Alonzo Mourning

[elindholm]

I really don't think the question is whether the #17 pick will get any time. He will, unless he's completely incompetent. The Suns' bench is sufficiently thin that they need to keep their eyes open for any contributor.

Jacobsen played, and I think we would agree that he didn't play particularly well, but the Suns had to keep giving him the chance anyway. If I had to guess, I'd say that Jacobsen probably won't be around past his rookie contract, but that doesn't mean the Suns are going to give up on him immediately.

The question regarding Mourning is whether the potential payoff is worth the risk. If Mourning is healthy, the Suns are real title contenders. If the Suns acquire him in this hypothetical trade, and Mourning can't play, they have lost something -- Outlaw and a draft pick. Is that a loss worth mentioning? Yes. But how many fewer wins will it translate to? I'd say maybe five, if that many.

Without a major move this summer, the Suns can hope to be a little better, but I certainly don't see them as title contenders in 2003-04. The core will continue to improve, and that's good, but that's true whether the Suns acquire Mourning or not -- it's not affected by the hypothetical trade.

In other words, the future of the Suns is the same either way. It's the present that Mourning might help to address. Would he be worth the risk of everything going wrong and the Suns losing an extra five games? I think so, but others may not.

 

[hcsilla]

Originally posted by elindholm
It's the present that Mourning might help to address. Would he be worth the risk of everything going wrong and the Suns losing an extra five games? I think so, but others may not.

If in the Mourning (S&T) for Outlaw,#17 trade the 2nd year of Mourning's new contract would be a team option then I would do this deal at a heartbeat.
Even if Mourning would go down again we already dumped the last year of Outlaw's contract and if Mourning stays healthy...

Yes,I would definitely take this gamble.
I guess Suns would as well.

 

[fordronken]

Casey's long term position with the team will, ultimately, I believe, come down to whether he can be a consistent jump shooter at this level.

 

[SirStefan32]

I'd definitely take the risk.

However, I really don't believe that Pat Riley would want Bo Outlaw and a 17th draft pick.

 

[elindholm]

However, I really don't believe that Pat Riley would want Bo Outlaw and a 17th draft pick.

I agree. I think the only chance for the Suns to get Mourning is to bite the luxury-tax bullet and sign him to most or all of the median exception. Thanks to Gugliotta, this will be nearly impossible.

 

[SirStefan32]

I think the Suns should offer Alonzo their mid level exception. If you want to be a contender, you have to spend some money.
Having said that, it's easy for me to say... not my money.

Stefan

 

[KloD]

"However, I really don't believe that Pat Riley would want Bo Outlaw and a 17th draft pick."

I gotta disagree, Riley loves guys like Bo and he would be a good addition for them on defense. He might also like having two first round picks which might make it possible to trade up in the draft for a guy who would be an impact. Right now Miami gets nothing if Mourning leaves, as he is not under contract for next year. This
would allow them to bring in a Vet who plays D and maybe a blue chip rookie or if not they could draft two and start the rebuild. I think Riley would at least think about this rather than blow it off.

 

[JS22]

All of this talk it nice and all...but i doubt any of it will happen.

But if Mourning was healthy and had a health clause in his contract then I would do it once, and then id make the trade again.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Pat riley would not trade for Bo Outlaw. While his style of play would undoubtedly be appreciated by Riley, the heat would loose all salary cap possibilities. The Heat are going to be like 7 million under the cap from what I hear. If they trade Zo's expiring contract for a 5mil a year in Bo, they just lost out on the FA market big time.

A lot of players can be had for the money the heat have to play with. This is a strong FA year.

They could look at Odom, Magette, Olowakandi, Arenas, PJ Brown just to name a few. All of those players would be better then Outlaw and a #17 would be....both for the now and the future IMO.

 

[elindholm]

I think the Suns should offer Alonzo their mid level exception. If you want to be a contender, you have to spend some money.

Ugh, what if he goes to the Mavericks?

 

[slinslin]

Where is Malone going if Mourning choses the Mavs?

There are some more interessting FAs.

Wesley Person, PJ Brown, Scottie Pippen, Stephen Jackson and Avery Johnson I think.

 

[SweetD]

Could Stephan Jackson play SF? He might be a great player to add back to the team? May come for exception Drafted by PHX and is good freinds with Marbury??? And maybe even get the starting job for SG is JJ never steps up?

 

[SirStefan32]

Jackson is happy in San Antonio. I doubt he's going anywhere.

Is anybody else afraid that the Lakers are going to sign Pippen and/ or Malone?

 

[elindholm]

Is anybody else afraid that the Lakers are going to sign Pippen and/ or Malone?

No. Pippen would have almost no impact at all. Malone would help, but their big problem at PF is defensively, not on offense. Malone's offensive game wouldn't work all that well alongside O'Neal's anyway.

The only role players on the Lakers who matter are the ones who can hit threes. The core is O'Neal and Bryant, and it will stay that way.

 

[Chaplin]

People don't understand that Malone's chief motivation isn't to win a championship, it's to break the scoring record. And he won't do that in Los Angeles. Frankly, his best option would be staying in Utah if he wants to break the record.

 

[jbeecham]

I think if Malone had a choice he'd break the scoring record and win a championship. But I don't know if he'd ride Shaq & Kobe's coattails to get there.

 

[Chaplin]

Originally posted by jbeecham
I think if Malone had a choice he'd break the scoring record and win a championship. But I don't know if he'd ride Shaq & Kobe's coattails to get there.

I heard a statistic that if he wanted to break the record, he'd have to play 2 more years and average around 20 or 21 points a game. That wouldn't happen on the Lakers.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Originally posted by Chaplin
People don't understand that Malone's chief motivation isn't to win a championship, it's to break the scoring record. And he won't do that in Los Angeles. Frankly, his best option would be staying in Utah if he wants to break the record.

You know it really is amazing that between Malone and Stockton, they will eventually have the all-time scoring, assists, and steals records between them.

 

[hcsilla]

Originally posted by slinslin
Where is Malone going if Mourning choses the Mavs?

There are some more interessting FAs.

Wesley Person, PJ Brown, Scottie Pippen, Stephen Jackson and Avery Johnson I think.

Person and Johnson will be FA's just in 2004,

 

[hcsilla]

Originally posted by SirStefan32
Jackson is happy in San Antonio. I doubt he's going anywhere.

SAS will have about 14 mil. cap space but to this they will have to renounce all their exceptions and FA's so Claxton and Jackson as well.

If they would use this amount on Nesterovic and Maggette (which would be pretty smart IMO) then they probably won't have enough money to re-sign Claxton and especially Jackson because they could give just the vet exception to them.

 

[slinslin]

I read on several Sonics boards that they will likely not resign Predrag Drobnjak.
He is a very good shooter and has ok size for a center.

 

[hcsilla]

Originally posted by slinslin
I read on several Sonics boards that they will likely not resign Predrag Drobnjak.
He is a very good shooter and has ok size for a center.

He is but I have read that he can return to Europe this summer.
If he won't then SEA is stupid not to keep him.