Bledsoe Contract: 5 Years, $70 million

[Suns_fan69]

I missed this a couple days ago but it looks like the game of chicken ended because Phoenix blinked first. Sounds like Bledsoe called their bluff and had signed the Qualifying Offer:

http://arizonasports.com/41/1770696/Phoenix-Suns-Eric-Bledsoe-I-had-already-signed-qualifying-offer

"I actually had it signed already, I signed it," Bledsoe told Bickley and Marotta on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Monday. "I knew I was going to be back in Phoenix either way."

Not that it really matters anymore...

 

[3rdside]

Our ultimate destiny I believe may lie in Alex Len's hands.

Im pro len but that's just crazy talk.


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[AzStevenCal]

I missed this a couple days ago but it looks like the game of chicken ended because Phoenix blinked first. Sounds like Bledsoe called their bluff and had signed the Qualifying Offer:

http://arizonasports.com/41/1770696/Phoenix-Suns-Eric-Bledsoe-I-had-already-signed-qualifying-offer



Not that it really matters anymore...

That's a leap I wouldn't take. I think signing it was just a matter of course for them, they didn't submit it. The threat was always out there whether he signed it or not.

Steve

 

[JS22]

It sounds like you all are saying that Amar'e could have been another . . . Karl Malone.

Stockton & Malone -- never a serious Championship threat.

Nash & Amar'e -- never proved any differently.

'Just a good draw for the hometown fans. And some All Star appearances.

Our problem is that Phoenix is a much larger market than Salt Lake and more is expected.

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[BC867]

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My goodness. Ol' time cowboy Tex Ritter's son is talking to us from the grave.

I would have preferred to hear from Suzanne Somers.

My former wife and I were on a TV show called Wedding Party (for a girl to whom I had been previously pinned) which was hosted by Suzanne's husband Alan Hamel.

Thanks for the memory.

 

[Hoop Head]

Getting this back to talk of Bledsoe and the deal he signed, I was reading this article on Grantland about how Phoenix had to get a deal done with him and interesting note was made about the number of years as well as total amount of money. If he signed a max deal next summer it would have been roughly 4 years and 66 million dollars, his qualifying offer was 1 year and 3.7 million. It's safe to assume that someone would have offered him next money being an unrestricted free agent so basically the Suns got him for the 4 years max away team max deal plus 1 year at his QO by signing him for 5/70. When you look at the deal like that it seems to work out a little better. I thought it was a little high at first but the 5th year seemed like a good addition, provided he's health of course, so in total we basically paid market value a year early. There are other good points raised in the article, I'd definitely recommend anyone take a look. If it's been posted already I apologize but thought it was an interesting note regardless.



http://grantland.com/the-triangle/eric-bledsoe-contract-extension-phoenix-suns/

 

[AzStevenCal]

Getting this back to talk of Bledsoe and the deal he signed, I was reading this article on Grantland about how Phoenix had to get a deal done with him and interesting note was made about the number of years as well as total amount of money. If he signed a max deal next summer it would have been roughly 4 years and 66 million dollars, his qualifying offer was 1 year and 3.7 million. It's safe to assume that someone would have offered him next money being an unrestricted free agent so basically the Suns got him for the 4 years max away team max deal plus 1 year at his QO by signing him for 5/70. When you look at the deal like that it seems to work out a little better. I thought it was a little high at first but the 5th year seemed like a good addition, provided he's health of course, so in total we basically paid market value a year early. There are other good points raised in the article, I'd definitely recommend anyone take a look. If it's been posted already I apologize but thought it was an interesting note regardless.



http://grantland.com/the-triangle/eric-bledsoe-contract-extension-phoenix-suns/

I haven't seen it so thanks for the link (even if it has been posted). Lowe is probably the best read on basketball these days so I'm glad to see him basically signing off on the deal. He acknowledges there's risk but that it's a risk we had to take and he's right. You just can't let that much value walk away for nothing if you can avoid it. We couldn't avoid it with Amare but this one was within our reach. If the league solves the multi PG experiment, we can always trade him a year later (health notwithstanding).

Steve

 

[JS22]

My goodness. Ol' time cowboy Tex Ritter's son is talking to us from the grave.

I would have preferred to hear from Suzanne Somers.

My former wife and I were on a TV show called Wedding Party (for a girl to whom I had been previously pinned) which was hosted by Suzanne's husband Alan Hamel.

Thanks for the memory.

As far as my reasoning for the Ritter gif, Utah was definitely a championship contender. They just ran into the brick wall that was the Chicago Bulls.

 

[Cheesebeef]

It sounds like you all are saying that Amar'e could have been another . . . Karl Malone.

Stockton & Malone -- never a serious Championship threat.

that duo got to 5 Conference Finals and Two Finals in the last 7 years of it's prime. How you can construe them to "never" being a Championship Threat is beyond words ridiculous. I mean, BEYOND WORDS.

 

[sunsfan88]

It's easy to forget just how athletic Amare was.

He is a textbook example of why injuries are a lot more scary for players who rely solely (or at least heavily) on their athleticism. It is so easy to go from a borderline superstar to a complete non-factor.

Your right and it's amazing that guys like LeBron and Durant haven't been hit with big injuries yet.

Nobody relies on athleticism more than than those 2 especially the King.

 

[SirStefan32]

Your right and it's amazing that guys like LeBron and Durant haven't been hit with big injuries yet.

Nobody relies on athleticism more than than those 2 especially the King.

I disagree. Both of them (at this point) know how to play the game. Unlike Amare, those guys have high basketball IQ and don't need their athleticism to be effective. their athleticism makes them more effective, but they have more than just their athleticism.

Lebron could have knee surgeries on both knees, and he'd move to PF spot and still average 26/10/5. That's what makes Lebron a great player. Amare never had anything but his athleticism, except for that mid-range jumper he developed eventually. His basketball IQ was always very low, he never understood spacing, angles, and things like that because he'd simply beat people using his athleticism. Once he couldn't move like that, he had nothing left.

 

[sunsfan88]

I disagree. Both of them (at this point) know how to play the game. Unlike Amare, those guys have high basketball IQ and don't need their athleticism to be effective. their athleticism makes them more effective, but they have more than just their athleticism.

Lebron could have knee surgeries on both knees, and he'd move to PF spot and still average 26/10/5. That's what makes Lebron a great player. Amare never had anything but his athleticism, except for that mid-range jumper he developed eventually. His basketball IQ was always very low, he never understood spacing, angles, and things like that because he'd simply beat people using his athleticism. Once he couldn't move like that, he had nothing left.

No he wouldn't imo. The only reason he has an advantage even now when he plays the 4 is because he is able to use his athleticism and quickness to get by the bigger, slower players in the post.

If LBJ doesn't have the athleticism, then that won't happen. He's only 6'8 and doesn't have Charles Barkley type post game and even Barkley obviously relied on his athleticism a ton.

 

[mojorizen7]

Stockton and Malone -- never a serious Championship threat.

Come on BC...this is some serious BS.

Nash & Amar'e -- never proved any differently.

Outstanding offensive duo, but your two core best players can't be terrible defensively. Your stars need to be stars on both ends of the floor.

'Just a good draw for the hometown fans. And some All Star appearances.

I'd just say that the expectations are easy to meet and the demands in terms of pressure to hang banners is LOW.

 

[JustWinBaby]

Im pro len but that's just crazy talk.


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How in the world is that crazy?

Almost everyone believes our biggest weakness is at the 5.

He doesn't have to become an All Star but he needs to become a legit threat on the offensive end along with getting his share of rebounds while protecting the paint. He has been awful up to this point.

If we do get solid production from Len and Plumlee, this team could be pretty good. If we don't we have no chance to make the playoffs, IMO.

 

[Phrazbit]

I think we could get the same production we got from Plumlee and get nothing from Len and still squeak into the playoffs. We missed it by a game last year with Bledsoe missing 40 games.

If Bledsoe and Dragic play 70-75 games together then I think we'll be pushing 50 wins, if other guys play above expectations then we could be even better but those 2 are the key.

 

[Errntknght]

I tend to agree with JustWin but I'd have to say that we are almost as weak at PF as we are at C. If we have to slide one of them over to cover C, it will just about have to be Randolph... Tolliver has played center but he is just too weak on the boards. (Last year Ish Smith rebounded at the same rate as he!)

Frankly, I'd play Len whenever Plums isn't on the floor regardless of how crappy he looks - just betting that he will get past it quicker if he plays than if he doesn't. Heck, I'd have done it last year once his ankles were no longer an issue. I'm glad that Jeff doesn't have the option of moving Frye to C this year.

 

[SirStefan32]

I tend to agree with JustWin but I'd have to say that we are almost as weak at PF as we are at C. If we have to slide one of them over to cover C, it will just about have to be Randolph... Tolliver has played center but he is just too weak on the boards. (Last year Ish Smith rebounded at the same rate as he!)

Frankly, I'd play Len whenever Plums isn't on the floor regardless of how crappy he looks - just betting that he will get past it quicker if he plays than if he doesn't. Heck, I'd have done it last year once his ankles were no longer an issue. I'm glad that Jeff doesn't have the option of moving Frye to C this year.

I am with you 100%, BUT there is a caveat to that- the Suns have to be willing to lose some games because of it. This happened over and over again last year- Hornacek would slide Frye over to 5 and go small while Plumlee sat on the bench even when he was having a really good game.

Developing Len and Plumlee is more important than winning, in my opinion. Having said that, there is a lot of money involved in making playoffs, so from the business point of view, Sarver/Babby/McD may view that differently.

 

[Phrazbit]

I tend to agree with JustWin but I'd have to say that we are almost as weak at PF as we are at C. If we have to slide one of them over to cover C, it will just about have to be Randolph... Tolliver has played center but he is just too weak on the boards. (Last year Ish Smith rebounded at the same rate as he!)

Frankly, I'd play Len whenever Plums isn't on the floor regardless of how crappy he looks - just betting that he will get past it quicker if he plays than if he doesn't. Heck, I'd have done it last year once his ankles were no longer an issue. I'm glad that Jeff doesn't have the option of moving Frye to C this year.

I think Frye was more suited to play center than Markieff and we are going to see a LOT of Markieff at center this year.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I think Frye was more suited to play center than Markieff and we are going to see a LOT of Markieff at center this year.

I agree with this about Frye. I hope Plumlee and Len make Markieff at center a rarity.

 

[BC867]

I think Frye was more suited to play center than Markieff and we are going to see a LOT of Markieff at center this year.

That's the problem. Just as last season, it is a strong possibility that neither our starting nor backup Center will be on the floor during the last quarter with a game on the line.

As the season progresses, let's keep our eyes on that. It will be the best prediction of whether the Suns are preparing to be playoff strong.

 

[Phrazbit]

The issue is not that we are not putting those guys out there at the end of games, its that they're not good enough to be out there at the end of games.

I'd like to find a legit big but you can't force it. If Len and Plumlee are not better next year but they're still out there in crucial moments then it won't be an indication that we want to be playoff strong, it would be more of an indicator that they've given up.

Either way, expect to see Morris for 10-15 minutes a night at center.

 

[Mainstreet]

If I recall correctly Plumlee rebounded from a mid-season slump last season and played during the 4th quarter near the end of the season, at least up until the final few minutes. I don't think Hornacek is locked into small ball but rather playing the best players at crunch time. Unfortunately Plumlee and Len were not always the best players.

 

[SirStefan32]

If I recall correctly Plumlee rebounded from a mid-season slump last season and played during the 4th quarter near the end of the season, at least up until the final few minutes. I don't think Hornacek is locked into small ball but rather playing the best players at crunch time. Unfortunately Plumlee and Len were not always the best players.

It's the age-old question- do you play the five best players or do you play five best players at each position.

I am sure that if Hornacek had LMA and Noah, they'd be playing the entire fourth quarter and we wouldn't be talking about the Morris brothers at the two power positions. Unfortunately, we have Plumlee and Len, so the choice gets a little more difficult.

I still think you have to have a real 5 in the lineup for 48 minutes per game, unless you happen to have an insanely dominant, 6'10, 270lb low-post PF in which case, you should be able to get away with two PFs. I think that with no physical PF and two very young Centers, you might as well play the two youngsters for 48 minutes every night and see what you have in them.

 

[Phrazbit]

I dont think you need to play them that much to see what you have in them. If a guy gets 8-12 minutes a night on a regular basis you'll have a good idea if he can hold his own out there. Leaving guys out there who can't hack it for extended minutes is how you lose a locker room, culture of losing... all that bad stuff.

 

[Mainstreet]

It's the age-old question- do you play the five best players or do you play five best players at each position.

I am sure that if Hornacek had LMA and Noah, they'd be playing the entire fourth quarter and we wouldn't be talking about the Morris brothers at the two power positions. Unfortunately, we have Plumlee and Len, so the choice gets a little more difficult.

I still think you have to have a real 5 in the lineup for 48 minutes per game, unless you happen to have an insanely dominant, 6'10, 270lb low-post PF in which case, you should be able to get away with two PFs. I think that with no physical PF and two very young Centers, you might as well play the two youngsters for 48 minutes every night and see what you have in them.

I believe playing the best five players a team has to play but that can vary regarding matchups. Sometimes the Suns will have to go big. I'm hoping Len and Plumlee are ready to make that step at the center position.