Suns at Hawks Game Thread

[TucsonDevil]

Im with you about overreacting. I think everyone tends to forget how we started last year. Plain and simple it takes awhile for this team to get revved up.

Compared to last seasons start we are the 96 bulls right now.

I think you tend to forget how we ended last year. Game 1, coach genius forgets why they traded for KT in the first place and he doesn't see any real floor time. He finally makes the adjustment in Game 2 - too late, home court was gone.

I'm not really concerned about wins/losses right now. It's how we are playing. Defense never seems to be a priority with D'Antoni. Rebounding gets lost in the shuffle. He is already in a panic when losing a regular season game in NOVEMBER and plays a shortened bench. This is the time to make sure the Bench can play under pressure.

I've said it many times, and I will say it again. D'Antoni is a completly insane jackass. He tries the same thing over and over expecting different results.

I for one believed the jackass had finally learned his lesson over the summer and we would see real change. Why did I believe this? They signed Grant Hill - Signal 'he realized that he needed a go-to guy to score when #13 was double teamed as soon as he crosses the half-court line'. We also began hearing how Sean Marks was going to be a big impact player, and how much Banks had improved... all of this is seeming like PR campaign to cover up the jackass' stubbornness... I guess that is redundant.

 

[Lorenzo]

It just isn't the same though, last year we lost against the mavs on a last second 2 pointer by dirk, and other games were relatively close and didn't look too bad even though we lost.

THIS year we got absolutey ass @#!$%^ by the lakers, struggled against seattle, and now we just lost to the hawks.

The whole scheme looks like it is collapsing, so many easy buckets and boards by the opposition.

wasn't that the 2nd mavs/suns game much later in the season? I know the first encounter was close, but I think you have the two mixed up. unless dirk hit two game winners?

 

[Lorenzo]

Suns will be fine.

No one is looking that sharp in the West--the season is just getting started. The Rockets are looking good. Mavs and Spurs only looking average right now. Tonight the Spurs are struggling against winless Heat and just now get a five point lead in the third.

well the mavs blew out cleveland, lost to the hawks, blew out Sac, and their best game of all was against the rockets. maybe a tad better than average. the spurs offense definitely looks slow, but they looked that way all of last year too. they will do what they have to.

 

[Lorenzo]

but the spurs system will always work, and it will carry them through the year until they can pull their annual explosion in the playoffs. the mavs are still just the mavs until avery saves his players a bit and can carry some success to the playoffs. i like how he brings terry off the bench now, very popovich-esque. the suns are a very fragile team at this point. they can't get anything going outside of nash it seems. with tmac leading the way in scoring and the chase for the mvp and yao playing so well, i'm not even sure the suns will be able to handle the rockets this year

brilliant move bringing terry off the bench. it allows harris to run the offense and lets terry be the player he is. a pure scorer.

 

[AnonymouslyKnown]

WTF the Suns lost 2 games already. They should just forfeit the season.

I don't know if I can read this much whining after every game.

 

[Rab]

The Hawks are a tough matchup for us, especially without Amare. They have a lot of 6'8 guys who are athletic, and who can run. Much like the Warriors. I thought this would be a tough matchup tonight.

Our lack of rebounding killed us in this game. It gets pretty frustrating to watch at times. What was the total in 2nd chance points for the Hawks?

 

[Lorenzo]

WTF the Suns lost 2 games already. They should just forfeit the season.

I agree. the problem is everyone is still in playoff mode. that will change soon enough.

 

[Louis]

WTH is up with the PO minutes?

Hill with 40+? Jiminy crickets. I know Amare doesn't look to happy with not playing but he doesn't need company.

It'd sure be nice to see what the youngsters can do early in the season before it's too late to play them any meaningful minutes outside of blowouts.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Hill needs to be a bench player, like Finley. He's playing huge minutes and even with more minutes, he's putting up career worst stats across the board save for rebounds. His shooting percentage is way off and even his points are down from the last couple injury plagued seasons.

Go with the lineup that ripped off 15 and 17 game winning streaks when/if Amare comes back:

Nash
Bell
Diaw
Marion
Amare

Then bring Hill in to run the offense (like we were told he would do when Nash was out) with Barbs spotting up (and hopefully, FINALLY making some treys).

 

[arwillan]

Hill needs to be a bench player, like Finley. He's playing huge minutes and even with more minutes, he's putting up career worst stats across the board save for rebounds. His shooting percentage is way off and even his points are down from the last couple injury plagued seasons.

Go with the lineup that ripped off 15 and 17 game winning streaks when/if Amare comes back:

Nash
Bell
Diaw
Marion
Amare

Then bring Hill in to run the offense (like we were told he would do when Nash was out) with Barbs spotting up (and hopefully, FINALLY making some treys).

i like this idea, though i believe finley starts for the spurs and manu comes off the bench to take his place. with diaw, marion, and amare all on the floor we should be able to solve some of out rebounding problems as well.

 

[Cheesebeef]

i like this idea, though i believe finley starts for the spurs and manu comes off the bench to take his place. with diaw, marion, and amare all on the floor we should be able to solve some of out rebounding problems as well.

I phrased that wrong. He needs to get bench minutes like Finley... and hell, needs to be a bench player IMO.

 

[krispydude]

saw this loss coming a mile a way with amare out. they got too much down low on us and can match us athletic wise.

marvin williams finally looked good for atl though. he couldnt miss those jumpers he was taking.

 

[OldDirtMcGirt]

Anybody else on the Carlisle for '08-'09 bandwagon? Grant Hill playing forty minutes twice already, please tell me this is a huge joke.

 

[Sunsman44]

Barbosa is sucking ass right now...

Well, the entire team is playing extremely bad. In defense of the over-reactors:

-Last year's 1-5 start was not too bad. Most those games lost were within 3 points and they put up some good fg percentages. They really had a click in them - even in loss.

This season - the Suns look out of whack. Even when they won. The club is just not there. For a team talking titles, they sure don't show it on defense. It appears D'Antoni will never learn how to coach defense.

And losing Marc Iavaroni puts the cherry on top.

Look for Hawks to make the playoffs and Suns not. Mark this post and mark my words.

I shall not be wrong..

 

[az1965]

I want us to be champions though.

I meant ok in that context...

 

[dodie53]

suns will not make the playoffs?

you're crazy.

 

[green machine]

suns will not make the playoffs?

you're crazy.

Now if that is not the most accurate statement ever posted on this here message board then I don't know what is.

Well done sir.

 

[dodie53]

thanks.

 

[nashman]

Well, the entire team is playing extremely bad. In defense of the over-reactors:

-Last year's 1-5 start was not too bad. Most those games lost were within 3 points and they put up some good fg percentages. They really had a click in them - even in loss.

This season - the Suns look out of whack. Even when they won. The club is just not there. For a team talking titles, they sure don't show it on defense. It appears D'Antoni will never learn how to coach defense.

And losing Marc Iavaroni puts the cherry on top.

Look for Hawks to make the playoffs and Suns not. Mark this post and mark my words.

I shall not be wrong..

Good lord man you just got back and you jump from thread to thread posting this nonsense! Get a freakin life man! Your not just crazy these posts smack of just pure stupidity. Have you not watched basketball before? The Suns started way worse last season as well as another team who wound up owning the best record in the league and we were right behind them. Its a couple of games in we will get into season shape and the wins will start racking up. To suggest this team doesn't make the playoffs does nothing but make you look foolish to almost every poster on here. If you ever want to be taken even remotely serious try thinking a bit maybe even writing rough drafts and have someone look them over for you before you post. I would recommend you have a REAL SUNS FAN look your drafts over so they could edit and stop you from making yourself look like an idiot.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

 

[jandaman]

Well, the entire team is playing extremely bad. In defense of the over-reactors:

-Last year's 1-5 start was not too bad. Most those games lost were within 3 points and they put up some good fg percentages. They really had a click in them - even in loss.

This season - the Suns look out of whack. Even when they won. The club is just not there. For a team talking titles, they sure don't show it on defense. It appears D'Antoni will never learn how to coach defense.

And losing Marc Iavaroni puts the cherry on top.

Look for Hawks to make the playoffs and Suns not. Mark this post and mark my words.

I shall not be wrong..

I'm sorry, but unless Nash and Marion gets injured, this team will make the playoffs...

Its all about whether they will be top 4 or bottom 4.

 

[Greg Popovich]

The West is going to be tougher this year--I would tend to agree that even the top teams will be going through games when they appear erratic.

Is Grant Hill playing that many minutes? I did not check. If so--that is probably something that Coach D is doing for the first few games to get him going. I would hope that he realizes that a player with the miles on him that Grant Hill has should be given fewer minutes much in the way that the Spurs use Robert Horry.

Still believe the Suns will win their division and be in the WCF in a re-match with SA.