Suns @ Bucks 1-29-14

[sunsfan88]

Of course no new combo is immune to that. My point is simply that Bledsoe and Dragic back court looked better than it really is, because it took some teams by surprise and it will take a while for coaches to figure out how to counter it. Nets, for example, figured out that you go with two tall guards and post up/ overpower Bledsoe and Dragic. That's just one example- I am sure there are other ways to exploit them.

Don't get me wrong- I like Bledsoe, and I like Dragic, but I am just being objective- we've barely seen them play together, and it is a very unusual combo, so it will confuse teams for a while, but they will figure it out.

Bledsoe is an extremely undersized shooting guard who is not really a good shooter, and Dragic is a point guard- not a shooting guard.
While Bledsoe/ Dragic combo is a nice gimmick, I think that either one of them would be more effective with a REAL shooting guard.

Dragic needs to play point to be most effective, and Bledsoe needs the ball in his hands to be effective. While it may work, other combos would work better.

Dragic doesn't need to play point to be most effective. He can play SG just like Ginobili did and still be very impactful. In fact, it would preserve his energy if he played with Bledsoe who can take playmaking duties off him.

How many times have you seen Dragic tired out and our offense becoming very stagnant? That doesn't happen with Bledsoe.

LeBron and Wade and Durant and Westbrook have proven the entire NBA that two players who need the ball can be effective when playing together.

And if we can get a legit forward who can hit some 3s and has at least a little ball handling ability then when teams "figure out" Dragic and Bledsoe, that forward and Frye and Plumlee will make them pay for doubling or trapping Dragic & Bledsoe.

With Dragic and Bledsoe, if we can add a legit starting forward then the only thing that defenses can do is pick their poison.

 

[elindholm]

What makes Dragic, Bledsoe and Barbosa so effective is when two of them are on the court at the same time, all can penetrate to make defenses collapse.

But it's not that uncommon to have a true SG who can penetrate too. You don't necessarily need gimmicky double-PG sets to have multiple players capable of breaking down the defense.

It's too far back for me to remember clearly, but this is perhaps what made Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars so effective.

This comparison is really an insult to Dumars. Check out his shooting stats.

 

[Mainstreet]

But it's not that uncommon to have a true SG who can penetrate too. You don't necessarily need gimmicky double-PG sets to have multiple players capable of breaking down the defense.

I don't think it is gimmicky to have two PGs starting especially when they may be the team's best two players. It's usually that teams do not have two PGs worthy of starting or one of the PGs has a height deficiency which goes away from this strategy. Bledsoe's athleticism and leaping ability helps negate this deficiency. However, I do not believe it has to be this way as evidenced by the Dragic and Green backcourt. I am a firm believer in having three proficient PGs on the roster especially dating back to the Nash era. If the Suns want to invest their money elsewhere, other than on Bledsoe, I'm all ears. The Suns can still play with the two PG lineups as a change-up. I didn't think it would be that effective before the season but Hornacek has proved me wrong.

This comparison is really an insult to Dumars. Check out his shooting stats.

I did not look up Dumars shooting stats as I was only going by memory. However, I do not think it negates the principle that having two proficient PGs on the court at the same time can wreak havoc on a defense.

 

[Errntknght]

I see that you didn't predict much of anything for Green. You said he's a dark horse to lead the team in scoring if he starts at the three - saying someone is a dark horse to win means you don't think he will but he might. And he isn't starting at the 3 nor looking like the winner. You said he might do reasonably well if we could play high tempo ball - a far cry from a prediction he would flourish. (And you clearly had doubts the team could manage to play uptempo.) I came a lot closer to predicting it than you did and I don't consider my statement to be a prediction.