reported FA deals

[AzStevenCal]

I know Len shot miserably but I was encouraged by the fact that he was, at least, shooting more and trying to dribble less. The way I see it, whether he plays C or PF he has to be able to knock down mid-range shots at a decent clip to be a positive contributor on a contending team. Slotting him at PF gives him more impetus to take those shots, and that part seemed to work. I expected to see him get more and more comfortable shooting them but as you said he did the opposite. It's so unusual I'm inclined to think there was some kind of a coaching problem - and therefore a fixable problem. Perhaps you're right and the problem was nothing more asking him to play a different position.

I was more concerned by our defense, I really expected to see an improvement especially in the paint with the pair of them but it turned out the opposite. That might have been as much on the guards as anything but still, it was worrisome. I do agree Len needs to be able to hit that shot but unless he becomes more sure handed he's not really an ideal candidate for the pick plays IMO.

 

[overseascardfan]

Attendance usually picks up when the winning picks up, and even then the regular season numbers often increase appreciably the season following the breakout success when season tickets start to catch up. Plus the Twolves fanbase can be forgiven for being cynical. They haven't been in the playoffs for 12 years, and before that they were eliminated in the first round 7 out of 8 times. I also think Sixers fans can be given a pass for passing on the Hinkie experiment.

But I guess this also supports the idea that the Suns may not see an uptick this year or next, depending on what happens. I just hope it doesn't play into an arena/relocation scenario.

This is one of the reasons why Sarver cannot commit to a full blown rebuild. The amount of revenue he loses with poor attendance and the fact that he cannot raise tickets prices because of such a poor product would drive any owner to try and bring in talent to try and win now. Many here say they support a rebuild but will they be purchasing season tickets? Probably not. Also, people are hyping up next years draft but the top 5 projected guys (Giles, Jackson, Tatum, Fultz, Smith) are talented but not franchise corner stones. Plus PHX already has Bender/Chriss, Warren, Booker and Bledsoe at the 1 - 4 spots. Next year's FA class includes Curry & Westbrook but neither are going anywhere...GS & OKC will write them blank checks to keep them. So I could see why PHX was looking to trade for a Millsap or Hayward.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I've never been a fan of the Sam Hinkie rebuild model. Besides the Suns have their own first round picks and the Miami picks.

I'll be honest, as crazy as Hinkie was, his strategy came to fruition. Finally. I think he got the superstar he was seeking, even though it was after he "resigned." The main problem was that in past drafts the best players that all fell to him were bigs. So a lot of redundancy. If there were more diverse players I'll bet the sixers would be well on their way to respectability this year.

 

[slinslin]

Durant going to the Celtics would have been the most mind-boggling decision ever.

Imo the Celtics are a cinderella team and not really that good. Also Horford and Isaiah Thomas are not real allstars in my opinion. They get there because of team success nothing else. I couldn't understand leaving Westbrook for Thomas/Horford.

 

[slinslin]

Another thing. Sarver can't be suffering too bad financially if they just raised the cap to a gazillion dollars.

I'm ok with them keeping the cap number as low as possible to compensate for the attendance hit this year.

He's still making nice money from all the other revenue streams.

sent from a fone

Instead of moving all this money into the franchises pockets and players pockets the NBA would be well served to reduce arena ticket prices signicifcantly and cap them at a maximum to they remain affordable for everyone instead of squeezing the last bit of money out of fans and have half empty arenas.

 

[chickenhead]

I agree. It doesn't make sense to me why owners don't do everything they can to get a full house every night, which would stimulate demand and repeat customers - who are then more likely to spring for more expensive seats or season tickets. It also plays a lot better on TV, which seems to be ignored. After this draft I'm considering League Pass much more strongly than before: a full house and a young team makes before an interesting televised product.

 

[elindholm]

I won't go to NBA games anymore because the music is WAY too loud. At least, it is at Staples, which is the only arena I've been to in the last ten years.

 

[Joe Mama]

I won't go to NBA games anymore because the music is WAY too loud. At least, it is at Staples, which is the only arena I've been to in the last ten years.

Do you spend your time instead yelling at those kids to get off your damn lawn?

Joe

 

[elindholm]

Do you spend your time instead yelling at those kids to get off your damn lawn?

Joe

I know it must sound that way, but it's inexcusable. I see people all around me with their fingers in their ears, but they don't want to draw attention to how they feel assaulted, so they just sit there and take it.

 

[Mainstreet]

This is one of the reasons why Sarver cannot commit to a full blown rebuild. The amount of revenue he loses with poor attendance and the fact that he cannot raise tickets prices because of such a poor product would drive any owner to try and bring in talent to try and win now. Many here say they support a rebuild but will they be purchasing season tickets? Probably not. Also, people are hyping up next years draft but the top 5 projected guys (Giles, Jackson, Tatum, Fultz, Smith) are talented but not franchise corner stones. Plus PHX already has Bender/Chriss, Warren, Booker and Bledsoe at the 1 - 4 spots. Next year's FA class includes Curry & Westbrook but neither are going anywhere...GS & OKC will write them blank checks to keep them. So I could see why PHX was looking to trade for a Millsap or Hayward.

As noted in my post above, the Suns have committed to rebuilding with youth and a larger plunge into free agency next season. I would say they are in the development stage of their rebuild because they have laid most of the foundation with young players. Sarver seems alright with it right now. We shall see if he remains alright with it as the losses mount. Hopefully he remains committed with the youth program this coming season. However, I do not see Sarver staying with it any longer that this season.

I do not see the Suns tanking this upcoming season but with two young PFs on board, losses likely be the result. The Suns have not made significant improvement in their roster short term. I think Sarver will allow McDonough to work on his youth movement this season but after that, he will want to win.

The Suns should add another early draft pick in the next draft, add the best free agent they can sign next summer or do a trade, then they should be on their way.

 

[Ronin]

Where the heck does Harrison Barnes end up?

 

[slinslin]

Sarver is certainly not losing money right now.

I doubt it is possible to lose money on a NBA team right now unless you are paying significant luxury tax.

The revenue from tickets and so on is a rather small part I imagine.

 

[Mainstreet]

Where the heck does Harrison Barnes end up?

I understand he signed an offer sheet with Dallas so he should end up there. IMO, a smart move by Dallas.

I am hoping the Suns looked hard at such a move.

 

[Joe Mama]

I know it must sound that way, but it's inexcusable. I see people all around me with their fingers in their ears, but they don't want to draw attention to how they feel assaulted, so they just sit there and take it.

Yeah I'm totally joking around. It's been quite a while since I've gone to a game,, but at the risk of sounding as old as you do I completely agree. Same goes for most concerts.

Joe

 

[slinslin]

Noise reducing ear plugs? Seen people use them at rock and metal concerts all the time.

 

[Errntknght]

AzSteve.
"As for Ulis, I like him a lot but I disagree about Eric belonging on the bench. He is far too good to be a bench player. I don't see any reason to think his game will change much after his latest injury so I expect we'll see him back as the starter. If we decide to not use him that way, I'd expect a trade not a move to the bench."

The only hope of keeping Bled healthy is to cut his minutes well below what's expected of a starter. Also when he plays that many minutes he has to conserve energy on defense whereupon he's no longer a first class defender. No doubt he will start this year as its going to take a year or two for Ulis to prove himself, so I wasn't expecting an immediate transition. Best case this year we'll see Watson cutting back Eric's minutes some toward the end of the season. I think Bled is more valuable coming off the bench for short stints and playing all out on both ends of the floor while he is out there.

 

[AzStevenCal]

AzSteve.
"As for Ulis, I like him a lot but I disagree about Eric belonging on the bench. He is far too good to be a bench player. I don't see any reason to think his game will change much after his latest injury so I expect we'll see him back as the starter. If we decide to not use him that way, I'd expect a trade not a move to the bench."

The only hope of keeping Bled healthy is to cut his minutes well below what's expected of a starter. Also when he plays that many minutes he has to conserve energy on defense whereupon he's no longer a first class defender. No doubt he will start this year as its going to take a year or two for Ulis to prove himself, so I wasn't expecting an immediate transition. Best case this year we'll see Watson cutting back Eric's minutes some toward the end of the season. I think Bled is more valuable coming off the bench for short stints and playing all out on both ends of the floor while he is out there.

I'm all for cutting his minutes, I talked about it a lot during his first season here. In the games where he approached 35 minutes, both his offense and defense took a hit. Jason Kidd was a rare player, he could go full speed 43 minutes a game without a noticeable drop-off. But there are a lot of starters that only average around 30 minutes, I'd keep Eric in that area most nights.

But I'm not knowledgeable enough about the specifics of his medical situation to say one way or the other on this issue. It seems to me though that this kind of directive would come from the doctors and trainers. If he's really at an increased risk (disproportionate to his minutes) by playing in a typical starter role, then fine. But otherwise, I just don't think you can send a player like him to the bench. Whether he's among the best point guards or not is certainly in question but surely no one puts him down among the worst do they?

 

[elindholm]

Noise reducing ear plugs? Seen people use them at rock and metal concerts all the time.

Typical ones attenuate by 29 dB, which sounds like a lot, but music or sounds effects that start at 110 or 115 dB are still going to be really uncomfortably loud. (The decibel scale doesn't add or subtract linearly.) But also, with earplugs in, you can't talk to the person next to you without shouting, if you should happen to be so fortunate as to get a break from the overall sonic onslaught.

-35 dB earplugs with a little bypass switch would be great. Have them in, want to have a quick work with someone, hit the switch, then toggle the switch back off. Someone should invent them.

 

[slinslin]

I dont understand why the NBA fans dont have a union representing the fans as a collective during cba negotiations to protect fan interests like this or ticket prices.

In European football this is normal at least in Germany. In England they dont care about fans at all just about maxing out money.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'll be honest, as crazy as Hinkie was, his strategy came to fruition. Finally. I think he got the superstar he was seeking, even though it was after he "resigned." The main problem was that in past drafts the best players that all fell to him were bigs. So a lot of redundancy. If there were more diverse players I'll bet the sixers would be well on their way to respectability this year.

Ben Simmons will have a heavy burden to carry. IMO, tanking is too risky to do it regularly. Too many things can go wrong.

 

[Joe Mama]

AzSteve.
"As for Ulis, I like him a lot but I disagree about Eric belonging on the bench. He is far too good to be a bench player. I don't see any reason to think his game will change much after his latest injury so I expect we'll see him back as the starter. If we decide to not use him that way, I'd expect a trade not a move to the bench."

The only hope of keeping Bled healthy is to cut his minutes well below what's expected of a starter. Also when he plays that many minutes he has to conserve energy on defense whereupon he's no longer a first class defender. No doubt he will start this year as its going to take a year or two for Ulis to prove himself, so I wasn't expecting an immediate transition. Best case this year we'll see Watson cutting back Eric's minutes some toward the end of the season. I think Bled is more valuable coming off the bench for short stints and playing all out on both ends of the floor while he is out there.

I'm as excited as anyone to see how Ulis does, but I think it's funny that you are counting on his minutes to spell Bledsoe to keep the latter healthy. Ulis is likely going to have a tough time staying healthy himself at his size.

 

[Mainstreet]

I dont understand why the NBA fans dont have a union representing the fans as a collective during cba negotiations to protect fan interests like this or ticket prices.

In European football this is normal at least in Germany. In England they dont care about fans at all just about maxing out money.

It seems we got a lot from England.

 

[leclerc]

And the filming (that's what they call flopping) you've gotten from Spain or Italy. Maybe further south.

 

[Milgod]

And the filming (that's what they call flopping) .

The what?

 

[AzStevenCal]

And the filming (that's what they call flopping) you've gotten from Spain or Italy. Maybe further south.

I thought they called it "diving"?