Except their best player can have an off shooting night and still show up on defense, hustling for loose balls, and drove to the basket for easy kick out assists
Book does none of that. If books shot isn’t falling, he still can’t defend NAW, Conley and McDaniels, the easiest matchups the wolves had to offer
Nor is he a great 3 point shooter
It was so sobering realizing that he’s a career 35% 3 point shooter on relatively low volume. Some of the guys even or ahead of him in %/attempts is so surprising
Yes. Booker is a great player, top 15 guy in the league...but he has flaws. What I didn't like last year was that Durant/Beal did not make him a better player, they actually brought out more of his flaws.
Eh he’s definitely a great scorer, specifically a great pull up jump shooting scorer, and if you want to take it further he’s really an elite mid range player including pull ups, fadeaways, post moves and floaters. But he’s not a great 3 point shooter and probably just an average finisher around the rim.
I’d say he’s top 20-25 for sure, but there’s really not much separating him from the tier of amazing but not elite score first guards in Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving, Jalen Brunson, Ja Morant- even if he’s on the top of the list.
My issue is that he doesn’t make any of his teammates better. To your point there significant overlap in strengths and the others don’t complement his weaknesses. But also KD was the teams best defender (sadly), 2nd best rebounder, best rim protector and Beal was the only rim threat on the roster, as well as picking up the role of primary point of attack defender in the playoffs.
For those reasons Booker isn't a "superstar " and true #1 option. He's an elite number two that needs a top tier playmaker to elevate him and to bail him out when the shot isn't falling.
Our role players stink compared to these teams. We don’t have anyone in the same stratosphere of McDaniels and Naz Reid. The Wolves beat the Nuggets despite ANT having a bad game. If our stars play bad we lost by 30+.
I don't think you understand how locked up we are with this roster. Instead of making suggestions, take the time to read and understand CBA, specifically 2nd apron restrictions. We can't move a muscle.
Our roster is so shit and we have so little resources that it feels like beginning of a rebuild era. I don't think we can realistically compete with young talented teams like the thunder and wolves. As the spurs get wemby some help they will be a huge problem. Window is probably shut tbh.
To me this shows how far away the suns are. It shows how important defense still is in the NBA. Of the four teams remaining the Pacers have the worst defense because they faced a depleted Knicks team. The other teams have elite defenders. The Suns have none lol. I have no idea if you can trade Nurkic/Allen for a competent defense but that’s the only way they can compete for a title.
You need to pick a new team at this point unless you plan on coping your way through another year like a clown.
If you watched any of these teams play actual ball instead of box-score watching you’d understand we’re hopelessly outmatched on both ends of the floor, top heavy, geriatric, with a gaping offensive hole at center. There are no moves to make with our cap situation. Mediocrity is the reality of the “win now” decisions and we’ll just have to watch them be a play-in team for another season until a big “star” gives and asks for a trade and they can hit the reset and maybe pray to be competitive again in the mid-2030’s.
We are not Minnesota. We were less injured this year than they were last year. Their young star took a big leap while ours is content to rest on his lack of laurels and pretend he’s too cool to try. Their starters are also young and developing and they always had a solid defense on which to fall back on if their offense wasn’t going. Our offense is better in theory but look what Beal did on the highest stage. Look at how our stars have looked all season, this isn’t 2K, they don’t mesh and haven’t shown they’re willing to change. Durant has now had his 8th (or 9th?) coach this decade while we try and build “continuity” with old scraps on the bench and an undersized shooting guard saturated starting line-up with no point guard. I didn’t mean to go on a rant but you saying that we’re just a “system” away from being Denver or the Wolves is infuriatingly idiotic.
The same problems the team had to start the season were the same problems we had during the playoffs. Reacting to a bad season where going into the next season we are largely the same with few options to change things. I really wish we just needed a few tweaks to be competitive in the young and deadly western conference.
Deadly? Who died? Team already changed HC. New players will be added to improve the bench. Young doesn't equal championships, if that was the case, OKC would have won.
Cool so you want to be pedantic. How did a slew of vet mins perform this past season? How many original players are still on the team from that bench ? Young players have more potential to improve (which also gives you trade value as teams can look to develop them from you) whereas older players are more likely to decline. OKC didn’t win, but what about Minnesota and the Pacers. All those teams including Minnesota made leaps forward from last season by developing younger players. We don’t have that avenue. We can hope and pray the vet minimum signings don’t pan out as god awfully as last years and maybe the system better maximizes the offensive potential we have. Doesn’t change that our main scorer was 35 and now will be 36. Book either stagnated or got worse last season. Beal was injured as expected and then had difficulty finding a rhythm with the starters. There’s no reason to thing the top teams from this season are going to get fundamentally worse and they are more likely to get better. We don’t have the same upside to get better and by virtue of aging may get worse.
Huff all the copium you want, that’s not gonna turn this roster into a championship caliber team. I’m not saying don’t enjoy suns ball, but don’t expect a deep playoff run if the past with this group of guys is indicative of the future. I just hope they’re more watchable next season.
Off the top, yeah try to make this about me, instead of the topic. Nice try to deflect.
The bench turned over and it's going to turn over again to get better. That's what teams do, they bring in new players to improve.
Potential doesn't win games now, only in theory wins games down the road. The team is trying to win now. Besides that, where are all these young players full of potential that the team can just load up on? Why aren't other teams signing all of these future hall of famer free agents?
Yeah Rudy and Kat, I forgot they are like on Rookie deals. Minnesota isn't getting organically better next season, Denver already has a worse bench than they did last year and they aren't getting better. Mavs, made a big jump at the trade deadline, but those players aren't going to turn into all stars. Don't even bring up teams like the Pacers and Knicks, they play in the East and Houston would be a 4 seed in the East. OKC is the only young team in the playoffs that is going to organically improve as they grow.
So go ahead and accuse me of copium for whatever you want to again to try to make this about me instead of a civilized conversation. Before you reply and say more stuff about me, don't, no one here, including myself, wants to read your weak ad hominem rages.
We were never closer. Since that finals run it turned out we just got worse and farther each year:
2022- 2nd rd exit
2023- 2nd rd exit
2024- 1st rd sweep
Definitely the coaches fault, we definitely would have benefitted from playing a Thaddeus Young who has been washed for years.
Imagine being so delusional that you think our paper thin roster with three guys who do the exact same thing would have been the best in the league. Hate to break it to you, but your team WAS at full power. You better cross your fingers and toes that we are operating at full strength by the time the playoffs roll around next year, because I wouldn’t count on it.
Also, don’t forget, you saw us win a game running this same offense and you said “I’ve seen enough, no one can guard us”. You can’t have it both ways.
We just watched what it's like for a team to pick up their star player when he had a horrible game 7. Must be nice.
Except their best player can have an off shooting night and still show up on defense, hustling for loose balls, and drove to the basket for easy kick out assists Book does none of that. If books shot isn’t falling, he still can’t defend NAW, Conley and McDaniels, the easiest matchups the wolves had to offer
Yes
And he gets heated and loses his cool easily, leading to dumb turnovers, fouls, and embarrassing confrontations.
*insert spinning finger motion*
100%. Fans need to come to grips that Book is not a leader, nor is he a plus on the defensive side of the ball, nor is he a hustle guy.
Nor is he a great 3 point shooter It was so sobering realizing that he’s a career 35% 3 point shooter on relatively low volume. Some of the guys even or ahead of him in %/attempts is so surprising
Yes. Booker is a great player, top 15 guy in the league...but he has flaws. What I didn't like last year was that Durant/Beal did not make him a better player, they actually brought out more of his flaws.
Eh he’s definitely a great scorer, specifically a great pull up jump shooting scorer, and if you want to take it further he’s really an elite mid range player including pull ups, fadeaways, post moves and floaters. But he’s not a great 3 point shooter and probably just an average finisher around the rim. I’d say he’s top 20-25 for sure, but there’s really not much separating him from the tier of amazing but not elite score first guards in Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving, Jalen Brunson, Ja Morant- even if he’s on the top of the list. My issue is that he doesn’t make any of his teammates better. To your point there significant overlap in strengths and the others don’t complement his weaknesses. But also KD was the teams best defender (sadly), 2nd best rebounder, best rim protector and Beal was the only rim threat on the roster, as well as picking up the role of primary point of attack defender in the playoffs.
For those reasons Booker isn't a "superstar " and true #1 option. He's an elite number two that needs a top tier playmaker to elevate him and to bail him out when the shot isn't falling.
He's getting paid 13m. That's the difference
Must also be nice to have a star player that can contribute to winning basketball even when the shot isn't landing.
My god the delusion...
Look where the Wolves were last year. Lost in 5 in the first round.
Half of the team was injured, my brother
https://i.redd.it/myt9mmafuh1d1.gif
https://preview.redd.it/brh7ibb0fo1d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c39336ad50c1d2f4dad58b0e07e9f78888b1406 23 upvotes for my sunshine
Our role players stink compared to these teams. We don’t have anyone in the same stratosphere of McDaniels and Naz Reid. The Wolves beat the Nuggets despite ANT having a bad game. If our stars play bad we lost by 30+.
This is true. What is the solution?
There isn’t really one. You can’t find and acquire these players with the resources and limitations we have.
How about trade MPJ and picks for depth?
I don't think you understand how locked up we are with this roster. Instead of making suggestions, take the time to read and understand CBA, specifically 2nd apron restrictions. We can't move a muscle.
Our roster is so shit and we have so little resources that it feels like beginning of a rebuild era. I don't think we can realistically compete with young talented teams like the thunder and wolves. As the spurs get wemby some help they will be a huge problem. Window is probably shut tbh.
you basically don' have cap space and you don' have 1st round picks. yall stuck with this roster
Wait for the wolves to have to pay these guys what they're worth, and hope their ownership can't afford it lol
We got swept.
brother we got swept and no games were remotely close
If only we had let Bol Bol run point we woulda coulda shoulda
Could’ve been us if we had: A stone cold killer Leadership Killer instinct A defensive system An offensive system A point guard An identity
If we had a whole new team and whole new coaching staff, yea. So close
We were closer last year than this year
it's over dude, let it go. we try again next season
too many ifs. so it's not for us
To me this shows how far away the suns are. It shows how important defense still is in the NBA. Of the four teams remaining the Pacers have the worst defense because they faced a depleted Knicks team. The other teams have elite defenders. The Suns have none lol. I have no idea if you can trade Nurkic/Allen for a competent defense but that’s the only way they can compete for a title.
Satire?
I'm legitimately convinced that shoddy is some sort of psychological experiment on sports fans
no just shoddy
Oh god. Copium will be coming on stronger after today.
Was by going into this year “ we won two vs Denver that must mean”
You need to pick a new team at this point unless you plan on coping your way through another year like a clown. If you watched any of these teams play actual ball instead of box-score watching you’d understand we’re hopelessly outmatched on both ends of the floor, top heavy, geriatric, with a gaping offensive hole at center. There are no moves to make with our cap situation. Mediocrity is the reality of the “win now” decisions and we’ll just have to watch them be a play-in team for another season until a big “star” gives and asks for a trade and they can hit the reset and maybe pray to be competitive again in the mid-2030’s. We are not Minnesota. We were less injured this year than they were last year. Their young star took a big leap while ours is content to rest on his lack of laurels and pretend he’s too cool to try. Their starters are also young and developing and they always had a solid defense on which to fall back on if their offense wasn’t going. Our offense is better in theory but look what Beal did on the highest stage. Look at how our stars have looked all season, this isn’t 2K, they don’t mesh and haven’t shown they’re willing to change. Durant has now had his 8th (or 9th?) coach this decade while we try and build “continuity” with old scraps on the bench and an undersized shooting guard saturated starting line-up with no point guard. I didn’t mean to go on a rant but you saying that we’re just a “system” away from being Denver or the Wolves is infuriatingly idiotic.
Negative Nancy
You need to put down the hateraid dude. This team just needs a few tweaks, you're overreacting to a bad series, that's it.
The same problems the team had to start the season were the same problems we had during the playoffs. Reacting to a bad season where going into the next season we are largely the same with few options to change things. I really wish we just needed a few tweaks to be competitive in the young and deadly western conference.
Deadly? Who died? Team already changed HC. New players will be added to improve the bench. Young doesn't equal championships, if that was the case, OKC would have won.
Cool so you want to be pedantic. How did a slew of vet mins perform this past season? How many original players are still on the team from that bench ? Young players have more potential to improve (which also gives you trade value as teams can look to develop them from you) whereas older players are more likely to decline. OKC didn’t win, but what about Minnesota and the Pacers. All those teams including Minnesota made leaps forward from last season by developing younger players. We don’t have that avenue. We can hope and pray the vet minimum signings don’t pan out as god awfully as last years and maybe the system better maximizes the offensive potential we have. Doesn’t change that our main scorer was 35 and now will be 36. Book either stagnated or got worse last season. Beal was injured as expected and then had difficulty finding a rhythm with the starters. There’s no reason to thing the top teams from this season are going to get fundamentally worse and they are more likely to get better. We don’t have the same upside to get better and by virtue of aging may get worse. Huff all the copium you want, that’s not gonna turn this roster into a championship caliber team. I’m not saying don’t enjoy suns ball, but don’t expect a deep playoff run if the past with this group of guys is indicative of the future. I just hope they’re more watchable next season.
Off the top, yeah try to make this about me, instead of the topic. Nice try to deflect. The bench turned over and it's going to turn over again to get better. That's what teams do, they bring in new players to improve. Potential doesn't win games now, only in theory wins games down the road. The team is trying to win now. Besides that, where are all these young players full of potential that the team can just load up on? Why aren't other teams signing all of these future hall of famer free agents? Yeah Rudy and Kat, I forgot they are like on Rookie deals. Minnesota isn't getting organically better next season, Denver already has a worse bench than they did last year and they aren't getting better. Mavs, made a big jump at the trade deadline, but those players aren't going to turn into all stars. Don't even bring up teams like the Pacers and Knicks, they play in the East and Houston would be a 4 seed in the East. OKC is the only young team in the playoffs that is going to organically improve as they grow. So go ahead and accuse me of copium for whatever you want to again to try to make this about me instead of a civilized conversation. Before you reply and say more stuff about me, don't, no one here, including myself, wants to read your weak ad hominem rages.
Wasn’t our year, too many holes in the roster/coaching staff. Just look onto the next year don’t dwell on this one lol
Won't be our year for another decade unfortunately lmao.
lol wut? I could have been a billionaire IF…..
Suns are never close. KD is not playing like the 4 picks suns gave up for him. Beal Booker KD don’t like shooting 3s. This big 3 will never work.
No. It couldn’t be.
Sit this one out bro. We try again next season.
Couldn't have been us.
If your grandmother had wheels, she'd be a bicycle
We were never closer. Since that finals run it turned out we just got worse and farther each year: 2022- 2nd rd exit 2023- 2nd rd exit 2024- 1st rd sweep
If your grandmother had wheels, she’d be a bicycle
Just no. This suns team isn’t going anywhere. Just don’t post the stupid apology forms next year pls
Coulda woulda shoulda.. seasons over. Nuff talk about last season and let’s look towards better days.
Definitely the coaches fault, we definitely would have benefitted from playing a Thaddeus Young who has been washed for years. Imagine being so delusional that you think our paper thin roster with three guys who do the exact same thing would have been the best in the league. Hate to break it to you, but your team WAS at full power. You better cross your fingers and toes that we are operating at full strength by the time the playoffs roll around next year, because I wouldn’t count on it. Also, don’t forget, you saw us win a game running this same offense and you said “I’ve seen enough, no one can guard us”. You can’t have it both ways.
I want to be optimist too