Free agency

[JCSunsfan]

Wouldn't you know it. Just about the time we seem to be getting our center position nailed down, the biggest names coming up in free agency are centers.

Nene, Denver Nuggets - $11.4 million – Early Termination Option ($11.6 million)
Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies - $3.6 million – Unrestricted*
Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks - $12.6 million – Unrestricted
Yao Ming, Houston Rockets - $17.7 million - Unrestricted
Joel Przybilla, Portland Trail Blazers - $7.4 million – Unrestricted
Samuel Dalembert, Sacramento Kings – $13.4 million - Unrestricted
Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers - $6.8 million – Restricted ($8.8 million Qualifying Offer)
Spencer Hawes, Philadelphia 76ers - $3.0 million – Restricted ($4.1 million Qualifying Offer)
DeAndre Jordan, L.A. Clippers - $0.9 million – Unrestricted*




Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=18192#ixzz1CukdlDy0

 

[jagu]

In this list, I think the only players I'd pick over Gortat is Chandler (he's a beast even with the injury issues) and Nene. Gasol and Gortat are both 26 and I like Gortat's game more than Gasol's. It would be pretty awesome if we got Nene as the PF. I like DeAndre Jordan but that dude is one horrific free throw shooter and I don't think I could sit through hack-a-Jordan by the opposing teams. We would be a beast of a rebounding team with Gortat and Nene, then trade Rolo for something.

 

[leclerc]

Typical... but I'd still take any of Nene, Gasol, Chandler and especially DeAndre Jordan. Is Dalembert still any good?

 

[Hoop Head]

I would like to see them make a push for David West if he opt's out. We need to look for a PF, the C spot is full as long Gortat and Lopez are here with Frye getting spot minutes on occasions.

 

[elindholm]

I'm a fan of David West, but he'll already be 31 by the end of the summer. He doesn't make much sense for a rebuilding team thinking long-term.

 

[Hoop Head]

I'm a fan of David West, but he'll already be 31 by the end of the summer. He doesn't make much sense for a rebuilding team thinking long-term.

Which is why it may be possible to get him, at that age and with the Suns spending history he will fetch somewhere around the MLE and he would not be a bad a stop gap for the next 2-3 years while a rookie develops properly and by the time he expires a younger talent would be coming off their rookie contract.

We aren't going to get a high draft spot this year unless we package our pick with the Magic pick and move up to around the 6 through 9 spot.

 

[Hoop Head]

I would even trade Lopez and Pietrus for him now. Lopez is cheap and Pietrus is expiring, throw in the magic pick and they might bite. NO is always shedding cap space. West would fit in at 4 and move Frye to the 5 off the bench.

Worst case we miss the playoffs anyways and he picks up his option while we lose a guy who is not in the rotation, a center that we don't need that bad and a pick that will most likely get sold for cash

Best case he plays like he has in NO and we don't get embarrassed in the first round.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

he will fetch somewhere around the MLE .

Not a chance in hell. He'll make at least 10 million per year.

 

[slinslin]

I'd take a gamble on Oden for the right price. (MLE)

If we could then draft one of the stud power forwards Sullinger, Williams or Jones with our pick and one of the second tier PGs Walker or Knight with Orlandos pick.

We would only need a stud wing player like Harrison Barnes to complete a promising young lineup.

 

[sunsfan88]

I think Nene can maybe play the PF position for us. He can make a jumper pretty consistently. Mobile, good rebounder, good defender and an excellent post game.

Instead of ALWAYS trying the pick n roll when we get set in a half court offense, we can just feed it to him in the post & watch him go to work.

But he already said he's resigning with Denver, or he's going to BOS, Miami or NY.

 

[sunsfan88]

I think Nene can maybe play the PF position for us. He can make a jumper pretty consistently. Mobile, good rebounder, good defender and an excellent post game.

Instead of ALWAYS trying the pick n roll when we get set in a half court offense, we can just feed it to him in the post & watch him go to work.

But he already said he's resigning with Denver, or he's going to BOS, Miami or NY.

 

[slinslin]

I dont think Nene can do that and besides that he will be too expensive.

He is getting 8.5 rpg in 36 minutes that is not that good. Thats about the same or worse than Amare's rebounding.

If the Suns want an old-school type PF they need to move up to draft Jared Sullinger.

 

[JCSunsfan]

We need to go younger. We need a quality pg and a quality swing player. I know it sounds odd that we need a swing player when we have so many. But the problem is that we have so many mediocre swing players. We need a top level type player at the two/three. To me, it makes more sense to try to find one there. Its easier.

 

[Chaplin]

We need to go younger. We need a quality pg and a quality swing player. I know it sounds odd that we need a swing player when we have so many. But the problem is that we have so many mediocre swing players. We need a top level type player at the two/three. To me, it makes more sense to try to find one there. Its easier.

I'd say we should get a top player in any position. Doesn't have to be a swing player.

 

[slinslin]

I always read on phxsuns.net that PG is such an important position and that we need a replacement for Nash.

But I am asking: When was the last time a PG lead a team to a championship? Not since Isiah Thomas.

The Suns had one of the top 3 PGs every season over the last 20 years and all we have is one finals appearance and that was when we had a PF that was better than our PG.

Right now we don't have any young player worth talking about as a starter for a championship team so we might just as well take the best players available and make as many picks as we can get.

 

[chickenhead]

You can make a case for Rondo, IMO.

 

[joshstmarie]

I like Gasol, I think he has a great skill set and also has a fairly high basketball IQ.

Another name I like that I dont see mentioned is Kris Humphries, I think hes a restricted free agent. With nash in his pocket I think hes a 15-10-2 guy as a starter.

 

[slinslin]

I like your signature telling people to eat crow because

JJ Hickson averages 11/7 on a historically bad team and David Lee is averaging 16/9/3 also worse numbers than in New York on a bad team.

Kris Humpries is not a 15/10/2 guy ever. He is in the league for 7 years or so by now and this year is the first time he has been a good player for a terrible team.

Also who cares about the Nash argument, he is not going to play more than 2 more years.

 

[joshstmarie]

First off the sig is from the beginning of the season and Id still rather have both of those players over what we have now. Hickson is still young and has plenty of time to develop and lee went from being the first option in NY to #3 in GS. Maybe I should replace my signature with franchise saving Hassan Whiteside instead who you seem to be such a big fan of.

Youve been saying the nash is going to be irrelevant for a good 4 years now, one of these days youll inevitably be right. I dont think that should stop us from getting a guy who obviously has come into his own and is yet to reach his prime at 26. Kris is a late bloomer and with a steady diet of 30 mpg he will absolutely avg 15/10/2. You act like its some kind of far fetched fantasy when hes around 9/9/1 in 25mpg as it is.

 

[Mainstreet]

Another name I like that I dont see mentioned is Kris Humphries, I think hes a restricted free agent. With nash in his pocket I think hes a 15-10-2 guy as a starter.

I agree with you about Humphries. I liked him a lot even when he played with Utah. The announcers, when the Suns played the Nets, emphasized the Nets were very high on his future. I don't think they are interested in letting him go based on these comments.

 

[Absolute Zero]

OK, but why would free agents want to come to Phoenix, the franchise in decline? Other than for a paycheck of course.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Free agents go alot of places. You get a plan and sell a FA on his role in that future plan.

And then you pay him, of course.

 

[AzStevenCal]

OK, but why would free agents want to come to Phoenix, the franchise in decline? Other than for a paycheck of course.

I don't know but I do know this. Over the last 15 years, at least 12 of them have prompted the suggestion that Phoenix can no longer attract free agents. It's probably been said even before but every time something questionable occurs, starting with sending Barkley to Houston, people start claiming that good players will avoid Phoenix like the plague. Maybe this time it really will happen but I'm not going to lose any sleep over the possibility.

I don't really care what this management group decides to do. If they want to strip it down and try to rebuild or if they want to try and keep the team relevant while they rebuild, I'm willing to give them a chance. But what I need to see is evidence of a well thought out plan. This last summer seemed to be fueled by chaos rather than design. Hopefully, our most recent trade is just a first step in a near future filled with good decisions by a new front office. I'm a little leery given some of the comments but I want to see how they draft, who they pursue etc. this off-season.

Steve

 

[Chaplin]

Kris Humphries won't even consider playing over here. He's Kim Kardashian's boyfriend, and there's no way she'll let him leave the east coast.

 

[asudevil83]

The suns only have $5mil in cap space as it stands. so the pickings for the FA market are pretty slim