Game 32: Suns (10-21) at Mavs (8-22), Monday, December 18th, 6:30PM, MST

[bigfoot]

Canaan / Daniels show that we need a 3 point shooter next to Booker.

Need multiple three point shooters on the floor at all times. Four would be best. Daniels, Canaan, Bender work well together with Len setting the screens. Starting lineup has no real deep shooting threats (Jackson, Warren, Chriss, Chandler) to go along with Booker. Looking forward to see how Reed and Peters do later in the season.

[Revived]

Len will earn his money. Getting so many boards while on the bench and doing double doubles will get you paid.
I hope the suns will not overpay him.

Alan Williams did the same thing last season.

[bwgood77]

There really is nothing really that great about beating another tanking team without any of our lotto players of the last couple of years doing much. I would say it's good for building confidence but JJ and Chriss are not even in there. I guess if it continues to develop Bender's confidence knowing he played a part, that would be about the only silver lining.

And of course Warren being the main/best guy out there..good for his too I guess.

This. Why win? It is not too early to tank.

You have to look hard for positives. But besides what I stated, perhaps it shows guys like JJ and Chriss "Hey, we can win without you. PLAY BETTER!"

That's about it.

Hopefully we just luck out in the lotto draw if this continues.

[bigfoot]

Len showed his good and bad today - rebounded everything and finished well mostly, few turnovers when asked to do things outside his zone.

I wonder if Canaan and Daniels are giving us a preview of what Trae Young could look like next to Booker.

For once I wasn't too bothered by his mistakes. Generally he tried to over pass and committed those turnovers. Not near as bad as getting his shot blocked by the bottom of the rim when he is too far under the basket. His game has been simplified so if he's working on moving the ball as the next step I'm all for it. Also, hIs dunks bringing energy to the team too.

[bigfoot]

There really is nothing really that great about beating another tanking team without any of our lotto players of the last couple of years doing much. I would say it's good for building confidence but JJ and Chriss are not even in there. I guess if it continues to develop Bender's confidence knowing he played a part, that would be about the only silver lining.

And of course Warren being the main/best guy out there..good for his too I guess.

This. Why win? It is not too early to tank.

You have to look hard for positives. But besides what I stated, perhaps it shows guys like JJ and Chriss "Hey, we can win without you. PLAY BETTER!"

That's about it.

Hopefully we just luck out in the lotto draw if this continues.

Look the tank shouldn't even be started up until near all-star break. We should try to win until then and if not well then in February shutdown Chandler, Monroe, Dudley, and the older players to give the young guys more burn.

[schnakenpopanz]

Len will earn his money. Getting so many boards while on the bench and doing double doubles will get you paid.
I hope the suns will not overpay him.

Alan Williams did the same thing last season.

and he will earn 17 million for 3 years. not bad for a bench player.

[bwgood77]

Another positive. Golanator was at the game and was probably happy to see the win. And my brother was there pulling for the Suns while my step brother was there pulling for the Mavs. So that's good (my step brother isn't smart enough to have been pulling for the loss).

[bwgood77]

This. Why win? It is not too early to tank.

You have to look hard for positives. But besides what I stated, perhaps it shows guys like JJ and Chriss "Hey, we can win without you. PLAY BETTER!"

That's about it.

Hopefully we just luck out in the lotto draw if this continues.

Look the tank shouldn't even be started up until near all-star break. We should try to win until then and if not well then in February shutdown Chandler, Monroe, Dudley, and the older players to give the young guys more burn.

With this team there should be not tanking strategy. They should come by losses due to their youth, which is fine, IF those guys are developing. I don't mind wins either. It kind of sucks when there is not development and there are wins with guys who are not here. I know you argue lower picks are better, and that are draft picks are busts, so I am not exactly sure what you are hoping the Suns accomplish in these games.

At the same time, I don't mind guys needing to earn their time. They should have to earn it, at least to some extent, so if they get benched for mistakes and the reserves come in and win because of it, so be it.

[darealjuice]

Probably didn't need to win this game against another bad team, but we weren't going to go 10-71. Not going to be mad about being able to pull off a win without Booker out there either, although it would have been nice if Chriss played better and JJ produced more on offense. At least TJ played pretty well. I liked Bender being more aggressive with the ball and trying to post on mismatches even though he didn't get a lot of looks on offense, and he did a good job on defense as usual. Wonder what the future holds for Len if he keeps playing this well?

Our second unit's success and current first unit's struggles is basically a case study on the importance of 3-point shooting (and shooting in general) in the NBA. Literally everyone in our starting lineup is a non-shooter from 3, so teams just clog the paint, heavily contest the drive, and force bad mid-range jump shots for Ulis, JJ, and TJ. Chriss shot well for a period last year, but his shot has been pretty abysmal this season, so he's not helping with spacing, and Chandler is a lot less effective as a lob catcher when he has to try jumping over 2+ people to get to the rim. Our second unit on the other hand has Canaan, Daniels, and Bender all starting to get some respect for their 3 point shooting, so the lanes open up a bit for our guards to drive and for Len to work in the paint. Just shows how much we need someone who can hit the 3 next to Booker instead of Ulis who can't consistently punish his guy for sagging off him 10 feet.

[lilfishi22]

Len showed his good and bad today - rebounded everything and finished well mostly, few turnovers when asked to do things outside his zone.

I wonder if Canaan and Daniels are giving us a preview of what Trae Young could look like next to Booker.

For once I wasn't too bothered by his mistakes. Generally he tried to over pass and committed those turnovers. Not near as bad as getting his shot blocked by the bottom of the rim when he is too far under the basket. His game has been simplified so if he's working on moving the ball as the next step I'm all for it. Also, hIs dunks bringing energy to the team too.

I love what I saw from him today and the last game. He's playing loose, he's not forcing things and even those little mistakes he's made had largely been overshadowed by his overall great game.

[KLEON]

I think Chriss is our smartest player. He chose a squad number that describes his basketball skills.

[RaisingArizona]

What an awful win. At least Bender is playing well. Canaan is ruining the tank even though he's legitimately awful with no real chance of helping us in the future.

Yeah, he's so awful. Keep saying that +45 in last two games.

[Jarlaxle0204]

The team looks so much better with a competent PG. Imagine what it would look like with a great one. Happy for the team. You can tell they enjoy playing together and are rooting each other on. It's no secret the bench is better. At least 3 of them should be starting over their counterparts. Very encouraged by JJ's play in the first half. Very good defense. I'd like to see them utilize and try and get Bender the ball tonight. Overall, good win. Let's keep this steak going and build that confidence.

For those of you lamenting our good play and the win: Never change.

[bigfoot]

You have to look hard for positives. But besides what I stated, perhaps it shows guys like JJ and Chriss "Hey, we can win without you. PLAY BETTER!"

That's about it.

Hopefully we just luck out in the lotto draw if this continues.

Look the tank shouldn't even be started up until near all-star break. We should try to win until then and if not well then in February shutdown Chandler, Monroe, Dudley, and the older players to give the young guys more burn.

With this team there should be not tanking strategy. They should come by losses due to their youth, which is fine, IF those guys are developing. I don't mind wins either. It kind of sucks when there is not development and there are wins with guys who are not here. I know you argue lower picks are better, and that are draft picks are busts, so I am not exactly sure what you are hoping the Suns accomplish in these games.

At the same time, I don't mind guys needing to earn their time. They should have to earn it, at least to some extent, so if they get benched for mistakes and the reserves come in and win because of it, so be it.

Ulis, Jackson, Bender, and Chriss got their minutes ... 18 to 29 minutes each. They are getting their shot to develop. Some just aren't stepping up to the plate.

I aways hope for a Suns win and I've never said that lower picks are better. But I damn well have high expectations for high picks. I guess I'm jaded by the 75-76 Suns. They had a mediocre record and made it to the finals. Tells me anything could happen.

[AtheJ415]

Says the guy who say players don't reach their potential until age 26 ... Butler, cough, cough !!

I think it's possible he improved, but 2 games isn't going to make me certain of it, particularly when his career shooting numbers are that bad.

But hey keep clinging to your logic, which says Mike James is destined to be all NBA and a potential MVP candidate.

If he just sticks to 3 pointers and shooting at the rim he might not be bad. He's a bit old at 26 but could serve as a backup PG maybe. Probably rather have him in that role than Ulis and James (based on what I've seen the last couple of games).

He's been a passable 3 pt shooter his whole career and more than half of his career shots have been from 3. But I hate when any wins, particularly against other bad teams come on the backs of guys who are not a key part of our future going forward. Kind of pointless.

Canaan can only be on the roster for about 14 more days. He won't be on here after that, and while he's been a passable 3 point shooter, he has been SO atrocious from 2 that his eFG% is among the worst in history for the amount of shots he has taken. Len and Bender are the only true positives about these 2 wins. And they would be every bit as positive if their performances were in losses.

[AtheJ415]

You have to look hard for positives. But besides what I stated, perhaps it shows guys like JJ and Chriss "Hey, we can win without you. PLAY BETTER!"

That's about it.

Hopefully we just luck out in the lotto draw if this continues.

Look the tank shouldn't even be started up until near all-star break. We should try to win until then and if not well then in February shutdown Chandler, Monroe, Dudley, and the older players to give the young guys more burn.

With this team there should be not tanking strategy. They should come by losses due to their youth, which is fine, IF those guys are developing. I don't mind wins either. It kind of sucks when there is not development and there are wins with guys who are not here. I know you argue lower picks are better, and that are draft picks are busts, so I am not exactly sure what you are hoping the Suns accomplish in these games.

At the same time, I don't mind guys needing to earn their time. They should have to earn it, at least to some extent, so if they get benched for mistakes and the reserves come in and win because of it, so be it.

That is literally tanking. Nobody honestly expects the players to throw the games.

[AtheJ415]

Canaan / Daniels show that we need a 3 point shooter next to Booker.

Combined for 29 points on 19 shots and +35.

Not sure how they could show that without Booker, but do we really need to experiment in today's NBA to discover that you need guards who can shoot 3s? It's not just next to Booker. It's next to anyone. It is the most valuable shot on the court and drastically changes how the defense can play you.

[Kerrsed]

What an awful win. At least Bender is playing well. Canaan is ruining the tank even though he's legitimately awful with no real chance of helping us in the future.

Yeah, he's so awful. Keep saying that +45 in last two games.

Im going to miss seeing your old screen name.

[AtheJ415]

This. Why win? It is not too early to tank.

You have to look hard for positives. But besides what I stated, perhaps it shows guys like JJ and Chriss "Hey, we can win without you. PLAY BETTER!"

That's about it.

Hopefully we just luck out in the lotto draw if this continues.

Look the tank shouldn't even be started up until near all-star break. We should try to win until then and if not well then in February shutdown Chandler, Monroe, Dudley, and the older players to give the young guys more burn.

And why is that? Do you honestly think a team filled with your self-pronounced busts is going to jump up and grab that 8 seed from an OKC team that has Westbrook, George, Adams, and Melo? Or do you really love late lottery picks that much?

[AtheJ415]

What an awful win. At least Bender is playing well. Canaan is ruining the tank even though he's legitimately awful with no real chance of helping us in the future.

Yeah, he's so awful. Keep saying that +45 in last two games.

You can judge a guy by 2 games. I will choose to judge him by his entire career. Look at his career numbers and tell me he isn't awful. There's a reason he is an FA who can only even be on our team for another 2 weeks.
LMFAO.