Are The Suns Cursed? Book it!

[Uncle_Gene]

I think the Suns come back hungry this upcoming season. The fact that they got swept in the first round will sting. The front office will definitely (I believe) get a point guard, and they will play better this upcoming season. I think the Sun's will finish top four in the west because all of the expectations will be on the other teams (OKC, Dallas, Minnesota, Denver, Sacramento, etc.)

[Drewsprocket]

If you’re the number 1 option on a team that went to the finals, you’re a true number 1. If you’ve played 47 playoff games averaging 28 ppg leading your team in points, you’re a true number 1. Just chill out folks. Suns are cursed. But Book needs guys around him to perform well in the playoffs to win.

[Split T]

Book is good enough to be whatever Tatum was for Boston(Or Jaylen Brown). He’s not Luka or LeBron and going to get a team to the finals mostly on his own, but that’s ok…there’s maybe 5 of those guys tops in the league at one time.

I think Booker likely hated whatever last season was more than we did and is gonna come back hungrier than ever next year…I hope KD had some realizations as well that he’s got to play differently…Beal needs to make up for whatever garbage he put out in game 4…I doubt we win a title, but let’s just have more fun as a team next year.

[1tinsoldier]

the curse strikes again...

how many times has Booker dribbled himself into bad shots in critical moments?

why was Booker taking the shot again last night? He had just missed a big shot and we had a guy on the court who had just made a 3, and who was the top 3pt shooter last season?

why, at the end of these last 2 games, was Booker our pg when we finally have a very competent pg on the floor that we hired because we were historically bad closing out games last season with him at the point doing his 1 on 1 thing?

how bad has he been?

last week i posted this...
Booker's clutch shooting stats, NBA.com
(this season + prior 2, last 2 minutes in games with 5 pt diff or less)
FG% 3P%
12.5 0.0
47.1 11.1
32.3 23.1
----------------
31% 11% averaged

now with last night's 0 for 2 in the final 2, this season he's
FG% 3P%
10.0 0.0

and we're 1 and 7 without Durant, having lost against a team with only 4 wins so far this season because more of Booker's bad decisions (and another coach who won't reel him in -- unlike Steve Kerr who knew just what to do with Booker on team USA)

and i've been ranting for years that Booker doesn't get better when he's pissed, he gets worse. That's also what happened in the third. We were comfortably ahead all game until the last half of the 3rd when Booker lost his cool -- and, like the Dallas series (after the best regular season ever) we got destroyed after Doncic got inside Booker's head and the rest of the team followed his funk)

[TOO]

Devin Booker = Paul George.

[specialsauce]

Yup. Both Betas. Not supermax players. I mean they are, but a smart team is not paying them that under current apron restrictions.

[1tinsoldier]

i'd say to win a championship, Booker would have to be your #3 on a team.

a true #2 is a Scottie Pippon and it worked with Jordan because both were smart and consistently solid defenders -- then they filled their teams out with good role players

[1tinsoldier]

i can't wait for the Suns to move on from this dismal decade aka The Booker Era. And to get back to team ball and a smart coach and/or point guard calling the shots. The only highlight of the decade was technically, the 2 year Chris Paul Era.

[TOO]

Yup. Both Betas. Not supermax players. I mean they are, but a smart team is not paying them that under current apron restrictions.

Probably why they beef all the time, chick fight energy.

[Wally_West]

Miss me with the Book = Paul George stuff.


Chris Paul and KD forced their way here to play with Book.

Nobody was trying to do that George, who had much better team success early in his career than Book did.

George always leaving teams to go be Robin for other Batmans. Finally picked the right situation to match his bitch ass. Enjoy Philly dawg.

[Ring_Wanted]

Miss me with the Book = Paul George stuff.


Chris Paul and KD forced their way here to play with Book.

Nobody was trying to do that George, who had much better team success early in his career than Book did.

George always leaving teams to go be Robin for other Batmans. Finally picked the right situation to match his bitch ass. Enjoy Philly dawg.

Absolutely. Also, anyone doubting Booker can look up his career averages in the playoffs. Come on now.

[1tinsoldier]

we remember too well him showing up in only 1 of the 4 games we got swept in last year and disappearing the last 2 games against the Mavs the prior year

he had one good run in the playoffs in 10 years with a relatively healthy CP3 calling the shots
-- and a 9 and 2 record this regular season, deferring to a healthy Durant

Durant and Beal can't stay healthy. It's not gonna work out. Book is not even his old self anymore. And that wasn't good enough.

[Split T]

i'd say to win a championship, Booker would have to be your #3 on a team.

a true #2 is a Scottie Pippon and it worked with Jordan because both were smart and consistently solid defenders -- then they filled their teams out with good role players

Insane. We were 2 wins away with him as our #1

[Kryptonic]

i'd say to win a championship, Booker would have to be your #3 on a team.

a true #2 is a Scottie Pippon and it worked with Jordan because both were smart and consistently solid defenders -- then they filled their teams out with good role players

Insane. We were 2 wins away with him as our #1

That was before the league figured him out. Unless he changes, get used to this malaise.

[specialsauce]

i'd say to win a championship, Booker would have to be your #3 on a team.

a true #2 is a Scottie Pippon and it worked with Jordan because both were smart and consistently solid defenders -- then they filled their teams out with good role players

Insane. We were 2 wins away with him as our #1

That was before the league figured him out. Unless he changes, get used to this malaise.

50 years from now he'll be saying " we were two wins away!"

You know what they call that? Losers!!

And he is NOT EVEN CLOSE to the caliber player he was two years ago.

Everyone knows to crowd him and get physical with him now and he'll crumble. Easiest star in the league to shut down

[Split T]

You guys are down bad…I’m gonna treat this like the Ayton thread and stay out

[Kryptonic]

You guys are down bad…I’m gonna treat this like the Ayton thread and stay out

Is it down if it’s the same old crap or just venting? Sometimes people need to vent, split. No one should be force fed crap and expected to sit back and say “yum”. The only time this team is looking halfway decent is when everyone is healthy. Which isn’t possible for this team.

The KD trade doomed this team… Beal was the nail in the coffin. We rolled big with the dice and it failed… it happens. It’s time to blow it up and rebuild.

[TOO]

You guys are down bad…I’m gonna treat this like the Ayton thread and stay out

Is it down if it’s the same old crap or just venting? Sometimes people need to vent, split. No one should be force fed crap and expected to sit back and say “yum”. The only time this team is looking halfway decent is when everyone is healthy. Which isn’t possible for this team.

The KD trade doomed this team… Beal was the nail in the coffin. We rolled big with the dice and it failed… it happens. It’s time to blow it up and rebuild.

Unfortunately there isn't a real way to recoup all the assets it cost to build this current roster.

[Charlie Smithy!]

But there is!!

[1tinsoldier]

i agree that there are no good options for 2 reasons:

1. we gave up too much for KD (he wanted to be here, we didn't have to give the Nets everything they wanted)

2. Booker's ego and salary. Otherwise, he could play a role here without crippling our payroll and sabotaging the close-out of games with Booker Ball and bad decisions.

as is, we should try to move him before the trade deadline while he's still riding the cred he got from Team USA, and hope that some other team will believe he might have a higher ceiling with a change of scenery.