# The thing wrong with Barbosa



## Kekai (Jan 12, 2005)

He needs to pass more!!! 35 minutes played vs. the Clips and 0 assists damnit. Stop looking to score and if you idolize Nash, then pass the ball! Stephen Graham is more unselfish than you he had 3 assists! Boy I hope Graham makes the team. End of rant. Pass the ball Leandro!


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## tempe85 (Jan 7, 2005)

Kekai23 said:


> He needs to pass more!!! 35 minutes played vs. the Clips and 0 assists damnit. Stop looking to score and if you idolize Nash, then pass the ball! Stephen Graham is more unselfish than you he had 3 assists! Boy I hope Graham makes the team. End of rant. Pass the ball Leandro!


Well it doesn't help that the stat keeper is a hamster. In one Summer league game the Wizards only had 2 assists the whole game. That's NOT POSSIBLE. The stat keeper is like the NBA's version of Darko Milicic. Completely lost.


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## 1 Penny (Jul 11, 2003)

He truelly is a scorer first at the end.

In the summer league, its probably harder for Barbosa to not try to score than score, since he is so much more atheletic and generally better than everyone on the team.

But I would really like him to try to be looking for teammates instead of shots.


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## ChristopherJ (Aug 10, 2004)

This is just another example showing that Barbosa is a solid SG and weak PG, and I don't think that's really going to change much.


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## rebelsun (Nov 25, 2003)

Pass to who?


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## Kekai (Jan 12, 2005)

RebelSun said:


> Pass to who?


Stephen Graham baby!!!


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## KJay (Sep 22, 2002)

who else is on the summer league roster?


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## Kekai (Jan 12, 2005)

KJay said:


> who else is on the summer league roster?


Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate College/Team Yrs 
Leandro Barbosa G 6-3 188 11/28/82 Baura Tilibra (Brazil) 2 
Tim Bowers G 6-2 190 1/9/82 Mississippi State ‘04 R 
Geno Carlisle G 6-3 200 8/13/76 California ’99 1 
Yakouba Diawara F 6-7 225 8/29/82 Pepperdine '05 R 
Stephen Graham G 6-6 215 6/11/82 Oklahoma State '05 R 
Lynn Greer G 6-1 186 10/23/79 Temple '02 R 
Michael Haynes G/F 6-8 205 3/15/81 Fordham '04 R 
Nick Jacobson G 6-4 206 10/25/80 Utah '04 R 
Jan Jagla F 6-10 231 6/25/81 Penn State '05 R 
Harold Jamison F 6-9 269 11/20/76 Clemson '99 2 
Lonnie Jones C 7-0 235 11/8/79 Ball State '02 R 
Mindaugas Katelynas F 6-9 225 5/16/83 Tennessee Chattanooga '05 R 
Brandon Kurtz C 6-10 255 6/27/78 Tulsa '00 R 
Ricky Minard G 6-4 200 9/11/82 Morehead State '04 R 
Rory O'Neil C 6-11 240 10/12/82 USC '05 R 
Adam Parada C 7-0 265 1/6/81 California-Irvine '04 R 
Ron Slay F 6-8 240 6/29/81 Tennessee '03 R 
Dijon Thompson G/F 6-7 195 2/23/83 UCLA '05 R 
Lucas Tischer F 6-9 230 3/3/83 San Jose dos Pinhais (Brazil) R 


HEAD COACH: Mike D'Antoni (Marshall '73)
SUMMER LEAGUE HEAD COACH/ASSISTANT COACH: Marc Iavaroni (Virginia '78)
ASSISTANT COACHES: Alvin Gentry (Appalachian State '77), 
Phil Weber (North Carolina State '84),
Dan D’Antoni (Marshall ’69), 
Todd Quinter (Lebanon Valley ’80)
HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER: Aaron Nelson (Iowa State '92)


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## Tiz (May 9, 2005)

Out of those I would say that 

Dijon, Graham and Slay have been the most consistent players (not including Barbosa).


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## Kekai (Jan 12, 2005)

Tiz said:


> Out of those I would say that
> 
> Dijon, Graham and Slay have been the most consistent players (not including Barbosa).


 I agree. I wish we could pick up all 3. Thats possible right?


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## Carbo04 (Apr 15, 2005)

I think we should just trade, or let Barbosa go. He's a natural SG, but not NBA good at it.


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## Tiz (May 9, 2005)

Kekai23 said:


> I agree. I wish we could pick up all 3. Thats possible right?


I would assume so. AS it stands now our roster for next year is only 7 players (Nash, Amare, Marion, Bell, Thomas, Vos & Barbosa). JJ will make 8. That means we have 6 openings, plenty of room for these 3 guys.


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## Carbo04 (Apr 15, 2005)

Jimmy Jax makes 9.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

I don't understand the Barbosa bashing. The guy is a good player. He's just not a great PG. Yet the Suns try to mold him into that. We need to sign a backup point guard who can play behind Steve and then behind Joe Johnson, so that we can ask Barbosa to just come in and score. He'll still guard the opposing teams' PG's, but he won't take the ball up. The guy can slash to the lane with his quickness, evidenced by his 48% FG% that is top 10 in the NBA among PG's. He's a good three point shooter despite his 3P% numbers falling this year. He gives you 6 rebounds per 48 minutes, pretty good for a guard. He gives you 5.5 assists per 48 minutes, which is barely below guys like Gilbert Arenas and Chucky Atkins...not great but not terrible. He plays quick defense and can get some steals. Good on the fastbreak, which fits well with the Suns. How do you build a player's confidence? By asking a shy young player to perform a role he is uncomfortable with on a 62 win team? Or is it by allowing him to play off his strengths? Suns, stop trying to mold Barbosa into a point guard and let him do what he is comfortable doing. Do that, and he'll be in this league a long time.


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## Kekai (Jan 12, 2005)

ShuHanGuanYu said:


> I don't understand the Barbosa bashing. The guy is a good player. He's just not a great PG. Yet the Suns try to mold him into that. We need to sign a backup point guard who can play behind Steve and then behind Joe Johnson, so that we can ask Barbosa to just come in and score. He'll still guard the opposing teams' PG's, but he won't take the ball up. The guy can slash to the lane with his quickness, evidenced by his 48% FG% that is top 10 in the NBA among PG's. He's a good three point shooter despite his 3P% numbers falling this year. He gives you 6 rebounds per 48 minutes, pretty good for a guard. He gives you 5.5 assists per 48 minutes, which is barely below guys like Gilbert Arenas and Chucky Atkins...not great but not terrible. He plays quick defense and can get some steals. Good on the fastbreak, which fits well with the Suns. How do you build a player's confidence? By asking a shy young player to perform a role he is uncomfortable with on a 62 win team? Or is it by allowing him to play off his strengths?  Suns, stop trying to mold Barbosa into a point guard and let him do what he is comfortable doing. Do that, and he'll be in this league a long time.


I only bash him because he is not a pure PG and I want a pure PG who has the pass first mentality not a scorers one :wink:


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## Tiz (May 9, 2005)

BaronMcGrady said:


> Jimmy Jax makes 9.


How could I forget Jackson. My bad. :angel:


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## Kekai (Jan 12, 2005)

Tiz said:


> How could I forget Jackson. My bad. :angel:


Yeah how could you? According to ballscientist, he is the 3rd most handsome guy in the NBA right now...hahha


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Yeah, I want one too...but not from Barbosa. We need to sign one in the offseason so that Barbosa can come in 12-20 minutes and not feel pressured to do what he is not comfortable with.

My minutes scale, based on 50 minutes. There will be injuries to screw it up of course...

PG: Nash (32), Joe (14), ThirdPG (4)
SG: Joe (24), Jackson (8), Leandro (12), Thompson (6)
SF: Marion (12), Bell (26), Jackson (12)
PF: Kurt (22), Marion (26), Walter (2)
C: Amare (36), Kurt (10), ThirdC (4)

Play Leandro a lot with JJ. Barbosa plays SG on offense, PG on defense....much like Pippen used to do on the Bulls. We need a backup PG and a backup C, both for cheap. Easier said than done, but that's the goal. We need to play Thompson and groom him to help take over Jim Jackson's role off the bench after his contract expires next year. I'm not sure if Jim will sign another with us. If we aren't going to use Barbosa, then I agree he should be traded for something before he walks next year for a better opportunity.


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