Suns updates and discussion for the 2023-24 season

[Hoop Head]

You mean he got us all the minimum salary players that he had to dump at mid-season to start over again rebuilding the bench? And all while consistently ignoring the team's two biggest weaknesses - the lack of a PG and interior defense/offense/depth.

And who says he didn't make the Beal deal? Or what his input to the Durant deal was exactly... if one is questioning the quality of either of those acquisitions.

And that's not even getting into how little he did to try and improve the team in prior seasons that may have been on the cusp of winning it all. Or boofing the drafts that might have helped because he doesn't "believe" in drafting developable young talent.

Beyond that, what exactly has he done to improve the franchise to begin with? Most of the talent that formed the core of the 2020 and late teams was here before he was in charge. Except for Chris Paul, of course, who forced his way here because Monty was coaching. So maybe you can give Jones credit for hiring Monty... but the rest fell in his lap. Even the trade to bring Oubre here only happened because he screwed up the original intended trade for... well, some Brooks who no one was ever really certain which.

But then he ended up holding onto Chris Paul too long, Ayton too long, screwed up the handling of the Crowder situation. Gave a big contract to a useless Landry Shamet. As Chaplin mentioned, hired Vogel.

And even beyond all that, why should Jones get a pass on the team's underachieving the last four years any more than anyone else? The guy making the personnel decisions for multiple years is just as responsible as the coaching if the results aren't there.

Thanks for hitting everything I would have said. The one thing you forgot was giving away Cam Payne and his expiring $6.5 million dollar contract. That sure could have been handy at the deadline, if he wasn't providing quality minutes off the bench.

Another thing I've mentioned before and will say again, JJ could have brought back Torrey Craig with early bird rights as well. He signed in Chicago for the minimum. He wanted to be here. We could have offered a dollar over the minimum if we wanted. But Jones let him walk in favor of a bunch of guys he got rid of midseason. Craig would have been useful.


The idea JJ got the cream of the minimum crop doesn't add up. Torrey Craig and Dario Saric are 2 minimum guys who could have contributed here and have contributed where they ended up. That's just 2, I won't dig through the records to find more useful players than Metu, Wantabe, and Damien Lee.

 

[taz02]

Vogel certainly has to go no matter what happens.

It also feels like the Booker era is on thin ice. If the playoffs end early, in another "Mavs" style debacle, which seems possible if not likely, blowing it up has to be a consideration.

They could of course get it together and make some noise, the talent is certainly there.

 

[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[Hoop Head]

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If it wasn't the standard surgery and rehab time then why is it only now being discussed? I don't like that. Had word come out sooner then fans wouldn't have grown as inpatient with him. Bad enough he has a player option for next season so he's likely to cost us either way but he's been unavailable all year and it seems he knew he would be as well. Maybe the team knew, probably did, but not sharing this info helped turn fans against him.

 

[Chaplin]

If it wasn't the standard surgery and rehab time then why is it only now being discussed? I don't like that. Had word come out sooner then fans wouldn't have grown as inpatient with him. Bad enough he has a player option for next season so he's likely to cost us either way but he's been unavailable all year and it seems he knew he would be as well. Maybe the team knew, probably did, but not sharing this info helped turn fans against him.

That’s been the Phoenix Suns ever since James Jones has been here.

 

[Hoop Head]

That’s been the Phoenix Suns ever since James Jones has been here.

Yup and I understand to a certain extent but situations like this or Dario in the past, it makes no sense to be so closed lip until the 11th hour.

 

[Chaplin]

Yup and I understand to a certain extent but situations like this or Dario in the past, it makes no sense to be so closed lip until the 11th hour.

Oh I agree. I get not wanting to be at a competitive disadvantage when revealing information, but they refuse to give up information that has no bearing on the games and how they played. If James Jones 2 months ago said that Damion Lee would be available for the last week of the season, how many GMs/Coaches would have cared? I know the answer to that: ZERO of them. It doesn't make sense to hold that information back, especially if you have no intention of trading or cutting him.

You could say that it's the fans that pay their salaries, we deserve at least SOME respect. One of the reasons I appreciate Bradley Beal and Nurk is that they don't give canned responses to interview questions. KD isn't as good as them, but at least he can be honest. Book is unfortunately an expert at the canned responses.

 

[Mainstreet]

If it wasn't the standard surgery and rehab time then why is it only now being discussed? I don't like that. Had word come out sooner then fans wouldn't have grown as inpatient with him. Bad enough he has a player option for next season so he's likely to cost us either way but he's been unavailable all year and it seems he knew he would be as well. Maybe the team knew, probably did, but not sharing this info helped turn fans against him.

I'm more upset the Suns didn't find a replacement for Damion Lee knowing the injury situation.

Similarly, the Suns didn't take finding a rotation point guard very seriously, either.

I guess money does matter.

 

[Hoop Head]

I'm more upset the Suns didn't find a replacement for Damion Lee knowing the injury situation.

Similarly, the Suns didn't take finding a rotation point guard very seriously, either.

I guess money does matter.

I've been beating that money does matter drum since the Payne salary dump.

I'm fine with not finding a Lee replacement because the last thing we need is another SG/SF shooter. We have those in spades. Allen, Gordon, Booker, Beal, Royce, and even Okogie plays that position. We're fine in that regard but he could have been waived or traded to open a roster spot up. If money didn't matter he would have been waived, regardless of his player option, and we could have added someone post deadline to contribute.

 

[Yuma]

They were talking on the radio about how tough the West is this year. With the amount of wins the Suns have now, last season they would have been in the fourth spot.

 

[Cheesebeef]

They were talking on the radio about how tough the West is this year. With the amount of wins the Suns have now, last season they would have been in the fourth spot.

The team in 10TH this year would have been the 4 seed last year.

I still chuckle at the idea that the West was better last year than it is this year.

 

[Mainstreet]

I've been beating that money does matter drum since the Payne salary dump.

I'm fine with not finding a Lee replacement because the last thing we need is another SG/SF shooter. We have those in spades. Allen, Gordon, Booker, Beal, Royce, and even Okogie plays that position. We're fine in that regard but he could have been waived or traded to open a roster spot up. If money didn't matter he would have been waived, regardless of his player option, and we could have added someone post deadline to contribute.

The replacement for Lee could have been at the 4/5 or point guard position. Both positions could have used some help.

 

[ajcardfan]

They have largely taken Booker out of the game with these aggressive double teams. Booker bringing the ball up against that type of defense just isn't working. You have to have someone else bring up the ball or Booker has to start trying draw a lot of fouls on those.

 

[Raindog]

Yup and I understand to a certain extent but situations like this or Dario in the past, it makes no sense to be so closed lip until the 11th hour.

Again, James Jones smugly thinking he's being smarter than everyone else's front office when he's in fact far from that.

 

[Yuma]

Again, James Jones smugly thinking he's being smarter than everyone else's front office when he's in fact far from that.

It also could be, he does what ownership wants. His strategies have changed vastly with two different owners calling the shots. We went from being spendthrifts to spending money like water.

 

[95pro]

The team in 10TH this year would have been the 4 seed last year.

I still chuckle at the idea that the West was better last year than it is this year.

I thought people were saying the opposite. That the west is tougher this year than last.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I thought people were saying the opposite. That the west is tougher this year than last.

Most were.

 

[Ronin]

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[Sparky16]

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Cashing checks is nice, what a waste of a roster spot

 

[AzStevenCal]

The replacement for Lee could have been at the 4/5 or point guard position. Both positions could have used some help.

We have plenty of bodies, but yes, we're short of talent at those spots. I don't know how we add that talent though under the new agreement and with so few movable assets to work with. And maybe this is just me but I don't think, in a player's league, that it's a good thing to cut a player because he's injured. I just wish we'd moved on from him prior to the injury.