Pistons at Suns 12-12-14

[AzStevenCal]

That wouldn't help. Early offense is the Suns' best chance. By the time they've made several passes, the defense is set and the Suns are back to their problem of not having an interior presence. Sure, with superb ball movement you might be able to engineer a slightly more open 18-footer than you would otherwise, but that doesn't cut it in the NBA.

I turned this game off at halftime and (as of this moment) haven't even checked a second-half score yet.

You're right, the only thing that would go up is our turnovers.

Steve

 

[AzStevenCal]

When Gerald Green isn't emotionally invested in a game, he's just a killer out there. I'm not sure why Jeff has waited so long to bring back in Goran and Eric.

Steve

 

[Mainstreet]

That wouldn't help. Early offense is the Suns' best chance. By the time they've made several passes, the defense is set and the Suns are back to their problem of not having an interior presence. Sure, with superb ball movement you might be able to engineer a slightly more open 18-footer than you would otherwise, but that doesn't cut it in the NBA.

I turned this game off at halftime and (as of this moment) haven't even checked a second-half score yet.

As a game strategy you are correct. However, the Suns could learn to pass the ball better with their turnover problems.

 

[AzStevenCal]

As a game strategy you are correct. However, the Suns could learn to pass the ball better with their turnover problems.

Most of those bad passes are a decision thing rather than execution IMO. Both of our starting guards like the bounce pass in traffic to the big man and our big men can't handle that pass. And then there's the unnecessary behind the back pass that no one expects and typically leads to quick points on the other end. And then there's the jump in the air and try to find someone. Some players can find someone when they leave their feet (Nash), some players can't (Bledsoe).

Steve

 

[SirStefan32]

As a game strategy you are correct. However, the Suns could learn to pass the ball better with their turnover problems.

Right, exactly!

 

[Mainstreet]

What a disappointing game. The Suns are a disjointed team.

 

[Proteus]

Oh geez. Suns lose to a team on a 13 game losing streak (3-19 overall) at home.

This team has serious problems.

 

[BC867]

It's not like the Suns were standing in line with their choice of centers.

I can't help but respond that is an alibi.

No one has ever alibied success, just failure.

If they need alibis, our Front Office (and coaching staff) are failing.

Dedicated fans have every right to be pissed.

The Front Office blames it on the fans for not filling the stands.

Horsefeathers! They need to earn it. And they are not going to with a very unbalanced roster and chaos on the floor.

 

[Mainstreet]

I can't help but respond that is an alibi.

No one has ever alibied success, just failure.

If they need alibis, our Front Office (and coaching staff) are failing.

Dedicated fans have every right to be pissed.

The Front Office blames it on the fans for not filling the stands.

Horsefeathers! They need to earn it. And they are not going to with a very unbalanced roster and chaos on the floor.

I definitely agree with the print in bold.

 

[Mainstreet]

Here is a partial quote from Lon Babby in an article written by Andrew Joseph dated 12-12-14.

"I think our team stays more focused when we're in a hostile environment. And quite candidly, the games here – I think we're putting on a great product – but the games here are not as well attended as I would like and the fans aren't, you know, boisterous enough in my mind. You go other places and they can raise the level of their team's performance. That's our problem. It's not the fans' problem. It's a reality that we haven't generated the kind of – I mean, I remember last year, the Oklahoma City game, the fans won that game for us. It was just electric in the arena.

"So we have to recapture that. If that's an issue with the organization or how we're playing or whatever it is, we need that support. I know everybody is preoccupied with the Cardinals and they're having a great season but we've got to get that fan support back to raise our level of play when our guys are just not as sharp as they should be. It's a symbiotic relationship and I think it will come. I sure hope so. We have a very long stretch of home games in January and we're going to have to do well then."

Lon sort of says it's the fans fault while not saying it's the fans fault at the same time.

It's not the fans fault.

 

[Mainstreet]

Here is a link to the article above:

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...we-dont-have-a-home-court-advantage/20318975/

 

[BC867]

Here is a partial quote from Lon Babby in an article written by Andrew Joseph dated 12-12-14.

Lon sort of says it's the fans fault while not saying it's the fans fault at the same time.

It's not the fans fault.

And, unless the definition of "great" has changed . . .

And quite candidly, the games here – I think we're putting on a great product ...

How can Babby babble that we are putting on a "great" product? Even a casual Suns fan would know better than that.

In terms of report card grades:

A = Excellent
B = Good
C = Average
D = Poor
F = Failing

"Great" would be an A or A-. Right now the Suns are C- on the way to a "D".

 

[Mainstreet]

And, unless the definition of "great" has changed . . .


How can Babby babble that we are putting on a "great" product? Even a casual Suns fan would know better than that.

In terms of report card grades:

A = Excellent
B = Good
C = Average
D = Poor
F = Failing

"Great" would be an A-. Right now the Suns are C- on the way to a "D".

No question about it as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Cheesebeef]

the idea that Babby and Co are putting a great product on the floor is laughable.

you want fans in the stands? give them a reason to be there.

 

[95pro]

i haven't had the feeling of hey, let me make a trip to phoenix to watch a suns game in a while.

last few times i had that feeling was when nash/amare went to the finals against the grizz and so on. and also when shaq was with the suns.

 

[Absolute Zero]

IT and Green killed us tonight. Look at their shooting numbers, 4-18. Wow.

Chemistry kinda sucked before IT's injury, except when he took over some games. Now it is going to take time to reintegrate him and to try to figure these rotations out. One step forward and two steps back.

 

[Phrazbit]

This team is a lot better without IT. Its hard to get the team into a flow on either end when you have TWO guys chucking at will and playing half ass D... and they're playing at the same time.

They played maybe their best game of the year in the loss to the Clippers, the Miami game was a dissapointing loss but watching it live the team played well and just didn't execute in the final 2 minutes.

Tonight on the other hand was a embarrassment. Detroit sucks. A team like ours, built for speed, should blow a dumpster heap like them out of the building. I was on board with the "always have 2 attacking guards on the court" idea on paper but Thomas and Green dominate the ball so much that the entire outcome ends up on if two streak scorers are on or off.

In the first quarter tonight the ball movement was crisp, everyone was getting involved, Bledsoe and Dragic were moving around off the ball for eachother, it had the feel that at any moment we could pull away. Then Green and Thomas came in... and for the rest of the night we got to watch lots of isolation, bricks and disjointed possessions.

Thomas obviously won't accept a smaller role, he is pandering to start, he should still be easy to move. Get him out of here. I'd be thrilled if we could get a merely functional big man, not that it would be equal value but because this team so desperately needs one. Len is showing some promise but he is still dropping frequent turds on the court, Plumlee is a mess.

 

[AzStevenCal]

This team is a lot better without IT. Its hard to get the team into a flow on either end when you have TWO guys chucking at will and playing half ass D... and they're playing at the same time.

They played maybe their best game of the year in the loss to the Clippers, the Miami game was a dissapointing loss but watching it live the team played well and just didn't execute in the final 2 minutes.

Tonight on the other hand was a embarrassment. Detroit sucks. A team like ours, built for speed, should blow a dumpster heap like them out of the building. I was on board with the "always have 2 attacking guards on the court" idea on paper but Thomas and Green dominate the ball so much that the entire outcome ends up on if two streak scorers are on or off.

In the first quarter tonight the ball movement was crisp, everyone was getting involved, Bledsoe and Dragic were moving around off the ball for eachother, it had the feel that at any moment we could pull away. Then Green and Thomas came in... and for the rest of the night we got to watch lots of isolation, bricks and disjointed possessions.

Thomas obviously won't accept a smaller role, he is pandering to start, he should still be easy to move. Get him out of here. I'd be thrilled if we could get a merely functional big man, not that it would be equal value but because this team so desperately needs one. Len is showing some promise but he is still dropping frequent turds on the court, Plumlee is a mess.

How about IT and Tolliver for that stretch 4 in Orlando?

Steve

 

[slinslin]

I'll trade Thomas, Tucker, Tolliver and Green/Dragic

Get Ennis/Goodwin/Warren/??/Len the minutes in the 2nd unit

 

[sunsfan88]

This is such a pathetic team. Van Gundy was shocked during the Laker game that the Pistons actually won a game.

Jeff Hornacek needs to freaking take notes from Steve Kerr and Popovich. There's absolutely no ball movement on the Suns.

Pick and roll is the only play that Jeff Hornacek knows. It's pathetic. Alvin Gentry had better plays than Hornacek. My goodness how does a guy who was with guys like Cotton Fitzimmons and Jerry Sloan not know how to run a single offensive play other than pick and roll?

Like seriously, my freaking high school basketball had better plays than the Suns.

And there is not a doubt in my mind that Kwame Brown would drop 20 PTs and 10 rebounds on the Suns easily. The most dysfunctional Centers in NBA and maybe even NBA history. Holy crap, it's horrible.

 

[sunsfan88]

Lon Babby was saying in an article something to the effect, that more fans need to attend the game and give the Suns more of a home court advantage. Maybe the problem is not with the fans. The Suns are not producing an exciting product right now.

What an idiot Babby is for saying that. Um how about the Suns actually make playoffs before we spend our hard earned money on tickets?

I always feel bad for those who to the games cause I'm always like "Wow, you guys paid money to watch a dysfunctional team play? Your either stupid or you have too much money and time on your hands".

I don't even watch a lot of Suns games anymore. I just DVR it and then I'll forward through if it was a loss otherwise I'll watch it if it's a win.

There's just no good reason to watch this team and its ugly and selfish basketball style live or even worse, in person.

I want us to hit Sarver's bank account hard so that he can talk to McD about bringing some changes to this team.

 

[BC867]

Uh oh. The alibis are getting even worse.

Babby blames the Suns' woes on the fans. Now Jeff Hornacek is blaming it on the weather. Does he realize how pathetic that sounds? His mentor, Cotton, must be rolling over in his grave.

Hornacek talk

Hornacek on teams visiting Phoenix: "I think teams come in with a lot of life here because they're coming in from the crappy weather. They come here and get a little sun and they're all happy. We've just got to really go after it at home and try to establish some sort of home-court advantage."

If visiting teams are "all happy" with the weather while visiting Phoenix, the Suns should be that happy playing half of our games here.

It is at the end of this column.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...ogdan-bogdanovic-progressing-europe/20341185/

 

[AzStevenCal]

Babby blames the Suns' woes on the fans. Now Jeff Hornacek is blaming it on the weather. Does he realize how pathetic that sounds? His mentor, Cotton, must be rolling over in his grave.


If visiting teams are "all happy" with the weather while visiting Phoenix, the Suns should be that happy playing half of our games here.

It is at the end of this column.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...ogdan-bogdanovic-progressing-europe/20341185/

I think too much is being made of the comments by Jeff and Babby. Lon was right, this team doesn't excite the fans and it's obvious even on TV. That's not blaming the fans AFAIC, that's just acknowledging a problem. As for Jeff's comment, I suspect he was asked a question that led him that direction. Something along the lines of "How come Phoenix has had trouble dominating at home historically" or "how come we always seem to get the best effort from visiting teams".

Steve

 

[Mainstreet]

What an idiot Babby is for saying that. Um how about the Suns actually make playoffs before we spend our hard earned money on tickets?

I always feel bad for those who to the games cause I'm always like "Wow, you guys paid money to watch a dysfunctional team play? Your either stupid or you have too much money and time on your hands".

I don't even watch a lot of Suns games anymore. I just DVR it and then I'll forward through if it was a loss otherwise I'll watch it if it's a win.

There's just no good reason to watch this team and its ugly and selfish basketball style live or even worse, in person.

I want us to hit Sarver's bank account hard so that he can talk to McD about bringing some changes to this team.

I agree, it is hard to watch the Suns play and I even persevered through the drug scandal days. The minimum I ask of the Suns is give me a reason to watch. The Suns are steadily sliding south for some reason. It especially shows on defense and turnovers. The effort and concentration is not there. I think the coach staffing and FO have to ask why and fix it. Coming into the season I always thought the Suns were accumulating assets to make a trade with all their guards and such. I still think this is the the case but it has gotten ugly before this can occur and forcing the issue. Maybe the Suns need to find out who their core players are going forward and move the excess players for assets. It's also scary to think the players may have quit on Hornacek this early in the season.

 

[BC867]

It's also scary to think the players may have quit on Hornacek this early in the season.

But that is a possibility. And the danger of not making a commitment to all or most of the starters.

In IT's first game back, the Suns closed with three Point Guards, with Thomas playing the final 16 minutes. Most of the time, neither of the Centers finish. Is is going to be Green at the "3" or Tucker or Mook and are they going to be bumped up to Power Forward when Kieff moves to Center?

Sadly, that is the formula for discontent.

In his playing days, when Horny moved from Point Guard to Shooting Guard, it was permanent. He wasn't shuffled back and forth, never knowing if or where he'd be finishing the game. But that is what he is doing as Coach.