Hudson is bought out

[fordronken]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2956359

Sounds like he may want to go to Boston to team up with KG. He's not very good, but he would immediately become the 4th best player on their team.

Would anybody here take him for the minimum?

 

[elindholm]

Would anybody here take him for the minimum?

Heck yeah. I don't know what his injury situation is (not good, I suspect), but he was quite effective over stretches a few years back, shooting in the upper 30s from deep and maintaining an assist/turnover ratio up around 2.5:1. If he could get close to his former self -- and given that he's only 31 and hasn't played much recently, mileage itself shouldn't be a factor -- he'd instantly become the second best PG on the team.

 

[F-Dog]

IIRC, the last time Hudson had significant minutes, he graded out as the worst defender in the league--not just the worst PG defender, but the worst defender at any position.

On offense, he'll punish anybody who goes under picks (Derek Fisher), but he could never run a team. If he were on the Suns, Barbosa would still be the team's second-best PG.

 

[elindholm]

IIRC, the last time Hudson had significant minutes, he graded out as the worst defender in the league--not just the worst PG defender, but the worst defender at any position.

And that would be a problem why?

 

[F-Dog]

And that would be a problem why?

Because the Suns don't have any big men to cover for him at the rim?

 

[azirish]

Because the Suns don't have any big men to cover for him at the rim?

I agree. The Suns simply cannot afford to bench guys who cannot defend at least as well as Barbosa. It is bad enough trying to compensate for Nash, but to get someone who is worse is just asking for trouble.

 

[elindholm]

I guess I should have used an emoticon.

The Suns have already thrown in the towel on playing any defense this season, and we know D'Antoni won't play anyone who isn't a scoring threat. So, for a minimum addition (which is the only option anyway), they might as well target someone who could at least ease the minutes burden for some of their key players.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I guess I should have used an emoticon.

The Suns have already thrown in the towel on playing any defense this season

I really don't believe this to be the case. I think DA and Kerr BOTH know that losing KT hurts and the only reason it happened was because of a mandate from above, otherwise we wouldn't be interested in PJ Brown. Everything they say in the media is a face-saving measure to spare the guy who pays their salaries IMO.

 

[fordronken]

I really don't believe this to be the case. I think DA and Kerr BOTH know that losing KT hurts and the only reason it happened was because of a mandate from above, otherwise we wouldn't be interested in PJ Brown. Everything they say in the media is a face-saving measure to spare the guy who pays their salaries IMO.

Obviously, nobody thinks that trading KT and two draft picks for nothing is a good trade for us from a talent standpoint. But I do think D'Antoni has talked himself into believing that he wouldn't really have used him next year anyway, except in emergencies, and that it wasn't worth the money.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Obviously, nobody thinks that trading KT and two draft picks for nothing is a good trade for us from a talent standpoint. But I do think D'Antoni has talked himself into believing that he wouldn't really have used him next year anyway, except in emergencies, and that it wasn't worth the money.

i don't believe that for a second and if it's true, than we're never gonna beat SA.

 

[Maligzar]

And that would be a problem why?

Because we need a point guard that provides a change-up for Nash. We don't need another offensive guard at the point. It makes if far too easy for teams to scout us. If we can get a guy at the point who can play some solid defense, and perform and adequate offensive role, that would be ideal. That's why we went after Marcus Banks last year.

 

[playstation]

Obviously, nobody thinks that trading KT and two draft picks for nothing is a good trade for us from a talent standpoint. But I do think D'Antoni has talked himself into believing that he wouldn't really have used him next year anyway, except in emergencies, and that it wasn't worth the money.

well said, i agree completely

 

[elindholm]

Because we need a point guard that provides a change-up for Nash. We don't need another offensive guard at the point. It makes if far too easy for teams to scout us. If we can get a guy at the point who can play some solid defense, and perform and adequate offensive role, that would be ideal. That's why we went after Marcus Banks last year.

Leaving aside the question of Hudson specifically, this is a hopeless strategy. D'Antoni's "system" is to give the ball to Nash and get out of the way. The only backup PG who has a prayer of being effective is one whose game at least vaguely resembles Nash's. I wouldn't say that Hudson is that person by any means, but he comes closer than Banks.

 

[fordronken]

Leaving aside the question of Hudson specifically, this is a hopeless strategy. D'Antoni's "system" is to give the ball to Nash and get out of the way.

Come on, Eric. Who gave you the keys to the doomsday machine? Ever since the Kurt Thomas trade, you've been comically negative about every single Suns projection. Is this 2004 all over again, where everyone says that D'Antoni just rolls a ball out onto the floor and tells them to play? You know better than that.

 

[elindholm]

Come on, Eric. Who gave you the keys to the doomsday machine? Ever since the Kurt Thomas trade, you've been comically negative about every single Suns projection.

I can only hope it proves comic.

Is this 2004 all over again, where everyone says that D'Antoni just rolls a ball out onto the floor and tells them to play?

Sure, or 2005, or 2006. I've never had much respect for D'Antoni as a strategic coach. I think he's a good personality who inspires his players to buy into a team concept, and he gets some credit, I guess, for sticking to his guns after three straight postseason letdowns. But in terms of having The Vision Thing for what it takes to construct a championship team, I'm not even sure he'd rank in the top half of current NBA coaches.

 

[Chaplin]

Sure, or 2005, or 2006. I've never had much respect for D'Antoni as a strategic coach. I think he's a good personality who inspires his players to buy into a team concept, and he gets some credit, I guess, for sticking to his guns after three straight postseason letdowns. But in terms of having The Vision Thing for what it takes to construct a championship team, I'm not even sure he'd rank in the top half of current NBA coaches.

Good thing history proves your point and the Suns never got deep into the playoffs.

Uh, wait.

 

[elindholm]

Good thing history proves your point and the Suns never got deep into the playoffs.

Uh, wait.

Oh snap! Nice one!

Why don't you compare his record to that of Paul Westphal, who can barely get a job as an assistant NBA locker room janitor right now, and explain how he has distinguished himself from that level of company. For starters, I can tell you that D'Antoni has won five playoff series in the past three years, compared to Westphal, who in his first three years won ... wait for it ... five.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Oh snap! Nice one!

Why don't you compare his record to that of Paul Westphal, who can barely get a job as an assistant NBA locker room janitor right now, and explain how he has distinguished himself from that level of company. For starters, I can tell you that D'Antoni has won five playoff series in the past three years, compared to Westphal, who in his first three years won ... wait for it ... five.

Westphal left the NBA voluntarily due to problems with certain players. I believe he just got hired assistant coach for..Dallas?

 

[elindholm]

Westphal left the NBA voluntarily due to problems with certain players.

What does this mean? He was fired by two different clubs a few years apart, and then retreated to a low-profile college. Which "certain players" did he have problems with, most of the league?

 

[Chaplin]

What does this mean? He was fired by two different clubs a few years apart, and then retreated to a low-profile college. Which "certain players" did he have problems with, most of the league?

I never quite understood why Westphal got fired from us. I always thought it was because he and Barkley couldn't get along.

 

[Covert Rain]

I never quite understood why Westphal got fired from us. I always thought it was because he and Barkley couldn't get along.

Because he was a scape goat for the injury depleted Suns.

At any rate, I do agree it's not all doom and gloom. We know the Suns are going to be good. We know the Suns are going to be exciting to watch.

However, I agree with everyone else that thinks we took a step backwards in defense and size and small ball won't get it done. If the bottom line is a title, I don't know how anybody can look at this roster and think we have a better chance then last year. Especially, if we have to go through San Anotnio.

 

[elindholm]

I never quite understood why Westphal got fired from us. I always thought it was because he and Barkley couldn't get along.

Right, just as D'Antoni and Stoudemire have friction.

This is getting off-topic. The point is, D'Antoni's record through three years is basically the same as Westphal's was, including Coach of the Year honors in the first season. Westphal ended up being exposed as someone who didn't really know what he was doing, and it's entirely possible that the same fate lies in store for D'Antoni.

 

[fordronken]

Right, just as D'Antoni and Stoudemire have friction.

This is getting off-topic. The point is, D'Antoni's record through three years is basically the same as Westphal's was, including Coach of the Year honors in the first season. Westphal ended up being exposed as someone who didn't really know what he was doing, and it's entirely possible that the same fate lies in store for D'Antoni.

Except that D'Antoni has a system and a mindset, right or not. He has also won championships in a very competetive Italian league. His system can't be "give the ball to Steve Nash", because that means his championship winning Italian system was "give the ball to Charlie Bell".

 

[Cheesebeef]

Except that D'Antoni has a system and a mindset, right or not. He has also won championships in a very competetive Italian league. His system can't be "give the ball to Steve Nash", because that means his championship winning Italian system was "give the ball to Charlie Bell".

sorry, but I really don't see how DA's system working in Italy is proof of anything except that his system worked in Italy (a completely different brad of ball), especially considering his absolutely abysmal NBA coaching record without Steve Nash. Whether it's DA is a great coach is still very much up for debate and will be determined after Nash is gone IMO.

 

[azirish]

Except that D'Antoni has a system and a mindset, right or not. He has also won championships in a very competetive Italian league. His system can't be "give the ball to Steve Nash", because that means his championship winning Italian system was "give the ball to Charlie Bell".

Interesting theory, but there is a big difference between FIBA ball and the NBA. In FIBA (used in the Olympics), Duncan is not a big threat because they called traveling on him and wouldn't let him just plow over people in the post.

Also, hand checking is allowed, so it equals out the defense against guys like Parker who really struggled a lot in the first days of the 2005 Eurobasket.

Bottom line is that playing defense is easier in Europe, so D'Antoni did not have to worry about it as much.