You're coming in to a fan board that watched owners nearly steal the team and move it twice (Anaheim, Seattle) then the new owner fired the best coach we've had in almost a decade for no reason and gifted us with a year of grumpy George Karl openly feuding with his own team not to mention endless debates about DeMarcus Cousins' antics, Isaiah Thomas being either a superstar or a detriment, and the relative merits of draft busts Jimmer Fredette, Nik Stauskas, Thomas Robinson, and Ben McLemore. We're about to inherit the title of "longest playoff drought" from the TWolves and in that entire decade of losing we've had zero top 3 picks (unless you count the pick last year which our GM had previously traded to Philly in a salary dump move). Oh and we owe next year's pick completely unprotected to somebody (Boston now I believe) because of the same trade. Needless to say, things are a bit testy around here. A lot of fans are upset that a team which traded the best player they've ever drafted last year and has no pick in 2019 can't even have the decency to give us one all out tank year to make up for it. A lot of fans are aghast that anyone would ever root for their team to lose regardless of circumstances. This is not really about what Phoenix does its about years of frustration with the shifting whims of millionaire owners acting like petulant children with the only pro team our city has ever had. I wouldn't take anything we have to say about opposing teams or their fanbases personally. All that frustration has to be directed somewhere.
For the record I think what Phoenix is doing is the right move. Jackson and Booker are both previous draft crushes of mine and they're in great shape to add either Ayton, Bagley, Doncic, or Trae Young in the draft this year. I expect to lose a lot of games to that Phoenix team in the future. As long as you spend the next decade humiliating the Lakers we'll call it even.
Here is what I disagree with:
1) Yes, the owner erred in firing Malone (because they did not think he could run an uptempo offense - do we have an uptempo offense NOW? - no, we don't, although Denver sure does) but in truth, it was Cousins killed the coach.
2) Karl got "grumpy" after Vlade cut his legs off after the Cousins office tirade - but Karl was not "Vlade's hire", so Divac set him up for failure. Even so, Karl was/is such a good coach (although his intensity WAS diminished by cancer battles) that he had that team on the way to the 2016 playoffs until the refs stole the season from us and after that, Karl saw that he was history and just coached it out with little or no interest. So, blame for the 2015-2016 season goes A. Vlade, B. Referees, C. Karl/Cousins.
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Regarding the Phoenix game, here is a link to the play by play:
http://www.espn.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=400975913
another bad game for Fox although Jackson was not outscored by double digits (minor victory).
But if you check the first quarter, you will note that each team fouled only once (refs probably wanted to get this game behind them as quickly as possible).
At 4:42, Buddy fouls with 1.5 seconds left on the clock - really, really dumb (Buddy is very slow to understand obvious truisms of the game - but he started late, a poor kid in a poor country with no bb tradition, so, hopefully Joerger lectured him on this and he gets better - i'll be watching to see if he learns from or repeats this mistake - given a new possession, the Suns hit a three to tie the game).
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So, is this three straight games with no Koufos (not on the injury list)? I GET not playing Randolph but WHY sit Koufos and start Justin and VINCE (???) at forwards - oh, that's right, situational tanking.
I understood when they did not play Koufos against the Warriors - he might have dominated McGhulia and let the Warriors see their future center in action (if they can work KK into the cap), but WHY when we had no bigs save Wille did Koufos sit? - and the Suns simply went repeatedly to the hoop, especially in the first quarter. VINCE CARTER, EMERGENCY STARTER? I'd have rather seen Bruno.
btw, how does KK's opt-in work? can he negotiate with other teams BEFORE he chooses whether or not to opt in?
is it considered "fair" for his agent to speak to Myers before advising his client whether or not to opt in or not?