The 2025 NBA Finals Thread

Hoop Head

Hoop Head

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Mainstreet said:
I remember the Suns won 45, 49 and 36 games with Kevin Durant, the supposed #1 star the Suns needed.
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That still hurts. Booker was 25 and had 1 disappointing playoff outing, in which he wss legitimately injured as he missed 3 of 6 games vs New Orleans. The idea the Suns had to get a legit #1 was ridiculous. Especially when the player they went after wasn't after had all the questions surrounding Durant did/does. I know Durant said he wanted to be but he's a front runner.

That team deserved one more run, at least, to see who they really were or could be. Yes, Chris Paul wasn't getting younger and PG needed addressed, as did backup Center, but that would have been much easier than trading away roughly 50% of the rotation for 1 guy whose better days were behind him.
 
Raindog

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Hoop Head said:
That still hurts. Booker was 25 and had 1 disappointing playoff outing, in which he wss legitimately injured as he missed 3 of 6 games vs New Orleans. The idea the Suns had to get a legit #1 was ridiculous. Especially when the player they went after wasn't after had all the questions surrounding Durant did/does. I know Durant said he wanted to be but he's a front runner.

That team deserved one more run, at least, to see who they really were or could be. Yes, Chris Paul wasn't getting younger and PG needed addressed, as did backup Center, but that would have been much easier than trading away roughly 50% of the rotation for 1 guy whose better days were behind him.
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How different things would be if the Suns use that pick on Haliburton. Right now we might have a core of Booker, Haliburton, Bridges, and Cam. Even with Ayton at center, that's a pretty effective lineup.

Go one step further and imagine Ayton being moved for Turner or Sabonis, as both were rumored at various points, by a competent GM. And we would still have all our draft picks for the next seven years.

Would Ishbia still have come in and wrecked all of that? Who knows. I know that Jones (and to some degree, Monty) sure didn't help.
 
Hoop Head

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Raindog said:
How different things would be if the Suns use that pick on Haliburton. Right now we might have a core of Booker, Haliburton, Bridges, and Cam. Even with Ayton at center, that's a pretty effective lineup.

Go one step further and imagine Ayton being moved for Turner or Sabonis, as both were rumored at various points, by a competent GM. And we would still have all our draft picks for the next seven years.

Would Ishbia still have come in and wrecked all of that? Who knows. I know that Jones (and to some degree, Monty) sure didn't help.
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The Suns got screwed when KD came out and said he wanted to play here after the 2022 season. Then James Jones felt like the prettiest girl at the dance wanted his attention. When Ishbia came in he asked why they hadn't hooked up yet and pushed him to make a move. We saw something similar happen this season with Jimmy Butler but thankfully the CBA saved us from being too enthralled because had we been able to aggregate salaries then I imagine we would have traded Grayson, Royce, Okogie, and Nurkic for Jimmy.


All we needed to do was be patient. We weren't in the 2020 draft and we weren't with Stix either, being the first lottery pick to have his 3rd year option declined. All we had to show for him was Torrey Craig, who we should have re-signed ourselves but James Jones got in his own way there again. I'm grateful he's gone.
 
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Weird how the Minnesota/OKC series starts tomorrow and the Indiana/New York series on Wednesday since the Eastern side was set before the west. The scheduling isn't doing OKC any favors.
 
ajcardfan

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Hoop Head said:
Weird how the Minnesota/OKC series starts tomorrow and the Indiana/New York series on Wednesday since the Eastern side was set before the west. The scheduling isn't doing OKC any favors.
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That is driven by what they think will bring them the highest TV ratings. That means getting the Knicks into what are the historically higher viewed days.
 
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Booker does what SGA does all the time but doesn’t get those calls. Ridiculous.
 
Mainstreet

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The Thunder have approximately 32 draft picks through 2031.

Talk about having your cake and eating it too.
 
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