Suns @ Trail Blazers 10-10-18 (preseason finale)

[1Sun]

Harrison needs to be cut. So does Reed. (I still can't believe McDonough drafted him over Bell and Ojeleye.)

Okobo and Melton need to develop in the G League. Bender needs to go there as a last gasp to salvage any potential.

Canaan needs to be no more than a deep back-up.

Anderson needs to be a shooter off the bench and has no business starting. He is a big reason our defense is atrocious.

An NBA caliber point guard needs to be brought in from outside the roster to start with Booker, Ayton, Jackson and Ariza.

Warren is the sixth man, though his attitude needs to improve (as does his defense). Chandler and Holmes can contribute spot minutes off the bench, as can Bridges.

At this point, there are at least 3-4 spots on the roster where waiver claims could be upgrades, a testament to just how awful of a GM Ryan McDonough was.

 

[sunsfan88]

The Suns shouldn't have any difficult cuts. They should watch the waiver wire closely.

Milos Teodosic of the Clippers should be the one to keep an eye on.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

Crazy that Gary Payton II won't make the Blazers when he is head and shoulders better than any of the pgs on the Suns.

 

[Proximo]

Anderson is not starting caliber. Everytime Ayton rotates to help, Anderson does not rotate to Ayton's guy and that guy ends up scoring or getting the offensive rebound off the miss.

Anderson is an off the bench shooter and that's it.

Ariza should start at the 4 and either Jackson or Warren at the 3.

I want Jackson to prove he deserves to start. But IMO they need to make him earn it.

 

[1Sun]

Milos Teodosic of the Clippers should be the one to keep an eye on.

He would be a major upgrade offensively, but if you think our defense is bad now with Anderson starting, adding Teodosic would make it comically awful.

 

[1Sun]

I want Jackson to prove he deserves to start. But IMO they need to make him earn it.

Fine. Start Warren and bring Jackson off the bench as the sixth man.

 

[elindholm]

Crazy that Gary Payton II won't make the Blazers when he is head and shoulders better than any of the pgs on the Suns.

I was wondering about that. The Suns could go after him after he's cut, right?

 

[Mainstreet]

Milos Teodosic of the Clippers should be the one to keep an eye on.

I think most any point guard would be an upgrade for the Suns.

Melton and Okobo are not ready to play and need time to develop. The Suns could replace Harrison and Canaan and I wouldn't be upset. However, the Suns probably need Canaan for now.

 

[sunsfan88]

He would be a major upgrade offensively, but if you think our defense is bad now with Anderson starting, adding Teodosic would make it comically awful.

I've always thought defense in the backline is more important than defense up front. It's why players like Curry/Harden can be hidden on good defensive teams while guys like Towns/Jokic are always exposed defensively.

 

[sunsfan88]

I want Jackson to prove he deserves to start. But IMO they need to make him earn it.

That's fine, then Warren starts.

 

[1Sun]

I've always thought defense in the backline is more important than defense up front. It's why players like Curry/Harden can be hidden on good defensive teams while guys like Towns/Jokic are always exposed defensively.

The problem with starting both Teodosic and Anderson is that there would be major holes both with the backline and up front.

 

[Proximo]

That's fine, then Warren starts.

It makes much more sense to have Warren as the 6th man. He is a reliable scorer.

Jackson is a junk player, and is wildly inconsistent. Quite frankly I don't see his defense as much better than Anderson's especially against 4's.

 

[sunsfan88]

The problem with starting both Teodosic and Anderson is that there would be major holes both with the backline and up front.

If Teodosic was the starter at PG then I'd hope that Anderson isn't the starter at the 4.

Well I hope Anderson isn't the starter at the 4 regardless...

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Exactly. Almost all of the guys that will play big minutes in the regular season has played less than 10 minutes in this game. Couple that with Booker not playing at all. This game would look a lot different right now with everyone playing and the rotation being much tighter.

And with Lilliard and McCollum playing.


Oh we are pretending like those guys don’t count?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

The defense has just been atrocious. Sure, Portland is making some shots, but a lot of them are wide open or on offensive rebounds where nobody rotated down to box out. It's ugly.

Hopefully it’s just a young team working out the kinks on understanding defense, learning proper rotations and playing together. If not, we in for a heap of trouble.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I think Booker will help some, but with the dregs of the league at PG, I fear a team this young is going to struggle mightily until Ayton becomes what we hope he'll be... which is one of the most dominant forces in the league. That could change a lot, but it won't likely happen for at least a season or two.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Hopefully it’s just a young team working out the kinks on understanding defense, learning proper rotations and playing together. If not, we in for a heap of trouble.

I think both are the case. The average player hits his peak around 26. We have talent but most of it is well under that.

 

[Suns_fan69]

I think Booker will help some, but with the dregs of the league at PG, I fear a team this young is going to struggle mightily until Ayton becomes what we hope he'll be... which is one of the most dominant forces in the league. That could change a lot, but it won't likely happen for at least a season or two.

My biggest issue is that Booker isn't really going to help on the defensive end. If anything, he's liable to make it worse. I get it though, defensive schemes are complicated and take time to work through the kinks. I just hope the team perseveres through these rough patches to get to a point where they can build that hive-mind like defensive execution.

 

[AzStevenCal]

My biggest issue is that Booker isn't really going to help on the defensive end. If anything, he's liable to make it worse. I get it though, defensive schemes are complicated and take time to work through the kinks. I just hope the team perseveres through these rough patches to get to a point where they can build that hive-mind like defensive execution.

The defense might look a lot better when our offense is more effective. Another problem with young players, they often lose defensive focus when things aren't going well.

 

[Superbone]

Obviously in this pre-season finale, the Suns bench is getting most of the playing time in a blowout.

How do you guys feel about the pre-season? Not including General Manager moves, do you think the Coach did the right things to have the team ready for the opener?

If not, what might you suggest should have been done?

I'll tell you late next Wednesday night.

 

[Phrazbit]

What I liked about the preseason?

It appears as though Ayton is going to be an all-star caliber player straight out of the gate and looks WAY better defensively than even his most bullish supporters thought he'd be at this stage.

I also liked the ball movement they displayed during the bouts of competence. Igor's system looks very promising. It has the makings of a very efficient system that will create a lot of open looks, it's just a question of the players buying into it and how long it takes for a roster of so many young guys to learn it.

I think Booker/Ariza/Anderson/Ayton and... someone who at least knows where to move will be a very potent lineup on offense very quickly. When 2 or 3 of those guys are off the court I think we're going to get thrashed on a regular basis.

What I didn't like?

Josh Jackson's play. (WARNING: this is not me remotely endorsing trading him or thinking he won't pan out). He continues to play recklessly. He has a ton of talent and potential in every aspect of the game, but he seems like he's trying to do and be 3 things at once. Hopefully when Booker is out there he won't feel as free to throw away possessions.

The point guards. (WARNING AGAIN: this was to be expected and I don't endorse a panic trade). I'd hoped one of them would look like, at least, a serviceable rotation player who could mascaraed as a starter here and there. But no. Harrison is no vision, Canaan is a jack of no-trades, Okobo isn't ready (but I think will be usable by the end of the year) and Melton belongs in the G-league. The defense that Harrison and Melton were supposed to possess was also a no-show.

 

[slinslin]

The only player on our bench that looks like a NBA player at this point is TJ Warren.

Chandler needs to be better.

Harrison, Reed, Daniels, Okobo, Canaan, Melton, Bender, Holmes, King simply are not rotation players in the NBA.

It is a bit much to have 9 players on the roster that really are not viable players right now.

Mikal Bridges there is hope he can play backup minutes this year maybe.

 

[devilalum]

Good to see Tyson Chandler leading the team in assists last night.

 

[elindholm]

Good to see Tyson Chandler leading the team in assists last night.

I'd rather have him at PG than Bender.

 

[1tinsoldier]

Harrison, Reed, Daniels, Okobo, Canaan, Melton, Bender, Holmes, King simply are not rotation players in the NBA.
It is a bit much to have 9 players on the roster that really are not viable players right now.

yes, that's the story in a nutshell. too much dead weight will anchor us to the bottom this season
that, and no pg, is why the GM was fired

Ayton and Booker, and pulling for Josh to get his act together, will be enough to keep me watching.

Ayton and Booker have to be healthy though. without one of them, and without a pg, it will become too painful to watch.