The Suns got closer to winning a championship multiple years they we have at any time in the past decade. And you could certainly make the case that every championship team of the last decade was better on the fast break then we've been. Ultimately, there needs to be a balance. But the goal this year is to put in that running mindset, make the season entertaining for fans, and do whatever we can to maximize our win total. Without a solid, half-court goto option, running for early offense opportunities makes too much sense.
So when the owner echoes what I've heard fans say on this board over and over, he's the bad guy? When he tries to make lemonaid, talking about opportunities to run, out of the terrible news about Yao's and Tmac's injuries, he's a bad guy? That's ridiculous. And Les Alexander might be the biggest Yao fan there is... having a slow guy like Yao doesn't mean you can't run when you get a chance. Anyone remember Otis Thorpe and his outlet passes? A big man who can get the ball out to the guards quickly will create offensive opportunities on the break. Yao's capable of that, but we haven't had the horses to run it. The young guys we've brought in can make it happen, even when Yao gets back. Any transition opportunity where we score without needing to post up Yao in the half court will ease some of the pounding on his feet.
If this team wins as often as the progs expect and they are slow and dull then it will be an extraordinarily long year. If this team competes as the progs expect and they are uptempo and exciting then it may be an extraordinary year, albeit one still longing for the ping pong gods to favor the Toy Shoppians...
To be a good running team, you need to be a good rebounding team and at least 3 guys that will run all the time. In years past, the rox had 1 guy that will run and that was rafer. Then they added brooks,wafer,scola,landry and lowry. Now that Brooks,Scola, and Ariza are starting, they should be a better transition team. Also transitions doesn't always mean typival break off the rebound. Watch La,cleveland,and orlando last year. If they turned you over either via steal or blk shot, they were out the gate the other direction. The pistons a few years ago with their great defense would geet a lot of transition baskets. The ability to get easy baskets are always essential in any championship team. The old rockets were a very good transition team because they had 5 guys that would run. Yao can play under adelman and even though he's a area rebounder, thus allowing scola to chase down the longer rebounds and taking away from him running the floor, a coach like adelman isn't going to just eliminate yao for a style adjustment.
I can't stand when Les Alexander speaks. He comes off like a know-it-all about basketball who really knows nothing. Really? You wanted to run for the last 8 years so you draft a 7'6" guy and bring in a SG who even in his youth was known for hating to run. Then, you hire a defensive-minded, possession-limiting coach to run the show lead your team. Great, great plan, Les. Oh by the way, how many of these running teams have won rings in the last 10 years? Or how about the last 20 years?
Exactly! He chose his words poorly but basically he is trying to make it seem like he has 100% confidence in what’s going on right now with the team. What is he supposed to say: "Oh my God! This team is going to be complete ********* garbage next year! Now that Yao and Tracy are gone I just don’t want to own the team anymore! Trevor ###### Ariza, weeee, we got Trevor ********** Ariza! Who among you has ten dollars? I will sell the team for ten dollars right now!"
Les had said several strange things about his teams in last few years, almost all of them were wrong. I am hoping that he is not very serious this time too, if it is, this team will not be able to win a title by a simple run, even Barkely knows that. You need play a half court basketball in the playoff, it has been proved again and again, fast style basketball is just for fun, or for making more money.
Um, no. A simple "I'm still excited about the year ahead" would suffice. Look, it's not a big deal. He's a businessman and aside from my personal distaste for his handling of the coaching changes, he's been a pretty good owner and very committed to winning. The point is that from "one of the great teams ever assembled" to this, he has sounded like a buffoon most times he has opened his mouth. It's not a big deal - just an observation relevant to the thread.
I though Les wanted the team to play "running style" game just because it is more exciting to watch so he can sale more tickets. Not realy related to win championship. But what a thing for him to say, in Yao's contract year, after all the money Les made out of Yao. Yao might choose not to pick up the player option and sign with other team that like his style.
With his injury history, and given that he will probably never get a max contract again, the chance of Yao NOT exercising his roughly $15mm player option is about the same as that of Chuck Hayes leading the league in three point shooting.
That's the first thing I thought, as well. We all know tmac can/could run, but he seemed to do it less & less, preferring to go into facilitator mode, which for him was set up, dribble, penetrate, then shoot or dish. Effective usually, but not a running game.
We all know that Les loves Yao ($$$). I believe his statement is based on his frustration of the JVG days of bad offense.
This is all I think it is. As a business, he'd rather win by running than by playing defense and executing in the half-court because it is more profitable. But, he'd rather win with defense than lose with running. Serendipity gave him great assets better suited to the half-court, so he'll take it. Now, he doesn't have those assets, so he may as well have the running game. When Yao gets healthy, I'm sure he'll be happy to slow down if it means winning more.
