is going to have stay on top of it or it won't happen.

 

[JCSunsfan]

BC867,

My sentiments exactly - Gentry's doing a much better job this year. I have to admit I had my doubts after last season. Unlike D'A, he appears to learn from his mistakes and he undoubtedly benefited from having the reins from the get-go.

Channing Frye has been a pleasant surprise - he's not as good as Diaw at his best but he's a whole lot better when Amare is on the floor with him than Boris ever was.

Assuming no one has a major let down and the team chemistry remains good, what would it take for this team to contend this year? Here are my thoughts on that formidable task...

#1 Dragic has to improve his play making enough to make Gentry comfortable sitting Nash 5 minutes more per game. This is probably doable but Alvin is going to have to squeeze Barbs a bit so Dragic gets more floor time.

#2 Earl Clark is going to have to figure out what his role is - he looks fairly lost on the floor right now and quite uncomfortable shooting the ball. We're dangerously thin in the front court and unless Lopez returns a different player, he'll still be a negative factor. I haven't seen enough of Clark yet to have any idea what his role ought to be, though I would like him to play some at SF and see how that goes on both ends of the floor. I also don't know whether there's any chance this is doable this year.

#3 The first unit is going to have to improve a bit on defense. They are never going to be good but they should be able to cut down on mental lapses and improve their awareness of when and what kind of help is needed. The coaching staff is going to have stay on top of it or it won't happen.

#4 We cannot have major injuries to Nash, Hill, or Richardson.

Here are some reasons why we are so much better though.

1. Who knew that the coach demanding that the 3, 4, 5, crash the defensive boards would make such a difference rebounding. Yes, we sacrifice a few breaks, but we also give up fewer second chance points. I think it is an overall improvement.

2. Who knew that Grant Hill could do such a Marion imitation.

3. If Amare really commits himself to defense, all bets are off. Anything is possible.

 

[trueherotillman]

size is a concern, but one thing i noticed last game is when Channing is on the perimeter, it pulls the center out of the lane and allows Grand, Amare and Dudley to get rebounds that normally they wouldn't get. pulling your starters when you realize a loss is on the horizon is also smart. we're not going 81-1 this year, so get em out for a rest if the game is out of reach.

 

[Gaddabout]

This team is flawed and probably isn't a true championship contender, but they're entertaining, easy to like, and play with very good chemistry. Keep those things up and Phoenix will again have something to be proud of.

Finding 12 guys that will play hard and selflessly is half the battle in today's NBA.

I was thinking about this last night. The biggest concern for the Suns is the health of Nash, Stoudemire, and Hill. They really can't afford to lose those guys for an extended time. OTOH, if they get dinged up here and there, Dragic, Barbosa, Amundson, and Dudley look capable as short-term starters to fill in the gaps, so they're all allowed to miss a few games this season. But they still need to keep their total games at about 70+.

It would be nice to get this team locked into a playoff position -- any playoff position with a couple weeks to go and give the old guys on the team a chance to rest their legs. Especially Nash. Every year he gets about 10 days into the playoffs and the wear and tear becomes evident. When he has his legs, though, he's the fulcrum for a strong team run.