Len's Contract Situation

[pokerface]

I would guess that "big falling short of expectations" would describe about 75% of big men that get drafted. I don't think we need one, the unskilled big who is in the league for the sake of being big is something that is dying out in this league... and I'm all for it, it's always bothered me how often guys get playing time because of their measurements rather than their actual impact.

At this point I expect Len will sign the QO and we'll have him for one more year.

I want an active big that is good at 'something'. Len is a clod that isn't known for anything at all. The best you can say about Len is he's almost good at rebounding and defense... almost but not quite because he's inconsistant and still a foul magnet. That guy has made almost no progress in four years. I wanted him gone yesterday. He contaminates this team. He has the nerve to think he's worth some good contract?? HAHAHA LEN YOU GOT SHOT DOWN BY THE ENTIRE LEAGUE!

except us...pffft.

 

[Hoop Head]

Len is signing the qualifying offer and betting on himself. Can't say that's a smart move on his behalf and I'm pretty sure the Suns offered him some sort of multiyear deal but who knows for certain. This could change our plans for Chandler this season, if he's traded then Len will be the starter, most likely, and get more playing time to earn a bigger payday.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ing-sign-qualifying-offer-sheet-training-camp

 

[Phrazbit]

Straight from McD's mouth, the offer we gave him was the qualifying offer, nothing more. Given that we actually invested in Williams and we've got Bender and Chriss to develop... and Chandler is still on the roster, I think Len will be seeing 15-20 minutes a night, max... unless he blows them away in the minutes given, which is I'd say is extremely unlikely.

 

[Mainstreet]

Len is signing the qualifying offer and betting on himself. Can't say that's a smart move on his behalf and I'm pretty sure the Suns offered him some sort of multiyear deal but who knows for certain. This could change our plans for Chandler this season, if he's traded then Len will be the starter, most likely, and get more playing time to earn a bigger payday.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ing-sign-qualifying-offer-sheet-training-camp

If a larger offer was ever on the table by the Suns, Len may get cold feet and sign it.

IMO, it's a bad move for him to bet his value increases in free agency unless suddenly the lights come on. Count me skeptical.

I do not want the Suns to invest valuable playing time in a player who may leave unless they can trade him.

 

[Hoop Head]

I find it hard to believe that there wasn't another offer out there for him from the Suns. I don't think it was very large, around what Williams signed, but he felt he deserved more and I can't blame him for that. He's been inconsistent but he has been with the team for 4 years now while Williams was here for 1 year and really only had a good second half of the season. Whether it was Len or his agent though who convinced him he's worth more it doesn't really matter because he'll be playing for the QO and could very well be stuck at the end of the bench unless there is an injury or trade with Chandler, Williams, Chriss, and Bender playing ahead of him in the depth chart.

 

[pokerface]

I find it hard to believe that there wasn't another offer out there for him from the Suns. I don't think it was very large, around what Williams signed, but he felt he deserved more and I can't blame him for that. He's been inconsistent but he has been with the team for 4 years now while Williams was here for 1 year and really only had a good second half of the season. Whether it was Len or his agent though who convinced him he's worth more it doesn't really matter because he'll be playing for the QO and could very well be stuck at the end of the bench unless there is an injury or trade with Chandler, Williams, Chriss, and Bender playing ahead of him in the depth chart.

I don't find it hard to believe at all.

There is a glut of bigs right now that aren't getting money.

Len doesn't stand out in any area.

His style of game isn't in vogue. He has no range on his shot...at least not consistently.


I really wish the suns would recind the QO. Slap his face and bounce him right out of the league. Because you're right, he's going to ride the bench anyway. Id rather give Bender more playing time.

 

[Phrazbit]

I find it hard to believe that there wasn't another offer out there for him from the Suns. I don't think it was very large, around what Williams signed, but he felt he deserved more and I can't blame him for that. He's been inconsistent but he has been with the team for 4 years now while Williams was here for 1 year and really only had a good second half of the season. Whether it was Len or his agent though who convinced him he's worth more it doesn't really matter because he'll be playing for the QO and could very well be stuck at the end of the bench unless there is an injury or trade with Chandler, Williams, Chriss, and Bender playing ahead of him in the depth chart.

I don't know why you don't believe it. McDonough literally said to the press that they'd extended the qualifying offer and it was up to Len and his agent if they wanted to sign it, that was months ago.

The writing has been on the wall for a while, last summer there wasn't even a peep about Len getting an early extension, the summer before we signed Chandler, this summer we obviously prioritized Williams over Len and then you've got the GM talking to the press and basically daring Len and his agent to walk away from the qualifying offer because he knows there are not offers out there.

 

[pokerface]

It's all over the web. Len is going to sign the offer before training camp.


He's lucky to get the 4 million!

 

[JCSunsfan]

Hoping that they give him something just a little larger than the qualifying offer. That way they can trade him if they want to make a deal.

 

[pokerface]

Hoping that they give him something just a little larger than the qualifying offer. That way they can trade him if they want to make a deal.

I guess that would be smart. But in his mind he probably knows it and wouldn't take it. He thinks he's too good to get locked in for peanuts.

If I was him I'd be living at the gym. I'd put everything I had into next season.

 

[Hoop Head]

He'd have to approve any trade this season, so I wonder how open he would be to a trade elsewhere. I imagine if we're not playing him much he'd welcome it, provided it's to a team that will use him. A contender might be interested in front court depth at the deadline for a playoff push. He's a decent rim protecter and rebounder but he provides next to nothing offensively and he'll use up his 6 fouls quick. If we trade him I just hope we don't send him to San Antonio. If Pop has interest in him then I could see him playing well there and it would hurt to see him blossom into a legit NBA player on the Spurs.

Maybe send him to New York to reunite him with Hornacek? A 2nd rounder from them should be in the 31-40 range and would be better than watching him walk away for nothing.

 

[Hoop Head]

I was pulling up Mock Drafts from 2013 because of the Bennett signing and was surprised to see a few sites had Len as the #1 overall choice that year. His scouting reports were awfully optimistic and most seem to note the stress fractures in his ankles that kept him from individual workouts, but they still kept him at the top of the draft despite that. None of the 4 I found had Len falling to the Suns at #5, which I thought was surprising. What a bad draft that was at the top...


Draft Express had him at #4 to Charlotte
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alex-Len-6156/

Draft.Net had him at #1 to Cleveland
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/alex-len

Bleacher Report had him at #1 to Cleveland
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1685277-2013-nba-mock-draft-last-minute-picks-and-predictions

Sports Illustrated had him at #4 also to Charlotte
https://www.si.com/nba/2013/06/27/nba-mock-draft-2013-nerlens-noel-ben-mclemore

 

[elindholm]

I was pulling up Mock Drafts from 2013 because of the Bennett signing and was surprised to see a few sites had Len as the #1 overall choice that year. His scouting reports were awfully optimistic and most seem to note the stress fractures in his ankles that kept him from individual workouts, but they still kept him at the top of the draft despite that. None of the 4 I found had Len falling to the Suns at #5, which I thought was surprising.

This is why I give mock drafts so little credibility, and, frankly, scouting for the draft in general. All those great basketball minds and all of that analysis, and Antetokounmpo falls to #15. That's just one glaring example of how easy it is to get it wrong.

 

[Phrazbit]

Len did in college what he has done in the NBA, only less so in the NBA. He had games where he showed flashes, he had a really solid game against Kentucky, but for every 10 minute stretch where he'd play well, he'd go entire games where he was basically invisible. The scouts decided to blame his teammates for not getting him involved, but as we've seen here, its more that he does not have much of a motor and he has terrible offensive instincts.

 

[pokerface]

I was pulling up Mock Drafts from 2013 because of the Bennett signing and was surprised to see a few sites had Len as the #1 overall choice that year. His scouting reports were awfully optimistic and most seem to note the stress fractures in his ankles that kept him from individual workouts, but they still kept him at the top of the draft despite that. None of the 4 I found had Len falling to the Suns at #5, which I thought was surprising. What a bad draft that was at the top...


Draft Express had him at #4 to Charlotte
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alex-Len-6156/

Draft.Net had him at #1 to Cleveland
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/alex-len

Bleacher Report had him at #1 to Cleveland
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1685277-2013-nba-mock-draft-last-minute-picks-and-predictions

Sports Illustrated had him at #4 also to Charlotte
https://www.si.com/nba/2013/06/27/nba-mock-draft-2013-nerlens-noel-ben-mclemore

I wanted Len and I'm going to have to deal with that fact the rest of my life.

 

[StreetTruckinTitan]

I wanted Len and I'm going to have to deal with that fact the rest of my life.

I hated the pick from the start. So nothing changes for me. I still hate him.

 

[SirStefan32]

I wanted Len and I'm going to have to deal with that fact the rest of my life.

Well, if it makes you feel better, I wanted the Suns to get Tskitishvilli instead of Amare back in the day.

On a serious note, 2013 draft class was a mess. Outside of Giannis, there was nothing impressive there. Milwaukee made out like bandits, but most of the other teams are probably pretty disappointed.

 

[pokerface]

Well, if it makes you feel better, I wanted the Suns to get Tskitishvilli instead of Amare back in the day.

I was kinda into Tskitishvilli too!

 

[Errntknght]

This is why I give mock drafts so little credibility, and, frankly, scouting for the draft in general. All those great basketball minds and all of that analysis, and Antetokounmpo falls to #15. That's just one glaring example of how easy it is to get it wrong.

Rudy Gobert, picked at 27 or so, is the other first class player from that draft class. Dieng and Adams have worked out pretty fair. Shroeder, Otto Porter, Shabazz, Mason Plumlee are middling players... two or three others that don't come to mind. Oladipo seemed to start like he was going to be good but never really stepped it up. Oddly enough, 26 members of that class still had jobs last season though we shouldn't count Goodwin who only netted 212 minutes.

Yikes, Bennnett only got 264min and his stats are worse than Goodwins!

 

[pokerface]

I hated the pick from the start. So nothing changes for me. I still hate him.

I really wish I could say that. But I did start the "Let Len Go!" thread a full year ago. That has to count for something!?

 

[Mainstreet]

Well, if it makes you feel better, I wanted the Suns to get Tskitishvilli instead of Amare back in the day.

On a serious note, 2013 draft class was a mess. Outside of Giannis, there was nothing impressive there. Milwaukee made out like bandits, but most of the other teams are probably pretty disappointed.

I really wanted the Suns to draft Nene Hilario if he fell to #9 in the 2002 draft. Also I liked Chris Wilcox. Jerry Colangelo's endorsement of Amare after interviewing him twice gave me some comfort. He was good at that stuff.

In the 2013 draft a lot of teams looked silly as you note, not just the Suns. Except for a few players of note, it was a bad draft. Actually it was considered a weak draft going in.

 

[elindholm]

Well, if it makes you feel better, I wanted the Suns to get Tskitishvilli instead of Amare back in the day.

On a serious note, 2013 draft class was a mess. Outside of Giannis, there was nothing impressive there. Milwaukee made out like bandits, but most of the other teams are probably pretty disappointed.

Oladipo is a solid player. Not the star you hope for at #2, but probably not far below average among players drafted at that position. Consider Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012), Derrick Williams (2011), Hasheem Thabeet (2009), or Michael Beasley (2008).

 

[Phrazbit]

Oladipo is a solid player. Not the star you hope for at #2, but probably not far below average among players drafted at that position. Consider Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012), Derrick Williams (2011), Hasheem Thabeet (2009), or Michael Beasley (2008).

And of course... Darko, taken right in front of Wade, Melo and Bosh.

 

[pokerface]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...ove-consistency-maximize-his-value/763878001/

“Consistency was Number 1,” Len said. “Sometimes I have weeks where I play great, others where I was down. I just have to be more consistent throughout the year.”

You had great weaks or weeks Len?


It was a good read though. He seems more confident in his game. We shall see.

 

[Bada0Bing]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...ove-consistency-maximize-his-value/763878001/

“Consistency was Number 1,” Len said. “Sometimes I have weeks where I play great, others where I was down. I just have to be more consistent throughout the year.”

You had great weaks or weeks Len?


It was a good read though. He seems more confident in his game. We shall see.

Well, he was not consistent last night. He showed flashes of being a solid player, but also showed he's still a bonehead by airballing a 10ft hookshot.