Suns @ Magic 11-23-16

[Mainstreet]

The Suns play at the Magic tonight with a 5 p.m. Arizona start time. TJ Warren is reportedly out indefinitely with a minor head injury.

Here are the projected starting lineups from Paul Coro at azcentral.

C: Alex Len … Nikola Vucevic

PF: Marquese Chriss …. Serge Ibaka

SF: Devin Booker … Jeff Green

SG: Brandon Knight … Evan Fournier

PG: Eric Bledsoe … Elfrid Payton

Key Magic reserves: Aaron Gordon, Bismack Biyombo, D.J. Augustin, Damjan Rudez, C.J. Watson.

Key Magic injuries: Jodie Meeks is questionable with a right foot fracture.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...ns-stick-3-guards-aim-cut-turnovers/94352178/

 

[Mainstreet]

The Suns get the win over the Magic 92-87.

It was an enjoyable game to watch. I believe Len is growing into the center they want. He is a solid defender and rebounder plus he can put some points on the board. I think Suns players will need to adjust if he continues his good play on defense as they may not need to foul as much on drives into the middle.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Len has games like this. He just needs to be more consistent.


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[leclerc]

Magic has ugliest hair backcourt with Elfrid and Evan. Still with the man bun? News travels slow.

Bender in the first quarter! Hell yes.

Lots of minutes to Ulis. No wonder it was a fun game. Plenty of open shots.

 

[3rdside]

If we could play like that with minute distribution like that, with tucker down a bit and bender up, then I'm probably okay for now. And maybe I've been a bit quick and hard on Watson, at least if he's just going to be an interim coach. If he can build a happy team then that's a win.

I still don't particularly like McD but I guess it's somewhat owed to him to fully build a team - which includes the coach - in his mould...And I can't deny I was actually pretty impressed with our draft (I asked if we could trade up in the lottery before the draft to get Brown and Chriss, subsequently revised to Bender and Chriss and, sure enough, he managed to pull it off).

So here's to the slow road to developing if last night was any indicator.

 

[Mainstreet]

Len has games like this. He just needs to be more consistent.

Tyson Chandler's absence may prove to be a blessing in disguise. Len has been huge in anchoring the Suns defense. He has given the Suns consistent play on defense and rebounding.

 

[slinslin]

Watson is not "interim" coach. He has a 3 year deal if I am not mistaken.

 

[3rdside]

I mean interim like between the last coach and the next coach who'll actually coach us somewhere. Getting ahead of myself of course and I can lay off him for a bit.

GD, one win and look at me.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

I mean interim like between the last coach and the next coach who'll actually coach us somewhere. Getting ahead of myself of course and I can lay off him for a bit.

GD, one win and look at me.

He's our Doug Collins...only this team would be better served to have the real Doug Collins for a couple of years.

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[elindholm]

All coaches of bad teams are interim coaches.

 

[leclerc]

Chriss does not have the best hands... don't know how to work on that, but I hope he improves.

Len has been playing better with Chandler out, I agree, it's been good, we've also seen A1 prove himself to be more than a towel waiver and token 12th man.

If we could only jettison Knight and Tucker and whip the rotation into shape, and by that I mean more minutes to Ulis and Bender. Get someone better than Barbosa and Dudley, but it's not critical. We can get another veteran who is okay in bench role with a higher BB IQ than frigging hero chucking Knight.

I think we can get a groove going with the young core, while amassing enough L's to get us a lottery pick to get the final *young* piece.

We should be set to compete in 2-3 years with a core based on Booker, Warren, Chriss, Bender, Ulis, Len + another 1st and 1-2 big fish FA's if necessary.

I've been hard on Watson for not playing Ulis and Bender, but all in all we're playing young guys more than we have in a long time. Booker, Warren, Chriss, Len, they're playing a lot of minutes.

So yeah, I'm optimistic for the rest of the year (not win-wise) and the near future.

Go Suns.

 

[Mainstreet]

Chriss does not have the best hands... don't know how to work on that, but I hope he improves.

Len has been playing better with Chandler out, I agree, it's been good, we've also seen A1 prove himself to be more than a towel waiver and token 12th man.

If we could only jettison Knight and Tucker and whip the rotation into shape, and by that I mean more minutes to Ulis and Bender. Someone better than Barbosa and Dudley, but it's not critical. We can get another veteran who is okay in bench role with a higher BB IQ than frigging hero chucking Knight.

I think we can get a groove going with the young core, while amassing enough L's to get us a lottery pick to get the final *young* piece.

We should be set to compete in 2-3 years with a core based on Booker, Warren, Chriss, Bender, Ulis, Len + another 1st and 1-2 big fish FA's if necessary.

I've been hard on Watson for not playing Ulis and Bender, but all in all we're playing young guys more than we have in a long time. Booker, Warren, Chriss, Len, they're playing a lot of minutes.

So yeah, I'm optimistic for the rest of the year (not win-wise) and the near future.

Go Suns.

Good post.

I'm willing to let things ride. My gut feeling is the Suns will tweak the roster before the trade deadline. I think Watson has demonstrated he will play the youngsters. I'd really like to see Derrick Jones play to see what he looks like at his young age.

 

[leclerc]

I haven't seen much of Derrick Jones. Isn't he a pogo stick? And by that I mean great body, no shot, no hands (dribbling, passing, catching), no BB IQ (keep reading that as barbecue IQ -- I won't judge).

I want to trade Brandon Knight for Danny Ainge. We have enough athletes. We need more basketball players.

I repeat, I have not seen him play so he might be a good one for all I know!

 

[Errntknght]

Brandon Knight played a pretty good game I thought - not ball hogging and making good shot selections. Made a beautiful long bounce pass to Chriss on a break. Defense was fair-to-middling. I thought he actually made a positive contribution. Len had a good game and looked like he knew what he was doing much of the time - the announcers said it was because he wasn't fearful of being yanked for a mistake with Tyson not playing. Could be. I suppose. Ulis turned the ball over a lot for him... I think he'd look even better with a more organized offense but I imagine EW is too busy with other more important things to mess about sith Xs and Os. Bender is making a little progress.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Brandon Knight played a pretty good game I thought - not ball hogging and making good shot selections. Made a beautiful long bounce pass to Chriss on a break. Defense was fair-to-middling. I thought he actually made a positive contribution. Len had a good game and looked like he knew what he was doing much of the time - the announcers said it was because he wasn't fearful of being yanked for a mistake with Tyson not playing. Could be. I suppose. Ulis turned the ball over a lot for him... I think he'd look even better with a more organized offense but I imagine EW is too busy with other more important things to mess about sith Xs and Os. Bender is making a little progress.

In Watson's defense. It's a pretty big task to develop so many young players on one team. It's not just the rookies. Len, Warren, Booker, Knight, Chriss, Bender, Ulis, and even Williams. That's a lot of young talent to try to nurture all at once.

Yes, Knight too.


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