New Owner - Mat Ishbia

[Covert Rain]

It shows what adding a #1 can do. Too bad, Chris Paul was at the tail end of his career.

I'm not sure what the Suns were thinking when they made the trade for Durant.

I do. They were thinking that they could add a #1 and put ANYTHING around those two players and it wouldn't matter. They were wrong. Adding Beal to that mix was an unmitigated disaster. Team in today's NBA build for depth. The Suns have none.

 

[Mainstreet]

I do. They were thinking that they could add a #1 and put ANYTHING around those two players and it wouldn't matter. They were wrong. Adding Beal to that mix was an unmitigated disaster. Team in today's NBA build for depth. The Suns have none.

Who was the #1?

 

[Phrazbit]

I do. They were thinking that they could add a #1 and put ANYTHING around those two players and it wouldn't matter. They were wrong. Adding Beal to that mix was an unmitigated disaster. Team in today's NBA build for depth. The Suns have none.

We went over this just the other day, but again...

The Durant trade removed any possibility of this being a deep team. Can't trade 2 of your top 4 players, the better part of a decade of draft picks AND cap yourself out and then act as though the "depth" problem wasn't entirely created by the trade to get Durant in the first place.

 

[Superbone]

We went over this just the other day, but again...

The Durant trade removed any possibility of this being a deep team. Can't trade 2 of your top 4 players, the better part of a decade of draft picks AND cap yourself out and then act as though the "depth" problem wasn't entirely created by the trade to get Durant in the first place.

Luckily, I think there's a 95% chance he's moved in the off-season. Although, we won't get back what we gave up. Tough to do when you gave up the farm in the first place. Horrible negotiating on the Suns' part.

 

[Covert Rain]

Who was the #1?

Huh?!?

 

[Mainstreet]

I do. They were thinking that they could add a #1 and put ANYTHING around those two players and it wouldn't matter. They were wrong. Adding Beal to that mix was an unmitigated disaster. Team in today's NBA build for depth. The Suns have none.

Huh?!?

It goes to reason that Durant isn't a #1 either.

 

[Covert Rain]

It goes to reason that Durant isn't a #1 either.

Based on what? It certainly isn’t how this front office constructed around KD and Book.

 

[Covert Rain]

We went over this just the other day, but again...

The Durant trade removed any possibility of this being a deep team. Can't trade 2 of your top 4 players, the better part of a decade of draft picks AND cap yourself out and then act as though the "depth" problem wasn't entirely created by the trade to get Durant in the first place.

No getting the Beal trade did that. Again, we have no idea how many other possibilities were out there and as much as I think the FO screwed the pooch that have proven everyone wrong time and time again when someone says they have no more moves. All it takes is one team to do something stupid.

 

[Mainstreet]

Based on what? It certainly isn’t how this front office constructed around KD and Book.

Did you not think Durant was a #1 when the Suns traded for him?

 

[Covert Rain]

Did you not think Durant was a #1 when the Suns traded for him?

At the time I thought of Book and Durant as a 1A and 1B but I have changed my mind about Book. He is not and never will be a #1 on a title team. Having said that I think a legit big could have made this work.

 

[Mainstreet]

At the time I thought of Book and Durant as a 1A and 1B but I have changed my mind about Book. He is not and never will be a #1 on a title team.

What about Durant? Is he no longer a #1?

 

[Covert Rain]

What about Durant? Is he no longer a #1?

Depends on the team. On deeper team yes but he is not capable at his age of carrying a team like the Suns with little depth. That ship has sailed. He is no longer the guy much like LeBron at his age capable of putting an entire team on his back.

 

[Mainstreet]

Depends on the team. On deeper team yes but he is not capable at his age of carrying a team like the Suns with little depth. That ship has sailed.

On a deeper team, Durant would still not be a number 1.

 

[Covert Rain]

On a deeper team, Durant would still not be a number 1.

Some teams have decent depth but not necessarily stars. Depth to me means decent players top to bottom. Unlike the Suns when get past past a few players you drop off a cliff. Eddie Johnson had a great interview about this very topic. He felt even some of the inferior teams the Suns lost to had better depth even if they didn’t have a Book or KD.

 

[Mainstreet]

Some teams have decent depth but not necessarily stars. Depth to me means decent players top to bottom. Unlike the Suns when get past past a few players you drop off a cliff. Eddie Johnson had a great interview about this very topic.

So can we agree, Durant is not a #1?

 

[Covert Rain]

So can we agree, Durant is not a #1?

I answered that. On this team as built? No.

 

[Sparky16]

Did you not think Durant was a #1 when the Suns traded for him?

No he was a loser @ BKN also - he is a stat padder who makes the team worse. He has spread his Cancer to Booker w/his **** attitude and has 3 friggin coaches and soon to be 4 in less than 2 years what a POS

 

[Mainstreet]

I answered that.

Maybe you can quote your answer because I missed it.

 

[Covert Rain]

Maybe you can quote your answer because I missed it.

Scroll up. Reread my comments on depth. I directly answered. You responded that you disagreed.

 

[Mainstreet]

Scroll up. Reread my comments on depth. I directly answered. You responded that you disagreed.

I don't see it.

If you don't want to answer, that's fine. Let's move on.

 

[Covert Rain]

I don't see it.

If you don't want to answer, that's fine. Let's move on.

Really?! Post 962. Your post response was 963. Literally scroll up.

 

[Mainstreet]

Really?! Post 962. Your post response was 963. Literally scroll up.

Depends on the team. On deeper team yes but he is not capable at his age of carrying a team like the Suns with little depth. That ship has sailed. He is no longer the guy much like LeBron at his age capable of putting an entire team on his back.

Durant wasn't a #1 when the Suns traded for him. Why is it so hard to say it without caveats?

 

[Covert Rain]

Durant wasn't a #1 when the Suns traded for him. Why is it so hard to say it without caveats?

So, I did answer. You just didn't like the answer. I don't care who your stars are. As they get older they need more support. That goes without saying. That is not a caveat. Lebron proved that in spades since coming to the Lakers even though playing pretty well at his age. It's funny go back and read the original posts. The biggest concern about him was being hurt not if he could still perform as one of the best players in the league.

 

[GatorAZ]

Durant wasn't a #1 when the Suns traded for him. Why is it so hard to say it without caveats?

.
KD was a top-3 player until he hurt is knee in Brooklyn the season he got traded here. He hasn’t been that guy since for more than a 2-3 week stretch. The Suns needed to keep an asset or two out of that deal.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Durant wasn't a #1 when the Suns traded for him. Why is it so hard to say it without caveats?

This is arguable. With KD as their 1, the Nets had reeled off like 21 of 24 wins and was either the 1 or 2 seed in the East before he got hurt.

What’s not arguable is that is NOT a #1 anymore.

What’seven sadder moving forward is Book is DEFINITELY not a 1 and to be honest, isn’t even really a good championship level 2 because he’s pretty one dimensional and doesn’t play both sides of the court.

Having those two one-dimensional guys, neither of which do anything to make their teammates better combined with them both being quitters during spots during their career, kill any blueprint to build around them.

I’ve got no issue saying I was totally duped as to who KD was AND who Booker could be when we made the trade.