OT: Lakers whip up on Clippers

[Absolute Zero]

Led by their bench playing D'Antoni ball, and Xavier Henry's 22 points
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400488876
The Laker bench played the whole 4th quarter.

Didn't see this coming.

 

[Beaver]

Wesley Johnson had a terrible game going 1-11.

 

[Superbone]

Wesley Johnson had a terrible game going 1-11.

It's quite an accomplishment to get 22 points on 1-11 shooting.

You're one line off in the box score, Absolute. It was Xavier Henry who scored 22 (his career high).

 

[Absolute Zero]

Thanks, that's what I get for posting pre-coffee. At least I got the Laker win right.

 

[Errntknght]

Henry had some good games in the preseason. I checked his career stats when I saw that - he was consistently unimpressive for three years and he isn't even an average FT shooter (62%), so I figured they were just preseason flukes. I watched the game last night and he didn't stand out to my eyes but he did shoot with confidence and the ball went in. Jordan Farmar was the driving force behind that amazing blitz in the fourth quarter - he never looked that good before either.

As much as I dislike D'Antoni, I have to admit that his style does allow certain kinds of players to flourish.

 

[BC867]

As much as I dislike D'Antoni, I have to admit that his style does allow certain kinds of players to flourish.

And burn out as the NBA season progresses.

And be overpowered (by the opponents and the refs) in the post-season.

D'Antoni's style is still a gimmick and is not made for the long haul.

 

[Michael]

In even more shocking news, the Sixers just beat the Heat behind a 22/12/7/9 (that's NINE steals!) performance from their no. 11 pick.

 

[BC867]

Here is an article describing how Steve Nash, as a result of his leg fracture last season, is battling nerve damage in the leg which will hold him back ("half speed") all season.

The article speculates that he will not walk away from his remaining contract and leave money on the table.

Is there any doubt that he moved on at the right time . . . for the Suns? Imagine if he (as the oldest player in the NBA)were still on the roster. We'd be trapped in his decline, with no hope, as we were even last season.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...erve-damage-stemming-2012-200015419--nba.html

 

[Phrazbit]

It was beyond time to move on from him... I think the right time would have been at the trade deadline in 2010/11 when we probably could have gotten a bonanza out of him.

 

[AzStevenCal]

It was beyond time to move on from him... I think the right time would have been at the trade deadline in 2010/11 when we probably could have gotten a bonanza out of him.

I don't think we could have gotten a "bonanza" from him unless you go back to his first year after the MVP awards. IMO, he has played better and longer than you could have anticipated given his physique and his injury history and I don't see anyone mortgaging their future for that kind of risk. Especially given all the negative press that started coming out about his defensive problems and the fact our gimmicky offense inflated his stats. I wanted to trade him back then but no matter what, he should have been moved the moment Amare signed with NY.

Steve

 

[Superbone]

In hindsight, most definitely the same year Amare moved on. But also playing the hindsight game, we should have never heard of Lance Blanks. That's on Babby and Sarver.

 

[AzStevenCal]

In hindsight, most definitely the same year Amare moved on. But also playing the hindsight game, we should have never heard of Lance Blanks. That's on Babby and Sarver.

There were a few of us making "trade Nash" noises at that time (and at least one making that request long before that). I think it's easy to lay blame using hindsight but that decision seemed obvious to me back then even though I was never convinced he'd bring back much in return. I just felt it was time to start the rebuild and that too many of the key pieces of that SSOL were gone and we were going to be looking at a pale shadow of it even with Nash. Given how unique he was as a player I saw no reason to start a rebuild with him still handling the ball especially since his health was failing as had our search for a competent backup to him.

Steve

 

[Superbone]

There were a few of us making "trade Nash" noises at that time (and at least one making that request long before that). I think it's easy to lay blame using hindsight but that decision seemed obvious to me back then even though I was never convinced he'd bring back much in return. I just felt it was time to start the rebuild and that too many of the key pieces of that SSOL were gone and we were going to be looking at a pale shadow of it even with Nash. Given how unique he was as a player I saw no reason to start a rebuild with him still handling the ball especially since his health was failing as had our search for a competent backup to him.

Steve

Yeah, see I remember noise for quite a while. Many more than one before our 2010 run to the Conference Finals. I'm sure there were a few others in addition to you who nailed the 2010 offseason which turned out to be maybe our worst of all-time.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Yeah, see I remember noise for quite a while. Many more than one before our 2010 run to the Conference Finals. I'm sure there were a few others in addition to you who nailed the 2010 offseason which turned out to be maybe our worst of all-time.

One fan was very pro-trade for quite awhile (mojo) but several of us offered the opinion we should move him for a couple of years before that. I just meant that once Amare walked it became a different situation. I occasionally argued in favor of a Nash trade but I wasn't sure I was right, I just sort of leaned in that direction. Once Amare signed with NY though I thought it was obvious we should make the move and was surprised that the organization felt otherwise (along with most fans).

Steve

 

[BC867]

It looks like Sarver's decision to keep Nash after Amar'e left had very little to do with building the next generation of a winning team.

Rather with squeezing every bit of revenue out of Steve's presence. After all, Sarver is first and foremost a banker, not a basketball purist, despite his waving a foam finger in the stands.

 

[BC867]

As an addendum to my last post, consider this. Sarver doesn't have to make pleasing the true fans an additional priority to making money because, as most major cities, for live NBA basketball, the Suns are the only game in town.

If you are looking to buy a new car and you don't like AutoNation or Earnhardt or the VanTuyl dealerships, there are still other dealerships to shop for the brand you want.

The exceptions are rare in U.S. sports. The New York metropolitan area with the Knicks and Nets in basketball, the Mets and Yankees in baseball and the Giants and Jets in football.

The L.A./Orange County area with the Lakers and Clippers in basketball and the Dodgers and Angels in baseball. The Bay Area with the Giants and A's in baseball. Chicagoland with the Cubs and White Sox in baseball.

For Sarver, the nearest competition for live NBA basketball is a 6-hour drive away.

 

[AzStevenCal]

As an addendum to my last post, consider this. Sarver doesn't have to make pleasing the true fans an additional priority to making money because, as most major cities, for live NBA basketball, the Suns are the only game in town.

If you are looking to buy a new car and you don't like AutoNation or Earnhardt or the VanTuyl dealerships, there are still other dealerships to shop for the brand you want.

The exceptions are rare in U.S. sports. The New York metropolitan area with the Knicks and Nets in basketball, the Mets and Yankees in baseball and the Giants and Jets in football.

The L.A./Orange County area with the Lakers and Clippers in basketball and the Dodgers and Angels in baseball. The Bay Area with the Giants and A's in baseball. Chicagoland with the Cubs and White Sox in baseball.

For Sarver, the nearest competition for live NBA basketball is a 6-hour drive away.

True but mostly irrelevant IMO. I think we've shown time again (out west) that Pro Sports teams don't just compete with each other, they compete against all the other things the consumer might spend his time/money on in place of that sport. When things go bad in Philly, the fans sit in the stands and scream at their team but for the most part they remain involved fans. When things go bad in LA, the fans go to the movies or the golf course or the tennis court or the Commerce Casino or Disneyland or the mountains or the desert or the ocean or the whatever. I think we (out west) are much more likely to just give up being a fan of a particular sport if our team disappoints us.

Steve

 

[Phrazbit]

Yeah, as we're seeing every home game, just because the Suns are the only pro basketball ticket it does not mean the fans will buy it. Most warm weather cities thats how the fan base is. If the team stinks the fans would rather grill some steaks in their back yard than go drop 50 bucks per person to go to the game.

And with NBAtv, ESPN, TNT showing about 8-10 games a week, and NBA League pass showing all of them, the Suns are competing with the rest of the league for viewers in their own market.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Yeah, see I remember noise for quite a while. Many more than one before our 2010 run to the Conference Finals. I'm sure there were a few others in addition to you who nailed the 2010 offseason which turned out to be maybe our worst of all-time.

If we had traded Nash in that off season can you imagine what we might have traded him for given who was running the show at the time? Even Lance Blanks was a better GM than Sarver.

We did pretty well getting three picks from the Lakers.

 

[Superbone]

If we had traded Nash in that off season can you imagine what we might have traded him for given who was running the show at the time? Even Lance Blanks was a better GM than Sarver.

We did pretty well getting three picks from the Lakers.

True dat. Sarver would have probably walked away with some magic beans and another scrub in the Turkoglu, Childress, Warrick vein.

 

[BC867]

True but mostly irrelevant IMO. I think we've shown time again (out west) that Pro Sports teams don't just compete with each other, they compete against all the other things the consumer might spend his time/money on in place of that sport. When things go bad in Philly, the fans sit in the stands and scream at their team but for the most part they remain involved fans. When things go bad in LA, the fans go to the movies or the golf course or the tennis court or the Commerce Casino or Disneyland or the mountains or the desert or the ocean or the whatever. I think we (out west) are much more likely to just give up being a fan of a particular sport if our team disappoints us.

Steve

That is a good point. I wonder though, when Sarver tried to be his own GM, if he thought about fan diversions which would cost him revenue -- either direct or indirect -- whether it be by following ASU basketball or going to the movies vs. following the Suns.

My guess would be that he, as with other NBA owners except in the N.Y. and L.A. metropolitan areas, didn't stop to think about considering local consequences over his own ego, as if there were alternative nearby.

 

[chickenhead]

The Suns in general and Sarver in particular have been lucky that U of A basketball is in Tucson and ASU basketball is in the Valley. Some people are only NBA fans, but many like the NCAA, too. Most don't go to twice as many basketball games because the Valley has both. I'm sure Suns TV ratings are down quite a bit on Thursdays in Tucson as it is...