My Offseason Plan

[SunsTzu]

Gambo said the the first two players that the Suns interviewed (or are scheduled to interview) at the draft combine are Exum and Smart. They are only allowed to interview a limited number of players.

That seems strange in several ways.

It would likely be difficult to get players at the top of the draft to come in for a visit with the Suns projected draft picks. So I don't really find it strange for them to take this opportunity to find out about the players outside of what they've seen on film.

 

[JCSunsfan]

lol, people seriously believing that interviewing Smart or Exum has anything to do with Bledsoe at all.
We are not going to give up our best or 2nd best player to replace him with a rookie after we won 48 games despite Bledsoe missing half the season.

Exum and Smart are the top guard prospects in the draft, it would be a mistake not to do our homework on them. On top of that we gave considerable playing time last year to Gerald Green and Ishmael Smith last season.
Green had done almost nothing before last season, same for Smith. Green can play some SF too.

It is not like we don't have roster space for another top guard.

Also Dragic can opt out next year.

I am pretty sure McDonough will try to get the best players available, even when it looks like the forwards spots are a bigger need.

Its just speculation and wild speculation in a slow Suns news cycle.

 

[Phrazbit]

I think those two are going to be on a lot of interview lists. Guys like Wiggins, Parker any many of the other top prospects are pretty well understood, while Exum is unknown to anyone but international scouts and if you judged Smart by his last year in college he seems like a crazy person. I think it makes sense to get a look at these guys.

And I also dont think there is any chance the Suns are letting Bledsoe go. If anything the Suns drafting a guard would make me think the Suns are worried about Dragic's situation next summer when he can opt out and will be unrestricted.

 

[Mainstreet]

And I also dont think there is any chance the Suns are letting Bledsoe go. If anything the Suns drafting a guard would make me think the Suns are worried about Dragic's situation next summer when he can opt out and will be unrestricted.

I can see the Suns preparing for the option of trading Bledsoe if they cannot agree to a new contract. However, the Suns are not going to let him walk for nothing. Maybe the Suns already know how the Bledsoe situation will play out. It may be all about negotiations but Bledsoe has given no hints he wants to return to the Suns.

I do not think Dragic would want to leave the Suns even if he becomes a free agent, but a lucrative contract offer to Bledsoe may leave the Suns unwilling or unable to match.

Personally, if the Suns could get a significant return for Bledsoe, I would rather keep Dragic.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I think those two are going to be on a lot of interview lists. Guys like Wiggins, Parker any many of the other top prospects are pretty well understood, while Exum is unknown to anyone but international scouts and if you judged Smart by his last year in college he seems like a crazy person. I think it makes sense to get a look at these guys.

And I also dont think there is any chance the Suns are letting Bledsoe go. If anything the Suns drafting a guard would make me think the Suns are worried about Dragic's situation next summer when he can opt out and will be unrestricted.

I think this is correct. They control Bledsoe's destiny for the most part. But Dragic could leave and there is nothing they can do about it. It would make sense to have some insurance.

 

[Phrazbit]

I can see the Suns preparing for the option of trading Bledsoe if they cannot agree to a new contract. However, the Suns are not going to let him walk for nothing. Maybe the Suns already know how the Bledsoe situation will play out. It may be all about negotiations but Bledsoe has given no hints he wants to return to the Suns.

I do not think Dragic would want to leave the Suns even if he becomes a free agent, but a lucrative contract offer to Bledsoe may leave the Suns unwilling or unable to match.

Personally, if the Suns could get a significant return for Bledsoe, I would rather keep Dragic.

I think this is correct. They control Bledsoe's destiny for the most part. But Dragic could leave and there is nothing they can do about it. It would make sense to have some insurance.

Exactly. I'm not trying to say the Suns prefer to keep one or the other, but keeping Bledsoe is something the Suns have entirely in their control and the largest offer he can get is 58 mil for 4 years with the Suns having the right to match. That will not be the case should Dragic opt out as an unrestricted free agent eligible for a larger contract.

 

[Errntknght]

I like Bledsoe and Dragic together but not to the tune of 29 million a year - off this past year it would be hard to pay Goran less than Eric and everyone seems to think Eric will get offered 14.5 million/year for 4 years. There are the nagging concerns about Bledsoe's injury recurring and uncertainty about his wanting to be here. In addition it didn't seem to me that Eric defended as well playing full time as he did part time and the two of them didn't make the plays together on offense that I expected of them. That may be more on Hornacek than the two of them but somehow they have to improve a good bit to be worth that amount.

I'm not claiming I know the answer - would that I did. McD is going to work some kind of a miracle to get through this with the team unscathed. The twins may pose a similar problem if they want to maintain something close to parity in their salaries - Markieff is worth considerably more. But of course they don't have any place to go where that will happen, IMO. It could make them unhappy though.

 

[KloD]

As for taking a closer look at the PG's in this draft, of course they will do their homework on everyone. Drafting one of them would likely replace Ish and/or it also could bring in another young asset for a future trade. I think they want to keep the Goran and Bledsoe backcourt, but with the NBA's auto revolving door, one needs to be prepared for just about any situation.

McD has been pretty open about his desire to get a star here and that seems to be the only bankable step to his plans. When and where that star will come from is unknown at this time for everyone. In the mean time these draft picks may have to be used and drafting guys that may not fit is fine if they are viewed as future trade ammo. Best player available, not need.

I don't understand why some question Bledsoe's desire to remain with the Suns? If I was his agent I would advise him to remain mum on the issue as to keep all other teams interested and maximize his offers. It's the smart move IMO. They didn't agree on cost/value during negotiations so it makes sense to have all other teams believing they may be a more desirable location and get the largest offer they can for the Suns to match. If he were to say he loved this team and wanted to stay, he's putting at risk other teams turning their focus to other free agents as his restricted status limits his ability to leave to pretty much a sign and trade. If they don't believe this could be his desire, he may not get that max offer and then the Suns will have more power at the negotiating table.

 

[asuhoopsnut]

This.

I still remember the Suns did not do their research on Karl Malone when he dropped. They made a similar mistake when they did not do their research on William Bedford. A vast difference between these two players but nevertheless, the Suns were not prepared.

Not true. Karl Malone refused to come here on a visit when they extended one to him.

 

[overseascardfan]

lol, people seriously believing that interviewing Smart or Exum has anything to do with Bledsoe at all.
We are not going to give up our best or 2nd best player to replace him with a rookie after we won 48 games despite Bledsoe missing half the season.

Exum and Smart are the top guard prospects in the draft, it would be a mistake not to do our homework on them. On top of that we gave considerable playing time last year to Gerald Green and Ishmael Smith last season.
Green had done almost nothing before last season, same for Smith. Green can play some SF too.

It is not like we don't have roster space for another top guard.

Also Dragic can opt out next year.

I am pretty sure McDonough will try to get the best players available, even when it looks like the forwards spots are a bigger need.

Dragic is why PHX is looking at PG's according to basketball pundits. Barring a S&T for Bledsoe, he is going to stay in PHX. Dragic is the unknown as it should be expected that he opt out of a $8.5M salary when he could get more should he have another year like last year.

Does anyone else get a dejavu vibe of a Dragic for PF deal could happen ala a Hornacek for Barkley deal? I mean the similarities are uncanny, Hornacek was coming off his best year as a Sun, he was the SG & KJ (Bledsoe type of offensive player) playing point.

 

[Superbone]

Does anyone else get a dejavu vibe of a Dragic for PF deal could happen ala a Hornacek for Barkley deal? I mean the similarities are uncanny, Hornacek was coming off his best year as a Sun, he was the SG & KJ (Bledsoe type of offensive player) playing point.

That's an interesting observation, oscf.

 

[Mainstreet]

Not true. Karl Malone refused to come here on a visit when they extended one to him.

True enough, but one does not pass on a player of his caliber.

My memory may be a bit vague after all these years, but I believe Malone thought he would be drafted earlier than where the Suns picked at #10 in the 1985 draft. It seems he thought he was going to be drafted by Dallas at #8 (per Wikipedia) which supports my memory. I do remember one thing clearly, Malone was very humble when he was interviewed after the draft. I remember how impressive he was both physically and verbally. The Suns blundered by not drafting him even if he did not interview with them. Again, the Suns were caught flat footed when it came to Malone and Bedford.

Here is a quote from Wikipedia:

In the 1985 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz chose Karl Malone with the 13th overall pick. According to Malone's official NBA biography: "If professional scouts had correctly predicted the impact Karl Malone would have on the NBA, Malone would have been picked much higher than 13th in the 1985 NBA Draft."[6] In fact, Malone was so convinced the Dallas Mavericks were going to select him with the eighth choice, that he had already rented an apartment in Dallas. Instead, the Mavericks selected Detlef Schrempf, and Malone lasted until Utah's pick at No. 13.[7]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Malone

 

[Cheesebeef]

Dragic is why PHX is looking at PG's according to basketball pundits. Barring a S&T for Bledsoe, he is going to stay in PHX. Dragic is the unknown as it should be expected that he opt out of a $8.5M salary when he could get more should he have another year like last year.

Does anyone else get a dejavu vibe of a Dragic for PF deal could happen ala a Hornacek for Barkley deal? I mean the similarities are uncanny, Hornacek was coming off his best year as a Sun, he was the SG & KJ (Bledsoe type of offensive player) playing point.

that thought has definitely crossed my mind.

 

[AzStevenCal]

True enough, but one does not pass on a player of his caliber.

My memory may be a bit vague after all these years, but I believe Malone thought he would be drafted earlier than where the Suns picked at #10 in the 1985 draft. It seems he thought he was going to be drafted by Dallas at #8 (per Wikipedia) which supports my memory. I do remember one thing clearly, Malone was very humble when he was interviewed after the draft. I remember how impressive he was both physically and verbally. The Suns blundered by not drafting him even if he did not interview with them. Again, the Suns were caught flat footed when it came to Malone and Bedford.

It just isn't that simple. We didn't pass on a player of Malone's caliber, we passed on a player with the potential to become Karl Malone (many teams did). Scouts were very divided on Malone, he'd shown signs of greatness but the "unmotivated, uninterested" description that Marty Blake attached to him scared several teams away. Can you really blame the Suns for passing on a guy that carried the "lazy" label who also refused to even meet with them?

Besides, maybe if we draft Malone instead of Ed Pinckney he just becomes another journeyman power forward. Having him grow up with Stockton on that team along with perhaps the perfect head coach for him had a lot to do with him eventually becoming perhaps the greatest power forward ever. A lot of people believe that Utah, away from all the distractions, was the ideal NBA location for Malone to thrive in. For all we know, if Bedford had been drafted by Utah a year later instead of us perhaps he becomes the greatest center of the era?

Steve

 

[Mainstreet]

It just isn't that simple. We didn't pass on a player of Malone's caliber, we passed on a player with the potential to become Karl Malone (many teams did). Scouts were very divided on Malone, he'd shown signs of greatness but the "unmotivated, uninterested" description that Marty Blake attached to him scared several teams away. Can you really blame the Suns for passing on a guy that carried the "lazy" label who also refused to even meet with them?

Besides, maybe if we draft Malone instead of Ed Pinckney he just becomes another journeyman power forward. Having him grow up with Stockton on that team along with perhaps the perfect head coach for him had a lot to do with him eventually becoming perhaps the greatest power forward ever. A lot of people believe that Utah, away from all the distractions, was the ideal NBA location for Malone to thrive in. For all we know, if Bedford had been drafted by Utah a year later instead of us perhaps he becomes the greatest center of the era?

Steve

The Suns passed on Karl Malone plain and simple for Ed Pinckney... nothing against Ed Pinckney. They had not done their homework for the possibility Malone dropped to the Suns, the lack of being interviewed aside. Again, Malone refused to interview with the Suns because he thought he would be drafted earlier by Dallas.

In regard to the notion that William Bedford would amount to anything... please... there was a reason he dropped to the Suns. Read the link at the Wikipedia article below. It seems the Suns were surprised to see a 7 foot center there at the sixth selection in the 1986 draft and they did not know why. They had not done their homework... again... and there were reasons other teams were avoiding him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bedford_(basketball)

 

[desertdawg]

Trade all 3 first rounders to move up as far as you can.

 

[BC867]

Trade all 3 first rounders to move up as far as you can.

That makes sense. Or, with some warm bodies, for an experienced Center or Power Forward who can rebound, start the fast break and put up opportunity points.

I prefer the latter.

 

[Mainstreet]

Trade all 3 first rounders to move up as far as you can.

I have read that Utah would consider trading their 4th pick in the draft.

 

[elindholm]

I have read that Utah would consider trading their 4th pick in the draft.

That would be a weird thing to say, since they have only a 10% chance of staying at #4 -- in fact that is the least likely spot in the top 6 for them to wind up at. (The only way for them to stay at #4 is if the three lottery winners are exactly the #1, #2, and #3 seeds.)

 

[AzStevenCal]

The Suns passed on Karl Malone plain and simple for Ed Pinckney... nothing against Ed Pinckney. They had not done their homework for the possibility Malone dropped to the Suns, the lack of being interviewed aside. Again, Malone refused to interview with the Suns because he thought he would be drafted earlier by Dallas.

In regard to the notion that William Bedford would amount to anything... please... there was a reason he dropped to the Suns. Read the link at the Wikipedia article below. It seems the Suns were surprised to see a 7 foot center there at the sixth selection in the 1986 draft and they did not know why. They had not done their homework... again... and there were reasons other teams were avoiding him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bedford_(basketball)

Is this your opinion or is there something to support it, other than the fact we didn't draft him? I was working long hours back then and I really didn't follow the draft all that much but I remember reading a few years later that Marty Blake's scouting report had a lot to do with why teams passed. Back then they simply didn't have access to the kind of information available to them today and Marty's write-ups on small school players was pretty much gospel.

Steve

 

[Mainstreet]

Is this your opinion or is there something to support it, other than the fact we didn't draft him? I was working long hours back then and I really didn't follow the draft all that much but I remember reading a few years later that Marty Blake's scouting report had a lot to do with why teams passed. Back then they simply didn't have access to the kind of information available to them today and Marty's write-ups on small school players was pretty much gospel.

Steve

This is my informed opinion. However, I followed the NBA draft even more closely back then than I do now. I had years of the NBA draft on tape which I would review now and then (including this particular draft now long gone) just for the sheer enjoyment. In regard to scouting, most every player has noted weaknesses. Also, it might stand to reason if the Suns did not properly research Bedford, they may have not done their research on Malone.

I will throw one more thing out there. I believe (can't prove) the Suns overcompensated for their failure to draft Malone in 1985 by drafting Bedford in 1986.

 

[desertdawg]

I think Frye has to go if we want to get better, too streaky and way too soft when he's not hot.

 

[Jay Cardinal]

That would be a weird thing to say, since they have only a 10% chance of staying at #4 -- in fact that is the least likely spot in the top 6 for them to wind up at. (The only way for them to stay at #4 is if the three lottery winners are exactly the #1, #2, and #3 seeds.)

It would make for a really interesting trade - before the lottery. It would be like truly trading for a lottery ticket (pick#1-6). I think Utah would get a really good return trading it early, but doubt it will go down before the lottery happens.

Would you trade Bledsoe and a #1 pick (our probable #14) + for the Utah pick pre-lottery + trade filler? I'm not sure Bledsoe would get you a top-3 pick after the lottery is decided, but might do it for a 33% chance at a top-3 pick.

 

[Cheesebeef]

It would make for a really interesting trade - before the lottery. It would be like truly trading for a lottery ticket (pick#1-6). I think Utah would get a really good return trading it early, but doubt it will go down before the lottery happens.

Would you trade Bledsoe and a #1 pick (our probable #14) + for the Utah pick pre-lottery + trade filler? I'm not sure Bledsoe would get you a top-3 pick after the lottery is decided, but might do it for a 33% chance at a top-3 pick.

no way in hell.

 

[elindholm]

Would you trade Bledsoe and a #1 pick (our probable #14) + for the Utah pick pre-lottery + trade filler? I'm not sure Bledsoe would get you a top-3 pick after the lottery is decided, but might do it for a 33% chance at a top-3 pick.

Utah's chance of moving into the top three is actually 37%. I'd do it if I saw a good chance at a franchise big man in the top three. As I understand it, though -- and keep in mind that this is coming from someone who does not follow the draft -- the top prospects are mainly wings. So in that case, no.