Nash To IR!?!

[mkapp]

Sounds good. Rest him up, but they need him back before they hit Seattle and San Antonio in March. I heard the glove is on the block and wants to come to a contender. If the price is right...?

 

[Joe Mama]

i guess that depends on your definition of point guard.

For most people, I think the definition includes the ability to get more than two assists in 36 minutes, especially on a team full of scorers. And tonight was hardly the first time that Barbosa has put up that kind of statistic. On the season, he has almost as many turnovers as assists.

And it's more than just statistics. Barbosa does not really create the scoring opportunities for others like a true point guard does. He isn't even a scoring point guard. He just isn't a point guard.

That said, I have liked what I've seen from him the last couple games. He's incredibly good at getting to the basket and finishing. He doesn't slam the ball. It's just amazing how he can get by people and lay it up off the backboard. I think he's best when he can't do his thing on offense playing alongside guys like Jimmy Jackson and Joe Johnson who are actually better played makers and he is. His defense on opposing point guards has been very good. He needs to concentrate on that.

Old the way though I think the Suns will need a better point guard off the bench. I'm not saying they should get rid of Barbosa. I'm not saying they will or need to do it this season. I don't think they will make any moves until next summer. I still like the idea of bringing Vujanic over the summer although I'm not sure how realistic it is or if the Suns are even considering it.

Joe Mama

 

[jbeecham]

Barbosa should have had at least 6 assists tonight. He had numerous passes that were going for dunks until the Clippers gave some hard fouls. He also had 2 passes to Voshkul that should've been baskets, but Jake doesn't know how to dunk so he tried to lay it up and missed and got fouled. He also fumbled one pass that could've been a layup/dunk. I think he also had a pass to Hunter on the fast break that Steven didn't expect that went out of bounds, but it was a pretty good pass.

Overall I was impressed with Barbosa tonight. He pushed the ball up the court pretty much every time. He got 3 steals and tipped a few other passes causing turnovers. He played good defense on the Clipper's point guards Brunson & Chalmers went a combined 2-8fg. He also grabbed 6 rebounds and shot 9-15fg. Also, our top 6 players tonight had 21 total assists without Nash playing. That shows everyone was making the extra pass and the assists were spread around.

 

[jandaman]

Barbosa has always been a capable scorer and defender, he's got the physical tools to be a terrific player. But past games he has not shown good point guard skills such as creating plays for his teammates.

Tonight, he didnt get very much assists, but the suns team overall had a good night out finding teammates for the bucket. As jbeecham, Barbosa looked to get his teammates some buckets tonight, but simply didnt have the luck to get the assists next to his name. Its just a matter of time really till he gets into the flow of a playmaking point guard, he just needs more time on court, Nash also needs some games rests till the playoffs, good timing for Barbosa to get experience with this line-up.

 

[devilalum]

Sounds good. Rest him up, but they need him back before they hit Seattle and San Antonio in March. I heard the glove is on the block and wants to come to a contender. If the price is right...?

Sure he'd help but what could the Suns send for Payton that makes any sense at all?

 

[Joe Mama]

While Gary Payton would be a great fit for the Phoenix Suns on the court there's just no chance that they are going to trade for him. There are too many questions about his presence in the locker room, and more importantly they don't have the pieces that they would be willing to send to get him.

jbeech, I'm not sure that I'd buy into the argument that Barbosa "would have had" a bunch of assists if not for fouls and missed shots. If we counted those missed opportunities I'm sure Steve Nash would average 6-7 more assists per game along with every other point guard in the NBA. I think he's a nice player with minimal platemaking skills at this point. I'm not sure how I would feel about trading him at this point. It would just really depend on what the team got in return. Certainly I wouldn't be happy if they basically gave him away though.

Joe Mama

 

[jibikao]

I've watched a few games where Barbosa played PG. I am not too impressed with him since I think he looked for his shots more than for his teammates.

Having said that, I also don't think we can find a decent "pass first" PG like Nash. Those "pass first" PGs are so rare on the market right now. Many teams need those PGs like Lakers, Rockets, etc.

I am just glad that Barbosa stepped up tonight. If he can't create for his teammates, then find a way to score, which he did. I agreed with myrondizzo that the change in style is kinda neat but Amare needs to find a way to fit in when Nash is out.

We shot extremely well but like what Q said, it was only Clippers. If we can win or at least compete with the elite teams without Nash/Amare, then we definitely show some depth.

Overall, I like what we have now. When Nash sits out, Barbosa and JimJackson will have more opportunities to find their shots. The only thing I am worried is Amare because he doesn't seem to function really well without Nash. I didn't watch the game but Amare's stats looks horrible when Nash is out and it doesn't help that he was in foul trouble.

Did Amare look like he didn't know what to do when Nash is out?? Or the teammates just don't pass to him enough?

 

[NickelBack]

Nash will not practice again today:

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=36924

 

[jbeecham]

jbeech, I'm not sure that I'd buy into the argument that Barbosa "would have had" a bunch of assists if not for fouls and missed shots. If we counted those missed opportunities I'm sure Steve Nash would average 6-7 more assists per game along with every other point guard in the NBA. I think he's a nice player with minimal platemaking skills at this point. I'm not sure how I would feel about trading him at this point. It would just really depend on what the team got in return. Certainly I wouldn't be happy if they basically gave him away though.

Joe Mama

I don't know how good he is at making plates either. I thought the Clippers really made an effort not to give up layups/dunks and that hurt his assist numbers. Also his teammates were making the extra pass so that lowered his assist totals. Apparently he should've passed to Q out on the 3pt line more because then he's got a 50/50 chance of getting an assist.

 

[Joe Mama]

I don't know how good he is at making plates either. I thought the Clippers really made an effort not to give up layups/dunks and that hurt his assist numbers. Also his teammates were making the extra pass so that lowered his assist totals. Apparently he should've passed to Q out on the 3pt line more because then he's got a 50/50 chance of getting an assist.

all right. All right. My voice software sucks. I suck. Now leave me alone. Joe Mama