Suns @ Timberwolves Sunday game thread, November 17th, 2024

Yuma

Suns are my Kryptonite!
Joined
Jan 3, 2003
Posts
22,757
Reaction score
12,508
Location
Laveen, AZ
The refs in the NBA have been really bad this week. There's no way Okogie wanted to flop on that.
 

95pro

ASFN Icon
Joined
May 10, 2007
Posts
12,715
Reaction score
4,184
I’m not liking bud lately. He’s seems to be making less and less adjustments as we progress throughout the young season. I understand we are short handed.

I really wish he would sub in some defense for cases like that. Or even use Bol to block the pass.
 

95pro

ASFN Icon
Joined
May 10, 2007
Posts
12,715
Reaction score
4,184
Please tell me that last sequence of two missed shots by Booker (you know, the missed three and the quick rebound of it) wasn't a reversion to hero-ball. I would be incredibly disappointed in him; I would conclude that he's as much a bonehead as Amare Stoudemire, and that he learns nothing no matter how many games he ruins with hero-ball.

Book is not to blame today.
 

1tinsoldier

Hall of Famer
Joined
Apr 17, 2018
Posts
1,478
Reaction score
555
Location
AZ
Please tell me that last sequence of two missed shots by Booker (you know, the missed three and the quick rebound of it) wasn't a reversion to hero-ball. I would be incredibly disappointed in him; I would conclude that he's as much a bonehead as Amare Stoudemire, and that he learns nothing no matter how many games he ruins with hero-ball.

yes, and, like Amare, what Booker needs is a ticket to NY where he will thrill them for a few years and not win anything - instead of it being us for a full 60 years.

this game was a perfect case in point.
Booker was hot and the team played with confidence (when he's not, they typically don't)
but again, they blew it in the last 3 minutes playing Booker ball.
again, and again, he takes a wild 3pt shot when we only need 1 to win.

i don't care so much when his shot is off. i care that his head is consistently off in crunch time.
we were #1 in closing games under CP3's leadership and #1 this season with Durant leading close-outs
and we were historically last in closeouts last season when it was "Booker's team" and he was playing point

apparently, coach's haven't got the guts to call the shots. The color-analyst pointed out that we played 2 man ball with Booker the last 7 plays despite moving the ball well and scoring before that.

there will surely be post's complaining that anyone could criticize our "home-grown" star after carrying the team on his back to a near victory with 44 points. If they haven't learned from last season and the end of the prior season, they'll learn this season.

it doesn't really matter who scores and how many. It's about results. Amare's nickname was "Stat" and Booker is another stat guy who you will never see hoist up the ball from half-court at the end of quarters. I'd trade him today for Jalen Brunson if the Knicks would take the deal.
 

Hoop Head

ASFN Icon
Joined
Feb 4, 2005
Posts
17,434
Reaction score
12,629
Location
Tempe, AZ
That’s a flop by Okogie. Suns choked on their final possession but that was a quality performance nonetheless.

I saw the writing on the wall here. Before bad calls were being made, some started blaming the refs. It was a good game that we were lucky to have led as long as we did. If wasn't the refs that cost the Suns. It was lack interior defense as a whole and no one else stepping up when it mattered, on either side.
 

Hoop Head

ASFN Icon
Joined
Feb 4, 2005
Posts
17,434
Reaction score
12,629
Location
Tempe, AZ
I’m not liking bud lately. He’s seems to be making less and less adjustments as we progress throughout the young season. I understand we are short handed.

I really wish he would sub in some defense for cases like that. Or even use Bol to block the pass.

I don't see what adjustments he could try outside of Bol² and tonight wasn't the time to cart him out with the game on the line. Monte Morris has seen more time, and has produced. Damien Lee has gotten some run and hasnt produced. You don't throw mud at the wall in the 4th quarter of a close game. No one was injured or fouled out. Oso saw more time because Bud adjusted.

This roster doesn't have the pieces for large adjustments. Plumlee and Nurk are pretty much redundant. Oso isn't a shooter and not a true C so his minutes will largely be matchup dependent. Bol² isn't some untapped talent waiting to explode. At best he's a 9th or 10th man. He needs to be in the game plan from the start. We don't see practice but I don't imagine he's lit anyone up since he's still glued to the bench.

Bud makes a lot of offense for defense and vice versa subs in game, especially the 4th. I don't recall a coach doing as much tinkering as he has. If anything I think he has a tendency to over adjust.
 

Hoop Head

ASFN Icon
Joined
Feb 4, 2005
Posts
17,434
Reaction score
12,629
Location
Tempe, AZ
Please tell me that last sequence of two missed shots by Booker (you know, the missed three and the quick rebound of it) wasn't a reversion to hero-ball. I would be incredibly disappointed in him; I would conclude that he's as much a bonehead as Amare Stoudemire, and that he learns nothing no matter how many games he ruins with hero-ball.

Booker wasn't playing "hero ball" but clearly you don't need to watch a game to define his play that way and critique him for doing something no one who watched objectively would say he was doing. Our resident Booker hater co-signing your take is far from objective.
 
OP
OP
Mainstreet

Mainstreet

Cruisin' Mainstreet
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Posts
118,893
Reaction score
59,427
I don't see what adjustments he could try outside of Bol² and tonight wasn't the time to cart him out with the game on the line. Monte Morris has seen more time, and has produced. Damien Lee has gotten some run and hasnt produced. You don't throw mud at the wall in the 4th quarter of a close game. No one was injured or fouled out. Oso saw more time because Bud adjusted.

This roster doesn't have the pieces for large adjustments. Plumlee and Nurk are pretty much redundant. Oso isn't a shooter and not a true C so his minutes will largely be matchup dependent. Bol² isn't some untapped talent waiting to explode. At best he's a 9th or 10th man. He needs to be in the game plan from the start. We don't see practice but I don't imagine he's lit anyone up since he's still glued to the bench.

Bud makes a lot of offense for defense and vice versa subs in game, especially the 4th. I don't recall a coach doing as much tinkering as he has. If anything I think he has a tendency to over adjust.

I'm waiting to see what the Suns final roster looks like, because right now, the Suns don't have the pieces to make a championship run.

I can live with Nurkic and Plumlee, if the Suns could add a rotation 4/5. I'm not sure if it has to be a special player. They need someone with a defensive mentality in the middle.

However, even then, I'm not sure if the team has the killer instinct they need, although they have enough talent.
 

Hoop Head

ASFN Icon
Joined
Feb 4, 2005
Posts
17,434
Reaction score
12,629
Location
Tempe, AZ
I'm waiting to see what the Suns final roster looks like, because right now, the Suns don't have the pieces to make a championship run.

I can live with Nurkic and Plumlee, if the Suns could add a rotation 4/5. I'm not sure if it has to be a special player. They need someone with a defensive mentality in the middle.

However, even then, I'm not sure if the team has the killer instinct they need, although they have enough talent.

I don't think there's anyone in free agency we can add right now to fill the hole for a legit run. I won't be surprised if we see some movement December 15th, or whenever the date passes that allow recently signed players to be moved. We have too many redundancies at SG and SF. We need a PF who can play some C badly.
 
OP
OP
Mainstreet

Mainstreet

Cruisin' Mainstreet
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Posts
118,893
Reaction score
59,427
I don't think there's anyone in free agency we can add right now to fill the hole for a legit run. I won't be surprised if we see some movement December 15th, or whenever the date passes that allow recently signed players to be moved. We have too many redundancies at SG and SF. We need a PF who can play some C badly.

Although they are centers, the Suns could use a healthy Robert William III or Ivica Zubac in the middle. Bobby Ports would be a fit at power forward. I'd even kick the tires on Rachaun Holmes. There must be a number of players I'm missing.

They need a player with some grit.
 

Superbone

Phoenix native; Lifelong Suns Fan
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Posts
6,371
Reaction score
3,519
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I don't see what adjustments he could try outside of Bol² and tonight wasn't the time to cart him out with the game on the line. Monte Morris has seen more time, and has produced. Damien Lee has gotten some run and hasnt produced. You don't throw mud at the wall in the 4th quarter of a close game. No one was injured or fouled out. Oso saw more time because Bud adjusted.

This roster doesn't have the pieces for large adjustments. Plumlee and Nurk are pretty much redundant. Oso isn't a shooter and not a true C so his minutes will largely be matchup dependent. Bol² isn't some untapped talent waiting to explode. At best he's a 9th or 10th man. He needs to be in the game plan from the start. We don't see practice but I don't imagine he's lit anyone up since he's still glued to the bench.

Bud makes a lot of offense for defense and vice versa subs in game, especially the 4th. I don't recall a coach doing as much tinkering as he has. If anything I think he has a tendency to over adjust.
I think a strategy adjustment was what we needed. Wolves were loading up on Booker at the end. We should have adjusted and had the "others" help more.
 

Hoop Head

ASFN Icon
Joined
Feb 4, 2005
Posts
17,434
Reaction score
12,629
Location
Tempe, AZ
Although they are centers, the Suns could use a healthy Robert William III or Ivica Zubac in the middle. Bobby Ports would be a fit at power forward. I'd even kick the tires on Rachaun Holmes. There must be a number of players I'm missing.

They need a player with some grit.

RW3 would be great but he can't stay healthy. Zubac is a redundancy with Nurk and Plumlee. So I wouldn't even bother there. He might be better at some things but worse at others. Marginal difference, if any, overall.

I have no interest in Holmes. He's lost a step last I saw. If he still had some spring in him then maybe but he doesn't. We should look for different skillsets if they're older.

Portis would be ideal. He can play PF or C. Has legit size, can shoot 3's, be a rim deterrent, and also rebound.

We need someone who is 6'10" or taller that uses their height while also being capable of knocking down 3's well enough to be respected. A young Brook Lopez would be excellent but not all that far fetched either. He was a low post interior bruiser before he changed his style. He went from shooting 14 3pt attempts to 387. He made 2 in the season he shot 14 and made 134 the next year. 14% to 35% on that volume increase is nuts. He was 28 years old and entering his 9th season when he made the change.
 

Staff online

Forum statistics

Threads
554,898
Posts
5,422,961
Members
6,328
Latest member
SadAZfan
Top