Can we get talent/fit evaluation right?

[boisesuns]

Many times I watch other teams and think about certain players and how they fit into different systems. there seems to be guys that are just perfect for certain specific roles or complement stars very well.

Other teams have really drafted/developed far better than the suns. For all the bad seasons we’ve not really put enough together, constantly missing on a lot of signings and draft picks.

Do you think the current staff will get this right? I hear talk about building around Ayton and booker, but will they identify what the suns need and start improving the team?

 

[BC867]

Jones is inexperienced but with good intentions. And, hopefully, the confidence of Sarver to let him do his job.

That gives us hope for gain. Will it happen? Regardless of where we wind up in the draft, time will tell.

Any of us guessing will be just that.

 

[Mainstreet]

I think Kelly Oubre is a perfect fit for the Suns at small forward. My concern is the Suns front office may not feel the same.

 

[95pro]

I think we are on the right track. I mean Jones cleared up some roster issues with us early on, releasing Harrison and Canaan, moving Chandler, and then later trading useless pieces in Anderson and Ariza. I mean within the short term that McD was gone, those are some major changes we had to go through. I say major because Chandler has been with us for a while, and Harrison along with Canaan were guys who shared minutes with guys like Booker, Warren, Jackson and Bender.

 

[Hoop Head]

We don't have a lot to judge James Jones on but I think the moves he made last season brought in players who fit alongside Ayton and Booker. They were better than who McD brought it, I'd say. Oubre, Tyler Johnson, and Jamal Crawford are/were better fits than Ariza, Anderson, Chandler, and Canaan. I guess McD gets credit for Holmes but it was Jones who cleared a path for him to play by getting Chandler out of here.

 

[Yuma]

I think we are on the right track. I mean Jones cleared up some roster issues with us early on, releasing Harrison and Canaan, moving Chandler, and then later trading useless pieces in Anderson and Ariza. I mean within the short term that McD was gone, those are some major changes we had to go through. I say major because Chandler has been with us for a while, and Harrison along with Canaan were guys who shared minutes with guys like Booker, Warren, Jackson and Bender.

It was like he had to dig out of a hole just to get us to be a normal last place team. Before that, we were historically horrible! LOL!

 

[Mainstreet]

I think we are on the right track. I mean Jones cleared up some roster issues with us early on, releasing Harrison and Canaan, moving Chandler, and then later trading useless pieces in Anderson and Ariza. I mean within the short term that McD was gone, those are some major changes we had to go through. I say major because Chandler has been with us for a while, and Harrison along with Canaan were guys who shared minutes with guys like Booker, Warren, Jackson and Bender.

It's really weird thinking about it. The Suns could have been much worse without the Ariza and Anderson trades.

Oubre and Johnson turned out to be starters.

 

[1Sun]

Will people PLEASE stop overglorifying Tyler Johnson? He is NOT a starter. Not even close.

 

[Yuma]

Will people PLEASE stop overglorifying Tyler Johnson? He is NOT a starter. Not even close.

He IS for Phoenix!

 

[Hoop Head]

It's really weird thinking about it. The Suns could have been much worse without the Ariza and Anderson trades.

Oubre and Johnson turned out to be starters.

That's depressing to think about, honestly. Who knows how bad this team could have been.

 

[Yuma]

That's depressing to think about, honestly. Who knows how bad this team could have been.

Like I said, we were DEEP in a hole. Just remember the first night where we rolled the Mavs? It looked like a home run team. Then the losses, and BAD losses started piling up! At least by the end of the season, even in losses we were entertaining. The addition by subtraction really helped us, imho. Really hoping to see some changes this off season.

 

[1Sun]

He IS for Phoenix!

Only by default. He doesn't deserve to start in the NBA, and if he starts for us next season, expect a record as bad as or worse than last season, followed by Booker and Ayton asking to be traded.

 

[Proximo]

Only by default. He doesn't deserve to start in the NBA, and if he starts for us next season, expect a record as bad as or worse than last season, followed by Booker and Ayton asking to be traded.

I thought our terrible record was all Igor's fault?

Changing your tune already? So right now your plan is to post we don't have a good enough pg 20,000 times?

 

[Yuma]

So back to the thread title. I think there has been an issue either picking the right talent, or developing it, or both really. It seems like we don't develop our guys as well as say San Antonio. How many of their guys outright look horrible? It seems they get their guys to at least play fundamental basketball. While we have either really picked bad players, or guys we pick go on to develop their games elsewhere. I think we need to build this part of our franchise. It seems like a definite need.

 

[1Sun]

I thought our terrible record was all Igor's fault?

Changing your tune already? So right now your plan is to post we don't have a good enough pg 20,000 times?

Both were problems. I expect better development of individual players, better discipline, more accountability, better communication, better chemistry, better semblance of order on the offensive and defensive end and better usage of players under Monty, but Tyler Johnson as a starter is like asking the team to play with one arm tied behind their backs, and it's entirely unfair to Monty and to the rest of the team.

 

[AzStevenCal]

So back to the thread title. I think there has been an issue either picking the right talent, or developing it, or both really. It seems like we don't develop our guys as well as say San Antonio. How many of their guys outright look horrible? It seems they get their guys to at least play fundamental basketball. While we have either really picked bad players, or guys we pick go on to develop their games elsewhere. I think we need to build this part of our franchise. It seems like a definite need.

We don't but that's true of most teams. We've created most of our own problems but we've had some bad luck along the way too. The big one is that we've had great draft position in bad draft years. Yes, we absolutely blew the Bender/Chriss year but most teams would have flopped in that Len draft and I think most teams would have taken Jackson at 4 if they'd had the chance.

Other than an obvious superstar or two at the top, when you draft in that 3 to 8 range you're usually drafting almost entirely on potential. When you draft much later you're more likely to select older, more mature rookies that may not have the up-side but usually are much easier to teach. The Spurs have drafted wisely, not so much talent evaluation but personnel evaluation. If we could adopt anything from that organization, that skill would be my first choice.

 

[Yuma]

Both were problems. I expect better development of individual players, better discipline, more accountability, better communication, better chemistry, better semblance of order on the offensive and defensive end and better usage of players under Monty, but Tyler Johnson as a starter is like asking the team to play with one arm tied behind their backs, and it's entirely unfair to Monty and to the rest of the team.

I bet we trade some pieces this off season. One of the persons may be at shooting guard. So Tyler stop gapped us at PG, but ultimately may end up behind Booker as a back up two guard.