Suns are better than us and I can see the Warriors trading for somebody like Beal with a package centering around Wiseman and the Minnesota pick. If they do that there would be no way we would be better than them. Right now it's close.
1. Chris Paul and Devin Booker are better than anybody on our roster. 2. Chris Paul has proven to be able to lead a far less talented team to the playoffs. 3. They've won more games.
They have played very well against the top 4 of the West and have even beaten them a few times. They were rolling but COVID ****ed them and they missed close to a week. Then Booker got injured. They play really good defense and the offense was starting to click. They have a legitimate up and coming star in Booker. An all star and elite PG still in CP3 and I don't know if you have watched their games this season but Ayton is playing phenomenal. His PPG is down but his usage rate is way down. His impact on the defensive end has been huge. He isn't lighting it up with blocks but he's altering shots at the rim and his rotations have been crisp. Finally living up to his pick. Bridges is becoming one of the best 3 and D players in the league. Jae Crowder is still playing extremely solid defense and is still capable of averaging 12-15. Cam is still raw but he is shooting the ball very well this season. And they are well coached. The Suns are no joke and anyone who things otherwise just hasn't paid attention to their season.
The grizzlies would have been a good test. Load management is going to messed that up. The rockets are 3rd in def. rating on basketball ref. The grizzlies are 2nd in def. rating.
And those fans can say the Rockets haven't seen of those teams fully loaded either. It's to early and to weird of a season to get hyped or the end of the world over a small stretch of games right now. Few teams have been at full strength.
Wall and Vic vs Cp3 and Book is definitely a close matchup in the backcourt, defense closes the gap some. With Wood being better than Ayton. They have a better offense we have a better defense. They’ve only won 1 more game than us lol.
Not saying they are a pushover or anything like that. Not knocking them. Moreso comparing teams. The only thing different from your analysis between us and them is we haven’t played any top 4 teams while being fully healthy. On paper and the eye test I’d say we matchup well with them at full strength.
Phoenix is exactly one game better than the Rockets so far, despite spending the first part of the season with moping Harden. Chris Paul is 35. He's no guarantee to even make it through the season. And he's not significantly better than John Wall, who is 5 years younger, at this point. They are actually similarly built - Paul/Booker/Ayton at the 1/2/5 versus WOW. I think the production is similar between those 2 groups. Both teams play good defense. Both run pretty deep. I think it's an even match overall. I think it says something about the history of these two teams that one is going to be super-excited to make the playoffs for the first time in forever, while many of our fans would rather miss the playoffs than make them as a 5-8 seed.
Oh yeah I wasn't implying that's what you were doing. I know a lot of guys don't watch a lot of Suns games lol. I live in AZ so I watch all of them just because I'm a fan of basketball. I think the Wood and Ayton matchup is the most crucial between those two teams. Ayton is really good on the defensive end and Wood had proven to get lost a lot. He would really need to focus against that matchup. But if he is focused and doesn't have mental laspses I would give him the edge. CP3 and Booker are better than Oladipo and Wall. CP3 is still one of the best PGs in the league and Booker is an all star caliber SG. He is having a bit of a down year but he will bounce back. I will take PJ and Tate all day vs Crowder and Saric. The biggest problem is Bridges. He can literally lock up anyone. And his length is problematic on the offensive end. And he is becoming a deadly shooter from outside. Shooting 5 a game at 43% The Rockets don't have a guy like him. I really do enjoy watching them play when healthy. I love CP though
so far we have been beating up on trash/heavily injured teams 2-7 against teams above .500, and 7-2 against teams below .500, but the schedule remains pretty light until the midway break on March 3rd
