Steve Kerr denies Golden State "backed out" of an agreement

by Seth Pollack on Jul 7, 2009 1:12 PM MDT in Suns News Comment 39 comments

Phoenix Suns General Manager Steve Kerr was on Sports 620 KTAR's Doug and Wolf show this morning.

Here's the highlights:

On draft night the big roar when the Timberwolves picked Flynn was just surprise on the part of the Suns peeps who didn't expect Flynn to be taken (we've heard this story before...still doesn't ring true but who knows)
Kerr said he was surprised by stories that Golden State backed out of a deal (stories like this one).
Kerr said, "That's not true at all. We had discussed a deal but it was not anything that was set in stone and we continued conversations. They (Golden State) were really happy that Curry dropped to 7th and nothing's changed from that point on."
Kerr confirmed that the Suns would be "very interested" in Shawn Marion. Yippie!!!
He did say that Shawn is in a position to make more money then the Suns can spend so it comes down to making the finances work
Kerr said Marion was a great player for the Suns and he has good years left in him
Kerr said the Suns are "one year out" from having financial flexibility which is interesting since he also once again said the Suns were trying to extend Nash. Aside from Wallace's expiring contract the only other big salary space is from Amare. Of course, $14m for Wallace off the books is a lot
As for plans moving forward, Kerr said that the Suns are a playoff team with the young players plus a healthy Nash and good big in the free agent market. No mention of Amare
Kerr said Pavlovic's contract is valuable and could be moved
Kerr's had talks with Wallace and his agent but so far no indication if he's going to retire or play
Neither guy (Wallace or Sasha) will be a huge part of the team and both or either could be moved

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I don't get it.

Why the emphasis on Nash instead of Amare? That does not speak to me of a plan for the future. Two more years of a healthy Nash is a lot to ask for. Especially for the price he’ll be charging for his services.

by Mike Lisboa on Jul 7, 2009 1:21 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

PR, damage control, spin, call it what you want. If anything this sets the stage for more amicable relations with Amare: “No we had no deal, just discussions, nothing more, nothing less.”….

I think Kerr is definitely trying to get Nash and Amare extended-but at good prices.

He’s saying all the right things which may be intelligent, but it still makes me want to puke.

by RD74 on Jul 7, 2009 1:53 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

that or...

he’s trying not to piss off GS so we can still trade with them. He doesn’t want them to look like backstabbers

Let the fools have their tartar sauce!

by Funky Flapsack on Jul 7, 2009 1:58 PM MDT up reply actions 2 recs

+1

by FIREROWELL on Jul 7, 2009 2:18 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

or he's trying to not look weak to other GMs by taking less than the expected deal

Who are these guys again?

by ZonaFlash on Jul 7, 2009 2:50 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs

Very true good point

by FIREROWELL on Jul 7, 2009 2:54 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

or he could just be telling the truth

by Adi C on Jul 7, 2009 6:01 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

It wouldn’t surprise me if the Suns trade Amar’e to Golden State tomorrow and still not get Curry as part of the deal. Also I agree that signing Nash does not speak as a plan of the future but I guess you need a good point guard to distribute the ball. Even Jason Kidd was getting all sorts of interest. You might need to have a player that other guys want to play with to entice good free agents to come to Phoenix. Also, perhaps the Suns are trying to display that they are a good franchise that treats its players well in trying to have Nash retire in Phoenix. Of course the argument against that would be that they traded away Marion.

by Rishmo on Jul 7, 2009 1:25 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Wow! All points signal Amare is gone.

Why else would Steve come out today and clarify what was or wasn’t a deal. Tomorrow is the 8th and the 1st day FA can sign contracts or in Amare’s case an extension. The timing of this by Steve is more than a coincidence. Beidrins, Wright, Bellinelli, & ?

by crab dribble cocktail on Jul 7, 2009 1:43 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

from a warrior fan

if were giving you marco , biedrins and wright that is a pretty good deal for a rent a stoudimire. but if you wanted another player well give you claxton (salary relief , his contract is paid off by insurance) law, watson, maggette, or davidson… i dont expect you guys to be happy but just realize you will not be getting randolph, ellis, curry ,jackson, turiaf or morrow…. so either take the deal as is or pick out the players i named

by dubzfan on Jul 7, 2009 1:58 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

are you guys still hanging out here? =D

Our “Golden State Appreciation Week” ended last week. >.<

(pst we still like you =D )

Who are these guys again?

by ZonaFlash on Jul 7, 2009 2:02 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

ya, we been sneak’n in and out eavesdropping lately ;)

dubzfan is accurately portraying the mood over at goldenstateofmind, and we’d be pissed at our own front office if they gave up Randolph or Curry, or if they made the deal for Amare without locking up an extension … you guys would love Andris Biedrins – he’s a worker on the boards, plays unselfishly and with his great hands and high %FG I can imagine he would be flushing dimes from Nash on a regular basis … Wright hasn’t gotten as much PT but he & Bellinelli have both shown flashes, in fact throwing Clark into the deal would probably be fair but we’re not that greedy …

by hardcore on Jul 7, 2009 3:43 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah...honestly

it is really tough to value Amare right now.

IF the Suns were certain they weren’t go to be able to extend him here then Beins, Wright and Marco is decent…not great but decent. Better then letting him walk, that’s for sure

IF Amare were to agree to an long term extension to play in GS then his value to them goes up

IF we all just wait a few months and see how Amare comes back from his injury his value will likely go up even more

IF Amare comes back and plays poorly then guess what that means

It is easy for us all to say that Amare is worth this or that but there’s a reason this deal hasn’t been done. There are a lot of complexities and unknowns

oh and IF the Warriors are trying to sell the team what does that do to their desire to sign a guy like Amare to a long term deal. Does it increase the value of the franchise or simply increase the team’s liabilities? I have no idea

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Jul 7, 2009 4:06 PM MDT up reply actions 2 recs

you're right

it’s complicated, and a gamble either way

on your Q about the sale (which everyone hopes will happen someday! we hate Cohan), this was part of an article linked to our main page from the San Jose Mercury:

–OK, how does this [discussion of the sale] relate to the off-on-off-on Amare Stoudemire trade situation?

Cohan’s potentially quickening sale desires could change the dynamics of a Stoudemire trade. Basically, Cohan might have reason to trade for Stoudemire, even if Stoudemire has little interest in signing a long-term extension with the Warriors.

That scenario had generally been considered to be a deal-breaker for the Warriors, as generally discussed by Larry Riley, since it could be devastating to the long-term talent base. But if Cohan needs an instant money boost…

* Adding Stoudemire for the short-term would give the franchise a burst of fan excitement, which might translate to an up-tick in ticket sales, and that is apparently now crucial to Cohan’s immediate bottom line.

* Stoudemire, if he’s at top form, teamed with Monta Ellis, Anthony Randolph and Stephen Jackson, might even give the Warriors a shot at the playoffs–and home playoff dates are worth about $1M per game. Again, every dollar is crucial to the Cohan financial situation.

Plus, prospective buyers like to take over exciting, entertaining, popular teams.

* If Stoudemire does not sign long-term, he could leave as a free agent next summer, but that might not be a disaster in Cohan’s eyes as he readies for sale.

(Though it would be a fiasco for Warriors supporters, since it would mean trading Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright and Marco Belinelli, possibly and more, for nothing in 2010-2011).

Stoudemire walking away as a free agent would erase enormous money from the payroll–basically, subtracting Biedrins’ long-term deal for free, and getting one year of Stoudemire as a bonus.

It would be a major talent loss, but, for Cohan and a potential buyer, it would more importantly clean the books for 2010-’11, when the Warriors would only have a handful of signed players and less than $40M committed.

* Or, Cohan could believe that a new buyer would be so enamored of having Stoudemire that he wouldn’t mind Cohan signing him long-term, if Stoudemire would take it.

so, who knows what’s going on behind the scenes whether in Phx or Oakland? The most “sure thing” in the whole deal is Biedrins and Amare the biggest gamble … honestly if there was any chance of bringing Marion back why wouldn’t Phx keep Nash-Marion-Amare together?

by hardcore on Jul 7, 2009 4:25 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs

nice

thanks for sharing that…

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Jul 7, 2009 4:34 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

lol...no thanks

you guys are getting a steal in that. If we trade you Amare and you make him feel appreciated I expect nothing less then 29 and 9 a night.

We are not giving you a guy as good as amare for a guy who made the warriors a worse team when on the court then compared to off the court and 2 NOBODYS that couldn’t make it on the court on a 29 win team.

by dontTradeAaronNelson! on Jul 7, 2009 11:07 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

unless Randolph or Curry are involved

then no thanks

Let the fools have their tartar sauce!

by Funky Flapsack on Jul 7, 2009 2:13 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow this is SOOO COOL!

Will you comment this comment so I can say I once talked to a guy in the Warriors front office?

Wait, maybe that’s no good, cause then I’ll be asked a lot of stupid questions only a basketball nerd could possibly know, like “Who are the warriors?” and “Where do the Warriors play?”

Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.

by SunDolphin on Jul 7, 2009 7:46 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

are you honestly still hung up on this deal?

by Batmanthesunsfan on Jul 7, 2009 2:01 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

good to see that they actually want marion back, let’s see if kerr isn’t too much of a pussy to bring him back.

by kuato lives on Jul 7, 2009 1:44 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

ps.

trade pavlovic’s contract for marion?

by kuato lives on Jul 7, 2009 1:52 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

sign and trade possible?

by Batmanthesunsfan on Jul 7, 2009 1:58 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

kerr is a bonafied moron

Trading Amare will go down as stupidest trade ever

Let the fools have their tartar sauce!

by Funky Flapsack on Jul 7, 2009 1:53 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Already reserved for ...

Shaq for Marion, or Richardson for Boris/Raja, take your pick

by egp the great on Jul 7, 2009 11:53 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't forget

Don’t Forget Shaq for Brokeback (leg) Wallace and Pavlovic and a 2nd Round Draft Pick in 2010 after we sold a 2009 2nd rounder to the Cavs for ca$h.

by eagleheart on Jul 8, 2009 12:01 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Eh ...

Given the situation, this is a trade that needed to be made. Now, you can call Kerr dumb for getting the Suns in that situation in the first place, but still.

by jburning on Jul 8, 2009 8:01 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or

Dan Majerle for Hot Rod Williams.

by Azreous on Jul 8, 2009 12:46 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

If we get Marion back...

…. doesn’t it make sense to keep Amare?

by bangbang240 on Jul 7, 2009 1:55 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I really want to hear that soundbite from the war room

I want to hear the shout/cheer for myself…

Who are these guys again?

by ZonaFlash on Jul 7, 2009 2:49 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I love it, they had “side action” on the draft which is why they all freaked out. Don’t believe that one for a second. Kerr should grow a mustache so at least he’d look like a used car salesman too.

by RD74 on Jul 7, 2009 7:50 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

How do you know Steve Kerr is lying?

His lips are moving.

by ninjasocks on Jul 7, 2009 4:02 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I heard hips don't lie, but I don't recommend staring at his...

Who are these guys again?

by ZonaFlash on Jul 7, 2009 4:10 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fustrated

My 2 loves in life are Manchester United and Phoenix Suns.
Manchester United have £80million to play with plus in “Sir Alex we trust” so i am not overly concerned at the moment.

Where as the Phoenix Suns i am getting Impatient.

looks like Grant Hill is going eithier Boston or Knicks.
love to have the matrix back probably for the mid level but he will only go to Dallas/Cleveland.
looks like last resort would be to bring back Matt Barnes i hope not

Ben Wallace still doesnt know if he wants to play or retire if he stays he probably is the best defensive centre we can get because management have still not decided who to go after.maybe the athletic staff can get him to former glory.

Channing Frye: on hoopsworld he is comming to phoenix and on realgm he is going to cleveland.
looks like orlando are not going to match gortats offer errrugghhhh

finally on a good note mavs signed Jason Kidd for 3 years $24( $21m down to $8m)
then the Hawks got Mike Bibby 3 years for $18 ($14m down to $6m)
next to wait for andre miller and what offer he gets hopefully low
ideally we give Steve Nash 3 years for $8m or $9m

Guys who do you think we should sign for starting centre (for some reason we dont get chandler from the trade with ben wallace or we buy BenW out) and starting Small Forward assuming that Grant hill doesnt come back ?

Any ideas which are realistic and can ease my mind>?

by phxuk: Ap on Jul 7, 2009 5:00 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

The question we should be asking ourselves is..

Can Amare, J-Rich, and Barbosa entice a major free agent to sign with us next year? Phoenix is a somewhat big market. It has the warm weather that a lot of players look for in their destination. But more importantly we should be able to offer a max contract. If we can get Amare to settle on $15 a year, then we might find ourselves to be contenders again, as soon as next year.

Let the fools have their tartar sauce!

by Funky Flapsack on Jul 7, 2009 5:55 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great idea and concept, but you forget one important item. The club is hemmoraging $$$$ badly

and ownership needs to shed salary. There is no interest in the front office to perpetuate mediocrity with high salaries. Therefore they are going to blow it up and build it again. Infuse youth and lower the payroll. Just hope for the John Wall sweepstakes next year.

by crab dribble cocktail on Jul 7, 2009 6:47 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

not hemmoraging

Sarver just isn’t insanely wealthy enough to pay a luxury tax and not make the playoffs

Mmmmm ... Guinness

by JSun on Jul 8, 2009 6:55 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

John Wall Sweepstakes

We have no first round draft pick next year, we sold it to the Thunder already.

Back when the Suns were winning we were "hemmoraging $$$$ badly " then too so we gave away our unprotected first rounder in 2010 for the Thunder (then Sonics) to take Kurt Thomas off our hands. He was cut later and then signed with San Antonio and helped kick our butts in the playoffs.

by eagleheart on Jul 8, 2009 12:06 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I think the sonics actually traded him for another 1st round pick

by dontTradeAaronNelson! on Jul 8, 2009 11:06 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Steve Kerr is a genius

Goodness how in the world is this man a GM. Granted with Sarver as an owner, but this is a mess.
What I get from the interview: next year 2009-10 will be a wash, we have no 1st round pick in 2010 so we are screwed there, who knows what we will do with Amare, so yeah we are really in good shape.