The Ayton Plan

[Folster]

Any ideas about what a Sabonis/Ayton trade would've looked like? Gambo said it was discussed.

 

[Raindog]

More questions about Ayton in Monty's comment. It also makes me wonder if my above comment isn't on the mark.

Suns' Monty Williams on Deandre Ayton's Game 7 minutes: 'It's internal'

Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton only played 3:34 in the second half of the team's 123-90 loss to the Mavs at Footprint on Sunday.

arizonasports.com

 

[Covert Rain]

I guess we should have drafted Luka.

 

[Folster]

Bickley and Marotta talked about this ESPN article about Ayton and his love for video games.

Why Phoenix Suns star Deandre Ayton can't live without video games

When Deandre Ayton moved to the U.S. from the Bahamas to pursue his basketball career, he longed for familial connections. From NBA 2K to Call of Duty and more, gaming has helped the Phoenix Suns star create a sense of community.

www.espn.com

I'm not sure if it's been brought up before, but wow!

Ayton typically wakes up around 6 a.m. after only getting about two hours of sleep. There's time for a quick round of gaming after eating breakfast, then he's off to practice. Then it's back home to finish talking trash and practicing moves on the virtual court. On game days, Ayton is focused, but that schedule still includes time for video games.

"It's so hard for me to sleep after long games, especially big, long games," Ayton explains. "I don't know why, but I occupy my time with the game. I connect with some of my people. I got brothers in the UK. I got family in Jamaica and the Bahamas. During that game, we talk our smack. Whoever we just beat up on, we talk about it and laugh about it. I ain't going to bed until 4 or 5 a.m. That's how serious it gets."

 

[Covert Rain]

Bickley and Marotta talked about this ESPN article about Ayton and his love for video games.

Why Phoenix Suns star Deandre Ayton can't live without video games

When Deandre Ayton moved to the U.S. from the Bahamas to pursue his basketball career, he longed for familial connections. From NBA 2K to Call of Duty and more, gaming has helped the Phoenix Suns star create a sense of community.

www.espn.com

I'm not sure if it's been brought up before, but wow!

I just brought this up in another thread. Wonder why Ayton feels so unfocused and looks like he has no energy at time? Read this article. Two hours of sleep a night? Jeebus.

 

[Ronin]

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[az jam]

Time to move on from Aton. He is not worth paying a max-contract.

 

[Finito]

I just brought this up in another thread. Wonder why Ayton feels so unfocused and looks like he has no energy at time? Read this article. Two hours of sleep a night? Jeebus.

Lmao

A 23 year old that does t sleep. Nooooo

 

[Folster]

Lmao

A 23 year old that does t sleep. Nooooo

An elite athlete that doesn't get proper sleep/recovery. That's not something to dismiss as unimportant. It's not just commentary on his sleep, but on his commitment to be the best and realize his potential.

 

[Covert Rain]

Lmao

A 23 year old that does t sleep. Nooooo

I guess this went over your head. We are not talking about the average 23 year old. ROTFLMAO.

An elite athlete that doesn't get proper sleep/recovery. That's not something to dismiss as unimportant. It's not just commentary on his sleep, but on his commitment to be the best and realize his potential.

Exactly. This isn't the 70's and 80's. Athletes know their sleep, food intake and things are essential for maximizing your potential.

 

[Finito]

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Oh Pat Bev was trolling hard this morning. He was on one

 

[dscher]

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Love it. All the media gushing over Ayton is frankly sickening to me.. if we extend him, great... whatever. But this fanboy love over his game is hilarious to me.

 

[Finito]

I guess this went over your head. We are not talking about the average 23 year old. ROTFLMAO.


Exactly. This isn't the 70's and 80's. Athletes know their sleep, food intake and things are essential for maximizing your potential.

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Oh it didn’t go over my head but I don’t live in a fairy tale where I think these guys are machines who only eat and sleep basketball he says that’s how he relaxes because he’s so wound up

We need to be reminded what Booker was doing when he was 23? Wasn’t staying inside playing video games

 

[Covert Rain]

Oh it didn’t go over my head but I don’t live in a fairy tale where I think these guys are machines who only eat and sleep basketball he says that’s how he relaxes because he’s so wound up

We need to be reminded what Booker was doing when he was 23? Wasn’t staying inside playing video games

Nice strawman. Nobody is saying that. No athlete can survive on are regular diet of 2 hours sleep. Booker has never said he only sleeps 2 hours a night either. You are being ridiculous. This has nothing to do with playing video games per say. I don't care what the hobby is. Body science says you cannot perform at peak performance on 2 hours sleep.

Funny....because Ayton looks larthargic, unfocused and lost for stretches on the court more often then he should. 1+1 and all. Amazing how so much below aligns with what we have seen. Go figure.

How Sleep Affects Athletic Performance | Sleep Foundation

Time for recovery, rest, & sleep is an integral part of reaching peak athletic performance. Learn how sleep can help athletes in this guide.

www.sleepfoundation.org

 

[Finito]

Nice strawman. Nobody is saying that. No athlete can survive on are regular diet of 2 hours sleep. Booker has never said he only sleeps 2 hours a night either. You are being ridiculous. This has nothing to do with playing video games per say. I don't care what the hobby is. Body science says you cannot perform at peak performance on 2 hours sleep.

Funny....because Ayton looks larthargic, unfocused and lost for stretches on the court more often then he should. 1+1 and all.

Really because outside of game 7 a game when not one Sun looked good he was our most consistent player in the series.

It’s not a straw man argument. You have no idea what NBA culture is especially on the road. I know this might be shocking but it gets a little crazier than video games.

And are you really that naive to think he means he literally sleeps two hours a night every night? Come on now

 

[GatorAZ]

Everything I felt about DA since college pretty much came to fruition. He’s a huge tease that will always leave you wanting more. Really good player and person but too frustrating to give a max contract. His shortcoming aren’t an issue at $10m a year.

 

[Covert Rain]

Really because outside of game 7 a game when not one Sun looked good he was our most consistent player in the series.

It’s not a straw man argument. You have no idea what NBA culture is especially on the road. I know this might be shocking but it gets a little crazier than video games.

And are you really that naive to think he means he literally sleeps two hours a night every night? Come on now

Dear lord. Is that you slinslin? Dude....yes it's a strawman. Nobody is saying that Ayton doesn't have talent. Nobody is saying that he at times isn't locked in. He isn't consistent during games. He is soft at during games. EVERYBODY sees it but evidently you.

You can ignore the science all you want. Doesn't make it less true. Lack of sleep catches up with everybody and it doesn't have to be "literally" every night (two hours every single night) to take it's toll. Even doing it on even a semi-regular basis takes it's toll.

This completely lines up with what we have seen or you have to draw the conclusion that Ayton will always be a semi-focused player that is soft and never lives up to his #1 pick potential. You pick.

 

[Mainstreet]

Everything I felt about DA since college pretty much came to fruition. He’s a huge tease that will always leave you wanting more. Really good player and person but too frustrating to give a max contract. His shortcoming aren’t an issue at $10m a year.

Even at about $15-20 million a season Ayton is a bargain but he will want so much more and likely some team will give it to him.

 

[Finito]

Dear lord. Is that you slinslin? Dude....yes it's a strawman. Nobody is saying that Ayton doesn't have talent. Nobody is saying that he at times isn't locked in. He isn't consistent during games. He is soft at during games. EVERYBODY sees it but evidently you.

You can ignore the science all you want. Doesn't make it less true. Lack of sleep catches up with everybody and it doesn't have to be "literally" every night (two hours every single night) to take it's toll. Even doing it on even a semi-regular basis takes it's toll.

This completely lines up with what we have seen or you have to draw the conclusion that Ayton will always be a semi-focused player that is soft and never lives up to his #1 pick potential. You pick.

Your right he’s totally inconsistent. I mean just look at his numbers and the huge swings. I especially hate how soft he is and leaves points on the board.

 

[Covert Rain]

Your right he’s totally inconsistent. I mean just look at his numbers and the huge swings. I especially hate how soft he is and leaves points on the board.

Challenge excepted. How many games in the last 15-20 games do you want to review about rebounds not grabbed or dunks he could have made and quarters he disappeared? Let's do this.

P.S. There is a reason we picked up Biz and McGee but I digress.

 

[TJ]

Here’s the bottom line:

As much as it pains the fans to admit, the Suns need Ayton more than Ayton needs the Suns. If Jones decides to move from him, it leaves a void in the middle defensively and gravity towards the middle of the basket that’s not easily replaced. You’ll lose spacing for Booker and other outside shooters paramount to what Monty’s perimeter-oriented team needs. Centers not named Jokic or Embiid wont command that much attention underneath. Holmes, Siakim and other names casually being thrown around wont get the attention that Ayton gets.

For Ayton, he could get the max from Phoenix, but if he wants to be super max eligible, he has to go elsewhere. He’s not going to be the focal point of this offense like other athletic centers in the NBA as long as Monty is coach. This is not a knock on Monty, it’s just the fact. Ayton would be utilized more frequently with Orlando, Portland, Detroit, etc. This would come with not playing for a contender, but I know Ayton loves his money.

For Ayton detractors, this is a “be careful what you wish for” situation. Ayton, for all of his warts, has been much more than a net positive for this team during his time here and the names being tossed around simply wont do Make it for it. Remember - we dont win the conference last season w/o him.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I'm definitely on Team Ayton, unless you can replace him with something better.

There just aren't many other young bigs that can do what he does, and his floor is really high. Even if he's just good moving forward, we could still trade him if we need.

We have a ton of problems, and replacing Ayton would create another huge hole.

 

[Finito]

Challenge excepted. How many games in the last 15-20 games do you want to review about rebounds not grabbed or dunks he could have made and quarters he disappeared? Let's do this.

P.S. There is a reason we picked up Biz and McGee but I digress.

Well that’s what shooting percentage is for. He shot 63% on the year. So that means he misses 4 shots a game.

So how many shots is he allowed to miss? Because 63% is very very efficient. Is he allowed to miss 3? So 70% or maybe 3? 80%

No this is where I sit back and let you find me all the players in NBA history with the usage rate he has that have shot 70 or 80%

 

[Ronin]

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[Covert Rain]

Here’s the bottom line:

As much as it pains the fans to admit, the Suns need Ayton more than Ayton needs the Suns. If Jones decides to move from him, it leaves a void in the middle defensively and gravity towards the middle of the basket that’s not easily replaced. You’ll lose spacing for Booker and other outside shooters paramount to what Monty’s perimeter-oriented team needs. Centers not named Jokic or Embiid wont command that much attention underneath. Holmes, Siakim and other names casually being thrown around wont get the attention that Ayton gets.

For Ayton, he could get the max from Phoenix, but if he wants to be super max eligible, he has to go elsewhere. He’s not going to be the focal point of this offense like other athletic centers in the NBA as long as Monty is coach. This is not a knock on Monty, it’s just the fact. Ayton would be utilized more frequently with Orlando, Portland, Detroit, etc. This would come with not playing for a contender, but I know Ayton loves his money.

For Ayton detractors, this is a “be careful what you wish for” situation. Ayton, for all of his warts, has been much more than a net positive for this team during his time here and the names being tossed around simply wont do Make it for it. Remember - we dont win the conference last season w/o him.

Ayton is not eligible for the Supermax. I was thinking this too but then was reminded he isn't eligible yet. He doesn't have the years of service. The most money he can get is from the Suns because they can offer him a 5 year deal. His options are: Sign an offer sheet with another team and see if the Suns match. Sign his qualifying offer play out one more season then become an unrestricted free agent. Sign a 5 max contract with the Suns (stay or get traded).

If the Suns give Ayton Max we will be in luxury tax territory which will limit bringing anybody else with star caliber. Suns have $128.8 million in committed salary. If they give Ayton the Max? Does that mean we don't resign McGee with the mid-level? If we did both? The Suns would have the biggest luxury tax bill in the league.

I can't imagine Sarver letting that happen with a team who collapsed in spectacular fashion 2 years running. Not without gutting other parts of this team. To say this offseason is going to get interesting is an understatement.