Spurs @ Suns 11-14-18

[1tinsoldier]

game thoughts:

1. clearly an improvement in aggressiveness.
EJ talked about the dreaded **** word that no player wants to hear said about them.

2. 12 assists, but 7 turnovers (several embarrassing) and poor shooting from Booker.
I'd not like a repeat performance.

3. Canaan is a nice 3 pt weapon but his feeds to Ayton are pitiful. Crawford made a couple of smart passes and was communicating with Ayton. Experiment with him running the point and Canaan coming off the bench.

4. a nice win, but i still have coaching gripes:
a. leaving Booker and Warren in until the last 2 minutes after being up by as much as 24 in the 4th.
b. Ayton still being either misused or not corrected.
In addition to the far out picks, as soon as the Suns' shot is in the air he's running back on defense. He's the guy who should take a crack at the offensive rebound, especially since his man is usually the last to go the other way.

notice how Popovich called 3 quick timeouts in the 4th to admonish his team for playing Suns-ish defense? that's what a coach should do when he sees something that needs to be corrected

 

[SirStefan32]

But we didn't have Booker as our star scorer for the game. We need both Book and Warren as top scorers every game. With Ayton being fed properly to be our Big 3.

I'd rather have a serviceable genuine Point Guard AND have Booker as our star scorer. Not DBook as an either/or.

What do the rest of you guys think about that?

Again, NOBODY disagrees with you. I have no idea why you keep making the same argument when everyone agrees with you.
BC: We need a point guard.
Everyone else: Yep, agreed.
BC: But we need a point guard.
Everyone else: Um, yes, we agree.
BC: But we need a point guard...

 

[SirStefan32]

game thoughts:

1. clearly an improvement in aggressiveness.
EJ talked about the dreaded **** word that no player wants to hear said about them.

2. 12 assists, but 7 turnovers (several embarrassing) and poor shooting from Booker.
I'd not like a repeat performance.

3. Canaan is a nice 3 pt weapon but his feeds to Ayton are pitiful. Crawford made a couple of smart passes and was communicating with Ayton. Experiment with him running the point and Canaan coming off the bench.

4. a nice win, but i still have coaching gripes:
a. leaving Booker and Warren in until the last 2 minutes after being up by as much as 24 in the 4th.
b. Ayton still being either misused or not corrected.
In addition to the far out picks, as soon as the Suns' shot is in the air he's running back on defense. He's the guy who should take a crack at the offensive rebound, especially since his man is usually the last to go the other way.

notice how Popovich called 3 quick timeouts in the 4th to admonish his team for playing Suns-ish defense? that's what a coach should do when he sees something that needs to be corrected

I disagree here. Suns needed a win, and they should not have taken any chances. I would have kept them in too. After what happened against Boston, I am fine with keeping the starters in until the last second if need be.

 

[GoldGloveschmidt]

I disagree here. Suns needed a win, and they should not have taken any chances. I would have kept them in too. After what happened against Boston, I am fine with keeping the starters in until the last second if need be.

Yep.. after the Boston game I wanted the starters to play to the end last night so they could learn how to win and keep a lead. Good coaching imo.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I disagree here. Suns needed a win, and they should not have taken any chances. I would have kept them in too. After what happened against Boston, I am fine with keeping the starters in until the last second if need be.

I agree. When you are 2-11 you play your starters to the end. I would want my starters just to enjoy the feeling of playing while ahead.

 

[devilalum]

Ariza is definitely the biggest disappointment on the team. We all knew Bender sucked. Jackson is a hot mess but pretty much expected.

Everyone thought we had a known commodity in Ariza. Maybe the Rockets will take him back. I have read that they regret letting him go.


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[1tinsoldier]

Everyone thought we had a known commodity in Ariza. Maybe the Rockets will take him back. I have read that they regret letting him go.

yes, that could work
the storyline is phx is a mess and didn't know how to make proper use of him
and houston is not the same without him

 

[1tinsoldier]

and speaking of undoing mistakes:

fire Igor and replace him with Popovich's front-line assistant coach Becky Hammon.
sure, we need experience for a change, but i think the only way Sarver would replace another coach under contract right now is with another cheap option.

 

[JCSunsfan]

and speaking of undoing mistakes:

fire Igor and replace him with Popovich's front-line assistant coach Becky Hammon.
sure, we need experience for a change, but i think the only way Sarver would replace another coach under contract right now is with another cheap option.

ugh. Just keep Igor.

 

[1tinsoldier]

Why isn't Spurs assistant Becky Hammon an NBA head coach yet?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...dy-why-not-head-coach-yet/2013733002/?src=rss

she seems tough
and i like her eye makeup

 

[devilalum]

and speaking of undoing mistakes:

fire Igor and replace him with Popovich's front-line assistant coach Becky Hammon.
sure, we need experience for a change, but i think the only way Sarver would replace another coach under contract right now is with another cheap option.

I’m not sure Igor is the problem. They played the best defense I’ve seen in years from a Suns team for stretches last night. And we didn’t even have our defensive stopper.


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[Superbone]

12 assists, but 7 turnovers (several embarrassing) and poor shooting from Booker.
I'd not like a repeat performance.

If you read the Athletic article, a couple of the turnovers were intentional, trying to show guys where they're supposed to be. 6 of the 7 occurred in the first half.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

If you read the Athletic article, a couple of the turnovers were intentional, trying to show guys where they're supposed to be. 6 of the 7 occurred in the first half.

Intentional?!?

 

[1tinsoldier]

actually, the embarrassing turnovers i was thinking of was a couple of times Booker was stripped off the dribble, but i do remember some passes to no where

 

[Superbone]

Intentional?!?

https://theathletic.com/656557/2018...purs-suns-gain-a-glimpse-of-what-is-possible/

“One of the things he’s really been trying to show a lot of the guys on the team is the right spots to be in,” Jackson said. “Sometimes Devin, he’ll make a pass and it will be a turnover, and he does it to prove a point to a guy sometimes — to show them, ‘Hey, that’s where you’re supposed to be. That’s the open spot.’

“So, I think guys were just clicking. They were in the right spots at the right time. He’s an amazing player, and defenders respect him so much and he’s unselfish. So when he sees open guys, he’s going to get the ball to them.”

Booker didn’t deny that he took a few turnovers to send a message.

“A few times,” he said, with just a hint of a smile. “Just getting on the same page. But you know, it’s just knowing basketball, knowing basketball actions; time, score and possession, personnel. So when I’m bringing the ball up the floor, all of that is going through my head.

 

[SirStefan32]

Yeah, that's what I would say too. Turn the ball over... yeah, that's what I was going for. Just proving a point!

 

[Sunburn]

Lol what happened to good, old fashioned yelling at a guy to be in the right spot?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Yeah, that's what I would say too. Turn the ball over... yeah, that's what I was going for. Just proving a point!

Yeah, I don't buy it. I could believe he was throwing it to a spot expecting someone to be there but I can't see him intentionally throwing the ball away to make a point he could have made with words and a pointy finger.

 

[Mainstreet]

I will take the quotes at face value for now.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I will take the quotes at face value for now.

Yeah, but Booker didn't really say it, he just smiled and agreed that he had done it a few times. I choose to believe he was being playful with his response rather than stupid with his intention. But maybe I'm giving him too much credit.

 

[Mainstreet]

Yeah, but Booker didn't really say it, he just smiled and agreed that he had done it a few times. I choose to believe he was being playful with his response rather than stupid with his intention. But maybe I'm giving him too much credit.

I think that is saying it.

However, Booker may have the passed the ball to a spot and the player was not there. This is a little different.

Quarterbacks often throw to spots in football and the receiver is responsible for being there. It could have been this type of situation.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think that is saying it.

However, Booker may have the passed the ball to a spot and the player was not there. This is a little different.

Quarterbacks often throw to spots in football and the receiver is responsible for being there. It could have been this type of situation.

As I mentioned earlier, that's what I believe he's been doing (sometimes). He gets manhandled and his pocket picked for many of his turnovers and he's tried some swing passes that just didn't have enough zip on them (or no passing lane) but he has appeared to throw the ball to spots that were unexpectedly unoccupied.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Yeah, I don't buy it. I could believe he was throwing it to a spot expecting someone to be there but I can't see him intentionally throwing the ball away to make a point he could have made with words and a pointy finger.

In practice maybe but not a game. I call BS on that one.

 

[Mainstreet]

As I mentioned earlier, that's what I believe he's been doing (sometimes). He gets manhandled and his pocket picked for many of his turnovers and he's tried some swing passes that just didn't have enough zip on them (or no passing lane) but he has appeared to throw the ball to spots that were unexpectedly unoccupied.

Throwing the ball to a spot makes sense. Basketball players do it all the time. This is different than him doing it to prove a point.

Booker probably tells the player they should have been in a certain spot (such as the corner) when he kicks it out in certain situations.

When the player is not there and it results in a turnover, he points it out.

 

[Mainstreet]

@AzStevenCal

Booker is probably telling the other players all his turnovers are their fault. LMAO