elindholm
edited for content
I saw the game on NBATV, so here are my thoughts:
The Suns moved the ball well and got good shots. The shots weren't in the paint, so they didn't get to the foul line. But good shots are good shots, and the Suns should be able to make their share most nights. They won't have a low-post game without Stoudemire, but oh well. Marion showed a little bit of one, with some very quick turnaround shot-put kinds of things, but that probably won't be anything the Suns feature on a regular basis.
The defense was along the lines of what they tried to do last year (when they tried at all, that is) -- get in passing lanes, disrupt what the other teams wants to do, do a lot of switching and spontaneous doubling. They did have a lot of blocks, but many of them were borderline calls that probably would have gone the other way on the road.
From the box score, it looks like the Suns got killed on the offensive glass, but most of Seattle's second shots took place in garbage time. Actually the Suns held their own on the boards just fine.
Jones looks good. He shoots with a lot of confidence and doesn't need much time to get set. From this one game, I don't think he brings a whole lot else to the table -- he's basically a finisher -- but at least I don't remember him getting lit up defensively. Now I see why Andy Graham keeps calling him a "Joe Johnson clone": they actually look like they could be brothers. Jones doesn't have Johnson's smoothness or creativity, but he has more of a bounce in his step.
Bell will bring many of the same things that Richardson did last year, except on a more mellow scale. He shoots fine and has a bit of swagger, and he participated enough in the offense to pick up a handful of assists. He looked clumsy trying to finish on a couple of fast breaks, which isn't a great sign, but the same could be said for Richardson last year. His defense is overrated. He is above average defensively, but he's not going to lock anyone down.
The coaching staff is apparently pimping Diaw, and Eddie Johnson said they're even thinking of using him at center. Right. There's a lot of wishful thinking going on. Diaw had one nice drive to the basket and is a smart, energetic defender -- the best weak-side shot blocker on the team, with Stoudemire out -- but his shot is terrible and he is shy about taking it. He didn't seem to be a very comfortable ball handler and I don't think he'd be effective running the offense in the traditional sense. He does see the floor well, however, and is a pretty good interior passer. Who knows.
Barbosa looks the same. My guess is that he's the backup PG by default, and the Suns will just have to hope that he won't do much damage.
House was "on fire," according to one way of thinking, and he threw up a lot of junk that went in. I guess he could have a role as a gimmick player on days when no one else can score, but since the roster has plenty of potent, more fundamentally sound scorers, I don't see him getting much playing time.
After Burke's first two minutes, I came to the conclusion that he is hopeless, but gradually he started to grow on me. He can't run or jump, and the one perimeter shot he took didn't look very smooth, but he moves his feet pretty well and has good fundamentals. I'm sure someone like Duncan would take him to school, but if the Suns need him to provide the proverbial six fouls while not being an embarrassment, he could be useful.
Seattle is disorganized under their new coach and they did a lot of things to hurt themselves, but the Suns should get some credit. Overall, I liked what I saw.
The Suns moved the ball well and got good shots. The shots weren't in the paint, so they didn't get to the foul line. But good shots are good shots, and the Suns should be able to make their share most nights. They won't have a low-post game without Stoudemire, but oh well. Marion showed a little bit of one, with some very quick turnaround shot-put kinds of things, but that probably won't be anything the Suns feature on a regular basis.
The defense was along the lines of what they tried to do last year (when they tried at all, that is) -- get in passing lanes, disrupt what the other teams wants to do, do a lot of switching and spontaneous doubling. They did have a lot of blocks, but many of them were borderline calls that probably would have gone the other way on the road.
From the box score, it looks like the Suns got killed on the offensive glass, but most of Seattle's second shots took place in garbage time. Actually the Suns held their own on the boards just fine.
Jones looks good. He shoots with a lot of confidence and doesn't need much time to get set. From this one game, I don't think he brings a whole lot else to the table -- he's basically a finisher -- but at least I don't remember him getting lit up defensively. Now I see why Andy Graham keeps calling him a "Joe Johnson clone": they actually look like they could be brothers. Jones doesn't have Johnson's smoothness or creativity, but he has more of a bounce in his step.
Bell will bring many of the same things that Richardson did last year, except on a more mellow scale. He shoots fine and has a bit of swagger, and he participated enough in the offense to pick up a handful of assists. He looked clumsy trying to finish on a couple of fast breaks, which isn't a great sign, but the same could be said for Richardson last year. His defense is overrated. He is above average defensively, but he's not going to lock anyone down.
The coaching staff is apparently pimping Diaw, and Eddie Johnson said they're even thinking of using him at center. Right. There's a lot of wishful thinking going on. Diaw had one nice drive to the basket and is a smart, energetic defender -- the best weak-side shot blocker on the team, with Stoudemire out -- but his shot is terrible and he is shy about taking it. He didn't seem to be a very comfortable ball handler and I don't think he'd be effective running the offense in the traditional sense. He does see the floor well, however, and is a pretty good interior passer. Who knows.
Barbosa looks the same. My guess is that he's the backup PG by default, and the Suns will just have to hope that he won't do much damage.
House was "on fire," according to one way of thinking, and he threw up a lot of junk that went in. I guess he could have a role as a gimmick player on days when no one else can score, but since the roster has plenty of potent, more fundamentally sound scorers, I don't see him getting much playing time.
After Burke's first two minutes, I came to the conclusion that he is hopeless, but gradually he started to grow on me. He can't run or jump, and the one perimeter shot he took didn't look very smooth, but he moves his feet pretty well and has good fundamentals. I'm sure someone like Duncan would take him to school, but if the Suns need him to provide the proverbial six fouls while not being an embarrassment, he could be useful.
Seattle is disorganized under their new coach and they did a lot of things to hurt themselves, but the Suns should get some credit. Overall, I liked what I saw.
where did he score 29, that was the quietest 29 I ever saw. He is definitly bigger and seemed more confident finishing inside with contact, he didn't get knocked sideways like he usually does when fouled.
