Game 77: Phoenix Suns (19-57) at Houston Rockets (61-14), Friday, 3/30, 5PM MST

[bwoolf2]

Anytime you have Triano drawing up plays to be run for Daniels you know they are tanking, he is not a guy you can run plays for he has to get his shots in the flow of the game. As soon as they started running plays for Daniels every position their 17 point lead was gone in a hurry... Triano with the ultimate tank commander job there, well played.

[JMac1]

Awesome...Clyde Drexler on the telecast now...

What did he say? Something to Eddie about Josh? Lol!

[DirtyDez]

I can't believe Sarver didn't extend Joe Johnson for 6/50 in 2004. We would have had him through 2010. That decision will always irk me as one of the worst...that and trading our draft pick that same summer. We didn't even have to sign Q. Dumb.

He asked the Suns not to match and they didn't, I think any other GM would have matched and told JJ to deal with it.

Can’t blame him after they turned around and gave Q-Rich the exact same deal they wouldn’t give the younger and better JJ.

A week later, they used the remainder of their salary-cap space to sign swingman Quentin Richardson to a six-year, $48 million contact at the suggestion of new assistant coach Alvin Gentry, who coached him for the Clippers.

"I felt like it was an insurance policy for myself," Suns guard Joe Johnson said. "I felt it was like, 'If Joe doesn't give us any consistency, we'll start Q.' I thought Q was my competition. I didn't know D'Antoni was going to throw Shawn at the 4 and play me and 'Q' together. It was so competitive playing pick-up before training camp and during training camp that he was like, 'I'm just going to put them all out there and see what happens.'"

Sarver said his biggest regret of his 11 years as managing partner was not extending Johnson before that 2004-05 season started. Johnson wanted a six-year, $50 million contract. Sarver would not budge from $45 million, a difference of $833,333 per year.

"It would've made all the difference in the world," Colangelo said of extending Johnson. "But you also wouldn't have Joe go through that year and gather a little bit of angst and animosity and a feeling of disrespect. We heard it all at the time."

The end of Johnson's negotiations came at the end of the 2004 preseason.

[garrick]

Those last 2 possessions where Ullis ran down the clock only too turnover it twice is where we lost the game

He is an absolute liability in those situations, Triano should have given the PG duties to JJ late in the 4th because he can at least get a shot off most of the time whereas Ulis just gets it swatted away.

[bwgood77]

I can't believe Sarver didn't extend Joe Johnson for 6/50 in 2004. We would have had him through 2010. That decision will always irk me as one of the worst...that and trading our draft pick that same summer. We didn't even have to sign Q. Dumb.

He asked the Suns not to match and they didn't, I think any other GM would have matched and told JJ to deal with it.

That was the following summer after our great season. He was eligible for an early extension and Sarver had offered 6/45 and JJ wanted 6/50 so they held off. The next summer Atlanta wanted to give him the max. We could have locked him up the summer before.

EDIT - just saw DirtyDez laid out the facts.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Chriss outplayed Capela and will be $20m cheaper.

He's 19th in block % for players who average 20 minutes.

[garrick]

I can't believe Sarver didn't extend Joe Johnson for 6/50 in 2004. We would have had him through 2010. That decision will always irk me as one of the worst...that and trading our draft pick that same summer. We didn't even have to sign Q. Dumb.

He asked the Suns not to match and they didn't, I think any other GM would have matched and told JJ to deal with it.

That was the following summer after our great season. He was eligible for an early extension and Sarver had offered 6/45 and JJ wanted 6/50 so they held off. The next summer Atlanta wanted to give him the max. We could have locked him up the summer before.

EDIT - just saw DirtyDez laid out the facts.

yeah I do remember that as well, Sarver was stupid both times but JJ was a bit of an ass himself and had himself a long mediocre career in Atlanta.

I do think that at some point he might have demanded to be traded even if we signed him but maybe we could have gotten a better deal for him that what we got, Diaw was great but he was looked on as a bit of a project when we got him.

[bwgood77]

He asked the Suns not to match and they didn't, I think any other GM would have matched and told JJ to deal with it.

That was the following summer after our great season. He was eligible for an early extension and Sarver had offered 6/45 and JJ wanted 6/50 so they held off. The next summer Atlanta wanted to give him the max. We could have locked him up the summer before.

EDIT - just saw DirtyDez laid out the facts.

yeah I do remember that as well, Sarver was stupid both times but JJ was a bit of an ass himself and had himself a long mediocre career in Atlanta.

I do think that at some point he might have demanded to be traded even if we signed him but maybe we could have gotten a better deal for him that what we got, Diaw was great but he was looked on as a bit of a project when we got him.

When he wanted the max it was fine..we got Diaw and Lopez. It was just dumb we didn't extend him the year before.

But mediocre? He averaged 20/6/4 his first year in Atlanta, 25/4/4 the next, then was around 22/6/4.5 for 3 more years on good percentages. I mean he was basically playing like Booker is now with better D in Atlanta and was a 6x all star there (7x total...one with Brooklyn). How in any way is that mediocre?

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsjo02.html

[DirtyDez]

He asked the Suns not to match and they didn't, I think any other GM would have matched and told JJ to deal with it.

That was the following summer after our great season. He was eligible for an early extension and Sarver had offered 6/45 and JJ wanted 6/50 so they held off. The next summer Atlanta wanted to give him the max. We could have locked him up the summer before.

EDIT - just saw DirtyDez laid out the facts.

yeah I do remember that as well, Sarver was stupid both times but JJ was a bit of an ass himself and had himself a long mediocre career in Atlanta.

I do think that at some point he might have demanded to be traded even if we signed him but maybe we could have gotten a better deal for him that what we got, Diaw was great but he was looked on as a bit of a project when we got him.

Diaw was more important in 06’ than JJ would’ve been. We don’t know how the roster would’ve transformed had JJ stayed... No Diaw. Possibly no Raja. Does Marion get fed up earlier falling to the 4th option when Amare comes back?

[bwgood77]

That was the following summer after our great season. He was eligible for an early extension and Sarver had offered 6/45 and JJ wanted 6/50 so they held off. The next summer Atlanta wanted to give him the max. We could have locked him up the summer before.

EDIT - just saw DirtyDez laid out the facts.

yeah I do remember that as well, Sarver was stupid both times but JJ was a bit of an ass himself and had himself a long mediocre career in Atlanta.

I do think that at some point he might have demanded to be traded even if we signed him but maybe we could have gotten a better deal for him that what we got, Diaw was great but he was looked on as a bit of a project when we got him.

Diaw was more important in 06’ than JJ would’ve been. We don’t know how the roster would’ve transformed had JJ stayed... No Diaw. Possibly no Raja. Does Marion get fed up earlier falling to the 4th option when Amare comes back?

Sure, that doesn't make the decision any better. I can't say for sure Diaw was more important than JJ would have been though. JJ could basically do anything Diaw could do and was better at it, and about the same size. I think there is less of a chance we would have been on the ropes in the 1st round with JJ there.

You could argue we wouldn't have been as good on the season but they traded Q that offseason so we would have run a very similar lineup with Nash/Raja/JJ/Marion/Kurt Thomas with Tim Thomas off the bench and James Jones, Jim Jackson, and Eddie House.

They said they were going to sign Raja regardless at the time...they signed him before dealing JJ I believe...now of course that could have been insurance, but considering they traded Q they would have basically had the same lineup with Raja replacing Q which was an improvement and KT replacing Amare which would hurt in some respects, but help defensively.

[Mulhollanddrive]

I've never seen a bench less excited about a potential game winner with 1 second left.

[DirtyDez]

yeah I do remember that as well, Sarver was stupid both times but JJ was a bit of an ass himself and had himself a long mediocre career in Atlanta.

I do think that at some point he might have demanded to be traded even if we signed him but maybe we could have gotten a better deal for him that what we got, Diaw was great but he was looked on as a bit of a project when we got him.

Diaw was more important in 06’ than JJ would’ve been. We don’t know how the roster would’ve transformed had JJ stayed... No Diaw. Possibly no Raja. Does Marion get fed up earlier falling to the 4th option when Amare comes back?

Sure, that doesn't make the decision any better. I can't say for sure Diaw was more important than JJ would have been though. JJ could basically do anything Diaw could do and was better at it, and about the same size. I think there is less of a chance we would have been on the ropes in the 1st round with JJ there.

You could argue we wouldn't have been as good on the season but they traded Q that offseason so we would have run a very similar lineup with Nash/Raja/JJ/Marion/Kurt Thomas with Tim Thomas off the bench and James Jones, Jim Jackson, and Eddie House.

They said they were going to sign Raja regardless at the time...they signed him before dealing JJ I believe...now of course that could have been insurance, but considering they traded Q they would have basically had the same lineup with Raja replacing Q which was an improvement and KT replacing Amare which would hurt in some respects, but help defensively.

Kurt got hurt in February and missed the rest of the season and playoffs. I remember Brian Grant getting minutes who could barely run. I would’ve rather kept JJ but for that season I think Diaw was pretty vital.

If you really want to go crazy the Suns could’ve kept JJ and traded for KG;
Nash
Raja
JJ
Marion
KG

[bwgood77]

Diaw was more important in 06’ than JJ would’ve been. We don’t know how the roster would’ve transformed had JJ stayed... No Diaw. Possibly no Raja. Does Marion get fed up earlier falling to the 4th option when Amare comes back?

Sure, that doesn't make the decision any better. I can't say for sure Diaw was more important than JJ would have been though. JJ could basically do anything Diaw could do and was better at it, and about the same size. I think there is less of a chance we would have been on the ropes in the 1st round with JJ there.

You could argue we wouldn't have been as good on the season but they traded Q that offseason so we would have run a very similar lineup with Nash/Raja/JJ/Marion/Kurt Thomas with Tim Thomas off the bench and James Jones, Jim Jackson, and Eddie House.

They said they were going to sign Raja regardless at the time...they signed him before dealing JJ I believe...now of course that could have been insurance, but considering they traded Q they would have basically had the same lineup with Raja replacing Q which was an improvement and KT replacing Amare which would hurt in some respects, but help defensively.

Kurt got hurt in February and missed the rest of the season and playoffs. I remember Brian Grant getting minutes who could barely run. I would’ve rather kept JJ but for that season I think Diaw was pretty vital.

If you really want to go crazy the Suns could’ve kept JJ and traded for KG;
Nash
Raja
JJ
Marion
KG

Yeah, that would have obviously been great, but ultimately, if we are going back to 2004 decisions, I never would have traded the pick either, or signed Q, and would have extended JJ and drafted Iguodala. But yeah, the front court would have been less than ideal in 2006, but long term I think we would have been better off

[garrick]

That was the following summer after our great season. He was eligible for an early extension and Sarver had offered 6/45 and JJ wanted 6/50 so they held off. The next summer Atlanta wanted to give him the max. We could have locked him up the summer before.

EDIT - just saw DirtyDez laid out the facts.

yeah I do remember that as well, Sarver was stupid both times but JJ was a bit of an ass himself and had himself a long mediocre career in Atlanta.

I do think that at some point he might have demanded to be traded even if we signed him but maybe we could have gotten a better deal for him that what we got, Diaw was great but he was looked on as a bit of a project when we got him.

When he wanted the max it was fine..we got Diaw and Lopez. It was just dumb we didn't extend him the year before.

But mediocre? He averaged 20/6/4 his first year in Atlanta, 25/4/4 the next, then was around 22/6/4.5 for 3 more years on good percentages. I mean he was basically playing like Booker is now with better D in Atlanta and was a 6x all star there (7x total...one with Brooklyn). How in any way is that mediocre?

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsjo02.html

Mediocre in that he was never a player that could take his team deep in the playoffs, he was great but he wanted to be the face of the franchise and he just wasn't an elite player.

[Saberestar]

All the time in my mind I had the feeling that we were to lose the game...even late in the third quarter. We are that bad that I had a but feeling even winning big, and at the end....BOOM.
Not a surprise.

Bender and Peters are pretty similar players IMO.

Josh playing better and better, the sky is the limit.

Happy with Ulis, he made some mistakes at the end but his overall game was really good.