2021-22 Around the NBA Thread

Muggz

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I blame Jerry for selling to Sarver.
Actually Sarver has been better of late. We are at # 20 in the league as far as payroll goes. There's room for improvement.
 
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Mainstreet

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I blame Jerry for selling to Sarver.
Actually Sarver has been better of late. We are at # 20 in the league as far as payroll goes. There's room for improvement.

Hopefully baby steps.

The Robert Sarver I previously knew would have never traded for Chris Paul or signed him to his new contract.
 
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Mainstreet

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If the Suns had signed Alize Johnson, they would probably missed out on undersized power forwards Jarrell Brantley and Devontae Cacok.

Am I doing it right?
 
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Mainstreet

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Nets to sign 6'7" power forward/center Devontae Cacok.

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If the Suns had signed Alize Johnson, they would probably missed out on undersized power forwards Jarrell Brantley and Devontae Cacok.

Am I doing it right?

Well, Cacok did dominate Jalen Smith in Summer League. ;-)
 

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Edit - apparently this is fake. Look at the username. Eddie Johnson quote tweeted this and I thought it was legit. My mistake. Ill leave it below since I screwed up but figured I'd note it's not legit.

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned. Ben Simmons to San Antonio for Dejounte Murray, Thad Young, and more...

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Count me as someone who is shocked Popovich is ok bringing Ben in. He's like the anti-Spurs type of player with his "young socialite" attitude.

In addition to this, it makes more sense why a Thad Young deal didn't happen.


Edit - I fell for a fake tweet.
 
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Mainstreet

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Count me as someone who is shocked Popovich is ok bringing Ben in. He's like the anti-Spurs type of player with his "young socialite" attitude.

In addition to this, it makes more sense why a Thad Young deal didn't happen.


Edit - I fell for a fake tweet.

How are you going to break this to Flex. ;)
 

AzStevenCal

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Count me as someone who is shocked Popovich is ok bringing Ben in. He's like the anti-Spurs type of player with his "young socialite" attitude.

In addition to this, it makes more sense why a Thad Young deal didn't happen.


Edit - I fell for a fake tweet.
Are you saying the trade tweet was fake? Hope so, otherwise I'd have to rethink my opinion on Pop.
 

Covert Rain

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Edit - apparently this is fake. Look at the username. Eddie Johnson quote tweeted this and I thought it was legit. My mistake. Ill leave it below since I screwed up but figured I'd note it's not legit.

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned. Ben Simmons to San Antonio for Dejounte Murray, Thad Young, and more...

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When I first read this the first thing I thought of? No way Pop made this trade. It had to be the team forcing his hand. That didn't sound like Pop at all.
 
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Mainstreet

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It's always tough saying goodbye. E'Twaun your contributions were appreciated.


By Duane Rankin, Arizona Republic:


“Honestly, I thought I was going to go back to Phoenix,” Moore said. “I thought I had a shot to go back to Phoenix, but obviously, that didn’t work out.”

Moore didn’t play much, but felt he helped the team in other ways and was always appreciated by teammates and coaches.

“The vibe and connection were there,” Moore said. “So, I definitely thought I was going to come back, but it’s the basketball world. You never know. Teams have different needs, different visions at times so it’s part of it, but I enjoyed my time there. No complaints.”


 

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When I first read this the first thing I thought of? No way Pop made this trade. It had to be the team forcing his hand. That didn't sound like Pop at all.

That's why I was surprised it wasn't posted here. Like it seemed so off that it would be a good talking point because I don't think anyone would believe he'd be ok with it. I did a double take on the tweet but the little logo after the name looked like the verification check on mobile so I was like well, I guess.

It was also Eddie Johnson who tweeted it, which is how I saw it since I don't follow Shams. EJ's quote was "Well that happened" or something like that, which is an understatement but also a plausible response. It's my fault ultimately for not checking ESPN.com or somewhere else for confirmation.

I figured I'd add my edit rather than delete it outright to own up to my mistake because I'm sure someone saw it. I can admit when I'm wrong and have been duped. I didn't want to get called out for deleting it. Plus its the slowest point in the offseason, even if it's fake it shows who is paying attention and that the board is still working.
 

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It's always tough saying goodbye. E'Twaun your contributions were appreciated.


By Duane Rankin, Arizona Republic:


“Honestly, I thought I was going to go back to Phoenix,” Moore said. “I thought I had a shot to go back to Phoenix, but obviously, that didn’t work out.”

Moore didn’t play much, but felt he helped the team in other ways and was always appreciated by teammates and coaches.

“The vibe and connection were there,” Moore said. “So, I definitely thought I was going to come back, but it’s the basketball world. You never know. Teams have different needs, different visions at times so it’s part of it, but I enjoyed my time there. No complaints.”



Saw that on Twitter earlier but didn't post it after my snafu with the Simmons tweet.

I think he overstates his impact or ability but I can't blame him for being confident. I think he's more of a SG than PG, although he did see more time at PG here. With the addition of Shamet though there was less chance he'd see playing time.

Moore would be the 5th guard in the rotation, at best, and that's not counting time Mikal or Nader might play SG. So the Suns looking for a real PG in Payton rather than a SG who is the size of most PG's like Moore makes sense. Moore played PG more of necessity last year, like Jamal Crawford did for us previously, and we had the chance to add a real PG so we did. We don't really need another SG like Moore. I do appreciate what he did last year though and wish him well.

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Mainstreet

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Saw that on Twitter earlier but didn't post it after my snafu with the Simmons tweet.

I think he overstates his impact or ability but I can't blame him for being confident. I think he's more of a SG than PG, although he did see more time at PG here. With the addition of Shamet though there was less chance he'd see playing time.

Moore would be the 5th guard in the rotation, at best, and that's not counting time Mikal or Nader might play SG. So the Suns looking for a real PG in Payton rather than a SG who is the size of most PG's like Moore makes sense. Moore played PG more of necessity last year, like Jamal Crawford did for us previously, and we had the chance to add a real PG so we did. We don't really need another SG like Moore. I do appreciate what he did last year though and wish him well.

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I appreciated Moore's professionalism, but if anything the Suns needed another distributor in the backcourt with Paul, Payne and Booker hurting. Monty did not play him a lot last season and none at all against the Bucks in the playoffs.
 

AzStevenCal

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I appreciated Moore's professionalism, but if anything the Suns needed another distributor in the backcourt with Paul, Payne and Booker hurting. Monty did not play him a lot last season and none at all against the Bucks in the playoffs.
I'm not sure how this happens but Monty admitted more than once that he just kind of forgot about a player that might have helped us in a game. It was usually Frank he'd forget about but I wonder if we couldn't have benefitted by using some combination of Moore, Galloway and Carter more when Paul, Payne and Booker were all limited by injury.

I don't really have regrets about losing any of those 3 backups but they all seemed to be positive influences and willing to accept their unexpectedly diminished roles. Regardless, Monty brings a lot to the table as a Head Coach but I hope he gets this bench tunnel vision taken care of.
 
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Mainstreet

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I'm not sure how this happens but Monty admitted more than once that he just kind of forgot about a player that might have helped us in a game. It was usually Frank he'd forget about but I wonder if we couldn't have benefitted by using some combination of Moore, Galloway and Carter more when Paul, Payne and Booker were all limited by injury.

I don't really have regrets about losing any of those 3 backups but they all seemed to be positive influences and willing to accept their unexpectedly diminished roles. Regardless, Monty brings a lot to the table as a Head Coach but I hope he gets this bench tunnel vision taken care of.

If I were to guess at which players Monty could have used more it would have been Jevon Carter and Frank Kaminsky. Both were proven contributors given the opportunity. I would especially have liked to seen more of Carter's defense and three point shooting when Payne was hurting.

The problem seems to be, if Monty does not trust a player he is not going to play them. Hopefully James Jones has kept this in mind when building the roster. Landry Shamet seems to be one of these trusted additions.
 

AzStevenCal

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If I were to guess at which players Monty could have used more it would have been Jevon Carter and Frank Kaminsky. Both were proven contributors given the opportunity. I would especially have liked to seen more of Carter's defense and three point shooting when Payne was hurting.

The problem seems to be, if Monty does not trust a player he is not going to play them. Hopefully James Jones has kept this in mind when building the roster. Landry Shamet seems to be one of these trusted additions.
That's pretty typical of head coaches but in Monty's case, I think something else is at play from the things he'd said after failing to play Frank a few times. It sure sounded like he just didn't even consider anyone outside of his tight rotation even when fouls and off nights made it necessary. He said he regretted not playing him and he seems to really like the guy, the fact we brought him back supports that idea.

As for Carter, I thought we should have played him in a lot more games. He seems to show fairly quickly whether he is a plus or a minus so I wanted us to get him some time in the first half, let him be disruptive and if he starts being disruptive to our own offense, put him back on the bench. He can really turn the game around depending on his matchup and whether he's playing within the offense (and shooting decently).
 

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I'm not sure how this happens but Monty admitted more than once that he just kind of forgot about a player that might have helped us in a game. It was usually Frank he'd forget about but I wonder if we couldn't have benefitted by using some combination of Moore, Galloway and Carter more when Paul, Payne and Booker were all limited by injury.

I don't really have regrets about losing any of those 3 backups but they all seemed to be positive influences and willing to accept their unexpectedly diminished roles. Regardless, Monty brings a lot to the table as a Head Coach but I hope he gets this bench tunnel vision taken care of.

I agree with him misusing Frank. He actually had a good game 6. Monty was way too quick to pull him off the floor in every other game. He should have trusted him a little more. There were parts of the regular season he didn't use him much, if at all, when we were playing quite well with him out there so I'm not surprised Monty didn't use him much or to full effect in the postseason.

Moore was probably the only of the guards who could have played in the finals but didn't. He's a smart enough veteran where he could have been trusted but we really didn't need what he offers.

Galloway hadn't played for such a long time, especially in meaningful minutes, so I don't blame Monty for not using him. However he played well when we used him as a microwave early in the year but Monty went away from him and never looked back. He was probably the worst defender on the team as well, definitely the worst defensive guard, which probably had something to do with riding the pine.

Carter was a bit of a mystery. He was a tenacious defender who went all out every second he was on the floor. He was inconsistent offensively and probably the worst offensive player on the team, especially when he lost confidence in his 3 ball and wouldn't shoot. Playing him in the finals didn't make sense considering he didn't see the floor all postseason but had Monty gotten his feet wet at some point prior then he could have been an option to take a look at in the finals.

I don't believe the guard rotation would have swung the series the other way either. Any chance of that would have needed to have been established earlier in the playoffs. So hopefully Monty is a bit looser with his rotations this next to go around.
 
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Mainstreet

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That's pretty typical of head coaches but in Monty's case, I think something else is at play from the things he'd said after failing to play Frank a few times. It sure sounded like he just didn't even consider anyone outside of his tight rotation even when fouls and off nights made it necessary. He said he regretted not playing him and he seems to really like the guy, the fact we brought him back supports that idea.

As for Carter, I thought we should have played him in a lot more games. He seems to show fairly quickly whether he is a plus or a minus so I wanted us to get him some time in the first half, let him be disruptive and if he starts being disruptive to our own offense, put him back on the bench. He can really turn the game around depending on his matchup and whether he's playing within the offense (and shooting decently).

It's up to the assistant coaches to help Monty make decisions as well. Tightening the rotation is not unique to head coaches. IMO, it comes down to who Monty trusts. It's hard to believe he did not consider other options.

As for me, I'm not opposed to giving players an opportunity to win back confidence.
 
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Mainstreet

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I agree with him misusing Frank. He actually had a good game 6. Monty was way too quick to pull him off the floor in every other game. He should have trusted him a little more. There were parts of the regular season he didn't use him much, if at all, when we were playing quite well with him out there so I'm not surprised Monty didn't use him much or to full effect in the postseason.

Moore was probably the only of the guards who could have played in the finals but didn't. He's a smart enough veteran where he could have been trusted but we really didn't need what he offers.

Galloway hadn't played for such a long time, especially in meaningful minutes, so I don't blame Monty for not using him. However he played well when we used him as a microwave early in the year but Monty went away from him and never looked back. He was probably the worst defender on the team as well, definitely the worst defensive guard, which probably had something to do with riding the pine.

Carter was a bit of a mystery. He was a tenacious defender who went all out every second he was on the floor. He was inconsistent offensively and probably the worst offensive player on the team, especially when he lost confidence in his 3 ball and wouldn't shoot. Playing him in the finals didn't make sense considering he didn't see the floor all postseason but had Monty gotten his feet wet at some point prior then he could have been an option to take a look at in the finals.

I don't believe the guard rotation would have swung the series the other way either. Any chance of that would have needed to have been established earlier in the playoffs. So hopefully Monty is a bit looser with his rotations this next to go around.

The knock I have heard on Carter by the media is that he is a small shooting guard who can play defense and hit the open three but when he is asked to do anything more, like run the team he can't do it.
 

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The knock I have heard on Carter by the media is that he is a small shooting guard who can play defense and hit the open three but when he is asked to do anything more, like run the team he can't do it.

That's obvious by watching him. It works during the season because teams don't go all out to win but the playoffs are a different beast. It's better to rely on a slightly fatigued Booker or Paul because the opponent will have in their starters as well. If Carter's 3pt shooting were better then it'd be harder to sit him but he's just average there and also quite streaky. So if he's not hitting, teams can sag off.
 
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