Btw Luke isn't an inferior player to Barbosa. They both equally suck.
Yeah it seems like one team is contending while the other is rebuilding or in a transition period (unfortunately for Phoenix LA is usually the one contending), it'd be nice if for once both teams are legit contenders at the same time.
Btw Luke isn't an inferior player to Barbosa. They both equally suck.
Lately, you know that when Barbosa enters the game things are going to go downhill. It's so predictable.
Well I won't be losing any sleep over Phoenix giving Amare max $. Neither will the Lakers and their bigs.
At this point, Amare for most teams wouldn't be a very sound investment. Unreliable defense and mind.
It would have been better to trade Amare earlier and get something for him than to go through this BS charade. Sure it's been fun watching Phoenix get into the playoffs, but Phoenix needs to learn how to look towards the future.
I think the main flaw with the Suns has always been that your two best players (Amare and Nash) also happen to be HUGE liabilities on the defensive end and also play two of the most important defensive positions imo. Not being able to stop penetration at the point of attack is one thing. The Lakers can't but they can get away with it because of the guys they have in the paint. But when you pair that kind of PG defense with having no defensive anchor and a flat out indifferent defender like Amare in the paint, that's just not going to cut it in the playoffs. The bottom line is that those guys are never going to become good defenders. It puts the Suns in a really tough situation because the same guys that make them who they are and make them so good offensively are also the reason they fail in the playoffs. So while I agree with you that Nash is part of the problem, I don't think it's a difference of effort problem. They are what they are. Very good offensive players and very poor defenders. I think in order for you guys to take that next step you need to make some major changes. I think you can get away with keeping Amare but you HAVE to pair him with some kind of defensive beast in the paint to compensate for his shortcomings. Channing Frye ain't gonna cut it.
Suns fans need to realize that when their team beat the Spurs, it's season over for them. Nash and Amar'e just wanted to avenge the pain that the Spurs have given them all these years and they couldn't care less of anything else.
I think your statement is true for the most part. That is the problem with your statement.
Who are the Spurs?
No, not all NBA players give 100% effort every night. That'd be humanly impossible, there are too many games throughout a season. Guys have to slow down their effort a notch or two in some particular instances to manage their stamina, both in-game and in the long run.
Some NBA players are lazy. They take possessions off (especially defensive ones), games off, even entire seasons. They could do better, but they aren't willing to put up the mental and physical effort for egoistical reasons.
That's not very common at all though.
Playing hard and focused all the time is a skill. It's mostly innate but can be coached. It's a skill like eye-hand coordination. Not every player has it to the same degree. Not everyone of us has the same mental discipline. It's not only a matter of will - just like players don't miss shots because they lack the will to make them. Some guys have a job in the league just because of having this talent - Ryan Bowen is a very fine example of it.
When Amare conceded that hilarious layup to Odom, just allowing him to drive by his left from the top of the key, he wasn't lacking pride or effort. He was caught completely flat-footed, with his knees stretched and his mind wandering somewhere else for a fraction of a second. But that's Amare being Amare, not Amare being particularly lazy. That's Amare leading with the particular lack of a particular talent that has been holding him back for years.
Phoenix isn't putting less effort than they generally do.
Agreed.
Same happened with LeBron/Cavs the previous round. It happens all the time. It's akin to blaming coaches I think, just more comfortable to fans to question "effort", as in their mind it's something that can be fixed easier.
Whether or not you're right, it doesn't change the fact you're so stupid your wife decided to kill herself.
lol Omar
lol widow
Having your best players be defensive liabilities in general is a huge problem, I agree. It trickles down to the entire team, a defensive minded team needs players from top to bottom who want to play defense and the best players need to lead by example. That's why regardless of age, it was beyond stupid to not trade Amare for KG when they could have. KG would have brought the culture change they needed.
The expert speaks.......
Honestly though, I think that this series is more about the Lakers offense than anything else. Phoenix is averaging what they did against the Spurs (which wasn't exactly paltry.....109.5), and yet they're still getting blown out. That's a bit of a problem.
It's a mirror image of what the Spurs did against the Mavs, and then against the Suns.
I like a tight booty hole, so sue me.
You can talk about Nash being a poor defender all you want, but don't tell me that his defense is a problem in this series. Derek Fisher hasn't done anything offensively compared to what he put up against Deron Williams. So the Suns have given up 128 and 124 in two games without Nash's defense being an issue. Looks to me like this team doesn't have the bigs deal to properly defend the paint. In fact, Nash has never played with an elite defensive center. That is one of the main reasons why he will never win a championship.
^You never wanted "an elite defensive center." You've always been small ball, SSOL, or, some damn funk & junk type strategy. Colangelo even made Daddy extinct with the rule changes after Daddy beat Mutombo half to death in the Philly Finals.
Your regrets are your own, Vic.
I'm glad that the deal including Amare for Battier and Scola fell through
So, the Suns wouldn't have listened if someone like Gasol was on the market two years ago. The garbage that the Lakers gave up for him makes alot of people su ious. The bottomline is that the good centers are never available unless a terrible organization like the Grizzlies wants to be charitable.
No, you wouldn't a listened, you were too busy high fivein' each other & giggling like fools because you snagged Daddy at over $20 million.
The Lakers traded an expiring contract and two first round picks for Gasol
A few months prior, Phoenix traded an expiring contract (Kurt Thomas) and two first round picks for nothing.
That's got nothing to do with Nash, but the Suns are a team that has no business complaining about the Gasol trade. We should be faulting the FO for making a reactionary Shaq trade rather than looking to get better the way LA did.
I and alot of Suns fans never liked the Shaq trade. The only thing I liked is that they shipped out Marion because he wanted a max deal. I praise the lord that Marion never got that deal. As for Gasol, that trade was a shock to every other team around the NBA. Its like Jerry West brokered the damn trade in secret and convinced that fool Heisley to piss away his franchise player. You can't tell me another team couldn't have offered a better return for Gasol if he was on the market. By the way, I am still su ious of the 1996 Draft Day trade when Charlotte gave away Kobe for a declining Vlade Divac. No one trades a can't miss superstar for a has been center. It makes the "Knicks fixed the Patrick Ewing lottery" rumor seem minor.
I actually agree with you, Nash's D so far in the playoffs has been great, way better than I ever expect. The problem is, the Suns don't have a personality like KG's where he's gonna anchor the team defensively while holding himself and everyone accountable. KG might be a prick but no one can deny the culture change, mentality and unity he brought to Boston. I'm not saying Nash needs to be that guy or that he's to blame, it's the FO's fault for not having anyone capable of anchoring the D, but there clearly isn't enough leadership on the defensive side of the ball.
Follow the money. Sarver was too obsessed with staying under the luxury tax. That Thomas and first round picks giveaway is nothing compared to trading Rondo to Boston. As far as the Gasol trade goes, go tell every other team not to complain. Normally a team wanting to unload a star makes it known on the open market. But I think Jerry West got that moron Heisley's trust and stole Gasol for Jerry Buss.
Boston is a perfect example of a team with great balance. Ray Allen isn't a good defender, but he is backed up with an excellent frontline of Garnett, Perkins and Davis. Ultimately, the defense on championship teams is most valuable on the frontline. So I can say with absolute certainty that Nash would have won a championship if he played on a team like the Lakers or Celtics.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)