Bledsoe: To Keep or Shop

Covert Rain

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I am playing catchup. What the heck happened between Rondo and that team?
 

Hoop Head

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It's interesting that he got suspended by the team for fighting with the coach on the court during a game yet Marcus didn't when he did the same thing here. I think Morris should have been but either the front office or Hornacek, most likely Hornacek, are too soft to dish out punishment like that.
 

sunsfan88

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It's interesting that he got suspended by the team for fighting with the coach on the court during a game yet Marcus didn't when he did the same thing here. I think Morris should have been but either the front office or Hornacek, most likely Hornacek, are too soft to dish out punishment like that.

Hornacek is the type of guy that allows players to walk all over him. He's not strict or a leader at all. The problem is that's the worst type of coach to have for such a young team.

And that's the reason Hornacek wants veteran players so badly because he knows they won't take advantage of him like these kids do.
 

Hoop Head

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Hornacek is the type of guy that allows players to walk all over him. He's not strict or a leader at all. The problem is that's the worst type of coach to have for such a young team.

And that's the reason Hornacek wants veteran players so badly because he knows they won't take advantage of him like these kids do.

Veterans or not next season I think the damage is done unless there is an overhaul of the roster, again. I think that style can work in college but not with a bunch of multimillionaire NBA players with ego's.
 

cly2tw

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Too bad Rondo destroyed himself this way. But I guess teams would take on the risk of 3y 8 mil per deal with Rondo.:D
 

sunsfan88

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Can you deny that with Bledsoe as our primary distributor this season, no matter which supporting cast, the Suns were not a cohesive team? Look at the results. And the bickering.

And now they're going to clean house again. A fire sale twice a year.

Schoolyard basketball without regard for players' roles does not build a winning team in the NBA. I don't see anything archaic about that philosophy.

They have not looked very much like a cohesive team this season.

If you can sell high on Bledsoe and get a special player then I think you have to do it. I don't think we really have any "untouchable" type players when it comes to trades, it just depends on the value that we get back.
 

82CardsGrad

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They have not looked very much like a cohesive team this season.

If you can sell high on Bledsoe and get a special player then I think you have to do it. I don't think we really have any "untouchable" type players when it comes to trades, it just depends on the value that we get back.

Truth... Sickening, Sad... and Painfully true. Even Bledsoe, who I want to so badly like. I want so badly to see him blossom into an elite guard. However, at this point, I think he very well might be nothing more than fool's gold. I think for a team to be successful with Bledsoe as your PG, the team absolutely MUST have at least one legit, no-brainer elite player - NOT as the other guard, but at one of the forward positions or center.
At this stage, I honestly don't see the signs that would suggest Bledsoe will one day become that elite, top-tier PG and leader of a team. He remains a liability when shooting the ball. He continues to cough the ball up all too frequently, particularly on those incredibly frustrating aimless drives to the hoop when he jumps into the air, leaving himself no viable options to deal the ball or shoot it... And now, as of late, his defense seems to be falling off.

Is he the main problem on this team? Of course not. But IMHO, he is far from the solution as well...
 

Catlover

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Truth... Sickening, Sad... and Painfully true. Even Bledsoe, who I want to so badly like. I want so badly to see him blossom into an elite guard. However, at this point, I think he very well might be nothing more than fool's gold. I think for a team to be successful with Bledsoe as your PG, the team absolutely MUST have at least one legit, no-brainer elite player - NOT as the other guard, but at one of the forward positions or center.
At this stage, I honestly don't see the signs that would suggest Bledsoe will one day become that elite, top-tier PG and leader of a team. He remains a liability when shooting the ball. He continues to cough the ball up all too frequently, particularly on those incredibly frustrating aimless drives to the hoop when he jumps into the air, leaving himself no viable options to deal the ball or shoot it... And now, as of late, his defense seems to be falling off.

Is he the main problem on this team? Of course not. But IMHO, he is far from the solution as well...

I agree with you for the most part. I think you're judging him at his worst right now but I no longer believe he will become an elite player. And even if he does, I don't think you can go as far as you'd like if your best player is a point guard. Even someone like Nash couldn't take us further than Conference Finals and Eric is no Nash. But record notwithstanding I still think we're making progress.

Bledsoe at best is top 20, maybe top 30 and he's surrounded by players that wouldn't be starting on most teams. That kind of lineup is going nowhere fast (or at least nowhere good). You can still be a very good team with a Bledsoe as your number one but only if he's playing with 3 or 4 players at or near his level.

We have Len, Booker, Knight and Warren that all show glimpses of becoming very good starters but it's also quite possible that few or none of them will ever get there. So yes, everybody is a trade chip if the price is right or maybe even if the price is just almost right.
 

elindholm

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Bledsoe probably won't ever reach the level of being the best player on a good team, but he's the best the Suns have right now, and the only one currently on the roster with plausible long-term leadership prospects. Trading him would just be more flailing in quicksand.

I think getting a real SG is still the most realistic path for a quick fix. Knight's weakness as a floor spacer is part of what is forcing Hornacek to double down on this "stretch 4" nonsense to compensate. The problem is that, if you want your PF to play like a wing, you'd better make sure to have a legitimate inside presence at some other position, and the Suns don't. So then the defensive accountability breaks down and you get this chain reaction of dysfunction on both ends of the floor. If Morris had his head on right and played stronger, he still wouldn't really solve the problem, because the Suns would be too weak on the perimeter. Fix the SG situation first, and then you'll know better what you need to do at the forward spots.
 

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