Phoenix Suns' 2012 Free Agency Plans Alive And Well, Thank You Very Much
by Alex Laugan on Dec 1, 2011 7:58 AM MST
in Phoenix Suns Commentary
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PrintWith all due respect to my buddy Seth Pollack, the Suns' free agency plans for 2012 are alive and well. Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Deron Williams might be off the market by then due to sign-and-trade and extend-and-trade restrictions, cleanly outlined by Seth in yesterday's SBNationAZ article.
But here's the reason 2012 and 2013 will be very good to teams with a lot of cap room and a good, functional nucleus of role players that needs a star or two (ie. the Phoenix Suns):
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS from the loaded 2008 and 2009 drafts!
How do you like the names Kevin Love, Danilo Gallinari or Serge Ibaka in the purple and orange front court alongside Marcin Gortat next summer?
Or how about Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, James Harden, Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and/or Ty Lawson in the backcourt?
Think about at least 2 of those stars playing alongside Duds, Frye and the Polish Hammer for years to come.
Those guys (not including the #1 pick in each of those drafts) are your top restricted free agents in the next 2 summers. Teams with real cap space can sign these young stars to front-loaded contracts and force their original team to give them away, just like the Suns had to do with Joe Johnson a few years ago. He's been to multiple all-star games since then.
This summer's big prizes are Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan and Aaron Afflalo. Weak by comparison, but each is available for teams with money.
Next summer, the Suns have enough money under the cap to steal TWO of that first group away. They can front-load a massive offer or two to restricted free agents. Young stars around which to build a new contender.
Yes, some of those guys will sign extensions by next summer and be off the market. But the Thunder, for example, cannot keep Ibaka, Harden AND Westbrook after already re-signing Durant to a max contract. The new CBA only allows one max-contract extension per team, on rookie or veteran extensions.
Let's pick on the Thunder even more. Next summer, let's say on July 1 the Suns make big restricted FA offers to both Ibaka AND Westbrook at the same time. The Thunder couldn't possibly match both. BOOM, there's a star. If the Thunder match on Ibaka, then only 3 days into free agency BOOM the Suns drop a max offer to Kevin Love, who might no longer be in love with Minnesota. Or, if the Thunder match on Westbrook, BOOM the Suns drop a max offer on Eric Gordon whose Clipper team is saving their max extension for Blake Griffin. Or the Suns grab one Thunder star next summer, and wait a year for James Harden or Jrue Holiday.
Imagine a mix of those young stars with steady players in Marcin Gortat, Jared Dudley, Markieff Morris and Channing Frye.
There's your future contender, regardless of whether the Suns limp through the seasons at 20 wins or 30 wins, as long as they don't tie up any cap space this summer on more middling players.
Restricted free-agent offers are the future and the Suns will have the most room of anybody.
BOOM!
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This is an interesting take
that we should focus on “stealing away” the RFAs from other teams. The one thing we need to bank on is that players would love to move away from their current teams (think Kevin Love in Minny or maybe Gordon from the Clips) for the money. I’m not sold on Ibaka or Westbrook wanting to leave the Thunder, they have an exciting core there and I can see Ibaka sticking around for a little less money.
Crashing the [message] boards from the swamps of Louisiana, and blogging Phoenix Suns!
Interesting note
They don’t have to want to play here. As long as they don’t sign and extension first, and we offer the most money and their teams don’t/can’t match it, they’re here until their new contract runs out.
Not exactly.
The RFA has to sign an offer sheet.
So the Suns could offer Kevin Love a max contract and he could politely decline. There’s nothing that compels an RFA to sign with a team he gets an offer from.
Some of these players might also be willing to accept qualifying offers and stay for one more year to earn their unrestricted free agent status.
And….. as we all know it appears to me, lots of times with good players these things have a way of already being decided before the rubber hits the road on free agency. Not to suggest any skulduggery or tampering going on, but there does seem to be a dynamic where coveted players and some teams seem to work around the spirit of the rules.
It was only called the mildly irritated house on McDowell until I showed up.
by Jim Coughenour on Dec 1, 2011 9:46 AM MST up reply actions
I stand corrected.
My assumption is that a player would accept the more lucrative offer from another team over a one year opt-out and unrestricted free agency.
And yes, as I said this also assumes they are not previously signed or extended. If they get to the point where offer sheets start coming, it’s already likely that the player is going to move somewhere, as the extension that (we would assume) has already been offered by the originating team has not been accepted.
A player is forced to:
A) Accept an extension or new contract if offered by their team – if we get to offer sheets, that’s probably not happening
B) Accept his team’s smaller one year qualifying offer and become a free agent the following year, or maximum qualifying offer if one is offered
C) Accept any larger offer from a different team for a contract no less than 2 years
Getting paid is in the highest interest of most players coming off their rookie scale salary. Kevin Love, for example, would likely go where the money is, whether or not it’s on a team that he would normally be interested in during free agency. Of course, his team can theoretically offer him the most if they’re willing.
Or they could
D) retire (just threw this in here to be funny)
There might be some quirky e and f situations too.
My main contention is that banking on free agency can be a risky proposition. Not a whole lot of guarantees involved there.
It was only called the mildly irritated house on McDowell until I showed up.
by Jim Coughenour on Dec 1, 2011 11:08 AM MST up reply actions
Absolutely true.
Still though, if we’re not tanking, the RFA-money-cannon is our best bet to improve.
Goes well with your BOOM! theme.
Go Suns, Packers, Jays, and Huskers!
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Good point...
If we are going to go after Ibaka and/or Westbrook, we should probably make a strong push for both to give them an added incentive to come here. Or what about starting with Harden? A former ASU standout with ties to the valley. If we make a push for him maybe he could help convince his two buddies to come along.
We should have enough to sign two max players next season, but since most or all of them will be taken, we go after three non-max but top-tier free agents. I know, it’s a long shot but Harden could be a real possibility and maybe we could lure Westbrook out of Durant’s shadow to become the Marquee player here in Phx.
Lots of maybes there, but at least it’s something to consider…
by 7footer on Dec 1, 2011 9:33 AM MST via mobile up reply actions
money is an added incentive. Thunder cannot offer huge contract extension to all of them at the same time or within a couple years of each other. They are still a smallish market.
Durant already got a max extension. No way they Harden, Westbrook and Ibaka 10+ apiece too, especially while paying Perkins. Even the Lakers don’t have 4-5 big contracts. And the new CBA will lend further toward no more than 2 stars per team.
Blogging Suns Basketball at Bright Side of the Sun
thanks for bringing back optimism
While I agreed with a lot of what Seth wrote about yesterday, it really bummed me out.
but I knew, too, that there are other free agents out there. Some of these guys will be resigned, but there will be some surprises too, I’m sure. We might end up doing some crazy-seeming trade this year that puts us in a better position to recruit FA’s next summer.
Who knows? The Smartest Guys in the Room probably don’t yet.
Intersting, too, there is all this talk about the same six teams going after the UFA’s right now- or at least Caron Butler (Spurs, Lakers, Clippers, Heat, Nets, and Bulls). No mention of the Suns. If they aren’t feeling out FA’s, but are going to bring back Hill and keep Nash, what do you think is the plan for this year? Slide thru on mediocrity during a short season and wait for next summer?
Grant Hill for prez.
by sun-arc on Dec 1, 2011 8:55 AM MST via mobile reply actions
Some one remembers this site is called BrightSide!
Thanks for glimmer of hope, Alex! rec’d!
I shuddered last night when I read the comment by suns68 (I think it was) who said, “Welcome to Clipperville.” [~~cue ominous music here~~]
I had horrible nightmares of a monstrous Sterling and a revolving door where Michael Olowokandi is drafted #1 every year and the Suns had to share a locker room with the Lakers— the horror, the horror!
by SteveNash, QuantumPhysicist on Dec 1, 2011 8:59 AM MST reply actions 2 recs
OMG! That is the scariest thing I’ve ever read. Thanks, Q. I’ll be having nightmares for a week now.
by BringBackBarkley17 on Dec 1, 2011 11:06 AM MST up reply actions
Good stuff, Alex
We’ll see. I considered these guys when I looked at the list of 2012 free agents. I still think most will end up staying with their current teams (and the new CBA certainly favors that) but a few could shake loose.
I will say that none of those guys you mentioned are TOP stars but they are all certainly good, All-Star caliber players.
Raising Arizona Sports at SB Nation Arizona twitter: @sethpo
Kind of a wide berth there.
If you tell me that next season the Suns will sign Westbrook and Love, that’s a little bit incommensurate to “Danilo the Dagger” Gallinari and “Jrue for Two” Holiday.
Without thorough examination, I would say that Westbrook and Love will probably get max deals. I really like Harden and it’s possible he could elevate himslef into that discussion this year. The rest of these guys just seem like a good chance to overpay for talent that’s not elite.
I heard talk about Nene getting a max deal. Nene. If that happens, what’s to say there won’t be a inflated market value for these players next year….
It was only called the mildly irritated house on McDowell until I showed up.
by Jim Coughenour on Dec 1, 2011 10:01 AM MST up reply actions
With this being said....
I still thinking dealing Nash now (depending on what offers are out there) or before the trade deadline (regardless), clearing cap space, and collecting draft picks (if possible) is the best strategy.
It’s not Clipperville. The Nash Suns era is going to end whether we like it or not. Time is inexorable.
A team with Gortat, Dudley, Frye (or some combination of existing talent) paired with two strong free agent signings, and one or two picks in next year’s draft would ALREADY be better than this year’s version of the Suns will be. Not to mention actually having the potential of a future of improvement rather than a promise of decline.
That seems like a good plan to rebuild. Keeping Nash stymies the transition. Sometimes transition can be painful, but being proactive has traditionally proven to be a more prudent practice. If he ends up leaving and the Suns end up with another f***ing trade exception I’m going to be mildly perturbed.
It was only called the mildly irritated house on McDowell until I showed up.
by Jim Coughenour on Dec 1, 2011 10:17 AM MST up reply actions
It's only going to be Clipperville if we use lottery picks on the likes of Earl Clark and Robin Lopez
(Hoping not to get cracked on the knuckle by Seth for Lopez comment.) One of the major points of this new CBA is to incentivize players to stay with the teams that drafted them. Moving in FA is less appealing and trades are more difficult. Perenially contending teams like the Spurs pick up players such as Parker and Ginobili, etc. with non-premium picks. Utah is another example, never won a championship but continue filling he pipeline with players like Paul Millsap, selected at #46, etc.
I’m not counting on a bonanza of free agents to save the Suns, maybe one or two, and maybe not even major. It will take a combination of wise, selective signings, consistently good drafting and occasional shrewd (or at least not terrible) trades to build a sustainable winner.
Blogging Suns basketball for Bright Side of the Sun from California wine country.
Twitter: @EastBayRaymundo
by East Bay Ray on Dec 1, 2011 10:43 AM MST up reply actions
Not 100% sure about this
trades are more difficult
I know some of the sign and trade rules are more restrictive, but I don’t see that hurting the Suns much because they are more likely to be on the sending side of one of those trades than the receiving side.
I thought that loosening the salary match from 25-50% would facilitate trades… Shouldn’t there still be as much movement if not more now that teams aren’t having to add in ridiculous fillers and seek out third and fourth parties just to make salaries match on trades?
It was only called the mildly irritated house on McDowell until I showed up.
by Jim Coughenour on Dec 1, 2011 11:14 AM MST up reply actions
But sign-and-trade and extend-and-trade are now less attractive to players
From Alex:
While sign-and-trade and extend-and-trades are still allowed, they are only allowed with shorter contracts like regular free agents. (Example: Amare actually signed a free agent contract with New York, not a Bird Rights contract, so that sign-and-trade would be allowed. Example 2: Carmelo Anthony, however, signed a full Bird Rights extension in conjunction with his trade to New York. In the new CBA, he would have been limited to 3 new years at 4.5% raises versus 4 new years at 7.5% if he’d stayed in Denver at least 6 months afterward.)
Not sure how much of an impact that will make. Melo seemed dead set on going to NY anyway, but it will be a consideration.
Blogging Suns basketball for Bright Side of the Sun from California wine country.
Twitter: @EastBayRaymundo
by East Bay Ray on Dec 1, 2011 11:27 AM MST up reply actions
right but regular trades will be much easier to complete
Blogging Suns Basketball at Bright Side of the Sun
Right.
More restrictive in some areas, but less restrictive in others.
We will see what the exact impact is. I just think that “trades are more difficult” as a blanket statement is misleading because although some trades will indeed be more difficult, others will be easier, and the overall impact remains to be seen.
I don’t know about you, EBR (and you too, Alex – and everybody else for the sake of being roomy and inclusive), but I think there’s going to be a breaking in period where we are all familiarizing ourselves with the nuances of the new CBA and getting a firm understanding of its consequences on system dynamics.
I’m going to have to fact check a lot of my posts…
It was only called the mildly irritated house on McDowell until I showed up.
by Jim Coughenour on Dec 1, 2011 11:40 AM MST up reply actions
Yeah, but if we're talking about stars moving around and the Suns landing one
For that to happen via trade, wouldn’t it likely be a sign-and-trade or extend-and-trade?
You’re right, Jim. I also think that breaking in period will apply to NBA front offices. Here’s hoping Babby is a fast learner.
Blogging Suns basketball for Bright Side of the Sun from California wine country.
Twitter: @EastBayRaymundo
by East Bay Ray on Dec 1, 2011 11:48 AM MST up reply actions
Hopefully.
He never seemed to catch on to Bugs Bunny’s legerdemain too quickly….
It was only called the mildly irritated house on McDowell until I showed up.
by Jim Coughenour on Dec 1, 2011 12:45 PM MST up reply actions
I think that really only applies to the monster deals for the superstars like the Carmelo deal
They don’t want players dictating where they go.
Thank you Alex
I say the Suns need to go after Ibaka or Love to fill out the power forward spot. Shooting guard would be nice with Gordon. However the Suns need to find a PG because Nash is not going to last forever. I think they might address this with the draft and keep Nash around to mentor the young PG. If the Suns are going to be as bad as we think then they should be able to get a decent draft pick and find a PG in the next draft which is supposed to be loaded with talent. Otherwise they have to find a replacement soon for Nash because even if they do extend his contract I think it is going to be the last one.
The might of the Suns shall burn away what may cause dismay
Why wouldn't the current teams simply match the Suns offer sheet?
Also the 5 year max extension is only for max deals coming off of rookie contracts. Only the team currently holding the players rights can offer it. New contracts are limited to 4 years. Sign and trades are limited to 4 years. Extend and trades are limited to 3 years including the one the players is currently playing.
I don’t mean to say you can’t pry away a RFA, but you can’t do it if the current team is willing to pay a 4 year max with 4.5% raises as that is all any other team could possibly offer. It’d be more likely to get a team to trade prior to extension if they know the player is going to accept the QO and walk the following year, but that isn’t likely unless the player is truly unhappy as it will cost them a lot of money. The other way is to offer max money to non-max players, but while possibly successful it’s an ugly path to walk down.
600 N First Ave "like a Pirate's cove".
There's always a malcontent
casting a cloud on other people’s optimism by injecting reality into the situation.
It was only called the mildly irritated house on McDowell until I showed up.
by Jim Coughenour on Dec 1, 2011 10:05 AM MST up reply actions 1 recs
right but think about how ATL got Joe Johnson. They front-loaded the contract with contract loopholes that overpaid Johnson in the first 1-2 years (because they had that free cap space) that made it very tough for the Suns to match. And if they had matched, then they could not have signed Amare to his max extension that fall.
Blogging Suns Basketball at Bright Side of the Sun
I must be missing something.
It could work, but bird rights and a soft cap survived the CBA negotiations. My understanding is that you could obtain any of the listed RFA, but only if you are paying them more than their current teams are willing to match. I understand that teams may not be willing to go into tax territory, but without a hard cap there’s nothing preventing them from retaining their own players.
600 N First Ave "like a Pirate's cove".
right, except for the impact on their own cap. Thunder cannot afford 4 guys making 10-13 mill apiece, for example. They still have to round out their roster.
Blogging Suns Basketball at Bright Side of the Sun
Lwts hope Babby
can do some clever accounting like frontloading a contract to make the other teams from not matching
"SIR ALEX FERGUSON" Greatest Manager of all time
Bleh, this is worse than Seth's article
The only guy on that list I would conceivably want to give a big contract to is Harden.
Voted most likely to say "I told you so"
Not kidding
Love may be the best rebounder since Rodman, and a nice set shooter, but he’s a shit defender, and a horrible horrible passer. The T-Wolves were statistically better as a team when he wasn’t on the court. Look at that roster, and contemplate how that could be possible.
Gallinari looks to be the second coming of Peja Stojakavic. Peja was a nice palyer and so is Gallo, but was Peja ever worth a max contract? Anywhere close to it? No. This guy’s peak is 3rd best guy on your team.
Ibaka is tenacious, and a helluva shotblocker, but he’s limited offensively, and isn’t conceivable defensively as a Kevin-Garnett / Big Ben type of force. He’s good, but nothing to build around.
Westbrook is a high-usage, low-efficiency point guard whose ability as a distributor is seriously in doubt. He’s mediocre defensively, and has regressed in this area significantly. He is the next Baron Davis, IMO, and that’s no franchise player.
Eric Gordon is a 6’1" Shooting guard. No further comment necessary.
Tyreke Evans is a shooting guard who can’t shoot, or a point guard who can’t pass, take your pick.
Jrue Holiday is a nice up and coming true point guard. But he isn’t ever going to be a franchise player, and he’s a defensive liability, to boot. He’s an $8M player, eventually.
I like Ty Lawson a lot, but I don’t think he can sustain that effort level for 82 games of 38 minutes a night as a 1st or 2nd option. He’s going to be repeatedly crushed trying to go over screens for a couple years until his body breaks down.
Voted most likely to say "I told you so"
there’s holes in everyone’s games. It’s the relative size of the hole that matters. These guys’ holes are smaller than anyone on the Suns’ current roster.
Blogging Suns Basketball at Bright Side of the Sun
I'm not blown away by that list either,
but there’s some legitimate talent on there.
Let’s not get too carried away. If we get too liberal with our criticisms, we won’t want
Lebron because he quails under pressure in the fourth quarter
Howard because he can’t shoot free throws
Nowitzki because he lacks physicality and doesn’t rebound
and we should definitely get rid of Nash because he’s a horrible defensive liability.
It was only called the mildly irritated house on McDowell until I showed up.
by Jim Coughenour on Dec 1, 2011 12:43 PM MST up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed. No one is perfect. If you will only settle for perfect, you’ll never get anything.
by BringBackBarkley17 on Dec 1, 2011 1:03 PM MST up reply actions
I'm not getting carried away at all
To be a max player you need a strength in your game that changes the game. How many of the guys on that list are “game changers?”
Harden
Gordon
Westbrook
And Gordon and Westbrook both have “game changing” drawbacks in addition to their “game changing” strengths.
Remember, we’re not talking about having the guy on the team, we’re talking about paying max contract or near-max money for him.
Voted most likely to say "I told you so"
There are very few guys worth max contracts, and they are very hard to acquire. Unless Phoenix gets very lucky or turns into New York or LA where they all want to go, we have no choice but to overpay someone to compete. We got lucky with Stoudemire and Nash but when is that going to happen again? If we want to compete, we have to sign dudes like this.
by BringBackBarkley17 on Dec 1, 2011 8:30 PM MST up reply actions
Not sure how you figure "The T-Wolves were statistically better as a team when he wasn’t on the court."
A simple on court/off court at 82games shows this simply isn’t true.
Gordan is also 6’2’’ without shoes according to draftexpress.
600 N First Ave "like a Pirate's cove".
I happily accept the corrections
Kevin Love was exactly +0, not a minus – not exactly an endorsement when you play for the Timbersolves, though
Eric Gordon is a 6’2" SG – what a huge difference
Voted most likely to say "I told you so"
+3.5 points per hundred possessions difference
Similar to Grant Hill’s effect with the Suns last year.
I’ll admit the Gordon inch in height was a bit chippy.
600 N First Ave "like a Pirate's cove".
I'd love to have Gordon.
He may be short, but he’s pretty thick and from what I’ve seen gives effort defensively. He has shown the ability to get his shot off just fine against bigger players.
Go Suns, Packers, Jays, and Huskers!
Read my thoughts on Creighton University athletics at Creightonian.com
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I would put him #2 on this list
and he would be worth it if you had a very tall PG or a point forward. But we don’t.
Voted most likely to say "I told you so"
I'd be fine with him playing straight up at SG.
Go Suns, Packers, Jays, and Huskers!
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I don't watch Clipper games much (who does?),
but I don’t think so. He seems like a scrapper to me, and like I said he has some meat on his bones.
Go Suns, Packers, Jays, and Huskers!
Read my thoughts on Creighton University athletics at Creightonian.com
I also edit things at Ridiculous Upside. Check it out.
He is pretty stocky for his size
I have seen his offensive skills but never payed attention to his defense when we played the,m (I don’t watch the Clippers).
i agree with your criticisms of westbrook
he’s a ballhog and basically shot the thunder out of that series with the mavs. plus, he seems like a bit of an asshole, and not in a good way.
Just remember what ol' Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol' storm right square in the eye and he says, "Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it."
~Jack Burton, "Big Trouble in Little China"
Count me in on
Not being a Westbrook fan. He is just a punk on the court and he is definitely a ball hog. He is a good player, but I am not a fan of his.
Eh, I like him a lot more than you guys do.
He wasn’t the only problem with the Thunder in the Mavs series. He can get into a shoot-only mode at times, but he’s also a pretty good passer. He averaged 8.1 apg last year, so he can play the PG position. He’s still really young and has a ton of potential. I’d take him in a heartbeat.
Go Suns, Packers, Jays, and Huskers!
Read my thoughts on Creighton University athletics at Creightonian.com
I also edit things at Ridiculous Upside. Check it out.
Ditto.
It was only called the mildly irritated house on McDowell until I showed up.
by Jim Coughenour on Dec 2, 2011 11:02 AM MST up reply actions
I would take his talents for sure
I just don’t like his character AT ALL. That is a big deal for me usually, I love high character guys. He is super young and will definitely get better, he may not even be a ball hog later in his career. Many things can change and he would be great for any team to move forward.
If this season's a waste anyway, that's more reason to...
trade nash and rebuild. let Hill go. tank this year. draft high in a stacked draft class..and add 2 all-star talents. then I’ll be excited about suns bball again….
My only issue with this
Is overpaying for players. I really like the idea of us being able to pick up some RFAs but I don’t want the Suns to overpay on someone if they won’t play to the value of the contract they receive. The nice thing about that list is everyone is extremely young with upside (boy that sounds great to have on our roster…).
I would like Harden probably the most of all of that list. I personally feel like he would be worth spending pretty large on. Him, or Love. I don’t want to overspend on Ibaka (I really like him though (as a player)) or Westbrook even though they have played well so far. I have never been that high on Gallinari. I can go on but the point is I don’t want the Suns to be overspending on players. I am all for bringing in new people with upside, but they also have to be making a reasonable amount of money for what they give a team.
I'm not sure it requires overspending
just spending more than the player’s team can afford. The Thunder cannot afford all their guys, and the Clippers may not be able to either.
Blogging Suns Basketball at Bright Side of the Sun
Plus, like Alex said, the plan would be to frontload it.
So they may be overpaid early, but the contract as a whole would be about right.
Go Suns, Packers, Jays, and Huskers!
Read my thoughts on Creighton University athletics at Creightonian.com
I also edit things at Ridiculous Upside. Check it out.
Talk RFAs all you want...
How many have switched teams in the past? The new CBA moves the needle slightly, but it doesn’t create an open door for movement.
Besides everyone talks like Nash is a goner after this year or sooner. I’d say its well over 50% he’s suiting up for the Suns a year from now. I just don’t see him leaving and if he indeed stays he’ll eat up some cap space albeit less than he currently is taking up. And quite frankly I don’t see why he can’t be a very effective PG for a number of years to come considering we haven’t seen any real production drop off yet.
plus
if we end up drafting or acquiring a new point guard in the future, i’d sure as hell want nash around to groom and guide him
Just remember what ol' Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol' storm right square in the eye and he says, "Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it."
~Jack Burton, "Big Trouble in Little China"
I just want to congratulate you on that name Fakers
That deserves a rec. And about the Nash thing…. I think some people just want to tank so that is what the Nash trade talk is for (plus trying to get something back for him if you can).
2012 Free Agency and other possibilities.
Any of those scenarios would be a great start to re-establish this franchise as a true western conference power. I’d like to see the front office succeed in accomplishing at least one of these lofty goals.
Unfortunately, there is still a part of me that doesn’t have enough confidence in the front office right now(given their past mistakes) to really believe they"ll get something done. We could certainly have enough money to offer two max contracts but that guarantee that a marquee free agent will accept our offer.
We’ll need to have a surprisingly good season and show that despite our stars age, we’re still a team to be reckoned with. An example of this is the rumor of deron williams refusal to sign an extension with the nets because he wants to go to a bigger market and join the lakers.
The nets have plenty of money to throw at him but it’s not just the money, it’s the franchise’s reputation as a legitimate title contender that gets them to accept the contract.
I’d like to see us have a contingency plan in place just in case the money won’t get it done. We can’t overlook the potentially loaded 2012 draft. That should be our plan B . We lost brooks and haven’t really found a replacement for J Rich’s scoring on the wing, i would like to see us target one of the top ranked pointguards in the 2012 draft as nash’s eventual replacement.
Starting with myck kabongo of texas, then kendall marshall of unc, and lastly marquis teague of kentucky. Teague has the best athleticism and scoring ability but isn’t a true playmaker. Either kabongo or marshall would be great as the pointguard of the future for the suns
.We could also consider adding a shooting guard by aquiring an additional first round pick and using it on someone like kris middleton of Texas A&M or william buford of Ohio State. We went big in the last draft, now we need to focus on strengthening our backcourt.
you do realize that Myck Kabongo has already been promised to Charlotte right? The NBA wants to listen to the Bobcat announcers constantly mess up the play calling
“Myck Byambo passes underneath to Bismack Kabongo!”
“Byambo to Kabongo… I mean, Kabombo to Byongo… I mean… oh crap, that little guy to that big guy!”
Blogging Suns Basketball at Bright Side of the Sun
by Alex Laugan on Dec 2, 2011 6:15 AM MST up reply actions 4 recs
Eh, as of now none of the PGs are top draft guys.
Marshall and Teague are both around 20 in DX’s mock, and both are limited. It’s possible for either one to blow up since the season just started, but that’s not how it looks right now. We are probably going to be in the 10-15 range, where guys like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (like him), Jeremy Lamb (leery of him), and Austin Rivers (don’t know yet) are right now. It figures, we now have 4 PFs and 2 Cs on the roster right before a stacked big man class (Davis, Sullinger, 2 Joneses, Henson and so on).
Go Suns, Packers, Jays, and Huskers!
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Anthony Davis is ridiculous!
and no, I’m not talking about his uni-brow…
He’s just so tall and long…His arms extend so far out from his body that it doesn’t even look natural; like he was put together just to play basketball! His frame also looks like he could easily add some size once he grows into his man-body.
What really impresses me with that kid is his commitment to defense and shot-blocking. He still needs to work on his defensive footwork, but he is always extending those long arms of his and getting low, which in my opinion are two of the hardest things to teach a young player to do consistently (In my expert opinion from coaching 7th & 8th graders of course :-)
Anyway, I’ve been watching him a lot this year and didn’t want to buy into all the hype immediately just because he was the top ranked freshmen coming in this season, but last night’s performance against St. Johns just solidified my opinion that the kid is really something special. He had 15pts, 15rbs, and 8blks…and each of those blocks were impressive in the way that he would track the player and demonstrate excellent timing with his blocks and avoid contact while doing so.
I am of the opinion that it is in fact the unibrow that gives him superhuman abilities. Like Sampson's hair.
Trust me, I watched that game. 4 pts, 4 reb, and 4 blk in the first 4 minutes. He is insane.
I agree about the “made to play basketball” thing. He was 6’3" as a high school player and then just shot up – without losing his coordination. So he played much of his basketball career as a guard before turning into a 6’10" monster. That’s just not fair.
What’s crazy is UK doesn’t even feature him. They throw him plenty of lobs, but other than that he doesn’t touch the ball a whole lot on offense. Imagine how good he’ll be once he gets a little more experience with the ball on offense.
If there’s one guy that would make tanking not completely miserable for me, it would be him.
BTW, looking at the DX mock, there are only 8 first round guards, and none before Lamb at 12. Beast front court draft, sub=par for guards.
Go Suns, Packers, Jays, and Huskers!
Read my thoughts on Creighton University athletics at Creightonian.com
I also edit things at Ridiculous Upside. Check it out.
Having the money is the 1st part of this...
As I said yesterday, someone will take our money. The problem is simply not to overspend, just outspend whatever anyone else, primarily their current team, offers. Guys will take our money for a variety of reasons:
1. The economy sucks, and people want to get and make as much money as they can. Bosh is probably kicking himself for getting all the guff he has this past year, playing 3rd fiddle, and not making as much as he could going somewhere else. Someone will take our max money, I guarantee it.
2. Some people want to be the man. Westbrook looks like this type of guy. Sick of hearing the praise of Durant, while a guy with a game similar to his (Rose) gets an MVP award. Look at Joe Johnson! He wanted to be the man and got the paycheck for it! Having a great point guard in the West is a great idea!. The majority of good/great point guards looks like they already currently are or will be in the East for the next few years, and that position could dominate in the West.
3. Medical staff uses ancient alien technology. We can get guys like Hill to come here and rejuvenate their career for practically nothing after everyone else has given up on them. I’d be willing to bet anything Hill looks at other offers out there and shudders at the fact that he is going to jinx himself if he goes elsewhere.
4. We may not be able to outbid someone in one of those crazy markets when you factor in all the money they could make from advertising, but by the same token, there are only so many spots that can be taken with a max/near max contract in those destinations.
5. The west will eventually be weak! The same way that the east trotted out those bullshit teams (Detroit aside), the West could be in the same boat!
6. Economy and money once again. This day and age is a strike gold when and while you can type atmosphere. People will take the money! I know I would in my search for a job or career that would be able to allow me to start a family and be well-off. Don’t under-estimate the power of the buck, especially when players read about the Antoine Walkers of the world.
We will be okay in free agency! When you add the draft into it, we will rise again! I am so stoked about the unknown future and who will come aboard during it. Add Steve and the rest of the crew into it and the PHX is going to roll. Be upbeat. I know…I look at this roster and vomit in my mouth a little bit, but I also know that shortened seasons allow anything to happen and by the same token, success may be a year away!
GO SUNS and good night! Don’t forget what happens when one conference dominates and the other one gets a chance at the chip! We could be in that boat and have a chance the same way Detroit and Miami did.
"He's very cerebral when he plays out there"--Hubie
5. The west will eventually be weak! The same way that the east trotted out those bullshit teams (Detroit aside), the West could be in the same boat!
This is Plan A, right here
Blogging Suns Basketball at Bright Side of the Sun
To me it sounds like you're saying
the Suns will be in the market for players who are greedy, injured, and/or selfish (who tend not to be the best teammates, coincidentally).
That doesn’t sound very promising.
Using the Joe Johnson example in the context of the Suns strategy moving forward makes me physically ill.
It was only called the mildly irritated house on McDowell until I showed up.
by Jim Coughenour on Dec 2, 2011 9:47 AM MST up reply actions 1 recs
so we all hate Sarver for failing to sign Joe Johnson in 2005, but we also get physically ill at the thought of signing the Joe Johnson of 2005 to the overpaid, front-loaded contract? How are those two feelings congruent?
Blogging Suns Basketball at Bright Side of the Sun
I'm pretty sure JJ got a bigger contract in 2010.
I could live with his 05 contract for the sake of winning a Championship. I can’t speak for others though.
Don't trade Dudley!
Agree with Beavis
Overpaying to chase a championship (05) is much more palatable than overpaying to remain a 2nd-tier playoff team (10)
Voted most likely to say "I told you so"
I like what your saying snowbird, i just feel that our front office has alot of work to do in order to lure one or two big name free agents to the valley. We will need to appear as a team on the rise in this lockout shortened season to gain more interest than we’ve had in the past.
Despite their current ranking on sites like draft express and nba draft.net, i would be really excited if the suns were able to draft either kabongo or marshall. Yes, teague is rated higher and he is an exciting talent, but i see him more as a score first pointguard who is more style than substance.
Kabongo is a better athlete and defender than marshall but both are gifted playmakers and excellent taking care of the ball. It wouldn’t hurt for us to draft someone like teague, though marshall or kabongo might end up being a better choice because they"ll look to get everyone else involved first.
Kidd-gilchrest would be a very good choice as well since he’s a strong perimeter defender and a great athlete. I would be happy taking someone like middleton or buford because they already have polished games and are skilled shooters.
Adding a shooting guard that can make highlight-reel dunks is great, but if i had my choice, i’d look for the next jeff hornacek or dell curry before adding another athlete with raw skills at the two.
I miss us having that deadly pure shooter that people are afraid of leaving open. We haven’t had a player like that (other than steve) for quite a while.
by jay humphries on Dec 2, 2011 12:58 PM MST reply actions 1 recs
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