elindholm
edited for content
Hey all,
Having not quite succeeded in my resolution to stop posting altogether, maybe what I'll do is offer a "catch-all" post every couple of weeks, then let people flame away at it. So here goes:
Salmons: I don't know enough about his game to have an opinion. But if the Suns wanted him (which they did) and didn't get him (which they didn't), that has to be interpreted as a failure.
The team is very thin right now. Piatkowski won't be a rotation contributor. Jones wouldn't have played at all in the playoffs had either Stoudemire or Kurt Thomas been healthy -- D'Antoni was loathe to use him as it was. They need more players who can contribute at a level adequate for a team with championship aspirations, and it's not at all clear where those players will come from.
The backcourt is particularly alarming. They have only three guards on the roster. Piatkowski most certainly does not count, and anyone who thinks Jones can log time at SG is delusional.
As far as the "It all depends on Stoudemire" argument goes, here's the thing. It's not black or white. If Stoudemire can contribute at 100%, the Suns are probably fine, and if he can contribute at 0%, they're probably in trouble. But most likely, his contribution will be somewhere in between. Given that no one knows what that level will be, doesn't it make sense to strengthen the rest of the roster? I would think so. Heaven forbid that they wind up with just a little more talent than they need.
Hardaway: This is perhaps the worst idea I have ever heard. He was a constant malcontent in Phoenix, New York told him to stay home rather than (further!) disrupt team chemistry, and Orlando didn't even want him to report. How much more evidence do you need? Furthermore, he has been the worst defensive player in the entire league for at least the last five years, and yes, that takes into account his number of steals.
Gooden: He's a better player than Kurt Thomas, but Thomas is probably a better fit for these Suns. And the Suns can't have four front-court players on huge deals, which would be the case if they added Gooden to Marion/Stoudemire/Diaw. So unless there's a plan to trade Marion or dump Diaw, Gooden makes no sense.
Kurt Thomas: He got injured last season in an up-tempo style, but it's important not to confuse correlation with causation. Maybe he's up to this tempo and maybe he's not; there's no way to know at this point. My preference would be to keep him, but trading him next summer without taking on longer-term contracts will be quite difficult, I think.
Jeffries: I assume that Washington would match an MLE deal, but if not, who knows, Jeffries could be an interesting addition. Any salary more than that wouldn't make sense for Phoenix, for the same reason as with Gooden.
Lampe, Jacobsen: Sure, why not.
I reserve the right to add to this post if I think of something else.
Oh, right: Piatkowski's nickname is "Pike." Has been for years, I believe.
Having not quite succeeded in my resolution to stop posting altogether, maybe what I'll do is offer a "catch-all" post every couple of weeks, then let people flame away at it. So here goes:
Salmons: I don't know enough about his game to have an opinion. But if the Suns wanted him (which they did) and didn't get him (which they didn't), that has to be interpreted as a failure.
The team is very thin right now. Piatkowski won't be a rotation contributor. Jones wouldn't have played at all in the playoffs had either Stoudemire or Kurt Thomas been healthy -- D'Antoni was loathe to use him as it was. They need more players who can contribute at a level adequate for a team with championship aspirations, and it's not at all clear where those players will come from.
The backcourt is particularly alarming. They have only three guards on the roster. Piatkowski most certainly does not count, and anyone who thinks Jones can log time at SG is delusional.
As far as the "It all depends on Stoudemire" argument goes, here's the thing. It's not black or white. If Stoudemire can contribute at 100%, the Suns are probably fine, and if he can contribute at 0%, they're probably in trouble. But most likely, his contribution will be somewhere in between. Given that no one knows what that level will be, doesn't it make sense to strengthen the rest of the roster? I would think so. Heaven forbid that they wind up with just a little more talent than they need.
Hardaway: This is perhaps the worst idea I have ever heard. He was a constant malcontent in Phoenix, New York told him to stay home rather than (further!) disrupt team chemistry, and Orlando didn't even want him to report. How much more evidence do you need? Furthermore, he has been the worst defensive player in the entire league for at least the last five years, and yes, that takes into account his number of steals.
Gooden: He's a better player than Kurt Thomas, but Thomas is probably a better fit for these Suns. And the Suns can't have four front-court players on huge deals, which would be the case if they added Gooden to Marion/Stoudemire/Diaw. So unless there's a plan to trade Marion or dump Diaw, Gooden makes no sense.
Kurt Thomas: He got injured last season in an up-tempo style, but it's important not to confuse correlation with causation. Maybe he's up to this tempo and maybe he's not; there's no way to know at this point. My preference would be to keep him, but trading him next summer without taking on longer-term contracts will be quite difficult, I think.
Jeffries: I assume that Washington would match an MLE deal, but if not, who knows, Jeffries could be an interesting addition. Any salary more than that wouldn't make sense for Phoenix, for the same reason as with Gooden.
Lampe, Jacobsen: Sure, why not.
I reserve the right to add to this post if I think of something else.
Oh, right: Piatkowski's nickname is "Pike." Has been for years, I believe.
(We do share a birthday!)
