Kings at Suns Game Thread

[cly2tw]

So, how did Banks and Skinner play? Can Banks be trusted for 10-15 min a game? I watched part of the Mavs' comeback over Rockets. Terry and Harris are really good in there. Despite improved defense by LB, we need Banks for those situations. Do we have a reasonable 9 men rotation when Bell is back?

 

[Chris_Sanders]

It kind of cracked me up for Leander talking up the bench holding the lead by only allowing a 30 point lead to get down to 18.

One King player that really impressed me was Spencer Hawes. He has some game.

 

[mojorizen7]

I disagree because it's not like he's being counted upon for anything this season. I believe he can be coached up.
Although, with the way that defense is undervalued in this organization, you may be right. He may not be on the roster next season.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

So, how did Banks and Skinner play? Can Banks be trusted for 10-15 min a game? I watched part of the Mavs' comeback over Rockets. Terry and Harris are really good in there. Despite improved defense by LB, we need Banks for those situations. Do we have a reasonable 9 men rotation when Bell is back?

Skinner continued to play very strong. He was active and showed decent shooting touch and played good defense. Given time he may actually be better for this team than Kurt Thomas was and I will have to eat a ton of crow.

Banks was stuck guarding the much larger Salmons for much of the night. He won more of those battles than anyone should with that much of a size difference. He made some nice passes but still struggled from outside. He definitely can take it to the hole.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

This was such a positive thread until Sanders came in with his rookie bashing...

 

[Chris_Sanders]

BTW anyone who wants to trade for Brad Miller...

He simply isn't very good anymore.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

This was such a positive thread until Sanders came in with his rookie bashing...

Okay I am sorry. They shot a combined 33% from the field, they both finished -12, neither had an assist, in 24 minutes of play they combined for 2 rebounds...

But outside of that yeah they were great.

 

[HooverDam]

I just got home from the game, I had some awesome seats. I was able to luck into some seats behind the baseline in the 2nd row (not of the leather seats, but in the bowl portion). At one point Robert Sarver walked by me to go to the restroom or whatever and I yelled out "Keep the picks this year" and he turned around and did the hand sign for money and mouthed "cash," I LOLed.

 

[jbeecham]

Okay I am sorry. They shot a combined 33% from the field, they both finished -12, neither had an assist, in 24 minutes of play they combined for 2 rebounds...

But outside of that yeah they were great.

So Banks, Strawberry, Tucker, Diaw & Marks struggled against the Kings, who were still playing Salmons & Garcia most of the 4th qtr.....Basically the Kings took the ball to the basket against the weak front court of Marks & Diaw and dominated the offensive glass. Sure they didn't shoot well, but you can't blame Tucker & Strawberry for all of the -12 while they were in there.

 

[Mainstreet]

I really liked what I saw in DJ and Tucker tonight but I look at what rookies can do and not what they can't. DJ showed excellent quickness and the ability to penetrate to the hoop. Tucker showed me he really has some hops and toughness inside.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Some More Positives:

I am not giving Banks enough credit. Nash played a miniscule 27 minutes tonight and that is because Banks was competent enough as his backup to allow that to happen.

D'Antoni attempted to go with a traditional lineup at times with Skinner, Amare, Marion, Nash, and Barbosa playing together.

Hill and Barbosa were both over +30. Hill continues to be a rock solid addition.

The effort waned a bit at the end of the second quarter, but the Suns came out motivated for the third period and just dismantled an inferior opponent.

Tucker has good range and athleticism. Looked the best of the 12th men.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

At one point Robert Sarver walked by me to go to the restroom or whatever and I yelled out "Keep the picks this year" and he turned around and did the hand sign for money and mouthed "cash," I LOLed.

That's not really funny

 

[HooverDam]

Did they mention anything on TV/radio about why Pike didn't play? It seemed weird to me to keep Diaw in there for so long. I know it would've given them a 1 big (Marks) 4 guard lineup, but up 20+ with 3 minutes to go, why not?

That's not really funny

It was one of those, you laugh, because what else can you do?

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Did they mention anything on TV/radio about why Pike didn't play? It seemed weird to me to keep Diaw in there for so long. I know it would've given them a 1 big (Marks) 4 guard lineup, but up 20+ with 3 minutes to go, why not?

I didn't hear any reason and wondered the same thing. Perhaps D'Antoni just couldn't bring himself to use all his players in one game

 

[jbeecham]

If Pike had played, we probably would've only won by 6-8pts. Like D'Antoni says, you know exactly what you're going to get from Pike.....no defense and poor outside shooting.

 

[Mainstreet]

I am not giving Banks enough credit. Nash played a miniscule 27 minutes tonight and that is because Banks was competent enough as his backup to allow that to happen.

The maturation of Banks as a backup PG would be huge. I've been down somewhat on Banks as a backup PG but if he could play the rest of the year like he did tonight I would be very happy. Nash could also get some much needed rest during the year. Also I agree with you on Tucker. Tonight he could play inside or outside. If he could develop anyway like Josh Howard I would be thrilled.

 

[azirish]

Basketball is a team sport and putting a bunch of backups together doesn't tell us much. For example, Banks was much better playing with starters. I'm not sure he's played that many minutes since he was with the Wolves.

 

[Stargazer]

My thoughts on the game:

1. Another amazing offensive performance with Bell out of the game. Hmm . . . . I'm not drawing any conclusions about anything, but it sure makes you wonder. Yes, LB gives you great scoring and energy off the bench. But on the other hand, Bell would give you great defense and energy off the bench. Bell has had the bad luck to get hurt at the exact moment that the team finally gelled. That may make it harder to work him back in.

2. I thought Banks played very well tonight, both during the real game and in the fourth quarter. In particular, he was doing a much better job of moving the ball quickly up court, passing ahead, and setting up his teammates. 6 assists and 0 turnovers in 30 minutes - more time than any of the starters, actually. The only real downside was 3-9 shooting -- with as much offensive firepower as the team has, that's a lot of blown possessions that someone else probably could have converted. (On the other hand, I think a lot of those misses were in garbage time, so maybe not a big deal). I had a sort of random thought that maybe Coach played him tonight in recognition of the Thanksgiving meals he gave away today. Whatever the reason, I'm thinking he gave Coach a good reason to play him again, at least against small, fast teams.

3. Yet another good game by Hill -- 6 assists and 5 rebs, and 6-9 from the field plus 3-3 from the line. He's a likeable guy, and it's good to see him on a good team.

4. It was good to see the rookies play, but I guess they didn't bowl me over or anything. I still see them as a total non-factor this year, but I'm happy to see them get minutes as long as there's no price to pay.

A great win -- and suddenly, a great win streak is underway.

 

[bigfoot]

I had a sort of random thought that maybe Coach played him tonight in recognition of the Thanksgiving meals he gave away today.

I was thinking the same thing.
That's mighty nice of Banks, btw. I can imagine it's very much appreciated by the recipients.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

One thing that surprised me most was that Marion led the team in scoring. You almost forget how many points he scores, blew me away when I checked and he had 25.

He should really embrace the invisible man aspect instead of complaining about it. It's one of his best abilities.

 

[azirish]

Marion focused mostly on his mid range stuff. It always looks like he's an old west gun slinger with where he shoots from, but it went in. When Marion is shooting well, the Suns are all but impossible to stop because he's the guy everybody leaves open.

I don't know what D'Antoni talked about prior to the game, but I suspect there was an emphasis on ball movement. IMHO, the team went very stagnant on Tuesday and the ball starting sticking. Last night showed 33 assists which is what the Suns are about . Plus there were more than 1/2 the assists from guys other than Nash. Of course it is easier to do when guys hit their shots.

 

[Cheesebeef]

ok... THAT was Phoenix Suns basketball. That was an absolute blast to watch last night.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

ok... THAT was Phoenix Suns basketball. That was an absolute blast to watch last night.

Not happy unless the starters sit the entire 4th, eh?

 

[Errntknght]

Banks played well except that he took at least three shots early in the 24 sec. clock when he wasn't well set or wide open. Hopefully, one of the coaches will go over the tape of the game with him and get him to see those mistakes. There are probably nights now and then when he can hit those shots and, on a team desperate for scoring, the coach might let him fire away like that but the Suns don't need a 'volume' shooter. Its not that he takes lousy shots when someone else has a good shot but he's got to take the shot clock into consideration, too.

What I liked best, on offense, was pushing the ball hard up floor plus looking and passing ahead - and he made a couple of slick passes on the run. Not Nash-esque but quite good. Just what the Suns need if D'Antoni is serious about pushing the tempo even higher this year - which I take to mean keeping it up for 48 minutes. 15 minutes from him in the middle of the game would have the backcourt finishers fresher.

Marcus looked better on D than all but a couple of prior occasions. The results weren't that good because Salmons was knocking down tough shots over him - and once cleared him out with a nasty elbow which the dunces in stripes called a foul on Banks. Douby beat him off the dribble on his first possession but after that Macus stayed in front of him.

Recently someone in here said that Banks was terrible getting through screens so I watched for that tonight - the first opportunity to do so - and not only wasn't he terrible, he was very good at getting by them. Even when he did go under he quick to re-establish on his man. One game doesn't completely seal it, so I'll keep watching - it could be Sac was setting sloppy picks.

 

[azirish]

My read on it was that his plus/minus in the first half for Banks was really good (for a lot of guys of course ).

Considering how bad he was last season, it is easy to believe he's on a short leash. He's fighting against the way he's been taught to play and slips into his old "one on one" habits at time, but he really can play.

What would I tell him?

1. Don't take long jump shots after dribbling. This offense is built around "catch and shoot" and the ball will come back if you work to get open.

2. Keep your head up when going to the basket and watch for guys to pass to. Assists off drives will open lanes in the future as help defenders have to worry about leaving guys open for threes.

3. Play hard all the time. He's in more for defense than offense so he can't let up. Energy will get him more minutes than hitting wild shots.