AL BIANCHI SAYS…
Al Bianchi, much like the Phoenix Suns, spent 47 seasons in the NBA without celebrating a championship.
But I do have my own ring, so there!***
March 2016
ALEX LEN
Some are concerned Alex Len – maybe the Suns’ most valuable piece – is having trouble shooting. I dunno if this relates to his “mentor,” Tyson Chandler, having played 15 years in the league with no other offensive moves than a dunk shot and a put-back. But it makes sense just to give Len some […]
SUNS REMAIN LOW ON THE HORIZON
“Captain of the team” Robert Sarver, as the apologetic owner referred to himself in Sunday’s disquieting interview with the Arizona Republic’s basketball writer, said he feels better about where the Phoenix Suns are than at any other point in the past 18 months.
And then he said GM Robert McDonough “definitely” will keep his job, despite […]
Goose Gossage’s Wonderful Rant, Uncensored
What Rich (Goose) Gossage, Hall of Fame pitcher, said in last week’s tirade about the state of baseball might easily apply to the so-called “analytics” in basketball. “The game is becoming a freaking joke,” he said, “because of the nerds who are running it. I’ll tell you what has happened, these guys played rotisserie baseball […]
How Far Has Scouting Come In 60 years?
Thanks to Mr. Research, we have a memory from Marty Blake, the late, longtime NBA director of scouting:
“Years ago, nobody scouted. We didn’t have the funds. My first trip scouting in ’54, I paid my own way by bus to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri to see AL BIANCHI, who later became an NBA player […]
Making Points In The NBA
Thanks to Mr. Research, we have this — in 1965-1966, my last season as a player, teams averaged a shade over 115 points a game. I mean, EVERY team in the league. Of course, that was without three-point scoring. NBA teams today are averaging 102.3 ppg. Why do you think that is? Could it be, […]
February 2016
THIS PHOENIX IS NOT RISING
After the Suns lost to the Brooklyn Nets – a franchise-worst 8th straight home loss — the Arizona Republic suggested the “losing effort has become expected and fans in a sparse crowd validated it by not booing.” Really? How about fans just staying away from a record-tying 13th consecutive setback?
While on the Suns, Alex Len […]
THE NBA INJURY GAME
You’ve heard it from me before. It’s that time of the year. Injured players on losing teams will take longer to heal and players on playoff teams will heal quicker. That, folks, is a fact. Watch and see. http://espn.go.com/nba/injuries ****
PHOENIX IS A PRODUCT OF FANTASY THINKING
1. Not making a contractual commitment to Goran Dragic, and letting him hang for a year, thinking he wouldn’t get sideways, was fantasy.
2. The signing of Isiah Thomas and the notion you could play three Point Guards, keep them happy and not getting your team sideways was utter fantasy.
3. Signing Eric Bledsoe to a long-term contract […]
THE SUNS’ TRADE
The Suns finally dealt Markieff Morris to Washington http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nba/1843/markieff-morris for a protected first-round pick and some cap relief. The two players sent from the Wizards were Kris Humphries, whose intellectual caliber led him to marry a Kardashian, and DeJuan Blair, probably the only man in history to somehow play without an anterior cruciate ligament in EITHER […]