2022-23 Season Discussion and Speculation 5 - The KD era begins

[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

I could totally be down for this IF at all possible!

I don't know who I'd rather have less. It's amazing I used to love watching all these guys play and then Harden changed his style to foul baiting and step back 3s and Kyrie just became insane.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

[bwgood77]

Not true. I will definitely follow Brooklyn/Mikal throughout his career.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, I know what KD does. He just better bring a championship after what we gave up.

I have a feeling it’s going to be a constant thing where we compare KD and Mikal. I hope it doesn’t drag this board like the Luka vs Ayton comparison. Suns finally made an all in deal and landed us one of the best players ever. No matter what happens, I understand the decision behind it, just as when the Suns drafted Ayton over Luka. Looking forward on watching KD with the Suns and following Mikal’s growth with the Nets.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree in looking forward to watching both. I don't think we can really compare KD and Mikal. Mikal will never be on the level of KD, who is probably the best pure scorer ever...and a top 10-15 player ever.

Mikal is more of the guy who could have been kind of the Scottie to Booker's MJ if each progressed and we built around the and Cam and Ayton...it would have been more of a long haul type of thing....but I know the eagerness here to get a chip NOW and the goal suddenly shifted from building a solid sustainable core.

It's just a complete shift in mindset...for me my mind is still adjusting. Maybe it will quickly adjust the first time I watch KD.

[phx#7]

Read on Twitter

I could totally be down for this IF at all possible!

I don't know who I'd rather have less. It's amazing I used to love watching all these guys play and then Harden changed his style to foul baiting and step back 3s and Kyrie just became insane.

I'd take Harden without much issue. Kyrie would be unbearable for me.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

The suns HAVE TO MAKE THIS MOVE! To acquire Love and not let him go to a rival! He'd be the missing piece to a title, Allow Durant to play at the 3 (if he wishes) and move Craig and Okogie to the bench to further strengthen our depth! Not to mention how much he'd address our rebounding issues/ concerns too!

Paul/Booker/Durant/ Love/ Ayton.
Payne/Ross/Craig/Warren/Biyombo.
Shamet/Lee/ Warren/Ish/Landale.

OR
Paul/Booker/Okogie/Durant/Ayton.
Payne/Okogie/Warren/Love/Biyombo.
Shamet/Lee/Ish /Craig/ Landale?
I mean how could you not pursue Love for the depth and versatility of lineups it could offer us? To not aggressively pursue him would be negligence at this point!

[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

I could totally be down for this IF at all possible!

I don't know who I'd rather have less. It's amazing I used to love watching all these guys play and then Harden changed his style to foul baiting and step back 3s and Kyrie just became insane.

I'd take Harden without much issue. Kyrie would be unbearable for me.

If it's just basketball and that's all, I prefer watching Kyrie, but yeah, with all that other stuff and taking random games off it would be infuriating.

[bwgood77]

If Love is really getting bought out, it seems like a no brainer pick up for what we need. And with Jones being a long time friend and teammate, it seems like he should get it done. But Miami can probably offer him more playing time. They have desperately been looking for a PF. If we did start Okogie and used Craig at backup PF maybe not a big deal....but he could be a nice offensive/rebounding small ball C as well...stretch the floor.

[garrick]

Read on Twitter

I could totally be down for this IF at all possible!

I don't know who I'd rather have less. It's amazing I used to love watching all these guys play and then Harden changed his style to foul baiting and step back 3s and Kyrie just became insane.

I'd take Harden without much issue. Kyrie would be unbearable for me.

Please no Harden to the Suns!

Anyway I think we will be way over the cap to even sign either Kyrie or Harden unless they're willing to take the vet min which I highly doubt.

[lilfishi22]

Until the Suns win a ship with Durant, I think a lot of fans will always wonder what if. What if we just kept Bridges and Cam. We didn't really get a fair shake to see how well that starting five would do (CP3, Book, Bridges, Cam, Ayton) someone was always hurt. I am just hoping this current group of guys the Suns have will be able to stay healthy during the playoffs.

That group a couple years ago and that series could have gone either way, but it was Book's first rodeo. It still could have gone either way.

But for me it's not wondering what that 5 with CP3 could do...I was feeling like he was pretty washed most of the season. He's looked good in some games of late, but that obviously is fewer and further between and won't last longer. The original idea with KD was in the hopes CP3 would last a couple more years (which I guess is still possible, but he didn't really last long this year before being out for a long while) and then we saw Book go down for over a month, than KD go down for over a month, and most people were thinking or hoping Bridges wouldn't be in the deal.

So a lot of the summer thoughts about the trade kind of changed with all 3 of those guys having serious injuries and us having to trade more than we had anticipated. I actually originally thought it would take a deal close to that, but with both I didn't necessarily think picks would be unprotected, but hopefully that doesn't matter.

I think many will always wonder how the team would have done for a decade with Book, Bridges, Cam, Ayton. Some call Bridges a great 4th option. He was well on his way to being a very solid 2nd option in my opinion, though I've been standing on an island for quite some time saying what type of player I think he can be and who he can resemble.

You do say "UNTIL" we win a ship, like it's a given. I really hope you are right about that. This trade still stings. With all other trades even if I didn't like them at all like the Shaq trade, I stopped thinking about it and moved on quickly.

As Paul always said, the closeness and unity of this team was special. As a fan, I kind of felt it...maybe that's just me. I can't help but feel that's gone, and now we are another one of those hopeful "superteams" like the Nets, Lakers, Clippers, hoping we win a chip or it's an enormous failure.

Don't think Qwigz is suggesting a title with KD is a given, only that the question will remain until we win with KD and if we don't, then that question will go unanswered.

[lilfishi22]

James Jones needs to be on the phone with K Love 5 minutes ago!

Might need Ishbia to make the call. He seems like a just get it done kinda guy

[lilfishi22]

Read on Twitter

I could totally be down for this IF at all possible!

I'm pretty over ANY version of the Brooklyn Nets. We don't need Kyrie and I don't want Harden

[lilfishi22]

If Love is really getting bought out, it seems like a no brainer pick up for what we need. And with Jones being a long time friend and teammate, it seems like he should get it done. But Miami can probably offer him more playing time. They have desperately been looking for a PF. If we did start Okogie and used Craig at backup PF maybe not a big deal....but he could be a nice offensive/rebounding small ball C as well...stretch the floor.

Not 100% sure on Miami's MLE but I'm fairly confident we can pay more than them.

[bwgood77]

I don't know who I'd rather have less. It's amazing I used to love watching all these guys play and then Harden changed his style to foul baiting and step back 3s and Kyrie just became insane.

I'd take Harden without much issue. Kyrie would be unbearable for me.

Please no Harden to the Suns!

Anyway I think we will be way over the cap to even sign either Kyrie or Harden unless they're willing to take the vet min which I highly doubt.

If anything happened, it would likely be a Kyrie sign and trade for Ayton. That's about the only way I think anything happens, unless Dallas wants CP3.

I can see us doing that too. It's another top 15-20 player, and gotta get those guys when you can.

[bwgood77]

If Love is really getting bought out, it seems like a no brainer pick up for what we need. And with Jones being a long time friend and teammate, it seems like he should get it done. But Miami can probably offer him more playing time. They have desperately been looking for a PF. If we did start Okogie and used Craig at backup PF maybe not a big deal....but he could be a nice offensive/rebounding small ball C as well...stretch the floor.

Not 100% sure on Miami's MLE but I'm fairly confident we can pay more than them.

It may come down to role more than money. He will be playing for probably his last contract..hoping he can get one more probably.

[Saberestar]

We are waiting for KD's press conference and these are great times. A truly contender with an exciting present and future...and it's always good to remember how tough was to get here lol.

This rant was fun. Starts at minute 3:30.

December 7, 2018 - Hour 1

Burns and Gambo go all-in on the Phoenix Suns and just how tough they are to watch right now.

https://omny.fm/shows/burns-gambo/december-7-2018-hour-1

[Saberestar]

If Love is really getting bought out, it seems like a no brainer pick up for what we need. And with Jones being a long time friend and teammate, it seems like he should get it done. But Miami can probably offer him more playing time. They have desperately been looking for a PF. If we did start Okogie and used Craig at backup PF maybe not a big deal....but he could be a nice offensive/rebounding small ball C as well...stretch the floor.

Love doesn't look the type of player that James Jones really like because he is so bad on defense at this point of his career.

I mean...I think that is why he is being bought out. He is on a playoff team with two All-Stars but he isn’t getting consistent minutes.

The Heat are desperate for a PF/C so they probably have agreed already to sign him.

[Revived]

If Love is really getting bought out, it seems like a no brainer pick up for what we need. And with Jones being a long time friend and teammate, it seems like he should get it done. But Miami can probably offer him more playing time. They have desperately been looking for a PF. If we did start Okogie and used Craig at backup PF maybe not a big deal....but he could be a nice offensive/rebounding small ball C as well...stretch the floor.

Love really doesn’t help us much at all. He just makes us even more older and non-athletic.

He’s a stretch 4/5 that hasn’t been able to hit 3s since his thumb injury. And he’s absolutely terrible defensively. He got open looks in Cleveland with Mitchell and Garland’s penetration and still sucked. He’s just old and washed.

I hope Suns don’t go after Love just because he’s a big name or whatever, I don’t think he helps this team much at all.

But Durant is one of his best friends and I can see KD recruiting him to come here and asking James Jones to sign him.

https://nypost.com/2012/03/25/love-and-durant-friends-to-end-on-and-off-court/amp/

[Qwigglez]

It sounds like Love will stay in the East and I personally don't feel like Love would get the opportunity to play much with the Suns as opposed to a team like the Heat. I think Suns are fine with the abundance of wings we currently have that are interchangeable at the 3 and 4 spot with KD, Craig, Okogie, Warren, Ish, and even Lee. Forgot that we also just got Terrence Ross too so I think Love just really isn't remotely a possibility. I think Suns are most likely going to convert Ish to a multiyear deal since he has been playing more, has developed somewhat nicely into the role we are asking from him. He looks a lot more comfortable out on the court now, and understands he must shoot when even slightly open as it's part of the gameplan miss or make. I wouldn't be surprised if Ish gets a contract this weekend, and he is a solid 12-15 man.

[Qwigglez]

Read on Twitter

I could totally be down for this IF at all possible!

As much flack as Kyrie gets for his off-court behavior I think Harden is also not the kind of player you want on your team if you are trying to establish a specific kind of culture. Harden parties too much IMO and he'd probably be in Scottsdale more often than any other player if he was on the Suns. Plus he is one of the most boring players in the league to watch. His teammates might as well pull out a camping chair and sit in the corner when he gets the ball because he is just going to dribble in the same spot for 15 seconds.

[bwgood77]

If Love is really getting bought out, it seems like a no brainer pick up for what we need. And with Jones being a long time friend and teammate, it seems like he should get it done. But Miami can probably offer him more playing time. They have desperately been looking for a PF. If we did start Okogie and used Craig at backup PF maybe not a big deal....but he could be a nice offensive/rebounding small ball C as well...stretch the floor.

Love really doesn’t help us much at all. He just makes us even more older and non-athletic.

He’s a stretch 4/5 that hasn’t been able to hit 3s since his thumb injury. And he’s absolutely terrible defensively. He got open looks in Cleveland with Mitchell and Garland’s penetration and still sucked. He’s just old and washed.

I hope Suns don’t go after Love just because he’s a big name or whatever, I don’t think he helps this team much at all.

But Durant is one of his best friends and I can see KD recruiting him to come here and asking James Jones to sign him.

https://nypost.com/2012/03/25/love-and-durant-friends-to-end-on-and-off-court/amp/

Your argument sounds a lot like mine the last few years when he was brought up until Saberestar brought up the fact he was rejuvenated last year.

He started out really hot this year in October too and was pretty solid in Nov/Dec before really really falling in January. I guess he has did say in early January his thumb was still bothering him. So yeah, if that isn't healed or getting better, no thanks. If he was better I'd be fine..he's still a great rebounder, solid passer, high iq guy who can body guys up for boards, box out and hit 3s. He's like a better version of Dario.

But yeah, look at his splits by month, particularly 3pt% and TS%...especially January...something was WAY off there...things don't fall off like that.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/loveke01/splits/2023