AZCentral: Suns have options at every position

[Griffin]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0701suns0701.html

Suns have options at every position

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 1, 2005 12:00 AM

Today marks the first full business day of free agency, and the Suns are seeking depth at every spot on the floor.

Phoenix will not be as proactive as last year's Steve Nash chase, but will put out feelers. It has a $5 million midlevel exception, a $1.6 million to $1.7 million exception and veterans' minimum contracts to offer.


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The Suns' free-agent centers, Steven Hunter and Jake Voskuhl, could return. Two solid candidates would be Philadelphia's Samuel Dalembert and Portland's Theo Ratliff, but Dalembert may be too pricey and Ratliff's availability depends on Portland waiving him to get luxury tax relief with the "amnesty rule."

Seattle playoff star Jerome James might be affordable. Phoenix has showed interest in the past in Indiana's Dale Davis and Cleveland's Robert Traylor, but appears unlikely to pursue Memphis' Stromile Swift.


Swingmen
Phoenix intends to keep Joe Johnson, who is competing for off-guard attention with Michael Redd and Larry Hughes. He will be wooed by cap-comfy teams such as Cleveland and the Los Angeles Clippers, plus possibly Charlotte or Atlanta. The Suns have targeted Lithuanian shooter Arvydas Macijauskas, a pro in Spain, and Utah's Raja Bell who reportedly wants all of the midlevel exception.

Michael Finley, who will be waived by Dallas, is a possibility, but the Suns' interest may not be as strong as many suspect. Indiana's James Jones may be an affordable, style-friendly fit. The Suns have interest in Seattle's Vladimir Radmanovic, but he is a restricted free agent and likely would demand too much.


Playmakers
Leandro Barbosa controls his destiny, but the Suns may bolster the point guard position. They could look at Chris Duhon for defense, take a chance on Jay Williams, recovering from a motorcycle accident, or add savvy with Gary Payton or Darrell Armstrong. Earl Watson, Marko Jaric, Dan Dickau and European star Sarunas Jasikevicius sound nice but likely are outside Phoenix's price range.


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Players mentioned (a lot of it comes from "interest in the past" and Caro's speculations):

Samuel Dalembert (expensive)
Theo Ratliff (minimum)
Jerome James
Dale Davis
Robert Traylor
Arvydas Macijauskas
Raja Bell (full midlevel?)
Michael Finley (minimum)
James Jones
Vladimir Radmanovic (restricted, expensive)
Chris Duhon
Jay Williams
Gary Payton
Darrell Armstrong
Earl Watson
Marko Jaric
Dan Dickau
Sarunas Jasikevicius
_________________________

I still like the idea of adding Finley and Payton, although I'd like to see the Suns try out Jay Williams. Then use the midlevel (or whatever is left) on a big guy.

 

[PhxGametime]

Theo Ratliff has been 1 of my favorite players since his College days, just as Stromile Swift was (that's too bad)... I like athletic types and both have pretty good shot-blocking ability. Picking up Ratliff would be sweet...

 

[PhxGametime]

James Jones would be pretty good pick-up at a cheaper price... I liked him at Miami.


I like Chris Duhon, not sure what offer he'd get though?

 

[lancelet's cousin]

There's no way we give Raja Bell our full MLE. I didn't know that was the case.

I really like Earl Watson. He's my personal #1 choice for backup PG.

 

[George O'Brien]

Best bet is Watson goes to Atlanta. He gets more money and starts.

Darrell Armstrong looks to me to be a really good veteran minimum guy because of his defense.

 

[Gaddabout]

Earl Watson - no way, no how. Too small in spite of his aggressive defense. Offensive liability. OK ball handler, but what's the point if you can't get guys in scoring position?

Theo Ratliff - Does this guy have anything left in his tank? His body looked pretty aged for being only 31 last year. The Blazers gave him 27.5 minutes a game and he gave them back 5/5. He still picked up 2.5 blocked shots a game. After shooting 54% FG last year, he dropped to 44%. He used to be a 12/7/3 guy with low-end starter minutes, so I'm wondering if Portland knows this guy's lost something. I'd still gladly give him the MLE and bring the higher-payed KT off the bench.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Ratliff will not be available. Portland brass has said it repeatedly, yet sportswriters seem to refuse to acknowledge it.

It would be great to get Dalembert, but I'm not sure how we could make it happen. It would have to be some sort of sign and trade, but we don't have any salaries that would match.

The only sign and trade Philly might be interested in would be for Joe. Nope. Not doing that.