Suns @ Nets game thread 10-31-17

[Mainstreet]

I'm liking Bender more than Chriss if I have to choose.

Warren has been huge in this game.

 

[Phrazbit]

Booker a lil too cute there.

 

[Chaplin]

I know I harp on Len and I know he is statistically having a good game, but he just secretly kills us out there. A -18 for him tonight, he is just too damn slow to be effective on a team that is trying to be a transition club.

And yet nobody mentions Tyson Chandler who is BY FAR the best in this game at +26.

 

[Mainstreet]

Final:

Suns 122- Nets 114

 

[JCSunsfan]

I know I harp on Len and I know he is statistically having a good game, but he just secretly kills us out there. A -18 for him tonight, he is just too damn slow to be effective on a team that is trying to be a transition club.

I hate the+- stat. Len looked good out there. Tyson had a very good game though.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Eric who? Mike James is looking like a legit player. He is sort of the point guard version of PJ Tucker.

 

[Phrazbit]

I hate the+- stat. Len looked good out there. Tyson had a very good game though.

Watch how often we give up a hoop because Len completely missed a rotation. It happens at a shocking rate.

I like that the energy is there from him, he used to have games where he has his O and D problems yet the only time you noticed he was out there was when he was fouling people. At least right now he is putting out a lot of effort on the glass and hustling for balls.

But when teams can ignore him on offense (watch how regularly picks that he sets turn into a trap for the ball handler) and his habit of getting flat out lost on defense... more often than not, even when you're seeing him make good individual plays, he is killing us out there.

And yes, Chandler was fantastic. He has a strange combination of not getting respect from the refs in terms of 50/50 foul calls, but getting a lot of leeway from the refs when it comes to getting T'd up, I thought for sure he was going to get a tech 2 or 3 times tonight.

 

[Carolinacacti]

Will nice start to road trip.

 

[Mainstreet]

Eric who? Mike James is looking like a legit player. He is sort of the point guard version of PJ Tucker.

And Ulis is not chopped liver.

 

[JS22]

Eric who? Mike James is looking like a legit player. He is sort of the point guard version of PJ Tucker.

I wonder what Bledsoe is thinking right about now. If you look at his Twitter he's got a video, and in it he's wearing a shirt that says "Klutch or Nowhere." Subtle. You know this is all Rich Paul. Bledsoe is definitely getting horrible advice. What a f*cking waste.

Meanwhile the Suns are 3-1 without him AND Watson - who is also a Klutch client.

 

[Finito]

I think Bender needs to be starting. They just seem so much better when he's out there

 

[pokerface]

And yet nobody mentions Tyson Chandler who is BY FAR the best in this game at +26.

Didn't you claim Chandler wasn't good enough to win us games?

 

[SirStefan32]

Bender is showing more signs of what type of a player he could become. Two really nice no-hesitation threes, attacked the rim a couple of times, and as usual, played outstanding defense.

 

[JCSunsfan]

He’s also getting noticed. Zach Lowe tweeted about his game tonight.

 

[Phrazbit]

He’s also getting noticed. Zach Lowe tweeted about his game tonight.

For sure my favorite development so far this season, stats be damned, good things happen when he is on the court.

 

[Finito]

I think Benders play has made Chriss expendable in a Bledsoe package he's by far my favorite player to keep an eye on

 

[SweetD]

I think Bender needs to be starting. They just seem so much better when he's out there

Only issue I have with Bender is really his ball handling and Bball IQ. He just doesn't have the confidence and comfort level to be on the starting unit.

I like the role he is in right now, let him develop and by all star break/end of year he can challenge Chriss/Chandler for a starting role.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I think BBIQ for Bender is geat, especially for a 19 year old. You do not pass like he does from the high post or play D like he does without decent BBIQ. The only thing he really needs is playing time, consistency and a well-defined role.

 

[Ronin]

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[JCSunsfan]

The thing about Bender is that his D on the floor is a benefit all the time. So even if his offense is off, he is making huge defensive contributions.

 

[Mainstreet]

I think BBIQ for Bender is geat, especially for a 19 year old. You do not pass like he does for the high post or play D like he does without decent BBIQ. The only thing he really needs is playing time, consistency and a well-defined role.

I agree that Bender has a good basketball IQ.

In addition to the above, he needs to develop a stronger body to play up to his ability. It looks like the Suns made a good decision to draft Bender before Chriss.

 

[Mainstreet]

Eric who? Mike James is looking like a legit player. He is sort of the point guard version of PJ Tucker.

The Suns need to sign James to a longer more lucrative contract. James and Ulis are handling the PG duties quite nicely.

 

[SirStefan32]

Excellent example of Bender's basketball IQ were his perimeter defense at the end of the game. There were two possessions where the Nets needed a three. Bender kept him arms straight up, in a way that there was no way to get called for a foul.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I agree that Bender has a good basketball IQ.

In addition to the above, he needs to develop a stronger body to play up to his ability. It looks like the Suns made a good decision to draft Bender before Chriss.

He does need to add 20 pound of muscle, but that should come over the years as his body matures. I would not want him to hit the weights too hard or he will lose quickness and agility.

 

[Mainstreet]

He does need to add 20 pound of muscle, but that should come over the years as his body matures. I would not want him to hit the weights too hard or he will lose quickness and agility.

Adding weight quickly didn't work out for Chriss either.