(fanshot deleted)

I kinda have problem with this. As the article pointed out, it’s not like Gordon or Deng just blurted these things out, totally unsolicited. I’d feel better if Vinny just said something like “well they’re the ones out on the floor, so maybe they see things that I don’t…we won’t make kneejerk decisions, but we’ll take everything into account.” Instead he just spews some line about how he’s the coach and he’s in charge.

Later in the article he mentions how “good teams stick together”. Well wouldn’t that include listening to your veteran players and taking their suggestions into account?

He also is very quick to point out that “Sometimes it’s not the system; sometimes it is. Sometimes it’s the familiarity of everything.” In other words, don’t you dare blame my system or my coaching style.

This team is gonna cave in. It’s 07-08 all over again.

I don’t have anything against what Gordon or Deng said, and the medium they used to state it. Again, they were asked, and they responded.

Maybe Vinny is right. I would just feel better if he at least ACTED like he valued his players input instead of putting on the ol’ “I’m the coach dammit” hat and skipping around the locker room.

Hanley doesn’t say starting Gray, ratherusing him. And this is one of the few matchups I don’t mind seeing him a bit.

Comments like this and overall general frustration spills into the media. Ben might be right that he should start, but he’s getting playing time, and he probably was going to be moved into the starting lineup anyways. I would hope that the veterans would understand the situation better, instead of overreacting.

were particularly inflammatory, especially taken out of context (they were answering questions). plus, luol specifically said he didn’t like how HE was playing, in addition to feeling the team didn’t adapt at the end of the game. and ben’s right; 2/5 of our starting lineup accounting for 1 pt and 7 rebounds. he feels the role of the starters is to try to get ahead early (which obviously is the point in putting your best guys out there first), and if he were starting he knows the burden’s on his shoulders. he’s not blind and neither are the fans. we too realize we are digging ourselves into a hole each game. it’s not unusual for the starting lineup to change if a team’s struggling (and with the skiles shuffle this shouldn’t be unexpected by the bulls :P), ben was just being honest. yeah his comments could be seen as saying he should start, but that’s not even what it was.

and vinny’s allowed to take a hard stance, he has to get the guys to respect him (unlike a certain interim coach). i think he talks to them often enough that that’s why he feels he’s not going to listen to their comments in the press (echoing jamaicanpi above). ultimately, as he points out, it is his decision. he’s not ignoring them, i’m sure he hears all they have to say, in practice, in the media, but he gets final say.

The Cavs starting front court is Mo Williams and Delonte West, ie no tall guys and no solid defenders. I was disappointed not to see Ben in the starting lineup on Wednesday, so I take these post game comments to be a reactive jab at the earliest time Ben could convey the message, after the game.

Ben should start tonight. If Thabo starts then the Suns will man Raja Bell on Rose when we could have Nash guarding Rose.

Vinny has expressed interest in varying his lineups depending on the matchups and the Suns give him his second opportunity this season to start Ben Gordon.

Im gonna be sooooo ignorant in the bar tonite, PHX fans are gonna dispise me..lol

Deng was overrated, Gordon is a wannabe Gilbert Arenas, who is a wannabe Kobe Bryant, there for he is a ball hog that will shoot everytime he touches his hands on the ball. There is only 1 or two guys who should be doing that, Kobe and LeBron. Let the coach decide what goes down, because neither of these guys are superstars that have a say at what goes on in the lockeroom or what plays are drawn up.

And Noah doesn’t play that much either, I’d agree with Vinny and shake things up here. I said the Thabo experiment would die after a week or so. It’s just foolish to put your team in a hole because your starting 2 guard can’t shoot. Now, if this lineup could actually play as well as they are capable of given all those minutes……..we’ll see about that.

Shaq will not play tonight…he played in back to backs earlier this week and the Suns are committed to getting him rest during the season…I don’t expect Gray to get much burn tonight against the Amare/Diaw/Lopez trio…