2023 West Semifinals | (1) Denver Nuggets VS (4) Phoenix Suns (Series tied 2-2)

[LAvision]

Why is the game friday?! Because of stupid espn?

[Bank Shot]

Why is the game friday?! Because of stupid espn?

So the Lakers/Dubs series can catch up. If Nuggs/Suns went every other day instead of having the big break, there would be the potential for it to be over before game 3 of Lakers/Warriors is played.

[cjx]

Nuggets will win game 3 by 12 pts, fam

[FuShengTHEGreat]

Cp3s injury is just a smokescreen. I had the Nuggets winning this series in 6 even if he was healthy.

Even if he was healthy the only way I saw Phoenix having a chance this series was if KD/Devin were consistently as red hot as they were vs the Clips.

Denver has the big shot makers and overall depth to withstand whatever Phoenix throws at them.

[Dominator83]

I know it is easy to talk now, but series aint over, so maybe I will be wrong, but why were Suns favorites in this? Man is Jokic still not respected or what, it is crazy? I am not at all surprised Nuggets are 2-0 now, when I heard Ringer guys say Suns are favorites, I really wanted to go and bet on Nuggets, I was just too lazy and now regret it.

I think these two are probably the most talented teams in the whole Play offs left standing, but Suns werent better than Nuggets before this started, Nuggets were always the favorite in the West.

Well the Suns do have sorta the superteam. This is a colossal failure of a trade imo if they lose this series.

[Raps in 4]

Cp3s injury is just a smokescreen. I had the Nuggets winning this series in 6 even if he was healthy.

Even if he was healthy the only way I saw Phoenix having a chance this series was if KD/Devin were consistently as red hot as they were vs the Clips.

Denver has the big shot makers and overall depth to withstand whatever Phoenix throws at them.

CP3 has been scoring on 47% TS in these playoffs. He's also a shadow of his former self on the defensive end. He was pretty close to a non-factor.

[B-easy]

CP3 has been scoring on 47% TS in these playoffs. He's also a shadow of his former self on the defensive end. He was pretty close to a non-factor.

From nuggets perspective you almost rather have Chris Paul play than Cam Payne.

[schnakenpopanz]

Suns shouldn't have done this trade during the season.
The risks were higher than the reward.
A team with an aging PG, no depth and no time to gel.
Ayton regressing more and more.
This had failure written all over it.

I would have waited for the off season.
But new owner and his new toys

[Raps in 4]

Suns shouldn't have done this trade during the season.
The risks were higher than the reward.
A team with an aging PG, no depth and no time to gel.
Ayton regressing more and more.
This had failure written all over it.

I would have waited for the off season.
But new owner and his new toys

KD may not have been available in the off-season. And it's not like the Suns would have done better without the trade. CP3 has declined too much and Booker isn't good enough to carry a team on his shoulders.

[schnakenpopanz]

I am not so sure. The team with Bridges and Cam Johnson
Mikal Bridges had a record of 13-4 with the Suns with Cameron Johnson this season.

[BelgradeNugget]

I think the Suns should have been patient and built a team around Booker with good fits Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Ayton. All young. 3 years ago people called Booker an empty-stats player. Now he is 100% superstar. Bridges will become a star. Johnson will improve. Ayton will become more consistent. All they needed was a good PG and some good role players. And they had time on their side. Now they have old CP3, injury-prone KD, and how much time to build a championship team?

[schnakenpopanz]

I think the Suns should have been patient and built a team around Booker with good fits Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Ayton. All young. 3 years ago people called Booker an empty-stats player. Now he is 100% superstar. Bridges will become a star. Johnson will improve. Ayton will become more consistent. All they needed was a good PG and some good role players. And they had time on their side. Now they have old CP3, injury-prone KD, and how much time to build a championship team?

Exactly but I am in the minority.

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[Exp0sed]

I think the Suns should have been patient and built a team around Booker with good fits Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Ayton. All young. 3 years ago people called Booker an empty-stats player. Now he is 100% superstar. Bridges will become a star. Johnson will improve. Ayton will become more consistent. All they needed was a good PG and some good role players. And they had time on their side. Now they have old CP3, injury-prone KD, and how much time to build a championship team?

it was obvious at the time of the trade that they overpayed because of the new owner's eagerness to make a splash

regardless of whether it made sense on the court or not, there was no reason to trade so much for an almost 35 years old KD, whose just been swept in the first the prior season

like Simmons or whomever said - if they keep Cam Johnson, do the Nets balk? no way..
once Kyrie wanted out and being so close to the deadline - the market for KD was pretty dry

moreover if was obvious that regardless of Mikal's star potential (even if he had none) - trading a good two way player whose also an ironman and on a great value contract just to add another very old and brittle veteran on top of the extremely old and brittle veteran they already have - is just copium and wishful thinking, but odds are the wheels are gonna come off one way or the other

knowing this, they should have signed more depth guys or at least try to use the ones they did sign

i'd imagine if they don't start game 3 hot out of the gate we'll see guys like Warren and Ross get involved, but hard to imagine that those guys can really impact the outcome of this series

trading for KD was basically putting up a prayer and no1 is suprised that it hasn't worked out

[UcanUwill]

[schnakenpopanz]

I think the Suns should have been patient and built a team around Booker with good fits Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Ayton. All young. 3 years ago people called Booker an empty-stats player. Now he is 100% superstar. Bridges will become a star. Johnson will improve. Ayton will become more consistent. All they needed was a good PG and some good role players. And they had time on their side. Now they have old CP3, injury-prone KD, and how much time to build a championship team?

it was obvious at the time of the trade that they overpayed because of the new owner's eagerness to make a splash

regardless of whether it made sense on the court or not, there was no reason to trade so much for an almost 35 years old KD, whose just been swept in the first the prior season

like Simmons or whomever said - if they keep Cam Johnson, do the Nets balk? no way..
once Kyrie wanted out and being so close to the deadline - the market for KD was pretty dry

moreover if was obvious that regardless of Mikal's star potential (even if he had none) - trading a good two way player whose also an ironman and on a great value contract just to add another very old and brittle veteran on top of the extremely old and brittle veteran they already have - is just copium and wishful thinking, but odds are the wheels are gonna come off one way or the other

knowing this, they should have signed more depth guys or at least try to use the ones they did sign

i'd imagine if they don't start game 3 hot out of the gate we'll see guys like Warren and Ross get involved, but hard to imagine that those guys can really impact the outcome of this series

trading for KD was basically putting up a prayer and no1 is suprised that it hasn't worked out

Can not aggree more.
What I can add to this at least from my perspective. In nowdays NBA it was rare that a team with a core of own drafted players like:
Deandre Ayton
Cam Johnson
Mikal Bridges
Devin Booker

was growing into success step by step and kept together. Esp after being bad the first two three years of this core. But by adding veteran pieces like Rubio first, CPs, Crowder etc after this was a really good situation for a non big market team.
This is not often the case that the olayers you drafted will be the essential part of a finals team so fast.
Usually big FA join the team and this leads to success.
GSW was kind of the blue print for waht was happening to the 2020-2023 (until trade suns)
not in terms of championship success, but this team was built somehow right.
Of course drafting Ayton ove Luka seems like a big mistake, but so far Luka has not reached further grounds than the suns with aytn and you never know how Luka and Booker would fit together on the court.
However, the circumstances that a new owner wanted to have an headstart splash start to championship success would have been an amazing story for a franchise which came close so often.

However look at what the lakers have done by adding competent pieces to a failed roster.
The suns were even in a better position, but they choose to do otherwise.
Adding DLo, Vanderbilt, Hachimura should have been possible for the suns without giving away Bridges, CamJohnson and ton of draft picks.

[Exp0sed]

Can not aggree more.
What I can add to this at least from my perspective. In nowdays NBA it was rare that a team with a core of own drafted players like:
Deandre Ayton
Cam Johnson
Mikal Bridges
Devin Booker

was growing into success step by step and kept together. Esp after being bad the first two three years of this core. But by adding veteran pieces like Rubio first, CPs, Crowder etc after this was a really good situation for a non big market team.
This is not often the case that the olayers you drafted will be the essential part of a finals team so fast.
Usually big FA join the team and this leads to success.
GSW was kind of the blue print for waht was happening to the 2020-2023 (until trade suns)
not in terms of championship success, but this team was built somehow right.
Of course drafting Ayton ove Luka seems like a big mistake, but so far Luka has not reached further grounds than the suns with aytn and you never know how Luka and Booker would fit together on the court.
However, the circumstances that a new owner wanted to have an headstart splash start to championship success would have been an amazing story for a franchise which came close so often.

However look at what the lakers have done by adding competent pieces to a failed roster.
The suns were even in a better position, but they choose to do otherwise.
Adding DLo, Vanderbilt, Hachimura should have been possible for the suns without giving away Bridges, CamJohnson and ton of draft picks.

yeah, Ainge bailed out the Lakers in an almost unfathomable manner but the one big difference is that AD is a superstar. sure, he can't be relied on injury wise but when he was healthy in the Bubble ring he played like an MVP and he was an MVP caliber player this season when healthy as well

yeah, the Lakers wouldn't have been a contender without actual depth and NBA level guys and they got good ones that are also a great fit and good on them, but underneath that you have AD beasting on the boards on both ends, scoring efficiently and holding opponents in the playoffs to 38% from 6 ft and under, that's beyond elite it's head and shoulders above anyone else in these playoffs defensively including guys who were getting all the DPOY hype during the rs, like JJJ, Gianiss, Embiid,Dray, Blopez etc.

Suns just don't have that level of top end talent, they don't have an AD or a Jokic - and that's the most tried and true method of winning playoffs games - having an MVP caliber player

Booker is an incredible scorer but he doesn't do much else (on either end) and he doesn't really elevate the play of his less talented teammates and neither does KD, at least not this version of a 35 year old KD

edit: it's hard to win consistently in the playoffs without playmaking and CP3 is the only good playmaker on this team, and he's very old and a defensive liability in this particular matchup with the Nuggets. neither KD nor Booker can consistently playmake, which puts a huge strain on them to be volume jumpshooters, which simply isn't a great strategy in the playoffs (unless ur Steph and Klay, but there's only 1 pair of those )

naturally, if you've got a strong 8-9 man rotation with reliable shooters and depth and you can't really help on KD\Booker - they can tear you apart, but even with better depth and with CP3 - i think the Nuggets win this particular series, maybe it would have gone to 6 or 7 etc but the Nuggets would probably have prevailed anyway

[GSWFan1994]

I think the Suns should have been patient and built a team around Booker with good fits Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Ayton. All young. 3 years ago people called Booker an empty-stats player. Now he is 100% superstar. Bridges will become a star. Johnson will improve. Ayton will become more consistent. All they needed was a good PG and some good role players. And they had time on their side. Now they have old CP3, injury-prone KD, and how much time to build a championship team?

You know, I was just thinking about this same thing as I started reading this page of the thread... your post hit the nail on the spot.

Booker, Bridges, Cam and Ayton is a very good quartet to build on.

And they would have all their picks too, to improve the bench...

I mean, Durant's already 35... if it was a younger Durant, ok, you go for it... but this current Durant, I dunno.

More and more I think that Phoenix didn't do the right move.

[Exp0sed]

I think the Suns should have been patient and built a team around Booker with good fits Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Ayton. All young. 3 years ago people called Booker an empty-stats player. Now he is 100% superstar. Bridges will become a star. Johnson will improve. Ayton will become more consistent. All they needed was a good PG and some good role players. And they had time on their side. Now they have old CP3, injury-prone KD, and how much time to build a championship team?

You know, I was just thinking about this same thing as I started reading this page of the thread... your post hit the nail on the spot.

Booker, Bridges, Cam and Ayton is a very good quartet to build on.

And they would have all their picks too, to improve the bench...

I mean, Durant's already 35... if it was a younger Durant, ok, you go for it... but this current Durant, I dunno.

More and more I think that Phoenix didn't do the right move.

yup

the contract disparity is huge, the value you get on Mikal's contract spread on 82 games + playoffs vs part time KD getting paid 50M a season, hard to recoup that loss in value

[Dr Aki]

Watch on YouTube

[Mrakar]

CP3 has been scoring on 47% TS in these playoffs. He's also a shadow of his former self on the defensive end. He was pretty close to a non-factor.

From nuggets perspective you almost rather have Chris Paul play than Cam Payne.

*From your perspective. Noone is so **** on the Nuggets.