Watching the Twins succeed from afar.....

[95pro]

Looking forward to watching BKN advance in the EC playoffs. Would love to see them as a spoiler all the way up.

Im not sure if this is sarcasm. Sixers or Celtics got them beat already.

 

[Chaplin]

Yeah, BKN has no chance.

 

[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[JCSunsfan]

Im not sure if this is sarcasm. Sixers or Celtics got them beat already.

It was fantasy thinking. I do that sometimes.

 

[95pro]

It was fantasy thinking. I do that sometimes.

TMI bro tmi

 

[wagonmound464]

Cam Johnson having an awesome first half against the 76er's.... has 22 at the half including a
baptism dunk over the top of Embid at the rim. Even Kenny Smith at TNT is impressed!

Remind me again why the Suns traded two, young, team stars off to Brooklyn?

 

[Mainstreet]

Cam Johnson having an awesome first half against the 76er's.... has 22 at the half including a
baptism dunk over the top of Embid at the rim. Even Kenny Smith at TNT is impressed!

Remind me again why the Suns traded two, young, team stars off to Brooklyn?

Here is the dunk near the end of the video.

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[Dback Jon]

Looks like Monty didn't know how to use Cam

 

[AzStevenCal]

Looks like Monty didn't know how to use Cam

We saw some of that from Cam when he and Mikal were out there together with the bench but injuries put an end to that seemingly everytime he'd start playing that well. Hard to blame it on Monty IMO. Not to say that he wouldn't have underutilized him once he again got into playing shape, Monty isn't the most creative coach we've seen.

 

[Mainstreet]

Looks like Monty didn't know how to use Cam

Also, these players were on their way up. It was expected they would improve.

 

[elindholm]

Looks like Monty didn't know how to use Cam

Or Bridges, or Durant.

 

[TJ]

Looks like Monty didn't know how to use Cam

The only player who has significantly improved under Monty is Devin Booker, who has improved his scoring range and defense under his watch. Ayton has become a better defender since Monty came, but he does not know how to integrate him into a consistent scoring option. Ayton has been vocal about wanting to stretch the floor more and Monty simply hasnt given him a chance to do so. Mikal is an interesting case study. I guess he did improve, but I think this is a situation in which there simply werent enough shots for him to get up when everyone was healthy. The Nets have effectively given Mikal the keys to the Porsche and said "drive." Cam was fine when he was here.

Talent wise, the Suns are much better than the Nets. Mikal and Cam would be the 5th and 6th best players if they were to return to the team today. But we're seeing a situation in which Monty's shortcomings are on full display. Maybe he needs an offseason to put the pieces together and to give Jones an opportunity to replenish the bench, but there is a large enough sample size to cast doubt on that possibility. I hope Ishbia is paying close attention to what is going on here.

 

[Mainstreet]

The only player who has significantly improved under Monty is Devin Booker, who has improved his scoring range and defense under his watch. Ayton has become a better defender since Monty came, but he does not know how to integrate him into a consistent scoring option. Ayton has been vocal about wanting to stretch the floor more and Monty simply hasnt given him a chance to do so. Mikal is an interesting case study. I guess he did improve, but I think this is a situation in which there simply werent enough shots for him to get up when everyone was healthy. The Nets have effectively given Mikal the keys to the Porsche and said "drive." Cam was fine when he was here.

Talent wise, the Suns are much better than the Nets. Mikal and Cam would be the 5th and 6th best players if they were to return to the team today. But we're seeing a situation in which Monty's shortcomings are on full display. Maybe he needs an offseason to put the pieces together and to give Jones an opportunity to replenish the bench, but there is a large enough sample size to cast doubt on that possibility. I hope Ishbia is paying close attention to what is going on here.

I could lay a lot of the Suns problems at Monty's feet, but to be fair, I have to look at who assembled the current roster.

One glance at the bench, tells me James Jones and Mat Ishbia are not blameless. Who ignored depth at the point guard and power forward positions?

Monty took the Suns to the Finals three seasons ago.

 

[Raindog]

Or Bridges, or Durant.

Arguably, Ayton as well.

 

[TJ]

I could lay a lot of the Suns problems at Monty's feet, but to be fair, I have to look at who assembled the current roster.

One glance at the bench, tells me James Jones and Mat Ishbia are not blameless. Who ignored depth at the point guard and power forward positions?

Monty took the Suns to the Finals three seasons ago.

Oh trust me, JJ isnt absolved of blame, but Monty is consistently making the same mistakes over and over again. He is acknowledging it during post game press conferences, but nothing changes. I cant tell you how many times he's said that he needs to do a better job of defensive assignments and getting more touches to guys like Ayton and that it never happens.

As for Monty and the recent finals appearance, as Janet Jackson once said, "What have you done for me lately?"

 

[elindholm]

Arguably, Ayton as well.

We'll see, once he gets traded. I'm in disagreement with most of this board. I don't see a lack of motivation or focus so much as I see a lack of athleticism. Sure, he's much more athletic than someone like me, but I think he's below average by NBA standards. Maybe not in terms of raw things like strength or jumping ability, but he just doesn't "get it" athletically. He's indecisive because his brain is slow, and that stems from being uncomfortable in his physical space.

 

[Mainstreet]

Oh trust me, JJ isnt absolved of blame, but Monty is consistently making the same mistakes over and over again. He is acknowledging it during post game press conferences, but nothing changes. I cant tell you how many times he's said that he needs to do a better job of defensive assignments and getting more touches to guys like Ayton and that it never happens.

As for Monty and the recent finals appearance, as Janet Jackson once said, "What have you done for me lately?"

Monty might be the problem but since James Jones only left him with four starters, looking for a fifth and a weak bench, we may never know.

I see big time roster issues. I don't think any NBA team would be happy with the Suns bench.

 

[Cheesebeef]

We'll see, once he gets traded. I'm in disagreement with most of this board. I don't see a lack of motivation or focus so much as I see a lack of athleticism. Sure, he's much more athletic than someone like me, but I think he's below average by NBA standards. Maybe not in terms of raw things like strength or jumping ability, but he just doesn't "get it" athletically. He's indecisive because his brain is slow, and that stems from being uncomfortable in his physical space.

Yeah… there’s no quick twitch in his game at all on offense or defense. When have you ever seen Ayton bite on a fake and ever recover quickly to defend again? It’s like the play is over for him after one half-hearted attempt on D over and over again.

I guess that could be an effort issue. Which he definitely has as well.

 

[Raindog]

We'll see, once he gets traded. I'm in disagreement with most of this board. I don't see a lack of motivation or focus so much as I see a lack of athleticism. Sure, he's much more athletic than someone like me, but I think he's below average by NBA standards. Maybe not in terms of raw things like strength or jumping ability, but he just doesn't "get it" athletically. He's indecisive because his brain is slow, and that stems from being uncomfortable in his physical space.

I'll agree and disagree with you... indeed, it is a mental issue with Ayton in many of the ways you mention. But I'm not sure how you are translating that into being about athleticism.

I'd be willing to bet Ayton is one of the three or so most athletic big men in the league. But his basketball instincts and IQ are practically non-existent. Hence, why I continually wonder if he is getting actual competent coaching or if he is just dense with regard to it. The possibility that he may be overindulging in a certain recreational substance also occurs to me.

 

[SirStefan32]

I'll agree and disagree with you... indeed, it is a mental issue with Ayton in many of the ways you mention. But I'm not sure how you are translating that into being about athleticism.

I'd be willing to bet Ayton is one of the three or so most athletic big men in the league. But his basketball instincts and IQ are practically non-existent. Hence, why I continually wonder if he is getting actual competent coaching or if he is just dense with regard to it. The possibility that he may be overindulging in a certain recreational substance also occurs to me.

He doesn't understand just how athletic he is, nor how big he is. Nobody is questioning his athleticism- he is very athletic, but he doesn't know what to do with it. It's almost as if though his brain in telling him he is not athletic. He just doesn't seem to be able to process the fact that he is very tall, extremely long, and incredibly athletic. To use an extreme example, people who suffer a stroke find themselves in situations where they can't say or do what they have said and done thousands of times.

In a way, it's the issue Bridges had until about a month before the trade. He is extremely long, very athletic, has a great size, and decent handles, which makes him very difficult to stop. However, he had not been able to process that and translate it into being an actual offensive threat.

 

[elindholm]

He doesn't understand just how athletic he is, nor how big he is. Nobody is questioning his athleticism

Nobody except me. That's why I said I disagree with the rest of the board.

 

[Hoop Head]

ESPN has a big feature on the Nets rebuild around Mikal and how he'll be their centerpiece after the failed attempt at winning with a superteam. Thought it was a good read.

'That's the Tim Duncan part': Why the Nets believe Mikal Bridges is the answer to their failed superteam experiment

After four years of dizzying dysfunction, the Nets believe Bridges is not only a foundational player but also a man to calm the turmoil that has defined their franchise.

www.espn.com

 

[Bufalay]

Nobody except me. That's why I said I disagree with the rest of the board.

I mostly agree with you. Although I've been arguing that he lacks "skill", but I think that what I call skill is something like hand-eye coordination that one could reasonably classify as athleticism. All of decision making is too slow.

 

[clyde2tw]

Ayton's problem is that he has set of skills that yields him a great deal of rewards like enough money to care for his family, and lacks motivation to put in more effort to further improve his game to realize his full potential. He wants to win, no doubt, and he has been trying to be the best complementary player to this current team as best as his current skill set allows him to. I guess the management talked about trading him to a team with bigger role in the summer, but try to win a championship together this year.
As to Mikal, he has all the skills needed to be a Pippen type player, very athletic with excellent handle. But to become a go-to scorer, he needs learning through failures the way every great scorers including Booker go through, but lacks the opportunity with more reliable options in teammates Booker, CP and DA. He is unselfish and complies with coach's game plan with no complain. Only when those options were unavailble due to injuries this season, did Monty have not chance but let Mikal go through the needed failures, which was on display early when he first had to carry the scoring load. This then unfolded his talent and development as a true star player.