I'll Trade you a Slovenian for a Croatian

by JSun on Aug 19, 2008 4:16 PM MDT

Hello, Goran

Not that anyone's surprised about him not being a Sun, mind you, but Giricek followed the M-Train to Europe (that's "money"). It's kind of like Milton in Office Space. He was never officially fired, but the glitch seemed to work itself out.

NBA teams just aren't offering Shaq-sized buttloads of money anymore. Apparently, the Sp*rs took at run at him, but he wanted too much. Maybe that's why they re-signed the player formerly known as Michael Finley. Fins is willing to take a touch more than the veteran minimum, which was apparently less than Gordan was willing to take.

Which brings me to money. Dragic's contract is a bit steep for a second-rounder, I suppose, but it is only a first-round rookie's money. "Grossly over-priced" is not the phrase that comes to mind. Even if he does not pan out, it's not a bigger bust than other notable first-round wash-outs. I won't even list those here, because it's not the point.

The point is that more-than-serviceable players are being drawn to Europe for bigger money than NBA teams are willing to spend to fill out their benches and rotations. Wouldn't you do it? Be the seventh man in the NBA and make $1.5M or go to Europe, be a star, and make at least double that? I don't think the elite players will leave (forget the contracts for a minute and think about the endorsements), but I'd imagine that rotation players will continue to migrate resulting in weaker benches throughout the league. Perhaps Coach D's Suns missed their window by being a few years too early where a weak bench may become the norm.

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Ha!

Way to make the short/non-existent bench look forward-thinking.

by Mike Lisboa on Aug 19, 2008 5:11 PM MDT reply actions

Makes you wonder

Giricek is a guy that to me has a very solid game. Much better then say Ricky Davis. But for whatever reason he just couldn’t stick.

You have to think that’s more about attitude and some other general not being a good team mate thing then his value on the court. There are plenty of guys making more money then Giricek that don’t have his all around skills.

Oh well, I hear the shwarma is good in Istanbul

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Aug 19, 2008 6:02 PM MDT reply actions

Vlad's take

I heard a radio interview with Vlad Radmanovic this afternoon and they asked him about the Euro exodus. Of course, being a Laker in LA, he was all about “succeeding at the highest level in the NBA.” But he did talk a lot about being closer to home and not having to make the cultural leap, too.

I’m pretty sure that despite his ideals, if someone doubled his ducats, he’d be on the first plane back across the Atlantic.

by Mike Lisboa on Aug 19, 2008 8:17 PM MDT reply actions

Just noticed...

…that in swapping Gordan for Goran, the Suns lost a little “d”. I thought Kerr and Porter were all about defense!

/groan

by Mike Lisboa on Aug 19, 2008 8:20 PM MDT reply actions

yuk yuk yuck...stick to your day job

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Aug 19, 2008 8:57 PM MDT up reply actions

Well

Hope the swap pays off and Dragic is the real deal as far as pure PG’s are concerned!

What is it with the friggin Sp*rs always going after ex-Suns?

I’m surprised their management didn’t scoop up Brian Skinner – no wait, they already have Kurt Thomas….

by dang on Aug 19, 2008 8:53 PM MDT reply actions

What a drag(ic)

wonderr if there is some chatter on the Spurs board about how they ‘took us to the cleaners’. They are going to be crowing if Drafic flops, considering how we have putt all our hopes in him.

April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?

by Hawk42 on Aug 20, 2008 11:20 AM MDT reply actions