Backup PG: Tinsley? Livingston?

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

I really dont see the need for another SF before getting someone to spell nash if we cant move Diaw for more of a 3pt specialist. I will go nuts if we get a wing before a backup PG. I am completely content with Hill/Diaw at the 3, and am one of the biggest diaw haters here.

 

[Irish]

My biggest complaint about Diaw was that he has always been a terrible rebounder. For a guy playing inside most of the time, his per minute rate is worse than many shooting guards. This year he actually improved over last yeargoing from 0.143 in 2006-07 to 0.164 per minute in 2007-08. But look at everyone else:

Stoudemire 0.268 per minute
O'Neal 0.369 per minute
Skinner 0.258 per minute

But his rebounding will be less of an issue when he's playing the wing. Hill averaged 0.158 rebounds per minute last season.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

I wonder what his curses-yelled-at-tv-when-ball-in-his-hands rate was.

 

[SirStefan32]

I really dont see the need for another SF before getting someone to spell nash if we cant move Diaw for more of a 3pt specialist. I will go nuts if we get a wing before a backup PG. I am completely content with Hill/Diaw at the 3, and am one of the biggest diaw haters here.

Couldn't agree more. Diaw/Hill is a very good combo to cover the small forward position. Getting a backup for Nash should be our #1 priority.

 

[leclerc]

With all that said, I would take Livingston in a frickin heartbeat long-term (if he is able to play THIS year, AND the Suns training staff clears him as being healthy enough to sustain at least 70 games). My main reasoning is because he can play PG and SG (if he can gain at least another 20 lbs then he can play the SF spot as well) positions when healthy. He has the skills to be a playmaker, an outside shooter, slasher and defender.

Me too... I'd rather take a chance on Livingston than having an old-timer like Pike sitting at the end of the bench. We have enough veterans and cheer leaders already, an shooter wise I'm fine with our usual suspects (Nash, Barbosa, Bell) especially if we sign GG.

I hope we stay clear of Tinsley and Smush Parker and get either Duhon or A. Johnson of the aforementioned.

 

[AceP]

Couldn't agree more. Diaw/Hill is a very good combo to cover the small forward position. Getting a backup for Nash should be our #1 priority.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! U guys forgot how we lost to the Spurs?!?

 

[Irish]

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! U guys forgot how we lost to the Spurs?!?

I can't believe you made such a lame comment.

Seriously, almost everything we've been talking about is figuring out ways to beat the Spurs. Drafting Lopez was to gt a buy who can defend the pick and roll. Moving Diaw is to move him to SF where he creates matchup issues against the Spurs. Drafting Dragic is because he has done very well defending Parker in Europe and gives them a big guy who can post Parker up.

If anything, you could make a stronger case that the Spurs are the Suns version of Mody Dick. A bigger reminder might be that it was the Lakers that went to the finals, but fortunately all their moveS should help with dealing with them too.

 

[AZBALLER]

Laker fans HATE Smush Parker. So if anyone is holding their breath for him, don't ask Laker fans.

Personally, I think it's an awful idea. Might as well bring back Randy Livingston instead.

Not even funny Cap. How many years did Randy set the Suns back, by just practicing with the team? At least AI wouldn't make that mistake

I'd take Livingston. I'm sick of every other team taking young retreads for cheap, while we miss out on them.

Edit: Not Randy, the other one who also tore up his knee

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

People don't want to bring in Livingston to sit the bench as a 12 or 13, that's a red herring. They want him because they are hoping he can play big time minutes here when/if he recovers.

The best thing for the back up point guard would to secure someone serviceable, not waste our limited money on a a high reward/risk guy.

i think that depends on your outlook. if you think our window is still open (as i concede the suns do), then you're right, he's next to useless to the suns. if you contend as many of us do that the window is shut, why not take a flyer on a high risk/high reward guy? particularly if you can do so at a reasonable price? he's still young enough that if he was medically cleared he could be a great, still relatively young, addition to the suns future squad. in fact, if you paired him with barbs, allowing barbs to play his best position (off guard) and you wouldn't have to be so worried about barbs being overmatched defensively as they could swap defensive assignments (of course, barbs would still get toasted by point guards, but at least he wouldn't be posted up by the stackhouses of the world).

 

[mojorizen7]

Although i was screaming for the SUNS to bring in PG Lindsay Hunter to back up Nash 3 yrs ago(over Marcus Banks) when he would have been more of a difference maker, he's an unrestricted FA again and although he's very close to being done....i would like to see the SUNS pursue him IF we fail to bring in one of the younger more effective PG's mentioned in this thread.
I would imagine that he'd come very cheap if he isn't resigned by the PISTONS and IMO would still be a nice complimentary backup or reserve at the 1.
He's a savvy vet,can still play some defense, can still get hot from the perimeter ,and played under coach Porter.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=1281

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

I think he is staying with Detroit as a player-coach in hopes of landing a FO job.

 

[mojorizen7]

I think he is staying with Detroit as a player-coach in hopes of landing a FO job.

That wouldn't surprise me but perhaps the Porter factor could come into play there if all else fails.
A plan "C" if you get my drift.
I don't believe he's officially announced his retirement yet.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Clippers renounce rights to Livingston

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-clippers-livingston&prov=ap&type=lgns

LOS ANGELES (AP)—The Los Angeles Clippers said Wednesday that they had renounced their rights to Shaun Livingston, the recuperating guard who is an unrestricted free agent, and four other players.
The other players are Dan Dickau, Boniface Ndong, Smush Parker and James Singleton.
Livingston, taken by Los Angeles as the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft, hasn’t played since injuring his left knee in a game on Feb. 26, 2007.
The Clippers declined to give him a $5.8 million qualifying offer this summer.
According to the NBA collective bargaining agreement, a renounced player no longer counts toward team salary, so teams use renouncement to gain additional cap room. A team can still re-sign such a player, but the team must either have enough salary cap room to fit the salary, or sign the player using the minimum salary exception.

After renouncing a player, a team also can trade him in a sign-and-trade agreement.

Work him out, and lure him in with our magical training staff imo.

 

[HooverDam]

I'd much rather the Suns sign Livingston than Lue. Lue would be a safer signing, whereas Livingston has sort of a boom/bust potential. Livingston is still very young, and if he ever got healthy, the whole PG of the future thing is no longer an issue. Plus, with his size (6'7''!!!) he and Dragic (6'4'') could take turns playing off the ball.

All that being said, I fully expect the Suns to not even consider him, continue Kerrs horse w/ blinders on style, and go w/ the safe move and sign Lue.

 

[Irish]

Dragic is the Suns "project" PG They don't need two and Dragic is healthy.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Dragic is the Suns "project" PG They don't need two and Dragic is healthy.

livingston isn't really a project. he's just an injury issue. when healthy he was really starting to show signs of being a capable pg. he sure hurt us repeatedly. he'd likely be less of a project, but more of a risk than drajic.

what's the harm in having two players with upside? i don't get this thinking. we will have drajic (though when we don't know), so we don't need more potential talent. huh?

 

[HooverDam]

Dragic is the Suns "project" PG They don't need two and Dragic is healthy.

Well I see no harm in having somehwat redundant talent on your team on the far end of the bench for little money. Livingston can play 1-3 (though his outside shooting isn't really good enough for the 2) because of his size, and we don't know when Dragic will be coming over.

In my perfect world, the Suns would get both Lue and Livingston. Sign them each to 1 year deals (though Lue may command a 2 year deal). Use Lue as your backup PG, and help Livingston recover and let him play off the ball some. He can back up Lue in the games Nash sits out. He can and Dragic can then compete for the job of point guard of the future when Nash is done.

 

[Irish]

When I first brought this up a few months ago, it sounded like the health issues for Livingston are pretty dramatic. I'll be interested to see how many teams without LT issues will be calling his agent.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

We had another thread on this about a month ago. There is a lot of people who think Livingston will never be effective. No one thinks he's going to much help this years. In any case, the situation changed when the Suns drafted Goran Dragic as their future PG.

If anyone can fix Livingston's knees, this staff can. (Penny, McDyess, Amare)

 

[Irish]

If anyone can fix Livingston's knees, its this staff. (Penny, McDyess, Amare)

Penny?

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Penny?

Pretty sure they fixed his knee and got him playing again too.

They fixed Googs knee too, he just wasn't the same player afterwards.

 

[Irish]

Pretty sure they fixed his knee and got him playing again too.

They fixed Googs knee too, he just wasn't the same player afterwards.

I guess we have different definitions of the term "fixed". Amare is as explosive as ever. Penny can still walk.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I guess we have different definitions of the term "fixed". Amare is as explosive as ever. Penny can still walk.

Ok.

 

[Chaplin]

If anyone can fix Livingston's knees, this staff can. (Penny, McDyess, Amare)

While the thought of Livingston rehabbing and being on the Suns is a tempting notion, unfortunately some other team will pay him more based on potential than we'll ever offer.

 

[msdundee]

The Suns training staff is great, but it's hard to see how they'd get any credit at all for McDyess coming back as well as he did. With the three surgeries he sat out all but 10 games in 01-02 (with Denver), missed the whole 02-03 season rehabbing, and didn't play the first half of 03-04. Suns only had him for the last 24 games that year and he didn't look like he had much left. He said himself he went into free agency in 2004 wondering if his career was over, but the Pistons picked him up and they got rewarded. Nice player, he'd be great to have on the bench right about now.