“I can’t exactly disagree with what Hollinger is arguing.”

I’m in the same boat. I normally despise Hollinger, but he’s right more than he’s wrong in this case, IMO

I hear all the journalists are wearing them.

with Hollinger’s take on the Suns. Mainly b/c I didn’t actually read it.

My point was about the level of response he seems to get from the team blogs….

Anyway, just more meta stuff as we wait for the season to start.

I love how the media is down on The Suns… for once in a long time people dont expect anything from this team. The good thing about being an “expert” is that you can be critical about a team in the offseason and then be the first one to write about how good they are and how well they are performing during the regular season…and how they “turned it around” And its considered cool to do so.

I dont waste my time reading that crap. 90% of the times he is wrong…

Somehow, a narrative developed that D’Antoni’s stuff doesn’t work in the postseason — never mind the injuries and suspensions and whatnot — and that Phoenix couldn’t win unless it became more like the other guys.

Injuries, suspensions, fouls and other “whatnot” always happens in the postseason. You have to prepare for the unexpected.

It’s tough to do …

However, instead of adapt, we got whining (e.g., the press-conference in the semis versus SA when he threw a fit) …

Instead of versatility in Game 5 (the “suspension game”), he had players who had no idea how to play alongside Nash, Bell or Marion because THEY HADN’T DONE SO ALL YEAR!

Instead of scheming, he continued to go under Parker’s screen and rolls during Game 2 on a day when Parker was having his career-high in FG%.

He let his “system” take precedence (i.e., “the ball finds energy”) instead of feeding the 60% FG shooting beast that is Amare.

Yesterday, I was gonna fanpost this article. It was gonna say that I hardly ever agree with Hollinger, but I think his Suns preview is dead on. I agree with almost everything, except for maybe the “Outlook” and I think the only reason I don’t agree with that part is because I’m a Suns fan and I’m a little more optimistic.

"Somehow, a narrative developed that D’Antoni’s stuff doesn’t work in the postseason — never mind the injuries and suspensions and whatnot — and that Phoenix couldn’t win unless it became more like the other guys.

What a shame."

I’d been thinking/saying to all my friends since the season ended and talks about D’Antoni leaving started stirring. To me, I think maybe individual defense needed to be worked on, but I don’t buy the fact that you need to be a defensive juggernaut to win a championship.

About last season…

“Maybe they weren’t quite as imposing as they’d been at times in previous seasons, and maybe it wasn’t as fun now that the novelty had worn off. But the fact was they were leading the league in offensive efficiency for a fourth year in a row — at the All-Star break they were nearly two full points ahead of second-place Utah. They also were in first place in the West, at 34-15.”

Then the Shaq trade came which made us slower, older, and less effective on offense. It did make us a little better defensively, but D’Antoni’s system couldn’t work as well with a big slow Shaq clogging up the center instead of a quick lean Marion slashing and finishing.

About the coaching switch…

"This was another mistake, unfortunately. New coach Terry Porter will be asked to focus on defense, play more station-to-station basketball, and generally make more mediocre what had been one of the most amazing things to happen in basketball in the past three decades. But because that system didn’t fit the preconceived notion of what good teams do, and because it didn’t produce a championship (which somehow becomes the standard of success for this type of thing, as though winning 60 every season is chopped liver), the Suns trashed it anyway.

Instead, they’ll win fewer games with a more ordinary style. But at least they won’t get criticized."

In the past 4 seasons with Nash/D’Antoni, only 3 teams out of 30 have won the championship. Because we were one of the 27 teams who hadn’t won, D’Antoni’s system “couldn’t work”.

I went to UofA and I used to love Kerr, but I’m with Hollinger on this one in that I think many of the moves that Kerr has made as a GM have been the wrong one.

slc dunk was generally pretty satisfied with the prediction that the jazz would finish first in the west.

personally, i think his predictions were generally ok. i was surprised to see the kings and wizards, and to a lesser extent the blazers and hornets, so low and the wolves and bobcats so high. anyway, predictions are fun, but not useful. unless the wizards plan on posting that article in the locker room, nothing comes of it. i can write a predictions article with similar merit to hollinger, it all matters that little. of course, i stand by the statement that they are fun, i read all of them, though that might bemore of a testament to my itch for basketball articles than anything else.

In fact, my preview would be pretty much the same: Johnson, Smith, and Horford are plenty good enough to build a good team around but the Hawks haven’t built a good team around them and if anyone of the top 7 guys gets hurt they have no viable replacement on the roster. I would have included more anti-Mike Woodson content (natch) but couldn’t disagree with any of Hollinger’s main points though I’m more bullish on Acie Law IV (were he to be utilized properly) than he is.

I was just surprised Hollinger was even more pessimistic than I was, pessimism being my default position.