Game 46 : Phoenix Suns (11-34) @ Toronto Raptors (33-13), Thursday, Jan 17, 5:30PM MST

[SuperSunsFan]

This is all you need to know about Tim Duncan and the whine machine in his chest:

A baby who doesn't cry doesn't get the milk. A player who doesn't whine doesn't get the call.

[bigfoot]

If your whining to the refs then your head's not in the game. JJ, Booker, and others need to just pipe down and **** play the game. Too many pouty whiners not getting back on transition defense is part of our problem.

[Frank Lee]

I think that they are part of the solution and no part of the problem.

Do you know who are part of the problem IMO?

Ryan Anderson, the top 10 picks from 2016 (Bender/Chriss), Jackson who is playing bad as a #4 pick and all the **** signings that we made in the lasf few years like Chandler (who we are paying him NOW), Dudley (we are paying to Arthur NOW), Ariza (we are paying to Rivers NOW) and more and more...

Those are the real problem.

What we have to do is to nail our future picks and adquisitions. That is the most important thing for a franchise and we have been terrible at that for years with McDonough.

Hopefully James Jones is better and he can make great decisions for us.

It is really tough to nail any picks, because so many players are one and done. You are mostly picking on potential. And when that potential comes into an environment that is constantly changing, it makes that development much more difficult.

It is also tough to rip McD for this without praising the two picks you dont think are part of the problem. We found two solid starters in the late lotto, one improves every season and is on a solid contract, and the other is finding his way in the league.

I like the picks McD made this year, and while I understand the idea for getting Ariza, we should have done our best to secure a starting caliber point guard, or decided from the beginning that we would start a point Booker.

Yes mistakes were made, and yes trades didnt pan out. However, there were also great trades made, and draft picks which did pan out, and some looking to pan out in the future. Heck, Philly had higher picks for more consecutive years which didnt pan out.

I am pretty concerned that Melton cant shoot except for one game every ten games.

the problem is more complicated than just whether a draftee turns out to be quality NBA player. Is DSJ a bust, no but unlike Phoenix dallas won't force themselves to keep him and wasting valuable resources to develop a good young player with great potential but just doesn't fit and complement the focal point (Doncic) of the team for many years to come and plays in a style they don't want the team to play. Suns doesn't care about fit, they would force themselves to keep a bunch of players who don't mesh well together (duplicate skill sets, duplicate position, duplicate weaknesses).

Hard to know what 'fits' when you have a revolving door of coaches, philosophies, and players. We had an identity...well defined with Nash...and continued on with dragic... then through inept personnel maneuvers the system that was cultivated, the brand of fast break basketball that was practically the trademark of the Suns went chaotic as a non basketball mind took over.

[SuperSunsFan]

is Booker's problems on defense a result of him shoulder too much load offensively. will simply getting a capable point guard to take the distribute duty off him improve his defense tremendously just by having more energy reserved for defense not needing to exhaust everything he got on the offense end? I feel that if Booker can improve just a little on defense even if we pay the price that he does less on offense Suns would become much more competitive.

[hollywood6964]

I disagree. I think the best coaches don't get animated or techs with this. They may ask questions or discuss, but losing it with them never serves you well...just like with the players. They have started to gather info and send it to the league office and ask questions.

Popovich. He did that all the time. Eventually his organization got superstar calls, including him not get techs, but he barked all the damn time. Hell Tim duncan fouled everytime down court on defense, and maybe got 3 called per game. There's fn posters of him playing D where he's fouling with the hand pushing down on the hip where the player was jumping to score.

Thats F-n skill dude... not in the basketball skill... but in how to play at the highest level skill. I remember an article years ago about the tricks Maurice Lucas was passing on to the Suns bigs (I think it was Nance primarily talking about him) you know, the subtle stuff of grabbing, holding, leverage etc... that cagey vets know.

like it or not. part of the game. Keep in mind... up until the late eighties, there were only two refs.

Of course it is, but only part of the game for select players. This has always been something I cannot reconcile in the nba. Even when nash would get those ticky tacs I would roll my eyes, despite it being my team.

[hollywood6964]

is Booker's problems on defense a result of him shoulder too much load offensively. will simply getting a capable point guard to take the distribute duty off him improve his defense tremendously just by having more energy reserved for defense not needing to exhaust everything he got on the offense end? I feel that if Booker can improve just a little on defense even if we pay the price that he does less on offense Suns would become much more competitive.

I think he could with that approach, just from effort. But he's just not a good defender naturally, so I don't think he'll ever be an, even average defender.

[hollywood6964]

If your whining to the refs then your head's not in the game. JJ, Booker, and others need to just pipe down and **** play the game. Too many pouty whiners not getting back on transition defense is part of our problem.

It is. Looks liek when I used to watch my 11 year old brother years n years ago play. I used to yell at him to run the fk back.

[bigfoot]

is Booker's problems on defense a result of him shoulder too much load offensively. will simply getting a capable point guard to take the distribute duty off him improve his defense tremendously just by having more energy reserved for defense not needing to exhaust everything he got on the offense end? I feel that if Booker can improve just a little on defense even if we pay the price that he does less on offense Suns would become much more competitive.

I think he could with that approach, just from effort. But he's just not a good defender naturally, so I don't think he'll ever be an, even average defender.

Booker had some of the best lateral movement times in the draft combine. He has the ability to be a average defender or better so I have to believe he is saving energy for offense.

[SuperSunsFan]

is Booker's problems on defense a result of him shoulder too much load offensively. will simply getting a capable point guard to take the distribute duty off him improve his defense tremendously just by having more energy reserved for defense not needing to exhaust everything he got on the offense end? I feel that if Booker can improve just a little on defense even if we pay the price that he does less on offense Suns would become much more competitive.

I think he could with that approach, just from effort. But he's just not a good defender naturally, so I don't think he'll ever be an, even average defender.

He doesn't need to play good defense, he just needs to have the energy to fight through screens to stay on the weakest offensive player on the opposing team and not get switched to guarding their ace scorers allowing Mikal/Oubre/JJ/Melton deal with those.

[SuperSunsFan]

Has Booker's scandal of simultaneously impregnating multiple women been debunked yet. Booker doesn't hang out with the best circle of friends, that is for sure. remember the scandal with him and his entourage chasing down and beating up some Asians after the Asians roughed up Ulis over Ulis holding up the elevator for their female companions? seriously, Suns please stay away from d'angelo russell, uniting Book and Russell will bring nothing but trouble, you lose flexibility when you unite brothers and bffs because you can't trade one and not the other without causing whole lots of trouble.

[thamadkant]

If your whining to the refs then your head's not in the game. JJ, Booker, and others need to just pipe down and **** play the game. Too many pouty whiners not getting back on transition defense is part of our problem.

yeah, well JJ was the ONE player who was in position defensively while everyone else was around the middle of the court and he whined and got ejected

I think the coach needs to start benching players for NOT hustling back defensively, maybe the starters can actually be competitive most nights to start the game