JJ's ready for bigger role

arthurracoon

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Suns mulling starting slot

Bob Young
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 2, 2003 12:00 AM
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/1002suns1002.html

A year ago, Suns coach Frank Johnson raved about the future of guard Joe Johnson and handed him the starting job in the club's backcourt alongside playmaker Stephon Marbury.

He wasn't ready.

"I felt like I was ready," he said Tuesday when the club opened the first phase of training camp at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. "But I was just coming into my second year, and I didn't know what I was getting myself into."

Frank Johnson later said he put too much on his young player's shoulders by saying in the preseason that Joe Johnson would be a big part of the club's season and future.

Penny Hardaway quickly took over the starting job and was a settling influence on a young team. When Hardaway missed 24 games because of a thumb injury that required surgery, Joe Johnson returned to the lineup. But his confidence wasn't much stronger than Hardaway's thumb.

Late in the season, however, he displayed his skills coming off the bench and was one of the league's best sixth men in the last month of the season.

Now, Frank Johnson may be ready to give the 6-foot-7, 230-pound guard another shot at the starting lineup.

"It's certainly an open position," he said.

For Hardaway, who doesn't report to camp until Friday with other players having four years of experience or more, that means having to prove himself - again.

After all, the Suns were 34-24 last season with Hardaway healthy. They were 10-14 while he sat out.

But for the 22-year-old Joe Johnson, it could mean a career mulligan.

"I want to be a big part of this team," he said. "If it's open, I'm there fighting for it. It's going to be tough. We're going to have guys going at one another, but this season is going to be fun and it's going to be competitive every day."

Now entering his third season, Joe Johnson has often teased the Suns with his potential. He's strong enough to guard forwards, quick enough to defend some point guards and can handle the ball like a playmaking guard.

However, when he has struggled to make shots, it has affected the rest of his game.

"That's one of the things I worked on this summer, just keeping my head up whenever I had an off game (in summer league competition), not getting down on myself," he said. "I played well this summer. I'm just looking forward to carrying it over to the season."

He reported to camp down about eight pounds from last season - a listed 235.

"I feel great, man," he said. "I'm ready to play and get the season started."

He hopes that means as a starter, but insisted that he'll accept the role Frank Johnson asks him to fill.

"I want to have a shot (at the starting lineup)," he said. "If not, I'll take whatever role they give me and make the best of it."

Interested observer
Forward Robert Archibald, obtained in Tuesday's trade with Memphis, arrived at practice Wednesday but could only watch. He isn't allowed to participate until veteran Brevin Knight undergoes a physical Thursday and the trade is finalized.

The Suns liked Archibald in the 2002 draft and brought him in for a pre-draft workout.

"He's a tough guy," Suns coach Frank Johnson said. "He's a big body who eats up space, and he's a little nasty. When Amare (Stoudemire) saw him, he said, 'Haven't I seen him before?' I told him, 'Yeah, you almost got into a fight with him in the summer league last year.' "

Healthy now

Archibald said he rolled an ankle two days before training camp opened with Memphis last season, missed the first couple of days, then sprained the same ankle three plays into his first practice. He ended up missing a month and never could find a place in the Grizzlies rotation.

"For rookies, when you miss the preseason, that's your thing," Archibald said. "That's when you're trying to earn some minutes, so it put me in a tough spot."

More to come?

The five-player transaction the Suns made with the Grizzlies will relieve some of the team's luxury-tax burden, and there could be more moves ahead. A league source indicated that the Suns are still looking for ways to trim payroll.

Injury update

Forward Stoudemire missed part of a workout Tuesday night because of an ingrown toenail but didn't have any problems Wednesday. Rookie Zarko Cabarkapa is getting treatments for a sore groin, but Johnson said he's improved.
 

SirStefan32

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Originally posted by arthurracoon
More to come?

The five-player transaction the Suns made with the Grizzlies will relieve some of the team's luxury-tax burden, and there could be more moves ahead. A league source indicated that the Suns are still looking for ways to trim payroll.

I guess "trim payroll" means NOT improving the team.
I was hoping for an improvement rather than just "trimming payroll."

As far as JJ goes, I think he needs to be the sixth man. Young team needs Penny in the starting five.
 

schutd

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Re: Re: JJ's ready for bigger role

Originally posted by SirStefan32
I guess "trim payroll" means NOT improving the team.
I was hoping for an improvement rather than just "trimming payroll."

As far as JJ goes, I think he needs to be the sixth man. Young team needs Penny in the starting five.


Probably, youre right. But in all fairness, I dont think anyone can realistically expect the SUns to compete for a title this year or maybe even next, especially with the load up in LA. Could it happen? Sure, anything can happen. But realistically, no.

So the point for the next couple of years is to make smart business decisions, while not degrading the level of play, but while most likely not going out of their way to improve it, from a personnel standpoint.

I think its the right call.
 

Joe Mama

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Cost-cutting may suck, but it's hard to be critical of the team that doesn't feel like losing $20 million this season. I just really hope they don't make moves that weaken the team too much.

Joe mama
 

Yuma

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The five-player transaction the Suns made with the Grizzlies will relieve some of the team's luxury-tax burden, and there could be more moves ahead. A league source indicated that the Suns are still looking for ways to trim payroll.

I predicted more trade moves yesterdsay in the poll thread regarding the five player trade with the Grizzlies. Especially since we picked up Brevin Knight. We seem to have a pluthera of guards on the team right now. I know the goal would be to move Penny's contract, especially since the Suns are touting JJ. Who in the NBA would pick up that salary? Or by touting JJ, they are making him marketable to another team. Just look at the numbers, and someone has to go. Also, look at what the Suns are trying to do salary-wise. Next trade could be very interesting!!
 

JCSunsfan

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Training camp trades are rare. It might be a while before we see the next deal. Teams don't like to mess up chemistry during camp, and they don't like giving up something for a player that would have been cut loose anyway.

I am not optimistic about the next trade. I believe it will be a cost cutting measure at best and will be as roundly criticized as this last trade.
 

Chaplin

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You know, Portland needs a floor leader... :D

PG: Steph
SG: JJ
SF: Marion
PF: Rasheed Wallace
C: Amare Stoudemire


:biglaugh:
 

F-Dog

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Originally posted by Joe Mama
Cost-cutting may suck, but it's hard to be critical of the team that doesn't feel like losing $20 million this season. I just really hope they don't make moves that weaken the team too much.

Joe mama

I saw an article at RealGM a few months ago that said the Suns would break even this year with a $64m payroll. I can't seem to find it now, though.


Anyway, two things I noticed yesterday:

--I've now seen several examples of the team praising Archibald, but nothing about Knight or Trybanski.
--If the Suns keep Dermarr Johnson, it seems to me that Knight is the logical choice to go on IR. The other guys need all the practice they can get, and even if Barbosa isn't ready, Phoenix is used to not having a backup PG by now.


I'm thinking that the 'more moves' that have been suggested will involve Knight and Trybanski only. The Suns will try to trade one or both them for other, equally worthless (but slightly less expensive) players--they might wind up saving 'only' a million or so, but if Knight and Trybanski are here solely because of their contracts, why not?


JMHO, of course.
 

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