Dragic- a reason for concern?

Herman4MVP · Post #1 » by **Herman4MVP** » Mon Jan 3, 2011 3:25 pm

After last night I was thinking a little bit about our team and what came to my mind was one big reason why we suck that bad right now. Let's forget about Gentry for a minute and look at our second PG.

I know we all were proud of Goran last season and were hoping that he could take on some PG responsibility in the future...

But: is it just me or does Goran look like he just doesn't want to be here anymore? I mean, he once said before that Europe is always an interesting place to play again and he is known as a little bit of a guy who needs to be comforted and stuff...

Possible reasons I could think of:

- we are not winning or playing very well this season
- he misses his home country and would prefer playing in europe again
- he is disappointed that he was not trusted more than he has this season
- he may not want the responsibility and pressure to be "the new Nash"
- he thinks about the lockdown possibility and so again, about playing in europe
- he is pissed about the NBA rules like travelling, bs calls and other stuff he had to endure

Whatever it is, it doesn't look good and it's a major reason why we are not good at the moment - if we don't have a good PG behind Nash we can't succeed IMO. What do you guys think? Should we consider PG options soon or maybe hope for the draft?

YFZblu · Post #2 » by **YFZblu** » Mon Jan 3, 2011 3:38 pm

Yep, I recently posted in the Suns/Kings thread that Dragic is one of the major reasons that the Suns are floundering this season. According to the adjusted +/- numbers for the year, the Suns are playing at a really high level when Nash is in the game--But once he comes out and one of our many many role players stinks it up, the wheels fall off and the game is lost.

1. He isn't handling the added defensive pressure very well this season. Teams know he can play, and are keying in on him. Gentry recently inserted Frye into the 2nd unit to help relieve some of that pressure, but it hasn't worked as of late

2. He isn't playing defense. He's being soft and unintelligent defensively.

3. I mentioned in another thread that the rotation MUST be reduced; at this point, if Dragic keeps his level of play so low, I can see him being benched.

jwilb49 · Post #3 » by **jwilb49** » Mon Jan 3, 2011 7:30 pm

dragic is a bench pg not a starter..... in my opinion in the draft we should look into pg Brandon Knight .... he is a pretty tall pg. athletic and plays defense . he plays like rose. westbrook. and dwill..... he could be our future.... look at all the past PFs who were supposed to be draft stars and they are taking plenty of time to develop... i say we get a pg. then try and trade for a good PF

BurningHeart · Post #4 » by **BurningHeart** » Mon Jan 3, 2011 10:47 pm

Dragic's best buddy on the court was taken from the team. For a foreign kid trying to get adjusted to the game and everything, to disturb his comfort zone will initially be devastating to his confidence and production.

Calvin Klein · Post #5 » by **Calvin Klein** » Mon Jan 3, 2011 11:01 pm

BurningHeart wrote:Dragic's best buddy on the court was taken from the team. For a foreign kid trying to get adjusted to the game and everything, to disturb his comfort zone will initially be devastating to his confidence and production.

You mean Leandro?

Calvin Klein · Post #6 » by **Calvin Klein** » Mon Jan 3, 2011 11:04 pm

Herman4MVP wrote:- he is pissed about the NBA rules like travelling, bs calls and other stuff he had to endure

Well, they are much more strict over in Europe.

Herman4MVP · Post #7 » by **Herman4MVP** » Tue Jan 4, 2011 12:05 am

Calvin Klein wrote:
Herman4MVP wrote:- he is pissed about the NBA rules like travelling, bs calls and other stuff he had to endure

Well, they are much more strict over in Europe.

I live in Germany and watch some european basketball if I find the time and yes, there are some differences about how the game is called. But what I have noticed is that Goran can't seem to stop the travelling at least once a game.
A lot of foreign or european players have that problem, but Goran looks especially fed up with this.

PLUS they often don't call in favor of him - but sometimes heavily against him IMO.
There are a lot of situations I have watched this season where he gets bumped to the floor and no call - and he gets visibly frustrated. Not just angry but frustrated.

AND - only in the NBA there are double standards, David Stern, stupid ass rule changes, rigged refs and heavily favored "superstars"...

Mr. Sun · Post #8 » by **Mr. Sun** » Tue Jan 4, 2011 2:21 am

Dragic will shine when Suns finally get a bull for a PF.

nevetsov · Post #9 » by **nevetsov** » Tue Jan 4, 2011 2:24 am

Mr. Sun wrote:Dragic will shine when Suns finally get a bull for a PF.

Boozer? Taj Gibson? KT?

In all honesty I would be happy with any of those bulls. How old is KT? 80something?

MagicVince · Post #10 » by **MagicVince** » Tue Jan 4, 2011 2:31 am

I have watched Dragic play only 3 games.

In those 3 games, I hated him.

He played half hearted. He does not run the offense.
He just run down the court and jack up a shot and miss.
Does not even TRY to make a PLAY.

Where did you guys get this guy from ...?
Any college point guard would be better than this guy.

nevetsov · Post #11 » by **nevetsov** » Tue Jan 4, 2011 2:34 am

It sucks that, with the number of wings that we have, Goran is essentially pigeon-holed into backup PG duties and consequently the non-Nash minutes that are usually only 10-15 mpg.

He has shown that he is also just as effective playing alongside Nash - in fact, doing so (and thus giving him more mins) would be a great way to get his confidence up.

Ideally (from Goran's perspective) he would be used as a 3rd guard in a 3 guard lineup with Nash and a true SG like Vince, splitting equal time at both positions.

Ie - Nash 32mins, Goran 32mins, Carter 32mins.

Playing with Nash would allow him to get comfortable with a few easy shots, without the pressure of jumping straight in cold and having to run an offense. Then when Nash sits, a warmed up Dragic slides over to the Point.

Unfortunately, as long as we're overloaded at the wing positions, GD will be limited.

BurningHeart · Post #12 » by **BurningHeart** » Tue Jan 4, 2011 8:33 am

Calvin Klein wrote:
BurningHeart wrote:Dragic's best buddy on the court was taken from the team. For a foreign kid trying to get adjusted to the game and everything, to disturb his comfort zone will initially be devastating to his confidence and production.

You mean Leandro?

Louuuuuuuu

Calvin Klein · Post #13 » by **Calvin Klein** » Tue Jan 4, 2011 10:10 am

oh sorry. I didn't even notice you said "on the court". You're right.

I still have faith in Goran. I love the way he plays when he is on. We should not give up on him yet.