luke ridnour??
by suns_1 on Nov 16, 2009 1:32 AM MST
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PrintThe suns are looking like themselves again and are playing the best basketball in the league at the moment
but, we need to address one major isssue early if they are going to keep this pace all year.
steve nash is 35 and getting older everyday, goran has been great but he hasnt got the experience to carry a lead for more then 5 minutes.
Luke ridnour is only 28 and would be a true backup that this team needs. sure he is making 6 mill or something this year but under the guidance of nash he could possibly be worth the money.
the way brandon jennings is playing, im sure they are already are looking for suiters.
thoughts?
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I don't see ridnour being that much of an improvement over goran.
And I think signing a point guard is hard because you don’t know if he can even run the offense.
by raulgabriel9999 on Nov 16, 2009 7:46 AM MST reply actions
I still think it's too early too make him walk the plank...
Out of 11 games he’s had two poor showings.
He is greatly improved compared to last year and with his work ethic I have no doubt he will continue to improve.
I think we should focus on trying to mold the team we have now rather than focusing on what other ‘pieces’ we need… News Flash – we hold the best record in the NBA with 9 wins… we’re winning games with the personnel we have and by their own admission the team as constituted is still a work in progress.
This team is in the crock pot right now – they’re making the house smell and everyone’s mouths are watering… but you have to let it slow cook all day. Give this team a chance.
P.S. – Robin Lopez will positively affect this team with his return. Goran and RoLo have always had nice chemistry. (just throwing that out there)
They say "don't swim with the sharks", but I'm faster than sharks so it's not a big deal...
I like the analogy
Last year, the cook was whipping up spam and brussell sprouts and the recipe book had all of the good pages like pancakes torn out. I think this year the mix is better, and there is not so much of a stench coming forth.
I don’t see the Pasta e Fagiole and breadsticks quite yet, but I think we can trust the meat loaf, and what about those crabcakes I smell?
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
but, we need to address one major isssue early if they are going to keep this pace all year.
I disagree that we have a “major issue” to address right now. The team is 9-2. If we tank near trade deadline time, then yes, we have major issues. If we are in serious contention come trade deadline, then yes, I could see looking for and addressing the most important “issue.” It may be backup PG, but maybe not.
steve nash is 35 and getting older everyday
We are all getting older in theory every day. But wouldn’t you agree Nash isn’t looking like an old point guard?
I agree with Eutychus, Ridnour isn’t really that great. Sure he could be a decent backup, but Kerr and Co. won’t pay that much for a backup, especially when we have a much more athletic version (speed, wingspan, defender) in Dragic. Yes he’s been crappy the past couple games, but it’s no reason to give up….Dragic plays as well as he feels emotionally. When he’s confident, he is excellent, when he’s flustered or frustrated, he plays poorly….And…Both these guys are putting up similar numbers this year.
And while I’m stealing other people’s ideas, I want to concur with PHX Stan in stating that 55 points does not a point guard make. If anything, that makes Jennings more of a 2, which would necessitate the Bucks needing a PG to feed the youngster.
by Wil Cantrell on Nov 16, 2009 1:14 PM MST up reply actions
While it is true that "55 points does not a point guard make"
it’s not as though Jennings is slacking on the playmaking side of things.
His line of 25.6 pts/4.4 reb/5.1 apg is not what I would expect of a rookie. And his 5.1 assists per game? It’s good enough for 18th in the league, and isn’t all that far behind “traditional” point guards like Jameer Nelson (5.6 apg) & Chauncey Billups (5.5 apg) and is actually higher than Andre Miller (4.8), Kirk Hinrich (4.6) and Mike Bibby (4.6).
This isn’t to say that he shouldn’t be looking to pass the ball more, but he’s doing fairly well in that department. As to whether his scoring explosion deters him from passing more, I can’t say. I can say though that his line against Denver (32 pts/4 reb/9 ast) makes me think that he’ll look for his teammates most of the time before he jacks it up.
Oh, and sorry for the threadjack suns_1.
He cost the team a win against Dallas
Several times he jacked up crazy shots instead of running the offense late in the Mavs game
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
At least he completely owned it afterwards.
From bucksketball.com via ESPN’s Daily Dime:
“Ersan’s [Ilyasova] man had doubled me. When I looked back over the tape he was wide open for the jump shot. This is something I’m going to learn from. It’s a long season,” Jennings said.
Jennings wanted it to be known that this one was on him.
“At one point we were down 20 and we could have just thrown in the towel. I was 100 percent sure we were going to win in overtime. I’m kind of taking this one to the heart. You know, I feel like this one’s my fault we didn’t win that game.”
And some of the blame goes to Scott Skiles for not reining his rookie in during the 4th. In the third quarter and even the start of the 4th, he was still looking to facilitate, but after hitting a couple of floaters and step back 3 balls, I think his shot went to his head. Maybe Skiles didn’t want to get in his head since he was feeling it and thought maybe he would in fact ride Jennings’ hot hand to a win, but it still feels like he had a coaching opportunity there that he passed on.
Contributor: Bright Side of the Sun Twitter: @MikeLisboa
Give the kid credit
Look, right now there’s no way to know how he will turn out. With Iverson in the news, we are all sick of me-first point guards, but it remains to be seen how Jennings will handle the fame. I know D’Antoni probably wishes he had him instead of having to bring in Iverson.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
What about CP3?
I know that Nash is technically 35, but he doesn’t look like slowing down this year.
What the suns really need to do, is not be looking at a backup for Nash, but look at succession planning around when Nash retires after next season.
The perfect guy to be targeting right now is Chris Paul. He has modelled his game on Nash, so he’d be a perfect fit, he’s clearly wanting to escape from New Orleans who don’t have much of a future in the next few seasons, and the Hornets are desperate to shed salary, so they would be open to trade discussions for him (as they have in the past)
All that being said, i think it’s a long shot, but something that the Suns head office should be persuing.
by Chucko on Nov 16, 2009 5:39 PM MST reply actions
forget trade
his contract is up the same time as Steve
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
Awesome!
So all we need is to make cap room!
by Chucko on Nov 17, 2009 11:07 PM MST up reply actions
and convince him to declkine his player option
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
That wouldn't be hard, everyone knows he wants out of New Orleans
by Chucko on Nov 18, 2009 10:49 PM MST up reply actions
salary difference
there is about a $5 mil difference between their salaries that would have to be made up somewhere.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
Salaries
We’re talking 2 years down the track,
In that time, we have the following guys off the books (to be let go or re-signed, for how much we don’t know)
Amare
JRich
Hill
Frye
Barbosa (PO for 2012)
Dragic (TO for 2012)
Clarke (TO for 2012)
Lopez (TO for 2012)
Dudley (QO for 2012)
Collins (2011)
Ticker (2011)
Amundson (2011)
So what the roster looks like in 2 years, and what our salary situation is, is a looooong way from being finalised.
I would expect that the Suns franchise realise that CP3 would bring a whole new Nash-style era to the suns and make cap room and a serious play for him.
by Chucko on Nov 19, 2009 5:09 PM MST up reply actions
All I am saying
is that it is POSSIBLE.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
I wouldnt do it he’s not much of an upgrade over Dragic..im wondering if we have one of the best records around allstar break will we make a move to make us contenders
If we still have the best record by the all star break, i would say that we would already be contenders, and we shouldn’t mess with what’s working….
by Chucko on Nov 16, 2009 10:03 PM MST up reply actions 2 recs
You mean...
…like, hypothetically, if we had the best record in the Western Conference and made a blockbuster trade of a couple of discontented players for a proven winner to keep us competitive in the West?
I don’t see how that could possibly go wrong.
Contributor: Bright Side of the Sun Twitter: @MikeLisboa
by Mike Lisboa on Nov 17, 2009 4:46 PM MST up reply actions 1 recs
LOL
I’d say the only chance of an in-season trade is 1) if thyere’s an injury, or 2) we fall apart and it looks like Amare is leaving
Other than that, why mess with it? We are 10-2 with our big man coming back and out little bench sparkplug (LB) playing at about 50%. I for one want to see if Robin can check Bynum or Dwight Howard first.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
best record
If we want to move to be a contender, it should be for a big if anything. PG play and backup PG is fine.
Goran's confidence
Hi guys, this is my first post here, been lurking on BSotS for a long time…
I agree with Eutychus and Wil Cantrell: I wouldn’t bring in anyone new right now. Let it play out and see where we stand by the All Star break.
Besides think about the message the FO would be sending to Goran if they bring in a new point guard to “take away” his position / minutes and what it would do to his confidence. Not a booster, right? And we all know how Goran plays when he’s not feeling confident.
Don’t mess with the Dragon! :-)
agree
nothing new unless the record falters drastically, and then I still think we wait until Barbs rounds into form and Lopez returns before we can responsibly think of effective changes.
We don’t even know what we have.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
welcome!
good insights.
i’m a big believer in goran’s game, if he has confidence. which is something this organization has shown him this year, and thus, he’s playing better.
Bright Side of the Sun, where Suns basketball never looked so good.
by Trevor Paxton on Nov 17, 2009 10:58 PM MST up reply actions
Thanks Trevor!
I’m also very optimistic about Goran and what he can do for the team.
The one thing he will have to do to quiet all the doubters is to play through adversity and sustain the belief in his own game.
Good things will happen then. And when that time comes, maybe we won’t see “the deer in the headlights” look any more.
back up point guard position
The Suns missed a chance to go after Anthony Johnson of the Magic. He is the third man out on that team. Perhaps his salary requirements were too high? Apparently the team felt that Goran’s play in Europe this Summer was encouraging enough to give him another year. Watching Goran play this year vs last year shows that he has made tremendous progress. One problem that I notice is that when Goran comes into the game, the team sometimes gets a little static. This is a coaching problem that needs to be addressed. There are still point guards around the league that get that look in their eye and start to salivate when Goran comes into the game. However, that is changing. When the Dragon asserts himself, makes a couple of good drives to the bucket, makes a steal, etc., his confidence and toughness go to the next level. It is fun watching this young player develop. He will never be as accomplished as a Steve Nash (who is?) but he can be the answer to the succession question. Give him more time and he will reward the team. No team in the league (except maybe the Lakers) are set two deep at every position. The salary cap and the luxury tax are bringing more parity to the league.
Robin Lopez is in a similar position. He is still so very young and inexperienced. He did not play in a major basketball league during the Summer. He probably should have done so. We know that his minutes in the NBA did not wear him down last season. I wonder about his maturity and dedication. Now that he is recovered, we’ll see if he has made any progress as a basketball player. It will be interesting to see if he can handle himself in the post. No one can handle the D Howards of the league. It is silly to think that R Lopez will be able to do so. Robin Lopez was not a top player in college, he will not be a top player in the NBA, Hopefully he can become a good team player, make good passes for assists, play his man tough, rebound and run the floor. There are few centers that can do all this. I suspect we will see a similar Robin Lopez as last season. Please let him be an improved version.
Goran
There are still point guards around the league that get that look in their eye and start to salivate when Goran comes into the game.
That is precicely how I would describe the same situation 3 or four years ago when Barbosa would come into thye game. But he has improved. Even at point guard, LB isn’t the toital disaster he once was. I am not ready to say Dragic was the second best PG iun that draft. But he is turning out to be a stgeal at #57.
Lopez is another story,since he was drafted at 14, and the GM insisted he was the one he wanted all along (Speights, McGee, Batun, etc.)
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
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