2021-22 Season Discussion and Speculation

[lilfishi22]

He's a bit too expensive and probably unobtainable, but I'd want Harrison Barnes on this team. Run him as a backup PF or backup SF. Can create his own shot, gets to the line more than anyone on our team, and shoots a fair percentage from three. Not sure he'd be happy coming off the bench though.

Paul / Payne
Booker / Shamet
Bridges / Johnson
Crowder / Barnes
Ayton / McGee

Not sure any team could match our depth. Even if you had to cut McGee's and Shamet's playing time during the playoffs, Payne, Barnes, and Johnson as the bench rotation is so incredibly solid. I doubt the kings would take Dario, Smith, filler, and picks, but heck, they've done stupider things before.

Barnes is playing some of his best basketball of his career and still owed $18m after the $20m he's on this season. If we're talking about expensive and unobtainable...Barnes is that guy more so than Craig or Thad

Right. My syntax was a bit wonky; I was referring to Barnes as the expensive and unobtainable player. It's a pipe dream, but like I mentioned, the Kings have done stupider things lol

Ah fair enough. Barnes is definitely suitable to today's front lines. He's a guy most contenders would love to have.

[matt131]

4:20 mark to about 5:22 of the latest Lowe post podcast, Zach talks briefly about the suns and how good we've been and how he doesn't care about our easy schedule. Mentioned we are just good at everything. Incredibly brief, but still nice to hear.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Any players on this list sound reasonable if needed to fill in at the backup ( 3rd string) small forward or 4/5 option with both Kaminsky and Saric out with their injuries?
https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/player_tracker/free_agent

[bwgood77]

Read on Twitter

[Stark]

Read on Twitter

Man, I love Mikal. He seriously might end up being my favorite Suns player of all time.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) Tweeted:
Cam Johnson first 10 games: 6.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 33.3 FG%, 31.7 3P%, -27 overall

Cam Johnson last 7 games: 10.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 47.3 FG%, 42.1 FG%, +59 overall

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?s=20

[Ghost of Kleine]

Cool image of Book for anyone interested?
Blue Wire (@bluewirepods) Tweeted:
Book and the Suns make it 13 straight https://t.co/m0kSJnbCtN

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?s=20

[Ghost of Kleine]

Locked On Podcasts (@LockedOnNetwork) Tweeted:
The Phoenix Suns are streeeeeeeeeeeeeaking.

@LockedOnPHXSuns | @12News 
https://t.co/Y7w0Dj7jNp https://t.co/A4Kw9S0CrK

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?s=20

I think our win streak tops out at 15 wins honestly!
Same as the 2006 suns.

[Mulhollanddrive]

I'd rather lose to Cleveland or New York and beat Brooklyn and GSW.

[King4Day]

This whole article is really worth a read. I love this paragraph though:

Their foot doesn’t need to stay on the gas at all times, but expanding their offense by bringing it to the other team’s front door a beat or two quicker than they did last year adds a potent element to this team that previously wasn’t there. If the 2020-21 season was reconnaissance, this one is a swift onslaught; it’s one of several reasons those who dismiss last year’s Finals run as a fluke might want to reconsider their opinion.

https://www.si.com/nba/2021/11/24/phoenix-suns-chris-paul-push-pace-win-streak

[cberry78]

For those that are interested, $1/mos for 12 mos Athletic subscription: https://theathletic.com/checkout2/intro12monthly/

[bwgood77]

For those that are interested, $1/mos for 12 mos Athletic subscription: https://theathletic.com/checkout2/intro12monthly/

Nice, I just got a renewal charge for $72

[bwgood77]

It will be interesting if we end up with another really tough first round series. We could legit face the Nuggets with Jokic and Murray back in the first round. I'm not sure if Kawhi is coming back before year end. Westbrook seems to usually learn to play with a new team and players throughout the year...did so in Houston and Washington. The Lakers don't scare me though. The Nuggets don't really either. The Clippers with Kawhi would but I kind of doubt he comes back.

[Slim Charless]

It will be interesting if we end up with another really tough first round series. We could legit face the Nuggets with Jokic and Murray back in the first round. I'm not sure if Kawhi is coming back before year end. Westbrook seems to usually learn to play with a new team and players throughout the year...did so in Houston and Washington. The Lakers don't scare me though. The Nuggets don't really either. The Clippers with Kawhi would but I kind of doubt he comes back.

I don't think KL us coming back this season... I'm also not sure pg13 can keep this up. I think he fades and the Clips might be a play in team honestly. Lakers are the Lakers but I maintain that the scariest team in the west is a fully healthy Denver team. They're stacked:

Joker
Murray
MPJ
Gordon

That's beastly. Obviously no one is sure if Murray and Porter will play this year but if so..... that's the team that worries me the most.

Alot of people will say the Dubs, but let's see if they can't keep this pace up. Now, they have a lot of young talent they can move in a potential deadline trade, and if so then watch out but for now we'll see.

I cannot wait for our games against them next month.

[King4Day]

It will be interesting if we end up with another really tough first round series. We could legit face the Nuggets with Jokic and Murray back in the first round. I'm not sure if Kawhi is coming back before year end. Westbrook seems to usually learn to play with a new team and players throughout the year...did so in Houston and Washington. The Lakers don't scare me though. The Nuggets don't really either. The Clippers with Kawhi would but I kind of doubt he comes back.

Certainly not to get ahead of myself, but right now, the team that scares me most in the entire league is Golden State.
I believe we are capable of beating anyone, but I just don't know how we will match up with a team who has 2 players that can take bad 3's all game if they want, but they'd be considered good shots by their standards.

[King4Day]

For those that are interested, $1/mos for 12 mos Athletic subscription: https://theathletic.com/checkout2/intro12monthly/

Nice, I just got a renewal charge for $72

You should still be able to cancel and get whatever is left credited.
Worst case, just contact them and complain. They'll hook you up

[suns12345]

For those that are interested, $1/mos for 12 mos Athletic subscription: https://theathletic.com/checkout2/intro12monthly/

Nice, I just got a renewal charge for $72

You should still be able to cancel and get whatever is left credited.
Worst case, just contact them and complain. They'll hook you up

Always seems perverse when the loyal customer gets screwed out of $$ as opposed to someone who has never been a customer before.

[bwgood77]

It will be interesting if we end up with another really tough first round series. We could legit face the Nuggets with Jokic and Murray back in the first round. I'm not sure if Kawhi is coming back before year end. Westbrook seems to usually learn to play with a new team and players throughout the year...did so in Houston and Washington. The Lakers don't scare me though. The Nuggets don't really either. The Clippers with Kawhi would but I kind of doubt he comes back.

I don't think KL us coming back this season... I'm also not sure pg13 can keep this up. I think he fades and the Clips might be a play in team honestly. Lakers are the Lakers but I maintain that the scariest team in the west is a fully healthy Denver team. They're stacked:

Joker
Murray
MPJ
Gordon

That's beastly. Obviously no one is sure if Murray and Porter will play this year but if so..... that's the team that worries me the most.

Alot of people will say the Dubs, but let's see if they can't keep this pace up. Now, they have a lot of young talent they can move in a potential deadline trade, and if so then watch out but for now we'll see.

I cannot wait for our games against them next month.

Murray will be back. Klay will make the Warriors even tougher and I imagine at least the option of playing Wiseman will help too.

[bwgood77]

For those that are interested, $1/mos for 12 mos Athletic subscription: https://theathletic.com/checkout2/intro12monthly/

Nice, I just got a renewal charge for $72

You should still be able to cancel and get whatever is left credited.
Worst case, just contact them and complain. They'll hook you up

I'm sure in fine print that deal says *only for non subscribers or people not subscribed within the last month.

hulu has a similar deal...$1 a month for 12 months and I read the fine print there and it's not available if you've been a subscriber for the last month.

Though sometimes when things like this happen and I was thinking of canceling anyway I will call up and say I'd like to cancel and they ask why and I say "Because I see others are getting it for $1 a month and it's just not worth paying what I pay anyway. Maybe if I got a deal like this on occasion for being a long time customer it would be worth it but otherwise, not worth it"....I usually get something if I try something like that. I have a bundle now with Disney and ESPN+ but don't use any that much..hulu the most and then Zach Lowe's stuff is on ESPN+. I never watch Disney though. Watched like 2-3 things on there since I got it months ago.

[Bogyo]

It will be interesting if we end up with another really tough first round series. We could legit face the Nuggets with Jokic and Murray back in the first round. I'm not sure if Kawhi is coming back before year end. Westbrook seems to usually learn to play with a new team and players throughout the year...did so in Houston and Washington. The Lakers don't scare me though. The Nuggets don't really either. The Clippers with Kawhi would but I kind of doubt he comes back.

I don't think KL us coming back this season... I'm also not sure pg13 can keep this up. I think he fades and the Clips might be a play in team honestly. Lakers are the Lakers but I maintain that the scariest team in the west is a fully healthy Denver team. They're stacked:

Joker
Murray
MPJ
Gordon

That's beastly. Obviously no one is sure if Murray and Porter will play this year but if so..... that's the team that worries me the most.

Alot of people will say the Dubs, but let's see if they can't keep this pace up. Now, they have a lot of young talent they can move in a potential deadline trade, and if so then watch out but for now we'll see.

I cannot wait for our games against them next month.

Murray will be back. Klay will make the Warriors even tougher and I imagine at least the option of playing Wiseman will help too.

Don't forget the Jazz. They might have solved their biggest problem this offseason. They could not match up with smallball. This offseason they got Paschall and Gay, so if those fit in and they practice stuff a bit they could play / survive without Gobert for streches.
But generally you guys are right, a healthy Denver and a healthy GS is the two scariest teams for us in the west.
(PJ Dozier just suffered a torn ACL, so the "healthy Denver" thing is not about to kick off... might be just cancelled altogether with Porter out for season likely, Dozier out for season likely, not sure if/when/how Murray comes back this season,,,)