The Ayton Plan

[95pro]

It won't happen because it's an absurd trade that is laughably one sided. (Hint - it's not for the Suns) Would you honestly make that trade if you were GM? Send the lynchpin of your D to Sac for 6'8 Holmes to start? I love Richaun, but he's the kind of guy the Suns need to have IN ADDITION to Ayton, not to replace him.

Haliburton is a nice piece, but again, it makes no sense for a team hunting for a ring now. We KNOW Ayton can get you to the finals.

I hope you know on the national level, your valuation of Ayton is considerably lower than most. The vast majority of people are very surprised Ayton didn't get his contract, and that's not to say that conventional wisdom is always right, but going against and failing can lead to embarassment.

Seeing people talk about trading him for unproven rookies or guys like Vucevic and Sabonis is truly puzzling. None of these guys can provide anything near the D that Ayton brings to the table, and that's where he provides the bulk of his value. That's where even a supremely talented offensive weapon like KAT doesn't make sense.

The nation didn't even notice us or give the suns any props/respect last year. I think a lot of us on here and the suns organization view Ayton the same, which is lower than the national perception.

 

[Finito]

So far I’ve seen guys in this thread say McGee, Jarrett Allen and Richaun Holmes are better than Ayton lol

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

A couple more comments from Deandre Ayton.


By Duane Rankin Arizona Republic:

"One thing about me, throughout my whole life, I've always learned to control what I can control," Ayton said. "At the same time, obviously I'm disappointed, but I'm still trying to get us back to the finals. I've still got to represent the team and myself as well. I'm just a competitor, man. Just like to compete to the best and every time I'm in between those lines, that's what you're going to see out of me. Nothing else."

"If you've been following me for a long time, I've always hit the rock bottom," Ayton said. "It's always something up with me, but for me, to be honest, I played to the best of my ability when my back is against the wall. I know the true meaning of professionalism and when I'm between them lines, nothing else matters."

Suns' Deandre Ayton 'disappointed' about failed contract talks over rookie max extension

Suns center Deandre Ayton spoke for the first time since not receiving a rookie extension from the Phoenix Suns.

www.azcentral.com

So now anything other than a 5-max is considered “rock bottom.” The kid has zero perspective.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

The nation didn't even notice us or give the suns any props/respect last year.

Painting with a mighty broad brush there. The Suns got plenty of attention as the season went on, and certainly in the playoffs.

I think a lot of us on here and the suns organization view Ayton the same, which is lower than the national perception.

What some of you might not understand is that the sign Ayton camp is aware he's not perfect, and has room to improve.

You don't mess with 23 year old players who could be generational talents when lesser players are rewarded. Even worse, not addressing his contract has created an issue that didn't need to exist.

They've determined they're more worried about him becoming a bust then leaving. We'll see how the strategy works, it's a risk.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I saw multiple times the team look to try and get Ayton the ball in the post only for him not to be able to seal his guy and when he did get it in the post, still play with the exact same tentativeness that we’ve always seen leading to fall away 15 footers.

And then he just no showed for the entire second half.

This. From 2nd quarter on he played with zero passion and showed the side of his game that has driven us crazy for two years. Only difference is jokic actually played better against Ayton than he has in recent encounters.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Well, I do expect improvement, and there has been some - a lot on defense actually, and a small amount on offense.

But if you were expecting his offensive game to suddenly morph after a 2 month offseason, I think that is beyond unreasonable expectiations.

How about after three years in the league?

 

[ASUCHRIS]

How about after three years in the league?

He said "there has been some - a lot on defense actually, and a small amount on offense."

In truth, Ayton has gotten better every year. Does he still make boneheaded plays from time to time? Of course! But advanced stats show he's getting better every year.

Deandre Ayton contract situation: Phoenix Suns dropped the ball big time

The Phoenix Suns had until 3:00 PM EST on Monday to sign star center Deandre Ayton to a contract extension

sportsnaut.com

You must be registered for see images attach

I can show more, but it's plain wrong to say he's not getting better.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

So far I’ve seen guys in this thread say McGee, Jarrett Allen and Richaun Holmes are better than Ayton lol

Even I don’t believe that

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Painting with a mighty broad brush there. The Suns got plenty of attention as the season went on, and certainly in the playoffs.


What some of you might not understand is that the sign Ayton camp is aware he's not perfect, and has room to improve.

You don't mess with 23 year old players who could be generational talents when lesser players are rewarded. Even worse, not addressing his contract has created an issue that didn't need to exist.

They've determined they're more worried about him becoming a bust then leaving. We'll see how the strategy works, it's a risk.

Notice those lesser players got lesser contracts? They, and their camp, understood where their value was - Ayton’s camp not so much.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I hope you know on the national level, your valuation of Ayton is considerably lower than most. The vast majority of people are very surprised Ayton didn't get his contract, and that's not to say that conventional wisdom is always right, but going against and failing can lead to embarassment.

Right now yes but one month before the postseason this story would have gone the other way. Everyone jumped on the Ayton bandwagon after he had a handful of strong performances in the playoffs but a lot of those same people were calling him a bust before then. He was far more supported on this website than nationally and there were a few "bust" calls here too and the absolute majority were hugely disappointed with him.

I guess, if you're convinced that he will always step up come playoff time, then he's an easy max decision. But for me, he only gets the max because we do need him and some other team will give him a huge contract if we don't.

I wish I wasn't but I'm convinced we will always be disappointed in him, specifically his lack of focus. And if some other team gets him away from us, those fans will be even more angered by his unwillingness to play hard every night.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Painting with a mighty broad brush there. The Suns got plenty of attention as the season went on, and certainly in the playoffs.


What some of you might not understand is that the sign Ayton camp is aware he's not perfect, and has room to improve.

You don't mess with 23 year old players who could be generational talents when lesser players are rewarded. Even worse, not addressing his contract has created an issue that didn't need to exist.

They've determined they're more worried about him becoming a bust then leaving. We'll see how the strategy works, it's a risk.

Dude, as much as I want to keep ayton, he does not have the motor to be a generational talent. We all know that. And yes, motor is part of talent.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Notice those lesser players got lesser contracts? They, and their camp, understood where their value was - Ayton’s camp not so much.

Absurd. Ayton knows he doesn't deserve a dollar less than an SGA or an MPJ, and he wouldn't settle for it. I don't blame him.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Even I don’t believe that

I believe Holmes is. Ayton at his best is much better than any of those names mentioned but how often does DA disappear? If you only focus on his positive moments, he's a stud. But when you factor in how he plays the rest of the time, Holmes' mediocre play passes him by IMO especially if he's being fed by a Chris Paul on a team with our weapons.

 

[Mainstreet]

@ASUCHRIS

Actually Ayton has been in the NBA for three seasons and hasn't gotten better in every category.

Deandre Ayton Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com

Checkout the latest stats of Deandre Ayton. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com

www.basketball-reference.com

Deandre Ayton - Portland Trail Blazers Center - ESPN

View the profile of Portland Trail Blazers Center Deandre Ayton on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.

www.espn.com

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

He said "there has been some - a lot on defense actually, and a small amount on offense."

In truth, Ayton has gotten better every year. Does he still make boneheaded plays from time to time? Of course! But advanced stats show he's getting better every year.

Deandre Ayton contract situation: Phoenix Suns dropped the ball big time

The Phoenix Suns had until 3:00 PM EST on Monday to sign star center Deandre Ayton to a contract extension

sportsnaut.com

You must be registered for see images attach

I can show more, but it's plain wrong to say he's not getting better.

I think that’s all from him limiting what he’s doing on the court verses expanding his capabilities. If you don’t watch the games you would see those stats and believe he’s improving.

But does he have a solid back to the basket game? No.

Can he consistently drive the ball? No.

Does he draw fouls? No.

Does he effectively seal defenders (even much smaller defenders) for post passes? No.

Does he still fumble easy passes? Yes.

Does he consistently get the ball stripped? Yes.

So he’s downsized what he does offensively on the court to get better efficiency and rating numbers, but he’s not actually improved his offensive game. The offense canNOT flow through him even a little.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Absurd. Ayton knows he doesn't deserve a dollar less than an SGA or an MPJ, and he wouldn't settle for it. I don't blame him.

Two players do not a market make. A smart organization does not take cues from mistakes others make.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Two players do not a market make. A smart organization does not take cues from mistakes others make.

I also think SGA is a more impactful player than Ayton is and would be more highly sought after if both hit the open market.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I guess, if you're convinced that he will always step up come playoff time, then he's an easy max decision. But for me, he only gets the max because we do need him and some other team will give him a huge contract if we don't.

Needing a player and knowing other people will pay him the max for sure is a great reason to keep a player on your team!

I wish I wasn't but I'm convinced we will always be disappointed in him, specifically his lack of focus. And if some other team gets him away from us, those fans will be even more angered by his unwillingness to play hard every night.

You might be right. He could flame out. Or maybe people are freaking out after one regular season game against a team bent on revenge. If people want to say Ayton hasn't improved, I don't know what to tell you. Honestly, if he never improved beyond hot and cold regular season and playoff beast he'd be well worth it.

He's frustrating, probably the most frustrating player I've ever rooted for on the Suns, but his floor is so high that I'd bet on the talent.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I also think SGA is a more impactful player than Ayton is and would be more highly sought after if both hit the open market.

I think you can be confident they both would/will get full max offers as well!

 

[Mainstreet]

Needing a player and knowing other people will pay him the max for sure is a great reason to keep a player on your team!


You might be right. He could flame out. Or maybe people are freaking out after one regular season game against a team bent on revenge. If people want to say Ayton hasn't improved, I don't know what to tell you. Honestly, if he never improved beyond hot and cold regular season and playoff beast he'd be well worth it.

He's frustrating, probably the most frustrating player I've ever rooted for on the Suns, but his floor is so high that I'd bet on the talent.

We should have a good idea where Ayton is going to be at the trade deadline with nearly four seasons under his belt.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Dude, as much as I want to keep ayton, he does not have the motor to be a generational talent. We all know that. And yes, motor is part of talent.

But he doesn't even need to be a generational talent to be well worth the max! Good teams have 3 max players.

His motor runs hot and cold, but he clearly showed in the playoffs he can turn it on, and stay focused when it matters most.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

We should have a good idea where Ayton is going to be at the trade deadline with nearly four seasons under his belt.

I guess. Again - I'll be more interested in what he brings in the postseason than what he does in the 82.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

But he doesn't even need to be a generational talent to be well worth the max! Good teams have 3 max players.

His motor runs hot and cold, but he clearly showed in the playoffs he can turn it on, and stay focused when it matters most.

Except when it mattered most-MOST (the finals)

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I guess. Again - I'll be more interested in what he brings in the postseason than what he does in the 82.

So Ayton essentially gets an 82 game pass? Must be nice to have such low expectations.

 

[Mainstreet]

I guess. Again - I'll be more interested in what he brings in the postseason than what he does in the 82.

We will need to see how Ayton plays before the trade deadline.

Also if the Suns don't get close to equal value, then don't trade him until he hits RFA.

Of course if he performs well in the playoffs, the Suns almost have to keep him.