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

[bwgood77]

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But they didn't add a big C off the bench..


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My biggest gripe is there is no actual Power Forward on this roster. Saric is a natural small forward forced to play Power forward right now, Jae is a natural small forward as well and Ayton has no real back up. Wish we could solidified the front line better.

Worries me a little bit concerning the Bucks. When both Lopez and Giannis play together is my only concern when we have to play them. Both are legit 7 footers. Granted Lopez likes to play more at the 3 point line at this stage of his career. But the last Bucks-Hawks game, Lopez dominated the post. Ayton is going to have to play heavy minutes.

Saric plays C and is a natural PF.

[bwgood77]

Random post since we'll have a lot of time before the finals.

I used to moderate the Suns forum on PSD back in the day, until the participation began to die out. This was the thread from game 6 of the 2010 WCF against LA. Nothing crazy but I saw someone commenting about basically continuing to develop and run it back if we keep Amar'e.
I'm not sure if we would have ever reached a finals, but looking back, and knowing how well Amar'e played in his first couple of seasons for NY, I do think we could have remained deep playoff contender, at least for the next couple seasons.

https://forums.prosportsdaily.com/showthread.php?490122-Western-Conference-Finals-Game6-LA-Lakers(3-2)-Phoenix-Suns(2-3)-5-29-10-8-30p-EST

I always said, especially in hindsight, I would have run it back, even with the decline his next 3 years. We still tried to compete a year or two post Nash. Anyway, water under the bridge.

Many disagreed with me, but if you are a contender and have a chance, you have to go all in as it's rare.

[irish22022]

I gotta be honest, I'm not sure I pay CP 3/120. I love the guy but with that we can sign pretty much anyone. Lowry would sign for less and shorter probably. We are gonna need that money if we want to keep our young guys here. If we throw CP that bag, it's bye bye bridges.

Also, the lineup of CP book crowder Craig ayton is pretty great and seriously disruptive. I hope we keep Craig.

[bwgood77]

If any of that happened, we likely do not get Booker at 13 or Ayton at 1.

The suffering was worth it.

Nice trip down memory lane, though.

I think we could. We still kept Nash two years...then post Nash brought Dragic back, went after Gordon, signed Beasley and tried to compete a 3rd year.

I think the result then is Nash is still gone after year 3 or too injured, and we still bring in McD and the same thing happens...we compete with Nash/Bledsoe, etc, and then get Warren, then Booker.

The thing is, we were still competitive enough those years anyway to get Booker, and when we completely tore it down getting rid of Tucker, Len, Dragic, etc, we still make those Bender/Chriss/Jackson picks. I think we likely end up with the same result but compete 2 years longer..maybe 3 to 2013. The 2013-14 year is when we got TJ in 2014 then Booker in 2015 both years we were still fringe playoff teams, not much different than our last two years with Nash anyway where we missed.

[bwgood77]

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They really tryna drag Sarver’s name through the mud to distract from his team’s success. It’s getting harder now that he doesn’t go out of his way to do dumb **** himself like he used to do.

Reading that link it doesn't sound negative at all...from the wife:

I guess when people see that video of Robert Sarver’s talk, you’re the person they’re most worried about. But you’re saying we have it all wrong. Explain.

No, because it was a joke. If you knew my husband, my husband was a jokester, I wasn’t upset, I think I laughed harder than anyone. They shouldn’t be worried about me, I take it all very well. My husband wasn’t some … whatever they say he was. Everything was embellished.

If I thought it was true, of course I would be upset. Because I know it’s not, it can be funny.

Can you help us understand Robert? I have been hearing from a lot of people who know him who say, in effect, that he talks like this often.

I’m not here to speak for Robert. I’ve never heard him say thing crazy things. He’s a kind, sweet, funny, generous man. A very kind man. He has a beautiful family, wife, boys. I’m not here to defend Robert, but I’ve never heard him say crazy, off-the-wall things.

Then if you watch the Sarver video linked, it doesn't sound bad at all.

This will not get traction. Why always looking for the negative?

[bwgood77]

I gotta be honest, I'm not sure I pay CP 3/120. I love the guy but with that we can sign pretty much anyone. Lowry would sign for less and shorter probably. We are gonna need that money if we want to keep our young guys here. If we throw CP that bag, it's bye bye bridges.

Also, the lineup of CP book crowder Craig ayton is pretty great and seriously disruptive. I hope we keep Craig.

Yeah, I'd over him 2/$95 over that and dump Saric next summer...still only puts us in the tax one year. Ultimately the contract shouldn't matter too much to us given we are in the tax anyway and couldn't sign Lowry instead...we unlikely have enough space unless we get rid of Saric too.

But we really have to avoid the repeater tax in 3 years, which is understandable.

[thamadkant]

Saric as backup PF/C is fine. But he needs to be able hit open 3s consistently. His passing and IQ is critical off the bench. He also needs to hit those close range shots better.

The problem is defensively. Saric would never be able to bother someone like Cousins because they both play similarly and Cousins thrive on slow bigs trying to body him up. But Saric is good against slow centers too in regards to getting open 3s and scoring under the rim.
What Suns need is Jalen Smith to be ready next season to be next to Saric. Jalen Smith has the athleticism and length to protect the rim from the weak side. What I hope the Suns are doing is developing Jalen Smith's perimeter defense, teaching him to stay grounded and contest the shot rather than try to jump and try to block shots exposing him for fouls or fakes which crumbles the defense. He needs to watch Ayton basically.

Jalen Smith has the skill sets and size and athleticism the Suns need as backup big next to Saric who makes great passes and high IQ plays generally.

[Ghost of Kleine]

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But they didn't add a big C off the bench..


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It's too bad, because JaVale McGee would have made a finals win a certainty.

We've certainly done really well in spite of being thin at the 5. And as long as we play uptempo, before opposing defenses can get set, it won't be too much of a paramount issue for us. Still, having another big for specific matchups/ situations, Wherein Ayton may sit or have fouls becomes more of a necessity than a luxury when considering neither of Saric or Kaminsky will offer much defense. And IF Davis hadn't gotten injured, AND Ayton had to sit, Would you then prefer a legitimate option at center or Saric or Kaminsky? So depending upon the team/ matchup, You really want to have that available tangible depth.

Luckily, There'll be no shortage of affordable options to consider in either free agency or in the draft. All in all, it is an important position that should be reasonably addressed.

[bwgood77]

But they didn't add a big C off the bench..


Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

It's too bad, because JaVale McGee would have made a finals win a certainty.

We've certainly done really well in spite of being thin at the 5. And as long as we play uptempo, before opposing defenses can get set, it won't be too much of a paramount issue for us. Still, having another big for specific matchups/ situations, Wherein Ayton may sit or have fouls becomes more of a necessity than a luxury when considering neither of Saric or Kaminsky will offer much defense. And IF Davis hadn't gotten injured, AND Ayton had to sit, Would you then prefer a legitimate option at center or Saric or Kaminsky? So depending upon the team/ matchup, You really want to have that available tangible depth.

Luckily, There'll be no shortage of affordable options to consider in either free agency or in the draft. All in all, it is an important position that should be reasonably addressed.

Maybe Craig, but regardless, I would have rather had Craig with that last spot than the Cs that were available.

[Revived]

Read on Twitter

They really tryna drag Sarver’s name through the mud to distract from his team’s success. It’s getting harder now that he doesn’t go out of his way to do dumb **** himself like he used to do.

Reading that link it doesn't sound negative at all...from the wife:

I guess when people see that video of Robert Sarver’s talk, you’re the person they’re most worried about. But you’re saying we have it all wrong. Explain.

No, because it was a joke. If you knew my husband, my husband was a jokester, I wasn’t upset, I think I laughed harder than anyone. They shouldn’t be worried about me, I take it all very well. My husband wasn’t some … whatever they say he was. Everything was embellished.

If I thought it was true, of course I would be upset. Because I know it’s not, it can be funny.

Can you help us understand Robert? I have been hearing from a lot of people who know him who say, in effect, that he talks like this often.

I’m not here to speak for Robert. I’ve never heard him say thing crazy things. He’s a kind, sweet, funny, generous man. A very kind man. He has a beautiful family, wife, boys. I’m not here to defend Robert, but I’ve never heard him say crazy, off-the-wall things.

Then if you watch the Sarver video linked, it doesn't sound bad at all.

This will not get traction. Why always looking for the negative?

Wait what? You might wanna read my post again.

I said their trying to drag Sarver’s name through the mud even when he’s not doing dumb stuff (like putting goats in the manager’s office). You didn’t have to quote the article, I read the articles before I share them here.

I said they tried to bring him down while the team is being successful but yes they failed because it was a known roast session.

[Revived]

But they didn't add a big C off the bench..


Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

It's too bad, because JaVale McGee would have made a finals win a certainty.

We've certainly done really well in spite of being thin at the 5. And as long as we play uptempo, before opposing defenses can get set, it won't be too much of a paramount issue for us. Still, having another big for specific matchups/ situations, Wherein Ayton may sit or have fouls becomes more of a necessity than a luxury when considering neither of Saric or Kaminsky will offer much defense. And IF Davis hadn't gotten injured, AND Ayton had to sit, Would you then prefer a legitimate option at center or Saric or Kaminsky? So depending upon the team/ matchup, You really want to have that available tangible depth.

Luckily, There'll be no shortage of affordable options to consider in either free agency or in the draft. All in all, it is an important position that should be reasonably addressed.

I think the area where the opposing teams injuries have helped the most is at the backup 5 position. Opposing teams would’ve planned to get AD/Murray/Ibaka/Kawhi etc in the game when Saric is and just cooked him. I mean he couldn’t hold up against a washed up Cousins either but thankfully Booker/CP3 attacked Cousins enough on the other end to where they couldn’t keep playing him very much.

And obviously the biggest one is Ayton’s durability. He’s been playing heavy mins, even some 40+ min games, without injury so thankfully we haven’t had to go into a nightmare scenario of having to start Dario Saric at the 5 in the playoffs.

Depth in the front court will definitely be something James Jones looks at in the off season imo. It’s a shame, Saric was supposed to be a good shooter and this season he’s probably the most open looks out of any player in the league due to the gravity of Booker and CP3 but he’s bricked them. Unless he has some sort of hand injury that they haven’t disclosed, he’s been the only disappointment in the playoffs for the Suns thus far.

[Revived]

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But they didn't add a big C off the bench..


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If Bucks advance, who are you rooting for in the Finals?

I saw a post of yours from a week ago or so in the Bucks forum where you said you weren’t worried about the Suns if Bucks have to play them in the finals. Just curious, do you still feel that way even with Giannis gimpy?

I thought it would be a good close series either way.

[Ghost of Kleine]

You really don't need a traditional 4 anymore. There's no offensively gifted PF centric offenses anymore, no Duncan or Garnett or Elton Brand or ZBO or even Dirk who will kill you on the block or from the elbow or get foul calls.

No one really generates a ton of offense from power fowards back to the basket game or even front-facing 4 anymore. Lakers do in spurts, but AD is really a center in 2021 and Ayton would have guarded him. Maybe Julius Randle? Giannis is a unicorn and presents different problems, mainly you NEED a defensive anchor against him and incredible transition defense/switching and perimeter defense against their shooters.

This is perhaps why Jones loaded up on wings and guards and "cheated" a bit in free agency. Although if Ayton went down, we would have been screwed.

You make do with 6'6-6'8 guys who can defend 2-4 and shoot the three. Crowder is the perfect guy for his price. Sure he gets beat a lot by smaller guards and can't guard AD, but that's 90% of the league.

Definitely some great points, And the fast break / up tempo style of play is most certainly to our benefit, And honestly always has been more or less our identity.

Although if Ayton went down, we would have been screwed.

This statement though is also true! Right now, Ayton is our only defensive anchor, Neither Saric nor Kaminsky offer much of any resistance defensively in the front court. IF Ayton did go down, We would have a very difficult time winning the rebounding battle, As well as preventing opposing teams from simply dominating us in the paint. This problem becomes exacerbated, As the opposing teams get higher percentage shots right at the rim, builds confidence, And then gets into a stronger rhythm, And as a result, They start hitting a ton of outside shots.

It's honestly much easier to defend the perimeter, When you know that you still have a secondary post defender/ solid rim protector behind you in the paint, Allowing you to extend your defense further out. Having wings such as Bridges, Craig , Cam Jo with length, and good rotational recovery speed certainly helps alot. But as evidenced in matchups against certain players : Morris, Gasol, Zubac, Drummond, etc,

That frontcourt big man depth is definitely an important asset to have for our lineup! As the saying goes, Better to have it and not need it, Than to need it, And not have it. Plsting fast paced with great defensive wings is great!!! But we just need a long athletic rim running alternative to Saric and Kaminsky, So that our wings can focus more on perimeter defense rather than constant collapse and recovery!

[Saberestar]

It's too bad, because JaVale McGee would have made a finals win a certainty.

We've certainly done really well in spite of being thin at the 5. And as long as we play uptempo, before opposing defenses can get set, it won't be too much of a paramount issue for us. Still, having another big for specific matchups/ situations, Wherein Ayton may sit or have fouls becomes more of a necessity than a luxury when considering neither of Saric or Kaminsky will offer much defense. And IF Davis hadn't gotten injured, AND Ayton had to sit, Would you then prefer a legitimate option at center or Saric or Kaminsky? So depending upon the team/ matchup, You really want to have that available tangible depth.

Luckily, There'll be no shortage of affordable options to consider in either free agency or in the draft. All in all, it is an important position that should be reasonably addressed.

I think the area where the opposing teams injuries have helped the most is at the backup 5 position. Opposing teams would’ve planned to get AD/Murray/Ibaka/Kawhi etc in the game when Saric is and just cooked him. I mean he couldn’t hold up against a washed up Cousins either but thankfully Booker/CP3 attacked Cousins enough on the other end to where they couldn’t keep playing him very much.

And obviously the biggest one is Ayton’s durability. He’s been playing heavy mins, even some 40+ min games, without injury so thankfully we haven’t had to go into a nightmare scenario of having to start Dario Saric at the 5 in the playoffs.

Depth in the front court will definitely be something James Jones looks at in the off season imo. It’s a shame, Saric was supposed to be a good shooter and this season he’s probably the most open looks out of any player in the league due to the gravity of Booker and CP3 but he’s bricked them. Unless he has some sort of hand injury that they haven’t disclosed, he’s been the only disappointment in the playoffs for the Suns thus far.

I hope Saric plays better in the Finals, because he has not played as well as he can play this season, but he has not been THAT bad.

He averaged 35% from three in the RS and is shooting 44% (8/18) from there so far in the playoffs so I would not say that "he's bricked them".

How many backup Cs shoot over 35% from three? Not too many at all.

[Ghost of Kleine]

It's too bad, because JaVale McGee would have made a finals win a certainty.

We've certainly done really well in spite of being thin at the 5. And as long as we play uptempo, before opposing defenses can get set, it won't be too much of a paramount issue for us. Still, having another big for specific matchups/ situations, Wherein Ayton may sit or have fouls becomes more of a necessity than a luxury when considering neither of Saric or Kaminsky will offer much defense. And IF Davis hadn't gotten injured, AND Ayton had to sit, Would you then prefer a legitimate option at center or Saric or Kaminsky? So depending upon the team/ matchup, You really want to have that available tangible depth.

Luckily, There'll be no shortage of affordable options to consider in either free agency or in the draft. All in all, it is an important position that should be reasonably addressed.

I think the area where the opposing teams injuries have helped the most is at the backup 5 position. Opposing teams would’ve planned to get AD/Murray/Ibaka/Kawhi etc in the game when Saric is and just cooked him. I mean he couldn’t hold up against a washed up Cousins either but thankfully Booker/CP3 attacked Cousins enough on the other end to where they couldn’t keep playing him very much.

And obviously the biggest one is Ayton’s durability. He’s been playing heavy mins, even some 40+ min games, without injury so thankfully we haven’t had to go into a nightmare scenario of having to start Dario Saric at the 5 in the playoffs.

Depth in the front court will definitely be something James Jones looks at in the off season imo. It’s a shame, Saric was supposed to be a good shooter and this season he’s probably the most open looks out of any player in the league due to the gravity of Booker and CP3 but he’s bricked them. Unless he has some sort of hand injury that they haven’t disclosed, he’s been the only disappointment in the playoffs for the Suns thus far.

I completely agree!

Also it is truly a shame about Saric. For awhile much as I hack on him for his inconsistencies, I really do love his effort and heart! And with all of our players put forth that much effort. However, I for my part just can't comprehend how a guy that's 6'10 and only 225 lbs is so terribly slow and unathletic? I mean am I missing something here? Is 220 lbs really that heavy and anchoring for a big? It simply baffles me that he for his size can't even play reasonable defense. And unfortunately, Without any semblance of legitimate defense, He becomes a " one trick pony" wherein IF he's not hitting his shots, He becomes barely playable depending upon the situation. Having another athletic 2 way defensive big with legitimate size and athleticism is paramount for us to help sustain our post defense, dominance, etc. Whenever Ayton sits. But also to afford Ayton reasonable rest and not to overwork or burn him out to quickly.

I think that for the money, The Suns will explore moving Sarics' salary for an expiring contract or draft assets in order to clear salary and acquire a better supporting fit at the 5 behind Ayton. Also, freeing up a bit more cap flexibility towards our depth and contractual scale increases.

[Ghost of Kleine]

It's too bad, because JaVale McGee would have made a finals win a certainty.

We've certainly done really well in spite of being thin at the 5. And as long as we play uptempo, before opposing defenses can get set, it won't be too much of a paramount issue for us. Still, having another big for specific matchups/ situations, Wherein Ayton may sit or have fouls becomes more of a necessity than a luxury when considering neither of Saric or Kaminsky will offer much defense. And IF Davis hadn't gotten injured, AND Ayton had to sit, Would you then prefer a legitimate option at center or Saric or Kaminsky? So depending upon the team/ matchup, You really want to have that available tangible depth.

Luckily, There'll be no shortage of affordable options to consider in either free agency or in the draft. All in all, it is an important position that should be reasonably addressed.

Maybe Craig, but regardless, I would have rather had Craig with that last spot than the Cs that were available.

Fair argument, And I love Craig! He was an absolute steal for us. I think he'll be a key player for us to resign! Having said that, additionally I would hope that we look to find a way to replace Sarics' salary with a better complimentary defensive center than can afford Ayton more rest with interest towards his overall long term durability, As well as more viable insurance should Ayton find himself in foul trouble or out due to injury. I just think it would be helpful to us to have secondary positional depth depth to help sustain us in any unforeseen situation.

[timetoshinebaby]

Biggest fear is if we win a chip, the whole thing being over quicker than we thought.

With rumours the Knicks sniffing around Paul and having a ton of cap space, it makes me nervous. The Knicks have a history and I could see them doing something silly, would they do a 3 year/130-140m type deal for CP3? And is the mission complete if he gets a chip?

Just would love he stays but I get nervous with New York as nothing would shock me in terms of $$$$.

[irish22022]

Biggest fear is if we win a chip, the whole thing being over quicker than we thought.

With rumours the Knicks sniffing around Paul and having a ton of cap space, it makes me nervous. The Knicks have a history and I could see them doing something silly, would they do a 3 year/130-140m type deal for CP3? And is the mission complete if he gets a chip?

Just would love he stays but I get nervous with New York as nothing would shock me in terms of $$$$.

I really don't think CP came here for one year. Maybe he did, who knows. If he leaves I'd hope out of respect for Jones and Monty he'd work out a sign and trade or something. Losing him for nothing in return would be a bummer.

[starbosa10]

Biggest fear is if we win a chip, the whole thing being over quicker than we thought.

With rumours the Knicks sniffing around Paul and having a ton of cap space, it makes me nervous. The Knicks have a history and I could see them doing something silly, would they do a 3 year/130-140m type deal for CP3? And is the mission complete if he gets a chip?

Just would love he stays but I get nervous with New York as nothing would shock me in terms of $$$$.

I really don't think CP came here for one year. Maybe he did, who knows. If he leaves I'd hope out of respect for Jones and Monty he'd work out a sign and trade or something. Losing him for nothing in return would be a bummer.

Can't see him going to NY when he's so close to his family in LA here

[timetoshinebaby]

Biggest fear is if we win a chip, the whole thing being over quicker than we thought.

With rumours the Knicks sniffing around Paul and having a ton of cap space, it makes me nervous. The Knicks have a history and I could see them doing something silly, would they do a 3 year/130-140m type deal for CP3? And is the mission complete if he gets a chip?

Just would love he stays but I get nervous with New York as nothing would shock me in terms of $$$$.

I really don't think CP came here for one year. Maybe he did, who knows. If he leaves I'd hope out of respect for Jones and Monty he'd work out a sign and trade or something. Losing him for nothing in return would be a bummer.

Can't see him going to NY when he's so close to his family in LA here

Thats what I thought initially but if the Knicks are stupid enough to offer 40-50m more, do you say no? Thats say $250-320,000 per week extra. Not chump change.