Report: Suns will explore trading for 1st-round pick in draft

Shamet is just the example I used because of his link to the Suns and how he was vilified while he played on the Suns. He has been an impactful floor piece for Mike Brown and whom Brunson helps to engage into the flow of a game. … Regarding the other players you mentioned, although McBride didn’t score in game 1 against the Cavs, his defense on Mitchell helped disrupt his flow in the 4th quarter; Clarkson played a good high-energy 1st quarter and although he has traditionally been a defensive liability, Brown pulled him from the rotation because of his lack of defensive energy; this led to Clarkson re-inventing himself by the end of the regular season, focusing on being a physical defender, especially with the arrival of Alvarado. Schroeder plays for the Cavs.

I believe that Brunson builds team unity. The team recognizes him as its leader, not because he walks around with a crown on his head but because he leads by example. Even when he takes over a game, he knows when and how to engage his teammates; regardless of his dynamic during a game, he always exudes confidence and leadership. Booker does not.

Do you think Hart, who has had his moments especially on the defensive end, and Anunoby would be as effective paying on the Suns with Booker, similar to how they mesh playing alongside Brunson? A few years ago, there was chatter about the Suns going after Anunoby when he was still with Toronto. In theory, he would have been a great fit on the Suns, but I question whether he would have gotten lost in the mix of Booker’s Kingdom. … and how would Anthony-Towns do alongside Booker? There was also some chatter about the two of them playing together, but I think that would have been a volatile mix. Your thoughts?

Lastly, the way I compared Shamet on the Suns to Shamet on NYK (similar to how he was on LAC), we can also compare Bridges in that same light. To me, Bridges has been a disappointment on the Knicks, especially defensively. I think his offensive game seems to get lost in the shuffle in NYK — similar to how it did on the Suns — and I wouldn’t think that’s because of Brunson. If anything, Brunson should be bring out the best in Bridges.

I thought it was due to four of the Knicks bench players are guards. Landry comes off the bench with Schroeder, McBride and Clarkson. Jose Alvarado also played a few minutes. Knicks start two 6'-5" forwards in Hart and Onunoby.

How are the Knicks winning with all those guards surrounding KAT? Knicks even out-rebounded the Knicks by nine.

If any of you watched the Knicks-Cleveland game tonight (or many other Knicks games this year), I hope you asked yourselves why Landry Shamet was not this effective when he played for the Suns, where he was often scapegoated and ridiculed. However, in NY, he is once again playing to his potential that — if anyone else recalls — was on display for LAC around 2019 (as a second-year pro).

Digging deeper, look at the kind of leader the Knick’s’ star, Brunson, is and compare that to Phoenix’s star, Booker. Brunson looks for his teammates, like Shamet, in the clutch and makes those teammates better. Although Booker was doing some of that earlier in the year, he has by and large been a career ‘me-first’ player down the stretch in games and has stifled player development. Every Phoenix coach, prior to Ott, has anointed Booker as the team’s king and “dictator” (hey, Durant’s words, not mine) because Booker’s weak psyche needs him to be ‘da man;’ but when Ott instilled a team-first agenda, and Booker wasn’t a prima donna, he became aloof and disengaged.

Some of you Booker-homers will never comprehend this, but if you watch the games more objectively, the pattern is there: the juxtaposition of ‘Booker’ and ‘Team’ remains an immiscible mix. Bottom line, let’s go Booker for Antetokounmpo…. or a bevy of picks.