Daily Poll part 2: To blow or not to blow (it up)

by Seth Pollack on Jan 27, 2009 2:46 PM MST in Phoenix Suns Commentary

In this exclusive and fantastic article by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports we are treated to yet more discussion about the Suns future and if it's the right time to blow it up:

The NBA trade deadline creeps closer on Feb. 19, and maybe basketball is witnessing the last stand of the Suns. If Phoenix does off its roster around the league, NBA sources believe only Nash would be untouchable.

Asked if he could imagine Kerr liquidating the Suns and starting over again, Nash confessed. “I can imagine that,” he said. “I don’t think that’s out of the realm of possibility. I would imagine that we’ll be together, but if you look at it, it’s 50-50. We could make a great run at this year, or they could find an opportunity to start afresh. We’ve got a lot of older guys in here.”

We've explored the idea of trading Amare and discussed who he might be dealt for but we haven't really got into the basic issue:

Should the Suns give up on this team and sell off the parts now or does this group deserve more time to try and figure out how to work together and maximize the available talent?

Over the past few weeks the team has struggled with on-the-court chemistry and are trying to figure out (still) how to work with and around the newly resurgent Shaq.

I find it hard to fault Porter for going to Shaq as often as he does. If you've got a weapon like that you use it. Amare has been given every opportunity to get his game going and as we've seen on occasion when he is able to bring his Gorilla Game on the defensive end and on the glass he can be incredibly effectual. He had plenty of chances to be "the man".

One would hope that assembling this much talent and experience in one place would produce a better result then we've seen so far. At the half way point in the season the Suns are a worse defensive team then they were under D'Antoni primarily because of the ridiculous number of turn overs.

Reading into what Nash is saying, I think that a lot of those are the result of he and the rest of the team being too unselfish and trying too hard to get each other good looks. With so many weapons you can understand the instinct to try and get everyone involved.

I don't know if the answer is more time to let this group figure it out or if it's time to blow it up and start over. I am inclined to believe based soley on the character of the players (Amare included) and their intense desire to win that they will figure this out given more time.

The clock to the trade deadline is ticking however and Sarver and Kerr can not allow this uncertainty to continue. They need to decide immediately if they are standing pat and if that's the case make it abundantly clear. If no moves are to be made then Kerr and Sarver need to personally sit down with the team and say that in such a way as it is believable.

The longer these discussions are allowed to float around unaddressed the more likely it is that their hand will be forced.

Poll

What should the Suns do?

Stand pat and let this group sort it out

92 votes

Move Amare - keep the rest

41 votes

Move Shaq while he might be movable

23 votes

Move Nash now before the value declines too much

8 votes

Blow it all up and get the best deals regardless of who goes

27 votes

I have no clue

24 votes

215 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Its actually really simple

Either win with this team, or blow it all up and go to the bottom, tank a few seasons, pick 1st overall for like 3 seasons and stockpile draft picks……. means trade Amare for three first round picks, Nash for another 3, Shaq for 4, and JRich for 2….. thats 12 first rounders…. Now doesn’t that sound ridiculous????

And I for one, don’t have the patience to watch Phoenix build from scratch…..

No sense in moving Amare, or LB or anyone now, and messing with chemistry again…..

But of course, if we get Pau Gasol for Dragic, and a future second round, then do the deal immmediately before the Lakers get there :D

Whats up doc?

by RottPhiler on Jan 27, 2009 2:59 PM MST reply actions

My option wasnt available on the poll

I think we should get a new coach. Majority of these players (and the core especially) were here before Porter. Dude is brand new. I think the only reaso he hasnt been tossed yet is because he’s Kerr’s friend. Its not to easy to fire your buddy. This team was built for a style of play that Porter doesnt like. And instead of having a nice blend of the two, players are struggling.

Trade Amare!? I know he hasnt been himself lately, but sit back and think for a second. Do you remember when he needed knee surgery? We went into the draft and said we were picking Amare…again. We didnt need any new players. We were set and focused on our franchise player. Shaqs will come and go. Nash already did come, go, and came back…and they say thats true love.

Look at our history, most recent especially. We’ve crossed the 40 year age of our team. How many coaches have we gone through? How many within the past 10 years?

Is it really easier to rebuild an entire team rather than get rid of a first year coach? Treat it like any other employee. Are you the man for the job? Here’s a few months, lets see how you do. Oh, not so well, huh? Sorry, you’re just not P-H-X material.

by KnowGood on Jan 27, 2009 3:20 PM MST reply actions

+111

Whats up doc?

by RottPhiler on Jan 27, 2009 3:52 PM MST up reply actions

Right on the money man

Is it really easier to rebuild an entire team rather than get rid of a first year coach? Treat it like any other employee. Are you the man for the job? Here’s a few months, lets see how you do. Oh, not so well, huh? Sorry, you’re just not P-H-X material.

There are many things that I don’t like about Porter, I’m putting together a Post but I need further evidence. I’ll wait until the All Star break to look back at the first half of the season but focusing on him only. His coaching skills have only impressed me twice and if you think about it… it could have been luck.

"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"

by PanamaSun on Jan 27, 2009 4:11 PM MST up reply actions

I guess I am too patient

I think a problem in this leauge is not giving coaches enough time. I don’t like that half of all the coaches have been replaced since the end of last season. Half.

I instinctively think that Porter should be given the benefit of the doubt here. Byron Scott wasn’t good in New Orleans until his second year. Did he suddenly get smarter and become a better coach between year 1 and year 2? No. The circumstances changed and the team grew together.

I also don’t think you can just fire Porter and expect someone else to come in and somehow fix things. I just don’t believe that.

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Jan 27, 2009 4:15 PM MST up reply actions

You are right

I don’t want Kerr to fire him I just want him to get better. Time is running out for this team, we might be watching “the last stand” before disaster hits us and that’s why we needed a veteran coach. But he’s here now and we gotta work with him.

"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"

by PanamaSun on Jan 27, 2009 8:40 PM MST up reply actions

Exactly...

…Stan hit it right on the spot. Out of all the coaches in the league, Porter has IMO, the toughest job. He’s supposed to build for the future as well as get a ring now. It’s tough. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes his rotations are whack and not all of his calls have been the best, but give him some time. Firing him and getting a new coach will not solve the problem the Suns have: a lack of intensity from the players. Even the greatest coaches don’t look that great when their players aren’t performing well. Did Phil Jackson look spectacular at all when it was just him and Kobe? And why has Poppovich been so successful? Yes, he’s a great coach, but it doesn’t hurt to have a guy as committed as Tim Duncan on your roster for a decade. It’s like Jeff Van Gundy says: when a team performs poorly, the coach shoulders the blame; when a team performs well, the players get the credit. Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is in this league…

by Silkster on Jan 27, 2009 8:52 PM MST up reply actions

It's not only in this league..it's life

If I’m in charge of a bunch of people at my office and if they screw up.. my boss will eat me alive. They make me look good when they do their work the way they are supposed to and they make me look like a moron when they are not performing well. Being a coach in the NBA or anywhere its like any other job. You are in charge of your players, you are getting paid millions to get them on the same page and be competitive every night. You have to be a leader and they have to listen to you and believe in you. We are not talking about high school players…these guys are pros, future HOF.

So, is Porter to blame for the player’s effort? Yes. Do we blame Porter for how bad the team plays some times? Yes.

Sounds unfair but why should his job be any different from ours?

"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"

by PanamaSun on Jan 27, 2009 9:18 PM MST up reply actions

+5000

I love our roster.

I strongly dislike our coach.

Steve Nash, the league's MVP, is a longhaired Canadian who spoke out against the war in Iraq and reads The Communist Manifesto. Quentin Richardson declared after a game-winning shot that it "was like Hamlet. It was a suspense thriller, and I killed them at the end." Amare Stoudemire, when asked to comment on a 22-point third quarter against the Kings, said, "I've got a tendency to jump over some guys' heads and throw it down."

by rsavaj on Jan 27, 2009 9:38 PM MST up reply actions

Quandry

Team is so inconsistent, not only in physical play, but there mental approach. Who freaking knows what team you get from night to night.
Is Porter the problem? There is no question he has not been a good coach in this league. At least with Byron Scott he took the Nets to the finals, twice. ( granted in a weak East)
Is it Amare lack of effort or the system that Porter has instilled, Probably both.
Trade or not to trade.
I say move him and get at least one 1st rounder back. I just don’t see a serious run with this team. And next year could be worse. Nash, Shaq, and Amare playiing out there contracts, and no 1st round pick. I would move him, a tough call.
And at this point of the season I would lay the majority of the blame at Kerr and Porter. And unfortunately they are not going anywhere soon.

"Have You heard of the Boom on Mizar 5?"

by Grockcubs on Jan 27, 2009 6:33 PM MST reply actions