Game 26: San Antonio Spurs (20-5) @ Phoenix Suns (8-17)

[gaspar]

Are you Papagiannis's dad ?

Are you Bender's? Do you think he should be immune to criticism? IIRC you think he should be starting for the Suns, shouldn't you expect more from someone who you think is a starting calibre player? He hasn't done anything positive on the court in a while. He doesn't rebound, he doesn't set good screens, he doesn't pass, he doesn't attack the rim... He just stands in the corner and shoots jumpers, a lot of them off balance and early in the shot clock.

Since Mr. Miyagi's not here to say it, I'll do it for him...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REMEMBER THAT DRAGAN BENDER AND MARQUESE CHRISS ARE 18-YEAR-OLDS. DON'T TURN ON THEM AFTER A SEASON OR TWO.

Not to mention he had 3 DReb/TRB in 12 Min last night; Our "rebound machine" Chandler had 8 in 26, oh, and 1 more than the 2 Chriss collected in 31 minutes, so Chriss must be doubly useless...so I'd say he didn't do too badly.

And if Coach Watson wants him to go sit in the corner and wait for feeds, then what is he supposed to do? That's a coaching failure (if you see it that way, which you do), not a 19YO Rookie's failure.

So calling him useless is a bit harsh, IMO. He has a role on this team that is being figured out, but the fact that almost this entire team is underperforming, I think Bender is much lower down the list of those deserving to be called 'useless'.

Don't worry dude, I probably have more patience for our young guys than most people on this board. I still think Bender can become an above average starter in the NBA. My post was just a response to people who were calling for Watson's head after our 18 year old rookie had 5 DNP-CDs in the first month of his career and who thought that Bender should not only be playing big minutes, but also be our starter.

[NavLDO]

Are you Bender's? Do you think he should be immune to criticism? IIRC you think he should be starting for the Suns, shouldn't you expect more from someone who you think is a starting calibre player? He hasn't done anything positive on the court in a while. He doesn't rebound, he doesn't set good screens, he doesn't pass, he doesn't attack the rim... He just stands in the corner and shoots jumpers, a lot of them off balance and early in the shot clock.

Since Mr. Miyagi's not here to say it, I'll do it for him...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REMEMBER THAT DRAGAN BENDER AND MARQUESE CHRISS ARE 18-YEAR-OLDS. DON'T TURN ON THEM AFTER A SEASON OR TWO.

Not to mention he had 3 DReb/TRB in 12 Min last night; Our "rebound machine" Chandler had 8 in 26, oh, and 1 more than the 2 Chriss collected in 31 minutes, so Chriss must be doubly useless...so I'd say he didn't do too badly.

And if Coach Watson wants him to go sit in the corner and wait for feeds, then what is he supposed to do? That's a coaching failure (if you see it that way, which you do), not a 19YO Rookie's failure.

So calling him useless is a bit harsh, IMO. He has a role on this team that is being figured out, but the fact that almost this entire team is underperforming, I think Bender is much lower down the list of those deserving to be called 'useless'.

Don't worry dude, I probably have more patience for our young guys than most people on this board. I still think Bender can become an above average starter in the NBA. My post was just a response to people who were calling for Watson's head after our 18 year old rookie had 5 DNP-CDs in the first month of his career and who thought that Bender should not only be playing big minutes, but also be our starter.

Figured there was an explanation; didn't sound like a typical post you'd make. due to the 'shortness' of it, though, difficult to fully grasp what point you are trying to make...

...but now that I've read BOTH your responses...I get it...

[thamadkant]

Bender is not ready for big minutes yet. But it doesnt mean Watson isnt a bad coach either... He's awful.

[Sunsss]

Still pissed about the Knicks win.

Still pissed about comments like this and will always be. Thanks for your contributions to this game thread.

What is so bad about his comment? Prioritizing player development over winning games is exactly what Earl Watson was spouting all summer about. The Suns are well below .500, yet he is riding Bledsoe, Chandler, and Tucker 40 minutes a game each, just to squeak out a 2 point win against a crappy Knicks team. Playing our veterans heavy minutes in an effort to collect more wins is only hurting the younger players development and worsening our draft position. We need our young players contributing to wins, then we will finally start getting somewhere. I want meaningful wins by our young players, not meaningless ones provided by our vets.

Guess you didn't see Chriss and Booker on the floor in crunch time.