2016-17 Phoenix Suns Preseason Thread

[bwgood77]

Also he says "playmaking (T.J. Warren)" that I don't get.

He does make plays for himself.

Don't we use "playmaking" for making plays for others generally?

That's usually the way I see it used, but I did think of the fact that he does make plays with his offensive rebounds and putbacks which I guess is another way you could use the phrase.

[ATTL]

He does make plays for himself.

Don't we use "playmaking" for making plays for others generally?

That's usually the way I see it used, but I did think of the fact that he does make plays with his offensive rebounds and putbacks which I guess is another way you could use the phrase.

I'm more inclined to believe the writer just doesn't know what our player's strengths are.

[nashrambler13]

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17777645/tiers-nba-zach-lowe

Phoenix Suns

Phoenix sports perhaps the best pile of young talent and future picks outside Philly (ironic, since it flipped the league's most coveted traded pick to Philly in exchange for Brandon Knight), including Devin Booker, an untouchable with a preternaturally diverse offensive game. They also have Tyson Chandler, Jared Dudley, Leandro Barbosa, a six-year playoff drought, and an owner who has been vocal about his impatience to break that drought.

These guys don't appear willing to just let the kiddos play, and swallow the losses. That's fine; losing sucks, and there is value in veteran mentorship. Squint, and you can see the outlines of a feisty team: Eric Bledsoe is back, and he should help the league's most turnover-prone team value the ball. Surround a Bledsoe-Chandler pick-and-roll with some shooting (Booker, Dudley) and playmaking (T.J. Warren), and Phoenix could cause some stress. (They also plan to run more Portland- and Dallas-style flow offense, with bigs handling at the elbows and a ton of off-ball movement, to take some pressure off of Bledsoe.)

But any lineup featuring Booker, Warren, and Dudley will bleed points and rebounds, even with Bledsoe and Chandler bookending it. The bench is almost like a post-grad team of guys beefing up their college applications, though one of them, Marquesse Chriss, could start by the end of the season.

The Suns have to avoid doing something dumb to chase a short-term high.

I feel like it's a pretty good assessment all-around. The "short-term high" line is really what I fear (playing PJ/Chandler like 30 minutes a game).

I'm shocked we haven't gotten a long-form about Devin Booker (and technically the Suns overall) yet from The Ringer though! They all love him over there; maybe when he starts the season out on a rampage.

[LukasBMW]

I was going through the Trade Board and came across a thread looking for a guard for the Bucks. Saw someone post a trade idea that i thought had no shot and altered it to make it more even for the teams and include the Suns. Tell me what you guys think:

Here's my altered version of Kupchak9's Gay in Milwaukee idea:

Bucks get: Gay/Collison ----------Starting 5 Collison/Gay/Antetokounmpo/Parker/Plumlee

Kings get: Knight/Monroe/Goodwin ----------Starting 5 Knight/Afflalo/Barnes/Cousins/Monroe

Suns get: Henson/WCS/McLemore ----------Starting 5 Bledsoe/Booker/Dudley/Henson/Len

Bucks get an upgrade at the PG spot (Collison>>Delly), a short term/long term Middleton replacement in Gay, and to rid themselves of the mistake of signing Monroe.

Kings upgrade their PG spot (Knight>>Collison), Get a better fitting C next to Cousins at PF (Monroe), and take a shot on a McLemore replacement in Goodwin.

Suns add in a real PF that can start (Dudly is currently our starting SG; last time he played for the Suns he was our starting SG), a C that can maybe challenge Len for that starting C spot or light a fire under his ass, and take a shot hoping McLemore benefits from joining a new team.

Just spitballing an idea.

Bledsoe/Ulis/Barbosa
Booker/Mclemore/Tucker
Dudley/Warren/Bender/Jones Jr. <----Hopefully Warren can step up and take away the starting gig.
Henson/Chriss/Williams <----Hopefully Chriss can step up and take away the starting gig.
Len/WCS/Chandler <----Hopefully WCS can step up and take away the starting gig.

As you can see, this trade also makes Chandler and Tucker even more expendable, and we can trade them off for future draft picks from a contender (OKC/CLE/DAL/Ect.)

I like it.

[gaspar]

Suns preseason ranks:

Pace 107.54 (1st)

OffRtg 95.9 (23rd)
DefRtg 95.8 (9th)
NetRtg 0.1 (19th)

OReb% 28.0 (3rd)
DReb% 72.7 (30th)
Reb% 49.6 (20th)

Ast/Tov 0.96 (28th)

Tov Ratio 17.3 (12th)
Opp Tov Ratio 20.5 (2nd)

eFG% 44.7 (28th)
opp eFG% 46.6 (5th)

FTA rate 0.386 (3rd)
opp FTA rate 0.411 (29th)

We just have to stop fouling and start rebounding on the defensive end and we'll be fine. Making some shots wouldn't hurt either.

Our assist to turnover ratio looks really bad at the first glance, but we got to the free throw line A LOT, which means no assists on those possessions.

Read on Twitter

[LukasBMW]

Suns preseason ranks:

Pace 107.54 (1st)

OffRtg 95.9 (23rd)
DefRtg 95.8 (9th)
NetRtg 0.1 (19th)

OReb% 28.0 (3rd)
DReb% 72.7 (30th)
Reb% 49.6 (20th)

Ast/Tov 0.96 (28th)

Tov Ratio 17.3 (12th)
Opp Tov Ratio 20.5 (2nd)

eFG% 44.7 (28th)
opp eFG% 46.6 (5th)

FTA rate 0.386 (3rd)
opp FTA rate 0.411 (29th)

We just have to stop fouling and start rebounding on the defensive end and we'll be fine. Making some shots wouldn't hurt either.

Our assist to turnover ratio looks really bad at the first glance, but we got to the free throw line A LOT, which means no assists on those possessions.

Read on Twitter

I love that pace number. I hope we keep it up. SSOL is back in style.

I also loved our defense at times last night. As you said, we just need to stop with the stupid fouls. It also wouldn't hurt to get a bit more respect from the officials. Tony Parker got away with hand checking on every possession for his career, yet we do it once and it is a foul? WTF?

On offense it also looked like Earl has designed some very creative and confusing plays. I actually laughed out loud on a few of them.

Turnovers will be our bugaboo with so many young players.

[gaspar]

More preseason stats per 100 possessions:

Points off turnovers: 22.5 (4th)
Opp points off turnovers: 17.6 (9th)

2nd chance points: 16.1 (2nd)
Opp 2nd chance points: 13.1 (23rd)

Fast break points: 18.8 (3rd)
Opp fast break points: 13.7 (16th)

Points in the paint: 42.9 (10th)
Opp points in the paint: 35.8 (5th)

3PA: 18.1 (30th)
Opp 3PA: 19.0 (1st)

3PM: 5.7 (30th)
Opp 3PM: 6.8 (3rd)

3P%: 31.6% (23rd)
opp 3P%: 35.8% (23rd)

[jcsunsfan]

Suns preseason ranks:

Pace 107.54 (1st)

OffRtg 95.9 (23rd)
DefRtg 95.8 (9th)
NetRtg 0.1 (19th)

OReb% 28.0 (3rd)
DReb% 72.7 (30th)
Reb% 49.6 (20th)

Ast/Tov 0.96 (28th)

Tov Ratio 17.3 (12th)
Opp Tov Ratio 20.5 (2nd)

eFG% 44.7 (28th)
opp eFG% 46.6 (5th)

FTA rate 0.386 (3rd)
opp FTA rate 0.411 (29th)

We just have to stop fouling and start rebounding on the defensive end and we'll be fine. Making some shots wouldn't hurt either.

Our assist to turnover ratio looks really bad at the first glance, but we got to the free throw line A LOT, which means no assists on those possessions.

Read on Twitter

I think these numbers tell what I was thinking as I watched this team. They are working hard on D which makes the games look ugly. They are not efficient on offense. That is in the lap of Len and Booker right now. Both of those players have to increase their efficiency. We have a huge defensive rebounding problem. If we do trade Len, I want a rebounder and an efficient post player. Actually Alan Williams is exactly that, he is just not starter caliber. We need to take care of the ball. Way too many turnovers.

[Sunsss]

3PA: 18.1 (30th)
Opp 3PA: 19.0 (1st)

This is really weird and the first one shouldn't happen in the regular season. Watson said that we want to attempt 30 of them.

[carey]

Did everyone see that Simmons ranked us last in the West? He pretty much hates everyone on our team except for Booker and couldn't think of one nice thing to say about Watson.

[Saberestar]

Did everyone see that Simmons ranked us last in the West? He pretty much hates everyone on our team except for Booker and couldn't think of one nice thing to say about Watson.

I don't care.
Simmons is not a visionary.

[Saberestar]

Read on Twitter

[letsgosuns]

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2016/10/22/13365772/espn-names-phoenix-suns-nba-s-worst-franchise

Hard to imagine a team that has Booker, Warren, Chriss, Bender, Ulis, and even Len be ranked the worst franchise in basketball. I would much rather have the Suns bevy of young talent than at least half the NBA rosters out there right now.

[bwgood77]

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2016/10/22/13365772/espn-names-phoenix-suns-nba-s-worst-franchise

Hard to imagine a team that has Booker, Warren, Chriss, Bender, Ulis, and even Len be ranked the worst franchise in basketball. I would much rather have the Suns bevy of young talent than at least half the NBA rosters out there right now.

Well many have said our future looks bright but right now, the only teams I would probably put us definitely ahead are Philly and Brooklyn, which is fine. I think we need to get these guys more experience (Booker, Warren, Bender, Chriss, Ulis) and add one or two more good young players and then we should be set for the future. If we are set to get a high lotto pick and maybe win it, that is fine by e.

[Damkac]

So Suns are terrible because they traded Nash and Dragic to the teams that they wanted to go? How disrespectful. I guess what Heat has done to Bosh and Wade (players that gave this team rings) was better right?

[MathiasPW]

With the weight ownership has on this ranking, it's surprising to see Phoenix below Sacramento.

[Saberestar]

Read on Twitter

[lilfishi22]

Did everyone see that Simmons ranked us last in the West? He pretty much hates everyone on our team except for Booker and couldn't think of one nice thing to say about Watson.

I'm not surprised. From the outside looking in, outside of Booker, this team really doesn't have any other exciting pieces. Coach Watson, I'm still on the fence about. I don't think he's noteworthy either other than being the youngest HC in the league currently.

If you look at our team as an outsider, objectively, there really isn't that much that jumps out at you other than Booker. I don't think we're dead last because I think we have enough veteran/experienced players with talent to get us some wins.

[Zelaznyrules]

Did everyone see that Simmons ranked us last in the West? He pretty much hates everyone on our team except for Booker and couldn't think of one nice thing to say about Watson.

I'm not surprised. From the outside looking in, outside of Booker, this team really doesn't have any other exciting pieces. Coach Watson, I'm still on the fence about. I don't think he's noteworthy either other than being the youngest HC in the league currently.

If you look at our team as an outsider, objectively, there really isn't that much that jumps out at you other than Booker. I don't think we're dead last because I think we have enough veteran/experienced players with talent to get us some wins.

I think we're going to have to settle for "one of the youngest" as I believe Luke Walton is almost a year younger than Earl. But I mostly agree with your points. There's nobody here to really believe in. We believe in the possibilities of our young players but that's all it is, they aren't anything for an outsider to be impressed by. We have 7 or 8 players that could each end up being above average for his position but other than perhaps Bledsoe, none of them fits that description just yet. And it wouldn't shock most of us if any single one of them (other than Booker) flopped and was out of the league in a couple of seasons. But it also wouldn't shock many of us if 5 years from now we have 3 or 4 legit all star level players come out of that group of younger players.

[lilfishi22]

Good point Z. Totally forgot about Luke.