slinslin
Welcome to Amareca
This must be the first time something worth reading was posted over there
Greg White: The biggest thing on everyone's mind is, are the Suns big enough up front to battle for a playoff spot in the West?
Bryan Colangelo: With Kenyon Martin coming west, and the versatility of Lamar Odom, being big enough is definitely a concern. But being versatile is key. Jake Voskuhl can bang inside. Even though he is not a dominant player inside, we want to see what Jake and Steven Hunter can do. The versatility will help because we want to see how effective our small group will be. Remember, when we go small, teams will have to adjust to us, and we should wreak havoc with our athleticism.
GW: What went into the decision to not add Scott Williams as another big body and a mentor for the young bigs?
BC: We wanted to add a player for camp, but Williams was looking for a fully guaranteed offer. We weren't willing to offer something fully guaranteed. Even though we talked about coaching, I think Williams still wanted to play more. We couldn't agree on the money. He obviously was able to get what he wanted from Cleveland and I am very happy for him.
GW: What is the status of Howard Eisley - will he be cut, traded?
BC: When we got Howard as part of the deal with New York, we thought he would have an impact last year. Things didn't really work out, and we really liked what we saw from Barbosa. Barbosa is young and he really shined so we decided to go that route, plus we wanted to see how Johnson performed at the point as well. Now with the addition of Nash, and Yuta Tabuse, that moves Eisley back more. We discussed a buyout, but it isn't about the money. We really like Howard, he is a really good guy, and we would like to find a situation for him where he can go play. We would like to help find an opportunity for him, as well as lighten our load a little bit.
GW: With as many guards as the Suns have - Nash, JJ, Barbosa, Q, and possibly Yuta - where does that leave Casey? Does he get extended?
BC: We really like Casey a lot. He does what he is told and practices hard. What we see out of Casey is effort everyday, and he is reliable in and out of the locker room. Time will tell if he has a spot in the future on this team. We will let the new owners come in and evaluate the situation before making a decision about picking up his option.
GW: There has been some thoughts that keeping Yuta Tabuse is more for show, marketing, etc?
BC: It definitely isn't marketing because we don't see any money from merchandise sales. If it gets exposure for the NBA, than good. But if he makes the team it will be purely based on skill. He could make it even just for practice purposes. He is really feisty and will push the players. He can emulate Steve Nash in practices, because there will be times that we wont want Nash to practice every single day. It is important to practice the way you play, and play the way you practice. You want that continuity from the practice to the floor. Yuta may be able to provide that.
GW: What about the many rumors about Marion possibly on the move?
BC: That was just that, rumors. People looked at the money Marion makes, and the fact that we brought in Q, and assumed we were looking to move Marion. That is not the case. If it was Joe Johnson that was making that money, people would have had his name in the rumors. I in fact called Marion during the Olympics to assure him that the rumors were false.
GW: Last question. Are you looking to re-sign Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudemire to an extension?
BC: We are looking to re-sign them. Joe Johnson is what we are dealing with right now because he is due for his extension. We would like to get something worked out in the next 30 days. If not than we will do it next summer. After that we will deal with re-signing Amare Stoudemire
If it isn't about the money why don't they buyout Howard Eisley? He can chose the team he wants to play for instead of the Suns looking for a good situation for him....
Greg White: The biggest thing on everyone's mind is, are the Suns big enough up front to battle for a playoff spot in the West?
Bryan Colangelo: With Kenyon Martin coming west, and the versatility of Lamar Odom, being big enough is definitely a concern. But being versatile is key. Jake Voskuhl can bang inside. Even though he is not a dominant player inside, we want to see what Jake and Steven Hunter can do. The versatility will help because we want to see how effective our small group will be. Remember, when we go small, teams will have to adjust to us, and we should wreak havoc with our athleticism.
GW: What went into the decision to not add Scott Williams as another big body and a mentor for the young bigs?
BC: We wanted to add a player for camp, but Williams was looking for a fully guaranteed offer. We weren't willing to offer something fully guaranteed. Even though we talked about coaching, I think Williams still wanted to play more. We couldn't agree on the money. He obviously was able to get what he wanted from Cleveland and I am very happy for him.
GW: What is the status of Howard Eisley - will he be cut, traded?
BC: When we got Howard as part of the deal with New York, we thought he would have an impact last year. Things didn't really work out, and we really liked what we saw from Barbosa. Barbosa is young and he really shined so we decided to go that route, plus we wanted to see how Johnson performed at the point as well. Now with the addition of Nash, and Yuta Tabuse, that moves Eisley back more. We discussed a buyout, but it isn't about the money. We really like Howard, he is a really good guy, and we would like to find a situation for him where he can go play. We would like to help find an opportunity for him, as well as lighten our load a little bit.
GW: With as many guards as the Suns have - Nash, JJ, Barbosa, Q, and possibly Yuta - where does that leave Casey? Does he get extended?
BC: We really like Casey a lot. He does what he is told and practices hard. What we see out of Casey is effort everyday, and he is reliable in and out of the locker room. Time will tell if he has a spot in the future on this team. We will let the new owners come in and evaluate the situation before making a decision about picking up his option.
GW: There has been some thoughts that keeping Yuta Tabuse is more for show, marketing, etc?
BC: It definitely isn't marketing because we don't see any money from merchandise sales. If it gets exposure for the NBA, than good. But if he makes the team it will be purely based on skill. He could make it even just for practice purposes. He is really feisty and will push the players. He can emulate Steve Nash in practices, because there will be times that we wont want Nash to practice every single day. It is important to practice the way you play, and play the way you practice. You want that continuity from the practice to the floor. Yuta may be able to provide that.
GW: What about the many rumors about Marion possibly on the move?
BC: That was just that, rumors. People looked at the money Marion makes, and the fact that we brought in Q, and assumed we were looking to move Marion. That is not the case. If it was Joe Johnson that was making that money, people would have had his name in the rumors. I in fact called Marion during the Olympics to assure him that the rumors were false.
GW: Last question. Are you looking to re-sign Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudemire to an extension?
BC: We are looking to re-sign them. Joe Johnson is what we are dealing with right now because he is due for his extension. We would like to get something worked out in the next 30 days. If not than we will do it next summer. After that we will deal with re-signing Amare Stoudemire
If it isn't about the money why don't they buyout Howard Eisley? He can chose the team he wants to play for instead of the Suns looking for a good situation for him....
