AZ Rep: "Suns still may add center" MArion trade possibilities. :(

[F-Dog]

How far has Skita fallen? I'm not sure the Nuggets could give him away at this point. Certainly, they were trying to do something like that this summer (to get more cap space with which to sign a SG), and they failed miserably at it.


Casey is not only cheaper than Skita, he fits the Suns' needs better. Lampe is bigger, younger and better than Skita--he could legitimately turn into a center someday. Zarko is quicker and smarter, and showed more than Skita ever has, in the only game in which he's been healthy so far. Hell, I don't even think Skita could beat out Jackson Vroman at backup PF.

Skita's "value" is based on what he might be able to do two or three years from now, i.e. well after his rookie contract is over.

 

[The Commish]

Skita by all accounts was considered a "Bust" last year, so why would we trade for him. I cant believe there are people out there who believe he is even close to be a center or a forward. There is no way the trade has even been discussed by Suns management, nor will it. End of discussion.

 

[Gaddabout]

East Valley Tribune says Suns are less than $5,000 from cap.

Hmm. Based on earlier information posted by someone else (sorry that I can't remember who), that would mean that Marion's salary is about $1 million per year higher than what's given on hoopshype.

Guess what? He's overpaid again.

I posted that based on a conversation I had with a connected Suns advertiser. The explanation was complicated and I explained I wasn't sure if I understood it correctly. The point of the explanation was the cap is never so cut-and-dry, and the Suns are essentially $1 million under the cap ... if they want to be. *shrug*

 

[George O'Brien]

There may be some incentive clauses that aren't showing up. At most, the space only makes a difference in a small trade where the salary difference is more than the 15% allowed. I'm not sure where that applies.

I'm not sure Nikoloz Tskitishvili offers the Suns much. Supposedly he bulked up last summer to prepare to play inside (he knew who the Nuggets drafted), but wasn't effective. He went from 1320 minutes in 2002-03 to only 307 minutes in 2003-04. To give some perspective, Ellison is a total project and he got 875 minutes and Chris Anderson (now a Hornet) had 1029 minutes. Even Doleac who was picked up in February had 344 minutes.

Anderson and Doleac have left, so Kiki decided to hang onto Tskitishvili (he was protected during the expansion draft), but he is hardly an attractive pickup.

 

[fordronken]

Since Ratliff seems to be the only one who may actually be a good fit, I was looking at what it might take to get him. I approached this from a "what would Portland need?" standpoint, not "what are we willing to give up?"

Portland seems to be stockpililng expiring contracts, so for them to give up a big one, they would need to take back enough talent to make it worth their while(not to mention taking on quite a bit of long term salary). This, of course, means Shawn Marion. Anyone who suggests a combination of young guys and Howard Eisley is just flat out wrong. Portland has enough over paid guards(let alone point guards) as it is. Shawn Marion for Ratliff straight-up, along with being too far off contract-wise, is also a bit off talent-wise. Would a couple of risky young prospects be enough to put it over the top for the Suns? I dunno, but honestly, this is as far as I think Portland would be willing to go in this deal. Anything more just wouldn't be worth their time.

Phoenix trades:
Shawn Marion

Portland trades
Theo Ratliff
Qyntel Woods
Ha Seung-Jin

I also considered deals involving a Miles sign and trade but, financially, it seems like just too much money for Portland to take on.

 

[George O'Brien]

ColoradoSun must have proposed more different ways of getting Ratliff than you could shake a stick at. They all boiled down to the same problems -

1 Portland likes Ratliff and plan on re-signing him.
2 Portland does not have a quality backup center since they traded away Dale Davis.
3 Portland likes Miles at SF and hopes to keep him once his salary demands drop. They are not looking for another one.