Your Thoughts On Our Roster

[NTB]

What an offseason by James Jones! I am a very optimistic fan in general especially before the season starts until we see the actual games I was hyped and hopeful at the beginning even for the trash rosters we had but this time I feel like I am right to feel hyped.

I loved all the moves we made and I believe James Jones created an amazing roster that can compete with anyone in the league. Very balanced, very deep and well-thought-out structure. Balanced between veterans and youth and also balanced in play style. This roster gives me the impression that we are ready for any matchup (teams play with size or teams go small), ready for any moment (clutch moments or when we need a comeback or when we need to keep our lead etc.) and ready for small injuries (depth).

This quote of mine below was my reaction to our completed roster in FA thread. I would like to see your analysis and the way you are thinking about our new roster.

I have a question for you fellow Suns fans. According to b-ref and nba.com stats, we finished the season 12th on offense and 17th on defense. Today, I was just talking to my friend about Suns and told him we can be a team with 5th best offense and AT LEAST 15th best defense. (Tbh, I could even go further and say 10th best defense but that's just me and my optimistic approach)

So do you think these targets are possible or am I being too optimistic and overhyping the team?

I say 5th best offense for several reasons:

- We have EVERYONE on the team (except Jones which is 3rd string C bench warmer) shoots +35% from three. (Spacing paradise and if some of our players go cold, others can backup)
- We have at least 3 elite passers in CP3, Saric and Booker.
- We have 2 of the most gifted CLUTCH players in CP3 and Booker.
- We were already very good at drawing fouls (also converting them, we were best team in the NBA with 83% FT) and I think that won't change much especially if Ayton gets better in that area.
- We can score from anywhere on the court (at the rim, low post, high post, mid range, from three, even from logo :p)
- We were the best team in NBA in assists with 27.2 per game and I don't think it will get worse with many more shooters added and CP3.

Reasons for AT LEAST 15th best defense:

- Except Booker and Saric (Saric is not that bad actually) almost everyone on our roster is above average defender.
- Wings that can switch in Crowder, Mikal, Cam
- Everyone has very long wingspan.
- We were already 17th best defense last season. It shouldn't be an unrealistic target.

Our only weakness is rebounding as we finished 21st in total rebounding per gamelast season as we usually play wings at 4. Maybe Smith can help there but I don't think we will improve our rebounding that much. The other weakness is health concerns mostly for CP3.

What do you think?

[Saberestar]

Our only weakness is rebounding as we finished 21st in total rebounding per gamelast season as we usually play wings at 4. Maybe Smith can help there but I don't think we will improve our rebounding that much.

I think that we have improved rebounding with the additions of CP3, Crowder and Smith.

Paul has always been a very good rebounder for a PG, 4.5 per game and always in good position to avoid an offensive board.

Crowder can't be outmuscled in the paint and he is great boxing out. He helps a lot eating space around the rim, Oubre could not do that for us.

Jalen Smith looks a fantastic rebounder since day one. He has the tools, the technique and the heart so I think he will help us a lot in that aspect of the game.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I like the roster.

It sounds oversimplified but having shooting around Booker and Ayton is really the key. It makes it harder to double Booker going to the hoop and you can't send help to guard Ayton in the post without leaving a capable shooter open.

I also like their lineup flexibility and they should be able to match up against different styles from opponents.

I'd expect they play a little slower than they have in the past. Paul has always been more of a half court PG who wants to dissect a D.

All in all its ultimately going to come down to Ayton, Booker and to some degree Bridges. They are the long term foundation and this group is built to maximize their potential. If they capitalize on it the suns could be a pretty tough team.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

[Flying Colors]

I think this team will get the reputation of being a real pain in the ass to play against.

[lilfishi22]

My post from last week

Been fairly quiet enjoying my weekend and had some time to see what we did in free agency and let is sink in.

My post-hype evaluation can be summed up as: not sexy but solid.

The Draft
(C) - The Jalen Smith pick was a bit of reach in the eyes of most NBA writers and Twitter but it wasn't the reach that Cam was. There's a lot to like about him but also one has to wonder if the plan was to draft a back up big behind Ayton or was it to eventually play him along side Ayton? It wasn't a sexy pick, nor a high potential pick but he could be a solid stretch big that could defend the paint which still has value in today's NBA. Maybe it's a bit unfair to look backwards but given the signings of guys like Damion Jones, would it have made more sense to pick a player like Haliburton or Vassell given quality wings and guards are harder to find?

(C) - Honestly don't know much about the undrafted prospect Alexander but just a brief look into is abilities, he seems to fit what we need from a depth standpoint. The CJ McCollum comparisons is nice but I'll comeback to reevaluate later.

Free Agency
(A) - The Chris Paul trade was great for a number of reasons which I've covered in previous posts but ultimately what I like most about the trade is simply that we gave up VERY little for 2 year gamble that could potentially have us fighting for home court. If someone told me there's a single trade out there which could catapult us to a top 4 seed in the West without having to give up a core piece, I'd tell them to go back to NBA 2K. But not only did we get a HOF PG who's still putting in work but he's also motivated and has the ability to help Booker and Ayton reach their potential. That's worth the 2yr gamble.

(A) - The Jae Crowder signing is as mentioned, not sexy but solid. I love his focus on defense and his unselfishness on offense. He's a perfect team player. The fact that he joined us for less money than what he could've got says a lot about how far we've come from a team image standpoint. Unlike the Ariza signing from a coupe of seasons ago, this one just feels like a genuine move to help the team rather than collect a paycheck. I love this pick up, I love the contract and I just love that we added another dog to the team.

(A) - Carter being resigned to me, is an incredibly important decision and I am super happy we brought him back. Seen as a throw-in the JJ dump, he's been such a good team player for us. I love his attitude and he's a guy that has the ability to change the momentum of games with his defense and ability to get hot from the 3. I'm happy with this move because I really thought he's a guy on the fringes that most teams could've just let go or brought back for one more year so for us to bring him back for a 3 year deal just goes to show that Jones truly value tough players with good characters that know their role.

(B) - Guaranteeing Cam Payne's contract made sense given how he played in the bubble and how cheap it is. The only reason I'm giving it a B is because I'm not super confident with Payne as CP3's replacement, especially if we have top 4 seed aspirations in the playoffs. So retaining Payne makes total sense, it's just whether we should've/could've gotten someone else with more high level experience.

(C) - Bringing in Moore is a decent move to add more depth. He shoots the 3ball fairly well and he's been in the league for a while so he's got good experience. He also has some playoff experience and was an important piece for the Pels a couple of years ago when they went to the 2nd round and put up double digit scoring efforts in 5 games against the eventual title winners.

(C) - Adding Damion Jones to shore up depth up front is another move that makes sense although I'm not entirely sure where Jalen Smith comes in because he'll likely not get much PT unless there's an injury. Either way, I like that Damion has championship experience even though he didn't play a massive role but just being in that Warrior locker room and understanding what real championship level players operate would be valuable for our team.

TBA - Dario is still an RFA as far as I know but I don't think we can do much wrong with bringing him back as long as it's not a massive overpay given what we've seen in free agency so far.

TBA - Seems Baynes is gone and I honestly would've loved to have kept him since he is a vet and his skill set fit our needs but I also understand that he's likely looking for a decent sized deal. I would like us to do a S&T for another piece.

(A) - Letting Frank the Tank go again makes sense. He has some great games but also completely disappeared for long stretches. Given how much he'll cost to bring back, it not a surprise to see us decline his TO.

With an update on the Baynes and Dario situation

(B) - Dario at $9m a year for 3yrs is a solid contract. I do think he's slightly overpaid but given what we've seen around the league (2016 repeat), it's probably going a bit far to say he's overpaid. I like that we brought back a guy who stepped up during the most important 8 game stretch in damn near a decade and he's shown his skill set and age is great fit for our team.

(B) - I would've liked to have kept Baynes since I though he was a positive influence for the team and really added toughness and physicality which we've lacked for many years. Even with Ayton on the roster, I still don't think we were particularly tough until Baynes was on the floor. But I understand letting him walk. It was essentially Baynes or Dario and the logical choice is to go with the younger, more versatile and likely healthier player.

(B) - I love the Galloway signing. He's not a sexy name but he's a solid sharpshooter off the bench who can light it up. For what he signed for, it's an awesome bargain. You can always use more shooting !

(A) - We also picked up the option for Nader who I didn't have much of an impression of but after doing a little research, it's never bad to have more wing depth and the kid is still young, athletic and can shoot the rock. I'd love to see him get some real PT.

[Mr Puddles]

My post from last week

Been fairly quiet enjoying my weekend and had some time to see what we did in free agency and let is sink in.

My post-hype evaluation can be summed up as: not sexy but solid.

The Draft
(C) - The Jalen Smith pick was a bit of reach in the eyes of most NBA writers and Twitter but it wasn't the reach that Cam was. There's a lot to like about him but also one has to wonder if the plan was to draft a back up big behind Ayton or was it to eventually play him along side Ayton? It wasn't a sexy pick, nor a high potential pick but he could be a solid stretch big that could defend the paint which still has value in today's NBA. Maybe it's a bit unfair to look backwards but given the signings of guys like Damion Jones, would it have made more sense to pick a player like Haliburton or Vassell given quality wings and guards are harder to find?

(C) - Honestly don't know much about the undrafted prospect Alexander but just a brief look into is abilities, he seems to fit what we need from a depth standpoint. The CJ McCollum comparisons is nice but I'll comeback to reevaluate later.

Free Agency
(A) - The Chris Paul trade was great for a number of reasons which I've covered in previous posts but ultimately what I like most about the trade is simply that we gave up VERY little for 2 year gamble that could potentially have us fighting for home court. If someone told me there's a single trade out there which could catapult us to a top 4 seed in the West without having to give up a core piece, I'd tell them to go back to NBA 2K. But not only did we get a HOF PG who's still putting in work but he's also motivated and has the ability to help Booker and Ayton reach their potential. That's worth the 2yr gamble.

(A) - The Jae Crowder signing is as mentioned, not sexy but solid. I love his focus on defense and his unselfishness on offense. He's a perfect team player. The fact that he joined us for less money than what he could've got says a lot about how far we've come from a team image standpoint. Unlike the Ariza signing from a coupe of seasons ago, this one just feels like a genuine move to help the team rather than collect a paycheck. I love this pick up, I love the contract and I just love that we added another dog to the team.

(A) - Carter being resigned to me, is an incredibly important decision and I am super happy we brought him back. Seen as a throw-in the JJ dump, he's been such a good team player for us. I love his attitude and he's a guy that has the ability to change the momentum of games with his defense and ability to get hot from the 3. I'm happy with this move because I really thought he's a guy on the fringes that most teams could've just let go or brought back for one more year so for us to bring him back for a 3 year deal just goes to show that Jones truly value tough players with good characters that know their role.

(B) - Guaranteeing Cam Payne's contract made sense given how he played in the bubble and how cheap it is. The only reason I'm giving it a B is because I'm not super confident with Payne as CP3's replacement, especially if we have top 4 seed aspirations in the playoffs. So retaining Payne makes total sense, it's just whether we should've/could've gotten someone else with more high level experience.

(C) - Bringing in Moore is a decent move to add more depth. He shoots the 3ball fairly well and he's been in the league for a while so he's got good experience. He also has some playoff experience and was an important piece for the Pels a couple of years ago when they went to the 2nd round and put up double digit scoring efforts in 5 games against the eventual title winners.

(C) - Adding Damion Jones to shore up depth up front is another move that makes sense although I'm not entirely sure where Jalen Smith comes in because he'll likely not get much PT unless there's an injury. Either way, I like that Damion has championship experience even though he didn't play a massive role but just being in that Warrior locker room and understanding what real championship level players operate would be valuable for our team.

TBA - Dario is still an RFA as far as I know but I don't think we can do much wrong with bringing him back as long as it's not a massive overpay given what we've seen in free agency so far.

TBA - Seems Baynes is gone and I honestly would've loved to have kept him since he is a vet and his skill set fit our needs but I also understand that he's likely looking for a decent sized deal. I would like us to do a S&T for another piece.

(A) - Letting Frank the Tank go again makes sense. He has some great games but also completely disappeared for long stretches. Given how much he'll cost to bring back, it not a surprise to see us decline his TO.

With an update on the Baynes and Dario situation

(B) - Dario at $9m a year for 3yrs is a solid contract. I do think he's slightly overpaid but given what we've seen around the league (2016 repeat), it's probably going a bit far to say he's overpaid. I like that we brought back a guy who stepped up during the most important 8 game stretch in damn near a decade and he's shown his skill set and age is great fit for our team.

(B) - I would've liked to have kept Baynes since I though he was a positive influence for the team and really added toughness and physicality which we've lacked for many years. Even with Ayton on the roster, I still don't think we were particularly tough until Baynes was on the floor. But I understand letting him walk. It was essentially Baynes or Dario and the logical choice is to go with the younger, more versatile and likely healthier player.

(B) - I love the Galloway signing. He's not a sexy name but he's a solid sharpshooter off the bench who can light it up. For what he signed for, it's an awesome bargain. You can always use more shooting !

(A) - We also picked up the option for Nader who I didn't have much of an impression of but after doing a little research, it's never bad to have more wing depth and the kid is still young, athletic and can shoot the rock. I'd love to see him get some real PT.

1. Dario is getting the same per year money as Derrick Jones Jr and D'Anthony Melton - his contract is about 3 mil per year lower than I expected. Very happy with this signing.
2. In terms of toughness, I believe that's why we got Crowder - to replace with Baynes brought in that department. The loss of Crowder really hurt the Memphis grizzlies.
3. Very happy with Galloway as well - can't overstate the importance of having shooters around Booker and Ayton. The fact that the Suns were knocking down shots was a big reason for the Bubble success.
4. I like Nader as well -good shooter and by all reports a hard worker. He seems like the kind of guy who can have a big shooting game on any given night.

Overall I'm very optimistic about the offseason. I literally like all moves we made.

[sunskerr]

This is the best Suns team on paper since the 2010 team. I feel very good even though I was apprehensive about the Paul trade- the subsequent moves made after the Paul trade to bolster our wing depth made me fairly optimistic about the trade.

Paul's here. So now it's all up to Booker and AYTON(pleaseeee improve) to get better.

[SlovenianDragon]

My thoughts are after so many bad seasons we have what is a playoff lock...

Watch on YouTube

[Saberestar]

PG• Elie Okobo - - - - Langston Galloway
PG• Ty Jerome - - - - E'Twaun Moore
PG• Ricky Rubio - - - - Chris Paul
G• Jalen Lecque - - - - *
F• Kelly Oubre - - - - Jae Crowder
PF• F. Kaminsky - - - - Abdel Nader
C• Aron Baynes - - - - Jalen Smith
C• Cheick Diallo - - - - Damian Jones

2way • Tariq Owens - - - - Ty-Shon Alexander

*Roster spot available.

James Jones upgraded the roster at every single position and the better thing about all these new players is that (on paper) they fit nicely next to Book/Ayton/Bridges.

[RunDogGun]

I was really looking forward to the start of the season with the roster we had in the bubble. I wanted Jalen Smith early on, and beside a few people on here, I know I was in the minority. I think there was only two people who voted for us to draft Jalen, me being one of them. I think he would fit into the culture we built. So the question is will Paul be the leader and more that we had in Rubio? Rubio seemed to quietly lead our young guys, without trying to outshine anyone. I have never been a fan of Paul.

With that said, if Paul can stay healthy, and Monty can find mins of rest for him without losing a step, I think this roster is super strong. We have enough young guys to run with any squad. We have enough vets at all positions to keep up with any team in experience. We have good to great defenders now, with willing players who may not be considered good one on one defenders, but can be good team defenders. We have very good shooting now. This is a massive key in this league for teams that just don't get the calls some teams get. I have felt that for decades of watching the Suns. If the game isn't going our way in calls, if we shoot well, we can overcome almost every situation.

Crowder was a good signing. I wanted us to draft him (we should have done the CLE trade that Dallas did, we could have drafted Crowder and O'Quinn, and a guard or Middleton or D Green instead of Marshall). He is a solid vet, who brings us toughness. Will he have enough heart to fill Oubre's on the court heart? I hope so. After reading Oubre's petty crap off the court, I think Crowder will be a much needed maturity.

Saric and Carter resigning was huge for me. They both can fill two positions. I would love it if Saric could add some rebounding to his game, and Carter better passing skills, so hopefully they have worked on their games since the bubble.

I like the additions of Moore and Galloway, although I think I would rather have had Holiday in one of those spots, but each guy brings shooting and decent defense. Nader seems like a decent bench player.

I like the Alexander two way deal. He has a ton of upside potential. Jones was decent big pick up.

I still really love the Cam Payne signing from last year. He played awesome in the bubble. I know its a small sample size, but 10.9 pts, 3.9 rbds, 3.0 asts off of 48% fg, 51% 3, and 85%ft, is just incredible for the price. If he can build off of that, wow.

So for me it will all depend on whether Paul can stay healthy. On paper we have an incredible group of guys, who all seem willing to play both sides of the floor. We have built a solid environment for rookies to develop, so this squad appears to not only be good for this season, but for future seasons. Jones did a very good job.

[NTB]

Another thing I want to talk about is what this roster can do without CP3. Every team has a key player injury risk but obviously with CP3 our risk is bigger.

In case CP3 gets hurt for a long time (I really hope not) what can we do with the remaining of our roster?

I would say Booker becomes PG again since it is a much better option than Carter, Payne, Galloway or Moore at PG. Therefore, our starting lineup would be:

PG - Booker
SG - Mikal
SF - Cam
PF - Crowder
C - Ayton

I mean even without CP3, our starting lineup is pretty good IMO. Booker is not CP3 but he learned how to play as PG in recent years. He can play P&R with Ayton (he was already doing it even when Rubio was on the floor) or pick & pop with other guys on the floor. We lose CP3's defense at PG but our wing defense gets better (replacing Booker with Cam).

Bench is pretty much the same, really nice to have a deep roster.

The problem playing without CP3 is lack of playmaking. Because normally we can stagger CP3 and Booker so there is always a playmaker in the game. If CP3 is out and after Booker goes to bench, we will have to trust Carter/Payne/Galloway for bringing the ball and playmaking. However, as we saw in the bubble we can overcome this problem with the playmaking of Saric from the C position.

Conclusion: I believe with healty CP3 we are a 4-6 seed team. However, if we lose CP3 we can still be 7-8 seed and make playoffs.

[bwgood77]

Almost as impressive of a creation as this:

Read on Twitter

[NTB]

Almost as impressive of a creation as this:

Read on Twitter

James Jones' kid probably.

[Blonde]

I like what we did for the most part. Chris Paul adds a dynamic self creator which, other than Booker, we totally lacked. That is the most important skill in the game. He’ll run a great offense even without Booker on the floor. Those Rubio lineups without Booker were pretty dreadful last year. Moore is also a pretty reliable self creator as well, who should fill in some of the the scoring vacancies from losing Oubre.

I really like the Crowder addition. We have lacked big, bulky wings who can body up the larger forwards, and now we have one. He’ll spare Cam Johnson from getting bruised up playing heavy PF minutes (which I didn’t think was sustainable). Saric and Carter are on nice deals so I’m glad to have them back as key rotation pieces. Basically we just trimmed the garbage pieces and it feels like we’re gearing up for a playoff run.

We not only upgraded our starting lineup, but we also upgraded our depth so I feel this is a total win of an offseason. I would have liked to take a gamble on a wing or guard in the draft so that’s the only reason I can’t grade this offseason as an A, personally. I’ll be patient with Smith though, I think he can be a fine player. I really liked the Ty-Shon signing as a high upside play. He could be a long term piece.

[NTB]

Read on Twitter

[NavLDO]

I will never be happy with the Paul trade, and since that set up the other moves, it's hard for me to be objective. Stats never tell the whole story, but look at the comparison of the last 8 games between Rubio and Paul, a microcosm for the trending of each player throughout the season. Rubio gets rewarded for straight balling throughout the season, improving to the level of his last 8 games, while Paul regressed...

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rubiori01/gamelog/2020#556-563-sum:pgl_basic

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/paulch01/gamelog/2020#1014-1020-sum:pgl_basic

I like the other players we brought on board following the trade, but these were just complimentary pieces. So, in essence, we traded 2 starters for 1, and I'm not certain we improved our PG position...maybe it in the short run, but certainly not in the long run.

I did like the Draft selection, and tbh, Smith was ranked as high as 13th on one site, so while the media may believe we could have traded back to get him, or taken someone better, well, I'm not convinced on that front...and I'm not sure how the media can praise the Suns for taking Chris Paul, then in the next breath, blast the Suns for not taking another PG...the Suns were raked over the coals for selecting a 'back-up' player at 10...well, tell me what position we would have picked a starter?? PG? Paul. SG? Booker. SF? Bridges/Johnson C? Ayton...that left PF, with not yet solidifying Saric (sorry, I'm not buying that Smith, long-term, will be a Center...he's a PF who might be able to spell Ayton if we go small-ball)...we were not picking a starter at any position, even if they felt there were 'starter-level' talent on the board at the time...

So, there is my honest opinion on the off-season. Not gonna be popular, I know, but I'm not going to change my mind on Paul just because I'm in the, now, very small minority.

[Saberestar]

I will never be happy with the Paul trade, and since that set up the other moves, it's hard for me to be objective. Stats never tell the whole story, but look at the comparison of the last 8 games between Rubio and Paul, a microcosm for the trending of each player throughout the season. Rubio gets rewarded for straight balling throughout the season, improving to the level of his last 8 games, while Paul regressed...

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rubiori01/gamelog/2020#556-563-sum:pgl_basic

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/paulch01/gamelog/2020#1014-1020-sum:pgl_basic

I like the other players we brought on board following the trade, but these were just complimentary pieces. So, in essence, we traded 2 starters for 1, and I'm not certain we improved our PG position...maybe it in the short run, but certainly not in the long run.

I did like the Draft selection, and tbh, Smith was ranked as high as 13th on one site, so while the media may believe we could have traded back to get him, or taken someone better, well, I'm not convinced on that front...and I'm not sure how the media can praise the Suns for taking Chris Paul, then in the next breath, blast the Suns for not taking another PG...the Suns were raked over the coals for selecting a 'back-up' player at 10...well, tell me what position we would have picked a starter?? PG? Paul. SG? Booker. SF? Bridges/Johnson C? Ayton...that left PF, with not yet solidifying Saric (sorry, I'm not buying that Smith, long-term, will be a Center...he's a PF who might be able to spell Ayton if we go small-ball)...we were not picking a starter at any position, even if they felt there were 'starter-level' talent on the board at the time...

So, there is my honest opinion on the off-season. Not gonna be popular, I know, but I'm not going to change my mind on Paul just because I'm in the, now, very small minority.

Regressed?? Chris Paul played in the playoffs (and at a great level) so those weren't his last 8 games in the season.

And these games that you have posted were in the bubble knowing that his team was already in a good position for the playoffs and EVEN THEN he played really well with nice stats and was super competitive.

I understand that he has been a rival for soooooo many years and it's difficult to change that in our minds, but objectively he is a tremendous upgrade over Rubio on the court. He is basically better than Rubio at everything and he is not slowing down yet.

[NTB]

I will never be happy with the Paul trade, and since that set up the other moves, it's hard for me to be objective. Stats never tell the whole story, but look at the comparison of the last 8 games between Rubio and Paul, a microcosm for the trending of each player throughout the season. Rubio gets rewarded for straight balling throughout the season, improving to the level of his last 8 games, while Paul regressed...

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rubiori01/gamelog/2020#556-563-sum:pgl_basic

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/paulch01/gamelog/2020#1014-1020-sum:pgl_basic

I like the other players we brought on board following the trade, but these were just complimentary pieces. So, in essence, we traded 2 starters for 1, and I'm not certain we improved our PG position...maybe it in the short run, but certainly not in the long run.

I did like the Draft selection, and tbh, Smith was ranked as high as 13th on one site, so while the media may believe we could have traded back to get him, or taken someone better, well, I'm not convinced on that front...and I'm not sure how the media can praise the Suns for taking Chris Paul, then in the next breath, blast the Suns for not taking another PG...the Suns were raked over the coals for selecting a 'back-up' player at 10...well, tell me what position we would have picked a starter?? PG? Paul. SG? Booker. SF? Bridges/Johnson C? Ayton...that left PF, with not yet solidifying Saric (sorry, I'm not buying that Smith, long-term, will be a Center...he's a PF who might be able to spell Ayton if we go small-ball)...we were not picking a starter at any position, even if they felt there were 'starter-level' talent on the board at the time...

So, there is my honest opinion on the off-season. Not gonna be popular, I know, but I'm not going to change my mind on Paul just because I'm in the, now, very small minority.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Also read this if you have time. https://thefourpointplay.substack.com/p/vol-2-iss-1-how-the-bubble-shaped

[NavLDO]

I will never be happy with the Paul trade, and since that set up the other moves, it's hard for me to be objective. Stats never tell the whole story, but look at the comparison of the last 8 games between Rubio and Paul, a microcosm for the trending of each player throughout the season. Rubio gets rewarded for straight balling throughout the season, improving to the level of his last 8 games, while Paul regressed...

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rubiori01/gamelog/2020#556-563-sum:pgl_basic

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/paulch01/gamelog/2020#1014-1020-sum:pgl_basic

I like the other players we brought on board following the trade, but these were just complimentary pieces. So, in essence, we traded 2 starters for 1, and I'm not certain we improved our PG position...maybe it in the short run, but certainly not in the long run.

I did like the Draft selection, and tbh, Smith was ranked as high as 13th on one site, so while the media may believe we could have traded back to get him, or taken someone better, well, I'm not convinced on that front...and I'm not sure how the media can praise the Suns for taking Chris Paul, then in the next breath, blast the Suns for not taking another PG...the Suns were raked over the coals for selecting a 'back-up' player at 10...well, tell me what position we would have picked a starter?? PG? Paul. SG? Booker. SF? Bridges/Johnson C? Ayton...that left PF, with not yet solidifying Saric (sorry, I'm not buying that Smith, long-term, will be a Center...he's a PF who might be able to spell Ayton if we go small-ball)...we were not picking a starter at any position, even if they felt there were 'starter-level' talent on the board at the time...

So, there is my honest opinion on the off-season. Not gonna be popular, I know, but I'm not going to change my mind on Paul just because I'm in the, now, very small minority.

Regressed?? Chris Paul played in the playoffs (and at a great level) so those weren't his last 8 games in the season.

And these games that you have posted were in the bubble knowing that his team was already in a good position for the playoffs and EVEN THEN he played really well with nice stats and was super competitive.

I understand that he has been a rival for soooooo many years and it's difficult to change that in our minds, but objectively he is a tremendous upgrade over Rubio on the court. He is basically better than Rubio at everything and he is not slowing down yet.

I guess you just want to ignore the fact that he had his lowest production of his career last year in Assts, and STLs, or that Rubio out played him in those final 8 games of the REGULAR season, not to mention averaged more assts last season.

How many NBA Finals has he won...or even been to?? So great, we have a near-36 YO All-Star on the team, that has never lead his team to the Finals, even when he had talent surrounding him, like Harden, Capela, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, so-on, and so-forth...color me not impressed. This has nothing to do with him being a rival for all those years; I'd welcome any player, if I thought we would improve significantly, and even if he does get us to the Playoffs next season, how long before we change PGs...again???

Not sure how you can objectively believe that Paul isn't 'slowing down'...His last 2 seasons, his WS/48, VORP, Asst %, and BPM have fallen off a cliff...

Believe what you want to believe about Paul not slowing down; I tend to believe these numbers will either maintain where they are, or possibly, marginally improve over the past two seasons, if we are lucky, but only thanks to Booker and Ayton, and I doubt it will be for more than one season, if he even remans healthy through the year. It's already been discussed on here by several other posters...talking about Chris Paul and 'load management'; so forgive me if the combination of the terms Paul, $41M/yr, near 36YO, and load management doesn't have me jumping for joy.

I know I'm in the ever-decreasing minority here, but to lose two cheaper, younger pivotal pieces plus another 1st Rd pick, for a more expensive, 35YO regressing player doesn't excite me. I hope I'm wrong...I hope Paul comes in and looks and plays like his 28YO-self; I just do not happen to believe that the likelihood of this happening being very high.

[Saberestar]

I will never be happy with the Paul trade, and since that set up the other moves, it's hard for me to be objective. Stats never tell the whole story, but look at the comparison of the last 8 games between Rubio and Paul, a microcosm for the trending of each player throughout the season. Rubio gets rewarded for straight balling throughout the season, improving to the level of his last 8 games, while Paul regressed...

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rubiori01/gamelog/2020#556-563-sum:pgl_basic

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/paulch01/gamelog/2020#1014-1020-sum:pgl_basic

I like the other players we brought on board following the trade, but these were just complimentary pieces. So, in essence, we traded 2 starters for 1, and I'm not certain we improved our PG position...maybe it in the short run, but certainly not in the long run.

I did like the Draft selection, and tbh, Smith was ranked as high as 13th on one site, so while the media may believe we could have traded back to get him, or taken someone better, well, I'm not convinced on that front...and I'm not sure how the media can praise the Suns for taking Chris Paul, then in the next breath, blast the Suns for not taking another PG...the Suns were raked over the coals for selecting a 'back-up' player at 10...well, tell me what position we would have picked a starter?? PG? Paul. SG? Booker. SF? Bridges/Johnson C? Ayton...that left PF, with not yet solidifying Saric (sorry, I'm not buying that Smith, long-term, will be a Center...he's a PF who might be able to spell Ayton if we go small-ball)...we were not picking a starter at any position, even if they felt there were 'starter-level' talent on the board at the time...

So, there is my honest opinion on the off-season. Not gonna be popular, I know, but I'm not going to change my mind on Paul just because I'm in the, now, very small minority.

Regressed?? Chris Paul played in the playoffs (and at a great level) so those weren't his last 8 games in the season.

And these games that you have posted were in the bubble knowing that his team was already in a good position for the playoffs and EVEN THEN he played really well with nice stats and was super competitive.

I understand that he has been a rival for soooooo many years and it's difficult to change that in our minds, but objectively he is a tremendous upgrade over Rubio on the court. He is basically better than Rubio at everything and he is not slowing down yet.

I guess you just want to ignore the fact that he had his lowest production of his career last year in Assts, and STLs, or that Rubio out played him in those final 8 games of the REGULAR season, not to mention averaged more assts last season.

How many NBA Finals has he won...or even been to?? So great, we have a near-36 YO All-Star on the team, that has never lead his team to the Finals, even when he had talent surrounding him, like Harden, Capela, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, so-on, and so-forth...color me not impressed. This has nothing to do with him being a rival for all those years; I'd welcome any player, if I thought we would improve significantly, and even if he does get us to the Playoffs next season, how long before we change PGs...again???

Not sure how you can objectively believe that Paul isn't 'slowing down'...His last 2 seasons, his WS/48, VORP, Asst %, and BPM have fallen off a cliff...

Believe what you want to believe about Paul not slowing down; I tend to believe these numbers will either maintain where they are, or possibly, marginally improve over the past two seasons, if we are lucky, but only thanks to Booker and Ayton, and I doubt it will be for more than one season, if he even remans healthy through the year. It's already been discussed on here by several other posters...talking about Chris Paul and 'load management'; so forgive me if the combination of the terms Paul, $41M/yr, near 36YO, and load management doesn't have me jumping for joy.

I know I'm in the ever-decreasing minority here, but to lose two cheaper, younger pivotal pieces plus another 1st Rd pick, for a more expensive, 35YO regressing player doesn't excite me. I hope I'm wrong...I hope Paul comes in and looks and plays like his 28YO-self; I just do not happen to believe that the likelihood of this happening being very high.

Ok, Chris Paul "only" averaged 1.6 steals per game... but Rubio just averaged 1.4, so even at that aspect of the game he is an upgrade.

CP3 averaged less assists per game last year because he shared the court with Shai and Schroeder.

And I don't understand why you think that Rubio outplayed CP3 in those last 8 game of the regular season.
Looking the numbers that you posted I can't see it.

Rubio: 12.9 points, 7.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 0.8 steals. Shooting percentages... 432 FG%, .429 3P%, 955 FT%

CP3: 16.9 points, 6.6 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. Shooting percentages... 488 FG%, 400 3P%, 966 FT%