What is going on with the Suns?

[statisback]

This team can beat the below avg teams like Clippers, Sonics, Kings but when it comes to the elite they continue to lose. Two losses to Hornets and Lakers each. Loss to the Mavs. Barely beat the Spurs WITHOUT Parker.

I am losing faith in this team. This team plays with no intensity. They dont battle for second chances like every other team does against them. They cant play any sort of defense. They continue to also leave Amare out of the offense when he should be the go to guy. Either a trade is needed or maybe a coaching change.

[-SDU-]

have a look at our record vs teams with +.500 records and we arent doing to badly compared with that

man, people just jump on and off the suns like crazy

we DO need to improve, single most point is three point shooting from bell and hill

its a long season, 15 and 17 game win streaks mean nothing now, we are number 1 in the west and have 4 more months to figure it out

this team is better than last years team, and last years team was good enough for a title.

as long as we iron the kinks out, all should work out well

[mkot]

So the sky is falling again? Not Shawn's bad game or Raja being out or Skinner not playing in the 2nd half? When we lost, we suck. When we beat teams on our schedule, we suck. When we barely beat good teams, we still suck. Give it a break, people. If we won, I doubt there would be this many negativities.

Lets get real folks, honestly. It was a tough battle that could've gone either way. We're still fine. NO is a dangerous team, but they aren't better than us. They're definitely hungrier at this point and we got out-coached in the 2nd half which frustrates me because I think Mike could definitely do better. Skinner should've guarded Chandler. I thought Nash passed up some shots he should've stepped up and taken during crunch time. Pargo and MoPete hit some BS shots down the stretch. And Shawn was garbage tonight. The 3 guards lineup killed us in the 3rd.

Last season we had some lame winning streaks, Nash said maybe it's better if they lose a few of those close game so they'd know what they need to improve to become a better team. Now they've been losing some close game the sky is falling Like I said in other post, it's better we lost one now because of the dumb decisions Mike made during the game than we lost one in the playoff. Will this team learn from their mistakes? I don't know. I think they will and will become a better team. We'll see...

[kimmi13]

Guess what the Spurs record was at this time last season? 23-11...there is no need to freak out and be so negative. We could have won most of the games we have lost and at times we have shown improvement from last season. There are concerns, but no team is perfect, the Spurs weren't last year.

[BurningHeart]

The original poster is obviously a "new" Suns fan, because otherwise he would know that this franchise, REGARDLESS of coach or personnel, has played down to their competition for a LONG, LONG time.

So, to summarize;

NOTHING IS GOING ON WITH THE SUNS. WE ARE TIED FOR THE BEST RECORD IN THE WEST.

If you wanna jump off the bandwagon, then jump off and stay off, because these posts make no sense.

[ma_falaa_50]

Well Amare has done great to deserve more shots. I wont even start with MD because we all know hwere thats going to go. Im sick of tired with him. Well, Marion played like crap but hasnt he always? He is an oppurtunistic scorer and nothing more. PHX win's by feeding the beast. Phx has one of the best finishers in the league and what does mike do? Nothing go with the hot hand.

I dont care about SA record last season because We are not SAn ANtonio. We dont cruise during the season and turn it on in the playoffs. I dont care really how you spin things but bottomline is Phx has lost to teams they should beat. I dont care how CP3 did or how Chandler did. Phx touts itself as a top tier team its time to act like it.

Dantoni isnt really making it easy for himself either. Skinner deserves more PT. If Marion is playing like crap on offense then sit him. Same goes for bell, Amare or whomever Its about time this club gets some balls and accountability.

I still think the suns needs to stand pat because their really isnt anyone that can make them exponentially better. They have talent and they have to play with better chemistry. Something is up with these guys this season. I think its tme to focus on winning not stroking anyone's ego.

[nashill]

Will this team learn from their mistakes? I don't know. I think they will and will become a better team. We'll see...

If we trust enough the coach or if he's good enough, we should not be bothered by learning from mistakes...

I'm not bothered why we're losing some games, Im just bothered how we lost them.

[mkot]

-= original quote snipped =-



If we trust enough the coach or if he's good enough, we should not be bothered by learning from mistakes...

This doesn't make alot of sense.

Of course we should bother by why we lost the game.

1) Amare took ONLY 11 shots, and the Suns lost the game. Coincidence?

2) We gave up way too many offensive rebound to NO (how demoralizing it must be for Amare? Several times he blocked the shots but the NO players ended up with the board and put it in because of we don't have our secondary shot-blcoker and rebounder on the floor? Skinner should've played more in the 2nd half.

3) We played Banks like he is Raja - Nash-Banks-LB with Boris and Shawn up front is just waaay too small of a lineup.

You can't honestly tell me we don't have solutions for the above issues.

1) Feed the beast.

2) Play Skinner & 3) Play more Skinner

If it's about the talent on our team, sure you don't bother. But it isn't. Those are fixable problems for us - we don't even need a trade to fix it. Say all you want about Mike, he is who he is - an offensive minded coach who likes to play small and fast. He is a coach with a philosophy and he's going to stay with his comfort zone most of the time. I just hope he can be more flexible on how he wants to play his talent. I love how he always have good relationship with his players (except with Banks...), and I love how he make this team a fun team to watch while leading them to the playoffs in 3 straight years. He has his flaws, but he is the best we can have right now. There is no other option available at this moment for this team (trade rules as they are) which would fit them better than Mike. With all the things they've gone through the past three years, I think this group (the core guys) and Mike deserve at least one last chance.

Go Suns.

[nashill]

f it's about the talent on our team, sure you don't bother. But it isn't. Those are fixable problems for us - we don't even need a trade to fix it.

Is D'Antoni fixing it?

[mkot]

-= original quote snipped =-



Is D'Antoni fixing it?

How would you know he isn't going to fix it? Last year after losing Game 1 in the Spurs series, he fixed the paint by starting KT. Last early season we lost a close game against Utah and he after the game admitted that he screwed up by not giving KT enough minutes. Does it sound like he won't fix his mistakes for you? Also, he had gradually increased Skinner's minutes saying he has earned them after a few games into the season while most of us thought he is just be a situational big man for us, not a rotation guy. Again, he is who he is, he has a strong coaching philosophy that he is going to stay with it. Sometimes, however, he got caught up in the moment and it's normal for him to stay with his comfort zone (small ball). He just need growing pain to keep reminding him what he should've done at that moment.

Remember in the game against Dallas this season when the Suns starters played porous defense in the 1st quarter and the Mavs went up by 17, MikeD called a time out and replaced our top 3 by the bench players (LB,Diaw, Skinner). Normally in a regular rotation he does not replace all 3 at once. The bench reduced the gap to 11. Sure Mike is a stubborn coach, but once in a while he does the right thing, and he isn't exactly dumb. He needs to develop that flexibility more.

[KJ7]

^^^ Like I said in another thread, add to that Hill "magically" doing better after a bad start. But I guess that had nothing to do with D'Antoni it was just Hill figuring his team-mates out right?

[Frank Lee]

Lets get real folks, honestly. It was a tough battle that could've gone either way. We're still fine. NO is a dangerous team, but they aren't better than us. They're definitely hungrier at this point and we got out-coached in the 2nd half which frustrates me because I think Mike could definitely do better. Skinner should've guarded Chandler. I thought Nash passed up some shots he should've stepped up and taken during crunch time. Pargo and MoPete hit some BS shots down the stretch. And Shawn was garbage tonight. The 3 guards lineup killed us in the 3rd......

..

What ? and the reasoning behind it ???? NO has played exactly the way they need to play to beat us. So what is the criteria to make such a claim that we are better?? If they beat us again...are we still the better team?

All you damn SUNShiners better take off the shades and see this team for what it really is...

a GD one ring circus act that everyone has seen before. There are no surprises. When this show rolls into town, we are having a very difficult time pulling off the same act that wowed the crowd and league 2 yrs ago.

[mkot]

-= original quote snipped =-



What ? and the reasoning behind it ???? NO has played exactly the way they need to play to beat us. So what is the criteria to make such a claim that we are better?? If they beat us again...are we still the better team?

Did you know why we lost the game? Did you even watch the game? I gave them credit for outplaying us, but in a 7 game series they don't beat us because we will not made those dumb mistakes again (3 guards lineup, putting LB on Peja, benching Skinner while we need rebounding and shot blocking the most blah blah blah) You make adjustments, and you step up to the challenge. Like I said, they're definitely hungrier at this point. Paul said this is the most important win in the season so far for them. They wanted it more than we do. We got the lead in the 3rd and then coasted. Nash should've stepped up and taken some shots but he passed. Amare should get the ball more. Skinner should've glued to Chandler, not Marion. There's alot of stuff that's correctable. You are delusion of you think we don't beat them in a series. Geez.

[nashill]

-= original quote snipped =-



Did you know why we lost the game? Did you even watch the game? I gave them credit for outplaying us, but in a 7 game series they don't beat us because we will not made those dumb mistakes again (3 guards lineup, putting LB on Peja, benching Skinner while we need rebounding and shot blocking the most blah blah blah).

Maybe D'Antoni will. I just hate that coach as much as I love the Suns.

[-SDU-]

man we sucked at times, dantoni was playing with lineups

i like that we were experimenting, but in the playoffs we wouldnt do that as MKOT said

we had one lineup where hill was SG and another where barbs was SF

dantoni was playing, adjusting, doing the necessary things to see what weapons he can use come playoff time

waaa waaa waaa the freakin sky is falling!

[nashill]

dantoni was playing, adjusting, doing the necessary things to see what weapons he can use come playoff time

This post somehow gives me hope..

[mkot]

i like that we were experimenting, but in the playoffs we wouldnt do that as MKOT said

we had one lineup where hill was SG and another where barbs was SF

dantoni was playing, adjusting, doing the necessary things to see what weapons he can use come playoff time

I can guaranteed you that Mike will use Nash at last 38 minutes if this is a playoff game...baring injuries and foul trouble, our top guys (LB, Raja, Nash, Amare, Shawn, and Hill) will all play monster minutes...at least 36 each. Book it. And they will stay with their winning strategies - feed Amare the ball...that's why Amare always seem to kill everyone in the playoffs...he stepped up, and the team knows we need to go to him. Sometimes in the regular season they just seem to play outside-in more...

I just looked at the box score, Paul played 48 minutes Peja, Mo Pete and Chandler all played more than 38 minutes each. You can tell they're out to prove themselves to the league, to see where they stand against the elite. They're young and hungry, not necessarily playing for a title this year, but trying to take that next step as a franchise. That's why the loss doesn't bother me as much. I think our guys played hard enough to win, just a few dumb coaching decisions made in the 2nd half, went away from Amare, didn't have Raja to put on Mo Pete or Peja, and LB couldn't convert anything in crunch time, and we lost the game by 5. It's not like they gave up, couldn't compete, or anything. It's a frustrating loss, learn the mistakes and move on. No need to all freak out like that.

[ma_falaa_50]

I agree with mkot on this one. NO outhustled the suns. Even if David West is there the suns could still beat NO. the big glaring weakness the suna hvae all season has been chemistry. NO is playing with another and for one another. The suns are not. DIaw is playing for more minutes not exactly helping the team win. Raja is bricking shots and still continues to shot from the 3 point arc. Marion still has his inferiority complex. both Amare and Nash's defense is bad. As for Md i really wont go there.

I think its time for Amare and shawn to resolve their issues and if not neither plays. The suns win as a team and both guys have to suck it up and play hard.

[-SDU-]

i noticed in the sonics game, right at the end of the 3rd, barbs caught the ball on the break, it was him marion and jeff green defending, barbs could have made a tough pass to marion but kept it and drove in to the lane where green fouled him hard and barbs went to the ground. Rather than help barbs up, marion turned around frustratedly and walked away from barbosa while he was still on the ground

i pointed this out to KPCB and Neverfear also at the time. I can upload it if someone tells me how???

then i read this from todays news

On Saturday, guard Leandro Barbosa played volleyball with a loose ball the length of the floor, hustling to keep it alive until it went out of bounds off New Orleans. Barbosa's momentum carried him off the court with only Marion near him. The crowd roared with approval. Marion turned and walked away.

interesting, definately signs of chemistry issues, if at least between barbs and marion

[mkot]

I think LB did not have a clear pass because Shawn was out of position. LB is leading the break because he was in control of the ball and Shawn needs to get himself into position to score. He was dead even with LB, perhaps a little ahead, with a defender between them (within arm's reach). Had LB tried to pass, the ball would have been knocked out of bounds or stolen.

That play wasn't anyone's fault. And it still worked out ok because he did went to the FT line. It's not that LB is a selfish player or a ball hog or he dislikes Shawn, he just isn't Nash that can make pass that no one else can see.