5: Tony Parker expects the lane to split like the red sea when he comes through it.
To say Phoenix plays mediocre defense is a generous statement. You don't close the lane, Parker's coming through!
I'm talking when he got knocked down trying to take it up against Shaq...
As for the rest of the game, good Lord. This is where we miss Marion. Shaq can shut down Duncan. Who shuts down the rest? Hill needs to be healthy to put the clamps on Manu.
Looking forward to Suns winning 2 at home. Yes, it will happen.
Could it be that Phoenix has lost their identity??? Barbosa pushing the ball at lightning speed is a rare sight now-a-days...Him and Marion were what made the Suns a superior offensive squad.
I mean, Nash and Stoudamire pick and roll is still potent as ever. But aside from that, nothing on that Suns' offense is consistent.
Looking forward to Suns winning 2 at home. Yes, it will happen.
Could it be that Phoenix has lost their identity??? Barbosa pushing the ball at lightning speed is a rare sight now-a-days...Him and Marion were what made the Suns a superior offensive squad.
I mean, Nash and Stoudamire pick and roll is still potent as ever. But aside from that, nothing on that Suns' offense is consistent.
A few thoughts on that.....
All we have EVER heard was "you can't win a championship without a center." Then, it became, "what are you doing?!?!?! Why did you go get a center and trade Marion?!?!" So, experts, which one is it?
Rant over.
Now, the offense is out of whack right now. There's a lot of turnovers because Nash got accustomed to Amare at the center instead of the power forward, and there were no plays EVER designed for Marion, but if anyone got into trouble they had a spot to throw it to where they knew Marion was going to be. We all knew it was going to take them a while to get used to running a new offense, but man, this is what we got Shaq FOR. Frankly, I think The second unit needs to push the ball and break more than the first unit.
Looking forward to Suns winning 2 at home. Yes, it will happen.
Could it be that Phoenix has lost their identity??? Barbosa pushing the ball at lightning speed is a rare sight now-a-days...Him and Marion were what made the Suns a superior offensive squad.
I mean, Nash and Stoudamire pick and roll is still potent as ever. But aside from that, nothing on that Suns' offense is consistent.
A few thoughts on that.....
All we have EVER heard was "you can't win a championship without a center." Then, it became, "what are you doing?!?!?! Why did you go get a center and trade Marion?!?!" So, experts, which one is it?
Rant over.
Now, the offense is out of whack right now. There's a lot of turnovers because Nash got accustomed to Amare at the center instead of the power forward, and there were no plays EVER designed for Marion, but if anyone got into trouble they had a spot to throw it to where they knew Marion was going to be. We all knew it was going to take them a while to get used to running a new offense, but man, this is what we got Shaq FOR. Frankly, I think The second unit needs to push the ball and break more than the first unit.
Diaw wants to make everyone happy...here's an idea...GO TO THE RACK. For crying out loud....
Which would mean making him a perimeter player. Amare is not really a back to the basket type player either. Shaq is really the only consistent post-up threat, and he probably should have gotten the ball more in the second half.
Aside from Shaq's presence, they're really a small ball club still trying to make the transition to a more "orthodox" style of offense. Tough transition to make particularly when the post-season starts.
I remember when D'Antoni was shouting to his players in the huddle against the Lakers last season, "Look, we gotta play defense! Defense is key!! We gotta make stops." If he's not telling his players those things in the regular season, how does he expect it to work in the post season???
I say fire D'Antoni after this season. Get Hubie Brown or Jeff Van Gundy out of retirement. Get them to hold opponents in the 80s like the 90's Miami Heat.
"IS THE SUN SETTING IN PHOENIX?" (NOT TAKEN FROM ESPN.COM, this one's for you JimBeam)
"NASH'S ASS BRUNED IN MID-FLIGHT." (This one's the title for my next Rise Above entry.)
Jokes aside. It's sad to see that the run n' gun Suns are largely a thing of the past. It seems the end of an era is approaching....I may be wrong, but it sure seems that way. And yes, even haters are gonna miss that style of play....
It's funny you mention fire D'Antoni, because a few people out here were already calling for it if the Suns didn't make the playoffs or make it out of the first round. I think they'll give him one more year because they're on the hook for Shaq, then clean house. You can't have a few halfway decent defensive players such as Raja, then have a bunch of dudes that CAN'T play D.
Speaking of D, Amare said 2 years ago he was going to work on his. Haven't seen any improvement on it whatsoever. In fact, I'd say he's digressed. He develops well in his skill set, such as his 15-17 foot jumper, but he needs to drastically improve his D if the Suns ever have a shot.
Well, you gotta admit, your team and Phoenix have made a LOT of noise during the past couple years. Jacking up threes in transition. Going coast-to-coast on a one on two. They have defined a new kind of NBA ball recently (even though they haven't won any rings to claim it as their era). ya dig?
This would be an apt time to revisit some of yuki's yapping about Chris Paul lacking a "killer instinct" and being an inferior player to Deron Williams.
phx was done when they traded marion. marion was the catalyst. whatever asshurt was displayed off-court was where marion kept it. he would have seen what a max contract player he was when he opted out at the end of this season. (he'd probably be going apeshit in the playoffs w/ opting out in the back of his mind) chances are, he would have resigned w/ phx for the same he was makin after they ditched some deadweight (banks), which was more than any other team in the l would have paid him, and kept his mouth shut. i've been saying this shit.
i still would like to see them win this round, b/c i loathe the stupid f'ing spurs. i would like to see whatever second round team blow through them in 4 games though. they are no longer fun to watch. as for barbosa slashes to the basket-- hard to do when the only other guy running the floor pulling one of the defenders away from you on a fast break is no longer on the team. also difficult to finish at the rim when your fat, old, slow teammate is clogging the lane. the acquisition of shaq completely took the suns out of their game.
that game would have eaten my brain last season. since the trade-- last night did not surprise me at all. i hope sarver and kerr are happy. $20.5 mil (or whatever godawful sum they're paying shaq) is a lot of money for a player that is not helping them do exactly what they got him to do (beat the spurs)
sucks for nash-- [nba thraed catnip]he deserves a ring[/nba thraed catnip]
I have to agree.....but honestly, Dirk is the ONLY one on this team with any heart.
They need to blow it up.....and I think they will......but they'll keep Dirk.
The downfall of this team can be traced to Josh Howard making the All-Star team.
Before then he was the most hustling player since Rodman....dude was all over the place, diving for balls, playing defense and rebounding like a fiend.
That's why he made the All-Star team.
Now it seems like he's just out there to take a few ill-advised jumpers and nothing more.
I think the team will be totally purged with only Cuban and Dirk left standing.
keep thug pasty. fire avery. he should go team up with skiles in MIL and they can run it like a boot camp together. liberate, i mean, uh... "trade" josh howard mercy kill devean george. put jkidd on the back 40 on some "how would you like a management advisory position?"
I don't think that people would be saying such bad things about the Suns if they were playing a team other than the Spurs right now.
First, they pushed the tempo and dominated in the first half in both games so far. But everyone knows that the Spurs win games in the second half and often the 4th quarter. They wear teams out. Not to mention Tony and Manu were on fire last night.
Suns would probably beat any other team in the west. They may have changed up their game plan a bit, but they are a more solid all around team this year IMO. Spurs shut Nash down in the second half last night and that made a huge difference. Suns still suck at defense, but they are better than last year.
In hindsight the Shaq trade may not have been the best long term move for the Suns, but let's not forget that they did beat the Spurs both times in the regular season that they played after picking him up.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
The Kidd trade didn't work because he's got nothin' but old dudes to run with. Re-upping Stack and JET, signing doods like George and Jones. Those were teh bad moves in retrospect. It's a young league. Even the Celtics are loaded w/ young guys in key subordinate roles.
I'm not giving up on this series as bad as it's looked though. The starting 5 next game should be: Kidd, Josh, Bass, Dirk and Damps. Put Josh on CP and let Kidd cover MoPete. Play these dudes til they pass out.
The most pathetic thing about the series so far though is that Avery still has no clue who to play and when. He's just throwing shit at the wall at this point. Sad, sad, sad. Last night might've been a nadir.
C'mon though guys....do you remember when I was dropping B Bass hints during summer league? Is that guy fun to watch or what? To have that much power and athleticism AND to have a sick midrange/FT game?? He's like a poor man's Amare.
C'mon though guys....do you remember when I was dropping B Bass hints during summer league? Is that guy fun to watch or what? To have that much power and athleticism AND to have a sick midrange/FT game?? He's like a poor man's Amare.
bass has back to the basket post game. undersized pf. jason maxiell-ish. good shit.
too bad he's on the mavs.
ps: where has all-caps been? this thraed needs a shot in the arm (no-rebate).
This would be an apt time to revisit some of yuki's yapping about Chris Paul lacking a "killer instinct" and being an inferior player to Deron Williams.
STOP PUTTING WORDS IN MY MOUTH, YOU BALD ASS FUCK. I NEVER SAID THAT. NEXT TIME YOU CALL ME YUKI, YOU WILL GET SERVED WITH A MATT HARPRING ELBOW TO YOUR GRILL, AND GET THOSE PINK STRIPES TURN RED.
What team you got? ATL Hawks? NY Knickbockers? Denver (I love me some tats) Nuggets? You mad doggie. Take a seat.
they did beat the Spurs both times in the regular season
psst!... Batmon... that's your cue...
I agree regular doesn't mean shit, I said it myself earlier in this thread in regard to the Suns beating the Spurs, I'm just sayin that I don't think the trade for Shaq was that bad of an idea.
Comments
I'm talking when he got knocked down trying to take it up against Shaq...
As for the rest of the game, good Lord. This is where we miss Marion. Shaq can shut down Duncan. Who shuts down the rest? Hill needs to be healthy to put the clamps on Manu.
Could it be that Phoenix has lost their identity???
Barbosa pushing the ball at lightning speed is a rare sight now-a-days...Him and Marion were what made the Suns a superior offensive squad.
I mean, Nash and Stoudamire pick and roll is still potent as ever. But aside from that, nothing on that Suns' offense is consistent.
A few thoughts on that.....
All we have EVER heard was "you can't win a championship without a center." Then, it became, "what are you doing?!?!?! Why did you go get a center and trade Marion?!?!" So, experts, which one is it?
Rant over.
Now, the offense is out of whack right now. There's a lot of turnovers because Nash got accustomed to Amare at the center instead of the power forward, and there were no plays EVER designed for Marion, but if anyone got into trouble they had a spot to throw it to where they knew Marion was going to be. We all knew it was going to take them a while to get used to running a new offense, but man, this is what we got Shaq FOR. Frankly, I think The second unit needs to push the ball and break more than the first unit.
That and Diaw when he overthinks his role. He needs to remember he's 6'9", sigh.
Phoenix just plays weak defense.
Man, it's happened ALL year. The Suns have blown leads like nobody's b.i. this year.
Diaw wants to make everyone happy...here's an idea...GO TO THE RACK. For crying out loud....
Which would mean making him a perimeter player. Amare is not really a back to the basket type player either. Shaq is really the only consistent post-up threat, and he probably should have gotten the ball more in the second half.
Aside from Shaq's presence, they're really a small ball club still trying to make the transition to a more "orthodox" style of offense. Tough transition to make particularly when the post-season starts.
I remember when D'Antoni was shouting to his players in the huddle against the Lakers last season, "Look, we gotta play defense! Defense is key!! We gotta make stops." If he's not telling his players those things in the regular season, how does he expect it to work in the post season???
I say fire D'Antoni after this season. Get Hubie Brown or Jeff Van Gundy out of retirement. Get them to hold opponents in the 80s like the 90's Miami Heat.
"NASH'S ASS BRUNED IN MID-FLIGHT." (This one's the title for my next Rise Above entry.)
Jokes aside. It's sad to see that the run n' gun Suns are largely a thing of the past. It seems the end of an era is approaching....I may be wrong, but it sure seems that way. And yes, even haters are gonna miss that style of play....
Speaking of D, Amare said 2 years ago he was going to work on his. Haven't seen any improvement on it whatsoever. In fact, I'd say he's digressed. He develops well in his skill set, such as his 15-17 foot jumper, but he needs to drastically improve his D if the Suns ever have a shot.
when did these humps ever have an era?
Well, you gotta admit, your team and Phoenix have made a LOT of noise during the past couple years. Jacking up threes in transition. Going coast-to-coast on a one on two. They have defined a new kind of NBA ball recently (even though they haven't won any rings to claim it as their era). ya dig?
2-0 is harsh for them to make back
www.trucknutz.com
It's over
Blow up the team and trade Dork?
What say you, GP?
marion was the catalyst.
whatever asshurt was displayed off-court was where marion kept it. he would have seen what a max contract player he was when he opted out at the end of this season. (he'd probably be going apeshit in the playoffs w/ opting out in the back of his mind) chances are, he would have resigned w/ phx for the same he was makin after they ditched some deadweight (banks), which was more than any other team in the l would have paid him, and kept his mouth shut.
i've been saying this shit.
i still would like to see them win this round, b/c i loathe the stupid f'ing spurs. i would like to see whatever second round team blow through them in 4 games though. they are no longer fun to watch. as for barbosa slashes to the basket-- hard to do when the only other guy running the floor pulling one of the defenders away from you on a fast break is no longer on the team. also difficult to finish at the rim when your fat, old, slow teammate is clogging the lane. the acquisition of shaq completely took the suns out of their game.
that game would have eaten my brain last season. since the trade-- last night did not surprise me at all. i hope sarver and kerr are happy. $20.5 mil (or whatever godawful sum they're paying shaq) is a lot of money for a player that is not helping them do exactly what they got him to do (beat the spurs)
sucks for nash-- [nba thraed catnip]he deserves a ring[/nba thraed catnip]
I have to agree.....but honestly, Dirk is the ONLY one on this team with any heart.
They need to blow it up.....and I think they will......but they'll keep Dirk.
The downfall of this team can be traced to Josh Howard making the All-Star team.
Before then he was the most hustling player since Rodman....dude was all over the place, diving for balls, playing defense and rebounding like a fiend.
That's why he made the All-Star team.
Now it seems like he's just out there to take a few ill-advised jumpers and nothing more.
I think the team will be totally purged with only Cuban and Dirk left standing.
fire avery. he should go team up with skiles in MIL and they can run it like a boot camp together.
liberate, i mean, uh... "trade" josh howard
mercy kill devean george.
put jkidd on the back 40 on some "how would you like a management advisory position?"
I actually agree--that was meanspirited of me. But, still, what other real trade assets do they have? Whose contracts are expiring?
Excellent suggestion.
Boot camp should include enforced prayer.
First, they pushed the tempo and dominated in the first half in both games so far. But everyone knows that the Spurs win games in the second half and often the 4th quarter. They wear teams out. Not to mention Tony and Manu were on fire last night.
Suns would probably beat any other team in the west. They may have changed up their game plan a bit, but they are a more solid all around team this year IMO. Spurs shut Nash down in the second half last night and that made a huge difference. Suns still suck at defense, but they are better than last year.
In hindsight the Shaq trade may not have been the best long term move for the Suns, but let's not forget that they did beat the Spurs both times in the regular season that they played after picking him up.
psst!... Batmon... that's your cue...
The Kidd trade didn't work because he's got nothin' but old dudes to run with. Re-upping Stack and JET, signing doods like George and Jones. Those were teh bad moves in retrospect. It's a young league. Even the Celtics are loaded w/ young guys in key subordinate roles.
I'm not giving up on this series as bad as it's looked though. The starting 5 next game should be: Kidd, Josh, Bass, Dirk and Damps. Put Josh on CP and let Kidd cover MoPete. Play these dudes til they pass out.
The most pathetic thing about the series so far though is that Avery still has no clue who to play and when. He's just throwing shit at the wall at this point. Sad, sad, sad. Last night might've been a nadir.
C'mon though guys....do you remember when I was dropping B Bass hints during summer league? Is that guy fun to watch or what? To have that much power and athleticism AND to have a sick midrange/FT game?? He's like a poor man's Amare.
too bad he's on the mavs.
ps: where has all-caps been? this thraed needs a shot in the arm (no-rebate).
STOP PUTTING WORDS IN MY MOUTH, YOU BALD ASS FUCK. I NEVER SAID THAT. NEXT TIME YOU CALL ME YUKI, YOU WILL GET SERVED WITH A MATT HARPRING ELBOW TO YOUR GRILL, AND GET THOSE PINK STRIPES TURN RED.
What team you got? ATL Hawks? NY Knickbockers? Denver (I love me some tats) Nuggets? You mad doggie. Take a seat.
Not necessarily arguing, but 6'8" 240 didn't used to be undersized for that position.
I agree regular doesn't mean shit, I said it myself earlier in this thread in regard to the Suns beating the Spurs, I'm just sayin that I don't think the trade for Shaq was that bad of an idea.