Summer Suns Update!!!

[Proteus]

So who guarded Bayless in the 1st half and was there a change in the 3rd quarter? Bayless 3/11 field goals 9 pts in the 1st half, 4/5 field goals 10 pts in the 3rd quarter.

 

[Sunshooter]

Bayless is too great!

DJ...is a PG?

 

[Muggum]

Ouch. Robin Lopez looked like Richie Cunningham.

 

[Proteus]

Once again the summer Suns choke and endin up losing to another 1 man team.

Bayless 7/10 field goals in the 4th 19 pts in the 4th. So who was responsible for this oh so wondeful defense?

Lopez only 8 rebounds as the Trailblazers shoot 38%.

 

[mjb21aztd]

wow well that sucked bad way to finish the summer league... Bayless looked amazing he tore us apart, Tucker had a pretty game and while Lopez has had some nice moves he really needs to work on his rebounding before the real deal starts but his shot blocking ability is nice. Well now the long wait till the real season can't wait

 

[jlove]

wow well that sucked bad way to finish the summer league... Bayless looked amazing he tore us apart, Tucker had a pretty game and while Lopez has had some nice moves he really needs to work on his rebounding before the real deal starts but his shot blocking ability is nice. Well now the long wait till the real season can't wait

The Suns still have another game to play tomorrow (vs Washington), although Lopez wont be playing in it. He will be resting since he was selected to play on the Select team (practice squad) to run against the Team USA Olympic team this coming week.

 

[mjb21aztd]

alright cool thanks jlove hopefully I get back from Dark Knight in time to watch the game

 

[Errntknght]

I watched the 2nd half... Straw wasn't able to stop anything that Bayless wanted to do in scoring about 28 pts(2nd half). He also didn't look sharp as a PG though he had a couple of ok drives. Alando wasn't impressive either.

Lopez looked about like I expected from hearing about him though I couldn't figure out why Marjele had him so involved in the offense from above the elbow. One thing I didn't see was him setting any good picks - which is really the only reason he ought to out on top. For now I'll chalk that up to a coaching failure, of which there were plenty. The Suns had a bundle of turnovers and at the end of the game they gave the ball away on mishaps at midcourt, thereby giving away a game they had close to locked up. One was a technical foul that cost them a FT and possession - which I never figured out. (The announcing was useless - no surprise there.) The other one was either a backcourt violation or an 8 sec. violation - the refs had their choice on that, I think.

 

[Andrew]

I am gonna watch all summer league games next week to form my opinions on our guys.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

Once again the summer Suns choke and endin up losing to another 1 man team.

Bayless 7/10 field goals in the 4th 19 pts in the 4th. So who was responsible for this oh so wondeful defense?

Lopez only 8 rebounds as the Trailblazers shoot 38%.

Umm, the NBA is a one-on-one league - that is why it sucks.

As far as Bayless, he will be another in a long line of undersized chuckers in the NBA. He can't play NBA point to save his life, so he is a 6'3" shooting guard on a team with guys who will do that MUCH better than he can - good luck with that. He is also a punk, and it won't be long until he is put on his ass by players who don't appreciate his "game".

Not sure what the tech was about, but it totally changed the game. Oh well - such is the NBA "sport".

 

[Bayless2Budinger]

Umm, the NBA is a one-on-one league - that is why it sucks.

As far as Bayless, he will be another in a long line of undersized chuckers in the NBA. He can't play NBA point to save his life, so he is a 6'3" shooting guard on a team with guys who will do that MUCH better than he can - good luck with that. He is also a punk, and it won't be long until he is put on his ass by players who don't appreciate his "game".

Not sure what the tech was about, but it totally changed the game. Oh well - such is the NBA "sport".

ASU fan righhtttt? Why so bitter?

FYI The Suns got a tech b/c Strawberry called a time-out when they didnt have one.

 

[Muggum]

Thankfully the Warriors picked Anthony Randolph ahead of us. Had we PASSED on him... UGH.

 

[Mainstreet]

If DJ (as a second year player) cannot slow down Bayless (a first year player), this does not speak well of DJ defensively. I haven't seen Bayless play but reading about him reminds me of Jason Terry. It could be they both played for the UofA but I think there's more. Maybe it is because Terry was never a pure PG.

 

[Muggum]

Bottom line, Tucker/Strawberry/Lopez... none of them will ever make a significant impact. We're tilting at windmills to think they might.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

If DJ (as a second year player) cannot slow down Bayless (a first year player), this does not speak well of DJ defensively. I haven't seen Bayless play but reading about him reminds me of Jason Terry. It could be they both played for the UofA but I think there's more. Maybe it is because Terry was never a pure PG.

If you saw the game, then you saw that Bayless scored 4-5 baskets on breakaways, several threes/long twos over the top of screens where DJ went under (scheme or not, I have no idea of course) and on switches. DJ did get beat on a nice fadeway baseline jumper by Bayless, and once on a missed assignment where Bayless was left alone at the three point line. My point is it is tough to blame summer-league defensive play (as well as assist numbers/TOs) solely on a single person. The Suns DID however have FAR too many TOs - just dumb mistakes. But defensively DJ did fine, IMO. He was not good on the offensive end, however, forcing the issue too many times where something wasn't available.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

Bottom line, Tucker/Strawberry/Lopez... none of them will ever make a significant impact. We're tilting at windmills to think they might.

Define significant. Will they be stars - probably not. Is that what you were expecting? If so, then the problem lies with you, not with them. If not, then what are you complaining about? We are talking about a high first-round pick, a high second-round pick, and a 15th pick. Could the 15th pick have been better? Who knows? Could it have been worse? Absolutely. Lopez has good enough fundamentals to be used as a practice "dummy" for the national team. Learning from great players isn't going to hurt...

PS - Both Kopponnen[sp] and Batum seem like they will be serviceable NBA players. The Batum fellow has LONG arms.

 

[Proteus]

Hmm...summer Suns down 36-38 at the half despite poor offense (29% shooting) and defense (Wizards shooting 53%).

Suns with 12 offensive rebounds to Wizards at the half.

Strawberry 0/4 field goals 4 turnovers.

 

[jlove]

The summer Suns showed outstanding resiliency and tenacity on defense in the 4th to break the game open. They also pounded the Wizards all night long on the glass to the tune of 20 offensive boards and another 23 defensive boards. They had more defensive boards alone than the Wizards had total rebounds. Although through the summer league, the Suns have given up around 50% opponents fg, they have shown they can play defense when needed. I can't believe it took till the 5th game to see Jordan make an impact for the Suns.

Jordan 6pt, 6rebs, 7asts, 1st, 1to in 23 minutes of play.

I don't know if anyone on the Summer Suns roster other than DJ, Tucker and Robin make it to training camp or not, but those 3 showed they can play the game at a fairly high level.
DJ is definitely not a true PG, but he can suffice if needed. He plays outstanding defense and has obviously worked very hard on his shooting stroke. He needs to work on calming down and relaxing when shooting FT's though. I see him getting close to the minutes he got last season this year again.
Tucker has just been everywhere on the court this summer. Shooting, rebounding, defending. He's a jack-of-all trades, however he's definitely NOT a starter anytime soon at the SF or even SG position. He may get more playing time this season, but I don't foresee a ton of minutes for him.
Robin Lopez. Phenomenal work ethic. Defensively he showed the same tenacity he showed in college and will be greatly needed and appreciated by the Suns and us fans this year. He showed he's got a very good hook shot with BOTH hands and has good foot work. He needs to learn to assert himself as far as moving towards the basket not the foul line when taking his man off the dribble from the baseline. He lets his man walk him to the foul line too often rather than forcing his way towards the hoop. With Cartwright, Shaq and Amare, Lopez has some GREAT teachers for the offensive side of the ball.

 

[AceP]

Again, summer league performance should not be overrated. A player does great in summer league could and actually often fade away in real NBA contest. While some guys did poorly there turned out to be servicable role players playing alongside NBA stars.

Just some thoughts according to status:

Tucker, he has been very consistent thoughout all 5 games, 21.6 points and 4 rebounds in just 28.2 minutes. His efficiency is impressive, with 57.1 FG%, 44.4 3p% and 80 FT%, and just 1.6 TO. The only concern is low 3p attempts, only 9 in total. But his mid-range jumper seems to be cash now, and he attacks the rim so well, resulted as 8 free throw per game. On paper, this guy is the backup wing player we have been looking for.

I think Porter will give him a lot of minutes in the beginning of regular season, see what he can do from there. Meanwhile, Giricek is probably out of the plan now.

DJ Strawberry is a big question, IMO ... 38 FG%, 12.5 3p%, and 3.4 TO, these r by all means depressing. I haven't seen any of the games so I don't know other aspect of his game, but summer league doesn't show much defense ability...

Lopez is OK as rookie, I think he need more experience b4 can really contribute.

 

[Irish]

I'm very disappointed with Strawberry's shooting. Right now he's just a pure defensive specialist and this is not a team that use someone like that. I fear his reduced assist totals is that everyone is playing him to pass.

I don't know if we should start getting excited about Tucker. He shot well in D-League and in the 5 games in Las Vegas. We've always known he's very athletic and a solid if not exceptional defender. I'm guessing he's going to battle with Barbosa for the backup SG slot, but he has to prove himself at the NBA level. So far, so good.

 

[mojorizen7]

I'm very disappointed with Strawberry's shooting. Right now he's just a pure defensive specialist and this is not a team that use someone like that. I fear his reduced assist totals is that everyone is playing him to pass.

I don't know if we should start getting excited about Tucker. He shot well in D-League and in the 5 games in Las Vegas. We've always known he's very athletic and a solid if not exceptional defender. I'm guessing he's going to battle with Barbosa for the backup SG slot, but he has to prove himself at the NBA level. So far, so good.

Hasn't been a team that has used someone like that. There's no reason that that couldn't change.....and i'm hoping it will.

 

[binkar]

So who guarded Bayless in the 1st half and was there a change in the 3rd quarter? Bayless 3/11 field goals 9 pts in the 1st half, 4/5 field goals 10 pts in the 3rd quarter.

Sorry I know I am a game behind but I just got back from Vegas where I spent the weekend and attended the Suns vs. Blazers game...

It seemed to me that Tucker guarded Bayless more in the first half and that Strawberry did more the second half. The thing I came out most disappointed with was Strawberry's defense. For a guy who is supposed to be a potential great defender Bayless sure made him look stupid. Maybe his focus wasn't completely there or something but things got very competative between Bayless and Strawberry and Bayless made Strawberry look like he doesn't deserve to even be on the same floor.

My other observation was that the majority of Tucker's points are still coming from his post up moves and still doesn't get to the hole too often or have too much of a perimeter game. I really want Tucker to do well in this league because of his high character, but it seems like his athleticism is rarely displayed and doesn't seem to have the future ahead of him I had hoped for.

Just a couple meaningless thoughts...

 

[mojorizen7]

Sorry I know I am a game behind but I just got back from Vegas where I spent the weekend and attended the Suns vs. Blazers game...

It seemed to me that Tucker guarded Bayless more in the first half and that Strawberry did more the second half. The thing I came out most disappointed with was Strawberry's defense. For a guy who is supposed to be a potential great defender Bayless sure made him look stupid. Maybe his focus wasn't completely there or something but things got very competative between Bayless and Strawberry and Bayless made Strawberry look like he doesn't deserve to even be on the same floor.

My other observation was that the majority of Tucker's points are still coming from his post up moves and still doesn't get to the hole too often or have too much of a perimeter game. I really want Tucker to do well in this league because of his high character, but it seems like his athleticism is rarely displayed and doesn't seem to have the future ahead of him I had hoped for.

Just a couple meaningless thoughts...

First person insight is good and appreciated here
Maybe Bayless is just THAT good. We'll see.

 

[Irish]

The one thing I don't know how to account for is having so many games in a row. In the video clip that suns.com had for Thursday's game, it looked like Tucker was feasting on mid range jumpers and attacking the basket. Was that editing?

As I said, it is hard to project how any of this translate into the NBA.

 

[Proteus]

Hmm...what are the chances the Suns don't pick Strawberry's option for this season? I'm wondering cuz his shooting is still poor (38% from the field, 67% from the free throw line) and he's turnover prone (3.4 turnovers to 3.0 assists per game). His recent unclutch play and poor defense don't help either.