Not Ready for Prime Time

[Irish]

It seems clear that this team is going to look very bad coming out of the gate. I don't know if they will turn it around after the All Star Break, but it is not promising.

My hope is that they are getting into good enough condition to run their offense and still play some pressure defense. But so far nothing seems to be clicking. To be blunt, this is a team totally dependent on three point shooting that right now can't seem to shoot.

Other observations:

There is a chance that the team will move Hedo the second team so he can hand the ball more. To do this, it would mean starting Warrick and possibly moving Childress to PF. The current lineup is not working, so I expect we'll see some experimenting.

It looks as if they miss Amundson more than was expected.

Can they go to the basket more? This is a team that uses outside shooters as a big part of their offense. Supposedly J-Rich is being asked to go the basket more and this is a big part of Childress' game. It may be that Frye should go the basket. But to have more guys going to the basket means developing some plays not a carryover from D'Antoni.

If the team fails to get its act together, then younger guys should be showcased.

 

[Yuma]

It looks as if they miss Amar'e more than was expected.

There, I fixed it for you! I really doubt if Amundson was here and Amar'e was still gone we would be rattling off lot's of wins in the preseason! LOL!

 

[AzStevenCal]

There, I fixed it for you! I really doubt if Amundson was here and Amar'e was still gone we would be rattling off lot's of wins in the preseason! LOL!

It's Amare mostly but it's more than that. It's the absence of Amare, the absence of Amundson and the simple fact that we were not as good as our WCF last year made us appear to be. As I've argued several times, Nash was arguably the best player in the game for the first month last year but was an average to below average player the rest of the season.

Those issues plus an influx of players ill-suited to play together and we have a very tough road ahead of us. I think there is enough talent that once roles become better defined (and assuming egos don't become an issue), this team can rise to borderline playoff caliber but until then we are just plain bad. However, I still think our FO will panic or at least react BEFORE we reach that point because our opening schedule will make us appear even worse than we are.

Steve

 

[Covert Rain]

I think there were a bunch of us that predicted this the second we had seen who the Suns replaced Amare with. Love or hate Amare he was one of the best offensive big men in the league. You can't take a big piece off your team and expect to be any good replacing him with the likes of AW or playing it by committee.

This is the Suns this season barring a trade. This team will struggle to make the playoffs as is.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think there were a bunch of us that predicted this the second we had seen who the Suns replaced Amare with. Love or hate Amare he was one of the best offensive big men in the league. You can't take a big piece off your team and expect to be any good replacing him with the likes of AW or playing it by committee.

This is the Suns this season barring a trade. This team will struggle to make the playoffs as is.

I was with you up until your overly optimistic final sentence. Right now, we look to be one of the 2 or 3 worst teams in the NBA. I think Nash and Gentry will eventually find a lineup that makes us competitive but by the time we reach that point, the damage will have been done. I think our best case scenario (barring a very good trade) has us growing into a team that can almost compete for a playoff spot.

As for Amare, I understood the reason we let him walk. However, I did not understand why, having decided to let him walk, they didn't start a true rebuilding process. Barring a helpful trade, we're going to win 30 -35 games this season. We could have come close to that without bringing in Hedo or Warrick. Also, we wouldn't have missed that mark by much even if we'd moved Nash, Hill and Richardson for younger talent and picks.

Steve

 

[AfroSuns]

I think there were a bunch of us that predicted this the second we had seen who the Suns replaced Amare with. Love or hate Amare he was one of the best offensive big men in the league. You can't take a big piece off your team and expect to be any good replacing him with the likes of AW or playing it by committee.

This is the Suns this season barring a trade. This team will struggle to make the playoffs as is.

Yup, now they have mostly jump shooters and opposing team are staying glued to them or defending them well enough that it has affected their shooting percentages. We dont have that main offensive threat anymore, except for Nash and they are able to guard him better, now he either forces a shot or pass to players who look confused.
Maybe they will figure it out, but i doubt it. i think it is going to be a heartbroken season and every indication is that Nash Stats will suffer more than Amare's this season. So much for the myopic view that Amare is nothing without Nash.

 

[elindholm]

Barring a helpful trade, we're going to win 30 -35 games this season.

You're reading way too much into the exhibition results. Yes, this roster is flawed, and the lack of a PF will hurt. But the priority in the preseason has been to evaluate players on the roster bubble and experiment with different roster combinations, not win games per se. The Suns will have to play much better than they have so far, but they will. Barring a major injury, there's no way they'll be a bottom-eight team, which is where you have them pegged. They may miss the playoffs, but they'll be in the discussion at least through the beginning of April.

 

[SunsTzu]

You're reading way too much into the exhibition results. Yes, this roster is flawed, and the lack of a PF will hurt. But the priority in the preseason has been to evaluate players on the roster bubble and experiment with different roster combinations, not win games per se. The Suns will have to play much better than they have so far, but they will. Barring a major injury, there's no way they'll be a bottom-eight team, which is where you have them pegged. They may miss the playoffs, but they'll be in the discussion at least through the beginning of April.

Completely agree. I think they finish just above .500 and likely just out of the playoffs.

 

[AzStevenCal]

You're reading way too much into the exhibition results. Yes, this roster is flawed, and the lack of a PF will hurt. But the priority in the preseason has been to evaluate players on the roster bubble and experiment with different roster combinations, not win games per se. The Suns will have to play much better than they have so far, but they will. Barring a major injury, there's no way they'll be a bottom-eight team, which is where you have them pegged. They may miss the playoffs, but they'll be in the discussion at least through the beginning of April.

In all the time I've been a Suns fan I've never once gone into a season convinced we were destined to be one of the worst teams. Even in the post-Davis years I was concerned but hopeful. This year, though, I see so many reasons to doubt this team that I've pretty much lost all hope. And that outlook is only slightly influenced by our preseason showing.

I really think we could finish anywhere between 15 and 45 wins. I know most here think I'm nuts with that low end possibility but our age, our talent mix, our lack of familiarity, our early season schedule and our chronic back problems convince me we're doomed. DOOMED, I TELL YOU!!!

Steve

 

[BC867]

Barring a major injury, there's no way they'll be a bottom-eight team, which is where you have them pegged. They may miss the playoffs, but they'll be in the discussion at least through the beginning of April.

Even Gentry and Nash have warned about a prolonged transition for the Suns. Can two months of disorientation be made up? Then, can we excel, to move beyond mediocre?

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/sun...phoenix-suns-steve-nash-need-time-adjust.html

 

[mojorizen7]

This is the bed the SUNS have made for themselves going back to the day after D'Antoni walked.....and NO, thats not a statement i make to put Mike D on a pedestal.

 

[Mainstreet]

I was skeptical whether the Suns would make the playoffs last season. I'm doubly skeptical this season. It appears the Suns are expecting Steve Nash to make it work. Steve Nash cannot create another star PF nor can he be expected to carry the Suns alone. See link to article from Paul Coro dated 10-24-10.

"Steve has to be a top-five player, MVP-wise, for us to be a top four or five seed," said Suns forward Jared Dudley, who enters a contract year, as do Richardson and Hill. "He just has to be. We've got to get some juice in those legs. He has to be someone who has to average 17 or 18 (points) and 11 or 12 (assists). He has to put so much pressure on teams"

The Suns are smart, experienced, quick, versatile and skilled. Their style remains a difficult matchup.

"It's going to be difficult but I would still hope that our guys feel like we're a playoff team because I feel like we're a playoff team," Gentry said. "It won't be easy to accomplish."

Steve Nash will take a good team somewhere but not a bag of mixed parts.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/sun...23phoenix-suns-steve-nash-more-greatness.html

 

[AzStevenCal]

I was skeptical whether the Suns would make the playoffs last season. I'm doubly skeptical this season. It appears the Suns are expecting Steve Nash to make it work. Steve Nash cannot create another star PF nor can he be expected to carry the Suns alone. See link to article from Paul Coro dated 10-24-10.

I wasn't skeptical at all last year. I expected us to make the playoffs although I didn't expect more than a first round victory at best. This year, from the moment it became obvious that we weren't re-signing Amare I've been convinced we were going to struggle just to be on the outside of the playoff race.

At the beginning of summer I was convinced that we were doing the right thing letting Amare walk. At that time, I thought we'd also divest ourselves of some of our more established players and begin a serious rebuilding process. Others here were convinced we'd put just enough talent around Nash to keep us competitive. I guess we were all wrong. We didn't rebuild and we didn't restock the cupboard sufficiently to compete (a little early for this pronouncement but all signs point this direction).

Now, given that our FO is unwilling to truly rebuild I think they should have just re-signed Amare at any cost. We still wouldn't be a championship contender but it would be better than the wasted season we're approaching. All we have left, IMO, is to try and find willing trade partners that will give us hope for the future.

Steve