the starting five plays all the garbage time minutes when they jog back, give up on plays and throw sloppy passes.
Suns acquire Nick Richards from Charlotte for Okogie & three 2nd rd picks
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the starting five plays all the garbage time minutes when they jog back, give up on plays and throw sloppy passes.
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that may have been richards best defensive game as a sun - he switched and he slid - he didn't try to switch back just watched the paint while still rotating - mightve been a break through - we might be seeing more of richards again im just sayin
I'm wondering if he'll still be on the team after the trade deadline. He has been bringing a positive contribution as of late and we really do need him when Williams is out although it might be nice to give Maluach some game time experience. It's a nice luxury to have. The only reason I can see for trading him is for a first round pick or multiple 2nd round picks to bolster our future and lack of picks.
His block at the rim last night was really nice.
whether we trade him or not it's nice to see him not give up on learning this defense
if we trade a nick richards that sits and doesn't play who knows what we'll get - but if richards is playing (well) and it's just a matter of us having too many centers i imagine we can get more
but again - if richards continues to play like he did last night we might just run with who we got - 4 centers isn't a bad thing if we're thinking playoffs - richards is the only clydesdale we have - williams and oso are thoroughbreds
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Yuma
Suns are my Kryptonite!
Looking at the title of the thread, I'd take three seconds and Josh Okogie back in return for Richards.
Richards is just depth for us. His body language says he's not happy, least he's winning. There have been games where he's been valuable, and those are the games where either Williams or Oso are not available. Maybe Maluach becomes ready by the trade deadline.
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I thought a trade had happened with the new postings.
im starting to think richards wants to be traded
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I'm sure. Richards will be looking for a new contract after the season.
If we could parlay him in a trade with a legit backup in return I am good. If not? I would prefer to hang on to him as insurance. If Williams was to go down, we would have basically OSO/MAN MAN. I don't have much confidence in that scenario unless we are talking 1 or 2 games even as much as OSO has improved.
Yep our center depth has been the key to our success, Richards as poor as he plays most times, is part of that success.
If Williams went down for extended period of time I would have more faith in Richards/Oso than Oso/Man Man combo. Not that I would want either scenario for an extremely long stint either. That's just me.
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The Suns really need a 4/5 that can play now for depth. Maluach and Fleming are not NBA ready.
We had that center depth and traded him away for pretty much nothing. He would have helped near the end of the season imo, but I don't think his playing style is what Ott is looking for. A little ironic how we had four centers and ended up relying on Oso.
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I liked going after Richards but seeing him play regularly changed my opinion quickly. He seemed almost unplayable and I was not expecting that. I don't know, maybe we were using him wrong?
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the fact that this guy has bounced around so much, while seemingly having tools, tells me it's a him problem, not an us problem.
Yuma
Suns are my Kryptonite!
We have had quite a few guys who we have acquired that looked like the real deal when they first played for us but later faded away. Nick Richards, Elfrid Payton, Mark Williams, etc. These are more recent guys. Alan Williams, the ex police chiefs son was a fan favorite who just kinda faded away. We have had quite a few of these guys over the history of the Suns.
Paul McPherson won a game for us at Denver; I thought he was primed to be a stud. No such luck.
I don't think Mark Williams is in the same category. Time will tell. He did fade to end the season but I'm giving him more time before calling him DOA.
Phrazbit
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Williams is a good player that can’t stay healthy. Richards and Payton are so bad their teams are better off if they’re injured.
Yuma
Suns are my Kryptonite!
IDK if you remember, Payton's first couple of games he looked like an All Star. Then he faded hard! Richards wasn't so hot at first, but his best games were early on. Richards seemingly got worse in our system as time went by. Makes you wonder if it was the way the coaches were making him play that didn't fit his skills. Without knowing our system he was playing better early on. The Suns wanting our cneters to guard smaller guys at the three point line in rotations, has always left us wide open for runs down the lane and lobs, not to mention offensive rebounds. I wish they would fix that part of the defense.
I agree on Payton and Richards to a certain extent. I also believe they benefited from replacing scrubs, especially Payton. When you're replacing guys like Shaquille Harrison, Josh Gray, Mike James, and Tyler Ulis then it won't take much to look good.
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I think part of this is, defenses adjust. They take away plays that were there earlier once this happens.
Basketball IQ and skills are then magnified. Some players adjust, some don't.
Well we are short, we run all 6-6 guys and one center or with an undersized center. That opens up a lot of things for teams. Height still matters in the NBA.
