the playoff drive: Suns@ Pacers thread

[Chaplin]

I don't think he'll be fired. Call it a hunch. I think we could be better with a different coach, but I just don't think the C's would do it. They put up with Skiles for a long time, and for all intents and purposes, we've been overachieving all season. FJ probably isn't going anywhere.

 

[slinslin]

Has anyone noticed..

When Scott Williams is in the game we usually start the 2nd half with a ''stupid first play'' where Williams gets the ball for a midrange jumpshot.

The bad thing most of the times they try to get Scott Williams an open look 3-4 times in a row to start the 2nd half.

Sure Scott Williams can make that shot, but I am sure Amare can make that shot as well. Neither of them will shoot at with a high % however.

 

[elindholm]

The bad thing most of the times they try to get Scott Williams an open look 3-4 times in a row to start the 2nd half.

They used to do that all the time with Longley or Kleine also (or at the start of the first half).

It's like a football team that can't run. They read somewhere that they're supposed to try to establish the run, so they call a bunch of run plays and have a few three-and-outs. Then they say, "Well, we tried, now we can just go to the air for the rest of the game." In the Suns' case, it's going to the perimeter (and/or Marbury-penetration) game. They make this big show of proving that their centers can't score, so that no one can criticize them for trying something else.

By the way, the problem with feeding Stoudemire constantly is that he is extremely turnover-prone. If you count each time he fumbles the ball or commits an offensive foul as a miss, he has really a low conversion percentage. He still does great on garbage points, and I definitely think he should be on the floor when he's moving well. But just dumping the ball into Stoudemire is not a successful offensive strategy for this team, and I give the coaching staff some credit for recognizing that.

 

[boisesuns]

amare was really upset at artest at the end of the game. anyone else see that? i wonder how well amare will get motivated after that. he was so agressive in the first quarter, more than he has been in a while. seemed to drop off a bit. he does fumble the ball a lot but when he gets the ball he does have some moves to get good attempts, and we usually see him being agressive. i think he's tired of setting screens for marbuy all the time. if he can work on moves and low post passing, this team will improve a lot. joe johnson is a great set shooter and could thrive off of amare.

i'm not sure about big jake either. i remember him having some great games toward the end of last season, and it left me hopeing for him. i don't know why he isn't playing. sure he might be slow but he's more of a presence than scott williams. did you guys see o'neal cross him over?? the expression "broke your ankles" almost came true. do you guys think jake is not ready to play yet? it's strange why he is activated, if he just sits on the bench.

i think franks substitutions are starting to get to me. i think experimenting time is over. maybe he hasn't found "what works" but i don't understand why he subs when he does. sure guys need to go out at times, but they need to learn how to play through their mistakes, not sit and think about why they made them. if they don't hustle, sure take them out, but how are they going to learn. is frank making timid players????????


casey comes in and hustles to try to make an impression, but usually makes unwise choices becuase he is worried about impressing the coach for more playing time.

thoughts?

 

[SirStefan32]

Originally posted by boisesuns


i think franks substitutions are starting to get to me. i think experimenting time is over. maybe he hasn't found "what works" but i don't understand why he subs when he does. sure guys need to go out at times, but they need to learn how to play through their mistakes, not sit and think about why they made them. if they don't hustle, sure take them out, but how are they going to learn. is frank making timid players????????

I've been talking about that this whole season. Players don't know if they are going to play, and if so, how much PT they are going to get. Nobody can get into any sort of rhytm.

If I were FJ, I would have a simple 8 or nine player rotation that I would run every single night.
Start Marbury, Hardaway, Marion, Stoudemire, Tsakalidis, have Johnson, Voskhul or Williams, and Outlaw come off the bench. Googliota, Langhi, Jacobsen, Brown, Ford, etc- no minutes at all.
Yes, they are probably going to whine, but who cares?
Give Jake Tsakalidis 30 minutes, and Jake Voskhul 18, and see if the Suns don't get 20 and 10 from their centers every night.

 

[JJ Slim]

Originally posted by SirStefan32
Give Jake Tsakalidis 30 minutes, and Jake Voskhul 18, and see if the Suns don't get 20 and 10 from their centers every night.

Isn't that exactly what they were doing earlier in the year when they were winning so much? Scott Williams was in that rotation too but the results were the same.