Earl Clark Sent to D-League

by Superelkman on Mar 15, 2010 2:11 PM MDT

According to ESPN.com... "Suns rookie forward Earl Clark has been sent to the D-League's Iowa Energy. He has not played that much this season and the Suns want him to get some game action. His stint will last three games.

"He just needs some minutes," Suns general manager Steve Kerr told The Arizona Republic. "The best way to develop is to play. He's done a great job in practice, but we haven't had a lot of practice time."

What do you guys think? Good move, bad move, or who cares?

I like it. Even though it is not the same competition as in the NBA it is still competitive and will atleast get him some more game experience and time to work on certain things like his shot selection and offensive arsenal.

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He needs to work on his shooting mostly...

"What I've achieved now is something that I always figured I would as a kid. I've had that type of determination since I was a youngster playing around the playgrounds, getting dirty after school." - Amare Stoudemire

by Suns R Us on Mar 15, 2010 2:20 PM MDT reply actions

Agreed..

For the 5-7 minutes a game he plays he is expected to come in and be a defensive stopper. He goes from being the 10th best player on our team to being the best player on the roster in Iowa…Giving him steady minutes and a wider shot selection will do nothing but boost his confidence in his playing ability.

I know Clark is a project with HUGE upside…the question is how much upside? could he end up being a Tyrus Thomas kind of a player or maybe a more lengthy version of Boris Diaw? I think the problem is Clark is he is the Ultimate tweener…he doesn’t really fit at any position..I envision him ultimately being a three but thats a far stretch considering how bad is shooting stroke is so far.

"I don't care what people think, people are stupid."-Charles Barkley

by TheRza82 on Mar 15, 2010 2:37 PM MDT up reply actions

not about being a tweener

sorry but i have to disagree. his versatility as a tweener will help him. the nba has a lot of successful forwards who can play SF and PF, Jamison, turkoglu, rashard lewis. its really hard to criticize him coz he doesn’t get a chance to play.

i anticipate that the suns will lock him in for around 4 years, just like dragic. the suns can then trade anyone from a big man to a 2-guard. clark can fill in in any of those positions. that will happen next season at the earliest. good move to put him in the d-league.

by Avaris17 on Mar 15, 2010 10:37 PM MDT up reply actions

His offense needs work, but that's more his selection than his shot

What I’d like to see, especially if he wants to work himself into our rotation, is to see him play some hard defense and get a nice spot up shot. We don’t need him to work on scoring, we got that down. But imagine if he could become a solid 1 on 1 defender, especially given his combo of size/speed. He could guard the 2-4 and force them into mismatches on the opposite end.

I think he definitely needs more playing time, and hopefully it sticks with him, because he lacks the basketball IQ of some of the other players, and he sorely needs that.

by Max Simbron on Mar 15, 2010 9:06 PM MDT reply actions

yes, he has the skills to be a 2-4 stopper next yr and beyond

He’s got the feet and strength to guard the opponent’s best perimeter-oriented player 6-6" and up. And then we got Duds to take the next best perimeter guy, Dragic to take the smaller ones and Lopez to take the post-up guys. That allows Amare and Nash to score, and lets us trade JRich’s and LB’s contracts for the best possible players… and that’s a helluva rotation.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. Clark has great talent – moreso defensively than anything. let’s just hope that pans out.

Twitter: @dahking
Too late to change the stupid twitter name. Did it as a joke to my teenager, but now I'm hooked on the news-feed aspect of twitter.

by Alex Laugan on Mar 16, 2010 9:33 AM MDT up reply actions

What

gives you the idea that he can be an effective defender at the 2 position? I agree with you that he can be effective at the forward positions. The 2 spot in the NBA is loaded with really quick scoring guards. Looks like a bit of a stretch.

by da suns on Mar 16, 2010 10:21 AM MDT up reply actions

I read that

his feet are really quick for a 6-10" guy, and that he used to be a guard until he got too tall. I can easily see him frustrating (compared to anyone else on our roster, that is) bigger opposing 2-guards like Roy and Bryant and even Durant when he’s occupying the 2.

So I’m not including all 2s in my hopes-and-dreams, just the bigger ones that give most people trouble.

Twitter: @dahking
Too late to change the stupid twitter name. Did it as a joke to my teenager, but now I'm hooked on the news-feed aspect of twitter.

by Alex Laugan on Mar 16, 2010 3:18 PM MDT up reply actions

At Summer League

He was switched on to guards occasionally and did a pretty good job of shutting them down.

Twitter: @MikeLisboa

by Mike Lisboa on Mar 17, 2010 1:34 AM MDT up reply actions

+1

i will love us getting say Iggy and a very good and young Forward, preferably an SF for when Hill poofs

by jatrex4suns on Mar 16, 2010 11:20 AM MDT up reply actions

+ 10000000000000000000000000000

Its mental.

by Grockcubs on Mar 17, 2010 6:37 AM MDT up reply actions

give him time

give him time, just like we gave lopez and dragic time.

by Avaris17 on Mar 15, 2010 10:39 PM MDT reply actions

ya

our picks always look like busts early and then their 2nd year they are like “lopez is the key to their turnaround”

by HawaiiEaglesFanatic on Mar 16, 2010 1:12 AM MDT up reply actions

Earl Clark still

looks to be at least a year away from a significant contribution to the team. Hopefully, he will be in the rotation next season and possibly a starter the following year. As he gets stronger, he will be able to play either forward position.
Many posters have commented on his defensive abilities. I guess I have not seen enough of his play but I do not see any defensive genius as of yet.

by da suns on Mar 16, 2010 10:16 AM MDT reply actions

its all based on college at Louisville and pro scouting reports pre-draft

because he really hasn’t been given time to show it in the NBA yet. His feet are really nimble, which is the biggest key.

Twitter: @dahking
Too late to change the stupid twitter name. Did it as a joke to my teenager, but now I'm hooked on the news-feed aspect of twitter.

by Alex Laugan on Mar 16, 2010 3:19 PM MDT up reply actions

I watched

him for 4 years at Louisville. I was not happy with the pick. It took him time to develop at Louisville, he was highly touted out of New Jersey and was hoping he would land at Villanova. He just had or has a passive way about his game. He has to get some fire in the belly, maybe this will help. If he develops and shoots with consistency he could be a huge mismatch with his length.
I had concerns about Dragic and Lopez and they both have proved me wrong, I hope Clark does the same.

by Grockcubs on Mar 17, 2010 6:45 AM MDT up reply actions

sure he's not a high-motor guy

but you can’t get much more passive than Doris Miaw and he did pretty good here. If Clark can rebound a bit more (more than 5-6 per 30 mins, I mean), defend a wider range of opposing players and hit the outside shot, then I’d rather have him than Boris and that’s saying something. Boris was a great role player on the most talented top-7 in the NBA for a couple years.

Twitter: @dahking
Too late to change the stupid twitter name. Did it as a joke to my teenager, but now I'm hooked on the news-feed aspect of twitter.

by Alex Laugan on Mar 17, 2010 7:47 AM MDT up reply actions