2021-22 Season Discussion and Speculation

[Revived]

So is the Sarver news story thing dead?

This thing was supposed to be some massive big thing and now nothing.

What a joke.

[Ghost of Kleine]

So is the Sarver news story thing dead?

This thing was supposed to be some massive big thing and now nothing.

What a joke.

Definitely not looking good! Especially for Mr. Flex I'll personally give it till around early next week. And then I think you have to call it. Saver story time of death.............????

The really bad part of all of this is that Saver would likely become even worse than before. And the residual fallout of never knowing the truth, It could hang like a dark cloud over our franchise for awhile. Affecting many things. What I just can't figure out is IF this is in fact false and a baseless attack on our franchise ownership, Then what's the end goal here! What is the motive for creating this much chaos???

Could there be any silver lining in this? Like would it cause Saver to be much more cautious and respectful/ diplomatic in his interactions with everyone? Or would he become more brazen and arrogant if there was some legitimacy to this story but he was somehow able to suppress the story and get past this?

[bwgood77]

Stix has looked pretty good in limited time. I agree that he may have earned a few rotation minutes. The big thing with him so far has been a lack of mistakes, which is key for a young player on a good team. Though my guess is Monty will wait to pull the trigger until an injury clear the way.

As much praise as McGee was getting for his play in the Blazers game thread, I thought he was a net neutral or negative. Turnovers, blown layups, getting beat in the P&R. Smith may end up getting some of Javale's minutes, too.

Ultimately I'd give Nader's minutes to a combination of Bridges, Cam and Crowder, particularly if we are having problems winning, or even keeping games close, especially mostly due to long range shooting by the opposition. If we are winning big I'd give Stix minutes, or if a team played small ball with 2nd unit or if Ayton was in foul trouble.

I disagree. Crowder, Cam and Bridges are not exactly playing great basketball. Bridges has played well but not great. For sure not $95 million great. Stix gets another big in the line up and in his limited minutes he goes after every rebound in sight. He deserves minutes, now. We should not relegate him to just mop up.

Isn't Bridges going to make $90 starting next year? So like $20 million?

He absolutely is already playing well enough to make that given his likely league best efficiency for a wing on his volume and stellar D.

He is also only making $5.5 million this year. Definitely closer to level of play to support that contract starting next year than our starting guards are playing to support their current ones.

[bwgood77]

Spoiler:

So our starters, other than Paul and Bridges not good, particularly Jae on offense (well, and defense) and Booker on defense (though equal with Ayton on offensive points added according to their model). Outside of that our bench has played a little better against opponents but still has been outscored. I wonder how bad we'd be looking with Bridges and Paul.

The calls for starting Cam Johnson should come pouring in soon

Been dialing that number for a while. Crowder is the weak link on this roster. But it seems set.... Cam is a cog on the second squad. It is the way it is for now. Monty won’t change things up without an injury to force him.

Crowder streaky. Cam important off bench and can't provide quite the resistance on D against big PFs. He still was overall a solid 3 pt shooter last year at 39%. Also may have told Jae he would start when signing him.

Bench role for Cam likely keeps any extension down unless he puts it off. Shouldn't get any more than $16 a year though. Maybe more like $14 depending on whether he does start and up his overall impact. Crowder starting ahead of him (even if not worthy) only makes $10 despite several teams pursuing him.

[bwgood77]

So is the Sarver news story thing dead?

This thing was supposed to be some massive big thing and now nothing.

What a joke.

Definitely not looking good! Especially for Mr. Flex I'll personally give it till around early next week. And then I think you have to call it. Saver story time of death.............????

The really bad part of all of this is that Saver would likely become even worse than before. And the residual fallout of never knowing the truth, It could hang like a dark cloud over our franchise for awhile. Affecting many things. What I just can't figure out is IF this is in fact false and a baseless attack on our franchise ownership, Then what's the end goal here! What is the motive for creating this much chaos???

Could there be any silver lining in this? Like would it cause Saver to be much more cautious and respectful/ diplomatic in his interactions with everyone? Or would he become more brazen and arrogant if there was some legitimacy to this story but he was somehow able to suppress the story and get past this?

If it was supposed to run at the end of the regular season any delay shouldn't mean it's dead, but if they want to maximize impact, they probably will hold off after the Schultz tweet and Sarver/Crowley statements.

[bwgood77]

I think part of the issue with Ayton is that his weakness of staying consistently engaged is also the biggest key to his success in his current role as a defensive anchor, screener, and finisher around the rim. Centers are responsible for getting themselves involved on offense unless they're Embiid, Jokic, Bam, Giannis, etc. that have strong scoring, ball handling, playmaking, and/or shooting. Ayton's improvement on defense has been clear, but he really hasn't shown much skill development on offense since coming into the league, which can be frustrating for those who expected Ayton to be the Suns first dominant center rather than our Gobert. Maybe he'll get there, though it'll take time.

A lot of it has to do with passiveness. I think he’s too afraid of taking shots unless it’s set up perfectly for him. On occasion he looks to create on his own but it’s rare. Not sure if it’s a matter of him worried about messing up his very high FG% or what but he looks to pass first, second and third before looking to score. Thing is for the Suns, they need him to be a scorer in the games where the other teams are forcing them off the 3pt line or the games where the jumper isn’t falling.

He had a possession against the Lakers where they found him in the paint and he made some slight move and was wide open at the rim for an easy layup or dunk but passed it to Bridges instead without even looking at the rim. It summed up his offensive mindset in one play.

I think some of CP3 and Book’s hesitation in passing to him when he tries to post up is because they know he’s just going to pass the ball immediately after getting it instead of at least looking to score even when he has a mismatch on him (like he passed out at least 3 times when he the tiny 6’3 Westbrook on him in the paint).

He usually passes out after offensive rebounds unless close enough for tip in partly likely because he isn't sure how many defenders are around him and he also finds a wide open guy.

As for a couple plays against the Lakers in the 4th when they passed to him, he definitely looked out of sorts after his ruffle with AD and passed out of a couple plays he could have shot.

It will get better when he gets more back to his natural play instead of trying to absorb so much advice at once. After all he scored a lot more his first two years, though also got more shots.

[Ghost of Kleine]

So is the Sarver news story thing dead?

This thing was supposed to be some massive big thing and now nothing.

What a joke.

Definitely not looking good! Especially for Mr. Flex I'll personally give it till around early next week. And then I think you have to call it. Saver story time of death.............????

The really bad part of all of this is that Saver would likely become even worse than before. And the residual fallout of never knowing the truth, It could hang like a dark cloud over our franchise for awhile. Affecting many things. What I just can't figure out is IF this is in fact false and a baseless attack on our franchise ownership, Then what's the end goal here! What is the motive for creating this much chaos???

Could there be any silver lining in this? Like would it cause Saver to be much more cautious and respectful/ diplomatic in his interactions with everyone? Or would he become more brazen and arrogant if there was some legitimacy to this story but he was somehow able to suppress the story and get past this?

If it was supposed to run at the end of the regular season any delay shouldn't mean it's dead, but if they want to maximize impact, they probably will hold off after the Schultz tweet and Sarver/Crowley statements.

That makes sense too!
Glimmers of hope are always well received!
Thanks man!

[darealjuice]

Bridges has played well so far. The entire team has been poor defensively, but he's taken a step forward as far as aggressiveness with the ball and seems very comfortable with his shot right now. I wouldn't be surprised if that contract looks great when it kicks in next year.

Will be interesting to see how Crowder is handled. It's early and he's always been streaky, but he's also had a lot of tread on those tired over the last couple years. Cam is obviously nipping at his heels.

I'd rather see Stix out there than Nader. We need to see what we have in him at some point, and Cam can play the 3 in a full bench lineup. We know what Nader is. Also wouldn't mind seeing him out there against small ball lineups every once in awhile.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) Tweeted:
"He was out there with me a little bit during the finals."

That "he" is Kings rookie Davion Mitchell, player who looks to Chris Paul as someone to pattern his game after. #Suns

Also asked Paul about life after his run as NBPA president. https://t.co/NkZ7uaPCgO

Read on Twitter

?s=20

I've said this before around the 21' draft. But Davion Mitchell would the the idea understudy to Chris Paul. His relentless defensive tenacity, elite upside and star potential if mentored by Paul. Also defensively, he'd be the perfect compliment in the backcourt to Booker too.

If there was some way we could acquire him via trade, We should absolutely do it. Develop him as Paul's replacement, And move Payne to a 6th man role ala Jordan Clarkson off the bench.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Can someone explain to me how the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers are ahead of us on this Ranking? Genuinely, what am I missing here with this?
Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) Tweeted:
.@TicketSource ranks #Suns 10th on #NBA most influential teams based on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook followers, Wikipedia page views and Google searches.

Lakers No. 1 team.

Chris Paul (4th) and Devin Booker (9th) are in Top 10 of NBA players.

Stephen Curry No. 1 player. https://t.co/qpzNzYMzdF

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[Revived]

Can someone explain to me how the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers are ahead of us on this Ranking? Genuinely, what am I missing here with this?
Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) Tweeted:
.@TicketSource ranks #Suns 10th on #NBA most influential teams based on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook followers, Wikipedia page views and Google searches.

Lakers No. 1 team.

Chris Paul (4th) and Devin Booker (9th) are in Top 10 of NBA players.

Stephen Curry No. 1 player. https://t.co/qpzNzYMzdF

Read on Twitter

?s=20

I think that players list is missing someone with plenty of influence as well.

[cberry78]

Can someone explain to me how the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers are ahead of us on this Ranking? Genuinely, what am I missing here with this?
Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) Tweeted:
.@TicketSource ranks #Suns 10th on #NBA most influential teams based on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook followers, Wikipedia page views and Google searches.

Lakers No. 1 team.

Chris Paul (4th) and Devin Booker (9th) are in Top 10 of NBA players.

Stephen Curry No. 1 player. https://t.co/qpzNzYMzdF

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Book needs to up his Instagame - smh
Wonder if he knows anyone with any Insta connections he can piggyback on.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) Tweeted:
"He's taken on this role with Jalen. He understands where Jalen is and we've told Jalen, if you want to be a really good player, watch Jae." Monty Williams.

#Suns veteran Jae Crowder taking on mentor role for Jalen Smith (w/video). https://t.co/WPxNMeA2IB via @azcentral

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Again!
This is really awesome to see Smith get legitimate veteran leadership from someone like Crowder. Especially considering his projected role. STILL THOUGH I'd like to see the suns get Smith on the Giannis Diet/ weight training regimen to have possibly gain another 25 lbs of pure muscle! Or maybe also have Kevin Willis be his strength coach?

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

I think part of the issue with Ayton is that his weakness of staying consistently engaged is also the biggest key to his success in his current role as a defensive anchor, screener, and finisher around the rim. Centers are responsible for getting themselves involved on offense unless they're Embiid, Jokic, Bam, Giannis, etc. that have strong scoring, ball handling, playmaking, and/or shooting. Ayton's improvement on defense has been clear, but he really hasn't shown much skill development on offense since coming into the league, which can be frustrating for those who expected Ayton to be the Suns first dominant center rather than our Gobert. Maybe he'll get there, though it'll take time.

A lot of it has to do with passiveness. I think he’s too afraid of taking shots unless it’s set up perfectly for him. On occasion he looks to create on his own but it’s rare. Not sure if it’s a matter of him worried about messing up his very high FG% or what but he looks to pass first, second and third before looking to score. Thing is for the Suns, they need him to be a scorer in the games where the other teams are forcing them off the 3pt line or the games where the jumper isn’t falling.

He had a possession against the Lakers where they found him in the paint and he made some slight move and was wide open at the rim for an easy layup or dunk but passed it to Bridges instead without even looking at the rim. It summed up his offensive mindset in one play.

I think some of CP3 and Book’s hesitation in passing to him when he tries to post up is because they know he’s just going to pass the ball immediately after getting it instead of at least looking to score even when he has a mismatch on him (like he passed out at least 3 times when he the tiny 6’3 Westbrook on him in the paint).

He usually passes out after offensive rebounds unless close enough for tip in partly likely because he isn't sure how many defenders are around him and he also finds a wide open guy.

As for a couple plays against the Lakers in the 4th when they passed to him, he definitely looked out of sorts after his ruffle with AD and passed out of a couple plays he could have shot.

It will get better when he gets more back to his natural play instead of trying to absorb so much advice at once. After all he scored a lot more his first two years, though also got more shots.

I also feel like Ayton hasn't been getting calls going to the basket - some of them quite obvious. He's never gotten calls for contact on his turnaround jump shots or hook shots. I think he should sign up for the Paul & Booker school of acting to start getting the officials' attention.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Locked On Suns Podcast (@LockedOnPHXSuns) Tweeted:
A new gameday edition of Locked On Suns is LIVE!

☀️ 3 early Suns trade targets
☀️ What Elf needs to do with Payne out
☀️ Quick Suns-Kings thoughts
https://t.co/jghpfIWdw4
https://t.co/PgrXGx2ioV https://t.co/gJyUkCHUAR

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[Ghost of Kleine]

Mikal working on his offense ( iso game) is awesome to see.
Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) Tweeted:
Mikal Bridges https://t.co/MIwt6UI2O2

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[Ghost of Kleine]

Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) Tweeted:
Book getting in that pregame work https://t.co/0YTjgxq4HX

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[Ghost of Kleine]

Funny he would say that they aren't, When it so clearly looks as if they are. I have yet to even see that edge that produces from aside from maybe Bridges and Paul slightly.
Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) Tweeted:
Monty Williams said he doesn't think the Suns are experiencing a Finals hangover: "I think they're still hurt by it. And sometimes that can produce an edge."

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[lilfishi22]

Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) Tweeted:
Book getting in that pregame work https://t.co/0YTjgxq4HX

Read on Twitter

?s=20

The civilian dream, 5 guys rebounding for you while working on my jumper

[Saberestar]

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