The TJ Warren Thread!

[bwgood77]

I never really posted my thoughts on getting TJ Warren included with KD. I think it was a sneaky good pull by James Jones, though I imagine there wasn't much resistance on the Nets side of things. I am hoping because we likely will play him perhaps 10-20 minutes a game that he can hopefully stay healthy the remainder of the year. I am not optimistic though that the Suns will keep him past this year as I feel he might be able to get more than a veterans minimum contract elsewhere in the league. Not saying he will command $5 million, but I could see a team offering the Bi-annual exception which I believe is twice the vet's minimum or something of that sort.

Yeah, it may depend (if someone offers him more than the minimum) how much he likes the valley, teammates, vibe here, etc, and if a couple more million a year is a big necessiy for him or if being where he called "home" and a good situation is what he is after now.

We could also offer him he exceptions (bi annual or tax MLE, though those could go to someone else not on our team or someone like Ross who could be better at this point).

[spanishninja]

Okogie seems like a much better ball handler/passer/decision maker in comparison to Craig.

yeah, Craig is strictly a spot up guy or finisher. must not rely on him to make decisions on the court.

[Saberestar]

"Just a lot of guys to play."

Monty Williams on why T.J. Warren hasn't played the last two games.

"We need a great deal of sacrifice from the group. There may be a shot for him to play, but right now, we feel like we have a decent rhythm with the guys who are playing."

Read on Twitter

[sunskerr]

Can't argue with the results as we've been competitive without KD, but with Paul being so old it seems like a mistake to not try to bring along a guy who can get his own shot like TJ.

But we also aren't in a position to really experiment either because the standings are so close (we are close to the play in).

Yet at the same time, we've been burned in the playoffs before trying to play this kind of basketball that quite frankly gets nerfed in the playoffs when the refs allow more physicality.

But we've also got KD to pair with Book who we can now both fall back on to get a shot when plays break down in the playoffs.

Tough decisions. Seems like a mistake though if Warren is physically fine.

[WeekapaugGroove]

He's got to jump two of Okogie, Ross, Lee, Craig for a real post season rotation spot.

Okogie has been ridiculous so no way there

Craig has a **** ton of reps with this group and is a much better defender. Probably a tough task to beat out.

Ross, maybe, other than gunning 3s I'm not sure he brings more than TJ anywhere else.

Lee, depends what Lee we get, if his 3 ball doesn't return it's hard to keep him in the rotation. But his BBIQ is very helpful.

The issue with TJ is he really doesn't do the dirty work role player stuff all that well. He's a scorer who is best used as a main option on O when he's on the court. I would say the same thing about Ross.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

[NapoleonII]

I think Ross and TJ are going to be 2A and 2B off the bench, with KD probably anchoring a lot of time with them, too.

Payne
Ross
TJ
KD
Jock/Biz

Nice combo of size, inside scoring, and a fall-back option in KD to get his shot off whenever he wants.

[Puff]

Is it possible to free up a roster spot due to Shamet's medical condition? I highly doubt he is going to play in this year's regular season or playoffs. We really could use another ball handler.

[Qwigglez]

Read on Twitter

Not a good start under Monty.

[sunsfan1o1]

"Just a lot of guys to play."

Monty Williams on why T.J. Warren hasn't played the last two games.

"We need a great deal of sacrifice from the group. There may be a shot for him to play, but right now, we feel like we have a decent rhythm with the guys who are playing."

Read on Twitter

Did anyone read the comments? Pretty much everyone agrees that TJ should be playing over Craig, Ish and Lee. Everyone agrees except Monty Williams, Craig, Ish, Lee and lilfishi

[Saberestar]

"Just a lot of guys to play."

Monty Williams on why T.J. Warren hasn't played the last two games.

"We need a great deal of sacrifice from the group. There may be a shot for him to play, but right now, we feel like we have a decent rhythm with the guys who are playing."

Read on Twitter

Did anyone read the comments? Pretty much everyone agrees that TJ should be playing over Craig, Ish and Lee. Everyone agrees except Monty Williams, Craig, Ish, Lee and lilfishi

Warren played 20 minutes yesterday and he was solid on both ends of the court.

It was good step in the right direction IMO. Hopefully Monty trusts him and Warren gains confidence to play better ball.

[sunsfan1o1]

Read on Twitter

Did anyone read the comments? Pretty much everyone agrees that TJ should be playing over Craig, Ish and Lee. Everyone agrees except Monty Williams, Craig, Ish, Lee and lilfishi

Warren played 20 minutes yesterday and he was solid on both ends of the court.

It was good step in the right direction IMO. Hopefully Monty trusts him and Warren gains confidence to play better ball.

Hopefully. But Monty Williams is a strange man. He rather lose with the trash he asked James Jones to go get then to do the right thing.
I have a feeling Monty asked Jones to get Shamet and trade back for Craig.
I’ve never seen a coach play 2 guys who suck so much no matter who else is playing better. Maybe Thibideau does that too. But his teams are never good. Might be a reason for that.

[MrMiyagi]

I love TJ, but he's not exactly bringing what we're currently missing.

[Saberestar]

Love to see it!!

He will have games in the playoffs that stand out without a doubt..

Read on Twitter

[bwgood77]

I love Monty but this is a weird comment. I guess the positive is that he listened to the other coaches, and was honest about being closed minded, but with this team and the injuries, and roster changes, why be closed minded? How could the other coaches know and have to convince him?

“I probably wouldn’t have played T.J. this much had Kevin not been out, because we felt like we had a bit of a rhythm and a lineup that I was just used to,” Williams admitted. “And that may have been a bit close-minded. With Kevin being out and coaches kind of getting on me a little bit, they said I needed to look at [Warren]. And we’re giving T.J. a look, and he’s producing.”

https://www.gophnx.com/2023/03/26/phoenix-suns-give-tj-warren-fair-shake-tony-buckets-delivers/

[GreatSunnyNorth]

I love Monty but this is a weird comment. I guess the positive is that he listened to the other coaches, and was honest about being closed minded, but with this team and the injuries, and roster changes, why be closed minded? How could the other coaches know and have to convince him?

“I probably wouldn’t have played T.J. this much had Kevin not been out, because we felt like we had a bit of a rhythm and a lineup that I was just used to,” Williams admitted. “And that may have been a bit close-minded. With Kevin being out and coaches kind of getting on me a little bit, they said I needed to look at [Warren]. And we’re giving T.J. a look, and he’s producing.”

https://www.gophnx.com/2023/03/26/phoenix-suns-give-tj-warren-fair-shake-tony-buckets-delivers/

It also makes me wonder whether the playing time for TJ is temporary, or whether Monty is willing to be convinced he can be a starter (or at least finisher) once KD is back. If he can keep up the high-efficiency scoring while holding his own with hustle and rebounding, that’s the lineup that leaves opponents with nothing but bad options trying to stop the Suns - four players who demand extra attention, and a fifth whose calling card is finding and exploiting where the D has had to bend.

[bwgood77]

I love Monty but this is a weird comment. I guess the positive is that he listened to the other coaches, and was honest about being closed minded, but with this team and the injuries, and roster changes, why be closed minded? How could the other coaches know and have to convince him?

“I probably wouldn’t have played T.J. this much had Kevin not been out, because we felt like we had a bit of a rhythm and a lineup that I was just used to,” Williams admitted. “And that may have been a bit close-minded. With Kevin being out and coaches kind of getting on me a little bit, they said I needed to look at [Warren]. And we’re giving T.J. a look, and he’s producing.”

https://www.gophnx.com/2023/03/26/phoenix-suns-give-tj-warren-fair-shake-tony-buckets-delivers/

It also makes me wonder whether the playing time for TJ is temporary, or whether Monty is willing to be convinced he can be a starter (or at least finisher) once KD is back. If he can keep up the high-efficiency scoring while holding his own with hustle and rebounding, that’s the lineup that leaves opponents with nothing but bad options trying to stop the Suns - four players who demand extra attention, and a fifth whose calling card is finding and exploiting where the D has had to bend.

I can't see WHY he would not keep playing with him if he's putting up #s like he has the last two games:

Last 2 games: 31 points total, 14-25 FG, 3-8 3P, +32 in 56 minutes

As high as I was and have always been on TJ, and even wanting to trade for him...been meaning to say "I was right! We just got KD in addition instead of Patty Mills or Seth Curry and added 4 firsts, a swap, Bridges and Cam in addition to my proposal of Crowder."

My main excitement is if we could maybe keep him for the minimum. OR, if he continues, sign him to the tax MLE to a 2 or 3 year deal with team option and get bird rights. (not sure since we have him this year if we'd only need a 2 year contract (which we could do 1+1) or not. But he could be kind of a nice consolation prize scoring option to have going forward. He's still only 29 and has a lot less mileage on him than most at that age.

If he could keep it up and stick around, for me it would help soften the blow I feel for losing Mikal a little bit at least because I was always a fan. I like the humble guys who just put their head down and hoop, don't complain to refs, etc....just hoop.

[lilfishi22]

I love Monty but this is a weird comment. I guess the positive is that he listened to the other coaches, and was honest about being closed minded, but with this team and the injuries, and roster changes, why be closed minded? How could the other coaches know and have to convince him?

“I probably wouldn’t have played T.J. this much had Kevin not been out, because we felt like we had a bit of a rhythm and a lineup that I was just used to,” Williams admitted. “And that may have been a bit close-minded. With Kevin being out and coaches kind of getting on me a little bit, they said I needed to look at [Warren]. And we’re giving T.J. a look, and he’s producing.”

https://www.gophnx.com/2023/03/26/phoenix-suns-give-tj-warren-fair-shake-tony-buckets-delivers/

I think it's a common thing for a lot of coaches to trust the guys they know, know their strengths, weaknesses and expectations and it's often an injury which pushes end of bench guys to get some burn. Not saying it's the right thing to do but I understand and I certainly would've liked TJ to have gotten more playing time but at the same time, I totally understand it's not always about what you can do in isolation but rather what you can do to facilitate for the team (ie moving the ball, playing team defense etc etc).

Okogie likely wouldn't have gotten an opportunity if Bridges wasn't moved for example. It's a fair criticism of Monty

[GreatSunnyNorth]

I love Monty but this is a weird comment. I guess the positive is that he listened to the other coaches, and was honest about being closed minded, but with this team and the injuries, and roster changes, why be closed minded? How could the other coaches know and have to convince him?



https://www.gophnx.com/2023/03/26/phoenix-suns-give-tj-warren-fair-shake-tony-buckets-delivers/

It also makes me wonder whether the playing time for TJ is temporary, or whether Monty is willing to be convinced he can be a starter (or at least finisher) once KD is back. If he can keep up the high-efficiency scoring while holding his own with hustle and rebounding, that’s the lineup that leaves opponents with nothing but bad options trying to stop the Suns - four players who demand extra attention, and a fifth whose calling card is finding and exploiting where the D has had to bend.

I can't see WHY he would not keep playing with him if he's putting up #s like he has the last two games:

Last 2 games: 31 points total, 14-25 FG, 3-8 3P, +32 in 56 minutes

As high as I was and have always been on TJ, and even wanting to trade for him...been meaning to say "I was right! We just got KD in addition instead of Patty Mills or Seth Curry and added 4 firsts, a swap, Bridges and Cam in addition to my proposal of Crowder."

My main excitement is if we could maybe keep him for the minimum. OR, if he continues, sign him to the tax MLE to a 2 or 3 year deal with team option and get bird rights. (not sure since we have him this year if we'd only need a 2 year contract (which we could do 1+1) or not. But he could be kind of a nice consolation prize scoring option to have going forward. He's still only 29 and has a lot less mileage on him than most at that age.

If he could keep it up and stick around, for me it would help soften the blow I feel for losing Mikal a little bit at least because I was always a fan. I like the humble guys who just put their head down and hoop, don't complain to refs, etc....just hoop.

I’d love to see him back as well. But if he and Okogie both play meaningful minutes in a playoff run, we’ll be lucky to be able to keep one for the MLE let alone both. And it’s tough to see TJ being the higher offseason priority if Okogie stays in the starting lineup by default - which is where I worry Monty’s inflexibility might have effects lasting past this season.

[bwgood77]

I love Monty but this is a weird comment. I guess the positive is that he listened to the other coaches, and was honest about being closed minded, but with this team and the injuries, and roster changes, why be closed minded? How could the other coaches know and have to convince him?

“I probably wouldn’t have played T.J. this much had Kevin not been out, because we felt like we had a bit of a rhythm and a lineup that I was just used to,” Williams admitted. “And that may have been a bit close-minded. With Kevin being out and coaches kind of getting on me a little bit, they said I needed to look at [Warren]. And we’re giving T.J. a look, and he’s producing.”

https://www.gophnx.com/2023/03/26/phoenix-suns-give-tj-warren-fair-shake-tony-buckets-delivers/

I think it's a common thing for a lot of coaches to trust the guys they know, know their strengths, weaknesses and expectations and it's often an injury which pushes end of bench guys to get some burn. Not saying it's the right thing to do but I understand and I certainly would've liked TJ to have gotten more playing time but at the same time, I totally understand it's not always about what you can do in isolation but rather what you can do to facilitate for the team (ie moving the ball, playing team defense etc etc).

Okogie likely wouldn't have gotten an opportunity if Bridges wasn't moved for example. It's a fair criticism of Monty

Yeah, but Ross was new too. Now I know they probably promised him time but even Ish was playing a lot more than TJ.

[bwgood77]

It also makes me wonder whether the playing time for TJ is temporary, or whether Monty is willing to be convinced he can be a starter (or at least finisher) once KD is back. If he can keep up the high-efficiency scoring while holding his own with hustle and rebounding, that’s the lineup that leaves opponents with nothing but bad options trying to stop the Suns - four players who demand extra attention, and a fifth whose calling card is finding and exploiting where the D has had to bend.

I can't see WHY he would not keep playing with him if he's putting up #s like he has the last two games:

Last 2 games: 31 points total, 14-25 FG, 3-8 3P, +32 in 56 minutes

As high as I was and have always been on TJ, and even wanting to trade for him...been meaning to say "I was right! We just got KD in addition instead of Patty Mills or Seth Curry and added 4 firsts, a swap, Bridges and Cam in addition to my proposal of Crowder."

My main excitement is if we could maybe keep him for the minimum. OR, if he continues, sign him to the tax MLE to a 2 or 3 year deal with team option and get bird rights. (not sure since we have him this year if we'd only need a 2 year contract (which we could do 1+1) or not. But he could be kind of a nice consolation prize scoring option to have going forward. He's still only 29 and has a lot less mileage on him than most at that age.

If he could keep it up and stick around, for me it would help soften the blow I feel for losing Mikal a little bit at least because I was always a fan. I like the humble guys who just put their head down and hoop, don't complain to refs, etc....just hoop.

I’d love to see him back as well. But if he and Okogie both play meaningful minutes in a playoff run, we’ll be lucky to be able to keep one for the MLE let alone both. And it’s tough to see TJ being the higher offseason priority if Okogie stays in the starting lineup by default - which is where I worry Monty’s inflexibility might have effects lasting past this season.

Yeah, Okogie should be the priority and he may be cheaper but it also depends on his play. He has never been good consistenty for long so his small stretch of strong games may be an anomaly.

I did preface my comment was "IF TJ continues producing like he has, scoring 15 ppg on over 50% shooting and close to 40% from 3 while getting steals and playing solid D, THEN it would be nice to keep him". He may only cost the minimum too give his injury history and the fact he will have only played in like 10 games and likely gets a smaller role in the playoffs if KD is back and stays healthy along with everyone else staying healthy.