Links to interesting NBA articles - Blueprints for teams

[bigfoot]

See how you do on this quiz ... hint, Booker isn't on the list yet but soon

http://arizonasports.com/story/1016978/trivia-tuesday-phoenix-suns-all-time-three-point-leaders/

[bwgood77]

See how you do on this quiz ... hint, Booker isn't on the list yet but soon

http://arizonasports.com/story/1016978/trivia-tuesday-phoenix-suns-all-time-three-point-leaders/

It doesn't show the answer there, but just by deductive reasoning,

Spoiler:

longevity on team is the main factor, so I first thought of Bledsoe and Tucker, but then when you consider Barbosa and Dudley, those have to be the 4.

[bigfoot]

See how you do on this quiz ... hint, Booker isn't on the list yet but soon

http://arizonasports.com/story/1016978/trivia-tuesday-phoenix-suns-all-time-three-point-leaders/

It doesn't show the answer there, but just by deductive reasoning,

Spoiler:

longevity on team is the main factor, so I first thought of Bledsoe and Tucker, but then when you consider Barbosa and Dudley, those have to be the 4.

You have 8 minutes to get all 25. I managed to get 19 out of 25.

[bwgood77]

See how you do on this quiz ... hint, Booker isn't on the list yet but soon

http://arizonasports.com/story/1016978/trivia-tuesday-phoenix-suns-all-time-three-point-leaders/

It doesn't show the answer there, but just by deductive reasoning,

Spoiler:

longevity on team is the main factor, so I first thought of Bledsoe and Tucker, but then when you consider Barbosa and Dudley, those have to be the 4.

You have 8 minutes to get all 25. I managed to get 19 out of 25.

Oh, for 25, let me try it now....

Spoiler:

Tucker, Barbosa, Dudley, Bledsoe, Dragic, JoeJ, James J, Q, Raja, Marion, Diaw, Hornacek, Nash, KJ, Barkley, Ainge, Majerle, Brandon Knight?. House?, Perry, Negele Knight?, Ceballos, Finley, Person, Cliff Robinson?, I'm reaching now...my mind is running out of names off top of head...Manning? (probably not)....Chambers?

I'm sure I forgot some. That was, I definitely less than 8 minutes without checking anything.

[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

[NTB]

See how you do on this quiz ... hint, Booker isn't on the list yet but soon

http://arizonasports.com/story/1016978/trivia-tuesday-phoenix-suns-all-time-three-point-leaders/

It doesn't show the answer there, but just by deductive reasoning,

Spoiler:

longevity on team is the main factor, so I first thought of Bledsoe and Tucker, but then when you consider Barbosa and Dudley, those have to be the 4.

You have 8 minutes to get all 25. I managed to get 19 out of 25.

19/25 too.

Spoiler:

I can't believe i forgot Marion... I definitely deleted Morrii from my mind though.

[bwgood77]

It doesn't show the answer there, but just by deductive reasoning,

Spoiler:

longevity on team is the main factor, so I first thought of Bledsoe and Tucker, but then when you consider Barbosa and Dudley, those have to be the 4.

You have 8 minutes to get all 25. I managed to get 19 out of 25.

19/25 too.

Spoiler:

I can't believe i forgot Marion... I definitely deleted Morrii from my mind though.

I didn't take the official test...just guessed here...

Spoiler:

can't believe I forgot the Morris twins either.

[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

[darealjuice]

See how you do on this quiz ... hint, Booker isn't on the list yet but soon

http://arizonasports.com/story/1016978/trivia-tuesday-phoenix-suns-all-time-three-point-leaders/

I got 22/25. This wasn't too hard, you've got a big chunk of them if you just think of all of the scorers/shooters that were here when Nash was slinging the ball around and players that had long careers as Suns lol.

Spoiler:

I just started entering names of the scorers we've had once I ran out of names from the strategy above and was surprised that Gerald Green was as high as he is. I was also a bit surprised to see the Morrii on there, but looks like I'm not alone. I missed on Cliff Robinson, Rodney Rogers, and Wesley Person.

edit: lol looks like I'm late to the party. Booker is also on the top 25 list now

[bwgood77]

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18701196/how-jimmy-butler-rise-force-chicago-bulls-hand

[bwgood77]

Bill: Kudos to the Suns for dropping 15 of their last 16 while enjoying a feel-good moment (Devin Booker’s 70-pointer) and developing Tyler Ulis as their own version of The One That Got Away (Isaiah Thomas). Seriously, kudos. When you can tank AND build hope, that’s the Tankapalooza 2017 dream personified. But nothing tops the Lakers for paying Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov $34 million this year combined to go away, then trotting out Metta World Peace for 17 minutes of an actual NBA game to blow this week’s unexpected lead over the Spurs (and it didn’t work — they won!).

https://theringer.com/bill-simmons-ringer-unreal-nba-ballot-steph-russell-boogie-ce16fb3fde7a

[NTB]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/2017/04/08/steve-nash-q-and-a-kevin-durant-russell-westbrook-james-harden/100166310/?hootPostID=41b7ccc96af08de22463f2c9a922ff69

Steve Nash Q&A

[King4Day]

Saw someone post this on Reddit. Interesting tidbit:

Watch on YouTube

;feature=youtu.be

[King4Day]

http://www.nba.com/suns/blog/suns-fans-launch-devin-booker-space

[bwgood77]

This is a really good read..

We met up a number of times over the summer. Coach is big on film, and we watched a lot of it. Sometimes it was a Rockets game but mostly it was older stuff — from those run-and-gun Suns teams he coached. Basically, we watched a lot of Steve Nash running the point. Coach said he wanted me to study one of the great scoring point guards in the history of the game.

It was some of the most fun I’ve had in a film room. I can still see Coach pointing at the TV, getting excited about something Nash had done in a game. He’d pause the film, and we’d talk about Nash’s ability to change pace, or how he was reading the defense, or how he always seemed to get guys the ball who hadn’t touched it in a few possessions. Coach talked about how Nash was a vocal leader — something I’ve tried to improve on more and more each year. And he kept telling me how much Nash evolved as a player each season.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/james-harden-houston-rockets-2017-playoffs/

[bwgood77]

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20175109/lakers-celtics-sixers-more-potential-superteams-challenge-warriors-nba

Runner-up: Phoenix Suns

Phoenix GM Ryan McDonough knows what it takes to get this done. The 36-year-old was an assistant GM under Danny Ainge when they brought in Garnett and Allen in 2007. The chest is full of assets in Phoenix. The Suns have four top-10 picks on the roster who aren't even of drinking age yet: Devin Booker (20 years old), Josh Jackson (20), Dragan Bender (19) and Marquese Chriss (20).

Not only that, the Suns have the Heat's 2018 first-rounder (protected Nos. 1-7) and their unprotected 2021 first-rounder to toss in a deal, in addition to their own first-round picks going forward. Assuming the Suns don't attach any of those long-term prizes in a deal for Kyrie Irving, the Suns are set to be prime candidates for a superteam via trade.

There's no doubt that the Suns will be lurking in case a disgruntled star makes noise next season. Like Boston, the Suns figure to keep a close eye on New Orleans, but Kristaps Porzingis, Blake Griffin and Klay Thompson are all names to watch down the line.

I first missed that and was looking at build through the draft teams...

Spoiler:

The next '14 Warriors: Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets have quietly built an offensive machine in Denver. Fact: After Nikola Jokic joined the starting lineup in Dec. 15, the Nuggets -- not the KD edition of the Warriors, nor the LeBron-led Cavs -- owned the NBA's best offensive rating for the rest of the season (113.3 points pre 100 possessions). Yeah, that caught the rest of the NBA by surprise too.

And just like the Warriors, the Nuggets built an offensive juggernaut largely through the draft without needing a top-five pick. Like Draymond Green, Jokic was a gem found in the second round back in 2014. Talented guard Jamal Murray was the No. 7 selection in 2016, and Gary Harris was a sweet-shooting steal at No. 19 in 2014. Kenneth Faried was the No. 22 pick in 2011 during the Masai Ujiri regime.

Under the leadership of president Tim Connelly and Arturas Karnisovas, the Nuggets have nailed their draft picks lately. And like Golden State a few years ago, they've begun adding from the outside. This summer, the Nuggets acquired their version of Andre Iguodala in Paul Millsap, a star team-first veteran who can anchor both sides of the floor.

And they may not be done. With some cap creativity, the Nuggets could have up to $45 million in cap space (good enough for a max player) to add to an already strong core of Millsap, Jokic, Murray and Harris. If Denver declines Jokic's team option, he would join Harris in next summer's restricted free-agent class, giving Denver more flexibility next summer.

So who would be the Nuggets' KD? Don't overlook Chris Paul as a target. Denver's head honcho, Connelly, was the assistant GM in New Orleans in 2010 while Paul was there. And the Los Angeles Times reported that Denver was on Paul's short list of planned free agency meetings this summer before Houston pried him away. No team may ever replicate the Warriors' success through the draft, but Denver could have the best shot of anyone.

Runner-up: Milwaukee Bucks

This is another stud core built through the draft. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, Malcolm Brogdon and Thon Maker were all Bucks' selections, and only one (Parker) was a top-nine pick. (Milwaukee also traded for Khris Middleton after his rookie season in Detroit.) The Bucks have indeed hit the jackpot in the draft, but the Bucks' "own the future" slogan could be soon running on fumes.

Look at the cap sheet and you'll see that the Bucks in 2018 have $100 million in salary, just $2 million below the cap, thanks to some questionable long-term free agent signings in Mirza Teletovic, Matthew Dellavedova and John Henson (an extension, technically). A tough question for the retooled front office will be whether to pay up for Parker after two ACL tears when he becomes a restricted free agent.

As of now, it seems as if the only way to build a superteam is from within. The Bucks could be a tax team next summer if Parker's new contract commands a salary north of $20 million, limiting their options in free agency.

Still, if the core continues to develop like its has, the Bucks will be in prime position to take over the Eastern Conference when (if?) LeBron James heads West or begins to decline.

Dark horse: Sacramento Kings

Look, we can't believe we're mentioning Sacramento and Golden State in the same breath either. But the young core in Sacramento is tantalizing. Youngsters De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles represent a sky-high ceiling in Sacramento. With George Hill, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter presenting some much-needed veteran infrastructure, the kids could bring trouble to the rest of the NBA in a few years.

We're a long ways away from seeing if the Kings have something that resembles a playoff team, but the seeds have been planted. Look for the Kings to pounce in 2019 free agency with as much as $55 million in cap space with nine players under contract (all first- or second-round picks).

If they hit a couple home runs in the draft and manage the cap shrewdly, could they steal Klay Thompson in 2019? We like what's brewing up the coast in Sacramento.