Bobcats Maul Suns 125-99
by Wil Cantrell on Jan 16, 2010 10:16 PM MST
in Phoenix Suns: Game Coverage
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PrintThere isn't much to say about this one other than the Suns didn't answer the bell. The fell behind early 0-10 and never recovered. No comeback, no energy, no defense, no excuses. With a few exceptions, this team looked like they'd rather be anywhere else on the planet than in Charlotte, NC, playing a basketball game.
I choose to skip the usual witty commentary and get to the hard facts.
Here you go:
- The Bobcats scored 42 first quarter points, a record for them.
- The Bobcats led by as many as 39 points.
- The Bobcats' Gerald Wallace scored 24 first half points.
- The Bobcats shot 50% from the field, 66% from three point land.
- The Bobcat starters all scored in double figures except Boris Diaw, and registered a +/- of at least +21
- The Bobcats out-rebounded the Suns 47-38
- The Bobcats registered 12 steals
- The Bobcats scored 52 points in the paint, 26 fast break points, and 24 points off of 15 Sun turnovers
- The Bobcats Stephen Jackson scored 29 points and reached the 10,000 point plateau.
Good enough? Or should I continue on with more Charlotte Bobcats love?
Didn't think so. On to our beloved Phoenix Suns:
- The Suns shot 41% from the field. Unlike the past couple games though, they were consistently out hustled, outplayed, and out-hearted.
- Channing Frye and Jason Richardson were a combined 4-13 from the field for a grand total of 13 points.
- Every Suns starter registered a Hollinger negative. No Sun starter finished above a -18.
- The Suns were 8-23 (34.8%) from beyond the arc.
- The Suns committed 15 turnovers.
- The Suns scored 5 (five) fast break points.
- The Suns finished the game with 1 (one) steal.
- The Suns have lost 3 straight, their first 3 game losing streak of the season.
You get it, right?
OK, now on to the few positives we can take away from this miserable excuse of a professional basketball game:
- There were some strong bench performances. But keep in mind the Bobcats pulled their starters early in the third when it was clear the Suns were finished. Nevertheless, the numbers count, so let's give credit where credit may be due:
- Leandro Barbosa scored 17, on 6-14 shooting
- Robin Lopez continues to impress with 14 points and 3 blocks
- Earl Clark played 21 minutes and scored 12 points on 5-9 shooting.
- Lou Amundson had 5 points and 7 rebounds.
- Before exiting in the 4th with a knee injury, Goran Dragic played well, adding 9 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds.
- Amare Stoudemire went for 19 and 7, with 3 blocks and became the youngest player in Suns history to reach 10,000 points.
- Goran Dragic exited the game in the 4th quarter after injuring his knee. It is apparently not serious, and he should play on Monday.
- The Suns were a collective 21-25 from the charity stripe (84%). I'm thinking of making a comment about how free throws are important and that we could have used that 84% last night, but I will refrain.
- The Suns had 14 blocks. Blocks are good, yes?
End
Alvin Gentry:
"We didn't slow them down at all. I mean they're not a team to score a lot of points. They're averaging 93 points a game. They had that in the middle of the third quarter. I wouldn't be surprised if they made the playoffs. And I wouldn't be surprised if they made it tough on somebody."
:
"We've played some poor ball. We've got to figure out who we are, who we want to be."
Anonymous (AP):
The Suns locker room before the game had a big screen TV showing the Bobcats game from Friday. Another TV above it, with sound, showed Cardinals-Saints. Almost all eyes were on the NFL playoff game.
Next up @Memphis on Monday 5:30 P.M. (TNT-UGH)
Suns vs Bobcats coverage Suns vs Bobcats recap Suns vs Bobcats boxscore Rufus on Fire
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I think this game, like the Bobcats game last year ...
May have guaranteed there’s gonna be a shake-up before the trade deadline. This team seems to be in a free-fall since its 14-3 start. They’re lucky they’re still 24-17 and in the playoff picture.
I agree
Their play is lackadaisical, inconsistent, and confused sometimes. Even the vets like Nash and Hill seem out of sorts. Frye is great when he has his stroke and is terrible when he does not have it. JR is ??. I am glad the Suns are back to “run and gun”, but they need to learn that you need to play defense sometimes, especially at the end of quarters, halves and games. There are way too many mental mistakes especially in tight situations. Would Phil Jackson or Popovich put up with that kind of execution??
Try to trade JR; there has to be some team dumber than us in the league than would take him. Get someone with some heart. I, for one, am tired of hearing that “we just didn’t have in tonight” or “we got to figure out what is wrong”. Holy crap!. It is obvious what is wrong—poor rebounding, porous defense, turnovers. Tweak the “D” a little, a little more hustle and cleaner passing and you can probably turn 4-6 points a game. That is all is would have taken in 6-7 games to go from L to W.
by sunsbballfreak on Jan 17, 2010 12:18 AM MST reply actions
I am officially fan-depressed.
Good god :(
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."
there wont be any change
this is bad, i was saying to my mate just before now all the other teams are now coming into form and finding themselves and the suns are starting to fall into there rightful position and not the false hope position they gave us from there start. That position doesnt look good.
sunsbballfreak i couldnt agree more with being sick of hearing those comments.
trading richardson is deffinantly a step in the right direction but as you said there problems are poor rebounding, poor defence and turnovers. And to be honest none of those things will change with trading just a few players.
The team would need a complete overhaul, basically every player and coach and yes this kills me to say this cuz he is one my favs but nash would need to go aswell, our defenceless play will always be there while nash controls the team on the court.
Of course none of this will happen untill things become twolves bad because its a fact that to go fwd wed have to go backwards and start again which would mean an avg team for few years and that means lower crowd attendances which equals less money.
And with of tight ass owner (who my opinion is slowly ruining this club) is doing every shortcut in the book to hold onto as much money as he can atm.
Half way point
I have to believe Kerr will work the phones for movement of players. Since this franchise has dug themselves a hole so deep with the lack of using the draft to acquire players, trading of players will have to be done.
Obviously trading JRich is everyone’s cry because, well, he is just not that good every night, and his ridiculous contract. So moving him will be difficult unless the Suns take back a similar bad contract. Amare and LB will be attractive pieces to move. They could get good value back. They must acquire a first round pick in any trades that they make.
This team constructed the way it is, is a 7 seed team. A 7th seed team that has to bring it every night to be that type of team. They must make changes. I for one would sit Channing and start Lopez, sit JRich and start Dudley.
Dudley's been pretty damn unproductive lately, too.
I hate to say it, because he’s my favorite Suns player. But you gotta have more than 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 assist in 23 minutes.
Well
I agree there should be a shakeup. But I have this feeling Kerr isn’t ready to pull the trigger on an Amare deal. That is I don’t think we’ve gotten the offer he wants-I think teams know the Suns are having problems and are more sucseptible to a desperation move.
I don’t want to abandon ship yet for the sake of changing things up. Remember, Kerr’s track record kind of sucks. I still believe he is one bad deal away from being out of a job.
Rich’s trade value has to be as low as ever. Unless some team sees him as a 20mpg 6th man (and what do you get back for that?) He’s not his young slam dunk champion self, and in my eyes is past his prime and not worth his contract.
LB would also be selling low. He still has his wrist problem and he’s clearly not himself.
The way I see it is the only way we can obtain fair value in return for any deal we make would be dealing STAT. If the Miami deal is still on the table, (Beasley, Chalmers, and a #1 was it? Was it ever on the table officially?) I’d most likely take it.
But the problem, again another problem, is Steve Nash. Who knows what agreements he’s made with Kerr behind closed doors. I still think he must OK a trade-which of course Kerr can re-neg on, but then we have unhappy Nash, which is not good for the franchise-the fans, Nash’s legacy in Phoenix.
And we also have the money factor. Sarver and Co. have been hemorraging cash from the bad economy. The last thing he wants is to be hemorraging purple or orange dollars. I don’t think he would OK a move that would result in decreased fan attendance, that is blowing this up now. He’d at least need a Summer to do PR and try to convince people that the team is exciting and worth watching. ….This doesn’t mean no to an Amare trade it just means, our return would have to be a Beasley or Jefferson or some other player that can hit the ground running and not immediately ruin our playoff chances.
Just my two cents.
Blogging Suns Basketball. Twitter: @willcantrellphx
by Wil Cantrell on Jan 17, 2010 10:10 AM MST up reply actions
True enough
Esp. about teams wanting to take advantage of us. But I disagree about the Miami trade. Beasley may be pretty good and so is Chalmers but why on earth are we wanting to get rid of Amare? He has been the only consistent player these past few weeks. He was so dominant against Atlanta. If we have a full speed Amare and Nash we need to ADD to that not blow it up. With Lopez getting hot we are in less need of another big man, but more in need of solid defenders. I don’t really know what that looks like right now except that we need someone to defended the PG/SG position better than Rich and Nash are able to do.
(on another note, Beasley is a team cancer. Why on earth would you want that on our team???)
Reading is good...
Amare
I was speaking in response to Grockubs talk of a shakeup and the trade value of our roster.
It is my position that Amare has the most trade value of anyone, which obviously isn’t too much of a stretch.
To be honest, I’m indifferent towards Amare-whether he stays or goes. What I am concerned about (like everyone else) is our return.
Is Beasley a team cancer? Already? How do you know. I know he’s had drug/psychological problems, but I haven’t heard of him dividing the locker room or pissing everyone off. I think he’s a little young to already be a cancer with guys like Wade and Haslem around to keep him in line.
As far as adding….Who do we add and who to we give up in order to add? That’s my point. Unless your going to continue to mortgage the future to enable this team to get to the playoffs and most likely get dropped in the first round, we don’t have much on the current roster that could attract a decent deal.
Blogging Suns Basketball. Twitter: @willcantrellphx
by Wil Cantrell on Jan 17, 2010 2:36 PM MST up reply actions
This is a tough spot
I do not envy Kerr’s position. Mainly the damage was done before he took over GM duties. We can argue his drafting of Lopez and Clark, but at least he did keep these picks.
And as much as I have been a proponent of trading Amare, point is well taken, he has been at times the best player on the floor for the Suns.
We will see in a few weeks. I just wish this team had a first round pick next year.
....ok...
My point was that I don’t think trading Amare or Nash is a good idea. We need to build around them not use them as bait to build another system. As far as who else to trade, I dont really care after that. Keep Hill because I would feel awful doing that after going after him so hard. Everyone else is tradeable for the right price. (Keep Clark too…not worth the risk of him breaking out and us kicking ourselves).
Reading is good...
cant make the playoff
i love their run & gun especially when nash is making plays but their defense is getting worst…i dont think they can make the playoff…. improve your D so we can avoid an early summer….
I believe the Suns are on the verge of shutting it down for the season and work on improving in the offseason. If they do that, expect to see alot of Earl Clark, Lopez, Dudley and Dragic. Nash, Hill and Stoudemire will get limited minutes, and one of them may be traded to clear cap space for the expected free-agency bonanza.
Yet another Suns blog: http://phxsunsnews.com
From Coro
The Suns could be close to moving Robin Lopez into Channing Frye’s slot now that teams have adjusted to take away Frye’s 3-point shot and are attacking his post defense.
Blogging Suns Basketball. Twitter: @willcantrellphx
by Wil Cantrell on Jan 17, 2010 10:14 AM MST up reply actions
More quotes
Nash-
It’s going to be a real dogfight for us to make the playoffs and win a lot of games. We’re capable, but it’s not a guarantee for this group. They’re not going to be scared of us. We’ve come back down to Earth from the start of the season. Teams have seen what our new guys who haven’t played much in the past can do. They do a good job of scheming against us.
Blogging Suns Basketball. Twitter: @willcantrellphx
TRADE IDEA
PHOENIX RECEIVES
S. Dalembert$12.0M
C 2 Years
Carl Landry$3.0M
PF 1 Year
A. Iguodala$12.2M
SG 5 Years
Jason Smith$1.4M
PF 2 Years
Acquiring 4 Players
$28.6M
PHILADELPHIA RECEIVES
T. McGrady$22.8M
SG 1 Year
Robin Lopez$1.7M
C 2 Years
Brian Cook$3.5M
PF 1 Year
Acquiring 3 Players
$28.1M
HOUSTON RECEIVES
J. Richardson$13.3M
SG 2 Years
A. Stoudemire$16.3M
PF 2 Years
Acquiring 2 Players
$29.7M
WORKS IN THE TRADE MACHINE, WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?
You would have
about 12 people show up for the SIxers games. Philly gets the royal screw job in that trade, no freaking way.
NO TRADE MACHINE....PLEASE
Blogging Suns Basketball. Twitter: @willcantrellphx
by Wil Cantrell on Jan 17, 2010 2:39 PM MST up reply actions
Cmon people
I am just as upset as anyone here about their record lately but it really doesn’t have much to do with the starters. Yes, obviously the defensive thing is an issue but it has always been an issue. The problem, bottom line, is that we dont have a lot of talent past Amare, Nash and JRich. LB is what he has always been. We are seeing now that he potential ceiling is not that high. It never really was. People just thought he would get better gradually. The guy is a pro now and it turns out he can’t hack the big time. If ANYONE on the team should be afraid of trades it is LB. The only reason Rich should go is because of his contract. Yeah, he is inconsistent as hell but he often is our best defender on the court. Our second string hardly has any talent at all. Lou is all energy, Duds is the same with a knack for defense, Dragic is slowly coming along but will need another year I think to really hit his stride, and well I have already talked about LB.
Hill has just been flat disappointing this season. We went all out for this?? If we trade at all it needs to be for some solid talent. Keep Lopez, keep Clark, keep Dragic. We need the youth and potential. LB has worn out his welcome. I hate seeing him sit at the 3pt line for 6 seconds then throw up a shitty shot that never has a chance of getting in. Keep Frye and Amare and Nash and Duds. Everyone else is tradeable.
Reading is good...
Strange post.
In the first paragraph, you talk about how our second string hardly has any talent at all. Then, in the second paragraph, you say “Keep Lopez, keep Clark, keep Dragic.” If our second string has no talent, why are you suggesting we keep those three? Also, you mention we don’t have much talent past Amare, Nash, and Jrich, but then you want to keep Frye, Dudley, and three other players behind Amare/Nash/Jrich.
I don't understand what is so confusing...
In terms of effective talent Nash Amare and Rich are what we have. I say keep the three picks because its simply a good idea to keep picks. Lopez and Dragic are coming along nicely now but to say that they have “talent” on the same level as Amare and Nash is too much. Clark is still a year away. As far as everyone else, I say they are on the block. That means Collins, Lou, Rich, LB…how is this confusing? Keep Frye but if you get a good offer then pull it.
Reading is good...
lets face it a full overhaul is needed. Yeh this run and gun style is fun but its never gonna win you a championship and the longer we play it and continue to keep tryna add players to make it better the worse where gonna be in the future.
Lets cut our losses and start the rebuild. The thing that sarver doesnt realise is that at some point in time this team is gonna fall to the bottom of the pack and lower crowd attendances will come no matter wat he does. So why not do the fans a favour and speed up the process the sooner we start the rebuild the sooner it will be for us to be up there and completing with the best again. If he cant handle this idea then sell the team cuz im sick of his dumb ass anyway.
As for trading, we should not bother trading for anything other than draft picks (deff a first rounder) or young players, and when i say young i mean 2nd-3rd year player.
Jrich has to go, our best defender my ass, hes defence is laughable at best and his offence is streaky and goes missing in the clutches.
The one person who keeps poping being amare is the one person we should be tryna keep. As mentioned above he is the only player in past few weeks night in and night out who actually is putting on good performances and plays with heart even when we are getting punished like against the bobcats in last game.
I know im gonna get alot of hate on this but if this team is ever gonna improve defensively and in general we have to trade nash. The run and gun era needs to end and that means we need to trade nash. And get rid of gentry.
What we really need is to get a wade, melo, roy type guard/forward to combine with amare and build a team around that with a new style of play from a new coach.
If you have a quality guard/forward who can create there own offense then we wont need nash anymore. Its been a fun era and very entertaining and nash will be forever remember by suns fan but its time to call it quits
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