Tough Decisions: Bench Nash and Shaq At Times?

[btimsah]

In that game last night I made some people mad by saying that we should have benched Nash. Well, I'm going to repeat that mantra here.

The Spurs entire scheme of beating us revolves around stopping Steve Nash and abusing him on the other end. Tony Parker scored at will against him. Bruce Bowen completely stopped Nash. He deserves credit for that.

A great coach who understands mismatches would realize though, that last night having Nash on the floor was a liability more than anything else. He was not hitting anything. The passes he was able to make were pedestrian. He can't defend that pick and roll - not many can.

I don't know where to find the stat, but if you look I'm sure you'd notice that we would close the lead when Steve sat. Then he gets back in the game and another 10 points is thrown on their lead.

We need a coach who can make those tough decisions and better prepare our bench to play when people employ Hack a shaq and stuff our former 2 time MVP. Dantoni does not play anyone else, so who can he go to? Skinner - no. Nobody is ready.

This game was kind of strange because Nash was doing well in this series, but last night he was completely gotten rid of. He had about the same amount of points as Barry did for the Spurs. Very few assists.

If I were Dantoni I would have looked for a way to get Bell, Giracheck, Amare, Skinner and Hill out there and see what happens to their huge lead. Then when Parker sits, bring in Nash. THings like that. TRY TO COACH. TRY TO EXPLOIT MISMATCHES BESIDES BORIS DIAW.

Next year we can add more components to this team, but until we have a coach who can exploit mismatches, see mismatch problems and develop the bench then we are always gonna be doomed come playoff time.

- Oh and Shaq does not hit his free-throws when they count.

 

[mojorizen7]

If benching Nash didn't mean putting the ball and decision making in Barbosa's hands i could see your argument.

 

[btimsah]

If benching Nash didn't mean putting the ball and decision making in Barbosa's hands i could see your argument.

lol - Understood. That's why I said it was a hard decision. Some things that may not work. But I just think we need a veteran coach who can take this team with a bunch of talented shooters and passers and make them a more cohesive team that buys into the system.

I thought we saw a team that no longer buys into Dantoni's system and they gave up.

 

[mojorizen7]

lol - Understood. That's why I said it was a hard decision. Some things that may not work. But I just think we need a veteran coach who can take this team with a bunch of talented shooters and passers and make them a more cohesive team that buys into the system.

I thought we saw a team that no longer buys into Dantoni's system and they gave up.

Yeah i agree. IMO the game 1 debacle was the breaking point for Nash in terms of "believing" in D'Antoni and to some extent, his teammates.
Nash is a guy who's game is fueled by passion and it's pretty obvious(to me) that he's lost it. Let me add that i don't blame Nash for losing it after watching his coach and a few of his teammates fail to meet the challenge time and time again.

 

[NDNACE]

A two time MVP with only 7 points in a critical game? C'mon man, Nash looked like he would rather be playing soccer in Central Park last night. Bowen is good but he shouldn't be able to turn out the lights on Nash.

 

[WuRaider]

We did cut the lead down to 13 or 11 when Nash was out the early 4th. We had about 4-5 defensive stops during that run. I was hoping they would sit Nash a little longer but then Ginobilli and Parker made threes to push the lead back up. ********.

 

[SunsFanVegas]

I don't believe trading Nash is the answer. Yes, he may have been shut down in this last game, but how many of you give him accolades when he makes the winning shot, or say, Wow....just Wow at what he has done and has brought to this team. You can't blame him for losing faith, when he has players surrounding him that have not played up to their potential. Amare should be absolutely ashamed of himself for his play. Especially last night when Parker was cutting to the basket and making layup after layup and Stoudemire was just standing there, almost as if he were watching in awe. It disgusts me at his lack of effort and heart. If I were Nash, I would have lost faith too. You can't expect a guy, even of his talent, to carry the entire team on his shoulders for playoff games especially against a tough minded, disciplined and motivated team like the Spurs. And No, I'm not just some girl who has a crush on Nash. I'm a Suns fan and I have lost my respect for the coach and his lack of effort in getting this team mentally and physically ready for playoff basketball. He may have been good In Europe, but his lack of quick decision making and exploiting the weaknesses of his opponent just won't cut it in the NBA...and definately not in the playoffs. I like D'Antoni, but not as a head coach of my team.

 

[OldDirtMcGirt]

It's important to note that the entire Suns team looked overmatched that night. It was hardly just Nash's fault, and I think that he's proven himself to be able to step up in big games in the past, that we can dismiss this as an aboration. That said, it's obvious that we need to get a servicable back up point guard, and that D'Antoni will play said point guard.

 

[dodie53]

much tougher decisions:
trade nash and amare?

 

[cly2tw]

I don't believe trading Nash is the answer. Yes, he may have been shut down in this last game, but how many of you give him accolades when he makes the winning shot, or say, Wow....just Wow at what he has done and has brought to this team. You can't blame him for losing faith, when he has players surrounding him that have not played up to their potential. Amare should be absolutely ashamed of himself for his play. Especially last night when Parker was cutting to the basket and making layup after layup and Stoudemire was just standing there, almost as if he were watching in awe. It disgusts me at his lack of effort and heart. If I were Nash, I would have lost faith too. You can't expect a guy, even of his talent, to carry the entire team on his shoulders for playoff games especially against a tough minded, disciplined and motivated team like the Spurs. And No, I'm not just some girl who has a crush on Nash. I'm a Suns fan and I have lost my respect for the coach and his lack of effort in getting this team mentally and physically ready for playoff basketball. He may have been good In Europe, but his lack of quick decision making and exploiting the weaknesses of his opponent just won't cut it in the NBA...and definately not in the playoffs. I like D'Antoni, but not as a head coach of my team.

It's hard to blame Amare for unable to stop Parker after switch. As Nash said, they were instructed to deny penetration from Parker and Manu. When Parker has so much space in front of Amare or Shaq, and he can hit the jumper, it's over. So, one way to disturb that is to have the PG fighting through the picks hard and put more pressure on Parker. Yet, Nash was unable to do that.

 

[SunsFanVegas]

I'm not saying Nash played a great game...he didn't. But for all who are calling for his head on the trading block now is just ridiculous. There are more problems with this team than just Nash having a bad game. It starts with the top. You know the saying....sh*t rolls downhill.

 

[cly2tw]

I'm not saying Nash played a great game...he didn't. But for all who are calling for his head on the trading block now is just ridiculous. There are more problems with this team than just Nash having a bad game. It starts with the top. You know the saying....sh*t rolls downhill.

Trading Nash is not the solution unless the offer is too good. But the team should be made to have an answer to any type of offense. In a game like the last when Nash was totally negative in impact, a desperate enough coach might have at least tried to do some defense for offense tricks to shake it up. Well, wait, our coach never prepared for that event! I say, just fire DA and start from there.

 

[SunsFanVegas]

You can tell that the players have lost faith in their coach and the system. The Suns need a change...and I believe a new HC should be a good place to start.