looking forward

[scotsman13]

this season was great and it looks like we will only be getitng better in the near future. but now that the off season is about to start the suns will be looking forward to shoring up their weak spots and moving forward.

so what do you think the suns will focus on in the draft and free agent? which players from this team will be back next year? we know that amare, nash and marion arent going anywhere. joe johnson is a RFA so he should be back. Q was a leader in the locker room and on the court but he didnt have a good playoffs (his first) will he be back? hunter is talking about opting out of his deal to get a better one? will we (the suns) be able to resign him? barbosa didnt have as good of a year as what he could have but at 22 is it to early to move him? which free agents should the suns looking into go after?

here is a list of Free Agents http://www.realgm.com/src_freeagents/

in the draft we have the 21st pick and 57th what are the things we can should be looking for out of the draft?

 

[Joe Mama]

First of all, if they really are set to match any offer for JJ I think it would be a mistake to use the draft pick or anything more than the free-agent minimum on a traditional point guard. That is unless there is someone available that is just too good to pass on. I think they will draft best player available with a preference for size and versatility. I could easily see them using the draft pick on someone like Francisco Garcia or Julius Hodge.

If the Phoenix Suns draft a promising big man like Blatche, Randolph Morris, or Petro it could affect how much they are willing to spend to re-sign Hunter. As it is I don't see them giving him any more than $2 million per season. It wouldn't surprise me if he is playing somewhere else next year because he probably will get better offers from other teams.

Joe Mama

 

[JPlay]

They need 3 things.

Rebounder/Shot Blocker- Either C or PF

Backup PG-Defensive, pass first, can hit the 3. (Earl Watson comes to mind, but he can't shoot)

Perimeter Defender- need someone to guard Manu in the future.

Start building this team to beat the Spurs.

 

[frdbtr]

They need 3 things.

Rebounder/Shot Blocker- Either C or PF

Backup PG-Defensive, pass first, can hit the 3. (Earl Watson comes to mind, but he can't shoot)

Perimeter Defender- need someone to guard Manu in the future.

Start building this team to beat the Spurs.

this team can beat the spurs, we just needed Marion to have an average game (19&10) and Q to have an average game (15pts) and we win game 5. The suns need to make sure that everyone in the starting 5 is back next year and maybe resign hunter. They need Barbosa to develop this summer so he can legitimately give nash a breather during games and not lose a step on the offense. If the Suns can learn to play defense, it will be all she wrote on championships for the next couple of years. Like I said earlier, I don't see anyone in the east that can run with the suns for 7 games. The spurs proved that they can this year, all we need is to be able to play better defense on them.

 

[George O'Brien]

One more year of expeience could be enough to make a huge difference a year from now. Over the summer the Suns will work on defensive fundimentals and perhaps expand their offensive system. Keeping their core together (including Hunter) will be important because continuity helps a lot.

The Suns shopping list is entirely of backups and role players. When was the last time we could say that seriously? The main weaknesses are depth on the front line, depth at PG, and an other shooter to replace JJax after next season. The Suns will draft the best player available, but I think they will focus on guys who could actually contribute.

 

[CardNots]

One more year of expeience could be enough to make a huge difference a year from now. Over the summer the Suns will work on defensive fundimentals and perhaps expand their offensive system. Keeping their core together (including Hunter) will be important because continuity helps a lot.

The Suns shopping list is entirely of backups and role players. When was the last time we could say that seriously? The main weaknesses are depth on the front line, depth at PG, and an other shooter to replace JJax after next season. The Suns will draft the best player available, but I think they will focus on guys who could actually contribute.

Good post George!

 

[DeAnna]

They need 3 things.
Start building this team to beat the Spurs.

Isn't that what the Mavs did this off-season by adding E Dampier and not signing little Stevie? Didn't really do them any good 'cuz it's a dangerous proposition when an organization becomes so 'tunnel-visioned'

 

[JPlay]

Isn't that what the Mavs did this off-season by adding E Dampier and not signing little Stevie? Didn't really do them any good 'cuz it's a dangerous proposition when an organization becomes so 'tunnel-visioned'

Yeah but I didn't say lose Nash and get rebounder/shot blocker. Big difference.

 

[JPlay]

this team can beat the spurs, we just needed Marion to have an average game (19&10) and Q to have an average game (15pts) and we win game 5. The suns need to make sure that everyone in the starting 5 is back next year and maybe resign hunter. They need Barbosa to develop this summer so he can legitimately give nash a breather during games and not lose a step on the offense. If the Suns can learn to play defense, it will be all she wrote on championships for the next couple of years. Like I said earlier, I don't see anyone in the east that can run with the suns for 7 games. The spurs proved that they can this year, all we need is to be able to play better defense on them.

We Need Marion and Q to play better. Of course we did, but they struggle whenever they play the Spurs. The NBA is all about match ups. Marion is not a good creator of the dribble and neither is Q. That's the main problem. The Spurs play a lot of one on one, which forces you to create your own shot or take contested shots. Both Marion and Q struggle with this, where JJ, Nash and Amare don't.

We need to build to beat them. Need some bench players who can play some defense. Your bench should allow you to play different styles according to matchups.

 

[devilalum]

I've read several posts stating that the Suns should build to beat the Spurs.

They won't do this. The Suns may not even play the Spurs again next post season. The Spurs could have a key injury, another team could jump up like the Suns did and be the team to beat next year.

IMO the Suns should just try to keep getting better at what they do. There's no need for the Suns to go out and turn conventional because they lost to the CURRENT best team in the league. Guaranteed the Suns will improve more before the next playoffs than the Spurs will.

The Suns could use some depth and a draft pick and a role playing free agent should take care of that. The Suns won't do anything big before next season

 

[Amare32]

What this team needs is a Mark Madsen type player who will get on the ground and play with energy. Would love us to get Haslem but the heat have his rights.

 

[scotsman13]

i know he isnt a shot blocker but i think vroman if he is out there (there is a player or team option for him). would be a nice player to bring back. he needs to add some bulk but he has good rebounding and basketball IQ in the times i saw him during the summer.

 

[cly2tw]

People tend to look at the stats and say this or that guy performed below their average, and we'd have won had they had a good/average game. This is total illussion. Everybody's offensive numbers have to come from having the touches on offense. On the Suns, normally Nash gets everybody those touches in the best scoring position, resulting in the stats averages we are even talking about. In the WCFs, the Spurs effectively contained this part of Nash's game, forcing us into a lot of one-on-one plays. That's why Marion and Q didn't get touches as much. Besides Nash-led offense we don't know how to play any other type of "organized" offense, and while Marion is never an average o-o-o scorer, Q had no opportunity to practise it much through the regular season, where only Joe got chances to handle the ball occationally. Thus, if we don't practise alternative offensive looks while keeping the core, we'll have the same problem with the Spurs next year. But, we also may not see them in the playoffs.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Breven Knight was second in the league in assists if I am not mistaken. Might be a nice player to bring back for a very reasonable price.

 

[elindholm]

Marion shot less than 40% from the field against the Spurs. So if he had converted at something closer to his normal rate, it would have made a difference, even though he was getting fewer opportunities.

 

[sunsfn]

i know he isnt a shot blocker but i think vroman if he is out there (there is a player or team option for him). would be a nice player to bring back. he needs to add some bulk but he has good rebounding and basketball IQ in the times i saw him during the summer.

Vroman had his option picked up by the Hornets.

 

[coloradosun]

A Free Agent to send an offer sheet to is Luke Walton. Passes well, runs the floor and has a great BB I.Q. If the Lakers match so be it. Walton would be able to give Marion some back up.

In the Draft an athletic front court player and a smart point guard.

 

[corrado]

Chris Andersen... Hornets

Power Forward who opted out of his player option with N.O. Can run the floor and jump. Participated in last 2 nba slam dunk contests. In limited time last year pulled down 6 rebounds per game averaging about 20 minutes a game.

Very athletic who gets up and down the court which fits right in with the Suns style of play. Around 6'10' 230. If I'm the Suns this is one guy I have on my list of possible free agent pick-ups.

 

[elindholm]

He opted out? That's something of a surprise. I admit that I admire his hustle and am impressed that he has stuck around this long, but he's a very limited player. Also, his fiasco at the dunk competition figures to be the butt of jokes for years to come.

 

[corrado]

My point is...

his participation in the slam dunk was an indication of his leaping ability. Yes he is limited but the Suns don't need guys that can do it all. They already have guys like that. They need guys that play their style, can contribute off the bench with some rebounds, steals, and that play hard and will accept their role. This guy can do that and I think the Suns will take a long look at him. Whether they sign him or not is questionable.

 

[elindholm]

I'm not really disagreeing with you, but it seems that D'Antoni really wants people who can shoot. Andersen can jump and dunk, but a lot of people can do that. Overall, Outlaw probably brings more to the table (even though he can't do some of the things that Andersen does), but D'Antoni wouldn't use him because he's not on offensive threat. That's why Hunter's time was limited also.

 

[Joe Mama]

I'm not really disagreeing with you, but it seems that D'Antoni really wants people who can shoot. Andersen can jump and dunk, but a lot of people can do that. Overall, Outlaw probably brings more to the table (even though he can't do some of the things that Andersen does), but D'Antoni wouldn't use him because he's not on offensive threat. That's why Hunter's time was limited also.

Chris Andersen has a very nice jump shot, especially from the top of the key. He's a much better player these days than Bo Outlaw. I'm not saying the Phoenix Suns should make him a big offer, but he would be a good fit.

Joe Mama

 

[HooverDam]

What about Tyrone Lue from AtL? Good be a good back up PG...I dont know how much he is set to make though.

Also, I know Brevin Knight was 2nd in the league in assists last year, but his numbers may have been inflated- playing on such a bad team, he had the ball in his hands a lot, drove his numbers up, etc. But I wouldnt be against the Suns picking him up.