iblastoff wrote:
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A positive example of turning around a franchise - Phoenix Suns
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Jamshid wrote: View PostLOOOOL, Steve Nash was not a Super Star when he joined Suns ... You maybe too young to remember that but do a little reading and you will get it.
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iblastoff wrote: View Postholy shit. you are beyond saving. steve nash rejoined the suns through free agency. at that point, he WAS a star. we're not talking about his draft year you moron.
Read man, Read ... Instead of calling others moron .
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how the suns re-acquired steve nash is not an opinion. it is a fact. steve nash being a star at that time is not an opinion. that is also fact. this isn't a clash of opinions. its just someone whos lost a simple argument and can't man up to being wrong.
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shan2on wrote: View PostHere ^ ...
I recall last year this GM dumping everything for picks and placement in an upcoming draft.
Now this article comes out quoting said GM about his stance on anti-tanking practices... Dickmove imo.
Up until now his team is gelling together well, and the coach seems to have respect from the roster.
However the ease of their November schedule has translated well for them into December, i mean 2 out 3 ain't bad against Utah i guess, and 1 of 2 vs Sacramento... oh yeah and they did beat the pelicans twice in November, so there's that.
In all, their start to the season has been relatively easy in comparison to other mid-tier teams. Yes the west is convoluted with talent in comparison to the east and the level that Phoenix has competed at so far is not indicative of a team that is gunning for ping pong balls in july.
So to sum up, let's ignore this article by Woj and realize that Jeff Hornaceck really has a good handle and vision for the type of talent set in front of him, and lets commend him for the job he's done as of yet, albeit, against mediocre opponentry. I turned that into a verb.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns...e-his-way.html
By Paul Coro
azcentral sports
Fri Dec 27, 2013 7:46 AM
The Suns are on the short list of teams who have dramatically improved since last season — with Portland and maybe Charlotte and Indiana.
That puts Suns rookie head coach Jeff Hornacek on the short list of Coach of the Year candidates after the season’s first trimester. The work he and his staff did to get the Suns, pegged for last place in the Western Conference, to 17-10 is rivaled only by returning head coaches Terry Stotts in Portland (33-49 to 23-5) and Frank Vogel in Indiana (49-32 to 23-5).
“Relative to the expectations coming into the season, I’d say it’s hard to say anybody has done a better job than Jeff has,” Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough said.
If all goes well Friday night at Golden State and on Hornacek bobblehead night at home Saturday against Dallas, the Suns could match the 19-win season total that Las Vegas sports books set for them in October after the Suns traded Marcin Gortat.
The Suns are not just 17-10 under Hornacek. They were 5-2 in the preseason. They were 6-1 in the NBA Summer League. It all came under Hornacek, whose staff did detailed prep work for summer games against non-NBA players as if they were the Splash Brothers (Klay Thompson and Steph Curry) in Golden State Friday night.
“Jeff’s the biggest reason why we’re successful because he puts players in positions to succeed,” Suns shooting guard Gerald Green said.
Hornacek envisioned and instituted an offense that maximized having two starter-quality, if not star-quality, point guards by having them share the duties. Goran Dragic’s and Eric Bledsoe’s playmaking speed led to league-leading fastbreak scoring and offsets how defenses load up one side of an offensive set. They keep the floor spread so guards can drive to score, find center Miles Plumlee rolling or kick out to 3-point shooters for the NBA’s second-best tally of 3s.
The result is an average of 109.2 points over the past nine games, when Dragic and Bledsoe found a rhythm after each was injured.
Defensively, they improved with Hornacek’s dedicated practice time and an emphasis that made it the way to playing time and fastbreaks.
“We lead the league in fastbreak points and are near the top for 3-point defense and those two things show great energy and effort,” McDonough said. “That comes from the head coach.
“He treats the guys like men and doesn’t try to micromanage them. He doesn’t yell and scream at them. He gives them great confidence when they’re playing and a green light to shoot.”
The green light applies to long-distance shooting improvement from P.J. Tucker and Marcus Morris, but it best applies to Green, who made 59 3s last season at a 31-percent clip for Indiana but has 69 3s this season on 39-percent accuracy.
Green has played for Coaches of the Year Doc Rivers, Rick Carlisle and Avery Johnson and an esteemed coach, Jeff Van Gundy, but puts Hornacek in the same class after two months on the job.
“He’s always putting confidence in you,” Green said. “Every shot I take, he makes it seem like it’ll go in. He lets us go out there and play freely. If we make a mistake, he doesn’t harp on it. He’ll say, ‘OK, G, this is what you did wrong,’ or ask, ‘What do you think we could have done better?’ I’ll answer and he’ll say ‘yep’ and we move on. I love that about him.”
That is the Cotton Fitzsimmons in Hornacek. After a bad loss, Fitzsimmons would flush a locker-room toilet to let Suns players such as Hornacek know that it was gone.
Hornacek planned on using the influence of Fitzsimmons (see the wide-open style and amiable demeanor) and his Utah coach, Jerry Sloan (see the attention to detail and demand for defense).
“I must be between them because I feel I’m yelling more than Cotton would, but I don’t think I’m yelling as much as Jerry,” Hornacek said. “I think the guys feel pretty confident so there’s got to be a lot of Cotton there.”
Hornacek and McDonough had a culture to clean up upon arrival. McDonough did much of that work in personnel moves that were in concert with Hornacek’s thinking. They have the synergy that was missing between Mike D’Antoni and Steve Kerr or Alvin Gentry and Lance Blanks.
The on-court work fell on Hornacek, with 10 Suns who did not play for them last season. He commanded respect with his playing resume and coaching work but operates with no pretension or self-importance. At the same time, Hornacek clearly has the authority of the room and has held players accountable without calling them out in the media or showing them up on the court.
“Everything’s different,” Tucker said. “The way we approach stuff. His demeanor. We have a focus. We know what we’re headed for. We know our goals and what we’re trying to do.
“He’s one of the best coaches I’ve had at being able to separate on the court and off the court. He’s just a real person. Genuine. That’s still Coach, though.”
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iblastoff wrote: View Posti give up. dude is on ignore now. wasting energy trying to educate someone who clearly has no intention of being anything other than a troll.
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Jamshid wrote: View PostMoron !!! LOOOL, how old are you !!! Read again, when Nash Joined Suns he was not a " SUPER STAR" in this league
Read man, Read ... Instead of calling others moron .Twitter - @thekid_it
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That is the Cotton Fitzsimmons in Hornacek. After a bad loss, Fitzsimmons would flush a locker-room toilet to let Suns players such as Hornacek know that it was gone."Stop eating your sushi."
"I do actually have a pair of Uggs."
"I've had three cups of green tea tonight. I'm wired. I'm absolutely wired."
- Jack Armstrong
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isaacthompson wrote: View PostWhat's the difference between star and superstar? Wtf?
Star: Ellis, Gasol, Randolph, Iggy, ...
Are you telling me you don't know what is difference between a STAR and a SUPER STAR in this league
What is next ? Will you be asking me about what is role player
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Jamshid wrote: View PostSuper Star: Kobe, Wade, Lebron, WestBrook, Duncan, ...
Star: Ellis, Gasol, Randolph, Iggy, ...
Are you telling me you don't know what is difference between a STAR and a SUPER STAR in this league
What is next ? Will you be asking me about what is role player
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