Game 14: Phoenix Suns (7-6) @ San Antonio Spurs (10-3)

[SunsRback4Good]

I know we are trying to moral loss losing to SA without our best player but ya'll forget we got beat last night by a NO club that has only 2 wins already?

The same club which beat Spurs and Suns this week. Once they got most of their players healthy their no longer a 2-12 team even though thats what their record indicates.

[RunDogGun]

It is sorta conspiracy theory but did Markieff play good because we would lose this game without Bledsoe anyway? Is he still dogging it?

Funny, but I thought the same thing. It would have been great if we won, though.

[RunDogGun]

I missed the whole game. I was traveling all day. And no I was not playing basketball.

Wow, Booker started huh? Against the Spurs? I'm surprised so many who feel trial by fire is the best thing ever, weren't praising Hornacek all game.

[bwgood77]

I missed the whole game. I was traveling all day. And no I was not playing basketball.

Wow, Booker started huh? Against the Spurs? I'm surprised so many who feel trial by fire is the best thing ever, weren't praising Hornacek all game.

No, still complaining about no Archie. People who don't like Hornacek will never mention anything about him doing the things they were hoping. They will just decide to complain about something else.

I mean, it's funny, can you even fathom one of these posters actually posting something like...

That's awesome he started Booker and gave him minutes. Great to see that.

[Funky Tut]

I know we are trying to moral loss losing to SA without our best player but ya'll forget we got beat last night by a NO club that has only 2 wins already?

Which, in my book, would be our only bad loss this season, but hey use it as damning evidence to our mediocrity.

Is not making the playoffs in 5 years not enough evidence of mediocrity for you?

[thamadkant]

Gotta beat a playoff team or two to BE a playoff team.


The sooner Morris is gone the sooner everyone gets their groove back and play pretty basketball.

[Funky Tut]

Gotta beat a playoff team or two to BE a playoff team.


The sooner Morris is gone the sooner everyone gets their groove back and play pretty basketball.

Kieff is just so damn inconsistent, I just don't see the benefit of this guy being on our team anymore. Tucker can go as well, he really brings nothing to the table most nights.

[bwgood77]

Is not making the playoffs in 5 years not enough evidence of mediocrity for you?

We are mediocre. Why people bitch about it is pointless. We will be mediocre this year. Whether we are a 7 seed or finish 10th. That is pretty mediocre.

If people don't like watching our team and players, don't watch and bitch, because it is pretty much pointless. We are a young team that should get better.

We are not a great team and for me, we are not a team that is not fun to watch. Last year, I didn't have fun watching. I made that clear. This year, I've had fun watching. Some tough losses, and yeah, players make frustrating errors, but that happens on all teams.

[nevetsov]

It is sorta conspiracy theory but did Markieff play good because we would lose this game without Bledsoe anyway? Is he still dogging it?

He was probably amped up to go against Aldridge, the guy that we wanted to replace him with.

[m1chal]

It is sorta conspiracy theory but did Markieff play good because we would lose this game without Bledsoe anyway? Is he still dogging it?

He was probably amped up to go against Aldridge, the guy that we wanted to replace him with.

Perhaps we whould hire some psychologist to talk Kieff into believing there's Aldridge on each team? Or maybe a hypnotizer would be better?

[Jarlaxle0204]

Still impressed by our defense and effort. I agree that outside of Morris, this team is full of guys I can actually root for. I did think this game illustrates pretty well that Knight is indeed a SG. He's not a great playmaker. I love him at the 2 spot though. Just need Bledsoe running the offense.

[jcsunsfan]

It is sorta conspiracy theory but did Markieff play good because we would lose this game without Bledsoe anyway? Is he still dogging it?

He was probably amped up to go against Aldridge, the guy that we wanted to replace him with.

Oh, that is the first thing that I thought of. Kieff is trying to make a point about what a mistake it was for the Suns to pursue Alderidge. If he can play well, to make a point, he can play well. All the more indication he is dogging it in other games.

Bledsoe's defense was missed. Parker's stat line is an indication of that. That often gets overlooked.

[Saberestar]

It is sorta conspiracy theory but did Markieff play good because we would lose this game without Bledsoe anyway? Is he still dogging it?

He was probably amped up to go against Aldridge, the guy that we wanted to replace him with.

Perhaps we whould hire some psychologist to talk Kieff into believing there's Aldridge on each team? Or maybe a hypnotizer would be better?

"Sometimes I see Aldridges...."

[TeamTragic]

It is sorta conspiracy theory but did Markieff play good because we would lose this game without Bledsoe anyway? Is he still dogging it?

He was probably amped up to go against Aldridge, the guy that we wanted to replace him with.

Oh, that is the first thing that I thought of. Kieff is trying to make a point about what a mistake it was for the Suns to pursue Aldridge. If he can play well, to make a point, he can play well. All the more indication he is dogging it in other games.

Bledsoe's defense was missed. Parker's stat line is an indication of that. That often gets overlooked.

LMA didn't even play this **** game. Kieff tried to prove he was better by not playing against him. Pretty awesome. If LMA had been in the lineup would have lost by 25 and Kieff would have had 9 points

[MrMiyagi]

I know we are trying to moral loss losing to SA without our best player but ya'll forget we got beat last night by a NO club that has only 2 wins already?

Which, in my book, would be our only bad loss this season, but hey use it as damning evidence to our mediocrity.

Is not making the playoffs in 5 years not enough evidence of mediocrity for you?

Cleveland is mediocre too. They only made the playoffs once in the past 5 seasons. Terrible. #DeadSerious #ThePastDeterminestheFuture

[Funky Tut]

Which, in my book, would be our only bad loss this season, but hey use it as damning evidence to our mediocrity.

Is not making the playoffs in 5 years not enough evidence of mediocrity for you?

Cleveland is mediocre too. They only made the playoffs once in the past 5 seasons. Terrible. #DeadSerious #ThePastDeterminestheFuture

Cleveland is a lotto team without Lebron. You're forgetting one factor, they have superstars only because the best player in the league happened to be born in Ohio. Cleveland is a door mat franchise that no one in the right mind would ever want to play for, but Lebron changes all of that and now the are elite.

My concern is that in the NBA, you don't want to be stuck on that treadmill of mediocrity like the Suns have been on for a while now. You either need to be terrible or you need to be elite. Stockpiling 12-15th position picks isn't going to save a franchise, and not being able to lure top end FA's isn't going to help you get out of mediocrity either. Suns are in a tough position right now, they can put a decent product on the court but the product is never going to make a deep playoff push currently.

[bwgood77]

Is not making the playoffs in 5 years not enough evidence of mediocrity for you?

Cleveland is mediocre too. They only made the playoffs once in the past 5 seasons. Terrible. #DeadSerious #ThePastDeterminestheFuture

Cleveland is a lotto team without Lebron. You're forgetting one factor, they have superstars only because the best player in the league happened to be born in Ohio. Cleveland is a door mat franchise that no one in the right mind would ever want to play for, but Lebron changes all of that and now the are elite.

My concern is that in the NBA, you don't want to be stuck on that treadmill of mediocrity like the Suns have been on for a while now. You either need to be terrible or you need to be elite. Stockpiling 12-15th position picks isn't going to save a franchise, and not being able to lure top end FA's isn't going to help you get out of mediocrity either. Suns are in a tough position right now, they can put a decent product on the court but the product is never going to make a deep playoff push currently.

It depends though. Most of the teams that are elite got that way not by trying to suck and get a high pick.

As you mentioned, the Cavs got LeBron because he was born there. The Spurs got Aldridge because he had family there. Outside of him, other than Duncan, all of their good players were mid round, late first round or second round picks. So with them it's a combination of factors, and luckily having Robinson out the year Duncan was in the draft.

The Warriors never sucked that bad to get the players they have now. They were always hovering around the 9th seed too, and had one semi bad year and got the 7th pick and Curry...other than that, mostly savvy draft picks, but not REAL high top 3 picks or anything.

So the above three are the best teams. OKC is one example of tearing it down and just hitting home runs with 2 or 3 picks and getting top 5-10 players. However, it also comes down to luck. It has been mentioned that if they had the #1 pick the year they took Durant, they would have taken Oden, and if they had the #2 pick the year they took Westbrook, they would have taken Beasley. So luck plays a factor. The Sixers haven't been so lucky trying this.

Clippers sucked for YEARS but they never got really good until they were able to trade for Chris Paul. They did finally get one great surefire #1 pick by winning the lottery and getting Blake, but even with that, they needed to make a trade for a premier player to even GET to the playoffs. Even with those guys, they still haven't gotten real deep into the playoffs.

Dallas was good for a long time and Dirk was drafted 9th.

Houston got pretty good the last few years after being the 9th seed year in and year out because of a trade.

Memphis got good from making a good FA signing, and the development of Marc Gasol, who they traded for, along with the emergence of Conley, but not from a bunch of high picks.

Many of the best players in the nba were not extremely high picks (Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard)

Minnesota has stocked some good talent, but not from trying to suck, because their all star wanted to be traded the year they were hovering around 500 so they were able to trade him for a star in Wiggins...they didn't get Wiggins from trying to suck. Even after getting Wiggins, they still tried to be competitive by playing Rubio, Kevin Martin, Pekovic, trading for Thaddeus Young, etc, but then got decimated by injuries and ended up luckily getting the #1 pick.