Trail Blazers at Suns 10-5-18 (preason)

[JCSunsfan]

Its ok. lots of posters start out that way. I will unblock him when he gets out of his groove.

 

[Phrazbit]

I haven't ever blocked anyone, but I'm getting close. I don't doubt he is earnest but it is so repetitive, hysterical lacking of substance that it's all just drivel.

No one thinks our point guard rotation is beyond garbage. I thinking even errrnight is off that wagon.

 

[Carolinacacti]

Why block him everyone is quoting his post.

Lord I wanted JJ at point so he would pass the ball. Then is proceeds to jack up 20 bricks. Makes me miss the Twins.

 

[Yuma]

Perhaps an overlooked aspect of the Suns’ quest to be the most improved team in basketball is Kokoskov needing every one of those minutes in the preseason.

After all, beyond the new coach, they also have seven new players on the roster.

No matter how good of a coach Kokoskov is, he won’t be able to snap his fingers and turn the Suns into a 35-win team from the jump with all the youth and new faces.

That process is going to take time, as the coach has said since day one.

Despite that being true, Kokoskov highlighted the team’s lack of effort and overall level of play after the game.

“We can watch the whole game and find all effort — clips and clips where effort should be better,” he said.

Elsewhere, Deandre Ayton was productive, again. He had 19 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in 28 minutes.

So far we know:

1. Ayton is a stud.

2. The team cannot sustain for four quarters running Igor's system. Is is mental or conditioning, or both?

3. Kokoskov is saying all the right things. (I see a lack of effort, too.)


The first preseaon game, in the first quarter, guys were flying around the court off the ball. The other team was having a hard time covering our guys and people were popping open. Since then, we are slowly reverting to one on one ball after doing a cursory weave to start the offense. Three passes a screen, then someone dribbles a bunch and jacks up a shot. Igor seems to see this too. That's just lack of effort. From that first game you know guys know there is supposed to be movement off the ball, and guys are now just running to spots and not moving, where they need to be moving and losing their defenders.

 

[Bada0Bing]

It's frustrating that so many good posters respond to these trolls. I get it if there's a disagreement that needs to be hashed out, but too often newcomers are just trolling.

I come here to read the game thread because I couldn't watch the game. Typically I can read through some good insight and get a feel for how the team played.

Half the posts are junk in this thread...just feeding the troll. Blocking does no good because people keep responding to the troll.

Just wanted to add my $0.02. Come on guys. This site is too good for this junk.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

It's frustrating that so many good posters respond to these trolls. I get it if there's a disagreement that needs to be hashed out, but too often newcomers are just trolling.

I come here to read the game thread because I couldn't watch the game. Typically I can read through some good insight and get a feel for how the team played.

Half the posts are junk in this thread...just feeding the troll. Blocking does no good because people keep responding to the troll.

Just wanted to add my $0.02. Come on guys. This site is too good for this junk.

You’re right.

 

[SirStefan32]

The more people that block him, the fewer people will respond to him. The less attention he gets, the sooner he'll go away.

 

[Superbone]

Hmm. I'm not seeing his posts quoted. I must have the option turned on (default?) to only see the response.

 

[SirStefan32]

Hmm. I'm not seeing his posts quoted. I must have the option turned on (default?) to only see the response.

Yeah, I see responses, but I don't see his posts either.

 

[sunsfan88]

Blocking does no good because people keep responding to the troll.

Why block him everyone is quoting his post.

If you block a user, you shouldn't be able to see his posts, only the responses if someone were to reply to that user's posts.

That's one of the best features of this forum as it comes in handy for me as I have blocked someone (not 1Sun) who posts quite frequently but I'm able to avoid reading that user's posts.

 

[Hoop Head]

It's pointless to block someone if people are going to talk about blocking them more than people respond to him.

 

[JCSunsfan]

It's pointless to block someone if people are going to talk about blocking them more than people respond to him.

What? Who?

 

[AzStevenCal]

I respond to him because I don't believe he's a troll. He's passionate about what he believes and he is not abusive when he responds. Yes, it's frustrating at times when he says the same thing over and again without really acknowledging the responses in between but we've all seen worse here.

 

[sunsfan88]

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[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I respond to him because I don't believe he's a troll. He's passionate about what he believes and he is not abusive when he responds. Yes, it's frustrating at times when he says the same thing over and again without really acknowledging the responses in between but we've all seen worse here.

To me it’s not even the repetition. I’ve moved past that. It’s the accusations that no one on this board thinks pg is an issue. Those are just ridiculous comments.

 

[AzStevenCal]

To me it’s not even the repetition. I’ve moved past that. It’s the accusations that no one on this board thinks pg is an issue. Those are just ridiculous comments.

Sure. Also, the idea that everyone is expecting Booker to be a savior. And so on.

 

[Hoop Head]

Sure. Also, the idea that everyone is expecting Booker to be a savior. And so on.

This has bothered me the most. I can understanding disagreeing with it but that's not what's happened. At first he disagreed, which was fine, but then rather than hold onto that position he started exaggerating how people viewed Booker's returning helping. I don't believe anyone has said Booker will be some sort of savior for the team, like he's claimed, but that's where it's gotten to with how he knocks the notion Booker will help. It's odd how that's happened also because his initial claims were that we needed a better PG, which everyone pretty much agrees with. The cost, who, and when has been debated but we do need a PG. His argument has gone from that to everyone on the team will be damaged beyond repair because of the PG's that we have and now he's even started saying that you can see that damage happening already in just 3 preseason games. It's crazy how far that line of thinking has gone but he's taken it on himself to exaggerate how others view Booker returns helping.

Everyone has seemed fairly consistent that Booker will help the Suns when he returns, in various ways, and we'll look better as a team with him. No one has said Booker will come back and be an MVP candidate or push the Suns into a playoff team or anything like that. It's basically, Booker will help us be more competitive and help the offense from stalling out sometimes like we've seen so far. When games matter we'll see more effort from others and tighter rotations as well, which combined with Booker's return will improve how the team looks but the results are still not the playoffs and that's ok. It seems like that isn't accepted by him though. The mere mention of Booker returning has now been hyped up by him and will probably be about on the level with the biblical second coming by the time the next preseason game is over. He seems to push the idea that people are saying that Booker will turn us into the most effective team ever and will help everyone meet and exceed their potential when on the floor with him when no one has made that case. The only time expectations like that are mentioned, or even close to that, is when he's spinning someone else's comment about Booker's return out of proportion.

That is the main issue I have and why I've tried to avoid posting about Booker's return. Every other poster seems to know what he'll bring to the table when he does come back but when it's mentioned it gives him ammo to go off in a different direction but at least it's a direction that doesn't involve calling our PG rotation the worst of any organized basketball league in the history of the sport.

 

[Yuma]

Just in general, as a long time Suns fan, when was the last time our center was way better than our PG? Like never?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Just in general, as a long time Suns fan, when was the last time our center was way better than our PG? Like never?

Alvan Adams until probably DJ? But we've never had an Ayton.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm not sure this got mentioned so I will post this from Gina Mizell.

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It seems the effort from players is being called into question by the coach.

 

[Hoop Head]

I'm not sure this got mentioned so I will post this from Gina Mizell.

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It seems the effort from players is being called into question by the coach.

Ugh, that's so disheartening. I'm not sure what can be done though. We added vets who can play, we have young stars. Of course we need a PG but that's not everything. We need a wakeup call of some sort. I liked Booker talking about being mad about missing the playoffs last year and vowing never to have that happen again but I think his absence has been missed. It's not his playing so much as a leader on the floor.

I like Ayton as the "defensive coordinator" but if he's not doing that, Igor needs to yank him. Igor and Chandler should be on the same page in terms of how Ayton needs to play and both need to ride him and hold him accountable. Let him sit with Chandler and get chewed out while Holmes plays and if Chandler doesn't think he'll change when it's time to check back in, Tyson goes in instead.

Ayton's play has been good though, his defense has had lapses though and that shouldn't happen with the role Igor put him in. Maybe it's too much too soon but it's too late to undo it.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Obviously some of it is effort, but I think some of it is confusion as well. It can be difficult to go all out on something if you aren't certain you are doing the right thing. Hopefully as the guys get a better feel for what they should be doing the more effort they will appear to be putting in.

 

[Mainstreet]

Ugh, that's so disheartening. I'm not sure what can be done though. We added vets who can play, we have young stars. Of course we need a PG but that's not everything. We need a wakeup call of some sort. I liked Booker talking about being mad about missing the playoffs last year and vowing never to have that happen again but I think his absence has been missed. It's not his playing so much as a leader on the floor.

I like Ayton as the "defensive coordinator" but if he's not doing that, Igor needs to yank him. Igor and Chandler should be on the same page in terms of how Ayton needs to play and both need to ride him and hold him accountable. Let him sit with Chandler and get chewed out while Holmes plays and if Chandler doesn't think he'll change when it's time to check back in, Tyson goes in instead.

Ayton's play has been good though, his defense has had lapses though and that shouldn't happen with the role Igor put him in. Maybe it's too much too soon but it's too late to undo it.

It was hard for me to evaluate if the Suns were playing hard because the team lacked continuity in their play. However, maybe the word I am looking for is chemistry. It's like they were not on the same page on offense or defense.

The Trail Blazers were so smooth as they executed like the veteran team they are. I guess the Suns defense bothered me the most as Portland could get any shot they wanted especially inside the paint.

Some of this is expected from a team with a new coach and new players but I was hoping they would be further along.

 

[Hoop Head]

It was hard for me to evaluate if the Suns were playing hard because the team lacked continuity in their play. However, maybe the word I am looking for is chemistry. It's like they were not on the same page on offense or defense.

The Trail Blazers were so smooth as they executed like the veteran team they are. I guess the Suns defense bothered me the most as Portland could get any shot they wanted especially inside the paint.

Some of this is expected from a team with a new coach and new players but I was hoping they would be further along.

Yeah, it is a new coach in preseason still. That's one upside to being in the salary mess that the Trailblazers are in, they have like 9 guys back from last season. So things for them should be familiar, and of course they have Lillard as their anchor. As we saw with Nash a few years back, even when we were bad, an All NBA PG can make an offense appear much better than it really is. The Suns missed the playoffs like 2-3 years with Nash before trading him but those teams didn't play like lottery teams on offense. Their defense was trash but they looked good, even with a lot of roster turnover because Nash could make anyone look good.

 

[Mainstreet]

Yeah, it is a new coach in preseason still. That's one upside to being in the salary mess that the Trailblazers are in, they have like 9 guys back from last season. So things for them should be familiar, and of course they have Lillard as their anchor. As we saw with Nash a few years back, even when we were bad, an All NBA PG can make an offense appear much better than it really is. The Suns missed the playoffs like 2-3 years with Nash before trading him but those teams didn't play like lottery teams on offense. Their defense was trash but they looked good, even with a lot of roster turnover because Nash could make anyone look good.

Although all the Suns problems would not be solved by acquiring a veteran point guard I do think it would help stabilize the team. Chemistry on one side of the ball might help carry over to the other side.

There was an article about how the Suns would flourish if they had Damian Lillard as their point guard. Well yeah. The Suns would flourish if the Suns had Stephen Curry as their point guard.

Here is a link to the article.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/spo...n-point-guard-like-damian-lillard/1546679002/