Season Speculation, Trade Ideas and Discussion

thamadkant · Post #401 » by **thamadkant** » Wed Nov 2, 2016 9:54 pm

I personally think its time to hand the keys to Warren, Booker and the youth.

Yes.. Its game 4 coming up but... Warren can only get better by giving him lead responsibilities sooner than later.

Booker is a bit younger so maybe in 2 years time he'll be ready to be co-lead with Warren.

All I'm saying is.. Why not give Warren an extra 10 shots a game and see if he becomes a high caliber scorer now.

It means shedding off black holes who over dribble or take bad shots within the first few seconds of the shot clock.

OGBAH · Post #402 » by **OGBAH** » Wed Nov 2, 2016 10:16 pm

Why has Bender only played 29 min?

OGBAH · Post #403 » by **OGBAH** » Wed Nov 2, 2016 10:21 pm

Would anyone do a Ibaka for Knight trade

Post #404 » by **lilfishi22** » Wed Nov 2, 2016 10:53 pm

OGBAH wrote:Would anyone do a Ibaka for Knight trade

lol

OGBAH · Post #405 » by **OGBAH** » Wed Nov 2, 2016 11:01 pm

lilfishi22 wrote:
OGBAH wrote:Would anyone do a Ibaka for Knight trade

lol

I honestly don't know if it's bad or not. Sorry
Expiring stretch 4 could play center

Post #406 » by **lilfishi22** » Wed Nov 2, 2016 11:12 pm

OGBAH wrote:
lilfishi22 wrote:
OGBAH wrote:Would anyone do a Ibaka for Knight trade

lol

I honestly don't know if it's bad or not. Sorry
Expiring stretch 4 could play center

It's a ridiculously lopsided trade for us lol Ibaka is still a legit defensive big with range

Ibaka is one of my favourite big men in the league. I'd move Bledsoe for him.

Post #407 » by **bwgood77** » Wed Nov 2, 2016 11:15 pm

darealjuice wrote:
Dambo wrote:Haters will hate but.. Bender is gonna bust just like len

Yup it's incredibly obvious that the youngest player in the league is going to bust after watching him for a total of 29 minutes.. haters gonna hate, but that's all the time I need to know

Interesting to start a thread hating on Bender by saying "Haters will hate but"

kennydorglas · Post #408 » by **kennydorglas** » Wed Nov 2, 2016 11:16 pm

lilfishi22 wrote:
OGBAH wrote:
lilfishi22 wrote:lol

I honestly don't know if it's bad or not. Sorry
Expiring stretch 4 could play center

It's a ridiculously lopsided trade for us lol Ibaka is still a legit defensive big with range

Ibaka is one of my favourite big men in the league. I'd move Bledsoe for him.

Ibaka is clearly on the downside of his career tho.
Lost a lot of his athleticism. I guess people were right to question his real age pre-draft.
It's not normal to look so washed up with 27yo

Post #409 » by **lilfishi22** » Wed Nov 2, 2016 11:37 pm

kennydorglas wrote:
lilfishi22 wrote:
OGBAH wrote: I honestly don't know if it's bad or not. Sorry
Expiring stretch 4 could play center

It's a ridiculously lopsided trade for us lol Ibaka is still a legit defensive big with range

Ibaka is one of my favourite big men in the league. I'd move Bledsoe for him.

Ibaka is clearly on the downside of his career tho.
Lost a lot of his athleticism. I guess people were right to question his real age pre-draft.
It's not normal to look so washed up with 27yo

I think that's a bit of an over-statement. Ibaka towards the end of his tenure with OKC was used very differently than earlier on in his career. His role on offense changed from a below the basket dirt worker/midrange shooter to shooting further and further away from the basket to open up the lanes for KD and Westbrook. In the first 5 seasons, the average dist from the basket he was shooting from was 6.3ft, 8.2ft, 8.7ft, 10.5ft and 10.7ft. In the last two seasons they jumped out to 14.4ft and 13.6ft. They were asking him to shoot further away from the basket and using him more of a stretch 4 which explains his lower FG% and overall efficiency.

Defensively, his rebounding numbers came down but that has a lot to do with Westbrook becoming a signficantly better rebounder and the addition of Adams and Kanter over the last couple of seasons. He was also asked to switch on the PnR a lot more which took him further out from the basket than before.

I haven't watched any Orlando games yet this season so I'm not sure how they are using him.

thamadkant · Post #410 » by **thamadkant** » Thu Nov 3, 2016 12:35 am

Brook Lopez with 4 3pters tonight...

I like his game... just need to be healthy.

I'm sure Nets would want a pick, Knight and Len.

Post #411 » by **bwgood77** » Thu Nov 3, 2016 5:12 am

Read on Twitter

darealjuice · Post #412 » by **darealjuice** » Thu Nov 3, 2016 5:20 am

BW I had a post all typed out for your "How do you feel about Watson" thread, but it looks like you ended up deleting it so I'll post it here:

Sometimes I have no idea what Watson's trying to get at when I listen to him talk in interviews, the family talk and his motivational speeches can get a bit dry sometimes like you said, and I'm not a huge fan of his insistence to give PJ Tucker and LB decent playing time off the bench without getting Bender and Ulis out there at times.

With that said, I love the intensity that we have been playing with, especially on the defensive end, and I think once our guard play starts clicking a bit more we'll be a fun team to watch. I'm still holding out hope that we're trying to build/demonstrate the value of guys like PJ and maybe Knight so we can move them later in the season, but I'm not holding my breath on it. I just feel like this team comes out and competes more than it did under Hornacek, and you can't completely attribute that to Watson, but it helps that our guys like him and want him here.

We have to keep in mind this is his first year as a real head coach taking over a young team; he deserves time to grow as a coach just like our players deserve time to grow as a team.

Villalobos · Post #413 » by **Villalobos** » Thu Nov 3, 2016 5:20 am

Watson in a year or two: "You can't fire family, man. #WeArePHX #Family #Family #Thisisnotabusiness #Family"

Post #414 » by **bwgood77** » Thu Nov 3, 2016 5:29 am

darealjuice wrote:BW I had a post all typed out for your "How do you feel about Watson" thread, but it looks like you ended up deleting it so I'll post it here:

Sometimes I have no idea what Watson's trying to get at when I listen to him talk in interviews, the family talk and his motivational speeches can get a bit dry sometimes like you said, and I'm not a huge fan of his insistence to give PJ Tucker and LB decent playing time off the bench without getting Bender and Ulis out there at times.

With that said, I love the intensity that we have been playing with, especially on the defensive end, and I think once our guard play starts clicking a bit more we'll be a fun team to watch. I'm still holding out hope that we're trying to build/demonstrate the value of guys like PJ and maybe Knight so we can move them later in the season, but I'm not holding my breath on it. I just feel like this team comes out and competes more than it did under Hornacek, and you can't completely attribute that to Watson, but it helps that our guys like him and want him here.

We have to keep in mind this is his first year as a real head coach taking over a young team; he deserves time to grow as a coach just like our players deserve time to grow as a team.

Yes, I didn't think ultimately a negative thread regarding the family thread after a win was a good idea, but all he's been talking about is how we are a family for at least a month and to come out and say this is the first time is kind of contradictory. I think a better statement is that a game like this really bonds you together as a family (if he insists to keep using that term).

Post #415 » by **bwgood77** » Thu Nov 3, 2016 5:29 am

Villalobos wrote:Watson in a year or two: "You can't fire family, man. #WeArePHX #Family #Family #Thisisnotabusiness #Family"

#FOE

Post #416 » by **lilfishi22** » Thu Nov 3, 2016 5:40 am

I'm not sold on Watson. It's the same thing as when Hornacek first took up the post. A lot of talk about him being a player's coach. He was easy to get along with etc. He took us to one 48-win season and then had a series of underachieving seasons following that.

Watson has a lot to prove and those rookie mistakes he's made shows he has some ways to go.

TeamTragic · Post #417 » by **TeamTragic** » Thu Nov 3, 2016 5:47 am

Watson will get better over time. He will grow with our youth talent. Enjoy the win guys

Weemsickew14 · Post #418 » by **Weemsickew14** » Thu Nov 3, 2016 8:15 am

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=jlk5ocm

Initially, bring Okafor off the bench to be a scorer. Once, Okafor and Chriss/Bender are ready to start, they could be our front court of the future. However, Okafor cannot play center if we go small because he provides weak interior defense.

Zelaznyrules · Post #419 » by **Zelaznyrules** » Thu Nov 3, 2016 8:24 am

lilfishi22 wrote:I'm not sold on Watson. It's the same thing as when Hornacek first took up the post. A lot of talk about him being a player's coach. He was easy to get along with etc. He took us to one 48-win season and then had a series of underachieving seasons following that.

Watson has a lot to prove and those rookie mistakes he's made shows he has some ways to go.

I'm not comfortable calling anything he's done a "rookie mistake". We really don't know the reasoning for what he's doing and without that it's anyone's guess whether it's a mistake or just part of the process of developing a team. If we start seeing his experienced assistants jumping ship (or being thrown overboard), I'll start to worry. But I do think he has a long way to go to become a good head coach and I wouldn't begrudge him making his share of beginner mistakes along the way.

I don't care for the "we are family, rah rah kind of coaches", I usually find they're all talk. Watson has won me over though because his players clearly believe in him and it's not because he's simply telling them what they want to hear. And if he was all talk I think his players would have seen through it right away, especially the veterans.

But, I'll admit, I can't help worrying every time he starts name dropping when asked about his coaching background. And that comment after the Portland game about finally acting like a family is worrisome too. You can't keep telling us something is going on and then tell us "but this time I really mean it". Still, I love the fact we are making defense a priority while also keeping an uptempo offense. Both are critical in today's game IMO.

For myself, I doubt there is anything he could do this season that would make me give up on him as our coach although I'm sure I'll be frustrated frequently by the lack of minutes for the younger players. I don't understand the reasoning but that doesn't mean there is no reason.

thamadkant · Post #420 » by **thamadkant** » Thu Nov 3, 2016 10:17 am

Regarding Watson's "family" preach.

I mean I understand the importance of creating a positive environment... but he needs to actually calm down with the family angle.
Players get traded, players get waived, new players are signed... its a business... and if needs to happen they will.

Also "family speeches" don't put Wins on the table!... it can, but I don't see championship teams push family all the time.

If Watson don't perform and get wins or get what ever the FO wants to do... his family speech won't help him.

And it's funny it took Suns first win for him to say that the Suns are finally a real family... that's just lol.
So had they lost, what happens to the family??

I'm sceptical with Watson and always will... because he got hired not because of his coaching credential but because he was liked by players. So I will judge him specifically on what I see on the court and the win column.