Barbosa not going anywhere - article

[Joe Mama]

Barbosa not going anywhere
By Mike Tulumello, Tribune
July 6, 2005


You’re a Suns fan, and you like to dump on Leandro Barbosa.
Admit it. You want to see the Suns bring in somebody else to back up Steve Nash for the upcoming season.

You’re likely to be disappointed.

The No. 1 goal of the Suns’ summer activities — the two-day camp that concluded Tuesday and the summer league in Las Vegas that starts today — is to continue to develop and evaluate Barbosa.

Besides, the Suns don’t have much salary room to devote to the point guard spot, where they’ve already got players in Nash, Barbosa and, presumably, Joe Johnson.

They have a $1.6 million exception to the salary cap they figure to use on a backup big man.

So, until further notice, Barbosa is an option as Nash’s backup. Barbosa rode an elevator last season — down in an injury-marred, erratic early portion of the season, then up in a strong finish. His playing time diminished in the postseason, as the Suns — as teams often do in the playoffs — narrowed their playing rotation.

Coach Mike D’Antoni swung Johnson over from off guard to back up Nash, which also opened more time for Jim Jackson. When Johnson suffered an eye-socket injury, "The Brazilian Blur" got back in the lineup. Apparently, all of this was enough to draw the ire of fans, who clearly want an upgrade from the 22-year-old. On one point, the critics may well be right: A player either has point-guard instincts or he doesn’t — they can’t really be taught — and Barbosa may never be anything more than a fill-in point guard.

Ask Barbosa what spot he enjoys playing, and he replies, "I can play both. "I like the two (off-guard spot), especially when I play with Steve Nash. I love when I can run without the ball and make a fast break." Of course, "My job right now is to play point guard. That’s what I’m focused on. I have to work at this job."

Barbosa may be a combo guard who can back up at both spots. But to do so regularly, he must improve his defense.

"That’s huge for us," D’Antoni said. "He’s an offensive talent. To be a solid player, his defense has to improve." Barbosa needs "more of a stop-your-guy kind of mentality," the Suns coach said. "He’s going to have to do that and get better at it."

Barbosa agreed. "I have to guard my man and think, ‘He’s not going to beat me. I’m going to work to make this happen.’ ’’ As for the fans, Barbosa said: "I don’t know why they talk about me." But then he offered a reasonable explanation: Nash is the MVP, and anybody behind him will suffer in comparison.

"He’s very good," Barbosa said. "He has a lot of experience. "This is my third year. It’s hard for me to get there. "But I’m going to get there one day."

Criticizing Barbosa is "easy," D’Antoni acknowledged. "But he has a lot of talent that we don’t necessarily want to throw to the curb side. He played well for us in a lot of games. "He just needs to take another step. He’s a very young player in a foreign environment. We have patience." So, for the time being, Barbosa is a keeper. Like it or not.

 

[playstation]

that's all good. barbosa is too likable to get down on. but i'd still have to believe it really depends on if a more dependable pg is willing to come here for the minimum. if so, why not?

 

[JS22]

Barbosa deserves 1 more year, imo. THEN we can talk about a new backup PG.

 

[SweetD]

Barbosa deserves 1 more year, imo. THEN we can talk about a new backup PG.

I agree. He still has alot to learn.

 

[lancelet's cousin]

I've never been for trading barbosa. He has gobs of potential. He's one of the Sun's I'll be rooting the hardest to improve next season.

 

[jbeecham]

I've always been a Barbosa fan, but even I started to turn on him last season because of his lack of playmaking ability. I don't expect him to be Steve Nash, but it really seemed like he had no clue how to run an offense and could never make the entry pass into the paint. I'm glad he's working on his defense, but I hope he concentrates more on getting assists in the summer league and less on scoring. His combination of height, speed and quickness is pretty rare in the league and I don't want to give up on him. I just don't know if he'll ever get there mentally and start to understand the NBA game and what his role needs to be to be successful.

 

[Errntknght]

This is not the time to worry about giving PT to Barbosa as a PG. The success of this season could well depend on keeping Nash's minutes down so you take every reasonable step available to make it happen. It's certainly a reasonable step to add the best vet PG you can get for a minimum salary.

If they want to develope Leandro's PG ability as a background activity or in the summer leagues, that's fine but don't put the pressure on him of being Nash's backup. Focus on his D, because he needs that whichever way he winds up going, and build his confidence in his offensive game. Work with him on his fast break game. All of that is valuable in the upcoming year and will be useful in the long run, too.

 

[JCSunsfan]

This is not the time to worry about giving PT to Barbosa as a PG. The success of this season could well depend on keeping Nash's minutes down so you take every reasonable step available to make it happen. It's certainly a reasonable step to add the best vet PG you can get for a minimum salary.

If they want to develope Leandro's PG ability as a background activity or in the summer leagues, that's fine but don't put the pressure on him of being Nash's backup. Focus on his D, because he needs that whichever way he winds up going, and build his confidence in his offensive game. Work with him on his fast break game. All of that is valuable in the upcoming year and will be useful in the long run, too.

There really aren't any good options out there.

Nash, JJ, Barbosa, JimJ, Bell

in that order, for our pg rotation.

 

[Mainstreet]

Barbosa deserves 1 more year, imo. THEN we can talk about a new backup PG.

I don't know why it always has to be one way or the other.

I would like to keep Barbosa and add a veteran PG (at the minimum) for insurance. If Barbosa beats him out, great, that's what we want Barbosa to do... be our backup PG. However, if Barbosa should struggle at the PG position again, then the Suns have a veteran PG already on board.

I just want Nash to get sufficient rest on the bench this year so he remains healthy.

Essentially, a tired or injured Nash equals no Championship. Remember last year when Nash could only go to the bench for a few minutes before the team became unglued. Please, let's not make this mistake again and risk injury to Nash because of lack of rest.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I don't know why it always has to be one way or the other.

I would like to keep Barbosa and add a veteran PG (at the minimum) for insurance. If Barbosa beats him out, great that's we want Barbosa to do... be our backup PG. However, if Barbosa should struggle at the PG position again, then the Suns have a veteran PG already on board.

I just want Nash to get sufficient rest on the bench this year so he remains healthy.

.

Like I said. The pg to sign is JJ.

 

[Mainstreet]

Like I said. The pg to sign is JJ.

Do you really want to force JJ or a committee of players to backup Nash if Barbosa struggles at the point. JJ is too valueable at too many positions both offensively and defensively to be our backup PG. Certainly JJ can play the point for brief stretches of time but I do not want this role thrust on him.

I really don't understand why anyone would have trouble adding a veteran PG at the minimum to an expanded roster if not just for insurance alone.

 

[elindholm]

I really don't understand why anyone would have trouble adding a veteran PG at the minimum to an expanded roster if not just for insurance alone.

Right, especially since Nash is pretty much guaranteed to miss at least a handful of games each season. If Nash is injured, who backs up Johnson?

 

[Yuma]

I remember when people in Phoenix thought Steve Nash was more of a shooting guard and was too small for that position, plus we had the ultimate PG in Jason Kidd. On one of the old boards I used to frequent, I was one of the few who wanted to keep Nash at the time. Then we traded Nash and I watched from afar as he developed into a great point guard.

The only difference I see from Nash and Barbosa, is Nash KNEW all along he wanted to be a PG. He trained himself to do that. Barbosa doesn't seem like he had that mentality when he came to the Suns. That probably set him a year behind from the start playing PG in the NBA.

You can see Barbosa starting to have the light click on as to what it takes to play in the NBA. I would rather at least let him play out his rookie contract and see where that experience takes him. The guy was an extremly young guy when we got him. Most fans expect European players to have a long development time. I don't understand why that doesn't apply to a foreign player like Barbosa, also.

You don't find guys with the quickness and speed Barbosa has on the street. His raw ability alone should have most fans waiting to see what he does. I already think Barbosa is a better choice than some of the retread back up PGs out there. Might as well let him give it a go.

Ultimatly, for us to really dominate the NBA for years to come, I think we need JJ to take over PG and get a 6'8" to 6'10" SG, or vice versa. Having a huge back court that causes match up problems while Amare develops into a goto PF/C is what I think would make us a dominant team for years to come. It's obvious finding great centers for Phoenix just doesn't happen. However, we have had a pretty good run at the guard spots. I'd really like to see us dominate that area of play.

I know I just argued to keep Barbosa, and want JJ to ultimatly be part of a huge back court tandem, but that still doesn't mean Barbosa couldn't be an effective off the bench player for Phoenix on a team, either.

 

[JS22]

I really don't understand why anyone would have trouble adding a veteran PG at the minimum to an expanded roster if not just for insurance alone.

Right, especially since Nash is pretty much guaranteed to miss at least a handful of games each season. If Nash is injured, who backs up Johnson?

......Barbosa?

 

[Mad Psyentist]

signing a veteran pg would...

1) fill a roster spot -- we have plenty of space on this roster and might even have trouble hitting the minimum with DECENT players.

2) provide insurance for nash -- we know we're going to need it. We were lucky last season.

3) relieve barbosa of the pressure to produce by next season -- from what ive seen, he gets way too excited when hes needed the most and starts to make bad decisions.

4) not cost a lot -- im sure we can get one for the minimum if it means they would be playing for a ring as well.

5) force barbosa to compete for minutes -- If hes got skills, he needs to show it. He should be earning his minutes, especially since we're playing for a championship. We shouldnt have to stroke his ego by giving him the job without earning it. We made the same mistakes in the past with Big Jake.

6) put less pressure on JJ to handle the ball -- I want to see JJ develop as a pg, but i also want to see him concentrate on his offense and defense on the court as well without having to worry bout setting up others.

I feel like theres no reason NOT to sign another pg. I dont think itll cost a lot and itll help us tremendously. We have everything to gain by doing so. Heck, we could even have enough left over from the mid level to offer more than the minimum.

Besides...theres no reason we cant keep Barbosa AND sign a pg.

 

[myrondizzo]

i dont see why people are so down on barbosa. he is very young and was injured last season. i also dont know who we could get to come play for the min that would be any upgrade to barbosa. yes the offense doesnt run as well as it does with nash but the same could be said about almost every other pg in the league and def all those who would be available for the min.

 

[Mad Psyentist]

i think its one thing to try and look for a veteran pg and say you couldnt find one so we're going with Barbosa. Its another to say we're not even gonna try to look because we're putting all our faith that Barbosa will develop enough by this season to be an adequate backup.

Even if whatever veteran pg we signed didnt work out. At least we tried and in the end we could just cut that player since he would only be making peanuts.

 

[Joe Mama]

I really don't understand why anyone would have trouble adding a veteran PG at the minimum to an expanded roster if not just for insurance alone.

Right, especially since Nash is pretty much guaranteed to miss at least a handful of games each season. If Nash is injured, who backs up Johnson?

Joe Johnson. Bell, Jim Jackson, and Thompson will be competing for minutes at the 2. Who knows? They might find someone in the summer league or a veteran swingman that they like for the minimum. They also sold Amare on the idea of playing a point forward. If that works we'll see him there for at least a handful of minutes per game.

I'll tell you why I think the Phoenix Suns might not sign a good, veteran point guard for the minimum. I get the feeling they're afraid of re-creating the Penny Hardaway/JJ situation. I think they want Barbosa to feel he is the man off the bench. If it doesn't work they'll just use JJ, Jim Jackson, Bell, and/or Amare.

It's not that I'm necessarily opposed to signing a veteran free-agent point guard. I just don't think it's all that necessary.

1. Amare
2. Jake
3. Marion
4. Thompson
5. Bell
6. JJ
7. Jackson
8. Nash
9. Thomas
10. Barbosa

The Phoenix Suns have to sign at least 3 more players. At least 2 of them should be 4/5's. Personally I'd like to see them use that last spot (I think they'll go with the minimum again because of Sarver) on a backup small forward. How about a guy like Stephen Graham who could probably play 1-3? I haven't seen how he did today in the summer league yet by the way.

Joe Mama

 

[George O'Brien]

Perhaps we should have a poll. Choose one: Leandro Barbosa or some unnamed veteran point guard who will run the team flawlessly, not complain about his minutes, and play for the veteran minimum.

Assuming the Suns need to use their LLE for a big (I have not heard any disagreement on that), then the options are pretty limited. Going combo with JJ, JJax, and Bell looks a lot more appealing than some of the little stiffs being discussed.

The only player who even remotely fits the requirements is Gary Payton, but it would tak a lot of convincing for me the believe he wouldn't be a lot more trouble than he's worth. I'm not worried about Leandro, it is no disgrace to back up a mutli-time all star. My concern is that he would end up being a Penny Hardaway, not willing to deal with the fact that he is not longer physically able to be the player he once was.

 

[elindholm]

I think Darrell Armstrong is the only remotely realistic candidate.

 

[Chaplin]

I think Darrell Armstrong is the only remotely realistic candidate.

Realistic in that he might actually be open to playing here, or realistic in that he simply would fit the system?

 

[George O'Brien]

I thought about mentioning Armstrong, but I can't see him leaving the Mavs for a veteran minimum. GP is clearly on the market, though probably not for the veteran minimum, but I'm not sure Armstrong really is.

 

[Joe Mama]

Perhaps we should have a poll. Choose one: Leandro Barbosa or some unnamed veteran point guard who will run the team flawlessly, not complain about his minutes, and play for the veteran minimum.

There's that damn face again. Oh how I loathe it.

I agree with rest of your posts though George. I would rather see them concentrate on the frontcourt 3-5.

How much will Eric Strickland get?

Joe Mama

 

[elindholm]

Realistic in that he might actually be open to playing here, or realistic in that he simply would fit the system?

All of the above. Note that I said "remotely." I think that all the other names that have been thrown out are basically impossible, because either they'll need too much money, wouldn't mesh with this team, or wouldn't be good enough to earn any minutes.

 

[George O'Brien]

Realistic in that he might actually be open to playing here, or realistic in that he simply would fit the system?

All of the above. Note that I said "remotely." I think that all the other names that have been thrown out are basically impossible, because either they'll need too much money, wouldn't mesh with this team, or wouldn't be good enough to earn any minutes.

Let's face it, the Suns gave up on Eisley who was effectively free since they had to pay for him anyway, just because he couldn't run the Suns offense and didn't have much else to offer. He contributed some to the Jazz, but not a lot.

To bring in a point guard, the guy has to be a lot better running the offense than JJax and Bell might be; because those guys are going to play anyway and using them at point is a way to get them into the game.