Game 57 : Denver Nuggets (29-26) at Phoenix Suns (18-38), Saturday, Feb 10th, 7:00PM MST

[RunDogGun]

With good to great cutters in Jackson and Warren, Payton should be able to get high assist numbers here. Then add Booker to the mix with range and we could have a nice inside/outside game. Putting Bender at the the five, and you have a willing passing group, who can all score. We lose a bunch on rebounds unless that squad gets really good at boxing out. On offense, I would have eithe Jackson or Warren attacking the offensive glass at all times. We could make up for some rebounds. Granted it’s only one game with Payton, and Booker didn’t play, but the team looked energized, and guys cut wisely and Bender looked aggressive often.

So the question becomes, can Chriss put up numbers coming off the bench, or will he be a big baby about it?

If we can resign Payton at a decent price, we waive Ulis. Start the season with Payton, Knight, and spot point minutes from Booker. I’d also like to see Reed run some plays.

[hollywood6964]

With good to great cutters in Jackson and Warren, Payton should be able to get high assist numbers here. Then add Booker to the mix with range and we could have a nice inside/outside game. Putting Bender at the the five, and you have a willing passing group, who can all score. We lose a bunch on rebounds unless that squad gets really good at boxing out. On offense, I would have eithe Jackson or Warren attacking the offensive glass at all times. We could make up for some rebounds. Granted it’s only one game with Payton, and Booker didn’t play, but the team looked energized, and guys cut wisely and Bender looked aggressive often.

So the question becomes, can Chriss put up numbers coming off the bench, or will he be a big baby about it?

If we can resign Payton at a decent price, we waive Ulis. Start the season with Payton, Knight, and spot point minutes from Booker. I’d also like to see Reed run some plays.

If you're interested in winning, which I'm not, you start Chandler. He can rebound as his main job, n can get plenty of lobs from Payton. Plenty.

Bender at the 4 is far better, he's too soft for center right now. The plus's of putting him at c do not outweigh the drawbacks on most nights.

Bring Chriss off the bench, just make sure you have a box of tissues at the scorers table.

Play Ulis as backup, 15min. He's steady compared to the other kid n knows how to play with these players n system better.

Try n extend Booker and or Payton into the 2nd unit at times, they need a playmaker, scorer, or both. Otherwise plan on a lot of scouting droughts n momentum swings.

Do showcase Chriss as much as you can though, 25 min a night, n try n make him look good. We need to trade his ass asap.

[NavLDO]

So glad he played well for you guys. We'll see if it continues, but he pretty much showed what he is about. Just a solid point guard that still has a lot to work on, but also has some good things to offer for a team.

The Nuggets were on the tail end of a road b2b. They played no defense whatsoever.

Let's see...

1st Game, ever, playing on a new Team Vs. Tail end of a Road B2B, after 3 Days off...

I wonder which one had more of an effect on playing performance for players

[Qwigglez]

If you've seen Elfrid's mother's finger nails, you'll probably have a better understanding of why Elfrid hasn't cut his hair.

But anyway, hope to see him play around 34 mpg for you guys. He only cracked 30 like once for us.

He is one of six kids, he has five sisters.


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You saying he got longer hair than his sisters?

[woosah]

If you've seen Elfrid's mother's finger nails, you'll probably have a better understanding of why Elfrid hasn't cut his hair.

But anyway, hope to see him play around 34 mpg for you guys. He only cracked 30 like once for us.

He is one of six kids, he has five sisters.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

You saying he got longer hair than his sisters?

he's joking that they seem to like extremes. (i think) ^^ that was draft night but i don't think they are still like that.

[NavLDO]

Bender is gonna be a unicorn at center. He did a good job on Jokic

But I was just recently informed that Bender will never be able to reach Jokic's "greatness"; I believe I was told to "get real," or something to that effect.

There is no reason that with some added weight, and some confidence/assertiveness, that Bender couldn't be even better than Jokic, with his Reach/Length, Athleticism, Shooting, etc. Not sure that is where we will concentrate our efforts in developing him, though.

When Bender starts dropping strings of triple doubles and consistently dominating on a nightly basis, come back with this. Until then...get real.

Oh, there it is...

So, maybe i did not use the best grammar there, but I was alluding to the potential future tense. Maybe that's where you got confused.

I wasn't saying he IS as good as Jokic, or even WILL BE as good as Jokic, I was merely stating under certain conditions, the potential exists where this potentiality might takes place.

And since Jokic wasn't even in the NBA when he was at the current age Bender is now, it would be tough for Bender to drop 'strings of triple doubles and almost consistently dominates on a nightly basis', (except for nights like last night, when he goes up against the very guy we're discussing, Bender.') whew...that's a mouthful...anyway, when he does, I assure you, at that point, yes, I'll let you know. It might take another 3 years though, since Jokic is doing all this with a 3 year advantage in age.

But boy, it sure looks like Bender is on the right track, since he just matched him, and in some aspects, bested Jokic, last night.

But hey, it was one night. Anyone can get lucky, right? I won't read too much into it, other than, He sure looked pretty good against Jokic in what little I was able to see.

But in the meantime, I'll just 'get real'...and maybe you can recognize that in 3 years, IF Bender is developed as a Center, in a more stable, concentrated effort like Jokic was, that maybe, just maybe, Bender might have an opportunity to be better than Jokic, because just like I said, he has the tools to be, it just depends upon what happens over the next 3 years...

You act as if I'm talking about Miles Plumlee, or something.

[Blonde]

The best part about this game was having a point guard who didn't shoot 1 for 10.

[bigfoot]

The best part about this game was having a point guard who didn't shoot 1 for 10.

What's really nice ... he looked nothing like a ball dominate PG ... Bledsoe, Knight, James pounding the ball and then going ISO

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

The single biggest takeaway from this game was that Elf - whether or not he is our PG of the future - remains a candidate for the job after game 1. He is clearly the *type* of PG we need.

In 2018, Josh Jackson putting up numbers that would win him the ROY most years.

Dragan Bender played a *complete* game last night. Shot the ball, rebounded the ball, scored inside, 4 assists and 2 turnovers, defended the perimeter and at the rim. On one sequence, he was guarded by Harris on the perimeter. So he repositioned himself, posted and went to the 7 foot hook - no resistance, easy basket. Harris got him on a switch on the perimeter the following possession, Dragan took away that shot, then Harris drove and Bender stuffed him off the backboard. Brilliant. Bender's been our best player these last five games, IMO. He was the only one who showed up at all in San Antonio.

We're starting to look like we're a lot closer than our record indicates - and that's great.

I no longer have any idea what we'll do with that draft pick. It should be more of a pure BPA play.

[DirtyDez]

So glad he played well for you guys. We'll see if it continues, but he pretty much showed what he is about. Just a solid point guard that still has a lot to work on, but also has some good things to offer for a team.

The Nuggets were on the tail end of a road b2b. They played no defense whatsoever.

Let's see...

1st Game, ever, playing on a new Team Vs. Tail end of a Road B2B, after 3 Days off...

I wonder which one had more of an effect on playing performance for players

Idk. Look at Blake and Isaiah's numbers in their first game. Players want to make their teams look stupid for trading them. Now let's see if EP sustains it.

[garrick]

With good to great cutters in Jackson and Warren, Payton should be able to get high assist numbers here. Then add Booker to the mix with range and we could have a nice inside/outside game. Putting Bender at the the five, and you have a willing passing group, who can all score. We lose a bunch on rebounds unless that squad gets really good at boxing out. On offense, I would have eithe Jackson or Warren attacking the offensive glass at all times. We could make up for some rebounds. Granted it’s only one game with Payton, and Booker didn’t play, but the team looked energized, and guys cut wisely and Bender looked aggressive often.

So the question becomes, can Chriss put up numbers coming off the bench, or will he be a big baby about it?

If we can resign Payton at a decent price, we waive Ulis. Start the season with Payton, Knight, and spot point minutes from Booker. I’d also like to see Reed run some plays.

I think Chriss is being misused in our offense as he has really only become a spot up shooter recently, we need to have him make some cuts and have him as the roll man on PnR at least a few times on offense, having him camping out at the corners doesn't allow him to pick up any offensive rebounds either.

[RunDogGun]

With good to great cutters in Jackson and Warren, Payton should be able to get high assist numbers here. Then add Booker to the mix with range and we could have a nice inside/outside game. Putting Bender at the the five, and you have a willing passing group, who can all score. We lose a bunch on rebounds unless that squad gets really good at boxing out. On offense, I would have eithe Jackson or Warren attacking the offensive glass at all times. We could make up for some rebounds. Granted it’s only one game with Payton, and Booker didn’t play, but the team looked energized, and guys cut wisely and Bender looked aggressive often.

So the question becomes, can Chriss put up numbers coming off the bench, or will he be a big baby about it?

If we can resign Payton at a decent price, we waive Ulis. Start the season with Payton, Knight, and spot point minutes from Booker. I’d also like to see Reed run some plays.

If you're interested in winning, which I'm not, you start Chandler. He can rebound as his main job, n can get plenty of lobs from Payton. Plenty.

Bender at the 4 is far better, he's too soft for center right now. The plus's of putting him at c do not outweigh the drawbacks on most nights.

Bring Chriss off the bench, just make sure you have a box of tissues at the scorers table.

Play Ulis as backup, 15min. He's steady compared to the other kid n knows how to play with these players n system better.

Try n extend Booker and or Payton into the 2nd unit at times, they need a playmaker, scorer, or both. Otherwise plan on a lot of scouting droughts n momentum swings.

Do showcase Chriss as much as you can though, 25 min a night, n try n make him look good. We need to trade his ass asap.

I’m always interested in winning, but winning a game or two may not be the definition of winning I’m looking for. A game like the one against Denver was a win, even if it was a loss. Our youth played big minutes, and they produced, even with a So-called soft player like Bender at center.

With Knight still on this team, we don’t get away with not playing him, even off the bench. I don’t see a role for Ulis next season. We either draft a pg, or we try and retain Payton. Personally, if Payton keeps playing like this, we sign him and draft a solid big, depending on where we draft there are three solid prospects in our range of 1-8 depending on balls bouncing our way or stuck in our lotto position.

If Chriss doesn’t produce, it’s tough to showcase him for a trade. The best we can hope for is he plays well enough to maybe package a couple picks, and move up in this up coming draft. I’m hoping we draft JJJr with our pick, and land Skai with trading Chriss, Miami pick, and our second rounder. Bring Knight off the bench as SG with Skai at point. Or stretch Knight. Chandler comes off the bench and mentors our bigs, and likely traded before the trade deadline to a contending team.

If our guys keep playing strong, trying to win games (even if we don’t actually win), I’m happy with the effort and building for the future, which is hopefully a near future.

We need a solid system and coaching staff.

[RunDogGun]

With good to great cutters in Jackson and Warren, Payton should be able to get high assist numbers here. Then add Booker to the mix with range and we could have a nice inside/outside game. Putting Bender at the the five, and you have a willing passing group, who can all score. We lose a bunch on rebounds unless that squad gets really good at boxing out. On offense, I would have eithe Jackson or Warren attacking the offensive glass at all times. We could make up for some rebounds. Granted it’s only one game with Payton, and Booker didn’t play, but the team looked energized, and guys cut wisely and Bender looked aggressive often.

So the question becomes, can Chriss put up numbers coming off the bench, or will he be a big baby about it?

If we can resign Payton at a decent price, we waive Ulis. Start the season with Payton, Knight, and spot point minutes from Booker. I’d also like to see Reed run some plays.

I think Chriss is being misused in our offense as he has really only become a spot up shooter recently, we need to have him make some cuts and have him as the roll man on PnR at least a few times on offense, having him camping out at the corners doesn't allow him to pick up any offensive rebounds either.

It’s tough with players who aren’t very smart like Chriss. They are either freakish athletes like Amare, and you have a point guard like Nash to get the most out of him, or you realize you made a bad choice trading for him, and he just won’t advance like he should. This year it looked like Chriss did a good job gaining weight, and did nothing to advance his game. He has no post moves, and for some reason misses many dunks. I think the best we can do is move him on draft night, and hope he doesn’t turn into a smart player for another team.

[lilfishi22]

Bender is gonna be a unicorn at center. He did a good job on Jokic

But I was just recently informed that Bender will never be able to reach Jokic's "greatness"; I believe I was told to "get real," or something to that effect.

There is no reason that with some added weight, and some confidence/assertiveness, that Bender couldn't be even better than Jokic, with his Reach/Length, Athleticism, Shooting, etc. Not sure that is where we will concentrate our efforts in developing him, though.

As much as I like Bender, he has wayssss to go before he's on the level of Jokic. Jokic is a legit triple double threat, at the C position. What he brought to the table right away is natural and extremely difficult to teach. Compared to Bender, Jokic in his rookie season almost doubled Bender's current season per36 points, rebounds and assists, quadrupled his FTA's per game while being a positive defensively and offensively. It's fine being high Bender because I am too but you're selling Jokic way too low.

[lilfishi22]

With good to great cutters in Jackson and Warren, Payton should be able to get high assist numbers here. Then add Booker to the mix with range and we could have a nice inside/outside game. Putting Bender at the the five, and you have a willing passing group, who can all score. We lose a bunch on rebounds unless that squad gets really good at boxing out. On offense, I would have eithe Jackson or Warren attacking the offensive glass at all times. We could make up for some rebounds. Granted it’s only one game with Payton, and Booker didn’t play, but the team looked energized, and guys cut wisely and Bender looked aggressive often.

So the question becomes, can Chriss put up numbers coming off the bench, or will he be a big baby about it?

If we can resign Payton at a decent price, we waive Ulis. Start the season with Payton, Knight, and spot point minutes from Booker. I’d also like to see Reed run some plays.

I think Chriss is being misused in our offense as he has really only become a spot up shooter recently, we need to have him make some cuts and have him as the roll man on PnR at least a few times on offense, having him camping out at the corners doesn't allow him to pick up any offensive rebounds either.

It’s tough with players who aren’t very smart like Chriss. They are either freakish athletes like Amare, and you have a point guard like Nash to get the most out of him, or you realize you made a bad choice trading for him, and he just won’t advance like he should. This year it looked like Chriss did a good job gaining weight, and did nothing to advance his game. He has no post moves, and for some reason misses many dunks. I think the best we can do is move him on draft night, and hope he doesn’t turn into a smart player for another team.

Hard to compare Amare to Chriss other than their freakish athleticism but Amare had excellent offensive IQ. He had a great hands, instincts, motor and had a number of simple moves which was enough when combined with his athleticism to get baskets or get to the line. Chriss doesn't have any of that and while he does have a 3PT shot (sort of), it's highly reliant on the team to get him those shots and it also largely negates his athletic gifts and ability to get easy shots down low. I don't really have much confidence that he'll be able to turn it around with his level of IQ.

[thamadkant]

He is one of six kids, he has five sisters.


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You saying he got longer hair than his sisters?

he's joking that they seem to like extremes. (i think) ^^ that was draft night but i don't think they are still like that.

how does she even wipe her ass man... must bleed everytime

[Mulhollanddrive]

$30m to get a haircut who would say no.

[Qwigglez]

Been saying I like Barton in FA..moreso if we trade Daniels. But he would be a really solid backup 2 guard..but a great passer and good all around player. Maybe a one year deal. I think McD may go after Bradley...though I guess a lot depends on the draft.

Eff Barton.

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Here's some info from BSotS.

You might recall there was a totally unexpected fight early in the game, where Troy Daniels attacked Will Barton soon after Barton came in the game.

Apparently, that was because Barton has joked on a podcast the other day that the Suns should be relegated to the G-League another game by 48. Both Barton and Daniels were assessed offsetting technicals and play resumed.

Here’s Barton’s recount of what happened.

“On RJ’s (Richard Jefferson) podcast,” Barton explained, “I said after Phoenix had lost by 50 to the Spurs, we were making jokes and I said after that game, they should throw the whole team away and throw them to the G League.

“You know, it wasn’t anything personal,” he continued. “I would have said that about us if that had happened to us. I was just being funny. But I didn’t know during the game that’s what it was about. I didn’t find out until I came in.

“I was like, ‘They listen to that?’ Whatever. I didn’t remember I even said that. I’m not thinking about that. When we came back in he told me this was what it was about, it makes sense. That’s why he came on like that, which I respect. You’re supposed to take that personal, I respect that. I’d take that personal. He woke me up, so I thank him.”

Good on Troy Daniels for sending that message.

He's gotten a thumbs up from me now.

[hollywood6964]

I think Chriss is being misused in our offense as he has really only become a spot up shooter recently, we need to have him make some cuts and have him as the roll man on PnR at least a few times on offense, having him camping out at the corners doesn't allow him to pick up any offensive rebounds either.

It’s tough with players who aren’t very smart like Chriss. They are either freakish athletes like Amare, and you have a point guard like Nash to get the most out of him, or you realize you made a bad choice trading for him, and he just won’t advance like he should. This year it looked like Chriss did a good job gaining weight, and did nothing to advance his game. He has no post moves, and for some reason misses many dunks. I think the best we can do is move him on draft night, and hope he doesn’t turn into a smart player for another team.

Hard to compare Amare to Chriss other than their freakish athleticism but Amare had excellent offensive IQ. He had a great hands, instincts, motor and had a number of simple moves which was enough when combined with his athleticism to get baskets or get to the line. Chriss doesn't have any of that and while he does have a 3PT shot (sort of), it's highly reliant on the team to get him those shots and it also largely negates his athletic gifts and ability to get easy shots down low. I don't really have much confidence that he'll be able to turn it around with his level of IQ.

I don't even think Chriss has this freakish athleticism that everyone talks about. Sure he can jump fairly well, but only if he loads up. He's not particularly fast, doesn't have side to side quickness, can't dribble very well, n has very average hand/eye. Maybe some of that doesn't quite directly fall into athleticism, but it overlaps. Chriss is an athlete the way stromile Swift was, in jumping only- after loading up. N even then, Swift was a better leaper. I don't buy on Chriss overall, he may turn into a semi productive player, but I hope it's on another team, after unloading him.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

It’s tough with players who aren’t very smart like Chriss. They are either freakish athletes like Amare, and you have a point guard like Nash to get the most out of him, or you realize you made a bad choice trading for him, and he just won’t advance like he should. This year it looked like Chriss did a good job gaining weight, and did nothing to advance his game. He has no post moves, and for some reason misses many dunks. I think the best we can do is move him on draft night, and hope he doesn’t turn into a smart player for another team.

Hard to compare Amare to Chriss other than their freakish athleticism but Amare had excellent offensive IQ. He had a great hands, instincts, motor and had a number of simple moves which was enough when combined with his athleticism to get baskets or get to the line. Chriss doesn't have any of that and while he does have a 3PT shot (sort of), it's highly reliant on the team to get him those shots and it also largely negates his athletic gifts and ability to get easy shots down low. I don't really have much confidence that he'll be able to turn it around with his level of IQ.

I don't even think Chriss has this freakish athleticism that everyone talks about. Sure he can jump fairly well, but only if he loads up. He's not particularly fast, doesn't have side to side quickness, can't dribble very well, n has very average hand/eye. Maybe some of that doesn't quite directly fall into athleticism, but it overlaps. Chriss is an athlete the way stromile Swift was, in jumping only- after loading up. N even then, Swift was a better leaper. I don't buy on Chriss overall, he may turn into a semi productive player, but I hope it's on another team, after unloading him.

IDK if this is right. He seems to have a quick jump when going for blocks. It just seems that when he goes for a dunk at the rim, he doesn't have enough power to finish over defenders. I guess I'd rather have the defensive quickness than the offensive power, but I was really hoping for both.

I still expect him to turn into a Rodney Rogers-type on offense, with better defense, if he can learn to put his tools to good use on that end. He's just not smart atm. Fortunately, it doesn't look like he's a knucklehead; he just hasn't been able to put it together on the court as of yet.