The Devin Booker non-appreciation thread.

[1tinsoldier]

I want to trade him for a lot of reasons but one of them is that I'm still very fond of Devin. I think he's a good player, capable of being a very good player if we keep him at his natural position. But we're not going to compete for many seasons and I hate the idea of wasting his best years on a team like ours. Let him go somewhere else and be the great second fiddle he's capable of being.

i'd be fine with more fans just admitting they're "very fond of Devin" instead of accusing me of lying.

imo, he'd be a fair 2nd fiddle for a team if they've got 4 defensive players on the floor with him. But for a championship contender, he'd need to be 3rd fiddle

 

[AzStevenCal]

i'd be fine with more fans just admitting they're "very fond of Devin" instead of accusing me of lying.

imo, he'd be a fair 2nd fiddle for a team if they've got 4 defensive players on the floor with him. But for a championship contender, he'd need to be 3rd fiddle

Devin has been a poor defender for much of his career but he has shown flashes of being an almost elite defender when he's playing the two. I believe he can do it for more than just flashes but not if he's matching up against point guards.

 

[1tinsoldier]

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[oaken1]

if a genie gave me one wish i'd take a great defensive team like OKC over a great offensive team any day.
you can count on great defense to be consistent
offense can be hot and cold -- and redundant, since only one player can have the ball and shoot. "Big 3's" fail when they're all offensive studs.

and great defensive teams also go hand and hand with a high bball iq. CP3's defensive skills didn't come from his athleticism.

Booker and Beal's bad defense is linked to their bad decision making like reaching-in and fouling at the wrong time. For example, Beal lost us a couple of games in crunchtime by gambling on a steal.

Joker is the most un-guardable force in basketball and had the best chance of beating OKC. Now, they'll take it all.

Yup...Dennis Rodman had a great career just rebounding and playing defense...you gotta have a guy or two like that.
Funny thing was, a game came along where the two top scorers were out...and Rodman put up like 32 points along with his other contributions...it wasnt that he couldnt score...dude just liked defense and playing his roll on the team.

 

[CardNots]

agreed.
but why the hell do we need to "find one for Booker?" Why are so many so dedicated to supporting, defending, and building around one flawed, overpriced player?

Strictly saying if management commits a new contract for Booker they will have zero success without a talent at point guard, period!

 

[1tinsoldier]

now Barkley's on board with trading Booker because it would be best for Suns and best for Booker's championship aspirations. Booker's priority, however, seems to be the money. Him, his agent, and Ishbia likely agreed to the contract extension before the trade deadline -- the dump Durant campaign began and the coach was thrown under the bus. Loyalty to phx? Sure -- Phx is a goldmine for him -- a safe place for his empty stats, jersey and shoe sales, etc..

 

[1tinsoldier]

With a 75 mil salary, other teams will not even speak Booker's name in future trade talks. His points will go up without Durant demanding double teams, but his defense, 3pt shooting, and shooting percentage, and clutch shooting won't. He hasn't got the Kobe lift on his jumpshot anymore and he'll be even slower on defense.

worst of all, the rookie coach will make the same mistake as the 7 coaches before him -- letting Booker make his own decisions and play his own game!

 

[1tinsoldier]

"Just like Deandre Ayton, he’s a top two pick who simply refuses to get better. Green was also the subject of a mean tweet on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, described as a player that “has the basketball IQ of a baby hamster.” - Bickley

perfectly consistent. The dumbest NBA management traded their last smart player for a third dim bulb to play Booker and Beal's position. And, perhaps another opportunity to pass up a Halliburton or SGA for another dumb-ass first round pick.

 

[1tinsoldier]

imo, Grayson Allen is the next smartest player left. They'll get rid of him too.

 

[1tinsoldier]

some comments i read about the Booker, Beal, and Green combo:

0 defense between all 3

All ball dominant. Bad news, there’s only 1 ball.

Old Devin Booker
Young Devin Booker
& Current Devin Booker

I’ve lived in Arizona all my life, 34 years, this is as bad as the Jason Kidd for Stephon Marbury trade

 

[Raindog]

some comments i read about the Booker, Beal, and Green combo:

It reminds me more of Chuck for Horry/Cassell.

On the face of it, that wasn't a terrible trade given all the circumstances, but it wasn't really very good either in actual effect.

It did signal another era of transition. But the franchise under JC was much more adept at those kinds of transitions than they have been under subsequent ownerships.

I guess it's still early on in the Ishbia era, so we'll see if he is anymore competent at it than Sarver was. I have no hope that he's as adept as Jerry's organization was.

 

[1tinsoldier]

i love that Ishbia moved the broadcasts back to over the air TV. But more scandals, and, in particular, his handling of Booker and his extension indicates he's clueless about what it takes to win.

 

[1tinsoldier]

well, it's official. Ishbia is a basketball idiot. and we are now what the Clippers used to be. the league joke

i had a tiny glimmer of hope he was just posturing to push up Book's trade value with the big extension talk. but i feared the worst when he said a few months ago that "we needed to get back to Suns basketball." because, besides for the CP3 run, the only Suns basketball we will get back to now, is BookerBall and pointBook which were and will be disasters. Before this contract ends, it will make Beal's look like a bargain.

i'd say we could look forward to high draft picks for the next 5 years, but we traded most of those away to build around Book again (and didn't even make the playoffs this season and got swept the prior season)

the good news for some here is that i won't be watching us be humiliated
the good news for me is that i'll be doing better things with about 200 hours next season

the bad news for some is that i will drop by once in a while to sarcastically thank the fanboys for their blind devotion's role in ruining phx suns basketball

 

[Hoop Head]

well, it's official. Ishbia is a basketball idiot.

What grants you the ability to make that "official"? What's your basketball resume look like? Do you have a NCAA National Championship?

He's proven to make decisions like a fan, which I don't fault him for, and I will judge his decisions but to declare he's officially a "basketball idiot" is a bridge too far.

The rest of your post doesn't really warrant much discussion because, per usual, it is slanted as could be and a convenient retelling of history through the eyes of a hater. Congrats on going full 1Sun, I suppose.

 

[1tinsoldier]

What grants you the ability to make that "official"? What's your basketball resume look like? Do you have a NCAA National Championship?

my qualifications are that i've got 2 eyes without fanboy blinders that i'm looking through
(and a FULL set of season stats that paint their own picture)

also, i never went to film or music school but based on a lifetime of watching over 2,000 films, i completed a 29 song musical that has won 16 national script awards, that i'll be turning into a movie next year

open your eyes. it's about more than being a passive spectator following the guardrails others lay out for you. there's a lot you can see, assimilate and apply without the guidance of billionaires who's only real skill is their unscrupulous drive for making money, and achieving fame and power

critical thinking, my hoop headed friend. it applies to MUCH more than critiquing rich grown men running back and forth throwing a ball through a basket

(and, btw, if any of you in town have a progressive mind and film or musical skills, PM me. i'd be interested in hearing what you're up to)

 

[1tinsoldier]

as per suns nation:

Devin Booker will run the show.
Per John Gambadoro, Booker is expected to be the Suns’ full-time starting point guard this season.
And it’s a move that makes sense.
We’ve seen him distribute.
We’ve seen him orchestrate.
Now it’s official.
Book is about to put his full bag on display.
He’s not just a bucket, he’s the engine now.
We all know this is Book’s team.

yes, indeed. this is going to be a great Suns season

for me to crap on!

 

[1tinsoldier]

ok, after 8 months, the first thing i'll admit is:
i was wrong about this Suns season being great to "crap on"
i was wrong about Dillon Brooks (i remembered him as being a valuable player with the Grizz but since he was traded 3 times since them, i assumed he was a dissident.)

i was right, however, to say the key players i wanted to return are Allen and Gillespie

i was surprised, in preseason to see
energy, power, and defense from the non-starters
and now i'm surprised to see that the new coach MAY have the fundamentals of bb down better any we've had in at least 2 decades

needless to say, i was right about Booker
even down to his groin problems being a liability
just like last season, he started out strong
like last season, he seems to lose concentration as the season progresses
it's like he starts out with these visions of grandeur of becoming what he's paid to be
-- a super-max, top 10, impact player
and when he suspects it may not really be HIS team
he pushes too hard, gets flustered, and is self-defeating

he has moments, as usual, but his 3pt shot, clutch shooting and decision-making is still mostly poor at the end of games

this team can NOT be judged until Green is playing in the starting line-up
it is possible they get worse, not better
because Green might duplicate what we get from Booker
more offense and less defense
right now, Green is being replaced with a defensive player

right now, the leaders on this team are
Brooks, Gillespie, Allen, Booker
in that order

Booker is, and will continue to be the Suns best scorer
but i put him just behind Allen as a leader
because Allen is balanced and better in the clutch

what i'm seeing, is this as being Dillon Brooks team
he gives us similar offense as Book, but with much better defense and leadership

if i was in charge i'd trade Book for Lauri Markkanen
i don't know about his defense, but his 3 and clutch shooting would be a significant plus
and he's less stoppable

Book is a relic left over from what was wrong last season
we should have got rid of BOTH Durant and Booker

this team has a new vibe that doesn't fit with Booker. i like it

 

[AzStevenCal]

ok, after 8 months, the first thing i'll admit is:
i was wrong about this Suns season being great to "crap on"
i was wrong about Dillon Brooks (i remembered him as being a valuable player with the Grizz but since he was traded 3 times since them, i assumed he was a dissident.)

i was right, however, to say the key players i wanted to return are Allen and Gillespie

i was surprised, in preseason to see
energy, power, and defense from the non-starters
and now i'm surprised to see that the new coach MAY have the fundamentals of bb down better any we've had in at least 2 decades

needless to say, i was right about Booker
even down to his groin problems being a liability
just like last season, he started out strong
like last season, he seems to lose concentration as the season progresses
it's like he starts out with these visions of grandeur of becoming what he's paid to be
-- a super-max, top 10, impact player
and when he suspects it may not really be HIS team
he pushes too hard, gets flustered, and is self-defeating

he has moments, as usual, but his 3pt shot, clutch shooting and decision-making is still mostly poor at the end of games

this team can NOT be judged until Green is playing in the starting line-up
it is possible they get worse, not better
because Green might duplicate what we get from Booker
more offense and less defense
right now, Green is being replaced with a defensive player

right now, the leaders on this team are
Brooks, Gillespie, Allen, Booker
in that order

Booker is, and will continue to be the Suns best scorer
but i put him just behind Allen as a leader
because Allen is balanced and better in the clutch

what i'm seeing, is this as being Dillon Brooks team
he gives us similar offense as Book, but with much better defense and leadership

if i was in charge i'd trade Book for Lauri Markkanen
i don't know about his defense, but his 3 and clutch shooting would be a significant plus
and he's less stoppable

Book is a relic left over from what was wrong last season
we should have got rid of BOTH Durant and Booker

this team has a new vibe that doesn't fit with Booker. i like it

If we could land an average power forward and picks or a star power forward such as Laurie for Booker, I'd jump on it. But that hamstring, the same one we worry about, is likely to doom a Devin for Laurie deal.

 

[ProdigalSun]

As a Wildcat fan I'd love Lauri on this team...but never gonna happen unfortunately