Not ready to give up on Banks just yet...

[green machine]

If Banks improves his attitude and work ethic then he has a chance to be a rotation player.

 

[azirish]

If Banks improves his attitude and work ethic then he has a chance to be a rotation player.

Not in the eight man rotation baring an injury or two or three.

If I was Banks, I'd be concerned that Strawberry might get moved ahead of him. He played some point at Maryland and might be adequate in a lineup with Diaw, Barbosa, and Hill.

The only way Strawberry gets those minutes is if he turns out to be as good a man defender as advertised (some say he is as good or better than Brewer).

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Not in the eight man rotation baring an injury or two or three.

If I was Banks, I'd be concerned that Strawberry might get moved ahead of him. He played some point at Maryland and might be adequate in a lineup with Diaw, Barbosa, and Hill.

The only way Strawberry gets those minutes is if he turns out to be as good a man defender as advertised (some say he is as good or better than Brewer).

I doubt it, The Suns really need to get down in salary and Banks is the only choice to push hard. You cannot push Thomas because the Suns are way too small, unless someone big and fits in is released, Banks is definately the guy you need to play.

At somepoint this year I expect this to be a huge debate on this board, especially if Banks plays average to good, because some will not understand why the Suns will deal him. It's going to be a fun thread.

 

[green machine]

Not in the eight man rotation baring an injury or two or three.

If I was Banks, I'd be concerned that Strawberry might get moved ahead of him. He played some point at Maryland and might be adequate in a lineup with Diaw, Barbosa, and Hill.

The only way Strawberry gets those minutes is if he turns out to be as good a man defender as advertised (some say he is as good or better than Brewer).

I think Banks will have every chance to get into the rotation because of his salary. The Suns want him to produce so they can trade him, and if he proves to be good then keep him as the backup to Nash.

 

[azirish]

I think Banks will have every chance to get into the rotation because of his salary. The Suns want him to produce so they can trade him, and if he proves to be good then keep him as the backup to Nash.

I don't see showcases as being the same as being in the rotation.

 

[green machine]

I don't see showcases as being the same as being in the rotation.

I look at it this way: He'll play, and if he is awful then they know they won't be able to trade him and he'll find himself on the bench much like last season. However, if he produces then that opens up a ton of options for the team.

 

[Covert Rain]

I think Banks will have every chance to get into the rotation because of his salary. The Suns want him to produce so they can trade him, and if he proves to be good then keep him as the backup to Nash.

God I hope not. If this team starts making decisions based on someones salary then we are in trouble. If your going to showcase him then you need to do it early to get rid of him.

 

[cly2tw]

There is only one SYSTEM in the entire history of NBA. Every attempt to emulate it is destined to fail. And you can't really blame the players like LB or Banks for it. The vicious cycle of DA's philosophy is the following:

-Run the oppononts out of the gym;
-The only to do it is we don't slow down when Nash takes a rest;
-We don't have a bench PG that could fill this job description;
-Thus, we don't play them much and have to play Nash as much as possible;
-In the playoffs, there is a good chance that Nash becomes worn out a little and the opponents with good adjustment and personell could (consequently?) manage to slow down and neutralize Nash considerably. And we fail as we don't even have a substitute game plan other than relying on the SYSTEM.


Can Banks play? Well, can Vaughn play? Pop made the latter a very useful part of their team when it counted. And I think Banks is at least at the same level of Vaughn, skil wise.

 

[Mainstreet]

I always liked Vaughn even when he was with Utah although his shooting used to be atrocious.

 

[hafey]

Vaughn is dreadful, but Pop gets 10 mediocre minutes or so a night out of him.

 

[azirish]

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2007/games/20070709/CLEPHX/recap.html

Banks Sets Scoring Record in Loss to Cavaliers
Posted Jul 10 2007 1:19AM



Cleveland 93, Phoenix 89
Las Vegas, July 9 --Marcus Banks returned to the gym where he once honed his skills as a collegiate athlete. The former UNLV guard set a new summer league record with 42 points, but it wasn’t enough. Banks and the Suns were edged 93-89 by the Cavaliers in the nightcap at Thomas and Mack Center.

Banks' record-setting performance took flight in the final period, where Banks netted 23 points and nearly won the game for Phoenix. During several stretches of the final period Banks became a one man show.
“I just wanted to come out and have fun,” Banks said of his return. “I had a lot of family and friends here and I was glad I was able to put on a show.” Banks shot 68% from the field (13-19 FG), 80% from long range (4-5 3FG) and 86% from the charity stripe (12-14 FT).

“I want to prove to everyone that I can still play,” Banks said. “It’s been a rough road but I just keep on working hard. That’s all I can do.”

Forward Darius Rice led a balanced Cleveland attack which saw four Cavaliers score 15 or more points. Rice had 21 points, Dwayne Jones 18, PJ Tucker 16 and Shannon Brown added 15.
It was the Cavaliers improved to 2-1 with the win. Phoenix dropped to 0-1 in

Banks has been working out over the past few weeks and perhaps it has made a difference. Obviously it is only one game, but it is easy to forget what it was that got the Suns interested in him to begin with.

Considering that these guys have only been together since the 6th, it is hard to evaluate their "team" play and his point guard skills. But it is a whole lot better than some of the poor outings other high visibility players have had.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2007/games/20070709/CLEPHX/recap.html



Banks has been working out over the past few weeks and perhaps it has made a difference. Obviously it is only one game, but it is easy to forget what it was that got the Suns interested in him to begin with.

Considering that these guys have only been together since the 6th, it is hard to evaluate their "team" play and his point guard skills. But it is a whole lot better than some of the poor outings other high visibility players have had.

42 points is impressive, summer league or not. This is why I hold out hope for him, because he does have skills.

If you're interested in watching this game for free, the link for it is here:

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2007/scoreboard.jsp

Just click on 'Watch' under the Suns-Cavs scoreboard.

 

[Griffin]

With Banks, I see four distinct possibilities:

1) Try to trade him
Right now nobody wants him. It's possible that his summer league performance, if it continues the same way, may make a team or two interested. But even then, the Suns would likely have to give up a pick or two, most likely the Hawks pick. That to me is not acceptable.

2) Keep trying to shape him into our backup PG
This is clearly not going to work. Banks is not a good PG. We need to look to Barbosa, Diaw and Hill to pick up the slack when Nash sits and forget about Banks ever being an option there.

3) Let him sit again
That's a lot of money sitting on a bench, and he still has so many years left on his contract. But it's better than losing a pick just to unload him.

4) Let him play off the ball
Last year Banks did not shoot the ball very well, especially early on in the season when he was getting playing time. But if he can demonstrate that he can shoot a good percentage from outside/midrange and get to the hoop and finish strong, then he can be an asset. Not the PG we needed, but still someone we can bring off the bench to provide some scoring like House did a few years back.

 

[azirish]

4) Let him play off the ball
Last year Banks did not shoot the ball very well, especially early on in the season when he was getting playing time. But if he can demonstrate that he can shoot a good percentage from outside/midrange and get to the hoop and finish strong, then he can be an asset. Not the PG we needed, but still someone we can bring off the bench to provide some scoring like House did a few years back.

They tried that last season, but he was not shooting well. Perhaps he'll do better this year if gets with the program.

 

[elindholm]

Even if he does improve his shooting, there's no room for him in the SG rotation. Bell and Barbosa have that covered.

 

[High Stakes]

Banks could have droped 100 last night and i would still trade him for a bag of nacho cheesier dorritos and a energy drink to be named later.....

 

[Joe Mama]

Even if he does improve his shooting, there's no room for him in the SG rotation. Bell and Barbosa have that covered.

Well, I'm still not sure if there's a lot of room, but with Grant Hill and/or Boris Diaw, Marcus Banks could play either backcourt position. Version also always the distinct possibility of injuries.

My guess is that they'll try giving banks a few minutes at the beginning of the season, he'll brick a few shots, and we won't hear about him again until the trade deadline when they try to unload him.

Joe

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Banks could have droped 100 last night and i would still trade him for a bag of nacho cheesier dorritos and a energy drink to be named later.....

Make it a Rockstar Juiced or no deal.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Banks could have droped 100 last night and i would still trade him for a bag of nacho cheesier dorritos and a energy drink to be named later.....

At least we now have an idea as to what we may get from the "future considerations" deal with JJ.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Well, I'm still not sure if there's a lot of room, but with Grant Hill and/or Boris Diaw, Marcus Banks could play either backcourt position. Version also always the distinct possibility of injuries.

My guess is that they'll try giving banks a few minutes at the beginning of the season, he'll brick a few shots, and we won't hear about him again until the trade deadline when they try to unload him.

Joe

Keep in mind this team wants to shed payroll, Banks is the obvious choice #1 and KT is #2. If they can deal him I just hope they can do so without having to pacakge the Atlanta pick with him.

 

[azirish]

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=2168

Marcus Banks

-Banks played a fantastic game, looking unstoppable shooting from the perimeter and driving to the basket.

-Banks was hitting on all cylinders, drilling threes and using his insane quickness to attack the basket.

-He used his body extremely well on both offense and defense, proving to be productive on almost every possession.

-Banks was almost impossible to stay in front of, and he really had the ball on a string.

Obvoulsy one game is just one game and the opposition was not NBA starters. But this is certainly not the guy that we saw last November when he played himself out of the rotation.

If he really has turned the corner, I would not worry about him getting minutes. In 2005-06, the Suns had a four man guard rotation:

Nash 35.4 minutes
Bell 37.5 minutes (he was used some at SF)
Barbosa 27.9 minutes (57 games)
House 17.5 minutes

House was not much of a point guard and was inadequate as a defender. A backup line of Barbosa and Banks would undoubtedly need to have ball handlers like Diaw and Hill available; but it is not like it could not work if Banks were to play well.

 

[Rab]

Part of the problem with Banks last year was that he was usually only played with a big part of the second unit. Obviously it's going to be a little more challenging to be productive with those guys on the floor.

I think he'd play a little better with someone like Grant Hill on the floor at the same time. Banks is a scorer more than a distributer, and he is pretty dang quick. If D'Antoni has someone in there who can help take pressure of Banks to be a playmaker, he might surprise us a little.

My stance on him hasn't changed any, but it would be nice to see him contribute something other than cheerleader during the intro for the starting lineup.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Part of the problem with Banks last year was that he was usually only played with a big part of the second unit. Obviously it's going to be a little more challenging to be productive with those guys on the floor.

I think he'd play a little better with someone like Grant Hill on the floor at the same time. Banks is a scorer more than a distributer, and he is pretty dang quick. If D'Antoni has someone in there who can help take pressure of Banks to be a playmaker, he might surprise us a little.

My stance on him hasn't changed any, but it would be nice to see him contribute something other than cheerleader during the intro for the starting lineup.

The Suns don't need scorers, especially volume shooters like Banks. Banks scored like half of his points in the 4th quarter, so with enough shots Banks will eventually score, but that's the whole thing that's out of place with Banks playing time theories, he isn't instant offense, he is a volume scorer and they need lots of shots to be a fully effective scoring threat. Does LB shot less for Banks? Does Hill? Does Bell? Does STAT? I don't think so not based on the summer league, when these guys have done it in real games.

If he isn't traded, Banks needs to focus on defense, defense, defense. and more defense. This is what will get him PT and it's that simple. We don't need banks to score or really run the offense, Hill can do that, Banks needs to become a balls to the wall defender.

 

[fordronken]

Banks looked reluctant last season. If he's on the floor with Barbosa, Diaw and Hill, he can just be in there to defend the hell out of the ball and attack the basket. If he's aggressive and pushes the tempo, he could find a place on this team yet.

 

[Rab]

Banks looked reluctant last season. If he's on the floor with Barbosa, Diaw and Hill, he can just be in there to defend the hell out of the ball and attack the basket. If he's aggressive and pushes the tempo, he could find a place on this team yet.

I agree. I think he actually did a pretty good job getting to the hoop last year. He just needs to learn how to finish.

He doesn't really need to score when he goes into the game. Like was said above, we don't need much help scoring the ball. Defense is going to be his way to get on the floor. I remember last year when Barbosa and Banks were on the floor against the Warriors when they were killing us, and Banks did a pretty good job shutting down Baron. We almost had a chance to win that game, until yes, Banks turned the ball over. Regardless, he can play pretty good pressure defense. Even if he were to just come in here and there just to play D, it could help change the flow of the game a little until Nash comes back in.