Monty

[NashDishesDimes]

Starting to question this guy. Last night puts Cam on Zion virtually the entire game in which Zion was a +36!! If i go up and down the roster, there is about 4 guys id consider putting on Zion before Cam. Not only is Cam a terrible defender but he has zero chance of keeping Zion out of the paint. I would start with Ayton unless he gets in foul trouble. Next obvious choice has to be Crowder who at least has some weight to throw around and experience. The fact that Monty continued to stick with Cam is even more mind boggling.

also, whenever adams and zion were in the game, Monty had ayton and Kaminsky out there. The whole modern NBA is built off of small ball beats matching up with their big. Make Steven adams and zion chase somebody. Especially when youre down in the game and need to speed up the pace and put some points up. Kaminsky offers zero advsntage over Adams or Zion and is a complete liability defensively and rebounding-wise.

Dont get me started on Abdul Nader either, why this guy keeps getting PT from Monty i have no idea. That guy is a turnover machine with no upside offensively.

lastly, why does Kaminsky keep getting PT over Damien Jones or even Jaylen Smith. Suns have plenty of scoring off the bench and Kaminsky is a MAJOR liability playing center. His +\- is atrocious because of that.

all we hear is ‘Monty has so much respect around the league hes such a great guy’. That may be true but is he respected because hes genuine or because hes a good basketball coach?

the one thing ill give him credit for is Suns are taking defense seriously since hes been here.

 

[Mainstreet]

I too think Jae Crower should have been assigned to guard Zion but Monty brought him off the bench and he only played 13 minutes before leaving the game for some unexpected reason.

Covering Zion was too much for Cam Johnson and probably most NBA players.

Right now, Kaminsky is better that Damian Jones and Jalen Smith.

Abdel Nader has played well off the bench for the Suns but of course he is a small forward. He did have three turnovers last night but this is not an every game thing. He averages only .6 turnovers per game for his career.

 

[AzCards777]

I agree in that adjustments should have been made with regards to Cam on Zion but then again Zion was abusing Crowder and Kaminsky as well so. Monty did try implement a Zone, but the NO did a good job of attacking it.

I disagree on the rest of your assesment of players though. I feel like Cam has been solid on the defensive end up to date. I also feel that Kaminsky and Nader have given a spark to this team over the last two weeks, by providing a nice scoring spark off the bench.

Damien Jones has been a fouling machine and is best sitting on the bench where he has been over the last month or so. Smith is still a good two years away from being a solid contributer, at this point we just have to roll with Kaminsky and wait for Saric to make his way back.

In the end it was just an awful shooting night where in a normal Suns game we make more of them and keep this game close. Just didnt happen.

 

[Finito]

Sucks....

 

[1tinsoldier]

it seems Monty gives everyone a green light to shoot the 3 if their open
i.e. "take what the defense gives you"

but the defense is hip to letting Cam, Crowder, Kaminsky, Bridges and the other role players try to beat them
i'm guessing they're shooting under 30% from 3

for example, when Kaminsky is on the floor he has the ball much more than he should because the defense drops off him

if the Suns want to be more than a .500 team they need to play to their strengths
sure, not easy when Booker hasn't been as strong this season
but Paul has to shoot more. just 7 shots last game. he needs to shoot at least twice as often as that

and plays should regularly be run to free both Paul and Booker the same way the warriors free up Curry
THEN if the clock is running down and a role player is open from anywhere, launch

Ayton is another problem offensively with his tiny tyrannosaurus hands
a lot of possessions are blown trying to get the ball to him in the paint or he loses it when he does get it
i have no answer for that but i hope Monty finds one

 

[GoldGloveschmidt]

Kaminsky is waaaaaay better than Damian Jones. And Kaminsky is not good.

I do feel that Monty really killed the momentum of this team when he started changing rotations, though. I've never understood why Jae was replaced by Johnson. Makes no sense. And then when Nader became healthy, it feels like Monty really forced him into the lineups and ruined the 3 man wing rotation that we had and was working quite well. And now Monty is forcing E'Twan Moore into the lineup over Carter with poor results.

Payne and Dario obviously have a lot to do with this. We need those guys back if we want to re-capture the bubble synergy, cause right now this team is all out of sorts on offense.

 

[sinsay]

Kaminsky is waaaaaay better than Damian Jones. And Kaminsky is not good.

I do feel that Monty really killed the momentum of this team when he started changing rotations, though. I've never understood why Jae was replaced by Johnson. Makes no sense. And then when Nader became healthy, it feels like Monty really forced him into the lineups and ruined the 3 man wing rotation that we had and was working quite well. And now Monty is forcing E'Twan Moore into the lineup over Carter with poor results.

Payne and Dario obviously have a lot to do with this. We need those guys back if we want to re-capture the bubble synergy, cause right now this team is all out of sorts on offense.

The pistons game was the start of the suns downfall. When Langston got hot Suns have not been the same team since.

 

[1tinsoldier]

it seems Monty gives everyone a green light to shoot the 3 if their open
i.e. "take what the defense gives you"

but the defense is hip to letting Cam, Crowder, Kaminsky, Bridges and the other role players try to beat them
i'm guessing they're shooting under 30% from 3

as mentioned tonight, the Suns are the 3rd worst 3pt shooting team when the player is open by 6 feet or more

 

[SirStefan32]

Well, I think Monty saw that the first unit was getting killed out there and the bench was bailing them out. He wanted to make an adjustment and mix up the two units a bit, so he swapped Crowder and Johnson.

I have been busy and haven't been posting as much, but here is what I see as current issues:

1. Johnson and Bridges were insane at the start of the season. Both have slowed down and their shots are not falling like they were at the start of the season. These are young players, so that's to be expected. They were carrying the team, and they are just not good enough yet to do that consistently.

2. Booker, Ayton, and Paul haven't figured out how to play with each other just yet. Book and CP3 seem to be figuring it out, but Ayton still doesn't seem to have it figured out. He's done a great job on defense, and he's been rebounding well, but his offense is just not there this year.

3. As silly as it sounds, Cam Payne and Dario might be the most important players the Suns have. No, I am obviously not suggesting they are better than Booker, Paul, Ayton, Bridges, Johnson, and Crowder, but they are just solid players in the second unit. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like we have all underestimated their impact.

4. Team has to figure out what to do when the tree-point shots are not falling. They have to get to the rim, with and without the ball.

5. Monty has to make adjustments faster. I get what he is doing- he is showing his guys that he trust them to figure it out. I totally get that, but Cam is just not good enough (yet) to figure it out against Zion Williams, for example.

They have to get Cam Payne and Dario healthy, they have to figure out what to do when they can't hit threes, and Monty has to make adjustments much faster than he's been making them.

 

[Mainstreet]

With Jae Crowder out against the Pistons, Monty started Frank Kaminsky alongside Ayton. It might have been Saric if he were available.

Last night I finally saw Monty willing to adapt to match ups even if it means starting two centers. I also saw it as a signal the Suns may not have enough size on their roster to go against bigger teams without adapting even if it means playing two centers together.

Nothing against Jae Crowder, but he is a small ball power forward. I really don't see the answer on the Suns roster at power forward unless the Suns play Saric there when match ups dictate but this takes away from the second unit.

Also there is the question of depth at the 4/5. It was very serendipitous for the Suns to be able to sign Frank Kaminsky. The Suns are very light if Smith or Jones have to see minutes. The Suns can't afford to miss one rotation big such as Saric.

Again thank you Frank Kaminsky.

 

[Mainstreet]

Looking ahead to the Celtics, they started Daniel Theis, Tristan Thompson and Grant Williams against the Clippers. That's two centers and a power forward. Jayson Tatum is not small either.

And they played a center and power forward off the bench in Robert Williams and Semi Ojeleye.

Btw, they beat the Clippers.

 

[Hoop Head]

Looking ahead to the Celtics, they started Daniel Theis, Tristan Thompson and Grant Williams against the Clippers. That's two centers and a power forward. Jayson Tatum is not small either.

And they played a center and power forward off the bench in Robert Williams and Semi Ojeleye.

Btw, they beat the Clippers.

The Clippers are big so that lineup may have been to match theirs. I recall Brad Stevens mentioning Tatum is 6'10" now but he's thin and not a true 4 or 5 but his size is tough to match. I think Mikal will do fine against him, hopefully.

I'm glad Monty sees the need for size. Hopefully James Jones does also and is trying to find us another big off the bench because Jones sucks and Stix isn't ready for meaningful minutes yet. Dario will certainly help but we have an open two way spot, surely there is a GLeaguer who can handle 10-15 minutes here and there.

 

[Mainstreet]

The Clippers are big so that lineup may have been to match theirs. I recall Brad Stevens mentioning Tatum is 6'10" now but he's thin and not a true 4 or 5 but his size is tough to match. I think Mikal will do fine against him, hopefully.

I'm glad Monty sees the need for size. Hopefully James Jones does also and is trying to find us another big off the bench because Jones sucks and Stix isn't ready for meaningful minutes yet. Dario will certainly help but we have an open two way spot, surely there is a GLeaguer who can handle 10-15 minutes here and there.

I'm hoping Monty is watching the waiver wire, G-League or can do a minor trade to add another power forward. The Suns need one in the worst way if they are down a rotation big man for any reason. What really hurts is the Suns not have a realistic first round pick they can trade. The Suns need to value their draft picks though even second rounders.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Last night I finally saw Monty willing to adapt to match ups even if it means starting two centers. I also saw it as a signal the Suns may not have enough size on their roster to go against bigger teams without adapting even if it means playing two centers together.

I'm glad Monty sees the need for size. Hopefully James Jones does also and is trying to find us another big off the bench because Jones sucks and Stix isn't ready for meaningful minutes yet. Dario will certainly help but we have an open two way spot, surely there is a GLeaguer who can handle 10-15 minutes here and there.

The league changed again, almost overnight, thanks to the Lakers playoff run. Now, teams are more prone to play multiple bigs at the same time and we need to be able to match them - unless our combo forwards are burning it up from 3, forcing the other team to adapt instead.

 

[Mainstreet]

The Heat, who are off to a rough start, are now playing Kelly Olynyk next Bam Adebayo.

Suddenly the league is swinging big when the Suns are trending small. It's bad timing but the Suns have always tended to be small.

I was envious of the Pistons who are big upfront were still able to bring Isaiah Stewart off the bench. He is a load.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

The Clippers are big so that lineup may have been to match theirs. I recall Brad Stevens mentioning Tatum is 6'10" now but he's thin and not a true 4 or 5 but his size is tough to match. I think Mikal will do fine against him, hopefully.

I'm glad Monty sees the need for size. Hopefully James Jones does also and is trying to find us another big off the bench because Jones sucks and Stix isn't ready for meaningful minutes yet. Dario will certainly help but we have an open two way spot, surely there is a GLeaguer who can handle 10-15 minutes here and there.

I feel bad for saric. He’s going to take a physical beating. Let’s remember that while he’s tall at 6’10 he’s not exactly a beast. He came into the league as a SF. I just can’t escape images of him getting beat up in the post. And it’s going to get worse with him being our backup 5. I’m not saying it won’t be an improvement, it will. I’m saying I feel badly for what he’s going to have to endure physically.

 

[Hoop Head]

I feel bad for saric. He’s going to take a physical beating. Let’s remember that while he’s tall at 6’10 he’s not exactly a beast. He came into the league as a SF. I just can’t escape images of him getting beat up in the post. And it’s going to get worse with him being our backup 5. I’m not saying it won’t be an improvement, it will. I’m saying I feel badly for what he’s going to have to endure physically.

I suspect that is why Monty has held him out with minor injuries. He needs to be 100% because he's going to take a pounding and having something minor going in could become something major really quick.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I feel bad for saric. He’s going to take a physical beating. Let’s remember that while he’s tall at 6’10 he’s not exactly a beast. He came into the league as a SF. I just can’t escape images of him getting beat up in the post. And it’s going to get worse with him being our backup 5. I’m not saying it won’t be an improvement, it will. I’m saying I feel badly for what he’s going to have to endure physically.

Are you talking about his international play? I have no idea what position that was but I know he was always at the top or near the top in rebounds so I suspect he played PF or center mostly. As for his time in Philadlephia, I'm pretty sure he spent most of his time at power forward, at least till Simmons was drafted.