ESPN Rumor Mill- Finley

[elindholm]

If we did trade him to a team he didn't want to play for, too bad.

Too bad for whom? Finley simply won't report -- it's not like he'd lose any money to speak of -- and the new team would know that, so there's no way they'd make the deal.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

couple points....

signing finley for the min is a great idea if we can do it....for these reasons

Injuries: please guys last year we were very lucky and while if amare, jj or nash goes down we are screwed, with our current roster we cant afford to lose any of the secondary players either. I doubt we will go another whole season w/o a player missing at least 20 games and this is where Finley would be a god send.

Cap number: I'm not sure of the salary cap ramifications but getting fins for 1.7.....? that seems like a no brainer to me. and with minutes you can rest nash more (w/ joe at the point), play small w/ marion at the 4 (which dantoni is addicted too) or just have a hired gun who can come in and very easily get u 20 points in a quarter every 15 games. We get fins and i guarantee you he single handedly wins 3-5 games for us.

Trade value: I gotta look up jacksons salary but all of a sudden we are in a great trading situation. think of all the commodities we have....JJAX (bet you denver would give up nene in a package w/ him as the center piece with lots of other stuff)barbosa (has value for his skills) voshkul (cheap back up big man which bad teams love) and the rights to milos (this wuld have been alot better if his ACL wasnt torn) plus tons of late draft picks that the suns hate to use anyway. no real singular value but together and thats all of a sudden pretty attaractive package (CLE, MIN, HOU, ORL, MIA could all use alot of those pieces) now we wouldnt be getting back Shaq but you have to like an effective back up big man with all that. and god forbid if we did trade JJ and marion for KG (as the other thread thinks about...i think this would be bad on a number of levels) we would have fins, bell and jjax (and probaly whatever garbage they threw in) to step in. YIKES!!!

1-NASH/BARBOSA
2-FINS/BELL
3-GARNETT/JJAX
4-AMARE/VOSHKUL
5-KT/HUNTER or OLOWAKANDI

ITS not going to happen (esp if egos got involved) but we can dream cant we..........

 

[elindholm]

I can't remember the last time I heard a player say, "I don't want to play for that team because they have too many good players and I might not get enough minutes to satisfy my ego."

They don't say it, but they certainly think it. It's pretty much what Mourning has been saying this summer about his situation in Miami, for instance.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

If we did trade him to a team he didn't want to play for, too bad.

Too bad for whom? Finley simply won't report -- it's not like he'd lose any money to speak of -- and the new team would know that, so there's no way they'd make the deal.

How do you know he wouldn't report? Maybe Finley's an honorable man and would honor the deal.

 

[tobiazz]

Wow. We're already talking about the ramnifications of trading away a player that we have not even signed yet (and most likely won't).

 

[SactownSunsFan]

Wow. We're already talking about the ramnifications of trading away a player that we have not even signed yet (and most likely won't).

You gotta love the off-season!

 

[Kolo]

You gotta love the off-season!

You gotta love drinking cocktails before noon on a Thursday.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

You gotta love drinking cocktails before noon on a Thursday.

Kolobotomy, I am offended! I would never drink cocktails before noon. I'd drink beer! Rogue Beer!

Seriously though, I was making a point that Finley would be a good signing because not only would he bring veteran presence and would be great off the bench, but he'd also have trade value.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Seriously though, I was making a point that Finley would be a good signing because not only would he bring veteran presence and would be great off the bench, but he'd also have trade value.

I will give you vet. presense. I will give you good lockerroom guy.

Trade value just doesn't make any sense though. He will sign for the vet. minimum - somewhere around 1 million bucks. If we wanted to trade him, we could take back a player that was paid about 1 million bucks. In other words, we would get nothing back in a trade.

Not to mention trading him against his will would only piss off Nash, be a horrible PR move, and most likely not improve the team.

 

[hcsilla]

After getting Bell signing of Finley would make zero sense unless you play some NBA manager game.

 

[nothin' but net]

I will give you vet. presense. I will give you good lockerroom guy.

Trade value just doesn't make any sense though. He will sign for the vet. minimum - somewhere around 1 million bucks. If we wanted to trade him, we could take back a player that was paid about 1 million bucks. In other words, we would get nothing back in a trade.

Not to mention trading him against his will would only piss off Nash, be a horrible PR move, and most likely not improve the team.

See your point, but don't entirely agree. I agree that he is worth more than the salary he will be getting. He could be packaged with someone (Voskuhl) in a move to get someone worth 4-5 million.

The other reason I disagree is that given the bargain contract, the only reason he would be traded is if HE requested it to get more playing time. Then it could be a good PR move in that we are trying to help give a veteran his dying wish, before he goes out to pasture. (provided that the dying wish was something besides winning a ring) I hope we could provide that.

 

[Chaplin]

After getting Bell signing of Finley would make zero sense unless you play some NBA manager game.

I'm not so sure about that. Is Bell and Finley a better replacement than Quentin Richardson? I would say yes. Is Bell alone a better replacement than Quentin Richardson? No.

Say we don't bring McCarty back and Shawn is back in his normal SF spot. Who is his backup? Let's say Jim Jackson is. So if you eliminate Jackson from the backcourt (except in the rare BIG lineup), you have Bell, JJ, Nash and Barbosa as the only guards in the rotation. Add Finley to that and it doesn't seem too bad.

 

[Joe Mama]

After getting Bell signing of Finley would make zero sense unless you play some NBA manager game.

Exactly... assuming they re-sign JJ like we believe they will.

BTW I did not think Q would get traded so quickly because he just signed with the team. I was wrong. However this would be different. We are talking about the good, veteran players signing with the Phoenix Suns for the minimum to make a run at a championship. It would be incredibly bad form to trade him or even really consider him as a tradable commodity. That is unless he was agreeable to the trade.

Joe

 

[SactownSunsFan]

See your point, but don't entirely agree. I agree that he is worth more than the salary he will be getting. He could be packaged with someone (Voskuhl) in a move to get someone worth 4-5 million.

The other reason I disagree is that given the bargain contract, the only reason he would be traded is if HE requested it to get more playing time. Then it could be a good PR move in that we are trying to help give a veteran his dying wish, before he goes out to pasture. (provided that the dying wish was something besides winning a ring) I hope we could provide that.

You took the words right out of my mouth...

 

[Arizona's Finest]

GUYS WE WOULDNT TRADE FINLEY IF MINUTES WERE A PROBLEM......WE WOULD TRADE JACKSON....trading Finley again after he signed for the min would make no basket ball sense as well as be a PR disaster. If he signs hes here until the season finishs...no question about it

 

[Gaddabout]

I thought the Finley interest was dead when the Suns signed Bell. However, if the Suns can sign him for the minimum, the barrel chested player could be a fortifying presence at small forward off the bench. Move Marion over to the 4 bring Jim Jackson or Bell off the bench, JJ over to the 1, and you've got a pretty dynamic foursome with which to run in the second quarter. I don't think you have the problems with Nash getting a rest the Suns had last year.

 

[sunsfn]

I'm not so sure about that. Is Bell and Finley a better replacement than Quentin Richardson? I would say yes. Is Bell alone a better replacement than Quentin Richardson? No.
QUOTE]

I disagree, I think Bell will prove to be a better player for the suns than Quentin Richardson.

 

[JPlay]

Richardson is a great rebounder for being a guard, you can't overlook that, plus he was one of the only young thugs we had on the team besides Amare. People forgot how deadly his shot was when he got rolling.

Finley is not nearly the rebounder, but he can light em up. When he's in a zone, he won't miss. He didn't get the touches that he used to when Josh Howard came aboard and Terry became the point.

Bell is a role player. He was brought here to play perimeter defense and knock down some shots. He doesn't have the offensive agressive mentality Q or Finley has. But he will play tough D on penetrating guards like Ginobli.

 

[sunsfn]

You gotta love drinking cocktails before noon on a Thursday.

Kolobotomy, I am offended! I would never drink cocktails before noon. I'd drink beer! Rogue Beer!
QUOTE]

If you have not had a "Wise Ass Red" home brew before noon on Thursday or any other day, you have not lived!

 

[hcsilla]

. So if you eliminate Jackson from the backcourt (except in the rare BIG lineup), you have Bell, JJ, Nash and Barbosa as the only guards in the rotation.

Take out even Barbosa for a moment!

Either Finley or Bell is able to eat all of the PG/SG backup PT behind Nash and JJ. If so how would you give any PT to the other one (I mean either Finley or Bell)?

Moreover: How would you convince him to sign here if there isn't any PT available?

 

[asudevil83]

the way i see it, this team is not going to go with a conventional lineup to start the season.

Amare/Thomas
Marion/Thomas
JJ/JJax/Dijon
Bell/JJax
Nash/Barbs

that's what it would look like if the season were to start today. we dont have the frontcourt power to start Thomas and Amare. we also have a LOADED SF/SG rotation. using Marion where he was extremely successful would make a lot of sense.

if we could then re-up Hunter and sign Finley we'd be set. in this rotation, Finley can start at the SG.

Amare/Hunter
Marion/Thomas
JJ/JJax
Finley/Bell
Nash/Barbs

sounds pretty simple to me. if finley goes down or drops off a bunch, Bell is right there to take over the starting role. i wouldnt mind the addition of another PG to the team though...someone cheap.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

the way i see it, this team is not going to go with a conventional lineup to start the season.

Amare/Thomas
Marion/Thomas
JJ/JJax/Dijon
Bell/JJax
Nash/Barbs

that's what it would look like if the season were to start today. we dont have the frontcourt power to start Thomas and Amare. we also have a LOADED SF/SG rotation. using Marion where he was extremely successful would make a lot of sense.

if we could then re-up Hunter and sign Finley we'd be set. in this rotation, Finley can start at the SG.

Amare/Hunter
Marion/Thomas
JJ/JJax
Finley/Bell
Nash/Barbs

sounds pretty simple to me. if finley goes down or drops off a bunch, Bell is right there to take over the starting role. i wouldnt mind the addition of another PG to the team though...someone cheap.

everyone that keeps saying we're not gonna start kurt is just flat out wrong. i won't even say that's my opinion, it's just wrong.

last year the thinking behind starting q wasn't to deliberately go small and create matchup problems. remember, everything the coaching staff said was that they just wanted to start their best five players, regardless of position. in fact, they said the small ball was something they figured they'd start occasionally, but never foresaw it taking off the way it did. i'm 100% certain (absent injury or act of god) that kurt will start and we'll have a more conventional lineup.

 

[asudevil83]

everyone that keeps saying we're not gonna start kurt is just flat out wrong. i won't even say that's my opinion, it's just wrong.

last year the thinking behind starting q wasn't to deliberately go small and create matchup problems. remember, everything the coaching staff said was that they just wanted to start their best five players, regardless of position. in fact, they said the small ball was something they figured they'd start occasionally, but never foresaw it taking off the way it did. i'm 100% certain (absent injury or act of god) that kurt will start and we'll have a more conventional lineup.

then who the hell is going to backup Amare and Kurt? Voskuhl? if its not Marion then who? Hunter isnt signed. are we going to rely on some rookie big guys to do the job? i sure as hell hope not.

if we had backups for our front court then i'd agree with you. but as it stands RIGHT NOW......WE DONT. that could change in the coming weeks. but like i said, as it stands right now, i see Marion starting with Thomas backing up both Amare and Marion.

 

[Chaplin]

everyone that keeps saying we're not gonna start kurt is just flat out wrong. i won't even say that's my opinion, it's just wrong.

THANK YOU!!

Raja Bell starting over Kurt Thomas?? You've GOT TO be kidding me!!

Kurt Thomas will start. You can bet on that.

Who will back them up? Well, free agency isn't over yet--but you don't put a good player like Thomas on the bench just to do it.

 

[Chaplin]

then who the hell is going to backup Amare and Kurt? Voskuhl? if its not Marion then who? Hunter isnt signed. are we going to rely on some rookie big guys to do the job? i sure as hell hope not.

if we had backups for our front court then i'd agree with you. but as it stands RIGHT NOW......WE DONT. that could change in the coming weeks. but like i said, as it stands right now, i see Marion starting with Thomas backing up both Amare and Marion.

Dude, the season isn't starting tomorrow, take a pill for a second and relax. Everybody is interchangable on this team, and I fully expect us to bring in at least one other big man--we sorta have to with roster limits, and like you said, backup help.