Game 66: New York Knicks (13-51) @ Phoenix Suns (14-51) - 9:00 PM ET

[bwgood77]

Marion was an all time great sun and super underrated. One thing that people forget about his time with phoenix was that he was an absolute potato when playoff time came around. Marion folded more times than a fallen soldiers American flag on his deathbox. (no disrespect, thank you for your service.) While I have no Idea what kind of player will prove to be in a playoff setting, I watched marion enough to know when it counted on the offensive end in the playoffs he was nowhere to be found almost ever. That being said its weird to me that people are comparing the two, their games arent anything alike at all.

His game got exposed in those Spurs series but he had some killer series notably Dallas 05’ and Clippers 06’. I hope Oubre can become half the player Shawn was.

Without him and a HUGE play against the Lakers in an elimination game we don't even play the Clippers in 06. potato in the playoffs? No.

[JJ13]

These guys are nothing like Marion other than being SFs. What are we doing here?

[timetoshinebaby]

Suns on the 3rd longest active winning streak in the NBA.

[lilfishi22]

Gotta remember Marion always had an all-star PG feeding him the ball, from Kidd, Marbury, to Nash. Again, Marion had a higher basketball IQ which led to easy transition buckets, fast break opportunities, good cuts, etc. I think Oubre fits the new generation of players where they are more perimeter oriented, and everyone trying to be like Kobe/Mj growing up.
I know Oubre had Wall as a PG in Washington but just watching Wizards ball you can tell they never really utilized Oubre the way he probably should be used.
Do I think Oubre is as good as Marion was? Not the complete package, but offensively I feel he can be. He just needs to be more efficient and I think that comes with more experience in the league. Marion was limited offensively and knew his limitations whereas Oubre (and Josh Jackson) try too much. Just stick to what your good at.

Yeah, that's the main thing with Oubre....and Josh. Don't force shots. Take what the offense gives. When Oubre is like 5-9 from the field but filling up the rest of the box I think it's great. When he takes shots in the teens, that isn't what he should be doing. He should be a utility guy...focus on defense, improve his 3 pt shooting. But he really needs to focus on team and off ball defense. He's pretty good on ball and gets some blocks/steals from gambling, but he has room for improvement in all areas. I know his lack of passing has been mentioned...he would need to improve that if he has high usage but I don't think he should be a high usage guy...the more passing the better as always but I'd rather him try and be more like a utility type who does have a better handle and can be a bit more of a go to guy if needed.

Marion was phenomenal with a very high bbiq though and was a super hard worker. We were just spoiled for a long time with great players and we try to equate our players now to them....and it can do those greats a bit of an injustice...at least at this point.

Yeah even today, prime Marion would probably be the 2nd best or even the best player on quite a few teams. That's how good Marion was even with his offensive flaws. And we had the luxury of having him as the THIRD best player.

[sunsbum]

Marion was an all time great sun and super underrated. One thing that people forget about his time with phoenix was that he was an absolute potato when playoff time came around. Marion folded more times than a fallen soldiers American flag on his deathbox. (no disrespect, thank you for your service.) While I have no Idea what kind of player will prove to be in a playoff setting, I watched marion enough to know when it counted on the offensive end in the playoffs he was nowhere to be found almost ever. That being said its weird to me that people are comparing the two, their games arent anything alike at all.

His game got exposed in those Spurs series but he had some killer series notably Dallas 05’ and Clippers 06’. I hope Oubre can become half the player Shawn was.

Without him and a HUGE play against the Lakers in an elimination game we don't even play the Clippers in 06. potato in the playoffs? No.

I'm not saying he was completely worthless, I specifically said on the offensive end, which he was in my opinion.

[cberry78]

Technically he's a starting forward now but a legit starting forward on a very good team (mid-tier playoff team) I don't buy

He strikes me as a great 3rd option. He doesn't need the ball in his hands, has great energy, plays hard no matter what the situation is. His game is different, but he reminds me a lot of Shawn Marion in that way. Say what you want about Trix, he was never likely to be the MAIN guy, but give him some good talent around him and he became an All-Star level player. That's what I see in Oubre.

Oubre is nowhere close to Marion. His recent play is encouraging, but he's horribly inefficient and his numbers are nowhere close over their careers thus far. What's funny is that TJ is actually the type of scorer who doesn't need the ball and PnRs to score. Get it to him open on the break, cutting to the rim, and from 3 and he delivers with crazy efficiency. Yet, everybody seems to hate TJ and love Josh Jackson and Oubre, who are inarguably worse players right now.

Oubre has a ton of potential in that he's really long, has great athleticism, and has a shooting stroke that is promising. I'm fine buying into his upside given his age. But he isn't worth the crazy numbers I've seen from suns fans on his new deal and even at his peak I doubt he ever reaches Marion territory. Marion was arguably the best defender in the league for damn near a decade, and Oubre isn't even the best defender on this terrible suns team (it's Bridges).

I don't hate TJ.

But seriously, is it possible to keep all 4 SF's next year, and keep them happy?

[jcsunsfan]

He strikes me as a great 3rd option. He doesn't need the ball in his hands, has great energy, plays hard no matter what the situation is. His game is different, but he reminds me a lot of Shawn Marion in that way. Say what you want about Trix, he was never likely to be the MAIN guy, but give him some good talent around him and he became an All-Star level player. That's what I see in Oubre.

Oubre is nowhere close to Marion. His recent play is encouraging, but he's horribly inefficient and his numbers are nowhere close over their careers thus far. What's funny is that TJ is actually the type of scorer who doesn't need the ball and PnRs to score. Get it to him open on the break, cutting to the rim, and from 3 and he delivers with crazy efficiency. Yet, everybody seems to hate TJ and love Josh Jackson and Oubre, who are inarguably worse players right now.

Oubre has a ton of potential in that he's really long, has great athleticism, and has a shooting stroke that is promising. I'm fine buying into his upside given his age. But he isn't worth the crazy numbers I've seen from suns fans on his new deal and even at his peak I doubt he ever reaches Marion territory. Marion was arguably the best defender in the league for damn near a decade, and Oubre isn't even the best defender on this terrible suns team (it's Bridges).

I don't hate TJ.

But seriously, is it possible to keep all 4 SF's next year, and keep them happy?

I think there is a very good chance we cut JJ loose this summer. If it takes that to sign a decent pg, its pretty much the same as a trade.

[Blonde]

These guys are nothing like Marion other than being SFs. What are we doing here?

Yup. Marion had a Draymond Green level impact. Nobody here is close to prime Matrix.

[LukasBMW]

These guys are nothing like Marion other than being SFs. What are we doing here?

Yup. Marion had a Draymond Green level impact. Nobody here is close to prime Matrix.

Marion was our second best player.

He was a ridiculous rebounder and arguably our best defender.

Amare got all the praise and most consider him 1B and Nash 1A, but Amare was awful on defense and a subpar rebounder. The closest we ever got to a Championship was 06 when Amare was out with microfracture and we lost to Dallas in the playoffs. Marion BEASTED that season and put up sick stats. I think he had 32 points and 22 rebounds one game VS Dallas. He was EVERYWHERE! One of the greatest performances I've ever seen in my life.

I maintain that if we had swapped Amare for KG (like Minnesota wanted) instead of offering Marion for KG (which Marion killed), we could have won a ring or two. Prime Nash + prime KG + prime Marion with Bell and Diaw and LB? Sigh. If only....

[Qwigglez]

Suns on the 3rd longest active winning streak in the NBA.

If we can sneak into the 8th seed playoff spot, maybe we can pull a 2006-07 Warriors and upset the 1st seed!
#AnythingIsPossibleKevinGarnett

[RunDogGun]

I am guessing people mean a Marion type impact, because its really tough to duplicate Marion as far as production. As for offense in the playoffs averaging, 9.1, 14.8, 18.5, 17.6, 20.4, 16.9 while in a Suns uniform is in no way being a potato, when you understand he was 21 the first year he made the playoffs. His rebounding was great all those years as well with 8.8, 8.3, 11.7, 11.8, 11.7, 10.4 per game. His steals were awesome as well. Blocks were crazy for a sf/pf at 1.6, 1.5, 1.8, 1.7, 1.2, 1.7.

I think people forget how good Marion was both regular season and in the playoffs. He usually guarded the toughest or second toughest player on the other team night in and night out regardless of position.

If any of our players could be close to that, that would be amazing. While Nash and Hill will remain my favorite Suns, Marion's jersey is the only one I bought for myself.

[Gorilla Warfare]

Why are we winning games now? I hate this.

[RunDogGun]

Why are we winning games now? I hate this.

Attitudes have changed, and players are trying harder. It is what it is.

[Qwigglez]

Why are we winning games now? I hate this.

Attitudes have changed, and players are trying harder. It is what it is.

Or... we don’t have stupid old vets who think they are the only ones to have the secret sauce to success. Chandler and Ariza both aren’t in the playoffs. I wonder if they are bitching just as much on their new squad. Now, we actually have players who try hard and play hard. Furthermore the players are perhaps starting to build a little team chemistry and learning each others style.

[MathiasPW]

Why are we winning games now? I hate this.

Come on, man, don't hate winning. Get out of that mindset.

We are 4 games behind the Bulls, where our odds at #1 would finally decrease, and only 16 games left. Winning does much more good than bad at this point.

[BobbieL]

These guys are nothing like Marion other than being SFs. What are we doing here?

Yup. Marion had a Draymond Green level impact. Nobody here is close to prime Matrix.

Marion is better than Draymond Green - well on the offensive end. Green is probably a better passer. I think Green is so hidden on that roster his skill set is over-valued.

If the rumor was true the Twolves wanted Amare for Garnett and not Marion - that was a mistake for the Suns not to pull the trigger on that trade.

Marion and Garnett on the defensive end would have been trouble for teams. Plus with Nash.... again every team has what ifs but come on …

[BobbieL]

Why are we winning games now? I hate this.

Come on, man, don't hate winning. Get out of that mindset.

We are 4 games behind the Bulls, where our odds at #1 would finally decrease, and only 16 games left. Winning does much more good than bad at this point.

Enough with tanking. The top 3 teams have the same % chance

Plus - except for Zion - I don't even want a top 6 pick based on players I have seen in mock drafts.