Suns at Magic 11-18

[jagu]

Stan Van Jeremy is a dirtbag...I hate seeing that guy on TV.

 

[elindholm]

I didn't like it when D'antoni did it but it doesn't bother me when another coach does it.... I always subscribe to the "if you don't want to get your butt kicked, play better" school of thought.

I agree. The job of a professional sports team is to win. If the opponent is overmatched, that's their problem. These guys get paid too much money to have their feelings hurt by someone running up the score.

 

[CaptainInsano]

Just get rid of Siler honestly, he is not even worth having on the roster. What an embarrasment.

 

[Chaplin]

I agree. The job of a professional sports team is to win. If the opponent is overmatched, that's their problem. These guys get paid too much money to have their feelings hurt by someone running up the score.

Sportsmanship is sportsmanship, no matter how much you agree or disagree with it.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Sportsmanship is sportsmanship, no matter how much you agree or disagree with it.

The NBA hasn't been about sportsmanship in decades. Maybe it should be, but it is not. The reason coaches take their starters out is to preserve them from injury. This practice will bite Van Gundy at some point.

Kudo's to the Suns for having the sense to play a season and not just a game. Keeping Nash healthy is more important than having a shot of winning the second game of a b2b against a very tought team on the road.

 

[elindholm]

Sportsmanship is sportsmanship, no matter how much you agree or disagree with it.

The coach's job is to run his team in the way he thinks is best. Maybe he wants his starters to practice maintaining their focus with a big lead. Maybe there were particular offensive sets he wanted to try out. Maybe he had some bench players who haven't been working hard in practice, and he didn't want to send the wrong message by rewarding them with extra playing time. Maybe he feared the Suns' reputation for scoring a lot of points in a hurry, even with their bench unit.

This isn't a nine-year-old girls softball league. It's a business, and the business is winning. I don't know whether Van Gundy made the right decision or not, but "sportsmanship" doesn't enter into the equation.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

Can we trade Hedo for Diaw? At least Diaw played some semblance of defense in the post.

 

[elindholm]

Can we trade Hedo for Diaw?

Probably, although the Suns might have to throw in a pick since Turkoglu's contract is longer.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

Or perhaps we could take back Matt Carroll's bad contract while giving up a young guy like Earl Clark. Of course, that depends on how the 'Cats FO views Clark's potential.

 

[JCSunsfan]

O-fer for Hedo. Good games look like like they will be the exception for him. I do have confidence that Gentry will pull Hedo though--once he is convinced its just not going to work.

As difficult as things are with the Suns right now, Gentry seems to be a bright spot. He doesn't seem stuck on his own ego, makes sensible substitutions, shows confidence in his bench etc.

I did not like the Gentry hire when it happened, but he has been a very pleasant surprise.

 

[Chaplin]

This isn't a nine-year-old girls softball league. It's a business, and the business is winning. I don't know whether Van Gundy made the right decision or not, but "sportsmanship" doesn't enter into the equation.

Seriously? You're talking about a league that gives out "respect for the game" technical fouls now. Respect for the game is more than just complaining about a bad call.

 

[jagu]

Garret Siler runs like a 75 year old man.

 

[elindholm]

You're talking about a league that gives out "respect for the game" technical fouls now. Respect for the game is more than just complaining about a bad call.

Hmm. You could have a point there. I'll have to think about it.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Seriously? You're talking about a league that gives out "respect for the game" technical fouls now. Respect for the game is more than just complaining about a bad call.

This isn't the first time the league has come down on the manner in which players and coaches respond to referee calls. Have you ever, even once, heard a comment from someone involved with the league that suggests the league also looks disdainfully at a coach for running up the score? I sure haven't.

As far as I'm concerned, one of the most important aspects of competition is to compete every moment you're out there. And that goes for teams as well as individuals. IMO, most of the time that people complain about running up the score it's just frustration over the fact the other guys didn't let you back into the contest. There was a Yankees/Mariners game a few years ago that is the best example ever why a team should never let up.

Who did you expect to be out there on the court for Orlando? Lewis played 34 minutes and he's the only Magic player that put in more than 30 minutes. Each game can be/should be a building block for the rest of the season and it's a poor coach indeed who loses sight of that fact. I don't like Stan Van Gundy but I can't fault him for this score.

Steve

 

[Superbone]

Maybe next time we can actually try not embarassing ourselves on national television.

Or maybe it's a good thing and Sarver will realize we could use a rebounding big or two.

Nah.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Or maybe it's a good thing and Sarver will realize we could use a rebounding big or two.

Nah.

Well, to be fair we were playing the 2nd night of a back to back without our best player and our starting center. And we were facing a team that, even healthy, we don't match up well against. Add to that the fact that they are one of the 3 or 4 best teams in the league and a blowout was to be expected, IMO.

I'm not sure there was a rebounding big guy available this summer that would have made much of a difference in this outcome. All that said though, yeah, we need a rebounding big or two (or three even).

Steve

 

[Chaplin]

This isn't the first time the league has come down on the manner in which players and coaches respond to referee calls. Have you ever, even once, heard a comment from someone involved with the league that suggests the league also looks disdainfully at a coach for running up the score? I sure haven't.

Wow, talk about taking something out of context. I'm not saying that referees should penalize teams for running up the score, that's absurd. My assertion is that "respect for the game" is very important to the league now, and running up the score on a bunch of scrubs is not respectful for the game. That only happens on playgrounds.

Who did you expect to be out there on the court for Orlando? Lewis played 34 minutes and he's the only Magic player that put in more than 30 minutes. Each game can be/should be a building block for the rest of the season and it's a poor coach indeed who loses sight of that fact. I don't like Stan Van Gundy but I can't fault him for this score.

Steve

You've completely lost the point.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Wow, talk about taking something out of context. I'm not saying that referees should penalize teams for running up the score, that's absurd. My assertion is that "respect for the game" is very important to the league now, and running up the score on a bunch of scrubs is not respectful for the game. That only happens on playgrounds.



You've completely lost the point.

I understood your point. I just don't consider competing to your fullest a violation of the "respect for the game" concept and I was making the point that I don't believe the league does either.

As for completely missing the point, again I disagree. An NBA team has a very finite number of players available to play in each game. No matter what, five of their players have to be on the court during every minute of the game and most teams don't have a true second team that they can toss out there and maintain any kind of continuity. And when your best player plays just 30 minutes, I find it hard to accept your complaint about them running up the score by leaving their starters in the game.

How many times have we seen late game leads of 20 points or more evaporate in just a few minutes? Why should Orlando risk a comeback even if it was highly unlikely? Plus, what's wrong with using a game to try and improve the way your team will play in the future?

But even if Stan left those guys in solely to embarrass us then so what? Again, this isn't Little League and if we lose badly, that's on us. And if he gets one of his stars injured then that's on him.

Steve

 

[Bufalay]

I remember when D'Antoni showed his extreme reverence for the game by putting in the bench in the fourth quarter against Memphis and then blowing a 30 pt lead.

 

[elindholm]

I remember when D'Antoni showed his extreme reverence for the game by putting in the bench in the fourth quarter against Memphis and then blowing a 30 pt lead.

And then he made a joke after the game, and everyone forgot that his team had just given up 28 offensive rebounds in five minutes.

 

[AzStevenCal]

And then he made a joke after the game, and everyone forgot that his team had just given up 28 offensive rebounds in five minutes.

You say that like it's a bad thing. It sounds to me like a tremendous defensive effort that forced them into those 28 misses. And people say we never played defense. Ha!

Steve

 

[Chaplin]

But even if Stan left those guys in solely to embarrass us then so what? Again, this isn't Little League and if we lose badly, that's on us. And if he gets one of his stars injured then that's on him.

Steve

Well I'm sorry I insulted your idol Stan Van Gundy. I still think he's a scumbag even if you don't. I think it was disrespectful. You don't agree, fine. But sportsmanship IS a real thing, not just some made up concept in fairy-land.

If the Suns did the same thing, it would also be upsetting, but I'd be more upset about the possibilities of injury.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Well I'm sorry I insulted your idol Stan Van Gundy. I still think he's a scumbag even if you don't. I think it was disrespectful. You don't agree, fine. But sportsmanship IS a real thing, not just some made up concept in fairy-land.

If the Suns did the same thing, it would also be upsetting, but I'd be more upset about the possibilities of injury.

I don't like Stan Van Gundy as a coach; I don't know him as a person. He may well be a scumbag but I'm too far removed from the guy to have an informed opinion.

As for sportsmanship, I've never said anything to suggest I don't respect and desire sportsmanship. I just disagree with your claim that this act qualifies as poor sportsmanship. And again, look at the minutes these guys played. Lewis played 34 minutes and nobody else on the Magic played more than 30 minutes.

Steve

 

[mojorizen7]

And then he made a joke after the game, and everyone forgot that his team had just given up 28 offensive rebounds in five minutes.

 

[Bufalay]

But sportsmanship IS a real thing, not just some made up concept in fairy-land.

Sportsmanship isn't cool. You know what is cool?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_PzNsUotVI