Preseason Game #1 : Phoenix Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers

[grumpysaddle]

Preseason champions. Time to plan the parade.

Is it me or does it seem like we play the Blazers in the first game of the year every year for like the last five years? I am not even sure about pre-season or regular season...at least one of the two.

Hasn't it been the Kings as the first game the past couple years? Also the last game of the season.

[nevetsov]

Len has a serious chance to earn some minutes with Chandler aging and Bender/Chriss still going through growing pains. Liked his activity today. Still has his boneheaded fouls but he stayed within himself and fought for rebounds.

I liked him with Bender. They were solid on defense, although everyone gave their bigs wide open shots most of the night. I really hope this is the Len we will see all year.

I thought the same. Bender certainly seemed the most comfortable when he didn't have to be the main guy on the inside. His strength right now is that he can do a little bit of everything, so playing as a utility/help guy alongside a true big in Len, allowed him to just do the little things (like doubling down, making that pass, even pushing the ball) that made the unit much more effective.

[Revived]

Preseason champions. Time to plan the parade.

Is it me or does it seem like we play the Blazers in the first game of the year every year for like the last five years? I am not even sure about pre-season or regular season...at least one of the two.

Yup. And on top of that, even though we only ever play them 4 times, sometimes I feel like we play them 8 times a year.

[Saberestar]

I have just finished watching the game and I am happy with our performance.

First and foremost I love to win. I know that it was a preseason game, but it's always a good feeling about the direction of the team. Our second unit + Warren made a great job in that fourth quarter.

Our starting five is the one that I expected. Bledsoe, Booker, Warren, Chriss and Chandler. Makes a ton of sense, but I think that Chandler is gonna play just 20 mpg at most.

Jackson is for now our sixth man, and he is perfect for that role at this point. He can play/defend multiple positions, so he can substitute any player at any moment. He played an agressive game, but he needs to pass a little bit more/better.

Bledsoe and Booker were rock solid, they played a good game.

Warren was our best player IMO. 24 points on 15 shots, 5 boards, 3 steals, 2 blocks....and some people on the GB were questioning his contract extension?? Laughable.

Chriss was a non factor out there. His defense needs to improve if we want to play him starting minutes.

Bender had a lot of bad actions out there. He needs to be more active on offense. He rebounded the ball pretty well, that was nice.

Chandler and DJJ played just a few minutes and were invisible on the court.

Ulis played a bad game, hopefully he just needs his rhythm back. 1/8 shooting.

Daniels played his game. He is a shooter and he spaces the court. I was pleased with his off the ball movement, I didn't know that he is so good at that.

Len played a great game. He was battling a rookie for the most part, but I don't care, he was focused and he put a big effort. He changed the game for us....14 points and 14 rebounds in just a few minutes. Wow.

Mike James was fantastic, he made great reads on offense after the pick and roll and he was solid on defense.

A good overall performance. Happy with this first preseason game.

[sunsbg]

Good - JJ keeps showing a star potential.

Bad - Chriss, Bender keep showing a lack of star potential. The Suns should try to determine their ceiling this season and use the one with the lower to obtain one of next draft's top 5 in case the team ends with a lower pick. No point in stockpiling a mediocre talent like Len only to lose it in the end of the rookie contract.

[NavLDO]

Looks like not offering Len a new contract has lit a fire under him. Now the question is, if we do eventually offer him a new deal, which Len would we get?

We get the same Len we always had; just need to show confidence in him, let him start the year, and we'll see a dbl-dbl machine, on average. He's been so woefully mismanaged and developed it's ridiculous.

[NavLDO]

When i see Warren square up to launch a 3......

Yeah. Homeboy still can't shoot from range. Wow

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Yeah...never mind he finished last season shooting 5 of 7 from 3 in his last 6 games of the regular season...or that he shot 40% through the entire season of his 2nd season in the league. But let's judge him on an 0-2 night in the first preseason game...

[RunDogGun]

Does any site have a box score for the game?

Dammit, i just want a boxscore, how hard is that!! ESPN took theirs down as soon as the game ended and NBA.com's is still saying its the 3rd quarter. #Sad.

There you go man,

http://scores.nbcsports.com/nba/boxscore.asp?gamecode=2017100322&home=22&vis=21&meta=true

Thank you very much. ESPN scores has every box score except our game.

[NavLDO]

Still can't believe people here wanted to throw Warren into every trade ever this summer. So glad that didn't happen. He's my favorite player on the team.

Thank you! Someone who gets it! Dude does it all, and if treated/developed properly this year...meaning, not sat in favor of the new, shiny 'toy' known as Josh Jackson, he'll get the chance to show the rest of the NBA, as he started to last year, that he's a force to be reckoned with. Everyone is so concerned about his 3s, but who cares, when he flat out scores...oh, and blocks shots, steals, and rebounds as well.

Wiggins for $148M...or Warren for $50M...hmmm...and funny thing is, as I've gone on my soapbox before, Warren is actually the better all-around player. I don't care what the 'eye test' indicates, it's about who gets it done, and Warren just quietly goes about getting his business done.

[Qwigglez]

Didn't get to watch the game. Does anyone know where to watch it online?

[RunDogGun]

Looks like not offering Len a new contract has lit a fire under him. Now the question is, if we do eventually offer him a new deal, which Len would we get?

We get the same Len we always had; just need to show confidence in him, let him start the year, and we'll see a dbl-dbl machine, on average. He's been so woefully mismanaged and developed it's ridiculous.

I'm not sure if he was mismanaged. He has been inconsistent throughout his time here. Some games he looks awesome, and other games he looks completely clueless. Last night, other than that last foul, he did great. He rolled correctly, had his hands ready, and finished when needed. He didn't force shots. He boxed out well, and was aggressive on the boards.

Now I'd love it if this is the Len we consistently will see all season, but let's not pretend his problems were really coaching problems.

[jredsaz]

When i see Warren square up to launch a 3......

Yeah. Homeboy still can't shoot from range. Wow

Sent from my SM-N920V using RealGM mobile app

Yeah...never mind he finished last season shooting 5 of 7 from 3 in his last 6 games of the regular season...or that he shot 40% through the entire season of his 2nd season in the league. But let's judge him on an 0-2 night in the first preseason game...

You're right. We should use the 7 shots he took in three games at the end of last season and the season he had 70 attempts total. He had 90 attempts last season and shot 26% from deep.

It doesn't look like Warrens mechanics have improved. Jackson doesn't look like he has refined his shooting stroke either. He went 2/3 last night from three but I am dubious of both players long term success from behind the arch if they can't improve their mechanics.

Sent from my SM-N920V using RealGM mobile app

[RunDogGun]

Len has a serious chance to earn some minutes with Chandler aging and Bender/Chriss still going through growing pains. Liked his activity today. Still has his boneheaded fouls but he stayed within himself and fought for rebounds.

I liked him with Bender. They were solid on defense, although everyone gave their bigs wide open shots most of the night. I really hope this is the Len we will see all year.

I thought the same. Bender certainly seemed the most comfortable when he didn't have to be the main guy on the inside. His strength right now is that he can do a little bit of everything, so playing as a utility/help guy alongside a true big in Len, allowed him to just do the little things (like doubling down, making that pass, even pushing the ball) that made the unit much more effective.

The thing I didn't like about his game, was his lack of adjustment on his shot choice. Three threes, all pretty flat shots. He should have started with a decent mid range shot, or after bricking the first three, then get an inside shot. Other than that, I liked how he played. He was called for some ticky tack fouls, especially compared to Collins from the Blazers, who held players, had a few moving screens, and some just obvious fouls that weren't called.

[RunDogGun]

Still can't believe people here wanted to throw Warren into every trade ever this summer. So glad that didn't happen. He's my favorite player on the team.

Thank you! Someone who gets it! Dude does it all, and if treated/developed properly this year...meaning, not sat in favor of the new, shiny 'toy' known as Josh Jackson, he'll get the chance to show the rest of the NBA, as he started to last year, that he's a force to be reckoned with. Everyone is so concerned about his 3s, but who cares, when he flat out scores...oh, and blocks shots, steals, and rebounds as well.

Wiggins for $148M...or Warren for $50M...hmmm...and funny thing is, as I've gone on my soapbox before, Warren is actually the better all-around player. I don't care what the 'eye test' indicates, it's about who gets it done, and Warren just quietly goes about getting his business done.

I didn't understand why so many here were putting him in so many trades either. I like Warren a lot, and had zero desire to move him. The one thing which concerns me, is it seems like we don't have any plays which really works to each player's strengths. It still seems like we just let our guys try and set up their own shot, which sometimes results in forced shots.

[NavLDO]

Yeah. Homeboy still can't shoot from range. Wow

Sent from my SM-N920V using RealGM mobile app

Yeah...never mind he finished last season shooting 5 of 7 from 3 in his last 6 games of the regular season...or that he shot 40% through the entire season of his 2nd season in the league. But let's judge him on an 0-2 night in the first preseason game...

You're right. We should use the 7 shots he took in three games at the end of last season and the season he had 70 attempts total. He had 90 attempts last season and shot 26% from deep.

It doesn't look like Warrens mechanics have improved. Jackson doesn't look like he has refined his shooting stroke either. He went 2/3 last night from three but I am dubious of both players long term success from behind the arch if they can't improve their mechanics.

Sent from my SM-N920V using RealGM mobile app

You'e making my point for me. You are using ONE game...a preseason one at that...the first one at that...and you can determine based on two attempts that he "still can't shoot from range"?

70 attempts two years ago isn't worthy, but an interrupted season by injury, followed by two preseason attempts, and you've got it figured out that Warren can't shoot from 3? The 70 attempts from 2 years ago don't count, somehow? Did he get 'lucky' for an entire season? Is that what you are saying? It couldn't possibly have anything to do with coaching changes/injuries, etc? You're so quick to dismiss 70 attempts, but willing to take 90 as gospel? Or two in the preseason? OK, suit yourself...

[sunsbg]

It's not Warren's and Jackson's game to stand at the 3 point line and shoot 3s at a high volume/percentage. Can't people just accept it ? How many 3 point specialists are there in the league from what..400 players (100 wings) ?

[RunDogGun]

I don't think Warren's mechanics are bad, he just seems to shoot better when he has some movement, running to a jump shot or running tear drops. That's really tough to do at the three point line. Maybe if he was able to develop a two step dribble, then the three, or catching a pass after a running to the three point line. The latter will require a solid pass so Warren can stay in rhythm.

[jredsaz]

Yeah...never mind he finished last season shooting 5 of 7 from 3 in his last 6 games of the regular season...or that he shot 40% through the entire season of his 2nd season in the league. But let's judge him on an 0-2 night in the first preseason game...

You're right. We should use the 7 shots he took in three games at the end of last season and the season he had 70 attempts total. He had 90 attempts last season and shot 26% from deep.

It doesn't look like Warrens mechanics have improved. Jackson doesn't look like he has refined his shooting stroke either. He went 2/3 last night from three but I am dubious of both players long term success from behind the arch if they can't improve their mechanics.

Sent from my SM-N920V using RealGM mobile app

You'e making my point for me. You are using ONE game...a preseason one at that...the first one at that...and you can determine based on two attempts that he "still can't shoot from range"?

70 attempts two years ago isn't worthy, but an interrupted season by injury, followed by two preseason attempts, and you've got it figured out that Warren can't shoot from 3? The 70 attempts from 2 years ago don't count, somehow? Did he get 'lucky' for an entire season? Is that what you are saying? It couldn't possibly have anything to do with coaching changes/injuries, etc? You're so quick to dismiss 70 attempts, but willing to take 90 as gospel? Or two in the preseason? OK, suit yourself...

I hope you're right. But added up, all college and pro attempts, Warren shoots about 31% from 3. His inconsistency tells me there is so.ething wrong with his mechanics. The eye test tells me there is something wrong with his mechanics. Until he gets that fixed, odds are he will remain inconsistent.

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[ImNotMcDiSwear]

I don't think Warren's mechanics are bad, he just seems to shoot better when he has some movement, running to a jump shot or running tear drops. That's really tough to do at the three point line. Maybe if he was able to develop a two step dribble, then the three, or catching a pass after a running to the three point line. The latter will require a solid pass so Warren can stay in rhythm.

It seemed like he had his shooting under control last game. We went to him when he needed a bucket, and he shot long 2s... but they went in. They were in rhythm. They were his shots.

[gaspar]

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