OT: Channing Frye - Here Come the Suns

Channing just hit a 3-point buzzer beater to give the Suns an overtime road win over the Pacers. He finished with a doube-double (14/10). I've noticed that Frye has been playing well lately and the Suns have been winning a lot.

After a great year last year, Frye got off to a terrible start this season (his PER is still only 12.7 after a horrible first 2.5 months). That's all changed. Like LaMarcus Aldridge, Frye's scoring has improved every moth of the season, and he's been playing great for the last month and a half. For February, Frye is averaging 17.1 PTS, 8.5 REB and is shooting 0.449 3GF%. That's not exactly LaMarcus Aldridge production, but it's still pretty darn good.

And the Suns are winning. A month and a half ago, they were 15-21 and most people had written them off. Since then, they've gone 15 - 6.

Frye's vastly improved production and the Suns' much higher winning percentage also happens to coincide with the emergence of Marcin Gortat as a viable inside presence. Gortat has a PER of 18.2 since joining the Suns, but, like Frye, he's really picked up up over the last month and a half. With 17/11, Gortat put up another double-double today (his 5th in the last 7 games) and is averaging 12.9 PTS and 9.6 REB for the month of February.

Gortat is keeping the defense honest in the low post and that opens it up for Frye on the perimeter. The two have very complimentary skill sets, and that is allowing both players to excel.

And, if that's how good Channing Frye is playing next to Marcin Gortat, imagine how well he'd be doing playing next to the new, improved LaMarcus Aldridge.

Now that Roy is back, Camby is coming back and we've added Gerald Wallace, I'm very happy with our current roster, but I'd be even happier if we had a three man rotation of Camby, Aldridge and Frye up front to go with Wallace/Batum at the 3 and Matthews/Roy/Rudy and Miller at the guard spots. It would give us even more options for going offense/defense in late game situations. Having a 6'11" guy who can shoot 0.449 3FG% can really spreed the floor and help open things up inside for Aldridge.

It would also be nice if he wasn't hitting game winning shots for Phoenix.

Ultimately, Channing didn't seem like a Nate guy. So, who knows if he would have ever enjoyed the same level of success in Portland as he did in Phoenix.

BNM

 

Ive been trying to tell everyone. This is another team we are fighting with. Its gonna be a scary finish. Not to mention the Suns get the Nets tomorrow.

btw... grizz and blazers have tie breaker over suns

 

You try and tell people shit all the time. You're always wrong, so nobody listens.

 

There is an "Around the NBA" thread for this sort of talk. It's where some of us discussed today's OKC-LAL game.

 

Frye had a 14.8 PER during his first year in Portland. Unforutunately, the team only won 41 games, and missed the playoffs. The next year, his minutes went down, his PER went down to 10.0, yet the Blazers managed to win 54 games.

Now, Frye has a 12.7 PER on a team currently out of the playoffs, he's still soft, and he's basically a product of Steve Nash's penetration/passing. Yet Portland should want Frye on the team over a guy like Marcus Camby?

 

Frye doesn't play defense

 

Channing Frye with another game winning 3!? When did you become so clutch?????

 

Brutal loss for nets. Tip in at buzzer but refs wave it off. Jay z was pissed. Beyonce looked great though and Kim k is upset for her man.