Suns 2025-2026 Season Discussion

OP
OP
Mainstreet

Mainstreet

Cruisin' Mainstreet
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Posts
130,956
Reaction score
71,321
Jordan Ott talks about what the Suns are building:

“When you walk into the building, you can’t escape it. That’s what you want to build. You want to build a group that’s competitive that if you don’t play hard, you’re the outlier.”

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
 

SactownSunsFan

Welcome to the Age of Ayton
Joined
Jun 28, 2005
Posts
2,240
Reaction score
452
Location
Sacramento, CA
I'm iffy on the Sabonis rumors. On one hand, he could definitely fill that role of a stretch 4 who is also kinda a poor man's Joker in his ability to make plays, rebound and score, but is he gonna buy into the defensive dog mentality that this team has adopted? Does he even have the defensive capabilities to do so? He's prone to picking up a lot of fouls, but playing next to Mark Williams might negate some of that? Green and Richards gets it done financially, according to the ESPN trade machine, but would that be enough to pique the interest on Sacramento's side? They'd probably want Oso, too. And Sabonis is dealing with a partially torn meniscus, which is concerning.
 

Ronin

Captain obvious
Super Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Oct 12, 2006
Posts
163,043
Reaction score
77,771
Location
Crowley, TX
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

I'm better than Mulli!
Joined
Sep 16, 2002
Posts
69,251
Reaction score
67,331
Location
SoCal
We have 23 million tied up in dead salary.

We have to extend Mark Williams, Gillespie, and Goodwin. If we can do that - our money is GONE.

There will be no free agent signings other than vet minimums. We have no picks.

That basically means - best case - we keep the team we have. Is that team good enough even if the young guys we have develop - nope.

Don't get me wrong, I like this team a lot. But realistically we cannot compete for a title for at least 5 years because we have no way to get the necessary talent.
We’ve heard that there are no moves to make like every season and somehow ishbia (for better or worse) comes up with ways to recreate the team. I think I would stop using the phrase “no way” with him.

Also - and note, I’m not saying this team will become a championship contender - we have NO idea what this team will be in 2-3 years. Mark williams, Jalen green (who hasn’t played yet really) are really young legitimate nba players. We don’t know their ceiiings with good (maybe great?) coaching. Gillespie is obviously a legit nba player and just emerging. We don’t know his ceiling. What if Maluach develops into an absolute stud? Or if Fleming and Kobe developed into legit nba players? And what if we trade brooks, Allen, Royce for picks or other young talent? And the biggest “what if” . . . What if all this happens and we trade booker for who knows what kind of haul? Too many variables to just close the door on what a team, with a wealthy owner who is willing to be creative, wants to win, and take chances, can do.

I’ve always been a realist about sports. Usually I’m looked at as pessimist. In th suns case, given the evidence we’ve been provided that’s been flipped. I’m realistic that it’s not all guaranteed doom and gloom. I recognize that there actually a pretty wide range of variables that could end up swinging to either end of the spectrum.
 
Last edited:

Cheesebeef

ASFN IDOL
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Posts
96,527
Reaction score
80,148
Jeff Hornacek.
I don’t think he’s the offensive player Horny was. In his prime, Horny had deceptive handles and slashing ability. I also think Horny was a choir boy on the court and Allen got some of Danny’s devil in him.
 

Cheesebeef

ASFN IDOL
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Posts
96,527
Reaction score
80,148
I’d do Sabonis if it only cost role player salary. Not sure how low his value is at this point.
Same. I ain’t giving up Green or Williams. Both of those guys seems like letting pieces for the future.
 
Joined
May 16, 2025
Posts
125
Reaction score
80
Location
Midwest
Jeff Hornacek.
Now that would be a compliment, since Jeff Hornacek is my favorite player ever; but I don't see that either. Hornacek had considerable point guard skills, allowing him to play either guard spot. Grayson has no notable point guard skills and, as far as I know, never plays point guard. (If he did, perhaps the team would finally cut out the Point Book nonsense.)
 

BooksOrangePlanet

I was BirdGangThing
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2019
Posts
33,247
Reaction score
39,643
Location
Arcadia
Now that would be a compliment, since Jeff Hornacek is my favorite player ever; but I don't see that either. Hornacek had considerable point guard skills, allowing him to play either guard spot. Grayson has no notable point guard skills and, as far as I know, never plays point guard. (If he did, perhaps the team would finally cut out the Point Book nonsense.)
drops 10+ dimes in a nba game but has no notable point guard skills
 

AzStevenCal

ASFN IDOL
Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2004
Posts
38,219
Reaction score
18,963
Now that would be a compliment, since Jeff Hornacek is my favorite player ever; but I don't see that either. Hornacek had considerable point guard skills, allowing him to play either guard spot. Grayson has no notable point guard skills and, as far as I know, never plays point guard. (If he did, perhaps the team would finally cut out the Point Book nonsense.)
Booker has developed into a plus point guard on offense, it's his inability to defend even average PGs that's been the killer for us. But now, with Williams and Oso, our guards finally have a little help. And with Brooks establishing the defensive mindset for this team, DB's perimeter defense is no longer much of an issue.

The second biggest problem when it comes to Devin playing the point is that he doesn't get to play alongside a Devin-level shooting guard but that looks to be solved with the addition of Green and the development of Collin. We've seen Booker, Green, Brooks, Grayson, Collin, Bouyea, Goodwin and others initiating the offense so any concern over Booker at the 1 spot means little to this group IMO.
 

JCSunsfan

ASFN Icon
Joined
Oct 24, 2002
Posts
22,760
Reaction score
7,328
I don’t think he’s the offensive player Horny was. In his prime, Horny had deceptive handles and slashing ability. I also think Horny was a choir boy on the court and Allen got some of Danny’s devil in him.
Cotton called Horny the "paper boy" because of his looks. I am not sure how it morphed into choir boy, but Horny had some devil in him too.
 

Ronin

Captain obvious
Super Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Oct 12, 2006
Posts
163,043
Reaction score
77,771
Location
Crowley, TX
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
 

Latest posts

Staff online

Forum statistics

Threads
1,069,941
Posts
6,202,832
Members
6,412
Latest member
dingo
Back
Top