BC867
Long time Phoenician!
According to the Suns AzCentral site, Center Brian Skinner and the Suns are at the top of each of their wish lists.
Good.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/
Good.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/
Kirilenko and big man updates
- Thread starter fordronken
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elindholm
edited for content
You know Skinner is only 6' 9", right? I'm enthusiastic about bringing him on, but given your historical obsession with height for height's sake, I don't understand why you are. What has caused you to change your tune?
jbeecham
ASFN Addict
The whole article: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0921suns0922.html
Skinner sets sights on Suns
Veteran wants to play for a title contender
Paul Coro
Center Brian Skinner and the Suns do not have a contract, but they have agreed on one thing: Each is at the top of the other's wish list.
The Suns likely will not fill their reserve big-man void until at least Monday but would feel complete and content to have Skinner signed up for their Oct. 2-7 training camp.
Skinner is weighing one other NBA offer. Phoenix's trio of candidates - Skinner, Esteban Batista and Vitaly Potapenko - are vying for as much of a guaranteed contract as possible in a market that includes teams over or near the tax threshold.
Skinner, 31, is considered the best and most proven player of the three because he can give the Suns defense and rebounding and keep up with their up-tempo style. The Suns considered adding two big men for camp, but signing Skinner would make that unnecessary.
Skinner, who started 44 games for the Milwaukee Bucks last season, worked out in Phoenix on Thursday and said the Suns are at "the top of my list" because they are a title contender. He turned down a better offer this summer from a non-contender.
A report out of Uruguay that said Batista, 24, would visit Phoenix was wrong, but the Suns saw enough of him at the recent FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas, where he averaged 20.8 points and 12.4 rebounds per game.
Batista played 13 games for the Atlanta Hawks last season, and his other possible destination appears to be Boston. Potapenko, 32, visited Phoenix last week.
Whoever the Suns sign likely would not get a fully guaranteed contract.
The Suns initially targeted P.J. Brown after trading Kurt Thomas, but Brown, who turns 38 in October, is leaning toward retirement.
Skinner sets sights on Suns
Veteran wants to play for a title contender
Paul Coro
Center Brian Skinner and the Suns do not have a contract, but they have agreed on one thing: Each is at the top of the other's wish list.
The Suns likely will not fill their reserve big-man void until at least Monday but would feel complete and content to have Skinner signed up for their Oct. 2-7 training camp.
Skinner is weighing one other NBA offer. Phoenix's trio of candidates - Skinner, Esteban Batista and Vitaly Potapenko - are vying for as much of a guaranteed contract as possible in a market that includes teams over or near the tax threshold.
Skinner, 31, is considered the best and most proven player of the three because he can give the Suns defense and rebounding and keep up with their up-tempo style. The Suns considered adding two big men for camp, but signing Skinner would make that unnecessary.
Skinner, who started 44 games for the Milwaukee Bucks last season, worked out in Phoenix on Thursday and said the Suns are at "the top of my list" because they are a title contender. He turned down a better offer this summer from a non-contender.
A report out of Uruguay that said Batista, 24, would visit Phoenix was wrong, but the Suns saw enough of him at the recent FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas, where he averaged 20.8 points and 12.4 rebounds per game.
Batista played 13 games for the Atlanta Hawks last season, and his other possible destination appears to be Boston. Potapenko, 32, visited Phoenix last week.
Whoever the Suns sign likely would not get a fully guaranteed contract.
The Suns initially targeted P.J. Brown after trading Kurt Thomas, but Brown, who turns 38 in October, is leaning toward retirement.
Do people really want to trade Shawn Marion for Kirilenko?
I'm a huge Marion basher. Look back at any of my posts - and I mean any one at all - and you will see me bashing Marion in some way or another. It could be a debate on Global Warming and I'll somehow throw in a "to solve the problem, we should have scientists figure out a way to harness the frigid shooting percentage of Shawn Marion in the playoffs and use that to cool the Earth.." or something to that effect. I think Shawn Marion is overrated, he hasn't improved his game since his second season in the league, and so on and so forth.
However, Andre Kirilenko? He certainly is not the answer. He is actually a lot like Marion. He can't really create his own shot, he has failed to improve his game since very early in his career, and he has created some fairy tail dilusions in his mind about going to another team and becoming a superstar. I don't support Marion. But this team needs toughness, and Kirilenko doesn't give it to us. If you think Kirilenko is going to be the final piece that gets us passed the Spurs - when the Spurs have consistently been able to bully us, to take us out of our game, to entice everyone with the exception of Steve Nash into making bad decisions - then you don't know enough about Kirilenko.
Marion for Garnett was an obvious 'yes'. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of players that can help us in the ways that we need, especially if we get rid of Marion, who does a lot for this team despite his shortcomings.
I'm a huge Marion basher. Look back at any of my posts - and I mean any one at all - and you will see me bashing Marion in some way or another. It could be a debate on Global Warming and I'll somehow throw in a "to solve the problem, we should have scientists figure out a way to harness the frigid shooting percentage of Shawn Marion in the playoffs and use that to cool the Earth.." or something to that effect. I think Shawn Marion is overrated, he hasn't improved his game since his second season in the league, and so on and so forth.
However, Andre Kirilenko? He certainly is not the answer. He is actually a lot like Marion. He can't really create his own shot, he has failed to improve his game since very early in his career, and he has created some fairy tail dilusions in his mind about going to another team and becoming a superstar. I don't support Marion. But this team needs toughness, and Kirilenko doesn't give it to us. If you think Kirilenko is going to be the final piece that gets us passed the Spurs - when the Spurs have consistently been able to bully us, to take us out of our game, to entice everyone with the exception of Steve Nash into making bad decisions - then you don't know enough about Kirilenko.
Marion for Garnett was an obvious 'yes'. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of players that can help us in the ways that we need, especially if we get rid of Marion, who does a lot for this team despite his shortcomings.
Am I the only one that laughed when they read this? What kind of logic is this?
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Cheap logic.
I didn't believe for a second the Suns would add 2 bigs, but how he is trying to justify this is beyond me. He's basically saying "The Suns are willing to sign 2 bigmen but won't have to since they're going to sign 1 bigman".
I think I liked it better when the spin control was trying to tell me Sean Marks will be an impact rotation player.
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I quit believing after the Sean Marks spin. Pat Burke beat him out for playing time last season so this speaks volumes about Marks ability. Now the Suns are haggling over a couple of players that might merit the veteran minimum. If the Suns are not willing to give the veteran minimum straight out to a proven veteran in Skinner this tells me the Suns are not willing to do what it takes. These are minimum contract type players (Skinner + whoever). This is loathsome to me as a fan.
