Suns lose to Grizzlies, The TNT curse continues

by PanamaSun on Jan 18, 2010 9:16 PM MST in Game Coverage Comment 53 comments

Robin Lopez stepped up big time tonight.

The Suns have lost four games in a row. Eleven out of twelve on the road and eighteen straight games on TNT. I think I've had to recap all of those games, so it's safe to say I'm linked to the curse too. You can call it the Panama/TNT curse. Truth is that it's not fun to be embarrassed on National TV and after watching the Suns play tonight, all that's left to say is that we are in trouble. As simple as that.

But the sky is not falling, not yet. People will come up with trade scenarios, they will go after Gentry's head, and they will even suggest that the Suns need to trade Nash. If you are one of those fans I respect your opinion and I understand where you are coming from but teams go through slumps and just as quick they can ride a winning streak and make us forget about all this.

I'm not a glass half full type of guy. You can ask Jason and Stan. I'm the first one to panic and get upset. But we have all seen how good this team can be and that gives me hope. At least for now.

Let's move on to the Game Notes.

The Grizzlies are not an easy team to beat. Especially at home. Alvin Gentry tried a different line up today, starting Leandro Barbosa over Jason Richardson and Robin Lopez over Channing Frye.

The Suns started out cold. The defense was non-existent during the first quarter as they fell behind by 14 points. Nothing would go in the basket. And I mean nothing. To make matters worse, Amar'e picked up 2 fouls and we all know what happens when he gets in foul trouble. Amar'e needs to be on the floor. Once he's benched he will be useless the next time he steps on the floor. That's a fact.

The Suns looked better in the second quarter. Sweet Lou was a big part of the energy boost. But cutting leads is not an easy task to do. It requires a lot of energy. Once you have climbed your way out of the hole the hard part is staying out of it. They couldn't do that tonight. The Suns took the lead but they couldn't hold on to it as the Grizz went on a 7-0 run to close the quarter with a 58-56 lead.

During the third quarter, we saw some great plays from Robin Lopez. Nash connected with him for an alley oop, while Robin also made plays for himself going for rebounds and going to the line to shoot free throws. But just when we thought we might start to have command of the game, the young Grizzlies fired threes, And 1 plays, hook shots from Gasol and all of the sudden they were in control of the game again.

The game was tight during the 4^th quarter. That was until Memphis went on a 15-2 run to put the game out of reach. Or was it really?

The Suns were down by nine (119-110) with only a minute to go. Nash found Hill for an open three and on the next play Leandro stole the ball from Conley while Nash picked it up and passed it to him for an easy lay up. After a free throw from Gasol, Phoenix was down by 5. Leandro shot a three and missed. Nash shot a three and it was short. Hill got the offensive rebound and found Barbosa only to watch him miss the three point shot from the corner. Gasol went to the line after being fouled by Nash and Barbosa made three point shot but it was a little too late. Game Over.

I won't get into details of who sucked and who didn't. You can look at the box score. Basketball is a team game. The issues that the Suns have need to be fixed as a team. If Richardson or Barbosa or Frye are not playing well, others have to step up. Just like Robin did today. He was the only bright spot in this game.

As I said, it's not time to panic yet but they need to start playing better. Time is running out and teams are catching up. I hope they fix their issues soon...or I'll be posting trade scenarios really soon.

Poll

Is it time to panic and blow things up?

No, We'll start playing better. I'm sure. Everyone just chill.

259 votes

4 game losing streak? I can't watch the Suns anymore. Blow this up!

85 votes

Please bring Terry Porter and Shaq back.

31 votes

375 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I saw some positives in this game, notably the play of Robin Lopez. I think this loss was just unfortunate in its timing, coming where it did in the middle of a 4-game losing streak, an 11-of-12 road losing streak, and an 18-game TNT losing streak.

It does seem to me like this team is irreparably broken, mentality-wise, and I think while this season was a fun experiment while it lasted, it’s time to get about the business of really rebuilding.

by jburning on Jan 18, 2010 9:44 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

+1

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 18, 2010 11:36 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Robin

Was pretty damn impressive tonight. I’m not giving up on this team, they’ve got time. It’s no use hitting the panic button.

Personally I feel that JRich needs the opportunity to create his own offense more, since that is what he seems to have done in Golden State and Charlotte. Why not run some isos for him, see if he can get going. Not all the time, but every once in a while, see if we can’t get him fired up. He’s a streaky scorer and he needs to have some big games to get his confidence back. A lot of people are eager to trade him, but panic/desperation trades will get us nowhere.

I may just be too optimistic, but I feel that the Suns will be able to find some kind of solution to this problem. Looking on the bright side I guess.

by Willman on Jan 18, 2010 9:48 PM MST reply actions 2 recs

There is no suns curse...

there is also no defense. that is a lot of 3s to give up. still sucks that suns are still struggling. i didnt see the game but i’ll take your word for it that there is a bright side to this game named Lopez. If Lopez needs to start to improve so be it. Still plenty of time to patch things up so no reason to panic… the thing is i’d rather a have an 8th seed contender than 4th seed pretender.

by Larfleeze on Jan 18, 2010 9:59 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

i'd rather be out of the playoffs and rebuild then go first or second round then out 4-0

which is where we’re heading…i’m not saying lose on purpose and get higher in the draft…i’m just saying for the first time in years i don’t like our playoff chances…but…as is evident by the 14-3 start, this team could start winning…weird

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 18, 2010 11:39 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

bro...we don't have a 2010 1st round draft pick...I think that went to the Thunder

by ron_dasun on Jan 18, 2010 11:50 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

i'm talking about getting...like in a trade...i just didn't mention it in this post

because i’ve said it and phoenix stan thinks it’s coming….so i just assume it will

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 18, 2010 11:59 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

your right on "the thunder got it" ...like they need anymore help

man that team is really turning into something….

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 19, 2010 12:01 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Anybody read the Coro article on switching the startup lineup up?

He sounds tiiiiicked.

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 18, 2010 10:24 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

He being Richardson

by rsavaj on Jan 18, 2010 10:24 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

How is it that out two man SG's have been so sub par recently?

"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 Jan 18, 2010 10:27 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

here's a thought

and it’s why i’d trade barbosa/jrich without a thought….and for young talent or picks

If hill has a bad shooting game, he makes it up in defense, rebounds, etc – the guy has been a true stud

if barbosa / richardson have a bad shooting game, they don’t generally makeup for it in any other area

one of the reasons i’m liking dragic more and more…he can play defense

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 18, 2010 11:49 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Thats not completely true for richardson

there have been games this season when he’s scored poorly but he’s gotten close to ten rebounds a game. As for barbosa when his shot isn’t falling he’s pretty much useless.

by DaveJD on Jan 19, 2010 2:33 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

good to hear that about jrich - oversite on my part

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 19, 2010 6:58 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

Richardson does try to help out where he can, even if his offense is dead. Unfortunately, it’s true about Barbosa. When he doesn’t have his offense going, he doesn’t offer much else.

by jburning on Jan 19, 2010 8:27 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

I’m tired of J-Rich. I’d keep Barbosa and have him have surgery as soon as possible.

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

by PanamaSun on Jan 19, 2010 5:20 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Agree / Disagree

LB is simply a much less effective player when his shot isn’t falling. I can see Jason snapping out of this any time now (and btw he’s pretty darn good guy too) but with LB I was thinking that maybe they do need to shut him down now and have that surgery.

Frankly, with the way he’s playing now he’s hurting the team. When he’s on the floor he’s black hole offensively and a sieve defensively. He did play a little better last night even though he still can’t shoot. When he drove and dumped it off to Robin…that was nice.

Anyway, if the surgery on the wrist will help than I think at this point the team will be better off without having to try so hard to get him going. Getting Jason going is much more important and won’t be nearly as difficult b/c he doesn’t turn the ball over.

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Jan 19, 2010 8:37 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

and for those

bent out of shape by Jason’s contract I have a couple of names:
T-Mac. $23m
Gilbert Arenas: $80 over next 4 FOUR! years
Eddy Curry
Larry Hughes
even Vince Carter….

it could be much much worse

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Jan 19, 2010 9:58 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Trade scenarios

Just return the Suns to a team that can draft someone good (AND KEEP THEM!).
If you must get rid of talent, get good quality 1st round draft picks in return.

by Chucko667 on Jan 18, 2010 10:50 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

i give lou a lot of credit, amare played well (except his two free throw misses) despite not having a good offensive game…he didn’t give up, hill hit two big 3’s, barbosa’s 3 is rusty and will be worked on, frye made a terrible in-bounds move, dudley brought some nice energy and got a steal and tried although his 3 still isn’t back on target.

by kuato lives on Jan 18, 2010 11:01 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

agree with first post, pull the trigger and start rebuilding.
You have got to be kidding me Larfleeze how much more time do we have to give jason richardson. The problem is that he actually cant create his own offense anymore and his shot has deteriorated so badly its just ricidulous. I dont blame alot suns fans for being fed up with jrich, hes out of his prime and where paying a stupid amount of money for a washed up SG.
I still think amare is valuable and if were gonna blow the team up they should be trying to keep amare if possible, i know most people will say nash is most important to keep but nash is big trade value and is coming to end of his career anyways. Hes only got maybe 2 good years left in him where as amare hasnt even hit his prime yet.

Lopez has given me the biggest case of foot in mouth over last 4 games, but im more than happy to wear that and see him improve like he is atm

by bassy500 on Jan 18, 2010 11:09 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Jason

has the 11th best PER of all shooting guards. His FG% and 3P% are still above his career averages despite his slump and an 8 point drop in FG% in the weeks after injuring his shooting hand.

He’s the 6th best rebounding SG in the league behind guys like Andre Inguadola who’s really more of a SF and Thabo Sefolosha who has no offensive game. Of the SG’s in the top 10 PER only Andre rebounds better. Not Kobe, Roy, Joe Johnson…

His TS% (combo of 2’s, 3’s and FT’s) is ahead of Wade, Kobe, JJ, Ellis, Manu, Andre, and Ben Gordon. He’s only behind Roy, Martin and Crawford.

He also has the lowest turnover rate of any of the SG’s ahead of him in PER except K-Mart who’s only played 8 games so far.

His salary while large (2nd on the Suns) is not even in the top 30 in the league. You simply don’t replace a guy like Richardson very easily and I am certain that at some point soon he’s going to turn it around and you will all be eating those words.

Not to say I wouldn’t trade him for the right deal. I said that at the end of last season but I wouldn’t do it at the deadline unless the offer was overwhelming.

Just remember all those people calling Robin a bust or Goran a bust….you have to look past a short period of time and consider the entire picture when you are evaluating a player. Especially a guy like Jason who has such a unique set of skills and physical ability.

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Jan 19, 2010 8:49 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

Richardson is a streaky player. Streaky players go through slumps.

by Willman on Jan 19, 2010 9:26 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Quilty

about Lopez.

by Grockcubs on Jan 19, 2010 9:30 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Stan, I don't need any of your "facts". I roll with my GUT.

by rsavaj on Jan 19, 2010 10:03 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Statistics show that JRich is a good player, but his impact on team play is below expectations.

You can use that statistic to try to make a good trade with him.

by matrix7 on Jan 19, 2010 10:06 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I disagree

that’s true in the last few weeks but he’s also the guy that won the Boston game in Boston earlier this season…

if anything – you can make the case that he’s sacrificed his offense too much and needs to touch the ball more. Especially when he’s on the floor w/ Amare and Nash

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Jan 19, 2010 11:00 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

J-rich somehow underwhelmes

His stats show he is an upper-tier SG, and he really looks like he should be (occasionally) dominant on the floor, but I find I am often underwhelmed when watching him—especially on the defensive end. He’s fast, strong, and can jump like crazy, but I always cringe when he ends up with the ball on a broken play, and I’m usually rewarded by watching him jack up a bad shot in those situations.

by SoCalSun on Jan 19, 2010 2:05 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

we should be tryna get new yorks first round pick off them for nash
Who knows we could fluke it and get no.1 pik with new yorks first rounder at the ballot and end up with john wall lol

Im aloud to dream lol

by bassy500 on Jan 18, 2010 11:12 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

NO, you're not

because Utah has New Yorks first rounder and they don’t want Nash because they have this little fella called Deron Williams.

by DaveJD on Jan 19, 2010 2:36 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

This brings up a good point. Atleast we aren’t the Knicks.

by Superelkman on Jan 19, 2010 8:25 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Amare is already in his prime. What you see from him is what you will get. I think we have to trade him before he hits 30. He relies too much on athleticism.

Well, its good to see Lopez play well. This is really building his confidence.Lets continue to start him.

Also, what is up with our shooting guards?

by Beavis 25 on Jan 18, 2010 11:38 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Fact
Nash only played in the second half of the game.
Dudley and Louis were both very constructive.
6 turnovers by Nash are not acceptable.
When Kerr traded Boris and Raja that started the road to ruin.
I do not like thinking about Nash leaving but it may be best.
This is supposed to be a basketball team not a soap opera.
New coach is needed. Richardson off the bench playing about 19 minutes a game till he shows he deserves more.
Exactly why when it is NOT TO LATE is Kerr staring off into space. This team CAN make the playoffs. But not with Gentry.

by catseyetwice on Jan 19, 2010 1:13 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Give Gentry atleast one season to prove himself.

by Superelkman on Jan 19, 2010 8:21 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Fact

Barbosa played bad but looked a lot better
J-Rich is bad
Steve doesn’t seem to be himself, as in controlling the game
Channing Frye is bad if he doesn’t have 6 threes
Lou played better than Amare, but Amare had an off night
Robin is beast
We are fine… OJ Mayo hit a lot of 3’s, we’re playing bad, we got the Nets next its all good

by silverddue on Jan 19, 2010 1:21 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Western W L

L.A. Lakers 1 32 9
Dallas 2 27 14
Denver 3 26 14
San Antonio 4 25 15
Portland 5 25 17
Phoenix 6 24 18
Houston 7 23 18
Oklahoma City 8 23 18

Utah 23 18
Memphis 22 18
New Orleans 21 19

As you can see the battle to reach the playoffs is very, very close. One win and you’re inside, one loss and you’re out. Doing a musical simile, yesterday’s defeat was “another brick in the wall.” The PO are behind the wall.

Is it time to panic? I think not, but why should you be satisfied? We must call for things to improve the team. Getting good players is difficult; someone has talked about coaching change, why not? What kind of coach? Of course a defensive coach, with prestige. I’m thinking of Jeff Van Gundy.

We are the 2nd worst defensive team, allowing 107.66 ppg. Other contenders teams: Lakers, Dallas, Spurs, Magic, Atlanta Celtics, Cavaliers …. allow only 93-95 ppg.

If we can reach those numbers without losing much score, we will be a contender team.

by matrix7 on Jan 19, 2010 5:39 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Can’ t blow everything up… it will just make things worse. The Suns need to ride it out with this style as that is what they are best suited to play and defend and rebound in spurts like they were in the beginning of the year. They will never, this year, be a top 15 defensive team but they do need to allow a couple less points a game and grab a couple more boards.

by Superelkman on Jan 19, 2010 8:20 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

The trouble is ....

If we don’t trade Amare, we lose approximately half of his cap value if he just opts out and walks away. We can trade him and get back approximately $16m in players. If he walks, we only end up around $8m, I believe, under the cap, and thus can only spend $8m on a replacement player.

by jburning on Jan 19, 2010 8:29 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Rock and hard place...

I guess the question is what do you think of Amare? If you think he is a piece capable of building around you don’t consider trading him and show him the money(not max money though). If not then I guess they could blow up the team completely. You can’t have it both ways though. I don’t think Amare will just walk though. How many teams have the cap room and will pay for Amare when he has an extensive injury history? I guess I could see a team not landing a Wade or Bosh and then freaking out and overpaying for Amare but it probably isn’t too likely. OK, I am more confused then 5 minutes ago. Either way, this is a tough situation and Kerr’s tenure will be defined by it.

by Superelkman on Jan 19, 2010 9:17 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

lol

this amare thing has had me in knots for the past year…

there are so many possible combinations of outcomes and if/then statements…hmmm maybe I will do a flow chart!!

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Jan 19, 2010 9:54 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

My personal opinion

Is that if he wants to re-sign in the $13-14m/year range, then re-sign him. If he wants anything more, then look to trade him. I don’t think he’s a piece going forward. He’s a bit too old and too worn down by surgeries.

I think there will be a team that will pay max money for him. The Knicks and Heat are ones that come rapidly to mind.

I still think the best option is to make it easier for the Heat and trade Amare to them for a package that revolves around Michael Beasley. I’ve stated elsewhere that a trade of Amare/Richardson for Beasley/Chalmers/O’Neal makes a lot of sense for both sides. A sign-and-traded Amare for a sign-and-traded David Lee in the offseason could make some sense, depending on the pieces floating around it.

by jburning on Jan 19, 2010 11:30 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Jason seems to have tremendous ability to score against weak teams like MINN and GOLDEN STATE. Very stimulating. Do not say its certain he continues down this path but if you look at his gane logs it looks likely, Almost does not matter. We have to get him to a higher level so he must be played in MODERATION if we have any chance of getting a return on the lost money. Just do not bury us on stats that do not include WHEN he has played good.
The 4 game losing streak is not a big deal. The must lose after playing the Spurs. Must lose in TNT. Must lose in b-b IS. We NEED A WINNING MENTALITY.
That means things have to change. Bi real need to worry about Barbosa. He is coming back but Nash as a leader???

by catseyetwice on Jan 19, 2010 9:50 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Sorry. Intended to indicate LB is not a real long term problem but if Nash is going to turn the ball over and let his opponents score easily——

by catseyetwice on Jan 19, 2010 9:53 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

You know what nobody has talked about....

When Gentry benched Fry after he turned the ball over on that inbound play under the Grizz basket. I thought that was very who of Gentry to do such a thing. Send a message to get your head in the game.

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 Jan 19, 2010 9:55 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

stuff

Hello. I realize my miscellaneous thoughts on the situation are not particularly important, but perhaps I can get them out of my head by posting them. (I’m in a good enough mood to ignore any rude responses, too.)

I am surprised and slightly disturbed by these claims that Coach Gentry is a bad coach. When Terry Poeter was hired, my first thought was “I wonder why Alvin Gentry didn’t get the job?” (The answer is obvious: Gentry was no doubt a supporter of Coach D’Antoni’s system, which Mr. Kerr wanted to abandon.) Without certain people’s insider knowledge, I can have no idea of Gentry’s coaching skill. I have not seen any evidence that Gentry’s coaching is bad, but if there is any, am ready to hear it. I think someone made the strange remark “Gentry is not a nice guy”—that doesn’t make sense.

Nobody here seems to want Amare Stoudemire to get a max contract. I don’t really want that, either, but Amare Stoudemire’s defense and rebounding are improving (I can’t tell about the defense, because I am often listening on the radio, but his crashing the boards in some recent games really impressed me), and he very well could be worth a max contract in the near future. I would reluctantly pay whatever it took to keep him. Although I’m always disappointed in players who demand max contracts, because of simple math. The more money one player gets, the less there is for him to have the best teammates.

I didn’t know Jason Richardson was going to fall flat on his face like this, so I didn’t want to trade him; but I noticed months ago that he has one of the most tradeable contracts on the Suns (except for maybe Leandro Barbosa). Yes, he does—maybe it will make more sense if I call it “the least untradeable.” It’s difficult to trade a contract that is too large, but difficult in a different way to trade one that is too small (such as Grant Hill’s—not that I would trade Grant Hill). If the contract is too small, it will probably be too hard to trade for someone worth trading for. Richardson has a large and bloated contract, but not so large that trading it is impossible. It’s hardly a Shaquille O’Neal contract, and it’s not as though Richardson is old and fat and broken-down like O’Neal, either.

(I’m not going to waste my time and yours by pipe-dreaming trade scenarios, though.)

The Suns are not extremely deep at the shooting guard position, so trading both Barbosa and Richardson would be too dangerous. I wouldn’t trade Barbosa, because he has an excuse for his poor play, doesn’t he? I would shut him down so he can have his needed surgery, but for the same problem—the shooting guard position is not very deep. He has never lived up to his potential, though, never taken full advantage of his speed. Year after year, he keeps being a gunner instead of a Tony Parker type.

I am a realist about Steve Nash. The only other point guard I’ve ever heard of being that creative is Bob Cousy, and Nash is probably the best shooter I personally have ever watched. (Jerry West must have been was better, but I wasn’t alive then; and Mark Price shot free throws as well as Nash, but I had just started watching the NBA back then.) But he has huge weaknesses—his turnovers (although there are valid reasons) and poor defense. That problem—Nash’s poor defense—was always more mysterious than Amare Stoudemire’s poor defense.

by species8473 on Jan 19, 2010 10:07 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

p.s. - Frye

I had no idea Channing Frye would implode this badly. He fell from grace faster than Boris Diaw. But I was never very excited about a big man who hangs around the three-point line. He sounded kind of like Tim Thomas, but taller.

by species8473 on Jan 19, 2010 10:41 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Frye is what he is…

A guy who can cause some matchup problems on the offensive end but if he is your center for 30+ minutes a game he will be exposed and you will have problems.

The guy is 6-11 and has a rebound rate of 10.7%. He averages 7.6 boards per 30 minutes. That is just awful. He is an interesting piece to keep around for a low salary and to use off the bench but is simply not a starting center.

What is really depressing to me is that Robin Lopez’z rebound rate is only slightly better at 13.6%. It seems to me that this will improve slightly over the course of his career as he seems to often be in the right place but gets pushed out of position or somehow doesn’t come down with the board.

Look at a relatively(by NBA standards) unathletic player like the King’s Jon Brockman. He is a generous 6-7 with t-rex arms and has a rebound rate of 20.6% overall and the best offensive rebound rate in the league. The determination a guy like that displays night in and night out is not something you can teach and unfortunately Frye nor Lopez have that.

Outside of Amare, who is good enough offensively to make up for his lack of elite rebounding skill, and Lou Amundson, it is time to look for different options at the 4 and 5 spots.

by Superelkman on Jan 19, 2010 11:32 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Rebounding

Lopez may never be a good rebounder but when he’s in the game he gets his hands on balls that otherwise would be offensive rebounds for the other team. Tips, etc.

Proof is the Suns outrebounded one of the best rebounding teams in the league and beat them 15-10 on the O glass. You might recall that Zach Randolph has 10 OReb’s himself when they were here

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Jan 19, 2010 4:11 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

There are 9 PFs projected to go between picks 16-26 in next years mock draft. The Suns would be wise to get the grittiest one of the bunch.

http://www.nbadraft.net/2011mock_draft

by Superelkman on Jan 19, 2010 11:34 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

crap sorry that is 2011… forgot the suns dont have a 1st round pick next year =(

by Superelkman on Jan 19, 2010 11:35 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

maybe they can get a guy like blair or pendergraph in the 2nd

by Superelkman on Jan 19, 2010 11:35 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

No, we have to make a trade. Barbosa is the guy to go. I know he’s in a funk that he will get out of, but we need defense more than his scoring. We need to trade him for a defensive stopper.

Frye does seem to have fallen pretty fast. He’s just too inconsistent. His game for us was like Tim Thomas, but Tim played better and brought a lot of toughness which helped us make the playoffs and go as far as we did that year without Amare.

by Beavis 25 on Jan 19, 2010 2:09 PM MST reply actions 0 recs