Phoenix Suns Practice Rapport: Flagrant Fouls, Healthy Back, No Regrets
by Seth Pollack on Mar 13, 2010 12:31 PM MST
in Suns News
37 comments
The Suns had a normal practice today and spent some time working on a couple of offensive sets designed to take advantage of the focus opponents have on defending the pick and roll. I won't say anything more than that for fear of giving anyway any secrets ;) but I do think the half court execution on this team is as good as it's been in the Steve Nash era. They are doing more things with different guys touching and distributing the ball. It is nice to see.
As is typical, practice ended on a light note. Coach said that they could stop if Jared Dudley could dunk off a Steve Nash lob pass. Jared played it up. He made show of stretching himself out. Ran to the half court line and back to loosen his legs. He told Steve to make it a good pass and then....
Well, there's some dispute over the result. The ball did go in the basket and it was off a lob. Jared insisted that it was a dunk. Coach called it more of a "lunk". A layup-dunk. But he let the result stand.
Nash said this about his pass, "I'll tell you what. There's not a big target. It's got to be a pretty good or you've got not no chance."
So yes, the team was in pretty good spirits despite the loss last night to the Lakers.
About his ejection, Coach Gentry would only say that he thought that it should have been a Flagrant Foul called on Pau Gasol for the hit on Lou Amundson. He was careful to say (a few times) that he doesn't consider Pau dirty and didn't seem to have any problem with the way the Lakers played. He was just upset about that way it was called.
"I don't know what there is to talk about. I thought it was a blow to the face and should have been called a Flagrant Foul and they didn't. That's all there really is to discuss about it...There was no part of the ball that he even came close to getting. I thought it was a Flagrant Foul. They didn't think it was a Flagrant Foul and obviously I was ejected from the game. That's really all it came down to. We'll see what the league says."
Gentry pointed out that the Lakers were 8 for 20 against the Suns zone. So I guess I stand corrected with my criticism although I would point out that the players themselves have said the zone is for teams that can't play man-to-man and Gentry on several occasions has said that it should only be used in limited situations and not for extended periods of time.
Steve Nash's 1000th Career Game
Tomorrow will be Steve Nash's 1000th career game. He said this when Bob Young from the AZ Republic ask him if he was aware of that, "No, on Sunday? I'll have to throw a party tonight or tomorrow."
Steve went on to reflect on his career and spoke very thoughtfully about his time in the league. I would definitely have a listen.
As for his back and abs, Steve repeated what he said last night that he's feeling much better and just needs to catch up after all the work he put in getting himself right during last week's "break". He sounded encouraged about the rest of the season which is - of course! - a good sign.
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Will the Suns regain the 5th seed? Their winning games isn’t enough—their competirors for it have to lose some games.
I'm fine with the 6th seed
That way we get out of LA’s bracket
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."
+1
Plus I like our chances against Denver a bit more than I do against Utah
by hcblankscreen on Mar 13, 2010 1:19 PM MST up reply actions
yes, we will get the 5th seed back (whether we want it or not)
as long as there’s no new injuries to Nash that’s worse than now.
The Suns remaining sked is too easy and the Thunder’s too difficult for us to remain in 6th. And SA and Port as well
Twitter: @dahking
Too late to change the stupid twitter name. Did it as a joke to my teenager, but now I'm hooked on the news-feed aspect of twitter.
As a previous Lakers coach once said.. shoulda, coulda, woulda..
Not a bad loss for us, all in all. It’s interesting, imho, to see that the team that have the most success against us, are the ones that play us more physically. It goes without saying that will increase during the playoffs.
But there is reason to be optimistic. Here’s the thing: while the Lakers are bigger than us, they only beat us by 6 points, which isn’t a big margin. And we were without Channing and Leandro.
John Wooden once said that speed beats size every time, and I think that’s the key to beating the Lakers, and is something where we have a distinct advantage.
I think a 5 man lineup of Nash, Frosty, Leandro, Amare and Lou/Frye can do some damage vs the Lakers, provided they speed up the tempo, especially if the Lakers aren’t playing all of their their starting 5. If the Lakers have a major vulnerability it’s that they can be worn down.
All I’m hoping is that yesterdays game didn’t give the Lakers what they need to right their ship.
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Mar 13, 2010 2:22 PM MST reply actions
I still think
that when you look at this game we didn’t get beat by their size or physicality
Even w/o Frye and w/ Robin only playing limited minutes (and having an off night) we beat them in the power numbers…points in the paint, rebounding, ORebounding and had more second chance shots
Phil Jax even said in the post game that he wasn’t happy with that….“Amundson tore it up so I wasn’t happy with our physicality out there”
That one play aside, we mostly dominated the paint
Suns just missed too many wide open three’s. Combination of rust, Nash not being 100% and missing LB and Frye.
We played very well against them at their game and just didn’t play good enough at ours. That’s encouraging to say the least…
and yes, I am starting to be more optimistic about the Suns playoff chances
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @sethpo
by Seth Pollack on Mar 13, 2010 2:30 PM MST up reply actions
You're always so realistic
that when you say you’re starting to like our playoff chances, it makes me feel really good. I agree that we played very well yesterday and just could’nt finish the game. G Hill missed a very easy shot, Nash made a turnover, that non-call on Odom pushing Amundson, that 3 from Derek Fisher… Yesterday, the ball bounced to the Lakers side, that happens, but we played very good and could have nailed a victory.
by Diego Queiroz on Mar 13, 2010 4:03 PM MST up reply actions
It's not so clear to me if that's the case.
Sure, from a box score pov, we may have done all the right things, but the Suns are a rhythm team.
From my viewpoint, it seems, at least during the second & third, that our rhythm was disrupted by the Lakers, and their physical play had something to do with that. It’s the same way, btw, the Spurs always beat us.
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Mar 13, 2010 10:42 PM MST up reply actions
Laker fans are really interested in Lou Amundson now. They know he’s a free agent and want him on their team next season. We may have some competition.
I think Lou needs more minutes. I know hes an offensive liability because he can’t shoot, but he really helps on the boards. I know people say he can’t contain that kind of energy for a 48 minute game, but how do they know? Rodman could; that is why he averaged 18.7 rebounds in a single season. I’m not saying that Amundson is as good as Rodman, or that he needs to get 48 minutes. I’m just saying what if we gave him 20-25 mpg? I bet he could easily average anywhere from 6-9 rebounds a game.
I wonder the same thing. Teams are going to notice this guy come playoff time and I guarantee they will make offers for him.
I dunno
Lou bought a house here, etc. etc. but let’s face it, when you’re on the cusp of not playing NBA basketball for a bit like him, you’re probably going to want the best combination of years and $$$$$, so loyalty is kind of a silly ideal.
Blogging Suns Basketball. Twitter: @willcantrellphx
by Wil Cantrell on Mar 13, 2010 9:44 PM MST up reply actions
I hope
we can re-sign him. Lou is a really good role player for us, and I still see him as having a lot of upside if he can work on his shot and controlling the ball. I’ve never seen a player with his type of energy before, and his quickness and athleticism allows him to grab boards and block shots like crazy.
I would love to invest in Lou long term as long as the contract wasn’t overblown…I have no idea how much the other teams will offer him this off-season, but I sure hope we will be able to match it!
Amundson must be re-signed, no matter the cost. (Assuming he knows his own value.)
by 8472species on Mar 14, 2010 10:33 AM MDT up reply actions
lol...what?
what does that mean? “no matter the cost (assuming he knows his own value.)”
that’s the problem with contracts. Players always want the most they can get, and teams want the pay the least they can to keep him. It’s just business – supply and demand. No team wants to bid against itself.
If we think Lou is reasonably worth 3 mill a year, but the Knicks (for example) are willing to pay 5 million a year, what should the Suns do? I say they let him go. He really isn’t worth more than half the mid-level IMO because he’s no good offensively.
Twitter: @dahking
Too late to change the stupid twitter name. Did it as a joke to my teenager, but now I'm hooked on the news-feed aspect of twitter.
by Alex Laugan on Mar 14, 2010 12:04 PM MDT up reply actions
hey
i’m guessing 8472species means we need lou, but if he thinks he’s worth more than he is….then resigning him becomes a different story. My guess is, Lou will be happy to come back to the suns and hopefully get 2-3 million a yr? (Wild guess on money, but I’d pay him that or more pretty easily). The real question is, what is Lou’s worth $$$$. Coming from $350,000 from this season, and finally getting playing time here, it’s hard to say. I’m just excited for him to succeed and get a large contract, he clearly deserves it.
by be-the-ball on Mar 14, 2010 12:10 PM MDT up reply actions
I would think he stays
and takes about $2m. That’s what Birdman got in Denver
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @sethpo
by Seth Pollack on Mar 14, 2010 1:28 PM MDT up reply actions
Chirs Andersen is making $3.6M this year and $3.9M next..
and he’s signed for five years.
In any case, I wouldn’t be opposed to signing Lou for $2.5M→$3M/year.
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Mar 14, 2010 3:12 PM MDT up reply actions
The key to rebounding is....
Playing D (!) and forcing the opponent to miss shots. Lou is a good rebounder but he can’t grab rebounds when sometimes the opposing guards drive past our guards and force our bigs to contest or help, hence why we give up 2nd chance points.
Steve Nash plays D!!
So...did Robin have anything to say?
I’m wondering what Robin had to say after the single worst performance of his career as a starter thus far. I’m not that worried about the measly 6 points, but the ZERO rebounds!
Even since his “coming out” game a month ago, his production has seemingly tapered off considerably…worse with every consecutive game played. Last night he was simply atrocious, to the point he was not only outplayed by Lou, but by Jarron Collins as well!
I’m not trying to hold his feet to the fire…yet, I just wondered if he had any comment on last nights game; and hopefully said something along the lines of “You will NEVER see me play that poorly ever again.”
In order for us to be the title contending team that many of us, including myself, believe we CAN be, we need to get much better and more consistent production from Lopez when he’s in.
Offensive output is an added bonus, but really, Frye is more consistent and polished in that regard. What we need from Robin is DEFENSE and REBOUNDING…Two things that were his claim to fame, which have been noticeably absent from him as of late.
The fouls
were the worst part of the game…he was never really in it from that point
The rebounding numbers standout (ZERO) but generally I don’t worry about his boards if he is keeping his guy off the glass…
Young players have set backs. Hell, JRich and Grant didn’t have good games either. I do want to see him bounce back on Sunday.
And no, he didn’t say anything b/c no one asked him any questions. That’s typical for a guy like that. Only Steve and Amare talk every game. From there it just depends on who played well. Usually a guy like Robin (or Frye or Jason or Dudley, etc) don’t get asked questions on a night they didn’t play well. I think everyone understands it’s just one game and no one expects those guys to play at a high level every night. Otherwise they would be stars.
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @sethpo
by Seth Pollack on Mar 13, 2010 6:01 PM MST up reply actions
Hey Seth
I apreciate the response and hearing your perspective. I agree with and understand most of what you said with the exception of when you stated that everyone understands it’s just one game. While this may have been his worst, it’s been a continuous trend of lackluster performances ever since his big breakout game. Up to then, it seemed he was improving with every game, and now it seems he’s been getting progressively worse.
I’m not trying to be overly negative or even pessimistic…I think Robin has a lot of promise and potential. However, I would be lying If I said I wasn’t beginning to get a little concerned either.
by 7footer on Mar 13, 2010 11:29 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
i agree with you...I'm starting to get a little concerned also
but, this is really his rookie year and really has only been a starter a month or 2. As long as he continues to get playing time, I’m hopeful he’ll come around.
by be-the-ball on Mar 14, 2010 12:12 PM MDT up reply actions
Why
are we not playing Collins more? Lopez doesn’t come out every night (he shows up some and off some) especially when he picks up early fouls. I think we can get him time simply by playing our big men like;
PF: Amar’e =30 min – Lou = 14 min – Frye = 4 min
C: Lopez = 28 min – Frye = 10-12 min – Collins = 8-10 min (like the last 4 minutes in close games)
i think they're trying to
but it’s tough to get all the players their minutes when you have players like nash / amare / hill / jrich that clearly will get 30+ minutes a game, then dragic and others…
You have to look at it fairly and with history. With D’antoni here, we only went 6-7 men deep. With Gentry, we go 8-9 men deep or more. I think Gentry has done a fantastic job in giving playing time to dragic, lopez, and lou where porter basically screwed dragic, lopez and lou over. There’s an obviousd comment there, about Porter, but I’m going to leave it alone…suffice it to say…thank God he’s gone.
by be-the-ball on Mar 14, 2010 12:25 PM MDT up reply actions
I've got to correct you on this..
There’s this meme, that’s been going around that Mike D ran his rotations 7 or 8 players deep. But it’s not completely true:
In 04-05, 10 players averaged more than 12 mins/game;
In 05-06, it was 11 players (including Amare who played in 3 games that year)
In 06-07, it was 9, but all the other players averaged over 5 mins/game
In 07-08, back to 11 players
Now it’s true that in important games, Mike would tighten his rotations, but for the most part he ran them in a fairly normal way. What is true, is that only 7 or 8 players, played in every game they could, but this is also true for coaches like Phil Jackson, who keeps his core players in every game, and adjusts the tail of his bench, depending on the situation.
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Mar 14, 2010 3:39 PM MDT up reply actions
Everybody will get minutes from time to time with any team, but are they really a part of the rotation?
Pat Burke, Sean Marks, Marcus Banks, Jalen Rose… weren’t a part of the rotation. They only got minutes in Garbage time. They were the bench warmers. Coach D went 7-8 guys deep. Everybody else was a bench warmer on the team.
Most teams will at least go 9-10 guys deep. We currently go 9 guys deep and maybe 10 as soon as Barbosa is back.
This means that Griffen, Collins and Clark are our bench warmers. They will only get minutes in garbage time or when someone gets hurt. They aren’t a part of the regular rotation.
I’m going to be more specific.
2004-05- Nash, JJ, Q, Marion, Amare, Jackson, Hunter and Barbosa.
2005-06- Nash, Bell, Marion, Diaw, Kurt/Tim, Barbosa, Jones and House.
2006-07- Nash, Bell, Marion, Diaw, Amare, Barbosa, Jones and Kurt.
2007-08- Nash, Bell, Hill, Amare, Marion/Shaq, Diaw, Barbosa and Skinner/Gordan
Coach D kept with a 7-8 man rotation for every season with us. He tried to go a bit deeper in 08 by trying to include Banks, but that never worked out. This and the fact he wouldn’t teach defense or play rookies was the main reason why him and Kerr didn’t get a long .
If you're averaging 12 mins/game, and you've played more than 30 games
then you’re part of the rotation. Maybe an inconsistent part, but still part.
I purposefully didn’t include the likes of Jalen Rose (Banks yes, in one season), Pat Burke, or Paul Shirley. Which is why my cutoff is at 12 mins/game.
But I take my argument back… when I went at looked at individual games, for > 50% of the games Mike D almost always went 8 players deep, and often played 9 deep. But usually no more than nine, except in big wins or losses. What I had thought was that the ninth man would change game by game, but that really didn’t happen the way I thought.
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Mar 14, 2010 7:29 PM MDT up reply actions
What the heck is a flagrant foul?
Juwan Howard got called for 1 against the Kings the other night where he grabbed the guys arm.Hard foul yes Flagrant no,when I saw the foul by Gasol 1st thing I said was oh there’s a flagrant. When it wasn’t called I was totally shocked.You guy’s got jobbed! I don’t blame Gentry for going ballistic that was a horrible call.
Batumshakalaka!
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