2021 Playoff and Offseason Speculation - the playoffs. PLAYOFFS????

[Barkley6]

New to the forum! Long time suns fan and follower of the forum! gotta like the suns chances at attracting one of the names on the buyout market. Do you all think theres a chance PJ Tucker is of interest? obviously having him would seem slightly redundant with the wing being such a position of strength for us.

I think that Book and CP3 would like to play with Tucker again. They love him and they know his value as a player pretty well.

I would love to bring him back after his buyout. Tucker could play some 4/5 and he always finds the way to play minutes on any team.

Alright, so we trade Jevon Carter and a 2nd rounder to Cleveland for McGee and then sign Tucker as a FA when he's bought out.

[TouchPassDario]

PJ is having a rough season, upon review. Maybe needs a change of scenery.

[Saberestar]

New to the forum! Long time suns fan and follower of the forum! gotta like the suns chances at attracting one of the names on the buyout market. Do you all think theres a chance PJ Tucker is of interest? obviously having him would seem slightly redundant with the wing being such a position of strength for us.

I think that Book and CP3 would like to play with Tucker again. They love him and they know his value as a player pretty well.

I would love to bring him back after his buyout. Tucker could play some 4/5 and he always finds the way to play minutes on any team.

Alright, so we trade Jevon Carter and a 2nd rounder to Cleveland for McGee and then sign Tucker as a FA when he's bought out.

I would be OK with McGee for free but you need to consider his LOW basketball IQ.

You can not rely on him never to end a close game, and there are so many plays when he just go for the wrong play.

He is LONG and a freak athlete for his size and age, but I would prefer an smaller guy as Tucker because he is smart and can score from three.

[spwashton]

Was thinking of viable bigs on the market we could pursue. What about Mo Bamba? certainly a buy-low prospect and wouldn't move the needle much in terms of winning this year and certainly matching salary would be something to consider. Long term! could be a great big of the bench and compliment to Ayton, vaguely remember them being close during the draft? might be wrong there.

[Barkley6]

I think that Book and CP3 would like to play with Tucker again. They love him and they know his value as a player pretty well.

I would love to bring him back after his buyout. Tucker could play some 4/5 and he always finds the way to play minutes on any team.

Alright, so we trade Jevon Carter and a 2nd rounder to Cleveland for McGee and then sign Tucker as a FA when he's bought out.

I would be OK with McGee for free but you need to consider his LOW basketball IQ.

You can not rely on him never to end a close game, and there are so many plays when he just go for the wrong play.

He is LONG and a freak athlete for his size and age, but I would prefer an smaller guy as Tucker because he is smart and can score from three.

The way I look at it with McGee is he's got legit size, is a good rim protector and can be effective in limited minutes. He's won 3 championships, and while that says more about the talent around him, it certainly does give him a winning pedigree.

The things McGee brings are things that we lack when Ayton sits (rim protection being the main one). I'm not a huge fan of getting another undersized player.

[TouchPassDario]

McGee’s shooting regression this year appears to be strongly correlated to his lower dunk rate. I’m assuming Cleveland is not spacing the floor enough for him to be effective on offense. I think he would be worth an add, with Dario’s injury issues.

[Barkley6]

Was thinking of viable bigs on the market we could pursue. What about Mo Bamba? certainly a buy-low prospect and wouldn't move the needle much in terms of winning this year and certainly matching salary would be something to consider. Long term! could be a great big of the bench and compliment to Ayton, vaguely remember them being close during the draft? might be wrong there.

I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to this with the intention of making Bamba a long term backup C, but what would Orlando want? Is Bamba comfortable at this point in his career being a role player?

I also think that as long as CP3 is on the roster, we don't have room for projects. We are competing well right now and if we continue at this level, we could be looking at a WCF or further run. The future is always a big concern, but for the first time in a long time we are in win now mode, and I want to find someone that can help us this season rather than a season or two down the line.

[Barkley6]

McGee’s shooting regression this year appears to be strongly correlated to his lower dunk rate. I’m assuming Cleveland is not spacing the floor enough for him to be effective on offense. I think he would be worth an add, with Dario’s injury issues.

I think another reason he's a good pickup is he is the exact type of C Ayton struggles against, guys who are as big or bigger than he is. I don't suspect Ayton ever had much challenge going up against Jones in practice, and Frank is no defensive stalwart.

Getting a guy like McGee would be a good way to get Ayton some work on the practice court.

[Saberestar]

Alright, so we trade Jevon Carter and a 2nd rounder to Cleveland for McGee and then sign Tucker as a FA when he's bought out.

I would be OK with McGee for free but you need to consider his LOW basketball IQ.

You can not rely on him never to end a close game, and there are so many plays when he just go for the wrong play.

He is LONG and a freak athlete for his size and age, but I would prefer an smaller guy as Tucker because he is smart and can score from three.

The way I look at it with McGee is he's got legit size, is a good rim protector and can be effective in limited minutes. He's won 3 championships, and while that says more about the talent around him, it certainly does give him a winning pedigree.

The things McGee brings are things that we lack when Ayton sits (rim protection being the main one). I'm not a huge fan of getting another undersized player.

But look how we play on our offensive sets.

Our bigs are good passers and can score out of the paint, that is something that Saric, Ayton and Kaminsky have in common.

Damian Jones is a big freak athlete (close to McGee) that was not successful even on a small role on the team because he lacks awareness, shooting and passing IMO.

[Barkley6]

McGee’s shooting regression this year appears to be strongly correlated to his lower dunk rate. I’m assuming Cleveland is not spacing the floor enough for him to be effective on offense. I think he would be worth an add, with Dario’s injury issues.

I think another reason he's a good pickup is he is the exact type of C Ayton struggles against, guys who are as big or bigger than he is. I don't suspect Ayton ever had much challenge going up against Jones in practice, and Frank is no defensive stalwart.

Getting a guy like McGee would be a good way to get Ayton some work on the practice court.

On that, I do somewhat think that this might be part of the reason Ayton has slid back a little bit on offense this year. In year one he had Chandler for some of the year and Holmes for the rest as guys to work against in practice. Both of those guys gave him a big challenge and forced him to work hard. Then in year 2, he had Baynes as the opposing big in practice (Wonder if Baynes being out during the Bubble had something to do with Ayton's regression during that time....)

And now this year he had Jones and Kaminsky, and the rookie Smith, who are guys that Ayton probably feels like he can get whatever he wants against without breaking a sweat.

McGee would be a great challenge for him on a daily basis on the practice court and I think that might be just what Ayton needs to bring that aggression on a more regular basis.

[Barkley6]

I would be OK with McGee for free but you need to consider his LOW basketball IQ.

You can not rely on him never to end a close game, and there are so many plays when he just go for the wrong play.

He is LONG and a freak athlete for his size and age, but I would prefer an smaller guy as Tucker because he is smart and can score from three.

The way I look at it with McGee is he's got legit size, is a good rim protector and can be effective in limited minutes. He's won 3 championships, and while that says more about the talent around him, it certainly does give him a winning pedigree.

The things McGee brings are things that we lack when Ayton sits (rim protection being the main one). I'm not a huge fan of getting another undersized player.

But look how we play on our offensive sets.

Our bigs are good passers and can score out of the paint, that is something that Saric, Ayton and Kaminsky have in common.

Damian Jones is a big freak athlete (close to McGee) that was not successful even on a small role on the team because he lacks awareness, shooting and passing IMO.

You're right, but I think McGee has a slightly higher BBIQ than Jones, and McGee made it work on GSW and LAL in recent seasons. He's not a guy you want to rely on for big chunks of time, but someone who can be an energy big and make a difference on the glass and in the paint. I think if you play McGee with a lineup like...Book, Moore, Cam and Crowder, you can maximize his effectiveness and mitigate his low BBIQ by surrounding him with guys who will move the ball well.

[Saberestar]

The way I look at it with McGee is he's got legit size, is a good rim protector and can be effective in limited minutes. He's won 3 championships, and while that says more about the talent around him, it certainly does give him a winning pedigree.

The things McGee brings are things that we lack when Ayton sits (rim protection being the main one). I'm not a huge fan of getting another undersized player.

But look how we play on our offensive sets.

Our bigs are good passers and can score out of the paint, that is something that Saric, Ayton and Kaminsky have in common.

Damian Jones is a big freak athlete (close to McGee) that was not successful even on a small role on the team because he lacks awareness, shooting and passing IMO.

You're right, but I think McGee has a slightly higher BBIQ than Jones, and McGee made it work on GSW and LAL in recent seasons. He's not a guy you want to rely on for big chunks of time, but someone who can be an energy big and make a difference on the glass and in the paint. I think if you play McGee with a lineup like...Book, Moore, Cam and Crowder, you can maximize his effectiveness and mitigate his low BBIQ by surrounding him with guys who will move the ball well.

I don't know... I think we need to avoid low basketball IQ players. Just remember how he played against us last month.

We play a ton of handoffs and screens/re-screens at the 3p line, and the last thing I want is a player like McGee having the ball in his hands away from the basket to make the next move on our sets. He can't pass, his assists number during his career are atrocious (0.4).

At the same time I would agree about signing him IF there is no one better than him available before the playoffs, but I doubt it.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Bill Simmons estimated Bridges to get 85/4.

Is Ayton worth more or the same?

[bwgood77]

Blazers is bums, can't count on them to do anything

I'd rather they lose. I'd like some space between the top 4 seeds and the rest so we can secure HCA in the first round. If we have higher aspirations as a 1 seed.

However, I guess 538 has us projected at 46-26 with the Lakers at 47-25 so I suppose a loss would be nice considering they were not even playing that well with AD, given how they went to OT twice in a row against OKC.

That would give us HCA against them if we both advanced in the 2nd round too if we could get ahead of them. I doubt we catch the Jazz, or the Clippers if they remain healthy.

But would you rather be the 4 seed and face the Jazz in the 2nd round if we advance or the 3 seed and face the Clips? I'd prefer to face the Jazz...we match up better. I think the Clips are the team to beat this year and I think if healthy they'd have a record similar to the Jazz with more star power...and could probably play Gobert off the court in the playoffs if they went small with 2-3 guards and George, Kawhi and possibly Batum or their Morris. That would render Gobert useless.

Currently though, 538 has the Nuggets 5th at 44-38 and the Blazers 6th at 38-34...so we could likely face the Nuggets in the first round and that would be a very tough series. Ayton would have his work cut out against Jokic, but he seems to respect Jokic a great deal and take it as a personal challenge.

I also expect considerable improvement from Ayton, particularly on offense, after the all star break. I think he is still over processing and over analyzing everything he hears from CP3 about plays. And I think it's a huge adjustment from Rubio who plays a lot faster and instinctual and developed great chemistry with Ayton by the end of January when Ayton was scoring 20-25 regularly with 13-17 boards....he is just so much better in transition than with this slow down stuff with a set defense which double and triple teams him.

Clippers will also be players in the buyout market. I have read they have interest in Kyle Lowry but I think it would cost them Zubac, Sweet Lou and PatBev whereas I think for the Sixers its just Danny Green and another cap filler.

Will be interesting - Suns have the ability to make a 2 for 1 now with Jones gone - an interesting trade dealine and buyout market this year compared to past year.

I don't really see us making a trade unless maybe a solid big man is available and another team likes Galloway and maybe Carter. Carter is eligible to trade like March 4th.

But our team is doing so well, I'm not sure we make a move except maybe sign a big that's a FA or in the G league like those names I posted.

Though Saric has been out almost all year so we should probably consider the trade market, but I can't see someone really wanting Carter or Galloway that much, unless they just want to dump a C and get some guard depth. I would say Detroit who has tons of bigs (though not sure if any cheap good ones, and no GoK, they won't trade their rookie big, Tillman or whoever for Carter and Galloway), but the Pistons let Galloway go. But they have just let Rose go and Hayes has been hurt. I guess they have DSJr now and Delon Wright but they had wanted to play Wright at the 2.

[suns12345]

Bill Simmons estimated Bridges to get 85/4.

Is Ayton worth more or the same?

If we can get the both for that we will be set up for long term success.

I think Ayton may get slightly more. No doubt in my mind that the #1 pick tag and athletic potential will factor in even if they shouldn't

[bwgood77]

New to the forum! Long time suns fan and follower of the forum! gotta like the suns chances at attracting one of the names on the buyout market. Do you all think theres a chance PJ Tucker is of interest? obviously having him would seem slightly redundant with the wing being such a position of strength for us.

Welcome to the forums! I love PJ Tucker but not sure. I think he would want to start (though I don't know what contender he would start for)...he could really give us that "leave your heart on the floor" mentality that Booker and Ayton could use though...Booker on D and Ayton sometimes on both sides, but more getting fired up on O.

I think Tucker probably had some influence on Booker early and his killer mentality.

It could also strengthen the bench with Cam and Jae coming off together. Not sure we have salary to match. I read two 2nds are the price...and we have traded a lot of those, but we'd also need to send out about $8.5 million. I don't think we have enough...maybe with Carter, Galloway and Moore but that doesn't really do much for them with two expirings and only keeping Carter, unless they really like him. That would deplete our guard depth though.

We could send Frank though too instead..him and Carter.

[bwgood77]

Was thinking of viable bigs on the market we could pursue. What about Mo Bamba? certainly a buy-low prospect and wouldn't move the needle much in terms of winning this year and certainly matching salary would be something to consider. Long term! could be a great big of the bench and compliment to Ayton, vaguely remember them being close during the draft? might be wrong there.

Orlando won't give up on him. I noticed he was 3-3 on 3s last night.

[bwgood77]

Bill Simmons estimated Bridges to get 85/4.

Is Ayton worth more or the same?

Hard to say. That's similar to 538's projection for Bridges coming into the season at 5/$103...a little over $20 a year.

I don't know that we will give either an extension or if they will want one unless it's high..most extensions are the max ones.

So it may depend on how they play. I expect Ayton to improve more the last half of this year and next year.

Bridges is more important now, though we have zero depth behind Ayton so in that respect you could argue he is more important.

I guess you could really argue Ayton is more important solely because of gravity and always pulling two defenders. A lot of defense of Booker always having to go against double teams, which he should pass out of quickly before he gets trapped and turns it over. Ayton makes the quick pass when doubled and gets criticized though even though it's better than going against 2 defenders in the post, which he can sometimes finish but it's not as good of a proposition as an open 3.

I think they should maybe get the same. If Ayton cleans things up and improves though, he might get better...though Bridges could improve too....he has in some respect, adding to his offensive game, becoming elite 3 pt shooter, but maybe a slight defensive regression, though he still always gets the toughest assignments and no one "shuts down" those guys like many seem to expect.

[spanishninja]

Clippers just lost. If Warriors can beat the Lakers and we don't **** it up tonight, we'll be in a tie for first in the division!

[bigfoot]

New to the forum! Long time suns fan and follower of the forum! gotta like the suns chances at attracting one of the names on the buyout market. Do you all think theres a chance PJ Tucker is of interest? obviously having him would seem slightly redundant with the wing being such a position of strength for us.

Welcome to the forums! I love PJ Tucker but not sure. I think he would want to start (though I don't know what contender he would start for)...he could really give us that "leave your heart on the floor" mentality that Booker and Ayton could use though...Booker on D and Ayton sometimes on both sides, but more getting fired up on O.

I think Tucker probably had some influence on Booker early and his killer mentality.

It could also strengthen the bench with Cam and Jae coming off together. Not sure we have salary to match. I read two 2nds are the price...and we have traded a lot of those, but we'd also need to send out about $8.5 million. I don't think we have enough...maybe with Carter, Galloway and Moore but that doesn't really do much for them with two expirings and only keeping Carter, unless they really like him. That would deplete our guard depth though.

We could send Frank though too instead..him and Carter.

I remember when people would get pissed at PJ because he helped win games and they complained he ruined the tank.