Isaiah Thomas watch
- Thread starter sdballer
- Start date
IT comes back from ankle injury, promptly ignores the other guards down the stretch to the tune of a highly inefficient 3-11 shooting (1-6 from three!!!), 10 point, 2 rebound, 2 assist, 4 foul night as the Suns make our loss to the Rockets look amazing in comparison to their loss to the lowly Detroit Pistons.
IT apparently more of a help to the Kings as an unintentional saboteur rather than as an active team member.
IT apparently more of a help to the Kings as an unintentional saboteur rather than as an active team member.
"Yes, but I think they're all trying to do that," he said of trying to be 'the man'. "That's the case where you've got to let it come naturally. We're searching for a guy and trying to throw in different guys and sometimes they try too hard to be the guy."
Then Hornacek went down a road he hadn't gone down before: that his point guards are too focused on scoring when they drive to the hoop, that they need to spend more effort setting up teammates for kickouts.
"I thought we had a couple of those late that," he explained. "If we just take it in there with a purpose of ‘I'm not trying to score, I'm trying to give one of my teammates an easy shot.' I don't think we have enough of that on this team. These guys are all very good offensive players, and they think they can take their guys at all times, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. They should be good enough offensively where they can create something for a teammate, and it's on the teammates to cut and move to open spots and give them a passing lane. That's just playing."
http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2...om-report-tucker-keef-thomas-talk-bad-loss-to
This article has all the sky is falling stuff we are familiar with on this board. My favorite?
"the MAIN diff. between last and this year is CHEMISTRY !!!!!
TRADE IT ALREADY PLEASE ???"
It's funny, cause we are saying the same thing in Sacramento about chemistry. Only how it's better. Hopefully this stretch it holds up.
The gifs of all the people crying made me laugh. This board doesn't have quite the same sense of humor as the suns fans do.
http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2...tons-break-losing-streak-beat-phoenix-suns-on
Then Hornacek went down a road he hadn't gone down before: that his point guards are too focused on scoring when they drive to the hoop, that they need to spend more effort setting up teammates for kickouts.
"I thought we had a couple of those late that," he explained. "If we just take it in there with a purpose of ‘I'm not trying to score, I'm trying to give one of my teammates an easy shot.' I don't think we have enough of that on this team. These guys are all very good offensive players, and they think they can take their guys at all times, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. They should be good enough offensively where they can create something for a teammate, and it's on the teammates to cut and move to open spots and give them a passing lane. That's just playing."
http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2...om-report-tucker-keef-thomas-talk-bad-loss-to
This article has all the sky is falling stuff we are familiar with on this board. My favorite?
"the MAIN diff. between last and this year is CHEMISTRY !!!!!
TRADE IT ALREADY PLEASE ???"
It's funny, cause we are saying the same thing in Sacramento about chemistry. Only how it's better. Hopefully this stretch it holds up.
The gifs of all the people crying made me laugh. This board doesn't have quite the same sense of humor as the suns fans do.
http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2...tons-break-losing-streak-beat-phoenix-suns-on
Lol I just wanna apologize for saying that you guys were wrong about IT....this team went from being one of the most exciting teams last year to now one of the most selfish and dumbest teams in the NBA.
Its not just IT, its every f***ing player on the Suns being a selfish idiot.
Apparently IT's mentality is contagious cause nobody on this team wants to pass the ball ever.
Yall were right. Congrats on probably making playoffs this year. Do work, I'd rather Kings or Warriors be the best in Pacific than the Clippers.
Its not just IT, its every f***ing player on the Suns being a selfish idiot.
Apparently IT's mentality is contagious cause nobody on this team wants to pass the ball ever.
Yall were right. Congrats on probably making playoffs this year. Do work, I'd rather Kings or Warriors be the best in Pacific than the Clippers.
Ha, we suck too man.
His selfishness is contagious though. Everyone feels like they've gotta get theirs whenever they touch it. And then fingers get pointed, closed door meetings (have the Suns had those yet?), etc etc. Guys say they want out (Dragic). It's bad, really bad signing. Glad it wasn't us!
As for our team, I don't even know what to say right now. Playoffs look like a distant dream. Missing boogie sure hurts.
His selfishness is contagious though. Everyone feels like they've gotta get theirs whenever they touch it. And then fingers get pointed, closed door meetings (have the Suns had those yet?), etc etc. Guys say they want out (Dragic). It's bad, really bad signing. Glad it wasn't us!
As for our team, I don't even know what to say right now. Playoffs look like a distant dream. Missing boogie sure hurts.
IT can only play on a team with a legendary player, a Lebron or a Durant, because he would have no choice but to listen to those guys. On a team like the Suns that last season outplayed their talent level because they played together with no real dominant player (Bledsoe and Dragic are great players, but not dominant to the level of the elites), IT feels the need once again to be the man on that team, which results in selfish play. However, as well all know, if IT is forced into "not being the man" he loses his worth completely, as his edge just evaporates. IT is the type of guy that simply cannot take criticism, refuses to acknowledge any deficits he may have, and always feels the need to "prove everyone wrong," even if it is detrimental to the team. He's kind of like a honey badger ("honey badger don't care"), but in all the wrong ways.
In essence, even as our season is sliding at top speed right down a cliff, I sure am glad that IT is not on this roster. I hated watching him play and I hated even more whenever he opened his mouth. He is like a poison for team chemistry.
In essence, even as our season is sliding at top speed right down a cliff, I sure am glad that IT is not on this roster. I hated watching him play and I hated even more whenever he opened his mouth. He is like a poison for team chemistry.
People who've played understand this from experience, that being when you put a guy out there with you who's more selfish by nature, cutting down your touches, you feel you've got to be more selfish with your touches, and so on down the line. No one likes playing with the PG who's more of a chucker by nature, but you can deal with it and accept it when that guy is a top talent and that player will win games for you. It's fine when you're a true top talent who can carry a team. It's not when you're an imposter.
The thing about Pho and it's interesting in reading Horny's quotes posted above, is that while he's arguing there's a selfishness to the team, a Dragic/Bledsoe pairing last year brought good chemistry and plenty of ball movement. The only thing which has really changed is adding IT to the mix and while Horny is saying all the guards need to be less selfish, Dragic/Bledsoe already have a track record of showing they can mesh. Yet IT's mentality can be harmful enough that he makes other players worse and now we see all of them battling for touches, battling for shots.
Actually, I can't think of a single guard who's ever excelled next to him, which is quite an indictment for a PG. Reke played the worst ball of his career next to IT. McLemore, while not as good last year as this, was not allowed to excel/develop next to IT. I do ask myself if Ben would have started to break out sooner and during last year if we had a different PG. Now he's hurting both Dragic and Bledsoe. Can anyone point to a guard who's had success next to IT? And that's the root of the problem, whether as a starter or 6th man, as a PG and a ballhandler you're supposed to make your team and teammates better. You've got the rock so you bare a larger responsibility in doing that.
I maintain from my opinion when IT was here that he has the pure talent to be a top 6th man but his attitude will relegate him to a Nate Robinson type career if it doesn't change. It's not surprising though that IT seems more intent on stealing one of Dragic's/Bledsoe's spot in the starting lineup than doing what he can to add to the team and even if he comes in and plays well as a 6th man, he then turns around and whines publicly about being taken out.
The thing about Pho and it's interesting in reading Horny's quotes posted above, is that while he's arguing there's a selfishness to the team, a Dragic/Bledsoe pairing last year brought good chemistry and plenty of ball movement. The only thing which has really changed is adding IT to the mix and while Horny is saying all the guards need to be less selfish, Dragic/Bledsoe already have a track record of showing they can mesh. Yet IT's mentality can be harmful enough that he makes other players worse and now we see all of them battling for touches, battling for shots.
Actually, I can't think of a single guard who's ever excelled next to him, which is quite an indictment for a PG. Reke played the worst ball of his career next to IT. McLemore, while not as good last year as this, was not allowed to excel/develop next to IT. I do ask myself if Ben would have started to break out sooner and during last year if we had a different PG. Now he's hurting both Dragic and Bledsoe. Can anyone point to a guard who's had success next to IT? And that's the root of the problem, whether as a starter or 6th man, as a PG and a ballhandler you're supposed to make your team and teammates better. You've got the rock so you bare a larger responsibility in doing that.
I maintain from my opinion when IT was here that he has the pure talent to be a top 6th man but his attitude will relegate him to a Nate Robinson type career if it doesn't change. It's not surprising though that IT seems more intent on stealing one of Dragic's/Bledsoe's spot in the starting lineup than doing what he can to add to the team and even if he comes in and plays well as a 6th man, he then turns around and whines publicly about being taken out.
Well, they did start Green and promptly got blown out by the Thunder. Green played well leading the team in scoring with 15.
IT 2-9 6 points, basically a Ray mccallum stat line.
I've got news for IT, you're the 4th best guard on your own team and your coach agrees. Might be time to stop talking like you deserve to start. No one in the NBA thought that this summer and your coach doesn't either. Reality check time.
IT 2-9 6 points, basically a Ray mccallum stat line.
I've got news for IT, you're the 4th best guard on your own team and your coach agrees. Might be time to stop talking like you deserve to start. No one in the NBA thought that this summer and your coach doesn't either. Reality check time.
the Suns don't look all that good this year as they did last year....is it really the IT effect? 
It certainly isn't looking good for him, that's for sure. We replaced him with a "lesser talent" and became a much better team for it. Phoenix is now having the issues that we had with him. I don't follow them, so I don't know who they lost last in free agency.
We have plenty of hearsay and conjecture. Those are kinds of evidence.
It certainly isn't looking good for him, that's for sure. We replaced him with a "lesser talent" and became a much better team for it. Phoenix is now having the issues that we had with him. I don't follow them, so I don't know who they lost last in free agency.
It certainly isn't looking good for him, that's for sure. We replaced him with a "lesser talent" and became a much better team for it. Phoenix is now having the issues that we had with him. I don't follow them, so I don't know who they lost last in free agency.