From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

Rapid Reaction: Suns 114, Aces 93

By Sam Gray

The Suns and Aces engaged in one of the ugliest halves of basketball in recent memory, each team missing a vast majority of their shots and struggling to get over 40. But Phoenix was able to reset in the second half, which led them to a win and put their record at 20-5 as the Aces fell to 10-16. Led by PB and G, the Suns’ Big Three each stepped up in the final two quarters to put away the pesky Aces. Griffin led all scorers with 26 points and a scathing performance from deep — 3-4 — as the Suns held onto their first place ranking out West.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

Rapid Reaction: Suns 132, Bucks 104

By Sam Gray

The Suns got a coveted Christmas Day matchup against the East leading Bucks and took Milwaukee down — thanks in large part to Blake Griffin, who had 20 points in the first half and made easy work of any of the Bucks bigs. Griffin was on fire and finished the night with 36 points and 14 boards as the Bucks couldn’t climb out of the hole they dug themselves in the first half; the Suns finding the net from deep in the fourth quarter (where they scored 42 points) ended any hope. Phoenix moves to 23-7 as the Bucks fall to 23-9.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

League Update: Holiday Edition

By Sam Gray

Injuries:

1. Lauri Markkanen has been upgraded from missing the entire season to having a very outside shot of coming back in time for playoff action — assuming the Bulls even make it that far. Chicago continues to play near .500 ball, putting them in the conversation for the playoffs, but how long the Bulls manage to hang on is anyone’s guess — trade rumors swirl around the team as the Bulls’ front office looks to clear cap space for a big signing next summer, though whom Chicago has their mind set on is a question no one can seem to answer.

2. Gordon Hayward is injured — again. Hayward was having exactly the type of season he and the Jazz hoped for upon getting traded back to Utah, putting up 21.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 4.9 APG on 52% from the field and 47% from deep; he’s out for what looks to be the remainder of the season, or at least the bulk of it. Hayward’s absence likely won’t help the Jazz as Utah just sits outside the final playoff spot out West.

3. James Harden is still 2-4 weeks away from returning after being injured in late November, but the Rockets are continuing to chug along. CP3 has stepped up his game and the Rockets are running and gunning like Paul is Nash; Houston will have to reincorporate their star once Harden returns, but Houston may have unwittingly discovered how to survive without Harden — a valuable lesson they will need to put into practice during the playoffs when Harden sits for rest.

Standings:

1. The Rockets are leading the West but right behind them are the Suns, who are taking the formula Mike D’Antoni founded with them and adding in their own twists. Coming up in third are the Thunder, who are within easy striking distance of the 1st seed, and behind them are the Lakers and Warriors — two teams that may have to face one another in the first round, if seeding holds. The last three playoff spots are between the Mavs, the Clippers, and the Spurs — though the Clippers and Spurs are both easily catchable if either goes on an extended losing streak.

2. The bottom of the West is inhabited by none other than the Kings — Sacramento continues to defy all odds and be as awful as ever. The Kings lost Will Barton early in the season and that injury caused them to spiral early; unrest is high in Sacramento as the front office is looking to unload multiple players to clear way for a top pick in a draft that no one is quite sure what to make of. Just above them are the Pelicans, who picked the worst time to have the worst season — as Anthony Davis is now less than 18 months away from becoming a free agent, the wheels in NOLA have fallen off and Davis, though publicly saying all the right things, is privately concerned. Multiple teams will sniff around NOLA to see if they’re ready to trade Davis, but league executives believe a deal will take place during the summer if the Pelicans continue on this course.

3. The top of the East is inhabited by two teams one isn’t used to seeing there; the Bucks and the Wizards. Milwaukee and Washington are both thriving, each with only single-digit losses and each getting excellent play from their lead superstars (Greek Freak and Wall respectively). Just behind them are the Nets, Raptors, and Knicks in a three way battle for the 3rd seed — the Nets have watched as Juan Hermangomez has blossomed in their offense (putting up 16.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 2.1 APG) and that extra spacing has given Brooklyn a dimension they’ve been hunting for years. Toronto continues to get good play from all their starters, despite a slight drop off from Andrew Wiggins (averaging only 16.8 PPG as opposed to over 19 a year ago). The Knicks continues to thrive with Walker, Porzingis, and Butler — and have gotten additional scoring from Javelle McGee, who’s averaging near a double-double. After them, it’s a battle for the 6th, 7th, and 8th spots in the East with multiple teams in contention.

4. At the bottom of the East are the Magic, who are leaders for the first overall pick and look to be sellers as the deadline approaches. Orlando has been god-awful as their lack of defense — the second-worst mark in the league (behind Denver) — has proven that Thomas can’t thrive on a team that doesn’t possess defenders around him to offset his weaknesses there. Enes Kanter is putting up good numbers (15.9 PPG, 11.8 RPG) but the Magic are clearly not ready to do anything. Just above them are the Pistons and Grizzlies, two teams many predicted to be bad though Memphis had an outside shot of making the playoffs in the east; Memphis is watching as Marc Gasol looks to have disconnected from the team, averaging career lows. Gasol has told Memphis that he wants to return next season but wants to experience free agency first, but many in Memphis believe the long-time Grizzly is as good as gone.

TRADE ALERT:

1. The Kings are the first team to commence a trade this year and they ship off WCS in a solid deal all around, as the Las Vegas Aces acquire their center of the present and future on a reasonable deal while shipping off the contract of Miles Plumlee and sending Harry Giles to Seattle, where the Sonics may be able to give the young big more playing time than he’s received in Sacramento, Phoenix, and Vegas. The Aces had to part with a first round pick but it’s top-ten protected and not till 2021, where Vegas will (hopefully) have a new team filled with fresh blood and not terrible contracts. With WCS gone, the Kings can finally start second-year big Lynn Flanders who has been thriving off the bench with 12.7 PPG and 7.6 RPG.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

Rapid Reaction: Suns 119, Knicks 109

By Sam Gray

The Suns are now 24-7 on the year, winners of three of the last four, as they put down the Knicks (now 18-15) in a game that looked like it was going to be a big, fat L for Phoenix. The Suns came out and looked as cold on the court as it was outside in New York, Blake Griffin especially looking frozen, going 3-14 in the first half and looking for all the world like he was on his way to a miserable night. Phoenix, thanks to some inspired play by Omar Pope (with 17 first half points) was only down 55-49 at the start of the third. That’s when the Suns put it together as it got key triples from Brian Hammons and Pope attacked the inside — racking up points and fouls on McGee. That would end up being important as McGee would foul out midway through the fourth, putting an end to the Knicks hope for a win and allowing Phoenix to walk away with a hard-earned victory.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

Rapid Reaction: Suns 112, Heat 97

By Sam Gray

The Suns are now 27-9 as they send the Heat to 18-19, downing Miami thanks to high scoring games from four of the five Suns’ starters (while Noel did the dirty work). The Suns struggled to put the Heat away early, but by the beginning of the third Phoenix found a spark from Malcolm Brogdon, who took matters into his own hands and propelled the Suns to a 8 point lead thanks largely to his scoring and playmaking. With Brogdon on fire, the Heat had to stick close to their assignments and that allowed Omar Pope to take his defender to task. The Suns have won three straight against Miami dating back to last year.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

TRADE ALERT: Mirotic Moves to LA

By Sam Gray

The Clippers have made a move to shore up their shooting, sending Montrez Harrell to the Pelicans for Mirotic and Tony Craig; LAC is hoping this will keep them in the 8th and final playoff spot out West, something they’re barely holding onto. The Las Vegas Aces also got involved, taking on unwanted salary from the Clippers to facilitate the deal and to get NOLA out of the luxury tax. Mirotic will instantly assume the starter role fro LAC as he’ll provide even more offensive firepower. NOLA will get a younger, cheaper player back in Harrell and this could be the beginning of a major teardown in New Orleans.

[RMJH4]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

Suns are ripping through the schedule at the moment. Looking like real contenders with that record...Big contributions from your big 3 and Hezonja too. Keep this momentum up and you'll be right in the mix for top seed. Blakes experience seems to have steadied the ship and allowed Pope to continue to constantly improve. Amazing upward trajectory you have the Suns on, wonder if the real life Suns could get anywhere near this in next 5 years!!

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

Suns are ripping through the schedule at the moment. Looking like real contenders with that record...Big contributions from your big 3 and Hezonja too. Keep this momentum up and you'll be right in the mix for top seed. Blakes experience seems to have steadied the ship and allowed Pope to continue to constantly improve. Amazing upward trajectory you have the Suns on, wonder if the real life Suns could get anywhere near this in next 5 years!!

Yeah, I'm impressed at how well we're doing. We might be doing TOO WELL, though, because the Warriors are sitting in 4th/5th out West and I want to avoid them desperately. I'd rather not get the first seed at all and stay in the 2/3 range -- unless the Warriors work their way up to that range and then I'll want to get higher. Lots of scenarios that could play out as the season comes upon the all-star break, only a few weeks away.



It'd be nice if the IRL Suns swung for the fences like this -- there are plenty of expensive vets they could go after. Blake's presence is defintely a huge benefit and if I can get him signed long-term (at a cheaper price) we'll be in good shape moving forward; Hezonja is doing great as the dedicated sniper/swagger guy but I fear between him and Noel, one of them will have to be moved in the future just to keep costs sane.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

Rapid Reaction: Suns 130, Sixers 94

By Sam Gray

The Suns are now 33-10 as they throttle the 76ers (now 28-11) by nearly 40 points; Phoenix never got a real challenge from Philly as the Suns came out firing from behind the arc, hitting 12 of their 24 shots from deep. Led by Mario Hezonja in the first quarter, the Suns buried Philly behind excellent shooting and team-wide playmaking. Pope and Griffin both scored at least 25 points, while Brogdon just missed on a double-double, as the 76ers were routinely beat to rebounds and loose balls in a game that should cause Philly fans concern a month out from the All-Star break.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

Rapid Reaction: Suns 115, Mavericks 106

By Sam Gray







The Suns are now 36-10 as the team survived an abysmal first half against the Mavs (now 28-19) and came away with a huge comeback win. Phoenix started the game solid enough but had trouble getting Pope free for shots, resulting in the second-year player forcing plays when the ball hit his hands. Dallas baited him into those shots and the Suns quickly found themselves down at the end of the first, and that hole got even deeper at halftime.



“I was hurting us with my *hit play,” said Pope. “Coach Kidd pulled me aside, we had a moment, and we decided that I needed to focus more on defense.”



Kidd’s intervention at halftime resulted in the Suns coming out with a new focus in the third — get someone else the ball. That someone else was The President, Malcolm Brogdon, who did massive damage in the third (scoring 17 of his points in that quarter) and Dallas had no answers as he and Griffin went into a two-man game, while Pope locked down his assignment on defense. Trailing 83-79 entering the fourth, the ball found its way back into Pope’s hands and Pope converted, hitting a number of and-1s, while also getting DeAndre Jordan to foul out midway through the quarter. With Jordan out, the Mavericks defense fell apart and Phoenix dealt their old rivals a tough loss on the road.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

League Update: All-Star Teams, Contract Extensions, and Deadline Deals

By Sam Gray

All-Star Teams:

Notable omissions include Damian Lillard (24.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.7 APG on 50% from the field, 42% from deep) and Blake Grffin (21.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 4.9 APG on 52% from the field and 36% from deep).

Extensions:

The Greek Freak is back, agreeing to a three-year extension with the Bucks. Not agreeing to any sort of extension and entering the final year of their contracts are Lillard (POR) and Davis (NOLA). Both front offices have to be feeling the heat and neither star was willing to agree to an extension now, though both publicly remain open to signing long-term with their respective franchises.

The Trades:

The first deal of the day came between the Spurs and Pistons; San Antonio’s season has unwound as the year has progressed and the Spurs are on their way to their second-straight losing season for the first time in over 20 years. San Antonio moved on from Dennis Schroder, a key piece of the Leonard trade, and has settled on Dejonte Murray to be their starting PG going forward. Jackson and his expiring deal land in San Antonio, where Jackson will slotted in as a sixth-man as the Spurs attempt to grab the last playoff spot out West. For Detroit, Schroder represents a low-risk, high reward trade; his talents weren’t fully being used with the Spurs and he’s locked in to a very-reasonable deal. Detroit believes that Schroder can have a career renaissance under Dwayne Casey, who similarly helped Kyle Lowry revive his career in Toronto.

Trade number two saw the Clippers enter the market again, this time for help at their PG spot. LAC is barely in the 8th seed, five games under .500, and desperate for the playoffs — they’ve brought in Thomas to give their team the boost it needs to get back to postseason. Thomas is a rental, plain and simple, and the Clippers paid the Magic as such, sending away McConnell (who reportedly was very displeased with the deal) and a their 2nd rounder this year in what profiles to be a weak draft. Orlando is just happy to get something for Thomas, who’s putting up 22.3 PPG but is playing virtually no defense — not a winning combination for a team like the Magic, who are the worst in the NBA.

The final deal of the deal saw the T’Wolves move on from DeRozan. Ever since his arrival in Minnesota, DeRozan has been an ill-fitting piece, his game not meshing well with KAT. Minny sent him to his home state of California to play for the woeful Kings — DeRozan has the ability to opt out in the summer and is reportedly strongly considering doing that, becoming a free agent. If Sacramento can’t get him to re-sign, this trade will look a bit worse, but they’ll have money to spent in the summer and the Kings are always hopeful (delusional perhaps) that they can land a big fish to finally get them back to winning. Minnesota will also have cap-space to play with in a very important summer, as they’ll need to find KAT a partner to get the T’Wolves back to the postseason.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

Rapid Reaction: Suns 130, Celtics 88

By Sam Gray

The Suns are now 43-12, first in the West, as the team destroyed the Celtics in Boston (now sitting at 29-26). Phoenix came out and fed Blake Griffin early and often, taking advantage of the Celtics in the post while locking down their shooters; Irving and Tatum were the only Celtics to score in double-digits while the Suns had five players eclipse 10 points. Phoenix was led by the trio of Pope, Brogdon, and Griffin, each scoring at least 19 points and doing so efficiently.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

League Update: All-Star Edition

By Sam Gray



Standings:







Injuries:









It’s been a nightmare season for James Harden, as he’s out again with another major injury — this time a torn MCL. Houston has seen Harden play in only 44 games this year, just a little over half, and Harden is likely to miss the rest of the season and the playoffs now. The Rockets’ are watching their best chance to win a title slip through their fingers and it’ll require an all-time performance from Chris Paul to get them deeper than round two this postseason.



At the top the West are the Suns; Phoenix has thrived with Blake Griffin flanking Omar Pope and Malcolm Brogdon (winners of this year’s dunk contest and three-point shootout respectively). Phoenix is having a season for the ages and with the Rockets misfortune, the Suns are in the driver’s seat for the top seed in the conference, something they haven’t done since 2004-05 season.



The defending champion Thunder continue to chug along as the 3rd seed, while the Warriors and Lakers are hot on their tails for that spot. Houston’s misfortune means the Rockets are likely to slide back while the Thunder, Lakers, and Warriors all move forward, but who ends up where is entirely unknown.



Outside the top five, the bottom of the playoff bracket is being held down by the Mavericks, then the Jazz (surviving well without Gordon Hayward), and finally the last seed — currently a dog-fight between the Clippers and T’Wolves, two teams involved in deadline deals and neither looking particularly better for it.



In the East, the story continues to be the surprising Bulls; now missing Markkanen AND Bobby Portis, the young Bulls are still in the playoff mix. Portis should be back in 1-2 weeks, while the Finnisher returns in 1-2 months; it’s entirely possible Chicago will still be in the playoffs at that point, which would represent a huge victory for the Bulls.



At the top of the East sit the Bucks; the Greek Freak is having another magical season (25.9 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.9 BPG on 56% from the field and 35% from deep) and the Bucks investments in his supporting cast (Bledsoe, Middleton, and Parker) is paying huge dividends; Milwaukee will happily ride this as long as possible, but the ultimate judgment of success will be in the postseason, where the Bucks hope to get to the ECF.



Behind them quite a ways are the 76ers, who are still in the 2nd seed but have the unlikely Miami Heat (led by a revitalized Paul Millsap) bearing down on them. Philly has had a good year so far but also has questions to answer in the summer — can they afford to pay Saric, Simmons, and Fultz big money over the next two years? That question can only be answered in the playoffs. The Finals remains the goal for Philly and anything short will lead to changes more than likely.



In the 3rd seed are the Heat, who have been charging up the standings and have made the lives of everyone out East harder. Miami isn’t tanking, they aren’t content to lose, and they are desperate for a playoff bid — it looks like they’ll get it this season, just like last year, and have discovered a few gems along the way (notably Isiah Whitehead, who looks like the Heat’s starter at the one next season).



The rest of the East behind them is a mess of teams within striking distance. The Raptors and Wizards have been slight disappointments, while the Celtics are not quite as good as everyone believed they would be starting Tatum. Cleveland and Chicago are bringing up the final two seeds, while the Knicks, Grizzlies, Nets, and Hawks are all close enough to just catch a whiff of the postseason



At the bottom of the NBA are the Kings and Magic, both in the running for 1st overall in a weak draft. Orlando has seemingly accepted its fate for this season, but Sacramento believes that the recent acquisition of DeRozan will make them a more attractive free agent destination despite all evidence to the contrary.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

2020 NBA Draft Preview

By Sam Gray



The 2020 NBA draft is now only four months away and, as we are now at the all-star break, it’s a good time to look at which draft prospects are at the top of most front office’s lists and which could help themselves with a stellar March Madness.



The Top Prospects:




It’s a draft most NBA scouts refer to as “weak” and “without immediate top-end talent” and that’s not an entirely inaccurate picture. The 2020 draft is missing a top prospect like Omar Pope or Ted Reeves, but certainly has a number of players in the running for 1st overall — and they’re quite a diverse group.



First up is Todd Brock, the defender from Northwestern that is absolutely a punisher on the defensive end; Brock backs down from no player, no official, no one period and he’s earned a reputation as a sometimes psychic, sometimes psychotic defensive presence. Brock certainly has the measurements to match up against NBA caliber talent, but many scouts fear his lack of offensive skills — he’s a middling shooter — will be a detriment to his career.



After Brock is the more likely 1st overall pick, RJ Leach. Leach is prototypical two-guard from Louisville, but scouts are divided on his ceiling; Leach hasn’t shown the scoring chops many believed he should in his lone college season but he does have the form to make shots; he simply seems to lack the confidence to do so. Some scouts believe this is a function of his mentality while others believe it’s an environmental issue — AKA, Louisville itself. Whatever the case, Leach could go 1st overall on potential alone.



Right behind them are Issac Winston and Bernard Sutton; Winston is a classic stretch-four from Duke who profiles as a good shooter, an average defender, and a slow-footed one at that; scouts believe he’ll get better as he progresses in his career, but are unsure just how he’ll see the floor if his defense doesn’t improve. Sutton is a 6’4” two-guard who looks like a cross between Jeremy Lin and Dwayne Wade, at least in playstyle, but also suffers from defensive issues — scouts think he’ll develop, though, due to his speed.



Beyond those four the only dark horse candidate for 1st overall is Monty Wall, the deadleye shooter from South Carolina. Wall is one of the NCAA’s best shooters, showing off range that will serve him well in the NBA, but he’s undersized and lacks strength to fight against screens — a notable weakness. Still, his shooting prowess is nothing to sneeze at and depending on who lands first, Wall could be a very attractive pick.



The Late Lottery:




A prospect that has attracted the eye of many scouts is Stan Payne; Payne may look like something from the 1950s, but he plays an effective game in the post and in the dreaded mid-range territory. Scouts around the NBA are intrigued by Payne, as he doesn’t profile as an ultra-athletic freak, but could be a solid rotational piece for a decade at the very least and if he finds a stroke from behind the arc, could be a starter.






The Potential Diamonds:





Tyronn Meeks, from Tennessee, is a seven-footer who is a center in the NBA and could develop into a stretch five few could hope to match. Meeks is only 18 but already has displayed intriguing form from mid-range and the free throw line; if an NBA team could develop him into a five who could shoot from range, that team wouldn’t mind. Meeks is an unknown in terms of potential or ceiling, but with his size many NBA front offices would be willing to roll the dice on him in a weak draft.

Randall Randolph, from Iowa, is widely seen as the second-best shooter in this draft and he’s also an underrated passer. Randolph ranks as one of the top-30 SGs in the NCAA in terms of assists and has the potential to develop into a very good player by the end of his first contract — how patient an NBA team is with him ultimately hinges on where he goes. Randolph is a natural leader, an aggressive scorer, but could end up butting heads with established veterans if he gets buried on the bench for long periods of time.

[trekfan]

Re: From the Ashes: A Phoenix Tale

Gray’s Grab Bag: All-Star Break Edition

By Sam Gray

The regular season of basketball is nearly over as the NBA players prepare for one final stretch of 20+ games to decide if they’ll end up in the postseason and, more importantly, where. Let’s get to the questions.

Sam, the 2020 draft looks WEAK and with Phoenix only having their own pick, are the Suns basically taking a flyer on some player they may never use? — Stanley

This is the weakest draft since 2013, according to many experts, but this class has its expectations set low because of that — there are a lot of young players in this that may not develop to their full potential till the end of their first NBA contract.

For the Suns, they’re likely to end up in the 25-32 range of picks, late first round, and could look to trade out of it for more immediate help but Phoenix’s front office — led by David Griffin — is incredibly committed to developing young players. I expect the Suns to take the BPA (best player available) at that point. I would expect the Suns to go after a PG, SG, or SF depending on how the playoffs go — all three positions could use reinforcements down the line.

Let’s say Phoenix gets deep in the playoffs (say WCF) but ultimately fails to win the title. Do you think the front office will go after any free agents to push the team over the hump? — Cedric

It’s a distinct possibility. Marc Gasol — a name that has come up often over the last year or so — will be a free agent and Memphis, right now, is just on the outside looking in for the playoffs in the East. Gasol has been a target of the front office and owner Regina Culver, but they couldn’t make a deal work last summer.

If Memphis misses the playoffs and if Gasol feels like he wants to go ring-chasing for the end of his career, he will have multiple suitors; however, Gasol feels very strongly that Memphis is the place for him and playing with his brother this year has only reinforced that notion, according to sources. It’ll be hard to see him walk away from Memphis and their easier path to the playoffs in the East, but there’s still enough season left that things could change dramatically between now and April.

What’s the ultimate plan for Hammons and Griffin? Both are fours, both do the job well, but Hammons is younger and clearly the future at that spot — how is Phoenix going to keep them both in two years? — Aisha

It’s a question the Suns knew they’d have to answer at some point next season or perhaps the season after — Hammons has developed well and is easily a starter for a lot of teams in the NBA. Trading him remains a possibility, but it’s also a very, very, very unlikely one. Hammons and Pope share the same agent, have lockers right next to one another, and are true comrades on and off the court; Phoenix won’t trade him unless they get the green light from Pope and Pope won’t give them that light right now.

So that leaves the inevitable question of where to find minutes for them both? And the answer is by playing them as stretch-fives. Griffin is more suited to the role at this juncture due to his experience and, internally at least, the Suns are confident Griffin can be the small-ball five that would make most teams drool. Griffin’s willingness to play the position for stretches this season is a clear sign that he’s open to the idea, though being there for the majority of his minutes would be a tough sell — but the Suns have clout to sell that thanks to the roaring success of this year.

That does Nerlens Noel in limbo, however, but Noel may be used as a fourth-quarter defensive closer in the future, but plans are still in flux.