Does Marion Want Out Of Phoenix?

[azirish]

Kobe is arguably one of the top two to three best in the NBA. If the Lakers were to market him, it would take three rotation players and at least one first round pick. You know teams like the Bulls would give that in a heartbeat.

 

[arwillan]

Yeh because Nash, Kobe and Hill are all known for their notoriously low basketball IQ. You're right. Those ********* couldn't figure their way out of a wet paper bag....

:roll:

that's not what im saying at all. what i'm saying is neither nash or kobe are going to be a catch and shoot type player while the other runs the plays. neither one of them are very effective without the ball.

Kobe is arguably one of the top two to three best in the NBA. If the Lakers were to market him, it would take three rotation players and at least one first round pick. You know teams like the Bulls would give that in a heartbeat.

i think just about everyone would agree he is the best player in the world

 

[azirish]

i think just about everyone would agree he is the best player in the world

I seriously doubt you'd find people in San Antonio that would agree.

 

[arwillan]

I seriously doubt you'd find people in San Antonio that would agree.

well kobe has fans in all corners of the globe so you never know...
personally i think kobe is only very very slightly better than duncan though it's like comparing apples and oranges with those two

 

[Lorenzo]

well kobe has fans in all corners of the globe so you never know...
personally i think kobe is only very very slightly better than duncan though it's like comparing apples and oranges with those two

I agree. and the S.A. fans who could step down and use their unbiased b-ball knowledge would probably say that kobe is the best player in the game today. I dislike the spurs......i have been more annoyed by spurs fans more than any other b-ball fans. so i'm sure most of them would stick with duncan. Duncan is the best PF i've ever watched though. I wish dirk had 4 rings.

 

[Lorenzo]

back to marion. I don't know the details of what is going on with him currently. But i can only imagine that it gets to him emotionally......the fact that he is always talked about when it comes to being traded. Then when the suns lose it seems like he's the goat. an i'll be the first to say i've come out and attacked him for disappearing in big games in the playoffs. Maybe it's because he earns a big check. Maybe because he's an all star.
This year i noticed a lot of things about marion that i didn't notice before. Obviously i am not a suns fan, so i'm trying to be unbiased. In the playoffs, especially against defensive teams, marion doesn't get a lot of points in transition. a lot of his points are earned in the half-court with brilliant plays made by nash and other players. so maybe that's why the point totals go down a bit. I grew to respect something about marion though. His work ethic on the court is spectacular. He is one of the best rebounders in the league. He is the hardest working suns player alongside steve nash. Remember that great OT game against dallas in the reg season? well it was marion who made it possible to send the game to overtime hustling for the rebound and brilliantly tossing it back to nash. Then in the playoffs he was excellent in his defense of every spurs player. I just think if the suns trade him......they will miss him desperately.

 

[azirish]

It seems that from the minute Marion signed his contract, there has been a target on his back. He has been subject to constant criticism. It was a mistake to pay that much for a guy with his kind of skills, but he gets blamed for the contract, rather than the Colangelos.

Marion's main issue is that he's not a good "one-on-one" offensive player. Offensively, he is best used on breaks and as a cutter. His outside shooting is erratic and is not much of a ball handler. But he does the "alley oop" play better than anybody and is amazing at how quickly he can put offensive rebounds back in.

The problem is his half court one-on-one skills. Curiously enough, other than a decline in his three point shooting from early in his career, he's the same guy he was back when he signed the contract. Indeed, in orther areas of the game such as man defense he is far improved (smoother and less gambling). But offensively, his improved offense is mostly a function of the Suns scheme rather than his ono-on-one skills.

In a age when a one dimensional shooter like Lewis can get a $117 million contract, while a more talented Josh Howard gets only a four year $40 million deal and Bruce Bowen gets $4.1 million; the market is clear that one-on-one scoring is the primary basis for monster contracts. From a market standpoint, Marion is overpaid and will never live up to what people expect from a guy that expensive.

It is all about expectations. People accuse Marion of "disappearing" in the playoffs, but the stats don't support that claim. Last season Marion averaged 17.5 ppg during the regular season and averaged 15.7 ppg against the Spurs. Since the Suns averaged 10 ppg fewer points in the series, that was not a big drop in scoring. Also He shot 52.1% and 47.1% for three.

Marion averaged 9.8 rpg during the season and 10.5 ppg against the Spurs. His steals were down from 2.0 to 1.2, but his blocks were up from 1.5 to 2.3. He was given one of the most difficult defensive assignments in the NBA and still averaged 10.5 rpg.

In short, the claim Marion disappeared is a myth. All that happened is that the situation changed and the Suns needed more offense from the SF position. It's a variation on the old joke, "If you're so rich, why aren't you a better scorer?"

But he isn't a great one-on-one scorer and that's what is most valued. As long as that is how he is evaluated, it is why he feels he is not appreciated. Now for me, I'd happily give up the appreciation for $16 million, but NBA players can find all kinds of things to gripe about.

 

[BC867]

Gasol is redundant with Stoudemire.

If redundant means someone to take the foul pressure off Amare when they're on the floor together, and step in for him when they're not, isn't that a good thing?

Amare surrounded by Small Forwards and Guards is not a playoff caliber team.

 

[MastersofCombat]

Suns best bet for Marion is simple if you think of team chemistry and movement. First off I want Marion to stay for as long as HE wants to and not a MINUTE longer. If he has expressed any dislike for his teammates then shame on the Suns for not moving him, but in the same breathe I doubt he has and media speculation is ridiculous.
If a trade had to happen.
Marion - to Atlanta
for
Shelden Williams
Josh Smith
and $5.00 worth of scratchers

 

[Lorenzo]

It seems that from the minute Marion signed his contract, there has been a target on his back. He has been subject to constant criticism. It was a mistake to pay that much for a guy with his kind of skills, but he gets blamed for the contract, rather than the Colangelos.

Marion's main issue is that he's not a good "one-on-one" offensive player. Offensively, he is best used on breaks and as a cutter. His outside shooting is erratic and is not much of a ball handler. But he does the "alley oop" play better than anybody and is amazing at how quickly he can put offensive rebounds back in.

The problem is his half court one-on-one skills. Curiously enough, other than a decline in his three point shooting from early in his career, he's the same guy he was back when he signed the contract. Indeed, in orther areas of the game such as man defense he is far improved (smoother and less gambling). But offensively, his improved offense is mostly a function of the Suns scheme rather than his ono-on-one skills.

In a age when a one dimensional shooter like Lewis can get a $117 million contract, while a more talented Josh Howard gets only a four year $40 million deal and Bruce Bowen gets $4.1 million; the market is clear that one-on-one scoring is the primary basis for monster contracts. From a market standpoint, Marion is overpaid and will never live up to what people expect from a guy that expensive.

It is all about expectations. People accuse Marion of "disappearing" in the playoffs, but the stats don't support that claim. Last season Marion averaged 17.5 ppg during the regular season and averaged 15.7 ppg against the Spurs. Since the Suns averaged 10 ppg fewer points in the series, that was not a big drop in scoring. Also He shot 52.1% and 47.1% for three.

Marion averaged 9.8 rpg during the season and 10.5 ppg against the Spurs. His steals were down from 2.0 to 1.2, but his blocks were up from 1.5 to 2.3. He was given one of the most difficult defensive assignments in the NBA and still averaged 10.5 rpg.

In short, the claim Marion disappeared is a myth. All that happened is that the situation changed and the Suns needed more offense from the SF position. It's a variation on the old joke, "If you're so rich, why aren't you a better scorer?"

But he isn't a great one-on-one scorer and that's what is most valued. As long as that is how he is evaluated, it is why he feels he is not appreciated. Now for me, I'd happily give up the appreciation for $16 million, but NBA players can find all kinds of things to gripe about.

well said. I wish josh howard had a little more quickness(like marion and not that josh is slow)but josh does have some good one on one skills.

 

[Lorenzo]

If redundant means someone to take the foul pressure off Amare when they're on the floor together, and step in for him when they're not, isn't that a good thing?

Amare surrounded by Small Forwards and Guards is not a playoff caliber team.

the only problem is that gasol is a premier scoring big man. Phoenix can't afford him and gasol's team can't afford to lose him without gaining something of equal value in return. true low post scoring big men are scarce. and while gasol isn't KG or TD....he's a true low post scorer. He has great low post skills. amare is first team all NBA and is a perfect fit for nash. all you guys need is a solid backup which you already have with diaw.

 

[Errntknght]

all you guys need is a solid backup which you already have with diaw.

Thats what we thought going into last season... didn't quite work out that way...