Posted by fishmike:

Posted by BlueSeats:

Posted by Solace:


Great post. This should be up on the front page. It's what has been said many times on this board, and that people don't seem to get. Baseball is a team sport. You can win a championship in baseball without having a top 10 star. Why? Because baseball is all about having the most depth and balance. Basketball is not. A franchise player (particularly a big man), another guy who can score, and some role players who don't choke in clutch... and you can win a championship. Without these elements, it's almost impossible. We don't have them. We're starting a scary trend of heading towards no-man's land. I can totally see this team in 3 years, being a proverbial first-round exit playoff team, too good to get a good pick, not good enough to make it to the next level. Is that what everyone wants?

And I'm not sure the success of the Suns has had a beneficial impact on the league. In a sense now teams who don't have dominant bigs think they can through a bunch of little athletic guys out there and be entertaining and somewhat competitive. But they miss the way that Nash holds it all together and makes it tick, and without a topflight playmaker you'll have a 30-something win frenetic team without chemistry. Which isn't to say it's all about Nash, but athletes are a dime a dozen in this league and they can't compensate for the fundamentals that are so missing in the league today, such as boxing out, defending the P&R, footwork in the post, perimeter and/or mid-range shooting, an ability to set tempo, read a defense, manage the clock, etc.

We may like our hustle unit, and they can certainly take us farther than sluggardly veterans, but when QR, JC, and Frye's shots aren't falling all that hustle will come up short. We still need guys who can man traditional roles and execute under pressure.

I will say this: If you put out a bunch of hustle guys who play their asses off on defense you will be in every game. The difference in the NBA is in the finishers. Right now the closest thing we have if probably Crawford/Nate who can both set up a teammate and create their own shot, and hit FTs at a very high%

Our finishers dont match up with the Kobe/Lebron/Gilbert/Parkers of the league.

Still, I would rather have a group that plays hard and at least keeps us in these games than our "sluggo" veterans.

Agreed. I just don't think small-ball and a hustle/"push"/"quick" offense can mask the real flaws. I think isiah, and others, want to adapt that style of play simply because so many teams find the suns a pleasure to watch, and they think their fans will be more entertained by that style of play even if it comes up short. And i suppose they are right. Most fans probably would rather watch their team get beat 128-108 rather than 88-68.

I'm just not convinced it's anything more than a placebo drug to opiate the masses.

But one way or another, I guess teams gotta fake it until they can make it.

Posted by bigpimpin:

You never wanted Marbury here, but he's here so there is no need to beat the dead horse any longer. The horse is dead.

I liked Frank Willimas but at the same time, the guy is completely out of the league. That has to register to you, Playa. Eventually.

When Isiah brought Marbury to NY, it was the rigt thing to do.

I don't understand why we are having this convo