Posted by islesfan:

Posted by newyorknewyork:

Posted by islesfan:

Posted by newyorknewyork:

Even if Walsh hired D'Antoni to try and win championships but D'Antoni fails because his teams lack defense but yet we still win games and make pushes in the playoffs, I can't complain.

By the time D'Antoni's contract runs out, the roster would be flexible for changes especially if we are competing. Cap situation would probably be solid. At that time Walsh can make decisions on possibly hiring a better defensive minded coach over D'Antoni &/or making lateral changes in the roster or upgrades in the roster to make the team better defensively and try and win it all.

So if they underachieve because of a lack of something so fundamental, you won't find that a reason to complain?

That mentality is nothing less than shocking.

To me D'Antoni's job is to win games, make games entertaining, and keep the morale of the team & organization high. After we accomplish all that then we can start talking about makes steps towards a championship.

You don't build to be an average team and then one day say "Ok, now we can start thinking about competing for a championship". If you're not thinking about it now, you're just wasting time and assets.

Posted by martin:

Posted by islesfan:


If D'Antonio really cared about defense, Thomas wouldn't have been traded.

Bell's offensive numbers went up and despite all the extra possessions his defensive numbers stayed the same or went down. Or you could just look at his play.

Glad to see you're no longer using Banks as a weak example of D'Antonio's attention to defense.

Your debating skills are very laughable.

Phoenix have a history of selling picks and giving players away because of tight money constraints - 1st round picks, JJ, upcoming Marion deal - and your answer is that if Mike really cared about defense he would have kept Kurt? Kurt, who was a major player in a playoff run the previous year is just thrown away for nothing cause a coach decides he doesn't care about defense?

Show me Bells numbers and how his offense went up.

From Hollinger:

2006-07 season: Bell didn't shoot the ball quite as well as he did in 2005-06, but otherwise his season was a near-perfect replica of his first one in Phoenix -- in fact, his 40-minute averages changed by only one-tenth of an assist. Bell received belated recognition for his impact a season earlier when he made second-team All-Defense -- it helps when you're the stopper on a team that's nationally televised 81 times -- but his impact at that end was also remarkably unchanged.

Bell had the second-best turnover ratio among shooting guards, a consequence of the fact that he almost never dribbles. Offensively, he's almost entirely a catch-and-shoot player who feeds off the attention Phoenix's other offensive talents get. He's a deadly shooter, though, who is at 41.2 percent on 3-pointers for his career.

Scouting report: Bell gets a lot of attention for his feisty defense. He's a pest who likes to play physically off the ball and bait opponents into offensive fouls when they react. His Louganis acts have become the stuff of legend. He ranked fourth in the league in offensive fouls drawn with 72 thanks mainly to those off-ball dives. Once his man has the ball, Bell is real solid, too, though he isn't quite in the Bowen/Artest class.

Bell likes to shoot the long ball but gets caught with his toes on the line quite a bit, producing long 2s instead of 3s. Bell will also shoot a 2-pointer off one dribble, especially if he's coming off a screen, but he won't take it to the rim unless he's in transition. Because of this he rarely gets to the line, sporting the fifth-worst rate of free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt among shooting guards.

2007-08 outlook: The 31-year-old Bell will have to work to keep his spot in the starting lineup; the arrival of Grant Hill and the continued development of Leandro Barbosa create a logjam on the wings. His defense should allow him to win out, however, as the Suns need a stopper on the wings more than ever now that Kurt Thomas is gone.

Bell's age (31) isn't a good omen for his offensive production, but because he's a stand-still shooter his decline should be gradual, and all but imperceptible on a year-to-year basis. The far greater worry is that he'll lose a step on D.

Bell's PPG have gone down each year, rebounds up every year. Usage rate down (the number of possessions a player uses per 40 minutes.). Shots down, makes down.

No where did I mention that Banks was a key part of an argument. I have asked YOU repeatedly to back up your assessment that Mike the GM was all offensive related and Banks was really the only major move that Mike made as GM and Banks ain't an offensive guy. You have also made the claim that D'Antonio cares nothing about defense and yet he keeps trying to bring in guys that focus on D - Kurt, Bell, Grant. Did they pan out? Not really.

Posted by fishmike:

Posted by islesfan:



You think the Suns were an above average defensive team. What's the point of arguing with someone who believes that?

Its not really an arguement as you have yet to make a point. Suns were the best offensive team in the NBA. The nature of their style of play would lend people to believe they only outscored opponents but thats not true.

They held opponents to the 12th lowest FG% in the NBA.
They held opponents to the 10th lowest # of free throw attempts
They are +2 on defensive rebounding differential good for 5th in the league

Lets sum up.. they hold their opponents FG% down (12th), they dont send opponents to the line (10th) and they box out and clean the defensive glass (4th).

Well Isles.. seems to me that with 30 teams in the NBA the Suns are certainly an above average team on defense in every measurable way.

Oh.. they win a lot too. Did I mention that?

I already explained their opponents FG%.

Amare and Marion are very good rebounders and teams aren't used to hitting the defensive glass when the other team shoots so quickly, before their defense is set up and can be in proper position to box out.

Posted by fishmike:

2.5 points is a jump?

I am getting a breeze from the swinging and missing.

Posted by islesfan:

Posted by fishmike:

2.5 points is a jump?

I am getting a breeze from the swinging and missing.

When your previous average was 12.3 pts, that's a 20% increase, or yes a jump.

Try to keep up Fishy.