Who else is excited for the new Suns era?

[jagu]

They might not be the strongest team in the NBA but there's a lot of youth with promise. I'm very excited to see Goran Dragic in a starting role with no looks over his shoulder to see Nash getting ready to check in to the game. Suns management has done the job this offseason.

 

[elindholm]

*crickets chirping*

 

[BC867]

They might not be the strongest team in the NBA but there's a lot of youth with promise. I'm very excited to see Goran Dragic in a starting role with no looks over his shoulder to see Nash getting ready to check into the game. Suns management has done the job this offseason.

I'm with you, jagu. It should be entertaining basketball. Not the SSOL offense-only game, but a team with balance, especially if we pick up a legitimate backup Center.

Now we begin our climb (long since overdue) to rebuilding. Alvin Gentry has shown that he can get the Suns somewhat overachieving.

*fans cheering*

 

[Dr. Jones]

This unit might be one of the least interesting collections of talent in the NBA. We will get few national games, fewer sellouts, less national coverage, and more excuses about the building for the future.

No worries though. We need this to set up future dominance (when Sarver sells).

 

[mojorizen7]

This is better than the ignorant,dishonest crap we've been fed the last few years.

I'm looking forward to this season. I'll be interested to see what Gentry comes up with now that Nash is finally gone and he'll be able to install his own system.

 

[Mainstreet]

I like the infusion of young talent now and being in position to add more talent in the future. I've watched the Suns rebuild before. There is excitement to be had watching players develop so long as the franchise is not satisfied with mediocrity.

 

[chickenhead]

I'm excited for any Suns season, although "interested" is probably the better word. The turnover of the roster has been so significant that it definitely piques one's curiosity.

 

[SirStefan32]

I am not sure if I am really excited about the roster, but I am definitely excited to see the rebuilding process. I am hoping they do it right, and I think that they are on the right track so far.

 

[Cheesebeef]

did Sarver sell the team? If not, they're still in an era I have no reason to get excited for.

 

[chickenhead]

It is kind of sad that someone could see me dancing in the streets in a Suns t-shirt, and they'd be like "did they win the championship?" and I'd be like, "No, the owner sold the team to a different rich guy!"

 

[BC867]

It is kind of sad that someone could see me dancing in the streets in a Suns t-shirt, and they'd be like "did they win the championship?" and I'd be like, "No, the owner sold the team to a different rich guy!"

As long as he's not from Seattle.

 

[asudevil83]

This is better than the ignorant,dishonest crap we've been fed the last few years.

I'm looking forward to this season. I'll be interested to see what Gentry comes up with now that Nash is finally gone and he'll be able to install his own system.

Bingo

 

[Arizona's Finest]

did Sarver sell the team? If not, they're still in an era I have no reason to get excited for.

This guy gets it.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Excited? No

More interested then I have been in two seasons? Yes

Moves seem logical to me but only time will tell. I like Scola, Dragic, Marshall, Beasley, and Johnson independently but all together? Seems like conflicting philosophies.

I'm interested but like Cheese said know better then to be excited.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Excited? No

More interested then I have been in two seasons? Yes

Moves seem logical to me but only time will tell. I like Scola, Dragic, Marshall, Beasley, and Johnson independently but all together? Seems like conflicting philosophies.

I'm interested but like Cheese said know better then to be excited.

this is well stated. I'm curious to see what this is like, but excited ain't in my wheelhouse.

 

[Sonec]

Excited? Yes sir. Watching Gogi as a starter in Houston was a blast. Second season, Phoenix, here we go.

 

[Gee!]

This franchise is never gonna recover.. Rebuilding? Haha. These fools don't know a thing about basketball.. We are a bottom feeder..

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I am excited to see a different brand of basketball.

I am intrigued by some of the new players on the roster. You only need to hit on one of these young reclamation projects to be moving in the right direction.

I am impressed that they were able to be this far along in rebuilding so quickly.

I am hopeful that this is the first step in removing the apathy I have felt for this team in the last year or so.

 

[Budden]

I am excited to see a different brand of basketball.

I am intrigued by some of the new players on the roster. You only need to hit on one of these young reclamation projects to be moving in the right direction.

I am impressed that they were able to be this far along in rebuilding so quickly.

I am hopeful that this is the first step in removing the apathy I have felt for this team in the last year or so.

It really is pretty amazing how steep the drop-off has been for the overall quality of basketball in the NBA. It's hard to tell when you're watching the games in real time, but just consider the following:

The last time the Suns organization officially entered "rebuilding" mode was 2003-2004, when they traded Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway to the Knicks for like 11 European dudes. It was clear then that Marbury was not a winner; and let's say it was at least reasonable to doubt that Penny really was healthier than he had felt in 5 years. The Suns finished with a record of 29-53. That's a terrible record. There wasn't much reason to be excited about the Suns' future at that time.

Just to make sure we're clear: a roster that included Joe Johnson, who was finally turning the corner after years of being a total dud (he was pretty darn impressive for the second half of that 03-04 season), Shawn Marion in his physical prime, and Amare Stoudemire when he wore a #32 jersey, didn't have any apostrophes in his name, and was legitimately looking like he had a chance of achieving his stated goal of being the best basketball player in the history of the game. And we had enough cap space to sign someone to a max deal in the upcoming offseason. The team was in rebuilding mode, and the prevailing mood on these message boards was one of negativity because we didn't have a realistic shot at signing Kobe Bryant.

Compare that to the current "rebuilding" situation. By far the Suns' biggest free agent acquisition this offseason was Eric Gordon. The Suns' official website had a slideshow of Goran Dragic and Eric Gordon arriving in Phoenix, signing autographs with a few Suns fans, talking to the media, and all of the other stuff that goes along with any major offseason acquisition. Of course, there was virtually no doubt that New Orleans was going to match the offer, and nobody actually thought Eric Gordon was going to be a Phoenix Sun, but for that 36-hour period when the documents were in the mail, the Suns pretended like they legitimately picked him up. The Suns threw a press event announcing that they agreed to overpaid a ho-hum tweener with a history of injuries.

AFter NOH officially made the salary cap blunder, we went out and got Luis Scola, who luckily was available because the Rockets didn't really want him. Then we signed a bunch of other guys who, at some point in the last 5 years, looked like they might be good at basketball, and more recently, showed that they in fact were not good at basketball.

I can't wait for the season to start!

 

[Griffin]

Change is always interesting, especially before we know the outcome of these latest moves, short-term or long-term. Lots of new faces on the team means there's lots of unknowns going into the season. That makes it at least interesting to follow. Yes, there's some potential that some of these players will have breakout seasons, even without Nash spoon-feeding them. Maybe Dragic is a 18/9 type-of player after all and will make everyone seem better than they are. Maybe Morris will have a stellar sophomore outing. Maybe the Arizona heat will help Wes defrost from his two-year career-long bust-slump. Maybe Beasley can become a model citizen and give us 25ppg. And of course if all of that fails, maybe the Suns can draft their next Amare with their hard-earned lottery pick.

But at the same time, one thing seems clear to me. On paper at least, the current Suns roster is probably their least accomplished, if not least talented, since I can remember, and I've followed this team for close to 20 years. The following are career averages of all current Suns players with at least 100 games played (which is everyone but Morris, Tucker and Marshall) in order of PPG:

Player			GP	PPG	RPG	APG

Michael Beasley		279	15.1	5.6	1.4
Luis Scola		386	14.5	7.7	1.9
Channing Frye		500	 9.7	5.2	1.0
Goran Dragic		271	 8.0	2.2	3.3
Jared Dudley		370	 8.5	3.8	1.3
Marcin Gortat		296	 8.1	6.5	0.5
Shannon Brown		315	 7.7	1.8	1.1
Wesley Johnson		144	 7.7	2.9	1.4
Sebastian Telfair	489	 7.6	1.6	3.6

Excited still? To make matters worse, none of these players or even Morris or Marshall are players you would ever want to build a team around. There is no one untradeable, no core.

I'm certainly curious myself what Gentry can do with this bunch, but I'm also well aware that this may be a historically bad season for the Suns win-wise. And yes, last year's roster would not have looked much better (and that's probably why they missed playoffs two straight years) but Nash kept the team afloat. This season, there is no limit to how far they could potentially sink. And then it won't get exciting again until the draft night.

 

[Mainstreet]

Excited still? To make matters worse, none of these players or even Morris or Marshall are players you would ever want to build a team around. There is no one untradeable, no core.

I'm certainly curious myself what Gentry can do with this bunch, but I'm also well aware that this may be a historically bad season for the Suns win-wise. And yes, last year's roster would not have looked much better (and that's probably why they missed playoffs two straight years) but Nash kept the team afloat. This season, there is no limit to how far they could potentially sink. And then it won't get exciting again until the draft night.

The Suns had to start somewhere in the rebuilding process. There was not much there in free agency. At least they have put themselves in a better position by acquiring draft picks (plus their own) and creating cap space to use or leverage trades. I think watching young talent develop can be exciting.

 

[Sonec]

Change is always interesting, especially before we know the outcome of these latest moves, short-term or long-term. Lots of new faces on the team means there's lots of unknowns going into the season. That makes it at least interesting to follow. Yes, there's some potential that some of these players will have breakout seasons, even without Nash spoon-feeding them. Maybe Dragic is a 18/9 type-of player after all and will make everyone seem better than they are. Maybe Morris will have a stellar sophomore outing. Maybe the Arizona heat will help Wes defrost from his two-year career-long bust-slump. Maybe Beasley can become a model citizen and give us 25ppg. And of course if all of that fails, maybe the Suns can draft their next Amare with their hard-earned lottery pick.

But at the same time, one thing seems clear to me. On paper at least, the current Suns roster is probably their least accomplished, if not least talented, since I can remember, and I've followed this team for close to 20 years. The following are career averages of all current Suns players with at least 100 games played (which is everyone but Morris, Tucker and Marshall) in order of PPG:

Player			GP	PPG	RPG	APG

Michael Beasley		279	15.1	5.6	1.4
Luis Scola		386	14.5	7.7	1.9
Channing Frye		500	 9.7	5.2	1.0
Goran Dragic		271	 8.0	2.2	3.3
Jared Dudley		370	 8.5	3.8	1.3
Marcin Gortat		296	 8.1	6.5	0.5
Shannon Brown		315	 7.7	1.8	1.1
Wesley Johnson		144	 7.7	2.9	1.4
Sebastian Telfair	489	 7.6	1.6	3.6

Excited still? To make matters worse, none of these players or even Morris or Marshall are players you would ever want to build a team around. There is no one untradeable, no core.

I'm certainly curious myself what Gentry can do with this bunch, but I'm also well aware that this may be a historically bad season for the Suns win-wise. And yes, last year's roster would not have looked much better (and that's probably why they missed playoffs two straight years) but Nash kept the team afloat. This season, there is no limit to how far they could potentially sink. And then it won't get exciting again until the draft night.

Yes, still. Those numbers are history. Do you honestly expect Dragic to be below 10 ppg and 8 apg mark? If so.... Players improve, especially young ones, teams too. I'll rest my case for now.

 

[WildBB]

I think I'm looking forward to seeing Dragic and Beasly mostly. I think Beasly could develop into a pretty good scorer.

 

[PhxGametime]

I'm not 100% sold this is a Playoff Team but IMO, the Suns are one potentially star studded SG away from getting me excited. lol The Suns could have the Draft Picks and capspace, to get that done next year/soon...


Having a SG: able to score, rebound, defend, and create offense; to go alongside Dragic, would be ideal. Gortat is likely to be around beyond contract expiring and having 2 players able to run pick n roll, would make things that much easier.


Throw in, grooming Marshall to be another PnR option; Beasley being ISO option with or without screen; post up threat in Scola; and capable perimeter shooters - the Suns should be able to score.


Not quite as exciting as watching U of A Basketball this upcoming year but the Suns are in a better place (IMO) than they have been in 2 years.


I've had a lot of sugar today.

 

[Mainstreet]

I've had a lot of sugar today.

Funny stuff.