Where in the world is Jason Richardson?

by Seth Pollack on Sep 8, 2009 3:35 PM MST in Phoenix Suns Commentary

The Phoenix Suns today held a full 5 on 5 informal practice session for the first time this summer. As has been the case for a few weeks now, all the team's players were present for class. Even former Sun and Sun Devil Eddie House showed up as an exchange student. The only missing pupils were the excused absences for international competitors Leandro Barbosa and Goran Dragic. Then there's the curious case of Jason Richardson who has decided for reasons as yet unknown to start the semester late.

Jason was expected to be back in town today but is now reportedly now returning until "later this week" according to Mr. Coro at the Republic.

Where in the world is Jason Richardson and why hasn't he returned to join the great chemistry experiment of 2009/10?

The best clues from from his twitter feed which leads to this evidence of off-season self improvement via You Tube:

I suppose we can credit Jason for not falling to peer pressure and holding true to his off-season convictions. That might be one way to look at it. I guess. Me, I would rather see him back in town with his teammates showing us that improved defense he promised to work on this summer.

Amare for all the heat he takes, has been working hard from the moment he was medical cleared to play. He talked today about being back on the floor for the first time in a (semi) real game situation, "You know it's my first day going up and down five on five so I wasn't expecting to be in great shape but I think so far so good."

Amare takes a lot of pride in improving his game during the off season and thinks that despite his eye injury that his jump shot is even better this year. Too bad Jason Richardson isn't around to see it.

Full audio of Amare talking post practice via Sports 620 KTAR

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Amare

It’s good to see Amare working so hard on his game, and if his jump shot is even more improved, that makes me that much more excited to see him play.

As for JRich, I really do not understand why he has not been with the team training. Maybe he’s the type of person who likes to work on his game alone… but how cna you work on Defence by yourself??? Maybe he thinks that the best way to work on defence is to do it away from the Suns, because the Suns aparently lack the confidence in their coaching skills to actually coach defence… I am not really sure, but it really upsets me to think that he could have been practicing with the team for “the Great Chemistry Experiment of 2009/10” as Stan so creatively put it.

We’ll see though, perhaps his game will have imrpoved more than his DJ skills… but with as much as he advertises his DJ Career compared to his Basketball Career on Twitter, I am thinking he hasn’t…

by SunsFTW on Sep 8, 2009 4:02 PM MST reply actions

Agreed about JR’s DJ skill tweets. I had kind of hoped for some basketball related tweets or something from him……

As for Amare, I seem to remember him supposedly coming in with an improved shot before last year and quite possibly the year before that as well…. If he is still selfish and forcing them up in such an ill-advised manor, than this is probably just hopeful chatter.

Oh well, I’m sure the critics will still find a way to blame it all on Shaq…..or Bush. Deflectors can get pretty creative….

It doesn’t seem that it is just the coaching staff’s imcompetence that leads to the consistently horrid defense. It’s also the personnel and their unwillingness/unability to play. Short of playing big Lou HUGE mins, I don’t see how the Suns’ defense improves.

Love him or hate him (the latter of which is probably true of most Suns faithful/clueless), Steve Kerr is the only one in the organization that seems to understand defense REALLY is part of the game, not a figment of other teams’ imaginations. Matrix-loving idiots (people who say “the team just needed ONE more run to win it all!”) will never accept this, but hopefully the reasonable part of the fanbase can come around, realize they don’t know what they’re talking about, and start telling the organization (AND PLAYERS) that you demand defense from the team.

Until then, they can go ahead and score 250 points a game and enjoy being 7th-10th in their conference.

"I’m tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok." ~Shaq

by Max_in_Missouri on Sep 8, 2009 9:21 PM MST up reply actions

Lou Amundson probably should play huge minutes.

:)) Don’t you know? That monster Bush is responsible for the Suns’ problems. Among other things, he forced David Stern, under threat of waterboarding, to rig all the Suns-Spurs playoff games for the Spurs—because the Spurs are from TEXAS, of course. He’s also responsible for my shoelaces coming untied—I looked down and said “Damn that Bush!”, but that’s another issue…

by lonesomepoint on Sep 8, 2009 9:47 PM MST up reply actions

Amare

Despite some of Amare’s more frustrating aspects he always knows how to prepare for the season. Think about it. When have we ever complained about hit work ethic? Never. He is always prepared for the season. His problem lies in his poor leadership and complete game during the season. All his game really needs now is some poise and commitment to both ends of the court. Should he ever attain that he will be a god among men. I just dont know if he is wise enough to reach that point that.

"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness

by Turambar on Sep 8, 2009 10:31 PM MST up reply actions

True story

I was about to post the same thing. Look, its tough to learn defense. We have to remember that Amare didn’t play this game all his life. He only started in high school. Got recruited right out of it and has NEVER played on a team that values defense. It is hard to learn it. However, he has showed a massive effort in trying to develop other parts of his game. He works hard in the offseason. If only all of our players worked that hard.

Go read a book!

by N8lol on Sep 9, 2009 6:12 AM MST up reply actions

I hope I’m missing something. If I’m not, based on his Twitter, you’re saying he’s not doing much. Jason Richardson is not a creep or a ne’er-do-well, but I don’t think he’s very smart or very desperate to win (by becoming a better player).

by lonesomepoint on Sep 8, 2009 6:09 PM MST reply actions

Boris Diaw and Raja Bell would have been there today

by Lebrontophx2010 on Sep 8, 2009 8:11 PM MST reply actions

amen brother

by Fritzy on Sep 9, 2009 12:24 AM MST up reply actions

Wasn't there to join the "great chemisty experience" huh?

I love how whenever a team basically loses its best player last season for nothing and gains nothing even semi-significant to replace him, and then its faithful supporters want to try to say its about “chemistry”.

This is a season about dillusion and disappoint to any fan grounded in reality.

Sorry guys, but its gonna be a painful season of insignificance in the Valley of the Sun

"I’m tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok." ~Shaq

by Max_in_Missouri on Sep 8, 2009 9:07 PM MST reply actions

Shaquille O’Neal was the Suns’ best player?

by lonesomepoint on Sep 8, 2009 9:40 PM MST up reply actions

The "Chemistry experiment"

isn’t my concept…it’s how Nash is talking about the team. I am with you. Sort of. I was making fun of the over emphasis on “chemistry”.

It is what they believe over there so we’ll see how it plays out

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Sep 8, 2009 10:34 PM MST up reply actions

Refer to my post about chemistry Shaq vs. Nash....for real

Go read a book!

by N8lol on Sep 9, 2009 6:15 AM MST up reply actions

It must be nice to move along when Shaq leaves

Just call him The Big Bandwagon.

by hcblankscreen on Sep 9, 2009 1:56 AM MST up reply actions

As a pro-Richardson guy, I find it disappointing that he isn’t around. I’ve seen his tweets this off season. He has been working (if he’s telling the truth) but still, he probably should be with his teammates. He has a lot to prove to Suns fans this year after last year’s inconsistent play.

However, I’m reserving judgment until the season starts. If he comes out fat and doesn;t show improvement, well then we’ll know he probably should have been doing more to prepare. By now he should know the deal. He’s a professional and he should know what it takes to get ready for the season.

by Wil Cantrell on Sep 9, 2009 2:08 AM MST reply actions

I dont know...

I’ve never really like Richardson or his game. I think he’s going to be another bust this year. The break out season has been going to happen for J-rich for years now. He was average before and the law of averages says hes going to be average again.

TO THE NBA - " Yeah, you have created a rift within me ; Now there have been ; several complications ; that have left me feeling nothing ; I might say, you were ; wrong to take it from me ; Left me feeling nothing " - Disturbed, "Numb"

by antiw0rm on Sep 9, 2009 8:12 AM MST reply actions

Rich is a scorer. He’s averaged 18 ppg for his career. I don’t call that average. Perhaps his defensive effort could be described as average.

I think it would be more accurate to say that his effort in becoming a better or complete NBA player is average. If he was interested in becoming a perennial All-Star, perhaps his off season time would be better utilized on the court instead of learning how to be a better DJ.

On the other hand, with the money he is making, does he really have the incentive and or duty to do things differently? Think about it this way, if you or I got paid 12 million dollars a year, wouldn’t we believe that we had done enough to be considered a good worker and successful at what we do?

by Wil Cantrell on Sep 9, 2009 9:01 AM MST up reply actions

JRich

The dude can make WAY more money in the NBA than he can DJ’ing, and if he loves it so much, I do not see why he chose basketball first, if his dream is to DJ, unless it was specifically for the money. If that’s the case, then one could argue both ways that either he doesn’t care about his game because he’s already striking gold, or that he wants to work extra hard to make sure he gets the most money possible. With him not being at practice yet though, I’ll choose the former argument… which sucks!

by SunsFTW on Sep 9, 2009 9:19 AM MST reply actions

I’d take Raja Bell in his prime over Richardson in his.

by lonesomepoint on Sep 9, 2009 10:10 AM MST up reply actions

I would too, but Raja’s not ever going to be in his prime again, so it is best to stop living in the past and look towards the future

by SunsFTW on Sep 10, 2009 8:52 AM MST up reply actions

Point taken. But looking to the future, I can’t tell whether Richardson will play better defense as we need him to, and his expensive price tag won’t change. I’d rather trade him for someone who defends more and costs less (which probably means trading him for more than one player).

by lonesomepoint on Sep 10, 2009 10:37 AM MST up reply actions