Suns @ Kings Friday game thread 12-22-2023

[BirdGangThing]

Ishbia picked this roster - roast JJ all u want - im not a JJ guy - but JJ's budget restrained draft pick filled roster is gone - Devin Booker is all that remains - and he's pretty freakin good

 

[Yuma]

So BOTH Dbacks and Coyotes are over achieving this year. What do they have in common? Patiently building their squads through the draft and developing players in their farm systems. Still, I feel it would suck not to win one with D Book. We are where we are now. I think coaching is the only thing we can change at this point.

 

[Mainstreet]

I never liked it. I started an anti-Durant thread almost a year before the trade happened.

But the price was what it was. The only options were pay the price, or don't make the deal. There is no alternate universe in which the Suns get Durant for cheaper.

The answer is so simple. Then don't trade for Durant. It was a desperation trade when there was no desperation.

A number of posters didn't like the trade including myself.

 

[elindholm]

Ishbia picked this roster - roast JJ all u want - im not a JJ guy - but JJ's budget restrained draft pick filled roster is gone - Devin Booker is all that remains

Unfortunately it took Ishbia a year too long to figure out that running an NBA team takes more than a big bank account, fanboi enthusiasm, and poor impulse control.

 

[Hoop Head]

We have 1st rounders in 2 of the next 3 years. And with as mediocre as the Nets are, any swap there is going to be negligible.

This years pick we traded swap rights with Memphis and Washington, so least favorable of those teams. The 2026 pick has swap rights with Washington and Orlando, so again least favorable of those.

 

[Yuma]

The answer is so simple. Then don't trade for Durant. It was a desperation trade when there was no desperation.

A number of posters didn't like the trade including myself.

I respect that. However think about it this way, why would we be losing so much with two of the top arguably 5 to 10 players in the league on the Suns? Even if you don't like KD, this should NOT be happening!

 

[Mainstreet]

This years pick we traded swap rights with Memphis and Washington, so least favorable of those teams. The 2026 pick has swap rights with Washington and Orlando, so again least favorable of those.

The Suns almost have to trade those late first round picks to get additional second round picks unless they can figure out a way to add better players to this mess.

 

[Hoop Head]

Ishbia picked this roster - roast JJ all u want - im not a JJ guy - but JJ's budget restrained draft pick filled roster is gone - Devin Booker is all that remains

He signed off on the big deals but he didn't do the free agent shopping. That was JJ. There's no way Ishbia, or Zeke, wasted time directing JJ to sign KBD, Metu, Yuta, Eubanks, etc. Bol Bol? Maybe, he was the last signing though when we were already over 15 guys on the roster.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

This team sucks. No more excuses. They suck. I’ll hold that thought until they prove otherwise.

 

[Mainstreet]

I respect that. However think about it this way, why would we be losing so much with two of the top arguably 5 to 10 players in the league on the Suns? Even if you don't like KD, this should NOT be happening!

If you want to blame it on the Suns front office, ownership and coaching, I'm good with that, but the Suns shouldn't have sold their future for an aging, oft injured star.

 

[TJ]

Im good. UofA is keeping me level headed

 

[GatorAZ]

Im good. UofA is keeping me level headed

UA hoops/football
D’Backs
Marvin Harrison Jr

All we got…

 

[Cheesebeef]

The answer is so simple. Then don't trade for Durant. It was a desperation trade when there was no desperation.

A number of posters didn't like the trade including myself.

That middling team was going nowhere fast. The romanticizing of the team that took the biggest dump on its Home Court LITERALLY in the NBA History and then came back the next year and were hovering around .500 continues to be high comedy to me. That team was staring a purgatory.

Unfortunately, this one could be in hell.

 

[Mainstreet]

Im good. UofA is keeping me level headed

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Cheesebeef]

This years pick we traded swap rights with Memphis and Washington, so least favorable of those teams. The 2026 pick has swap rights with Washington and Orlando, so again least favorable of those.

Guess what… our draft spot at the end of the day this year is STILL going to be below Memphis and Washington. In other words… no change.

The 2026 one might sting like a total bitch because Orlando is definitely going to be better than us.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The Suns almost have to trade those late first round picks to get additional second round picks unless they can figure out a way to add better players to this mess.

Yes. By all means, the Suns should trade the picks where there will be more talent for a bunch of picks where there won’t be as much.

Brilliant plan. Especially when they can buy 2nd round picks.

 

[GatorAZ]

Why this team didn’t go hard after Nick Nurse is beyond me.

The Sixers are 1st in offensive efficiency and 4th in defensive efficiency. I think the main reason he went to Philly was past history with Morey. I really hope we didn’t try to force Kevin Young on him or something dumb like that.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The Sixers are 1st in offensive efficiency and 4th in defensive efficiency. I think the main reason he went to Philly was past history with Morey. I really hope we didn’t try to force Kevin Young on him or something dumb like that.

from what I remember, we didn't really pursue him hard at all. Or at least that's what Gambo was reporting at the time, IIRC.

I was calling for Nurse from the middle of the season.

 

[Yuma]

If you want to blame it on the Suns front office, ownership and coaching, I'm good with that, but the Suns shouldn't have sold their future for an aging, oft injured star.

Just to be fair, that guy has been one of the best players in all of the NBA this season. I am hardly putting our woes on him.

Fact: We are not playing like a top team. Other teams are playing more team ball than us.
Fact: Players we selected to support Booker and KD have not been averaging their NBA averages for the majority of the team.

Seems like that whoever coaches and whoever selects talent to me.

Just to be Devil's advocate on this, if you offered KD and Booker to most coaches in this league to build their teams around, I'm guessing at least half of them would jump at that, and I'm being conservative.

 

[Yuma]

from what I remember, we didn't really pursue him hard at all. Or at least that's what Gambo was reporting at the time, IIRC.

I was calling for Nurse from the middle of the season.

Gambo said Suns weren't interested.

 

[nashman]

If you want to blame it on the Suns front office, ownership and coaching, I'm good with that, but the Suns shouldn't have sold their future for an aging, oft injured star.

Not losing because of KD though that’s a very simplistic thing you keep saying! Losing because playing trash D and no one is hitting 3s which you absolutely have to have to win in today’s game! Look around the league the scores you don’t shoot 3s well you lose period and. We are in a deep funk no one can hit a damn 3! Only 5 made threes again actually shot a worse percentage than last game which was the worst of the season lol! Just abysmal office everyone afraid to shoot or it’s the BOOK or KD show. GA passed on so many threes tonight no one has confidence to put them up, did EG even shoot any 3s if so it can’t be many I don’t recall seeing him hit any for sure!

 

[nashman]

Eubanks was terrible! Gordon only shooting 1 freaking 3 in 25 minutes of play is ridiculous! GA passing on a lot of threes to drive and make mistakes was awful! The coaching just appears to be ignorant and just throwing different lineups and see what happens! How your not running screens for 3 point shooters, just running some sort of offense outside of letting KD or Book dribble time away and take contested shots or kick out to guys who are afraid to shoot the damn ball! Just ugliness all around…

 

[Mainstreet]

Just to be fair, that guy has been one of the best players in all of the NBA this season. I am hardly putting our woes on him.

Fact: We are not playing like a top team. Other teams are playing more team ball than us.
Fact: Players we selected to support Booker and KD have not been averaging their NBA averages for the majority of the team.

Seems like that whoever coaches and whoever selects talent to me.

Just to be Devil's advocate on this, if you offered KD and Booker to most coaches in this league to build their teams around, I'm guessing at least half of them would jump at that, and I'm being conservative.

Not losing because of KD though that’s a very simplistic thing you keep saying! Losing because playing trash D and no one is hitting 3s which you absolutely have to have to win in today’s game! Look around the league the scores you don’t shoot 3s well you lose period and. We are in a deep funk no one can hit a damn 3! Only 5 made threes again actually shot a worse percentage than last game which was the worst of the season lol! Just abysmal office everyone afraid to shoot or it’s the BOOK or KD show. GA passed on so many threes tonight no one has confidence to put them up, did EG even shoot any 3s if so it can’t be many I don’t recall seeing him hit any for sure!

We can agree the Suns are playing poorly. I blame most of it on the Suns coaching and GM.

Durant has played well for the Suns and I've always liked him as a player.

The problem is the Suns gave up too much to get him. I hope you can understand the distinction I'm making.

 

[Yuma]

Eubanks was terrible! Gordon only shooting 1 freaking 3 in 25 minutes of play is ridiculous! GA passing on a lot of threes to drive and make mistakes was awful! The coaching just appears to be ignorant and just throwing different lineups and see what happens! How your not running screens for 3 point shooters, just running some sort of offense outside of letting KD or Book dribble time away and take contested shots or kick out to guys who are afraid to shoot the damn ball! Just ugliness all around…

The dribbling for long times while no one is cutting or moving just runs down our shot clock. Kevin Young is supposed to be in charge of the offense. If that's being allowed by him, he really doesn't need to be considered for our head coaching job.

 

[Yuma]

We can agree the Suns are playing poorly. I blame most of it on the Suns coaching and GM.

Durant has played well for the Suns and I've always liked him as a player.

The problem is the Suns gave up too much to get him. I hope you can understand the distinction I'm making.

So right now those picks we could not make yet, how would they be helping us with our problem now? We are over the cap and couldn't use them to trade to get other guys anyway. The other team had Kevin Freaking Durant. You have to trade good players, not trash, AND picks. Ishbia or JJ pulled the trigger on the trade. You were NEVER going to get him for cheap. It's like saying you want an exotic sports car, but want to only pay Kia Rio prices for it. So from the other side of the forum, we feel the we paid too much people are not being realistic. I hope you can understand the distinction I'm making.