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

[lilfishi22]

I know the salary cap has increased an insane amount and that’s the reason why but it’s still pretty crazy that Booker will earn more $$ in the last 2 years of his contract extension than Steve Nash did in the entirety of his career with the Suns.

Booker the last 2 years of his current contract: $120M
Steve Nash entire tenure with the Suns: $87 million

Shoot, DeAndre Ayton almost earns more in his current max contract alone ($133M) than Nash did in his entire career ($143M).

I looked into this the other day because I had the same thought.

Chris Paul career earnings by the end of this season (18 seasons) : $354.8m
Devin Booker career earnings by the end of this season (8 seasons) : $130.5m

Chris Paul career earnings + assuming he gets next season fully guaranteed (19 seasons) : $390.m
Devin Booker career earnings + remaining guaranteed money (13 seasons) : $390.8m

And this is comparing to someone of Chris Paul's level who has basically been a max contract player for his whole career except for his current contract. Book is also likely to get another max contract as he'll only be 31 at the end of his supermax contract. Given the rise in salary cap and conservatively taking his last year's salary of his supermax deal as the basis for the next contract, with 8% raises, his next deal itself would be around $393m. He could certainly be within distance of reaching $1bn in career earnings when it's all said and done.

[WeekapaugGroove]

If you want a "growing metropolitan and basketball country"....then send Wemby to Houston.

Dream>Yao>Wemby

Charlotte has been a mess for years but I'm not sure Houston is any better

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Now I will say from a pure market perspective Houston would be great for NBA/Wemby.
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Great strip club market

I've been to Houston once and I was 22 and there for a bachelor party/wedding and yes can confirm, great strip club scene. This was like 2001 so maybe it's changed but I loved the bring your own beer aspect.

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[lilfishi22]

If you want a "growing metropolitan and basketball country"....then send Wemby to Houston.

Dream>Yao>Wemby

Charlotte has been a mess for years but I'm not sure Houston is any better

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Now I will say from a pure market perspective Houston would be great for NBA/Wemby.
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Houston's "new" owner is terrible. From the cost cutting moves to allowing this group of young, undisciplined (but talented) players to have their run of the mill is just not how you build a team.

[lilfishi22]

Charlotte has been a mess for years but I'm not sure Houston is any better

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Now I will say from a pure market perspective Houston would be great for NBA/Wemby.
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Wemby should go to DC. Obviously. Crossing my fingers that's where he lands for the sake of DC fans and the league. Nobody could use an injection of hope like that franchise.

Except Charlotte. The biggest Hornets stars of the last near 20 years has been Emeka Okafor, Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson. Think about that. Not a single Superstar in Charlotte. Ball is becoming that if he gets healthy. DC at least had Beal (who Charlotte passed on). Keeping in mind that most people who live in Charlotte are transplants, the fanbase has grown over the years and they're pretty loyal, but they are DYING to have a winning product.

The question is what is the underlying issue? Is it just MJ making very poor executive decisions?

[Slim Charless]

If you want a "growing metropolitan and basketball country"....then send Wemby to Houston.

Dream>Yao>Wemby

Charlotte has been a mess for years but I'm not sure Houston is any better

Read on Twitter

?t=tyMQH4Nl6oxnI1GJfc864w&s=19


Now I will say from a pure market perspective Houston would be great for NBA/Wemby.
Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

Houston's "new" owner is terrible. From the cost cutting moves to allowing this group of young, undisciplined (but talented) players to have their run of the mill is just not how you build a team.

At least they have talented players. Too many really. Hornets have no one except Melo. The right coach (Ime Udoka) can fix that Houston team quickly. They also keep getting linked to Harden, which makes no sense to me but they will be alot better if they do that.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Charlotte has been a mess for years but I'm not sure Houston is any better

Read on Twitter

?t=tyMQH4Nl6oxnI1GJfc864w&s=19


Now I will say from a pure market perspective Houston would be great for NBA/Wemby.
Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

Houston's "new" owner is terrible. From the cost cutting moves to allowing this group of young, undisciplined (but talented) players to have their run of the mill is just not how you build a team.

At least they have talented players. Too many really. Hornets have no one except Melo. The right coach (Ime Udoka) can fix that Houston team quickly. They also keep getting linked to Harden, which makes no sense to me but they will be alot better if they do that.

I think you can see your previous post about the strip club scene in Houston when wondering why you're hearing Harden rumors. The man misses his clubs and I ain't talking about hoops

But lilfishi is right, their new owner is not a good one.

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[lilfishi22]

Charlotte has been a mess for years but I'm not sure Houston is any better

Read on Twitter

?t=tyMQH4Nl6oxnI1GJfc864w&s=19


Now I will say from a pure market perspective Houston would be great for NBA/Wemby.
Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

Houston's "new" owner is terrible. From the cost cutting moves to allowing this group of young, undisciplined (but talented) players to have their run of the mill is just not how you build a team.

At least they have talented players. Too many really. Hornets have no one except Melo. The right coach (Ime Udoka) can fix that Houston team quickly. They also keep getting linked to Harden, which makes no sense to me but they will be alot better if they do that.

That's mainly because Houston has just been tanking since Harden left. They need a vet with real leadership qualities. Eric Gordon was the vet there but he's not really a leader. Also I do think they need a new coach that has been around the block and is respected (like Udoka as you mentioned). Harden going back to Houston would be a disaster and almost make the last 3 seasons of tanking/building for the future a bit meaningless.

And to be fair to the Hornets, they were starting to put something together last season when they finished the season 4 games above .500 and played a play-in game. This season they've just been smashed by injuries and the whole off-court thing with Bridges. I thought if they were healthy, they may have been a play-in team this season as well.

[lilfishi22]

Houston's "new" owner is terrible. From the cost cutting moves to allowing this group of young, undisciplined (but talented) players to have their run of the mill is just not how you build a team.

At least they have talented players. Too many really. Hornets have no one except Melo. The right coach (Ime Udoka) can fix that Houston team quickly. They also keep getting linked to Harden, which makes no sense to me but they will be alot better if they do that.

I think you can see your previous post about the strip club scene in Houston when wondering why you're hearing Harden rumors. The man misses his clubs and I ain't talking about hoops

But lilfishi is right, their new owner is not a good one.

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For Wemby's sake, I'd almost bite my tongue and hope he lands in a respectable organisation like San Antonio

[sunsfan1o1]

0 chance Ball would take the QO. Charlotte will offer the max extension and he'll take it. With him now being injury prone, it's even more important that he take it and figure out the rest another time.
Charlotte could be really good if they get a top pick this year and get Bridges back (despite how bad a person he is, he's a difference maker on the court and it sounds like it's inevitable he'll return one day).

If you guys believe that the league decides things and the refs and everything else is rigged....then there's no way that Wemby plays 1 second in Charlotte.

That team is a dumpster fire. MJ sucks as an owner. It's a small market team with no history of developing players.

The lottery conspiracies are pretty silly because if they were true there's less than zero chance Zion would have went to one of the smallest markets in the league.

**** I'd actually go the other way and it would be great for the league to have Wemby in Charlotte. That's a growing metropolitan and basketball country, lots of untapped fan potential.

*The farthest I'll go with NBA conspiracies is I do think we get certain ref assignments for playoff games. Not totally to fix the game but just a little thumb on the scale with company men refs.

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Not true. Silver WANTS small market teams to thrive. Therefore they will help small market teams get the #1 pick because free agents aren’t going there. It’s how they keep the league competitive.
It’s why Morant also went to Memphis.
Basically, whichever small market team has the most adversity they will win the lottery.

Zion went to the pelicans because the year prior, AD asked for a trade.
Find the small market team who has the most disgruntled player demanding a trade and they will get the 1 most likely or at least top 3.

If there are none, it’ll go to whoever Adam thinks would keep the league more competitive.

2019 suns should’ve had Morant but Silver didn’t want that.
We had Booker and got the #1 and 10 pick the year before.

NO jumped up like 1000 spots and Memphis like 50 for the 1 and 3. If what you’re saying was true Knicks would’ve gotten the 1st pick that year.
Adam Silver is transforming the NBA to something like WWE. It’s horrible.

Most likely Charlotte gets Wemby. If not then the Spurs.

[Ghost of Kleine]

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Man how the hell did we lose to the Rockets twice this season.

I was watching them play against Portland the other day when Lillard had 71 and I honestly do think at least a few college teams can give them a run for their $$ in a game.

[lilfishi22]

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Man how the hell did we lose to the Rockets twice this season.

I was watching them play against Portland the other day when Lillard had 71 and I honestly do think at least a few college teams can give them a run for their $$ in a game.

Happens

Celtics dropped 3 of 4 games to the Magic this season.

[lilfishi22]

I decent read if you have time

https://arizonasports.com/story/3512689/kevin-durants-debut-means-suns-rotation-choices-begin-getting-answers/

A section about the 5th closer which might be more important than the 5th starter

The fifth closer
That’s an elongated form of getting to ultimately who closes games. I will toss another dart and say that’ll change by the game and how each guy is playing.

Some nights I think it’ll be Ross. Paul and Booker after Friday’s win both spoke to the dynamic of, “They are going to leave him open? OK!” The veteran can, as they say, shoot that thing and hasn’t been on a contender yet to get consistent good looks off the ball.

Through three games, Ross has also shown an intent to do the little things inside his role. The engagement and energy has been there defensively, the area of the floor where he struggles. It looked fine against the Thunder on Friday. It did not look fine versus the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, with the Bucks relentlessly attacking him both halves as Ross still works to pick up the system. In our bullet points of what to watch for in these remaining 20 games, Ross’ defensive impact is another.


Could someone else emerge? Yeah! After all the injuries the Suns somehow stayed afloat through, the back-half of the roster has deserved at least consideration.

Damion Lee is a smart player who has been an excellent shooter this year. T.J. Warren’s individual offense is appealing, and as we know from his earlier tenure with Phoenix, he can fill in some of the gaps elsewhere. Speaking of those gaps, Ish Wainright’s defensive play has rightfully earned him consistent minutes the last month.

With Craig and Okogie as guys eight and nine to nearly have us at 9.5, those are three of the four leading candidates for the final half-tick.

The other is Landry Shamet, who is still working his way back from a right foot sprain. The Shamet journey since the start of last season bouncing back and forth between tentativeness and pressing too much offensively has never found stability.

That has seen him earn the ire of Suns fans with his constant presence in the rotation this season. But whenever a player like Abdel Nader two years ago, for example, keeps getting minutes and you can’t understand why, that almost always means they are doing what the coach wants and bringing something they want to the table. Shamet is one of the best on-ball defenders on the team, and even though his sharpshooting hasn’t translated to Phoenix, he’s still a good overall shooter. We can’t rule him out.

I feel good in doing that for Darius Bazley, who there has also been a calling for from the fanbase for minutes. I can’t say I understand it, due to how Bazley slipped out of the rotation for a fine Thunder team and is a 22-year-old that would have to quickly pick up Phoenix’s principles to be the defensive plus he appears to be. Williams typically favors experience, and on top of that, the guys in front of Bazley are Durant, Craig, Okogie and Ross.

Could Warren crack that group? I’m not sure. He is our Aaron Holiday Award winner, the benched player by Williams that some fans constantly question the coach for. While unlikely, there are some lineups that could use a bit more offense, and if Warren is providing encouraging feedback in practice on how he’s picking things up defensively, a nod makes sense. His 3-point shot coming back to form would have to happen, though.

[Hitachi77]

Even if we get the 3 seed, very likely we play the Clippers, Mavs, or Warriors. It’s going to be musical chairs until the end of the season. Maybe 5-10% chance a diff team the first round. All things considered, the first round could be the toughest match of the West, or even the entire playoffs.

[Ghost of Kleine]

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Have you guys seen this yet?....lol

[spanishninja]

Even if we get the 3 seed, very likely we play the Clippers, Mavs, or Warriors. It’s going to be musical chairs until the end of the season. Maybe 5-10% chance a diff team the first round. All things considered, the first round could be the toughest match of the West, or even the entire playoffs.

unless we somehow end up 4-5 with the Kings. It's not likely but possible.

[Saberestar]

Even if we get the 3 seed, very likely we play the Clippers, Mavs, or Warriors. It’s going to be musical chairs until the end of the season. Maybe 5-10% chance a diff team the first round. All things considered, the first round could be the toughest match of the West, or even the entire playoffs.

Would be easier against the Nuggets or the Grizzlies?

Every matchup is gonna be tough. The scariest team IMO would be a healthy Pelicans. They can get Zion ready for the playoffs and with the addition of Richardson they have everything on their pockets.

[bwgood77]

The lottery conspiracies are pretty silly because if they were true there's less than zero chance Zion would have went to one of the smallest markets in the league.

**** I'd actually go the other way and it would be great for the league to have Wemby in Charlotte. That's a growing metropolitan and basketball country, lots of untapped fan potential.

*The farthest I'll go with NBA conspiracies is I do think we get certain ref assignments for playoff games. Not totally to fix the game but just a little thumb on the scale with company men refs.

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I agree...I would love to see him in Charlotte. HATE to see him in SA or HOU. Anywhere in the east is fine with me, but preferably a bad team that has had bad fortune...maybe Detroit.

Yeah, the lottery definitely isn't fixed. The FT disparities, etc, that stuff, like in the old Lakers/Kings 2002 series...that's the most likely type of stuff I think might have been a bit "favorable" to the Lakers to get them in the finals. Lakers were very lucky to win that series on multiple counts.

That Kings Lakers series was gross but the Bucks vs Sixers eastern conference finals was also a shameful display of reffing.

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Yeah, I remember pulling for the Bucks. They seemed to have much more talent at the time overall with three key players.

[bwgood77]

There's no easy matchups in the West playoffs and for the suns to accomplish their ultimate goal they need to beat everyone/anyone. Whomever comes out of the west will have earned it with 3 hard series.

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Yeah, while I think our first round matchup could be brutal, if we think we are a favorite out of everyone in the west, we shouldn't be afraid of anyone. Except Suns fans vitriol wherever they can throw it (probably in a key direction) if we get knocked out in the 1st or 2nd round. Or maybe any round for that mater.

Our biggest opponent though is health and father time with this team we are now hitched to, for better or worse.

[collidingNeurons]

Even if we get the 3 seed, very likely we play the Clippers, Mavs, or Warriors. It’s going to be musical chairs until the end of the season. Maybe 5-10% chance a diff team the first round. All things considered, the first round could be the toughest match of the West, or even the entire playoffs.

personally the way those three teams having been playing in the last couple weeks, the Kings could be tougher, none of those three teams are playing good defense currently and while the kings aren't either, the Suns have no one to match the speed of Fox or even stay connected to him anymore without Bridges. That's also true of Kyrie I realize but Dallas is so weak with their rebounding and interior defense they just don't seem to be a legit contender anymore. all this is obviously subject to change between now and the end of the season though.