Morris twins contract extension

[JCSunsfan]

NO NO NO NO NO.

Markieff finally blossomed last season when he played like a "true" PF from inside the 3pt line in.

I agree with this to a certain extent. He needs to play like a pf who extends to the three point line. He should not camp out at the three point line.

 

[JCSunsfan]

This is a nicely put together thought. I'm very pleased with the Morris twins extensions.

The Suns under McDonough have taken a long term approach in signing the players they want to keep. IT, Tucker and the Morrris twins were bargains. Also having players on rookie contracts is a good way to fill out a roster.

Long term approach is a good characterization. We stayed young. We did go off course and sign a great but declining vet. We got some really good deals, and the rest were fair.

My only concern is that we just have too many bodies. I would love to consolidate. I am just not sure how. Who would be the target? Could we combine assets for top level picks?

 

[Mainstreet]

Long term approach is a good characterization. We stayed young. We did go off course and sign a great but declining vet. We got some really good deals, and the rest were fair.

My only concern is that we just have too many bodies. I would love to consolidate. I am just not sure how. Who would be the target? Could we combine assets for top level picks?

I think the Suns are exactly where they want to be less signing a major star in free agency this summer. They have a lot of assets on reasonable contracts. Unless a trade emerges for a star player, I can see the Suns perhaps moving one or more players for draft picks. I understand next year's draft is filled with big men. The Suns have their own first round draft pick but the Lakers and Wolves picks are far from sure things. Adding another first round draft pick would be nice for the Suns to shore up their frontline come draft day. Then sign Dragic and the Suns are good to go.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I agree. The correct salary for Marcus is zero. He brings nothing special to the table other than a familial relationship with the player who is the closest thing the Suns have to a PF.

Agreed...I'm ambivalent about the signings, but can accept them. Regarding Marcus, he's lucky he has a more talented brother, because otherwise he's a tweener that doesn't add much.

Hopefully he continues to work and improve...maybe he works on the corner 3 to increase his value?

 

[StreetTruckinTitan]

Long term approach is a good characterization. We stayed young. We did go off course and sign a great but declining vet. We got some really good deals, and the rest were fair.

My only concern is that we just have too many bodies. I would love to consolidate. I am just not sure how. Who would be the target? Could we combine assets for top level picks?

Alot of these camp bodies are going to the Suns D league team which will be mostly all Suns players. Great way of getting the "not ready for primetime" youth alot of valueable minutes instead of wasting away on the bench or outright cut.

 

[AzStevenCal]

They are not really that unbalanced with guards.
Total guards and forwards are even. Given that most teams play 2 guards and 2 forwards at a time that makes sense to me. Still need a 3rd center imo but not a bad roster makeup or one that is horribly one sided.

5 Guards (Dragic, Bledsoe, Thomas, Goodwin, Ennis), 5 Forwards (Morris, Morris, Warren, Tolliver, Randolph), 2 G-F (Green, Tucker), 1 C-F (Plumlee), and 1 C (Len).

Edit: interesting that they still list Okafor on the roster page. I would have thought his FA rights were released.

I think Tucker is solidly in the small forward camp and I've seen nothing to suggest Plumlee can or will be used as a power forward. They paired him and Len together briefly in summer and it was a disaster. I also think Randolph figures to get most of his time, what little that might be, at the center spot.

Steve

 

[Errntknght]

Long term approach is a good characterization. We stayed young. We did go off course and sign a great but declining vet. We got some really good deals, and the rest were fair.

My only concern is that we just have too many bodies. I would love to consolidate. I am just not sure how. Who would be the target? Could we combine assets for top level picks?

Who in the world is this?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Who in the world is this?

I think he meant "didn't", it's the only thing that makes sense of his post for me.

Steve

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I was skeptical of the Ennis pick. I know he was a great college guard, but not sure how he will transition to the NBA. Anybody, have any insight on how he is doing so far?

He played one of the worst games I have seen in my life in the summer league. He will be playing in Bakersfield this year.

 

[Chaz]

I think Tucker is solidly in the small forward camp and I've seen nothing to suggest Plumlee can or will be used as a power forward. They paired him and Len together briefly in summer and it was a disaster. I also think Randolph figures to get most of his time, what little that might be, at the center spot.

Steve

I was going by the labels on the Suns roster page. I personally would consider Green a guard, Tucker a forward, and Plumlee a center.
Randolph can and probably will play a center type spot at times but I don't think he should be listed there.

The point I was trying to make is that the conventional wisdom that the Suns have too many guards on the roster is erroneous.
Those that think they have too many 'point' guards are drawing their own boxes and limitations and failing to fit the Suns into the boxes and labels they created.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Show of hands. Of the people ripping this deal and especially the people that are ripping Marcus, how many of you actually watched most of the games last year? He played two positions, gave great effort, played a physical brand of defense, shot well from the three and put up decent stats for his minutes and was an integral factor to our oft-touted chemistry. He checks out as a fairly average rotation player and his new salary which doesn't kick in until NEXT season is already in line for current salaries. Why the angst, why the hyperbole (worthy of zero salary?)

Steve

 

[Mainstreet]

They are not really that unbalanced with guards.
Total guards and forwards are even. Given that most teams play 2 guards and 2 forwards at a time that makes sense to me. Still need a 3rd center imo but not a bad roster makeup or one that is horribly one sided.

5 Guards (Dragic, Bledsoe, Thomas, Goodwin, Ennis), 5 Forwards (Morris, Morris, Warren, Tolliver, Randolph), 2 G-F (Green, Tucker), 1 C-F (Plumlee), and 1 C (Len).

Edit: interesting that they still list Okafor on the roster page. I would have thought his FA rights were released.

Interesting. I'm wondering if the Suns could use Okafor as an asset in a trade trade (to pay him more salary for another team) like they did with Steve Nash when he was a free agent.

http://www.nba.com/suns/roster/grid

 

[AzStevenCal]

I was going by the labels on the Suns roster page. I personally would consider Green a guard, Tucker a forward, and Plumlee a center.
Randolph can and probably will play a center type spot at times but I don't think he should be listed there.

The point I was trying to make is that the conventional wisdom that the Suns have too many guards on the roster is erroneous.
Those that think they have too many 'point' guards are drawing their own boxes and limitations and failing to fit the Suns into the boxes and labels they created.

I agree with this. We have an imbalance of talent between the bigs and the littles but not in sheer numbers.

Steve

 

[Chaz]

He played one of the worst games I have seen in my life in the summer league. He will be playing in Bakersfield this year.

I was skeptical of the Ennis pick. I know he was a great college guard, but not sure how he will transition to the NBA. Anybody, have any insight on how he is doing so far?

We won't know until camp and preseason get going but I agree with Chris that he will be mostly playing in Bakersfield.

I think he is a clutch high IQ guy but the question is will he have enough speed and quickness to make a career in the NBA. The good news is that he seems to have the skills (court vision, passing) to play a point guard position. If he was a typical shooting guard in a PG body he would pretty much have no shot.

 

[jbeecham]

They are not really that unbalanced with guards.
Total guards and forwards are even.

5 Guards (Dragic, Bledsoe, Thomas, Goodwin, Ennis), 5 Forwards (Morris, Morris, Warren, Tolliver, Randolph), 2 G-F (Green, Tucker), 1 C-F (Plumlee), and 1 C (Len).

Guards (7):
G. Dragic
Z. Dragic
Bledsoe
Thomas
Green
Goodwin
Ennis

Forwards (5):
Markeiff Morris
Marcus Morris
Tucker
Warren
Tolliver

Centers (3):
Plumlee
Len
Randolph

Sure, Green can play some SF & that balances things a little better as far as the numbers go, but I think the bigger complaint is that we only have 1 true PF on the team in Markieff Morris. Plus, some people are questioning if Markieff is a starter quality PF... I think he is already and I'm hoping he continues to improve & learns to play at a high level even when his brother isn't on the court with him. Tolliver is listed as a PF, but he's 6'8, 240lbs so he's shorter than we'd like our backup PF to be.

 

[Chaz]

Forgot about Zoran. Randolph is a forward.

 

[sunsfan88]

$5M/yr for Marcus isn't very good value imo even with the cap rising and all. PJ's a superior player and a starter at the same position, so Marcus should have gotten less than him.

A little too much.

Kieff's contract is very team friendly however. Looks like it could be a huge steal there.

 

[Mainstreet]

$5M/yr for Marcus isn't very good value imo even with the cap rising and all. PJ's a superior player and a starter at the same position, so Marcus should have gotten less than him.

A little too much.

Kieff's contract is very team friendly however. Looks like it could be a huge steal there.

Lon Babby let the twins decide how to divide the money. I think it worked out well for both.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Who in the world is this?

Sorry. Meant to say "didn't"

 

[JCSunsfan]

Guards (7):
G. Dragic
Z. Dragic
Bledsoe
Thomas
Green
Goodwin
Ennis

Forwards (5):
Markeiff Morris
Marcus Morris
Tucker
Warren
Tolliver

Centers (3):
Plumlee
Len
Randolph

Sure, Green can play some SF & that balances things a little better as far as the numbers go, but I think the bigger complaint is that we only have 1 true PF on the team in Markieff Morris. Plus, some people are questioning if Markieff is a starter quality PF... I think he is already and I'm hoping he continues to improve & learns to play at a high level even when his brother isn't on the court with him. Tolliver is listed as a PF, but he's 6'8, 240lbs so he's shorter than we'd like our backup PF to be.

I think of Green more as a SF/SG and Zoran as a SG/SF. Randolph is . . .



irrelevent.

 

[Chaz]

So Babby said in his interview today that they offered the total amount for both and the Morris twins decided how to split the money.

Wow. I have to think that is a very unprecedented approach.

Edit: Whoops just saw Mainstreet already said this.

 

[JS22]

So Babby said in his interview today that they offered the total amount for both and the Morris twins decided how to split the money.

Wow. I have to think that is a very unprecedented approach.

Edit: Whoops just saw Mainstreet already said this.

I keep hearing this. But everyone seems to leave out that he also said the Suns would only agree to a fair, realistic offer. Does anyone really think PHX would give Marcus Morris $8,000,000+ a year?

I think it was a lighthearted way to get the ball rolling and makes for a "good story." Clearly they wanted to be here and continue to play together, so it was going to be a quick negotiation.

If Markieff continues to improve he might actually cost himself a fair amount of money just to stay in PHX and play with his brother. It doesn't seem like that even bothers him though.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I keep hearing this. But everyone seems to leave out that he also said the Suns would only agree to a fair, realistic offer. Does anyone really think PHX would give Marcus Morris $8,000,000+ a year?

I think it was a lighthearted way to get the ball rolling and makes for a "good story." Clearly they wanted to be here and continue to play together, so it was going to be a quick negotiation.

If Markieff continues to improve he might actually cost himself a fair amount of money just to stay in PHX and play with his brother. It doesn't seem like that even bothers him though.

They avoided creating conflict between the brothers or with the team. Yeah it had to be within reason as far as the split. I wonder how the brothers decided. I bet it was based upon minutes.

 

[Mainstreet]

They avoided creating conflict between the brothers or with the team. Yeah it had to be within reason as far as the split. I wonder how the brothers decided. I bet it was based upon minutes.

A passing thought is that Channing Frye (the Suns former starting PF) signed a 32 million, 4 year contract with Orlando. Perhaps Markieff and agent looked at this. However, I have no idea how it was really decided.

 

[sunsfan88]

Lon Babby let the twins decide how to divide the money. I think it worked out well for both.

Yea but if we ever have to trade one away, Marcus contract won't be very appealing.