Raja speaks too

Shaq isn't the only one who had something to say today.

Raja Bell spilled his guts to Bob Young of the Arizona Republic. There's a ton there, so be sure to visit the actual article, but here are a couple of tidbits that offer a player's perspective on the Porter situation.

"I knew there was going to be a focus on other things and that's why he was brought in but I thought there needed to be a bit of flexibility. That's just one guy's opinion, but I think it got to the point where there needed to be a change whether that was via a personnel move before the deadline or if you went the coaching route. One way or another they needed some fresh blood. It was unfortunate it was Terry. You hate to see anyone fired but I think for the team at that point, it seemed to be a good move. I wish him the best and his family."
[...]
"Terry and his staff didn't think me playing the way I was playing was helping them, and I agreed. At the end of the day if I couldn't do the things that make me who I am for the team, then they should get somebody who could help out better than I could."
[...]
"Basketball is fun. If you love to play and you're allowed to use your creativity and do some of the things you're good at, you're going to love to play. The situation in Charlotte was one I was able to do some of the things I like to do, so for me it is fun. It doesn't mean we have to score 120 a night and it doesn't mean I have to shoot 7-8 threes a game. But I'm having fun playing and that's really important when you do it for a living and you do it 100s of times over a season. You want to be able to have fun."

9 months ago TexSUN 16 comments 0 recs |

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Lord of the Flies

is it too much to ask that players play and let coaches coach? Is that too old school?

This team, this season is driving me batty. All they want to do is point fingers and complain and whine about what was or what could have been. Who do they think they are, bloggers?

Play basketball. Get paid. Have fun. If the system isn’t the right fit for the players then that will find a way to become evident without using the media and passive aggressive statements and actions.

Not everyone knows best. Someone not on the floor has to make the decisions. Someone has to look at the big picture and make the hard decisions. Some one has to tell Raja not to shoot off the dribble. Some one has to tell Amare to rebound the damn ball. Some one has to tell Steve Nash he’s not 28 anymore and can’t carry the team for 82 games plus a post season. Some one has to tell Shaq he’s not going to get 15 touches.

Say your peace behind closed doors and then shut up and drive on.

I am sick of all these guys and their whining. Man up boys and play ball!

I miss the Army.

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Phoenix Stan on Feb 23, 2009 8:52 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Oh come on

You mean to say you have never ever, not even once, complained to your wife, co-workers, neighbor, anyone who would listen about some moronic decision made by the company you work for? Not even once?

What has leaked out about the Terry Porter regime makes it sound a lot like the movie Office Space. It sounds like the players just got tired of filling out TPS reports, and not seeing the results in the win column. So they went all Peter Gibbons on the system. How dare they!

(How’s that for geekdom?)

by TexSUN on Feb 23, 2009 9:28 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Audience

Aren’t co-workers, spouses, etc. a little bit different than Paul Coro and anyone at ESPN who would listen?

I would, however, like to see an Office Space parody on a basketball team. Off to YouTube …

Mmmmm ... Guinness

by JSun on Feb 23, 2009 9:36 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Well here's the thing

That goes both ways. When they’re asked to play against their strengths, the players get asked over and over by the media why they’re not scoring as much, or assisting as much, or whatever. They want to know why suddenly Steve Nash and Raja Bell have dramatically declined. Amare’s getting dogged because his shooting percentage is down. Everyone wants to know “what’s wrong with the Suns”? Add to that it’s the media’s job to find out what the guys are really thinking, and guys like Paul Coro are very good at it. So somebody asks Steve Nash why he suddenly looks like he’s aged 10 years, and he correctly and honestly answers that the system they’re trying to run doesn’t fit either himself nor most of his teammates as well as what they were doing before. What’s he supposed to do? Put Paul Coro out of a job by keeping his mouth shut? Lie?

by TexSUN on Feb 23, 2009 9:45 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

It's not Nash's job to keep Coro employed

But that’s not the point …

There’s a difference between answering a question and using the media to air your dirty laundry and bitch about your boss.

Mmmmm ... Guinness

by JSun on Feb 23, 2009 9:59 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Fair enough

I guess I see it differently because I’m one of those people who absolutely, positively cannot resist speaking my mind when asked my opinion. Even something as simple as “how’s it going”, you’d better ask me when I’m having a good day if you want more than the standard “oh, just fine, how are you?” answer. Plus I’m lucky enough to work in an industry where employee input on decisions is not only welcome but necessary and encouraged. I guess I wouldn’t make it far in the military.

by TexSUN on Feb 23, 2009 10:04 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Time and place for everything

I think everyone understood that Nash’s numbers were down due to the system without his complaints. Everyone understood that Amare was taking more jump shots due to the system. I have no problem with Amare saying that. That’s no complaining.

Look at the Celtics. KG’s numbers have dropped as have the other big 3. Why? Because of the system and b/c they understood that their own numbers were less important than winning.

That’s not what happened here.

I remember even very early in the season Nash being asked about the new system. He answered that as long as the team was winning everyone was fine. Guess what. The team lost a few games and suddenly everyone isn’t fine.

I am going to go back and find all those quotes from Suns v.1.0 to v 4.0

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Phoenix Stan on Feb 24, 2009 8:12 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

AMEN brother.

" I'm going to root for the Suns when they are winning or losing, but when losing I will point and blame the failing economy on the Referees."- Me.

by antiw0rm on Feb 24, 2009 6:57 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Thought about this some more

…and yeah, I have to admit I’m a bit of a hypocrite on this subject. Or more like I have a double-standard I guess. On one hand, I get really ticked off at guys griping to the media about their own lack of touches, or Amare-esque “I wanna be the ‘the man’” type comments, etc. On the other, I have no problem at all with what Bell and Nash said, because for some reason those comments come off to me more like frank observations of what they saw happening and genuinely thought was best for the team. But I guess someone else might look at that and say “Amare and Shaq really do think the Suns are a better team when it’s all about them”, so who am I to argue? Anyway, I think I’ll just shut up on this entire subject, since I seem to even be in disagreement with myself on it. In other words, I admit it — “OWNED”.

…that said, though, I do appreciate when the players talk to the media and give us a glimpse of what goes on “behind the veil” so to speak. I’d much rather they err on the side of too much information vs. being stand-offish and not saying anything at all. Call me an old-fashioned, freedom-of-speech liberal I guess.

by TexSUN on Feb 24, 2009 7:56 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

One final "final" thought

I guess what it comes down to is I agree with what Raja said: If you like the way Raja Bell (or Nash or whoever) plays, then you have him on your team. If you don’t like the way he plays, and want the player at his position to play differently, then maybe you should go get someone for whom what you want comes naturally instead of trying to squeeze a square peg into an ill-fitting round hole.

That’s all. I’m done. Seriously.

by TexSUN on Feb 24, 2009 8:13 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Early this season

someone maybe a comparison w/ Nash and Payton Manning (I believe). Basically they said that Nash was a “system” player and couldn’t be successful in anything but the run and gun.

I didn’t guy it at the time mainly b/c I thought he could adapt his game (with some transition time) and that he would be willing to do so if that was best for the team.

I was wrong.

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Phoenix Stan on Feb 24, 2009 8:15 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I told Bell not to take pull-up jumpers off the dribble

so did you, I think.

Why can’t he listen to us instead of Porter?

Mmmmm ... Guinness

by JSun on Feb 23, 2009 9:35 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't want them too

Listen to us because if they do that means I’m responsible for a debacle such as our current situation. lol.

" I'm going to root for the Suns when they are winning or losing, but when losing I will point and blame the failing economy on the Referees."- Me.

by antiw0rm on Feb 24, 2009 6:58 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

no kidding

I hope the last thing they are doing is reading the press / blogs

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Phoenix Stan on Feb 24, 2009 8:13 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm telling Raja Bell that he is the Bobcat's Kobe Bryant.

Hell yeah, he can create off the dribble. I hope he does it 20 times tonight. =)

In Nash We Trust, For Better and For Worse

by ZonaFlash on Feb 24, 2009 8:17 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't trust Nash anymore

For someone who’s supposedly a wizard of creation he is unable to make simple entry passes. He loves to throw it at chest level and straight when passing into the post, ie feeding the defender guarding Shaq. Because ever since Shaq lost the ability to jump more than 5 inches off the ground, the best way to defend Shaq has been to let him drift in and deny/steal the subsequent overhead entry pass attempt. Nash makes it easier by throwing it directly at chest level, where the degree of difficulty in the interception is close to 0. Even small defenders like David Lee and Joel Anthony have a good time “defending” Shaq, simply because of the abyssmal quality of entry passes thrown. Granted, Shaq doesn’t move much and can’t jump so the lob is mostly out of the question, but the way Nash was “feeding the post” was like he intentionally wanted to feed the defender instead, due to his unhappiness with Porter and his offensive system.

Blame Shaq for hogging the offense, blame the rest of the team as well for their sudden impotence in throwing simple lob, chest-level, or bounce passes. Matt Barnes and Amundson and Lopez in particular are my (least) favourite to see with the ball, for their creative abilities in turning the ball over, irregardless of defender or game situation.

Amundson works hard but he’s a chronic fumbler and shoots free throws at the approximate accuracy of contested treys, in addition to his tendency to always mistake the opposing team’s jersey as our own. I love his hustling to bits, and he outworks every other Sun on the court, but he’s awfully limited, and I do wish he wasn’t our(only) backup big man. Never really seen Courtney Sims play for the Suns, but I’ve seen way too much of Robin on the court for us. We lost Diaw and Stoudemire on a team that was never really considered deep in the frontcourt….Go figure.

by felixthm on Feb 24, 2009 9:29 AM MST reply actions 0 recs