Meeting pleasing for Suns

[darkangel2050]

Meeting pleasing for Suns

Agent: Phoenix ties are factor


Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 24, 2005 12:00 AM

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Michael Finley didn't say no. At this point in his recruiting process, that is the best the Suns could hope for after meeting with the free agent Tuesday in Chicago.

A Suns entourage of Managing Partner Robert Sarver, President Bryan Colangelo, coach Mike D'Antoni and players Amaré Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and Raja Bell met Finley with stacks of fans' e-mail pleas in tow.

Phoenix guard Steve Nash, who is on a family vacation, has talked to his close friend about returning to Phoenix. [/font]
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"It went well," Colangelo said of the two-hour talk.

"It was productive," Finley's agent, Henry Thomas, said. "Obviously, they'd like for him to come back home to his first NBA team and win an NBA championship.

"He has always enjoyed coming back there to play where the fans have always received him warmly."

The Suns are limited by the salary cap to a $1.1 million veteran's minimum offer, as opposed to the $5 million, midlevel exception Miami can give. The Heat met with Finley on Monday in Chicago.

Finley likely will meet with San Antonio and Minnesota, each of which has about $2.5 million to offer, and will use the weekend to decide.

Thomas said Finley's relationships with Nash, Colangelo and Bell and his familiarity with Phoenix are factors. Finley played in Phoenix as a rookie and for 27 games in late 1996 before going to Dallas in the Jason Kidd trade.

Bell, who played a season in Dallas with Finley, said the group expressed how similar Phoenix's system is to the one Finley thrived in when Don Nelson was Dallas' coach.

"Robert, Bryan and Mike put up a strong argument for why we need him and why he'd be a great fit," Bell said.[/font]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0824finley0824.html[/font]

 

[Joe Mama]

Worst-case scenario: Michael Finley to San Antonio.

I'm not sure how I feel these days about Michael Finley coming to the Phoenix Suns, especially if the Suns acquired James Jones and plan on giving him decent minutes. I was hoping that Jimmy Jackson and Bell would get 25-30 minutes per game. however if it means keeping him from San Antonio and even Miami I can live with it.

If the Phoenix Suns don't get him I would prefer if it landed in Minnesota or Detroit even though they look like long shots at this point.

Joe Mama

 

[darkangel2050]

Suns woo Michael Finley

Suns woo Michael Finley
By Mike Tulumello, Tribune
August 24, 2005

The performance, it is said, went well. But whether the show sold Michael Finley remains to be seen. The Suns made their presentation Tuesday afternoon in Chicago, trying to convince the former Suns and Dallas Mavericks off-guard to rejoin his original team.

Meanwhile, the Suns appear to be close to acquiring James Jones, a restricted free agent who played last season for Indiana, in a sign-and-trade deal, a league source said. Bringing the off-guard Jones on board wouldn’t preclude the Suns from signing Finley, the source said.

In the Jones deal, the Suns would use about $2 million of the $6 million exception to the salary cap they gained in the Joe Johnson trade.

As for Finley, convincing the free agent to sign on for roughly $1 million would help salve the wounds of a rough offseason in which the Suns unexpectedly lost the rising Johnson to free agency.

Finley said he will make up his mind by next week, said Suns owner Robert Sarver, who was part of the entourage. Finley has reportedly narrowed his choices to Miami, Phoenix and NBA champion San Antonio.

The Suns presented Finley with one of his old jerseys — the Suns drafted him in June 1995 then traded him to Dallas in December 1996 as part of the deal that landed Jason Kidd — and printed up a new one with his name on it.

They also gave him about 5,000 e-mails from fans encouraging him to return to Arizona.

Suns officials believe they’ve got a shot at Finley, despite reports he is leaning toward joining the Heat. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent a delegation that also included Amaré Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and new guard Raja Bell, plus club president Bryan Colangelo and coach Mike D’Antoni.

"Amaré was great," Sarver said of the rising superstar’s pitch to Finley.

The Suns’ general message: "He would be an important piece on a team that could win a championship," Sarver said. "It would be a perfect fit."

Overall, "It went really well," Sarver said.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=46678

 

[Yuma]

BS!

If it went so freaking well, why don't we have him in a Suns uniform at this very moment?

It's like going to the prettiest girl at the dance and asking her to dance with you. When she says maybe later and you go away happy. Then your buddies tell you she really meant no!

 

[Dr. Dumas]

BS!

If it went so freaking well, why don't we have him in a Suns uniform at this very moment?

It's like going to the prettiest girl at the dance and asking her to dance with you. When she says maybe later and you go away happy. Then your buddies tell you she really meant no!

Come on now... Finley has stated that he would sit down with a handfull of teams and let them pitch to him.

So what your saying here, is that he's not going to Miami as well since they didn't lock him up on their visit?

 

[Joe Mama]

Come on now... Finley has stated that he would sit down with a handfull of teams and let them pitch to him.

So what your saying here, is that he's not going to Miami as well since they didn't lock him up on their visit?

He's nothing but a big tease just like that girl that wouldn't dance with Yuma.

Joe Mama

 

[SactownSunsFan]

Sweet! They did take the crate full of e-mails with them

 

[CaptainInsano]

Sweet! They did take the crate full of e-mails with them

This could be the finishing touch, no other teams pulled something that cool off. Finley in a heat jersey? Are they trying to insult him by making his decision for him?

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Finley in a heat jersey? Are they trying to insult him by making his decision for him?

Well we did give him a Suns Finley jersey......

 

[myrondizzo]

Well we did give him a Suns Finley jersey......

One of his old jerseys just as a reminder of how the jersey used to look.

 

[elindholm]

One of his old jerseys just as a reminder of how the jersey used to look.

I hope he could still fit into it. Otherwise, the effect might have been unintentionally depressing.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

I gotta let you guys know....I REALLY wish the Finley would have made his little tour around to each city instead of hosting the teams in Chicago. Because its pretty nasty out here in South Florida right now and i dont even think a plane could land. One look at this impending Hurricane and all the work that goes with it, and he might be saying "where do i sign, Mr. Sarver?"

Saying that, hopefully he is checking out the weather channel and figuring Miami and its crazy weather just isn't for him...

Oh that and i just know he is reading my email at this very moment and saying "man that guy is right, i need to come home and play for the Suns!"

 

[boisesuns]

I gotta let you guys know....I REALLY wish the Finley would have made his little tour around to each city instead of hosting the teams in Chicago. Because its pretty nasty out here in South Florida right now and i dont even think a plane could land. One look at this impending Hurricane and all the work that goes with it, and he might be saying "where do i sign, Mr. Sarver?"

Saying that, hopefully he is checking out the weather channel and figuring Miami and its crazy weather just isn't for him...

Oh that and i just know he is reading my email at this very moment and saying "man that guy is right, i need to come home and play for the Suns!"

Yes, that would be bad if he was travelling around Miami, and all the Finley posters were blowing everywhere

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Yes, that would be bad if he was travelling around Miami, and all the Finley posters were blowing everywhere

At the risk of being "that guy" i gotta inform you boise that those posters were put up in Chicago on a route Finley supposedly commutes on every day. If they were here in Miami, i would have been spent the last couple nights defacing them and/or tearing them down......

 

[Neo]

I gotta let you guys know....I REALLY wish the Finley would have made his little tour around to each city instead of hosting the teams in Chicago. Because its pretty nasty out here in South Florida right now and i dont even think a plane could land. One look at this impending Hurricane and all the work that goes with it, and he might be saying "where do i sign, Mr. Sarver?"

Saying that, hopefully he is checking out the weather channel and figuring Miami and its crazy weather just isn't for him...

Oh that and i just know he is reading my email at this very moment and saying "man that guy is right, i need to come home and play for the Suns!"

I hope Finley takes it as a sign that God doesn't want him to go to Miami.

However, I wouldn't put to much weight on hurricanes in making the decision. The hurricane season, while technically still going is pretty much over before the NBA season begins. Even when they do hit, I am sure Finley will be able to afford a sturdy house with a generator and the only ill-effects he will experience is having to listen to that ****** Jim Cantore 24/7 for a few days.

 

[boisesuns]

At the risk of being "that guy" i gotta inform you boise that those posters were put up in Chicago on a route Finley supposedly commutes on every day. If they were here in Miami, i would have been spent the last couple nights defacing them and/or tearing them down......

My Bad!

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

One of his old jerseys just as a reminder of how the jersey used to look.

They also gave him a new one with his name and number on it.

 

[Dan H]

"unexpectedly lost the rising Johnson"

Snicker.

 

[Kolo]

Today's Tribune reports Cuban offered to accelerate Finley's deferred payments if he stayed away from "Dallas' rivals in the Western Conference," but Finley rejected the idea because he wanted to keep his options open. Info came straight from Cuban on Best Damn Sports Show.

 

[Joe Mama]

Today's Tribune reports Cuban offered to accelerate Finley's deferred payments if he stayed away from "Dallas' rivals in the Western Conference," but Finley rejected the idea because he wanted to keep his options open. Info came straight from Cuban on Best Damn Sports Show.

that has got to violate some part of the collective bargaining agreement.

Joe Mama

 

[Yuma]

that has got to violate some part of the collective bargaining agreement.

Joe Mama

OK, so fine Cuban. Oh, that's right, he uses money for toilet paper!

I don't think Cuban is worried about the CBA. He's donated more money to NBA charities than any person EVER!

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

OK, so fine Cuban. Oh, that's right, he uses money for toilet paper!

I don't think Cuban is worried about the CBA. He's donated more money to NBA charities than any person EVER!

Violating the CBA leads to a forfiture of draft picks. Cuban has a limited amount of those

 

[Yuma]

Who cares about draft picks? Cuban buys every free agent he can find at 2-3 X their market value! Rookies take too long to develop! Cuban can't wait around for them. So take a few picks, what does Cuban care? As long as he can jam Sarver and the Suns, who overpaid Nash away from him, it's all good!

 

[PetryJr]

Who cares about draft picks? Cuban buys every free agent he can find at 2-3 X their market value! Rookies take too long to develop! Cuban can't wait around for them. So take a few picks, what does Cuban care? As long as he can jam Sarver and the Suns, who overpaid Nash away from him, it's all good!

Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels and Devin Harris are all draft picks from Cuban's era, and part of their team's core.

 

[Yuma]

So? We are just going to steal them away from Cuban anyway! The way he manages the cap, he will be jettisoning players in the future, too. The Finley and Nash leavings helped quite a bit, but he's still got huge salaries he has to manage. Those guys are hard to trade!