Suns Intra-Squad Scrimmage, 12/14

[Gorilla Warfare]

Hey guys if you aren't already watching it if you go to suns.com they are streaming the live scrimmage right now.

I'll post my thoughts at the end if the first half and end of game. If you're watching post what you like/didn't like.

[DRK]

gee Shannon Brown is looking nice!

No homo...........or is it?

After that display, I'm pretty sure it's homo.

A few thoughts...
-Nice to see Frye also shoot off the dribble, instead of just spotting up. Got a nice Pump fake there.

-Marcus Landry doesnt know how to defend pick and rolls. Missed the hedge of there leaving Brown wide open for a mid range shot.

- Shannon will be huge for us this year.

- Telfair's defence isn't too bad. The last play on offnce from him though wasnt very good.

- Lopez is uhh...... unspectacular.

[Mjee]

Shannon Brown looks really good! I am calling MIP this year

[Gorilla Warfare]

At the end of the 1st half i'm gonna agree with you guys and say Shannon Brown looks good. Landry has the chance to be great just needs to work with our offense more. Dudley is looking slim with better handles so that's a plus. Robin = awful, Telfair = awful.

[Gorilla Warfare]

Hakim just hit a 3 and 1 haha. missed the free throw though...

[Gorilla Warfare]

Ronnie Price seems like he wants to block everything. Just got dunked on by Siler.

[KLEON]

Shannon Brown looks good out there but Hakim Warrick playing extremely well. I hope this continues into the season

[Safety Pickle]

Duds has looked good so far. I've only been watching on-and-off but I've seen him take a couple aggressive drives the basket. It would be huge for us this season if he develops into a player that can create his own shot

[suns12345]

did morris play? i didnt see him in the second half at all?

[Bulk]

did morris play? i didnt see him in the second half at all?

He didn't play. Seems he bumped his knee against Price in training.

[Gorilla Warfare]

New addition notes:

Brown - Gonna be great for us this year, every time he touched the ball the crowd seemed to get giddy waiting for him to do something special, which will be great for the arena.

Price - Good handles, pesky on D but needs to work on awareness.

Landry - Has the potential but needs to continue to work hard and adjust in our system but he looked like he could make our roster.

Telfair - I understand its practice, but he seemed to be playing about 60% out there.

Morris - DNP....anyone know why?

[harshey1388]

since i only watched the first half my only observation is....

Lopez sucks even more. I was ready for all the talk about what he did this offseason and everything but nope he looks like absolute garbage out there. He needs ALOT of help but as of right now he looks awful.

also correct me if he played well in the 2nd half.

[wordsenuff]

im really mad i missed this game(had to work). thanks for the cliff notes guys.

really pissed to hear lopez still riding the suck stick. though its just one scrimmage game, so ill give him more time. same for telfair. also sucks to hear morris didnt play.

excited to hear about brown!! i knew he would do great here!

[DRK]

New addition notes:

Brown - Gonna be great for us this year, every time he touched the ball the crowd seemed to get giddy waiting for him to do something special, which will be great for the arena.

Price - Good handles, pesky on D but needs to work on awareness.

Landry - Has the potential but needs to continue to work hard and adjust in our system but he looked like he could make our roster.

Telfair - I understand its practice, but he seemed to be playing about 60% out there.

Morris - DNP....anyone know why?

If anything, I thought Price had a fantastic game. He had a couple of assists that looked like they came out of the Steve Nash Book. Defensively, he was solid. (except for being posterized by Mount Siler)

Marcus Landry.... i dont know. he looked pretty good. But I distinctly remember one play when he was guarding the pnr, missed the hedge completely and let Shannon get an easy mid range jumper. Wasnt a good sign......

[gaspar]

First Impressions of the 2011-12 Suns

After four days of training camp, the Suns gave a sneak preview of their progress to the media and select season-ticket holders Wednesday in the cozy confines of the Grand Canyon University Arena. It was an intra-squad scrimmage, pitting one half of the team against the other half.

The black team, captained by Steve Nash, defeated the white team, 68-61. Channing Frye paced the black team with 17 points, while Jared Dudley scored 16. Shannon Brown led the white team with 16 points, while Robin Lopez added 12 points and six rebounds.

For fans starving for basketball, the scrimmage quenched some of their hunger pangs. If you missed it live or on Suns.com and are wondering how the players (the ones signed and in camp) are looking thus far, allow me to give you some insight into what I’ve seen through just a few practices and one scrimmage.

Steve Nash: If you missed my little tidbit about how insanely in-shape the Canadian kid is in yesterday’s piece, then please click on this link. For a guy who only played three times over the summer, and one time was against Justin Bieber, it’s hard to believe he looks as sharp as he does… which is razor sharp. He took only three shots in the entire scrimmage (making all three), but controlled the entire game with his passing and game management.

Grant Hill: When the Suns re-signed Hill, not only did they keep aboard their most versatile defender, but they secured their most valuable locker room presence. Heading into his 18th season, the Suns co-captain is the calming vet that takes care of all of the intangibles for the team, complete with about the best attitude on the planet. If you’re wondering how important a guy like Hill is to a franchise, just ask every contender in the league that was making offers to him during free agency last week what they think.

Jared Dudley: In practice, no one has looked more ready to play then JD3. In the scrimmages I’ve seen at practice, he’s shooting about 90 percent from behind the arc and is in fantastic shape. He’s shown the ability to finish after being fouled, while also providing all of the usual basketball smarts fans are accustomed to seeing from him.

Marcin Gortat: The “Polish Machine,” as he prefers to be called, had the most interesting offseason of all the Suns. Besides practicing yoga to improve his body, Gortat went to work with Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon on his post-moves. The 6-11 center has ran the floor well when others seemed fatigued, while also showing a very reliable mid-range game. He’s been automatic from 15 feet, no matter who has been guarding him. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s an All-Star this season.

Channing Frye: The Suns power forward has looked steady as usual, completely settled into his role as someone who can stretch defenses with his range, rebound the ball and be active on defense. Frye pledged to work over the summer on improving his post moves, which he’s used less of since coming to Phoenix. After shooting 39 percent from downtown last season, one can understand why, but the 6-11 Frye wants to make defenses pay both inside and outside. Stay tuned there…

Shannon Brown: The 6-3 shooting guard is sure to provide some of the season’s most electrifying moments, as evidenced by the endless amount of hang time he displayed on his reverse layup during the scrimmage. He’s also shown glimpses of an ability to create his own shot when the shot clock winds down, which is something the Suns coaching staff would love to see this season. He and Jared Dudley will have a very strong competition for minutes at the 2-guard if they continue to play the way they’re both playing right now.

Robin Lopez: Although Lopez appeared in 67 games last season, it seems as if he was never able to recover from his back injury the year before. From all accounts, Lopez’s lift has returned and he seems to be moving much more fluidly in camp. If Lopez, who also worked with Olajuwon this past summer, can find the form he displayed during the 2009-10 season, he could prove to be one of the best backup centers in the league.

Hakim Warrick: No one seems to have improved more from the end of last season to the beginning of this season than Hakim Warrick. Everyone already knew about his explosive dunks, but when defenses took away the pick-and-roll, Warrick didn’t make them pay consistently enough when he pick-and-popped. This season, Warrick has been absolutely deadly from the top of the key, drilling literally everything he throws up. In addition, he’s even added a three-point shot to his repertoire, nailing one as he was being fouled during the scrimmage, as well as a few during the week at practice.

Josh Childress: For people with small attention spans, allow me to remind you how well J-Chill was playing last preseason before he was injured. He was ubiquitous; jumping into passing lanes, making hustle plays, moving without the ball and providing length and athleticism on defense. After missing time with a fractured finger, he never really found his stride, or his way back into the rotation. Although he didn’t see a lot of minutes last season, the coaching staff appreciates Childress, and it sees the spark he can provide off the bench. His 3-pointer seems improved and he appears genuinely comfortable after a year under his belt in Phoenix.

Sebastian Telfair: No one seemed more excited to be in Phoenix than the former NYC prep star, maybe too much so. Telfair seems to be pressing, as opposed to letting the game come to him. Once he calms down, having a speedy backup to Nash that can penetrate opposing defenses could prove invaluable.

Ronnie Price: The latest signee had all of one practice to learn the team’s schemes before Wednesday’s scrimmage. It’s obvious that Price has a ton of bounce and quickness, which the coaching staff is hoping it can utilize on the defensive end.

Garret Siler: The coaching staff raved about the improvements Siler made last season, both physically and on the court. He dropped a ton of weight and was always seen working on his game, far after practice was over. The old axiom is that you can’t teach 7-feet, and the staff is hoping that with continued development, he could provide some additional force down low. He’s come a long way since his first practice here, it’ll be interesting to see how high he can raise his ceiling.

[rsavaj]

Lopez looked good in the 2nd half. Dude was moving well, seemed more springy, and even surprised Marcin a few times. Good sign.

[harshey1388]

Lopez looked good in the 2nd half. Dude was moving well, seemed more springy, and even surprised Marcin a few times. Good sign.

thanks bud good to hear! I really hope he proves something this season but im not gonna believe it just yet!

also was that you that texted me with the THANK XENU grant hill news??

[JohnVancouver]

but no replay for those of us who were out celebrating? Go the word today my first book is a go as a movie - after four years of "development"

I was seriously considering asking the missus if we could celebrate tomorrow night so I could watch the scrimmage but ... I was outvoted

[nevetsov]

but no replay for those of us who were out celebrating? Go the word today my first book is a go as a movie - after four years of "development"

I was seriously considering asking the missus if we could celebrate tomorrow night so I could watch the scrimmage but ... I was outvoted

Congrats JV!

[TASTIC]

yeah JV that's awesome - keep us posted as it comes along