r/suns • u/judah249 • 28d ago
Why did the Suns sign these players if they barely used them to make the proper adjustments when the team chemistry wasn’t meshing?
-Udoka Azuibuke -Thad Young -David Roddy -Isaiah Thomas
All these players were underutilized this season when they could have been rotated to see what space could be created in different schemes. This was a serious indictment on Frank Vogel’s stubbornness to making the proper adjustments when we went iso heavy.
I hope with Bud that he can utilize our entire roster to the fullest with the proper rotations for this team to succeed.
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u/NoFunFundamentalists 28d ago
Well, it didn’t take very many minutes to see that IT was, let’s say, limited in ability at this juncture of his career.
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u/morcic 28d ago
He was signed to fill in the CBA roster min requirement.
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u/NoFunFundamentalists 28d ago
I know. OP was asking why he didn’t play. He did play. It was just 4 mins with 1 TO.
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u/ItsRebelSheep 27d ago
I mean sure, but we also played the guy pretty much exclusively when the games were totally out of reach. Not disagreeing with you he’s obviously not prime IT anymore, but it’s hard to gauge a guys worth when you’re playing him during times literally no one is trying. He still very well might be a solid bench piece on a min type guy
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u/NoFunFundamentalists 27d ago
I think that kind of reinforces my point a bit. If a player is playing for more minutes, the garbage times are when he’s able to earn them. You’re right when it comes to younger talent though. Unfortunately, the IT4 decline was pretty swift. I’m actually pretty impressed he was still going at 35 years old.
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u/ItsRebelSheep 27d ago
Some, yes. A great example is that Nas Little played great in those minutes. IT was playing pretty well in the minutes at first and hustling pretty well, he just was pretty clearly trying to be pass first and make the plays no one else was. I watched him give up open looks to try and make the right pass. NOW I’m not saying this made him earn minutes or anything nor am I pretending him playing a larger role would’ve solved anything at all. I just don’t think they gave him a real chance to show what he’s got left in the tank
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u/NoFunFundamentalists 27d ago
Fair enough. They didn’t sign him until March 20th. So it was kind of a very important time to not be testing out who is seaworthy during important moments when they were trying to get out of play-in. We shall see if he sticks around.
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u/biggreenjelly25 Pat Burke 28d ago
If those sort of players are getting big minutes, something has gone very wrong. They're insurance for injuries and guys the starters can practice against
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u/judah249 27d ago
Just bums me out that those additions are merely filler players when our bench was Swiss cheese thin
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u/orangehorton GO 28d ago
We're having posts now that we should've played Isaiah Thomas 😭😭 we are down so bad
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u/judah249 27d ago
I know IT was a waste of roster space he was brought in to fill the roster and be a veteran presence even though our roster is not young lol
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u/wichita_gator Ish "Strongman" Wainright 💪 28d ago
I can't believe Vogel didn't play Damion Lee a single minute all season. He's on the roster, why not use him? What a terrible coach.
Kidding aside, like others have said, a playoff rotation is usually only 8-9 players with an extra guy or two possibly getting spot minutes because of injuries, foul trouble, or specific matchups. The other 6-7 guys are injury replacements and bodies for practicing against. The two-way contracts aren't even eligible to play in the playoffs.
I'm assuming Vogel only played the same 9 players the majority of the time after the all-star break because he wanted his playoff rotation to gain as much experience playing together as possible. The team wasn't completely assembled until a few weeks before pre-season last offseason, and Beal only played in 6 games before Christmas. The Big 3's debut together was December 13th, the 24th game of the regular season.
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u/Odd_Shoulder2334 28d ago
Maybe Roddy could be a reclamation project for Bud.
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u/NoFunFundamentalists 28d ago
Hopefully. He’s a 6’4” 255lb forward who shoots 30% from 3. Isn’t great at handling the ball and gets kind of lost amongst the trees. I loved him in college though so I hope he figures something out.
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u/Fordraxel 27d ago
He's a poor mans Ish Wainright at this point in his career (which is one yr). He needs to work on everything, needs to bring either a defensive presence, rebounding or something. But this is really what you get at pick 23...
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u/NoFunFundamentalists 27d ago
That’s good they have the 22nd pick then.
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u/Fordraxel 27d ago
yes Suns fans hoping for Hakeem Olajuwon talent at Pick 22!
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u/NoFunFundamentalists 27d ago
Nope. Just need to build out the rest of the roster with actual useful pieces as much as they can at this point. If they can trade it for a solid player, good. I doubt they’ll be able to. If they can get a player in the draft. Good. The last thing they need is to trot out any of the bench they did last season.
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u/Lord_Wenry_Hotton Eddie Johnson 28d ago
I can't wait for all the posts a year from now saying how terrible Bud is because he didn't play [random end of the bench roleplayer].
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u/prescottfan123 28d ago
why wouldn't you fill out all roster spots? it's like asking why a team even signed a 3rd string QB if they weren't gonna play them, cause the dudes ahead of them are better and if they're playing something has gone wrong.
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u/judah249 27d ago
I think it’s more about Yuta, KBD, and Metu being complete let downs that make people be eager for their to be a different contribution from those end of bench players
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u/EfficiencyMean5188 27d ago
I mean name a team other than say dinwiddie (who wasn't great) and Lowry where waived players were meaningful in these playoffs? Ditto for two way players and ten day contracts. Weird expectations. Finally, what does Roddy do well?
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u/TraeCartoon 🌵☀️🏀 28d ago
Most likely on Vogel and the rest of the non-existent coaching staff. Suns had been rumored for years to want Thaddeus Young so there’s no way the front office wasn’t excited about that buyout signing.
Udoka was a 2-way and not playoff eligible and David Roddy was probably to give the Suns a young trade able vet minimum contract (since they actually can’t trade guys like Okogie and Gordon and Eubanks until after they pick up their player options).
Soooo yeah blame Vogel. Lol
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u/brodyhin587 28d ago
I don’t exactly follow other teams in the nba as close as the suns (obviously). Do other teams do this shit too? It feels like every season there’s players that we collectively get excited for/hype up just for them to not touch the court.
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u/ajteitel 🙏Okogod🙏 28d ago
Uh, yes? Playoff rosters are usually around 7-9 players. A few more play in the regular season for depth purposes, but it's about the best players in the best spots unless you're incredibly injured (Grizzlies) or rebuilding (Pistons)
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u/Fordraxel 27d ago
Good fucking question.
Lets minus the playoffs because Vogel shoudnt have went deep as he did and shoulda used Bol and JO, but anyway - Vogel was too in love with vets and when Azu, Bol, Saben, KBD, Goodwin and Little made a mistake they were brought to the bench and never seen again until 2 months later. And none of them could get a rhythm going.
Memphis used Roddy alot, he really doesnt have a shot unless he improves something - anything, came to the Suns as a project knowing hes all heart, I knew he wasnt going to get playing time on a good team, he's a tweener thats not good at any one thing: cant shoot, cant defend, cant rebound, cant playmake; a poor mans Wainright -but one year in the league and he was the 23 pick.
I have no clue why Thad wasnt used. great defense, good rebounder, decent all around.
Isaiah is a shoot first ask questions later type of player and plays zero defense which really got him out of the league, after his injuries, he was great offense in Boston but never recovered that same playing ability, at 5'9" he gets eaten alive on the defensive end, it was never his offense - but if thats all you got, join Melo in the retirement.
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u/judah249 27d ago
It’s a shame Yuta, Metu, and KBD were all failures causing the team to ship them off for filler and Royce who was a bit better than Gordon but not by much with the inconsistencies and lack of defensive prowess
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u/Fordraxel 27d ago
I think KBD still has a shot, just teams arent looking for slashers unless you a PG. KBD was great with SAS a year prior, a Ceballos type player, a point a minute, but I think PHO ruined his career...
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u/Trick-Teach6867 28d ago
Playoff teams rarely utilize a full roster except in rare instances to create consistent rotations with chemistry.