2021 Playoff and Offseason Speculation - the playoffs. PLAYOFFS????

[Big NBA Fan]

In Suns-related news, former coach Terry Porter just got fired yesterday by University of Portland after posting a dismal 43-103 record in 4 and a half years!!!

He can't complain about not getting enough time like he's done in the past about his four-month stint as Suns coach...he was given too much time at Portland with a horrific record like that.

Still can't understand how Steve Kerr thought choosing him over Alvin and Budenholzer (Was one of the finalists for the job in 2008) to replace MDA was a good idea.

Bud is a Top 5 coach, MDA is probably going to the HOF one day, and Alvin did a terrific job after replacing Porter.

The fact that Kerr fired his buddy after four months in charge is very telling as to what the organization thought about Porter's performance...I would be shocked if Porter gets another HC job.

From all accounts, he's a nice guy and is knowledgeable about the game, but it's no secret his old-school mentality was hated by the Suns players.

[bwgood77]

In Suns-related news, former coach Terry Porter just got fired yesterday by University of Portland after posting a dismal 43-103 record in 4 and a half years!!!

He can't complain about not getting enough time like he's done in the past about his four-month stint as Suns coach...he was given too much time at Portland with a horrific record like that.

Still can't understand how Steve Kerr thought choosing him over Alvin and Budenholzer (Was one of the finalists for the job in 2008) to replace MDA was a good idea.

Bud is a Top 5 coach, MDA is probably going to the HOF one day, and Alvin did a terrific job after replacing Porter.

The fact that Kerr fired his buddy after four months in charge is very telling as to what the organization thought about Porter's performance...I would be shocked if Porter gets another HC job.

From all accounts, he's a nice guy and is knowledgeable about the game, but it's no secret his old-school mentality was hated by the Suns players.

Kerr's reasoning was that he thought we should focus on defense like the Spurs, where he had played and wanted a defensive coach, and to slow it down. With the team we had it was just dumb given our roster. You have to maximize the talents of players on your roster. Monty has a problem with this as well. None of our players except maybe Paul are being coached to play in the way that they excel. Bridges you can plug and play in any system and Cam too...since they play the right way...but Book needs to be used in plays more like he was in that game winner the whole game....getting open for catch and shoots...then they need to learn how to best utilize Ayton, and a faster pace would help with that instead of letting defenses get set and put two guys on him making it tough to get the ball to him...then they try bounce or chest passes through heavy traffic instead of high lobs most all the time.

[Slim Charless]

In Suns-related news, former coach Terry Porter just got fired yesterday by University of Portland after posting a dismal 43-103 record in 4 and a half years!!!

He can't complain about not getting enough time like he's done in the past about his four-month stint as Suns coach...he was given too much time at Portland with a horrific record like that.

Still can't understand how Steve Kerr thought choosing him over Alvin and Budenholzer (Was one of the finalists for the job in 2008) to replace MDA was a good idea.

Bud is a Top 5 coach, MDA is probably going to the HOF one day, and Alvin did a terrific job after replacing Porter.

The fact that Kerr fired his buddy after four months in charge is very telling as to what the organization thought about Porter's performance...I would be shocked if Porter gets another HC job.

From all accounts, he's a nice guy and is knowledgeable about the game, but it's no secret his old-school mentality was hated by the Suns players.

Kerr's reasoning was that he thought we should focus on defense like the Spurs, where he had played and wanted a defensive coach, and to slow it down. With the team we had it was just dumb given our roster. You have to maximize the talents of players on your roster. Monty has a problem with this as well. None of our players except maybe Paul are being coached to play in the way that they excel. Bridges you can plug and play in any system and Cam too...since they play the right way...but Book needs to be used in plays more like he was in that game winner the whole game....getting open for catch and shoots...then they need to learn how to best utilize Ayton, and a faster pace would help with that instead of letting defenses get set and put two guys on him making it tough to get the ball to him...then they try bounce or chest passes through heavy traffic instead of high lobs most all the time.

This is kinda off subject of what you guys are talking about but I'm watching this Dallas-Dubs game and it came to me that KP and Ayton would make the most dangerous frontcourt in the league. If both healthy, them and our guards would be a nightmare.

Dallas needs more quality bodies around Luka and if our guys go back to being the #benchmob we had earlier if something could be worked out. I don't really know if the Mavs like that trade for KP- might can be talked out of him....

[bwgood77]

In Suns-related news, former coach Terry Porter just got fired yesterday by University of Portland after posting a dismal 43-103 record in 4 and a half years!!!

He can't complain about not getting enough time like he's done in the past about his four-month stint as Suns coach...he was given too much time at Portland with a horrific record like that.

Still can't understand how Steve Kerr thought choosing him over Alvin and Budenholzer (Was one of the finalists for the job in 2008) to replace MDA was a good idea.

Bud is a Top 5 coach, MDA is probably going to the HOF one day, and Alvin did a terrific job after replacing Porter.

The fact that Kerr fired his buddy after four months in charge is very telling as to what the organization thought about Porter's performance...I would be shocked if Porter gets another HC job.

From all accounts, he's a nice guy and is knowledgeable about the game, but it's no secret his old-school mentality was hated by the Suns players.

Kerr's reasoning was that he thought we should focus on defense like the Spurs, where he had played and wanted a defensive coach, and to slow it down. With the team we had it was just dumb given our roster. You have to maximize the talents of players on your roster. Monty has a problem with this as well. None of our players except maybe Paul are being coached to play in the way that they excel. Bridges you can plug and play in any system and Cam too...since they play the right way...but Book needs to be used in plays more like he was in that game winner the whole game....getting open for catch and shoots...then they need to learn how to best utilize Ayton, and a faster pace would help with that instead of letting defenses get set and put two guys on him making it tough to get the ball to him...then they try bounce or chest passes through heavy traffic instead of high lobs most all the time.

This is kinda off subject of what you guys are talking about but I'm watching this Dallas-Dubs game and it came to me that KP and Ayton would make the most dangerous frontcourt in the league. If both healthy, them and our guards would be a nightmare.

Dallas needs more quality bodies around Luka and if our guys go back to being the #benchmob we had earlier if something could be worked out. I don't really know if the Mavs like that trade for KP- might can be talked out of him....

No thanks. It would cost too much anyway. Watching it makes me shake my head more about Luka being there for the taking.

And Curry is amazing....of course we almost had him too.

Not sure why they didn't foul on Dallas' last possession though. The worst they'd be down if they did is 3 and could have saved time. Better for us for Dallas to beat them though..

[Slim Charless]

Kerr's reasoning was that he thought we should focus on defense like the Spurs, where he had played and wanted a defensive coach, and to slow it down. With the team we had it was just dumb given our roster. You have to maximize the talents of players on your roster. Monty has a problem with this as well. None of our players except maybe Paul are being coached to play in the way that they excel. Bridges you can plug and play in any system and Cam too...since they play the right way...but Book needs to be used in plays more like he was in that game winner the whole game....getting open for catch and shoots...then they need to learn how to best utilize Ayton, and a faster pace would help with that instead of letting defenses get set and put two guys on him making it tough to get the ball to him...then they try bounce or chest passes through heavy traffic instead of high lobs most all the time.

This is kinda off subject of what you guys are talking about but I'm watching this Dallas-Dubs game and it came to me that KP and Ayton would make the most dangerous frontcourt in the league. If both healthy, them and our guards would be a nightmare.

Dallas needs more quality bodies around Luka and if our guys go back to being the #benchmob we had earlier if something could be worked out. I don't really know if the Mavs like that trade for KP- might can be talked out of him....

No thanks. It would cost too much anyway. Watching it makes me shake my head more about Luka being there for the taking.

And Curry is amazing....of course we almost had him too.

Not sure why they didn't foul on Dallas' last possession though. The worst they'd be down if they did is 3 and could have saved time. Better for us for Dallas to beat them though..

The Luka thing sucks. I wonder what we could've gotten from Atlanta to trade up? Imagine they would've given us Collins in exchange for #1.

Booker, Luka and Collins all on 1 team....

[bwgood77]

This is kinda off subject of what you guys are talking about but I'm watching this Dallas-Dubs game and it came to me that KP and Ayton would make the most dangerous frontcourt in the league. If both healthy, them and our guards would be a nightmare.

Dallas needs more quality bodies around Luka and if our guys go back to being the #benchmob we had earlier if something could be worked out. I don't really know if the Mavs like that trade for KP- might can be talked out of him....

No thanks. It would cost too much anyway. Watching it makes me shake my head more about Luka being there for the taking.

And Curry is amazing....of course we almost had him too.

Not sure why they didn't foul on Dallas' last possession though. The worst they'd be down if they did is 3 and could have saved time. Better for us for Dallas to beat them though..

The Luka thing sucks. I wonder what we could've gotten from Atlanta to trade up? Imagine they would've given us Collins in exchange for #1.

Booker, Luka and Collins all on 1 team....

You wouldn't want to risk it. Dallas was determined to move up and Atlanta knew who they wanted. Their new GM was from GS and saw Trae as Curry. I doubt they wanted Ayton or Bagley and obviously didn't care THAT much to take Luka.

[bigfoot]

This thread seems quiet in regards to where this team can make improvements before the trade deadline (March 25th). What is the glaring weakness for this team? Obviously, the Suns are still young and that will be a problem come playoff time. I think adding another playoff-tested vet would be worthwhile. Not having Saric for most of the season has really hurt the ability to evaluate the big man rotation, whether he plays as backup C or PF. With Ayton, Crowder, Cam, Saric, and Frank I do believe the frontcourt is set. Right now the biggest improvement I could imagine would be a better backup PG. Carter has been meh and Payne has been MIA so we don't really have the big picture with him yet. I guess the Suns can continue to rely on Moore. George Hill would be a nice get for a playoff run.

[Bogyo]

This thread seems quiet in regards to where this team can make improvements before the trade deadline (March 25th). What is the glaring weakness for this team? Obviously, the Suns are still young and that will be a problem come playoff time. I think adding another playoff-tested vet would be worthwhile. Not having Saric for most of the season has really hurt the ability to evaluate the big man rotation, whether he plays as backup C or PF. With Ayton, Crowder, Cam, Saric, and Frank I do believe the frontcourt is set. Right now the biggest improvement I could imagine would be a better backup PG. Carter has been meh and Payne has been MIA so we don't really have the big picture with him yet. I guess the Suns can continue to rely on Moore. George Hill would be a nice get for a playoff run.

I think the reason for this a bit in the fact that we kinda like our roster, and we (still?) have hopes for some of our guys who haven't been performing so hot lately from the bench due to covid or just being in a slump. That also makes it harder to come up with an actual trade. I would love George Hill, but who or what pick(s?) would we give up to get him that OKC would accept? I checked trade machine and couldn't really find a way to do it... He makes 9.5 mill and we'd have to match the salary - we just don't have the contracts, other than Saric and Crowder. Mayyybe Carter (when he is eligable) and Smith and Payne, but I wouldn't think I'd do that. Plus why would OKC do it?

I might like NAW, but what could we offer the Pels that they like enough, and is he really all that better than what we have?

Pretty much the same conclusion with all the other trade ideas I had. Either we roll with what we have or we luck out with a disgruntled star who wants to come here and we comply and kinda gut this team to get him. That's where the Saric+Crowder contracts would come in handy as those 2 are making 20 mill on relatively short contracts, throw in Cam/Cam and a pick and you have a really nice package for the (non-existent, yet anyways) disgruntled star. I do not see this either anyways in the short run. Maybe next year, but then CP is expiring, I'd rather get off that albatross of a contract, and we have to resign Bridges and Ayton. Our future is only as good as our internal development will be I think - unless we luck out on a guy who we picked 15 spots ahead of projections in the draft.

[Barkley6]

I'm hoping for young Bosh-if young Bosh could've shot 3s like older Bosh could. In other words a perfect modern 4. I definitely want to keep him around.

I don't have sky high expectations for Smith. I think he's going to be serviceable, but I don't think he'll be the all star caliber player some of you seem to think he can be.

I see him as a Suns era Cliff Robinson clone (RIP Uncle Cliffy). Tall, long, lanky. Can shoot the ball well, works hard. Decent defender. To me, that would be a great outcome for him.

"Some of you" = me, pretty sure. I'm the only one saying he looks like Siakam with a better long ball. Obviously, he has a long way to go.

But THIS I must respond to. The Cliff comparison is great, and I'm glad you thought of it. Cliff Robinson was a borderline All-Star for many years and a one-time all-star. A criminally underrated player, a unicorn before there were unicorns, an All-NBA 2nd team defender who knocked down threes with a high-30s percentage on volume.

So.... does that mean we're in agreement?

Note I said a 'Suns Era' Cliff. They've got almost the exact same body, and similar skillsets. With Phoenix, he averaged roughly 16 and 5, and shot 37% form three. If Smith can do that for us, then he's a pretty solid pick. But to me, that's where I see him ending up.

[King4Day]

Read on Twitter

[Barkley6]

In Suns-related news, former coach Terry Porter just got fired yesterday by University of Portland after posting a dismal 43-103 record in 4 and a half years!!!

He can't complain about not getting enough time like he's done in the past about his four-month stint as Suns coach...he was given too much time at Portland with a horrific record like that.

Still can't understand how Steve Kerr thought choosing him over Alvin and Budenholzer (Was one of the finalists for the job in 2008) to replace MDA was a good idea.

Bud is a Top 5 coach, MDA is probably going to the HOF one day, and Alvin did a terrific job after replacing Porter.

The fact that Kerr fired his buddy after four months in charge is very telling as to what the organization thought about Porter's performance...I would be shocked if Porter gets another HC job.

From all accounts, he's a nice guy and is knowledgeable about the game, but it's no secret his old-school mentality was hated by the Suns players.

Some guys just interview really well. But can't deliver on it.

[Barkley6]

This thread seems quiet in regards to where this team can make improvements before the trade deadline (March 25th). What is the glaring weakness for this team? Obviously, the Suns are still young and that will be a problem come playoff time. I think adding another playoff-tested vet would be worthwhile. Not having Saric for most of the season has really hurt the ability to evaluate the big man rotation, whether he plays as backup C or PF. With Ayton, Crowder, Cam, Saric, and Frank I do believe the frontcourt is set. Right now the biggest improvement I could imagine would be a better backup PG. Carter has been meh and Payne has been MIA so we don't really have the big picture with him yet. I guess the Suns can continue to rely on Moore. George Hill would be a nice get for a playoff run.

I think the reason for this a bit in the fact that we kinda like our roster, and we (still?) have hopes for some of our guys who haven't been performing so hot lately from the bench due to covid or just being in a slump. That also makes it harder to come up with an actual trade. I would love George Hill, but who or what pick(s?) would we give up to get him that OKC would accept? I checked trade machine and couldn't really find a way to do it... He makes 9.5 mill and we'd have to match the salary - we just don't have the contracts, other than Saric and Crowder. Mayyybe Carter (when he is eligable) and Smith and Payne, but I wouldn't think I'd do that. Plus why would OKC do it?

I might like NAW, but what could we offer the Pels that they like enough, and is he really all that better than what we have?

Pretty much the same conclusion with all the other trade ideas I had. Either we roll with what we have or we luck out with a disgruntled star who wants to come here and we comply and kinda gut this team to get him. That's where the Saric+Crowder contracts would come in handy as those 2 are making 20 mill on relatively short contracts, throw in Cam/Cam and a pick and you have a really nice package for the (non-existent, yet anyways) disgruntled star. I do not see this either anyways in the short run. Maybe next year, but then CP is expiring, I'd rather get off that albatross of a contract, and we have to resign Bridges and Ayton. Our future is only as good as our internal development will be I think - unless we luck out on a guy who we picked 15 spots ahead of projections in the draft.

I don't see us making a move in a trade. But, I think we could see some action on the buyout market. No one overly sexy, but a guy like Garrett Temple could be useful if bought out. But I kind of think we are going to stand pat. I just dont see a buyout candidate choosing us over the Lakers or Nets at this point.

[bwgood77]

This thread seems quiet in regards to where this team can make improvements before the trade deadline (March 25th). What is the glaring weakness for this team? Obviously, the Suns are still young and that will be a problem come playoff time. I think adding another playoff-tested vet would be worthwhile. Not having Saric for most of the season has really hurt the ability to evaluate the big man rotation, whether he plays as backup C or PF. With Ayton, Crowder, Cam, Saric, and Frank I do believe the frontcourt is set. Right now the biggest improvement I could imagine would be a better backup PG. Carter has been meh and Payne has been MIA so we don't really have the big picture with him yet. I guess the Suns can continue to rely on Moore. George Hill would be a nice get for a playoff run.

I think the reason for this a bit in the fact that we kinda like our roster, and we (still?) have hopes for some of our guys who haven't been performing so hot lately from the bench due to covid or just being in a slump. That also makes it harder to come up with an actual trade. I would love George Hill, but who or what pick(s?) would we give up to get him that OKC would accept? I checked trade machine and couldn't really find a way to do it... He makes 9.5 mill and we'd have to match the salary - we just don't have the contracts, other than Saric and Crowder. Mayyybe Carter (when he is eligable) and Smith and Payne, but I wouldn't think I'd do that. Plus why would OKC do it?

I might like NAW, but what could we offer the Pels that they like enough, and is he really all that better than what we have?

Pretty much the same conclusion with all the other trade ideas I had. Either we roll with what we have or we luck out with a disgruntled star who wants to come here and we comply and kinda gut this team to get him. That's where the Saric+Crowder contracts would come in handy as those 2 are making 20 mill on relatively short contracts, throw in Cam/Cam and a pick and you have a really nice package for the (non-existent, yet anyways) disgruntled star. I do not see this either anyways in the short run. Maybe next year, but then CP is expiring, I'd rather get off that albatross of a contract, and we have to resign Bridges and Ayton. Our future is only as good as our internal development will be I think - unless we luck out on a guy who we picked 15 spots ahead of projections in the draft.

I think with Hill it would be more of a buy out possibility. But basically I think once we see Payne and Saric back things will look a lot better unless Payne's decent stretch over 17 games was an anomaly. Then a Hill or had we taken Haliburton would help.

[bwgood77]

Win Shares so far this season:

Paul: 2.5
Bridges: 2.3
Ayton: 2
Johnson: 1.3
Crowder: 1
Galloway: .7
Kaminsky, Payne, Booker: .6

Those are the guys with over 200 minutes

[Adrao]

It could be interesting to test how Pau Gasol is recovering from his injury. If he wants to play in Tokio he needs to play. I would invite him to train with the team.

[Preacherpj]

Don't see a need for much of a trade, some more backcourt depth would be nice, but really we just NEED Saric, Crowder, Nader and Payne to get healthy.

Thats three core guys and a useful wing in Nader that are out right now.

[WeekapaugGroove]

As I've said before I have a hard time with my feelings on Lonzo. Like I absolutely see some special traits with how he sees the floor on both ends and tall playmakers are super valuable. But I see the warts too, like his upside as a half court offensive player is just passable and currently he's a negative in that regard. It's not only that he struggles to shoot 3s consistently but worse is that teams treat him as a complete nonshooter. It's just really hard to have that with your PG. He's probably a guy you need to have the perfect system (full court running) and team around him and I just don't know if he's worth building around. The fact the Pels who are in rebuild mode are trying to trade him before paying him is a red flag too.

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[Saberestar]

Read on Twitter

[Slim Charless]

This thread seems quiet in regards to where this team can make improvements before the trade deadline (March 25th). What is the glaring weakness for this team? Obviously, the Suns are still young and that will be a problem come playoff time. I think adding another playoff-tested vet would be worthwhile. Not having Saric for most of the season has really hurt the ability to evaluate the big man rotation, whether he plays as backup C or PF. With Ayton, Crowder, Cam, Saric, and Frank I do believe the frontcourt is set. Right now the biggest improvement I could imagine would be a better backup PG. Carter has been meh and Payne has been MIA so we don't really have the big picture with him yet. I guess the Suns can continue to rely on Moore. George Hill would be a nice get for a playoff run.

I think the reason for this a bit in the fact that we kinda like our roster, and we (still?) have hopes for some of our guys who haven't been performing so hot lately from the bench due to covid or just being in a slump. That also makes it harder to come up with an actual trade. I would love George Hill, but who or what pick(s?) would we give up to get him that OKC would accept? I checked trade machine and couldn't really find a way to do it... He makes 9.5 mill and we'd have to match the salary - we just don't have the contracts, other than Saric and Crowder. Mayyybe Carter (when he is eligable) and Smith and Payne, but I wouldn't think I'd do that. Plus why would OKC do it?

I might like NAW, but what could we offer the Pels that they like enough, and is he really all that better than what we have?

Pretty much the same conclusion with all the other trade ideas I had. Either we roll with what we have or we luck out with a disgruntled star who wants to come here and we comply and kinda gut this team to get him. That's where the Saric+Crowder contracts would come in handy as those 2 are making 20 mill on relatively short contracts, throw in Cam/Cam and a pick and you have a really nice package for the (non-existent, yet anyways) disgruntled star. I do not see this either anyways in the short run. Maybe next year, but then CP is expiring, I'd rather get off that albatross of a contract, and we have to resign Bridges and Ayton. Our future is only as good as our internal development will be I think - unless we luck out on a guy who we picked 15 spots ahead of projections in the draft.

I think with Hill it would be more of a buy out possibility. But basically I think once we see Payne and Saric back things will look a lot better unless Payne's decent stretch over 17 games was an anomaly. Then a Hill or had we taken Haliburton would help.

If we don't want to make a trade (makes sense) I'd like to see us add a other vet via other means. I think Korver is still unsigned. Love to see us cut Jones, give his minutes to to Stix and sign Kyle. I'm sure he can still shoot the basketball. He's won a title and would be another solid vet in the locker room.

Plus, I'm sure all of us want to see more time for the rookie.

[Mulhollanddrive]

4 guys out with foot or ankle injuries seems a coincidence.