LV-Suns wrote:RunDogGun wrote:
Who would you consider the best player on team now and who was last year? We went 5-3 when LB went down. We won 60% of the games of the games when LB and Amare missed the games. Since when is a 6th man become our x-factor to beat the Kings and or not to get blown out by the Blazers.
You are assuming too many things. "With LB and no Amare, we would have still won enough games to make the playoffs last year." Could have, would have, but did not.
Honestly, I don't care if Nash or Hill are taking the clutch shots. They are proven vets who can come in make the right things. We used Amare as a decoy many times last year at crunch times
"Now if he steps up this year and decides to be a man and not a child, I will easily change my mind. But we all know that won't happen." What is this based on? Half year under Porter? Amare has came out played well pretty much every year. I don't about you, but I think a guy who is in his contract year might actually care how he plays.
"Nash is our engine, and without that, we don't run.
"
There were many situations last year when that engine kinda ran better when he was on the bench.
Well please describe those games where the engine ran better with Nash on the bench. I seem to remember the opposite. Further, follow that up with telling me that it ran better when Nash was on the bench, and Amare was on the floor, and I'll proudly buy you a Suns cookie.
Until then, Nash is our best player. How many other players went 50/40/90 for three years in a row?
As far as LB and Amare, I can see your point, and maybe I thought too highly of LB's efforts when Amare went down. Let's see: Feb 20th, the day after Amare went down, LB was put into the starting lineup against a young quick team OKC. He played 41 mins that game, and lets look at his stats:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/box ... 00PHO.htmlHe did fairly well, don't you think? 41 pts, 7 rbds, 7 asts, 6 stls, and only 1 TO. 16 for 21, 5-7 from three, and 4-4 from the line. I still feel that if LB hadn't have been injured and played while still injured, we could have won at least three more games despite Amare being out. I really don't see how that is assuming too much.
Two games before Amare went down, on Feb 17th, the Suns played LAC.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290217021LB out scored, out rebounded, out assisted, out stole, a very small team. LAC had almost no bigmen, which Amare should have shredded. Well to his defense, he did make two stupid fouls within 13 seconds in the first quarter, which forced him to the bench. Later he causes an offensive foul to pick up his third near the end of the second quarter. So he had less time on the court, but it was his own fault.
Again I really don't see the huge leap of thinking we could have won three more games while having a
HEALTHY LB and an
injured Amare.
I based my thoughts of Amare on his actions. He continues to act like a child in the interviews, and his play on the court. The difference between his ability and effort to achieve that ability are like that of a child. All flash and no dirt. I doubt I could find a player of
his ability who sucked as bad as he does on defensive positioning and boxing out. To top it off, he goes to the media, and hypes himself up, only to show us nothing new. What ever happened to the, "I want to be like Ron Artest on defense' ? I am sorry, but I am done with people apologizing for Amare. If he wants max money, he has to man up! Play both ends of the court, the whole time he is in the game. I have never heard Nash say he wants to be known like Ron on D. I have seen guards boxout Amare better than he boxes out anyone. Watch defensive freethrows...Amare gets shoved under the basket everytime. Watch players beat Amare to the position to rebound and to the post. Nash is older and slower, Amare just isn't smart enough/ or doesn't care enough to get there.
Amare is a great assisted finisher, and a decent outside shooter, which are skills that don't take a bunch of brains to do. I guess when people start cheering him for getting a rebound like they do when he dunks, maybe he will care enough to learn how to do it.
I hope that answers your questions.
