Suns sign Tyus Jones

Mainstreet

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They have not improved talent immensely.

Tyus Jones is a small upgrade to Gordon

Monte Morris is an upgrade - but probably will only play due to injury considering all the other guards ahead of him.

I am not expecting anything from the draft picks - literally nothing. I saw enough in summer league to see they are raw as hell.

The rest of the team is almost identical - the rest of the team that will get playing time anyway.

I'm looking at what the Suns did in terms of fixing vulnerabilities with veteran players.

They added a starting point guard in Tyus Jones and a rotation backup point guard in Monte Morris. The Suns had zero last season. Also, they are all better 3-point shooters than Eric Gordon.

Plus, they improved depth at backup center in Mason Plumlee.

In my book, those are three upgrades right there without factoring in the rookies.
 
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Yuma

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I'm looking at what the Suns did in terms of fixing vulnerabilities with veteran players.

They added a starting point guard in Tyus Jones and a rotation backup point guard in Monte Morris. The Suns had zero last season. Also, they are all better 3-point shooters than Eric Gordon.

Plus, they improved depth at backup center in Mason Plumlee.

In my book, those are three upgrades right there without factoring in the rookies.
You could say just parting ways with Drew Eubanks improved the team. :)
 

Mainstreet

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You could say just parting ways with Drew Eubanks improved the team. :)

I would have liked to have kept Eubanks as backup center behind Plumlee, though.
 

Yuma

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I would have liked to have kept Eubanks as backup center behind Plumlee, though.
I was high on him from what I saw when he was in Portland. He had one of the worst plus/minus in all the NBA playing for us. Brendon Klein was saying how much our second unit with both him and Okogie being black holes on offense. Actually, Plumlee and Morris will be way better improvements to our second unit.
 
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Yuma

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That would have been at the expense of Oso, so I'm good with what happened.
Not sure on that Oso floater yet, but the dude can pass. Being a good rebounder and playing solid defense are two things he will have to good at to get on the floor for us. If he can end up being a decent 3rd Center, that's a win right there.
 

Goldfield

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They have not improved talent immensely.

Tyus Jones is a small upgrade to Gordon

Monte Morris is an upgrade - but probably will only play due to injury considering all the other guards ahead of him.

I am not expecting anything from the draft picks - literally nothing. I saw enough in summer league to see they are raw as hell.

The rest of the team is almost identical - the rest of the team that will get playing time anyway.
Can’t compare Gordon to Jones. Adding true pg play is a big upgrade in itself. Not to mention a solid back up pg to lessen injury issues. Pumlee is an upgrade over ubanks. But of course we can’t upgrade much with the restrictions we have. Agree on rookies. Hopefully we add another useful piece in a trade.
 

Phrazbit

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I think Oso is going to get the most minutes of our rookies. Plumlee just isn't very good, he also gets injured a ton, Nurkic had a great run of health last year but historically he usually misses a lot of time.
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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They have not improved talent immensely.

Tyus Jones is a small upgrade to Gordon

Monte Morris is an upgrade - but probably will only play due to injury considering all the other guards ahead of him.

I am not expecting anything from the draft picks - literally nothing. I saw enough in summer league to see they are raw as hell.

The rest of the team is almost identical - the rest of the team that will get playing time anyway.
You’ve officially become the modern version of the 90s cheese and Ouchie on the Cardinals board. Except the suns actually made the playoffs and had a fairly good record.
 

Phrazbit

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They have not improved talent immensely.

Tyus Jones is a small upgrade to Gordon

Monte Morris is an upgrade - but probably will only play due to injury considering all the other guards ahead of him.

I am not expecting anything from the draft picks - literally nothing. I saw enough in summer league to see they are raw as hell.

The rest of the team is almost identical - the rest of the team that will get playing time anyway.

Jones, for the role he is going to play, is a massive upgrade over Gordon. Gordon played a role that we had in spades, and IMO, he was not impactful outside of the random game when he got hot. His defense also sucked.

Jones fills a role that we didn't even attempt to address last season and I think Morris will get a fair amount of minutes backing up Jones.

I do not expect Dunn to play much based on what I saw, but he may look better when he has a chance to rim run off the ball. He is a very good defender, that was obvious.

I think Oso will have a role, somewhat by necessity because I think our situation at center is a glaring weak point. It wouldn't take much a pulse for him to start seeing minutes ahead of Plumlee.

I wouldn't call it an "immense" improvement based on sheer talent, but it's a roster that makes a lot more sense on paper and I expect it to play markedly different style.
 

Yuma

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I wouldn't call it an "immense" improvement based on sheer talent, but it's a roster that makes a lot more sense on paper and I expect it to play markedly different style.
I think that's the improvement. Our second unit should be a LOT better. That's compared to the low bar of last season.
 

SirStefan32

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I think people underestimate how much Jones will help. Not only is he a real starter-level point guard, but he is also the best point guard when it comes to making simple passes and not turning the ball over. Having him (and/or Morris) on the floor will allow Beal, Booker, and Durant to do what they do best on offense (score), and it will allow them to spend more energy on defense.

I don't know how well they will do defensively, but I expect them to be one of the top three offenses in the league. I really wish they had an athletic big on the roster, but I am still super-high on this team. I think Jones and Morris fix the two biggest issues they had last year.
 

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I think people underestimate how much Jones will help. Not only is he a real starter-level point guard, but he is also the best point guard when it comes to making simple passes and not turning the ball over. Having him (and/or Morris) on the floor will allow Beal, Booker, and Durant to do what they do best on offense (score), and it will allow them to spend more energy on defense.

I don't know how well they will do defensively, but I expect them to be one of the top three offenses in the league. I really wish they had an athletic big on the roster, but I am still super-high on this team. I think Jones and Morris fix the two biggest issues they had last year.
Just the reduction of turnovers would add 10 games to the win column. Shooters which we are blessed with can focus on what they do best.
 
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Mainstreet

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Just the reduction of turnovers would add 10 games to the win column. Shooters which we are blessed can focus on what they do best.

The Suns would be much improved if they got away from a steady flow of isolation basketball and moved the ball as a team.

I miss those days. See an example below.

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Cheesebeef

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Just the reduction of turnovers would add 10 games to the win column. Shooters which we are blessed with can focus on what they do best.
I think Jones and Morris could help this team a lot, but ten games to the win column puts them at 59 wins, which would probably either be the best or second best team in the league. I don’t see that happening. Could see a 5 game improvement though, which I’d be happy with.
 

CardNots

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I think Jones and Morris could help this team a lot, but ten games to the win column puts them at 59 wins, which would probably either be the best or second best team in the league. I don’t see that happening. Could see a 5 game improvement though, which I’d be happy with.
Good point but my thought was with the improved teams (Houston, SA, etc…) I was thinking we come in at 45 wins this season. So I’m thinking 55 wins now.
 

elindholm

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You’ve officially become the modern version of the 90s cheese and Ouchie on the Cardinals board. Except the suns actually made the playoffs and had a fairly good record.

It's weird to me that 50-and-fade has become the benchmark of success for this franchise, when for decades it was a source of frustration.
 

Mainstreet

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Jones, for the role he is going to play, is a massive upgrade over Gordon. Gordon played a role that we had in spades, and IMO, he was not impactful outside of the random game when he got hot. His defense also sucked.

Jones fills a role that we didn't even attempt to address last season and I think Morris will get a fair amount of minutes backing up Jones.

I do not expect Dunn to play much based on what I saw, but he may look better when he has a chance to rim run off the ball. He is a very good defender, that was obvious.

I think Oso will have a role, somewhat by necessity because I think our situation at center is a glaring weak point. It wouldn't take much a pulse for him to start seeing minutes ahead of Plumlee.

I wouldn't call it an "immense" improvement based on sheer talent, but it's a roster that makes a lot more sense on paper and I expect it to play markedly different style.

If Dunn can be the Suns version of a shut-down defender and do the other things like cutting to the basket and getting out on the fast break, I can see him getting minutes. However, he will have to improve his shooting to stay on the court.

I'd like Iso to be the Suns third center, but they really need another proven big man that can fill the role. The need is glaring.

I don't like depending on rookies for a team that wants to contend.

Jalen Bridges could surprise if he can knock down that corner three consistently. He would need the opportunity and take advantage of it.
 

Covert Rain

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I miss those days. See an example below.

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
Maybe from an entertainment perspective. However, for me it's title or bust. Anything short of a title is a failure IMO. 56 years later that is my only benchmark. The Suns are the oldest NBA team to never win a title. Couple that with the Cardinals being the oldest NFL team without a title. ASU football? ASU basketball? If not for the D-backs and Mercury? It would be even more abysmal.

It's tough to be an Arizona sports fan sometimes.
 

Mainstreet

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Maybe from an entertainment perspective. However, for me it's title or bust. Anything short of a title is a failure IMO. 56 years later that is my only benchmark. The Suns are the oldest NBA team to never win a title. Couple that with the Cardinals being the oldest NFL team without a title. ASU football? ASU basketball? If not for the D-backs and Mercury? It would be even more abysmal.

It's tough to be an Arizona sports fan sometimes.

I want the Suns built for the present and the future. Although I have disagreed with some of the Suns moves, I think Mat Ishbia is that guy. He seems to be building the organization the right way. The recent interview on PHNX with CEO Josh Bartelstein was encouraging. I like the culture the Suns and Mercury are building.

I, too, want a championship now, but a championship cannot be guaranteed in any given season. However, if the Suns become a world-class organization, it will eventually come. I can live with that, even if I'm not around to see it happen.
 

Cheesebeef

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It's weird to me that 50-and-fade has become the benchmark of success for this franchise, when for decades it was a source of frustration.
Those back to back to back “title contending seasons” of 2021-3 culminating with a backdoor sweep in the Finals, followed up by back to back 30 point home ass kickings to end the next two seasons beat the idea of ever getting a title out of me.

Now I just want to be entertained. Last season decidedly did NOT do that. Hoping a PG running the team can at least get us back to that place.
 
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