More on Hunter

[Kaz621]

Everyone just remember that the Magic gave up on Ben Wallace, and Im sure they were saying that he was worthless and cant play. Im not saying that Hunter will be the 2nd coming of Ben Wallace, but I am saying that they dont have any credibility when it comes to big men. Let's just wait til the regular season and see what happens.

Although my guess is that Hunter will turn out to be kinda weak. In which case we'll use on of our draft picks to pick up a center in next summer's draft.

LOL Yeah your right we gave up Ben Wallace. That was Doc Rivers choice and we did it to get grant hill a guy we thought was a top five player in the league. You have to remember that. No one honestly thought he wasn't going to play and ben was a good player he just wasn't dominant back in the day. Ben Wallace has hunger and a work ethic that steven hunter has always lacked. I just wouldn't get your hopes up about him ending up anywhere near being a ben wallace type. I for one was upset when they traded wallace before he went on to explode.

 

[Kaz621]

I thought that the Magic had offered someone instead of Wallace, but the Pistons were adamant on him instead. Either way though, they vastly underestimated his value.

Basically, Doc Rivers tried to play GM/Coach, and failed just like every other person in this era of the NBA has. Hunter has potential, but like Kaz said, this is his last year to prove he is worth something.


I definitely don't count him as much at this point.

We had a choice of two guys. Doc rivers choose to send ben wallace sadly. I suck with names but he was the british center who had a good year with us and than when he went on to be a bust. Just like every other doc rivers player choices.

Hunter wasn't worth 3 million dollars or so to us this year so we let him go. Maybe for the min I could see signing him as a 15th man but he wouldn't be very high a depth chart at all.

 

[Kaz621]

Kaz, thank you for visiting our messageboard and giving us a review of Hunter's play in Orlando. And most I'm expecting somebody who can play 15-20 minutes and provide some defense in the middle of the floor. Of course it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he did absolutely nothing for the Phoenix Suns.



Before his ankle injury Grant Hill was one of the top players in the NBA. He would have been considered right up there with Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. The Orlando Magic did not give up on Ben Wallace. They signed and traded him to Detroit in order to get Grant Hill the very maximum contract. If I'm remembering correctly the Magic could not have re-signed Wallace because they would not have had enough money to get both Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady.

Joe Mama

I've been browsing around here for some time now and I don't mind helping people get the right impression on players I've seen over and over.

Grant Hill was supposed to be our ticket to the finals, we prolly would have traded any player to make sure he was happy and with us for as long as possible. In the process of the previous year we had gutted our team to cut as many contracts as possible and at times it proved expensive. Ben Wallace being one of the major losses. We gave up meggette as well amoung many many more in the quest to fit into that championship mold. Two star players and than role players ( ala Lakers, Bulls championships)

Steven Hunter should see about 15 minutes max and playing next to someone like amare might help his game some what. He's just not worth more than about 1 mil a year imo. Someone else before mentioned he's been watching a lot of video on other top shot blockers, what he really needs to watch is dennis rodman rebounding because thats really where he needs the most work. If he's going to help you guys to the playoffs that has to happen because being 7 foot and a poor rebounder just doesn't make sence.

 

[hcsilla]

I suck with names but he was the british center who had a good year with us and than when he went on to be a bust.

John Amaechi.

Just like every other doc rivers player choices.

Yes, Hunter, Sasser, Humphrey, Gaines....pretty nice list.

 

[Kaz621]

John Amaechi.



Yes, Hunter, Sasser, Humphrey, Gaines....pretty nice list.

Thank you, I have trouble remembering players who aren't even in the league anymore.


That list makes most magic fans sick btw. I Couldn't think of a team who in the last 4 years has drafted so many guys that never did anything for their team.

 

[BC867]

I joined this forum just to reply to this thread. I try to keep up on most nba teams and surf through different forums.

I'm a magic fan and moderator on another site and I can tell you that original statement about Hunter is basically worthless. The fact he says he didn't even get a chance to play basically should be your first clue. The man got more than a chance, He was the starting center for our horrendous start of the season for like almost 20 games. He got benched because he didn't know the plays, didn't know the rotations, and because of his poor attitude when he didn't think things were going his way ... Its been rumored he has a learning disability and could explain why he can never remember a play. His attitude is also in need of a big improvement as well. Expect to get your hopes up and have them fail miserably ... Sorry guys.

With Amare, Marion, and Nash starting at the 4, 3, and Point . . . and with Johnson and Q at the 2 and 6th man, all it takes is a decent Center for the Suns to be an exciting, and successful, team. Reading Kaz621's comments about Hunter is a disappointment.

How I wish our hopes for an effective starting Center during the off-season had been accomplished.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

How I wish our hopes for an effective starting Center during the off-season had been accomplished.

Looking at who was available, and the money they got, I definitely think we made the right decision.

Way to many big money gambles out there, and the other contracts were big money for no reason. While I wish the suns had shored up the middle, I wouldn't want to do it that way.

 

[Kaz621]

With Amare, Marion, and Nash starting at the 4, 3, and Point . . . and with Johnson and Q at the 2 and 6th man, all it takes is a decent Center for the Suns to be an exciting, and successful, team. Reading Kaz621's comments about Hunter is a disappointment.

How I wish our hopes for an effective starting Center during the off-season had been accomplished.

I watched like 90% of the games last year the magic played and we always routed for Hunter to play well. There were moments he looked like he could be good and than he would just fail miserably. If you guys can keep him motivated and keep him "happy" he might be able to help you. He just needs a lot of work to get where he needs to be to be a recurring contributer.

 

[BC867]

If you guys can keep him motivated and keep him "happy" he might be able to help you. He just needs a lot of work to get where he needs to be to be a recurring contributer.

When Mark Iavaroni was working at Pete Newell's Big Men's Camp, he had the reputation of being the best in the business at working with Centers and Power Forwards.

As I believe was mentioned earlier this thread, here's hoping he can do just that for Hunter.

 

[George O'Brien]

When Mark Iavaroni was working at Pete Newell's Big Men's Camp, he had the reputation of being the best in the business at working with Centers and Power Forwards.

As I believe was mentioned earlier this thread, here's hoping he can do just that for Hunter.

One of the factors that gave the Suns an advantage in recruiting Hunter for the minimum was that they have Q Richardson who is supposedly he best friend in the NBA (they both went to De Paul and practice together during the off season). There are some holes in Q's game, but no one doubts that he plays hard all the time. He may be a good influence on Hunter.

 

[pokerface]

When Mark Iavaroni was working at Pete Newell's Big Men's Camp, he had the reputation of being the best in the business at working with Centers and Power Forwards.

As I believe was mentioned earlier this thread, here's hoping he can do just that for Hunter.

Yeah if Iavaroni can do for Hunter what he did for Tsakalidis then no telling what his ceiling will be.....

 

[pokerface]

One of the factors that gave the Suns an advantage in recruiting Hunter for the minimum was that they have Q Richardson who is supposedly he best friend in the NBA (they both went to De Paul and practice together during the off season). There are some holes in Q's game, but no one doubts that he plays hard all the time. He may be a good influence on Hunter.

Yeah Q's head banging will inspire Hunter to new heights....

 

[pokerface]

Hunter had his chances in Orlando. Its not some big misunderstanding on why he stunk...its not the coach...its not the teammates....Its not that he didnt get a chance (He had 20+ games in starting lineup)...Hunter just flat out isnt good and doesnt have the desire....PERIOD.

 

[scotsman13]

Hunter had his chances in Orlando. Its not some big misunderstanding on why he stunk...its not the coach...its not the teammates....Its not that he didnt get a chance (He had 20+ games in starting lineup)...Hunter just flat out isnt good and doesnt have the desire....PERIOD.

you poker for a player you havent even seen yet or if you have it has only been a couple times dont you think you are being a little hard on him? it took 3 year of injury free sitting before we started to see anything out of jake (i am not saying he is great but he does play hard and has improved). lets see what hunter can do before you take him out in the woods and shot him.

when you take a look at his game by game stats he isnt as bad as lets say kwame brown. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/steven_hunter/game_by_game_stats.html

 

[George O'Brien]

Yeah if Iavaroni can do for Hunter what he did for Tsakalidis then no telling what his ceiling will be.....

I thought Big Jake showed real progress before he injured his back. After that he seemed to be slower and less flexible, which reduced his value as a defender. As it is, he did enough with Memphis that the Cavs tried to sign him and the Griz matched.

I run hot and cold on Hunter. From what I can tell, he has the physical ability to be pretty good. He is tall, long, athletic, and is quick enough to someday become a solid player. This suggests that with coaching and perhaps an attitude adjustment, Hunter might do something. But I am unwilling to count on it because there are innumerable guys with talent who fail as NBA players.

 

[joshstmarie]

in the end all we really need is 6rbs 2-3 blks per game....anything extra is just icing on the cake no?

 

[elindholm]

in the end all we really need is 6rbs 2-3 blks per game....anything extra is just icing on the cake no?

Some defense would be good too. You can't assess defense just by looking at rebound and block statistics.

 

[elindholm]

Looking at who was available, and the money they got, I definitely think we made the right decision.

Probably. I think there's about a 30% chance that we will end up wishing we had Dampier instead of Nash.

The Suns currently have the rights to four point guards: Nash, Barbosa, Tabuse, and Vujanic (if he is still considered a PG). Nash is obviously the best of the four, but if he were gone, the Suns would survive. Their backup PG contingent is better than the current army of centers. And Johnson has shown he can be a pretty effective floor general too.

Assuming the Suns were going to sign Richardson anyway, they could have had this lineup:

C - Dampier/Voskuhl/Lampe
PF - Stoudemire/Lampe/Vroman
SF - Marion/Cabarkapa/Johnson
SG - Johnson/Richardson
PG - Barbosa/Johnson/Tabuse

It's not the offensive juggernaut of the current Suns team, but it's a lot stronger defensively, and it won't constantly reek of small ball.

If Dampier is a bust in Dallas, then obviously the Suns made the right decision. We'll have to wait and see.

 

[slinslin]

If Dampier makes such a difference defensively at the C spot you have to wonder why Golden State was always among the worst defensive teams in the league.

 

[elindholm]

If Dampier makes such a difference defensively at the C spot you have to wonder why Golden State was always among the worst defensive teams in the league.

That's like asking why the Magic were bad even though they had McGrady.

 

[scotsman13]

If Dampier makes such a difference defensively at the C spot you have to wonder why Golden State was always among the worst defensive teams in the league.

That's like asking why the Magic were bad even though they had McGrady.

i think that would be simple. the magic were bad because they had mcgrady. sure he can score and is a perty good rebounder but he didnt have a team around him that he could count on to win. as good as he is as a player he wasnt able to put the team on his back and carry them. this isnt just last year it is the whole of his time in nba. he went to orlando because he didnt want to be #2. while with him as the first opion on the team he got them 21 wins. wilt would have gotten his team in the playoffs heck even barkley would have gotten more wins out of that team then what tmac did.

 

[PetryJr]

he went to orlando because he didnt want to be #2.

Not true. He went to Orlando thinking he would be #2 to Grant Hill.

 

[Kaz621]

Not true. He went to Orlando thinking he would be #2 to Grant Hill.

100% true.


T-mac was our third option to sign in orlando. Tim Duncan was our number one priority and it almost happened. 2) Grant 3) T-mac.


T-mac came to orlando because he's from here. Thats why VC wants to play here as well. Its home.

 

[The Commish]

Are we still debating on Hunter? Look the guy is a gamble, but not a bad one. We signed him to a minimal contract, so he's not gonna weigh us down if he sucks. Next summer we'll hopefully have the Chicago pick as well as ours, we'll have the MLE, and we might have good trade bait with such a deep bench.

I know everyone wants to get their panties in a bunch because our center rotation blows, but have the Suns had center in the past 20 years? No. The truth is that there is a dearth of decent Centers in the NBA, and the Suns are a part of that. We don't need a Center to be successful during the regular season, which in reality is most important to this franchise right now. Look at the Dallas Mavericks since Mark Cuban took over. They've had explosive high scoring teams that lacked a "true" center. They still went to the playoffs and were an exciting team to watch. Granted they havent made it to the finals yet, but they did well with what they had.

My point is that lets not all get worried about not having a Center in a "Centerless" league. We have a Top PG, a soon-to-be Top PF, a Top SF, and a good young bench. We will be fine, dont worry about the petty stuff. Can't wait for the season!

 

[Kaz621]

I'll prolly stop posting from now on unless another magic topic pops up in my travels. So if anyone has any questions about hunters past or other magic issues in general, just pm me and I'll gladly answer. Or ask about hunter more specifically on here if you want.