Bright Side Of The Sun: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Pro Quality. Fan Perspective.
Around SBN: Has Kentucky Improved Since the Non-Conference Season?

An Amare/Shaq/Nash Respite: What to do With Leandro Barbosa


Shaq, Amare, Nash. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m sick of hearing about them. Shaq’s old and is about to be traded, Amare’s young, with bad knee(s), a big mouth, and Nash, is well, attempting to force his way into the front office?

So, instead of talking about Lopez and Amundson's hair, or Alando's acting debut, or how Goran's family didn't own a cigar shop, I'd like to create a conversation about Leandro Barbosa. That is, what do we do, if anything, with the blur.

Star-divide

As I look at Leadndrinho’s career stat’s the first thing that jumps out at me is minutes played. For his career, Leandro has averaged 25.9 MPG. And in those 25.9 MPG’s Leandro has averaged the following:

47% FG
40% 3P%
82% FT
12.9 PPG

In the 2006-7 season Barbosa made 190 3-pointers (43%) which was good for 5th in the league (below Raja Bell and others) while taking home the 6th Man of the Year award. That year He played in 80 games, averaged 4 assists a game (a career high) yet also amassed a career high in turnovers: 146. He followed up that performance by playing in 82 games in 2007-8 making 164 threes at a slightly lower 38%.

Espn.com lists comparable players at the same age to BJ Armstrong. Basketball reference lists the following similar players based on their criteria:

Maurice Williams
J.R. Smith
Mike James
Tony Delk
Mike Dunleavy
Kyle Korver
Ronald Murray
Raymond Felton

Not a list of superstars. Of course, I have doubts about these comparison's and wonder how valid or worthless they are in comparing the value of players.

So where am I going with this? We know Barbosa's strengths-speed, finishing, shooting ability, and of course he is just a nice guy and excellent teammate. But as we all know, Leandro can’t play defense consistently-he’s undersized for a shooting guard and he makes too many mistakes to be a full time point guard. The numbers suggest that if he was going to be some kind of superstar, it would have happened already.  He’s signed until 2011-2012. In 2008-2009 he made $6 million, and that will increase this season to $7.1 million. He certainly won’t start over Nash this year, and with Goran being groomed as the heir apparent (and that’s no guarantee), what role is Leandro going to play with the Suns moving forward?  It is certainly possible that Leandro could learn how to play some defense and become that point guard we all want him to be. But how likely is that? This will be his sixth year in the league. How much more improvement can we expect to see out of him. And when will he begin to be a consistent injury risk (if he isn't already), enough so that his trade value will plummet to nothing?

As much as I hate to admit it, I wonder if it’s time to sell high on Leandro. His production likely won’t increase because his minutes likely won’t increase unless there is a trade or injury. Sure he could be a career sixth man, but is he worth it? Could the money be better spent somewhere else?

So the next question obviously is what do you get for Leandro in this market? Well, I could be wrong, but not a whole lot. He’s a quality NBA player, but not a superstar. Perhaps an early first rounder and a throw in?

Thoughts?

0 recs  |  Comment 21 comments |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Display:

Sell high on Leandro is an interesting idea

b/c last summer we were not even able to sell low on him. Barbs is a good value and our backup PG, not sure we have many options to get anything comparable back for him.

Who are these guys again?

by ZonaFlash on Jun 24, 2009 11:47 AM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Trading Leandro

If Gerald Henderson somehow falls to 14, then trading Leandro Barbosa would definitely be a viable idea. Maybe package him with a 2nd rounder and try to get into the late 1st?

by J Trull on Jun 24, 2009 12:00 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Generally,

I don’t think any Suns player is untradeable, but Leandro is good value for his contract and a great fit for our system. I can’t see any other team that does not have a running offense having much interest in him. But if the right offer came by, sure. It just seems unlikely.

Purchasing my Dragic jersey

by rosewood on Jun 24, 2009 12:12 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Not Sure

I’d rather have Barbosa at the 2 than anyone else currently on our roster, and unless we could get an absolute stud at the 2 in this draft (which I doubt), I would hold onto Barbosa.

His defense has improved, and I think with more consistent playing time, he could be much better, both offensively and defensively. I think the problem has been how our team has forced him to oscillate between the 1 and 2 positions. LB has shown that he can be very productive as a starter.

My vote would be to get rid of Richardson first. His contract is worse, his offense is equivocal, and his defense is worse.

Plus, LB is just an overall great person/teammate/etc….He is the type of person (unselfish, dedicated, hard-working) that you need on your team. I doubt that anyone else in the draft would provide that role for the coming couple of years….

by ArizonaCactus on Jun 24, 2009 12:14 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Agreed- Most of us agree getting rid of J-Rich before Barbosa may be the most popular idea. But think it would be easier to get rid of Barbosa though based on his salary and coachability, Also, J-Rich has the size to guard a 2 (of course not necessarily the desire to), whereas Barbosa would have a difficult time consistently hanging with the 2’s in the league who are getting much bigger by the moment.

Matching Nash and Barbosa in the backcourt could be potent offensively, but horrendous defensively.

by RD74 on Jun 24, 2009 12:54 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Well,

the probably with Barbosa’s trade value is that a lot of people I think believe his productivity is tied to the Suns running system. The fact that he did not play very well under Porter but then started to play much better under Gentry I think speaks to this point. So I’m not sure how much interest any non-running team would have in LB, since it’s fair to say that his production wouldn’t translate to a slower paced team.

Purchasing my Dragic jersey

by rosewood on Jun 24, 2009 1:26 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Trade Jason before Barbosa

Barbosa=bargain for what he does; look at his stats in starts. You can’t trade our spirit animal :(

Steve Nash, the league's MVP, is a longhaired Canadian who spoke out against the war in Iraq and reads The Communist Manifesto. Quentin Richardson declared after a game-winning shot that it "was like Hamlet. It was a suspense thriller, and I killed them at the end." Amare Stoudemire, when asked to comment on a 22-point third quarter against the Kings, said, "I've got a tendency to jump over some guys' heads and throw it down."

by rsavaj on Jun 24, 2009 1:38 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Good point.

But how many starts is he going to get? He began starting when Nash couldn’t and Goran was sucking. So basing his value as a starter doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, especially because he’s never been a full time starter. Could he start for some other teams at the point? Maybe, but his assist/turnover ratio would certainly keep some suitors away. Could he start at SG? Again maybe, but think of the size and D you are giving up. This gets back to my point of how much more can we count on LB improving at his age.

Listen, I am a big fan of LB, he’s a great kid with serious talent. But what does the future hold for him with the Suns?

by RD74 on Jun 24, 2009 3:58 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Obviously, no player in off-limits

But trading Barbosa is the worst thing we can do.
1. He is the last fan favorite. Nash is still up there, but you can tell it’s kinda waning – Barbosa plays HARD, every night, and we love him for it.
2. He is wildly cost-effective, and will continue to be – he has said hundreds of times that he would HATE to leave Phoenix – when he was younger, a couple teammates played an April Fools Joke on him and told him that he was traded, and he cried. He will stay here for a good price when his contract is up.
3. He is our only young proven player. That should be reason enough.

by UASun on Jun 24, 2009 2:30 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

I don’t think it is the worst thing we could do. Perhaps putting Stephon Marbury in the ring of honor could be the worst thing we could do.

Isn’t Lou Amundson a fan favorite? Is that a reason not to trade him? I see where you are going though, that trading LB could alienate a few thousand fans. But look at this from a business standpoint? Are we really getting value? Due to his deficiencies can we really get our monies worth out of him?

by RD74 on Jun 24, 2009 4:03 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

er, that agreement was with UASUN, not RD

LB is a bargain and has not in my opinion even come close to hitting his ceiling yet. Just 2 seasons ago his out of control fast breaks may or may not have ended with the easy layup, contested or no. Since that time his control has been refined that not only will he make the basket, more often than not he’ll get the foul too. In this last season we’ve seen his ball handling improve, his defense become more consistent and his Bball IQ go up. He’s our most reliable 3 point shooter left ( by volume ) and he’s about the 1 guy in the locker room with no self created drama.

 Really, i know we’re suffering shaq/nash/amare fatigue, but trading the few pieces that we have which are absolutely working well is, well…i think i WOULD prefer a discussion on robin’s hair to this..I vote for dreadlocks. Who’s with me?

by Fritzy on Jun 24, 2009 4:14 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Sure, if the right deal came along

but he’s a tough commodity to remove to get something valuable in return.

His contract may be one of the best dollar-for-production contracts in the league, but, with his weaknesses, there are few teams that would give up much to get him — or at least enough to make it worth trading him.

Also, I think he has been emulating Steve Nash too much. He plays better when he tries to play like Tony Parker.

Mmmmm ... Guinness

by JSun on Jun 24, 2009 4:46 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

OMG

it astounds me how easily some of you forget. Last year, Barbosa was the best we’ve ever seen him. He and Grant Hill were easily the most consistent players on the team. His decision making was better than ever, and mostly it was because he stopped emulating Nash. He would drive to the basket, and take the layup if it was there, or make the correct pass if it wasn’t. His defense improved ten fold as well. Remember how much better he got at anticipating passes, and staying in front of his guy? Stop having such selective memory people

by Funky Flapsack on Jun 24, 2009 6:33 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

I love you… LOL

by SunsFTW on Jun 24, 2009 8:51 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

think about the mavericks for a minute.

do you not resign jason terry, just because his contract is up and all he is is the sixth man?

no. you give the guy the money. he’s a major part of your team, gives you firepower off the bench, and not only is he a fan favorite, he is actually integral to your team’s success.

now let’s switch places. instead of terry, let’s insert barbosa.

barbosa is easily the best player off of our bench. he offers a scoring punch. he has improved defensively, and has improved his court vision. fans love him. he’s got a better work ethic than almost anyone else on the team. he actually cares about trying to get better. he’ll probably never be an MVP, a superstar, or even an all-star…but i love the guy. especially for the suns.

just because a player in the NBA isn’t a starter (which LB should be, arguably), doesn’t mean that they’re not worth the money.

by iamtrevorpaxton on Jun 24, 2009 6:33 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

I agree - Keep LB

He has shown constant improvement year over year. He’s gotten to be a much better finisher where as before he would get by his guy and be completely out of control and hope for a foul. His 3pt shooting is consistent. His mid range game has improved….

and most notably this past season he was a better PG then we’ve ever seen him before AND his defense was much improved.

He is a bit of tweener but also an extremely valuable piece given what he can do and his contract. No way do the Suns trade him. At least I hope not

by Seth Pollack on Jun 24, 2009 8:17 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah Im not sure...

Despite the fact that Barbosa is not a starter, he is still too good to sell or trade. There is no way to get comparable talent for him alone. I could see him going with someone else for a much better player but to get rid of Barbosa simply because he doesn’t show “starting numbers” is ridiculous. There are always going to be players whose natural spot is the back up or relief. Do not trade Leandro. Its a bad idea. He is a great 2 and thats what we need (esp when Rich leaves).

Go read a book!

by N8lol on Jun 24, 2009 8:14 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Parle?

This is Captain Barbosa we’re talking about. Our beloved 7SOL, Run&Gun team has widdled down to 3 remaining players. Nash and Amare you dont want to talk about anymore. I personally think that we’re blessed to have a personality like LB on our team. He’s a very kind person and has a fantastic work ethic. He can get really emotional (like when he cried when marbury got traded) but emotions usually generate into big time moves on the court. He’ll give us everything we give him and more. I once considered trading him; but I see his true value and it cant be measured by a price tag or a trading block.

by KnowGood on Jun 24, 2009 8:39 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Barbosa

He should be a starter with the numbers he puts up. He should be playing 35+ minutes a game. We should get rid of JRich and start Barbosa as the 2 guard. Goran can be backup PG. Barbosa is currently the BEST value we have on this team. He was more consistent last year than he has ever been, so OP you can GTFO

by SunsFTW on Jun 24, 2009 8:53 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

barbosa is excellent value for his contract..he kept us in about 5 games this yr..he reminds me of a faster ben gordon..I keep him trade j-rich..i really think you can build around barbosa not as your main guy obviously but as core guy

by Lebrontophx2010 on Jun 25, 2009 12:36 AM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

Welcome to the SB Nation blog devoted to all things Phoenix Suns.
Start posting about the Suns »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

New_picture__1__small
The Amare Shift - Phoenix Fandom and the Love-Hate Relationship

Recent FanPosts

Small
Trade or not to Trade that is the question.
Small
Suns to offer Stoudemire Contract Extension by end of the week
190518335osmpfk_ph_1__small
Ray Allen trade to Phoenix?
Small
THE WRONG WAY
Small
Another possible trade!
Small
My Suns-Sixers Trade Idea
Hahahame_small
Possible Trade, what do you think?
Small
Potential hiccups in Philly-Suns negotiations
Small
How would Andre Iguodala fit with the Phoenix Suns?
Small
Star players, egos, & salaries.

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

RSS Feeds

Bright Side Of The Sun Feeds


Editor in Chief

Sethpo_small Seth Pollack

Photo Editor

P1000778_small Wil Cantrell

Photo_1_small Max Simbron

Staff Writer

Family_guy_1_small PanamaSun

Me_small iamtrevorpaxton

Amare_small watdogg10