Game 43: LA Lakers (12-29) @ Phoenix Suns (24-18)

[bigfoot]

So I didn't get to watch the game, but was pretty pissed to see Len get only 18-19 minutes. WTF? My assumption was that Plumlee and Wright were getting some bulk minutes against this D-League team but it was mostly just Wright. I guess they need Wright to get acclimated to the players, but it's still super annoying.
Len needs some double xP in the post (double xP because it was on TNT).

Just saw this. http://arizonasports.com/41/1800376/Pho ... -sore-foot Unfortunately that explains Len's lack of minutes lately.

Damn! Well let's hope this is just minor. Unfortunately, the Suns never seem to catch a break with injuries.

[bigfoot]

another Wugly ... but IT can flat out shoot.

First half was wugly. The second half was damn impressive. Dragic and Bledsoe ran the fast break to perfection. Bledsoe's passes were on the money and Dragic is so deceptively fast. It is amazing how he outruns other players. He just doesn't look that fast but he gets some extra acceleration from somewhere. He ended up going 11-15 with many of them being layups.

Even the half court game wasn't that bad. Bledsoe or Dragic would drive and kick for many open shots or get the layup on the PnR. IT hit most of his shots off of passes from his PG counterparts and shot a very good percentage. Now Green and Marcus chucked the ball a lot. I wasn't happy with Marcus and his long two point shots. He needs to take it to the bucket occasionally. Green started off with some plain ole' ugly 1-on-1 crazy azz shots. Fortunately he settled down and hit a few open three pointers. Wright had some funky low post runners that look a lot like Plumlee's. I hope we can get him to focus on rebounding, shot blocking, defense, and a few alley-oops. Overall I really like it when the team gets on their horses and run. That is obviously when they are at their best.

[BurningHeart]

The digital defense chant?

I think you might be referring to the sound they play when IT makes a bucket, it's like a PC startup tone sequence. Not sure what it is, exactly.

You really don't know that's the sound Earth greets the aliens with in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind?" It's classic.

Nope I've never seen it


......Coro just RTed that LaMarcus Aldridge won't be traveling with the Blazers when they play us. Good.

[RunDogGun]

While it's good for the short term that LA won't play against us, I still think we need to beat the teams ahead of us at full strength. If we are to have any hope of making the second round, we have to beat teams ahead of us to prove to ourselves that we can.

Markieff needs to step up defensively against good PFs.

[carey]

I ain't scurred of the Blazers.

[Revived]

SRTR must be sleeping, no thread up yet...

[Christine-In-AZ]

So I didn't get to watch the game, but was pretty pissed to see Len get only 18-19 minutes. WTF? My assumption was that Plumlee and Wright were getting some bulk minutes against this D-League team but it was mostly just Wright. I guess they need Wright to get acclimated to the players, but it's still super annoying.
Len needs some double xP in the post (double xP because it was on TNT).

Just saw this. http://arizonasports.com/41/1800376/Pho ... -sore-foot Unfortunately that explains Len's lack of minutes lately.

Damn! Well let's hope this is just minor. Unfortunately, the Suns never seem to catch a break with injuries.

It may seem that way, but the Suns or us fans have been fairly, even very blessed in this department compared to other clubs.

http://instreetclothes.com/nba-injury-analysis/

(lower ranking better)
Total Games Lost to Injury Since the 2005-06 Season: 935 (3rd in the league)
Total Cost for Games Lost to Injury Since the 2005-06 Season: $57,467,334 (2nd)
2013-14 Games Missed Due to Injury: 188 (21st)
2013-14 Cost of Games Missed Due to Injury: $17,757,832 (25th)
Average Rank In Games Missed to Injury Since the 2005-06 Season: 11.9 (T-5h)
Average Rank In Cost of Injuries Since the 2005-06 Season: 12.8 (7th)
Best Finish in Games Missed Ranks: 1 (2 times, 2011-12, 2007-08)
Worst Finish in Games Missed Ranks: 27 (2005-06)
http://instreetclothes.com/nba-injury-a ... enix-suns/

[lilfishi22]

Good bit of information ChrisInAZ

Spurs being the lowest on the graph is interesting. Even though they are the perennial old team, the way they play, the use of bench depth and control of minutes of the big 3 really does go a long way.

[BVPN]

So I didn't get to watch the game, but was pretty pissed to see Len get only 18-19 minutes. WTF? My assumption was that Plumlee and Wright were getting some bulk minutes against this D-League team but it was mostly just Wright. I guess they need Wright to get acclimated to the players, but it's still super annoying.
Len needs some double xP in the post (double xP because it was on TNT).

Just saw this. http://arizonasports.com/41/1800376/Pho ... -sore-foot Unfortunately that explains Len's lack of minutes lately.

Hmm trading plumlee may not be wise then...

[Cutter]

So I didn't get to watch the game, but was pretty pissed to see Len get only 18-19 minutes. WTF? My assumption was that Plumlee and Wright were getting some bulk minutes against this D-League team but it was mostly just Wright. I guess they need Wright to get acclimated to the players, but it's still super annoying.
Len needs some double xP in the post (double xP because it was on TNT).

Just saw this. http://arizonasports.com/41/1800376/Pho ... -sore-foot Unfortunately that explains Len's lack of minutes lately.

Damn! Well let's hope this is just minor. Unfortunately, the Suns never seem to catch a break with injuries.

Sigh. I think Suns might battle this Len's entire career. If Alex needs to take games off throughout the season to rest his ankle then so be it. If he could play 72/82 games per season, with 10 games DNP for resting his foot I would be happy with that. Len's ankles might be the most daunting challenge our medical staff has had to face.

[bigfoot]

Just saw this. http://arizonasports.com/41/1800376/Pho ... -sore-foot Unfortunately that explains Len's lack of minutes lately.

Damn! Well let's hope this is just minor. Unfortunately, the Suns never seem to catch a break with injuries.

It may seem that way, but the Suns or us fans have been fairly, even very blessed in this department compared to other clubs.

http://instreetclothes.com/nba-injury-analysis/

(lower ranking better)
Total Games Lost to Injury Since the 2005-06 Season: 935 (3rd in the league)
Total Cost for Games Lost to Injury Since the 2005-06 Season: $57,467,334 (2nd)
2013-14 Games Missed Due to Injury: 188 (21st)
2013-14 Cost of Games Missed Due to Injury: $17,757,832 (25th)
Average Rank In Games Missed to Injury Since the 2005-06 Season: 11.9 (T-5h)
Average Rank In Cost of Injuries Since the 2005-06 Season: 12.8 (7th)
Best Finish in Games Missed Ranks: 1 (2 times, 2011-12, 2007-08)
Worst Finish in Games Missed Ranks: 27 (2005-06)
http://instreetclothes.com/nba-injury-a ... enix-suns/

Danny Manning
Cedric Ceballos
Amare Stoudemire
Joe Johnson

[Flying Colors]

this is probably why its best to just keep Plumlee for now

[BurningHeart]

It's not about the numbers of injuries, it's about the instances and circumstances.

Kevin Johnson's career being cut short, Cedric Ceballos, Tom Gugliotta, Penny Hardaway, Jason Kidd, Zarko Cabarkapa, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Raja Bell (Game 1 of the 2006 WCF), Channing Frye's shoulder issues down the stretch that one season, Eric Bledsoe missing 30 games putting us out of the playoffs last year....just a smattering of our **** luck in that regard.

Being a Suns, Braves, Texans, and Sabres fan has made me numb to giving even the *slightest* of **** about the plight of other teams and their supposed injury woes.