Nets @ Suns

[sunsfan88]

It was a mistake to increase our $12M offer for Bledsoe imo. We should have kept him on the QO or $12M/yr deal. Should have stayed strong instead of caving in to Rich Paul.

If he took the QO, he'd have been busting his ass out there playing incredibly well to get the Suns into playoffs so that he can get more national TV time. Plus saying he took the team to the playoffs could have been a nice bargain chip for him when trying to get that max deal.

 

[sunsfan88]

Maybe I value Hill a lot more than you do. He's 27 and putting up very solid numbers (13.6/9.3) now that he's a full-time starter. He plays a position that is in higher demand across the league than Bledsoe does. I doubt the Lakers would make him available, but if they did, he's more appealing than any other big the Suns might have a chance to get.

If Bledsoe can't establish himself as someone who needs to be on the floor during crunch time, his trade value will evaporate. The Suns got him for cheap a year ago; since that time, he has played half a season, shown the same strengths and weaknesses that everyone already knew about, and acquired a huge contract. I think that this board hugely overestimates how highly Bledsoe is regarded by the league. Heck, it's quickly becoming evident that even his own team isn't that high on him.

Jordan Hill was available last deadline for a 2nd rd pick and every team in the league passed.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/232058/Lakers-Seek-2nd-Round-Pick-For-Jordan-Hill

I don't think Hill's value increase THAT much after 8 games.

 

[elindholm]

Jordan Hill was available last deadline for a 2nd rd pick and every team in the league passed.

Not only a second-round pick. The article then says that the Nets and Pelicans were or had been interested. No team would say, "Oh, we want Hill -- but not for a second-round pick; we can't go that high."

I don't think Hill's value increase THAT much after 8 games.

You do know that Hill has played in more than 8 games since last season's trade deadline, right?

 

[Mainstreet]

I think the point about Jordan Hill, he was available for the right price and the Suns did not pursue him strongly. Sometimes I think the Suns only like PFs that can shoot like Anthony Tolliver.

 

[BC867]

Who is advocating getting rid of Green?

My post was in response to Phrazbit, who said (and I disagreed):

I still think that Gerald Green is, by far, the most likely guy to get shipped out.

 

[Phrazbit]

As I posted recently, every good team needs instant offense off the bench. Last season Green even went beyond that by doing better when Bledsoe went down and he became a starter.

If Green at best is instant offense off the bench, at least he is not a tweener (like Leandro Barbosa). Green has the size of a legitimate Wing.

For that reason, I don't think he is the most likely guy to get shipped out.

Thomas is instant offense off the bench and he is better and more efficient than Green in the role.

And Green might have the size to be a wing but he is a pure gunner, nothing more. He does not rebound and he cannot defend wing players.

I agree with mostly all of this... However, at some point - very soon - Bledsoe is going to have to show improvement. It's ridiculous that we're paying a guy $14 million a year, and he can't play the final 8 minutes of the game! We've won 5 games IN SPITE of Bledsoe... So he's gonna have to turn things around soon, or, the current murmurs will become quite loud...

... there are several guys struggling. Have we won 5 games in spite of Dragic? Bledsoe was in at the end up the Spurs game... both Laker games, we won those. He sits two 4th quarters and suddenly he is unusable in the clutch. The main reason he has sat is because Thomas is playing out of his mind. People are going bananas when the stats show that he hasn't been terrible, he just has not been as good as last year so far and Thomas is on fire. His main issue is he needs to stop forcing passes.

 

[Mainstreet]

My post was in response to Phrazbit, who said (and I disagreed):

I'm in agreement with you, however, I don't think the Suns can afford to take any player off the table. The Suns are looking beyond this season. If Green is the mostly likely player to be traded, IMO, it is only because of his positive value. As Cotton used to say, a team can never have enough shooters.

 

[JS22]

On a lighter note . . .

I find it interesting that too many Suns fans are satisfied with tweener Guards, tweener Power Forwards and a weak Center and now want to get ride of Gerald Green, a true Wing.

Perhaps the Suns should convert to being a hockey team. Hey, maybe MVSteve would sign on as coach.

Markieff is a tweener PF?

 

[marios13]

Dragic and Bledsoe have both been below expectations so far. Probably because of the pressure now that they are expected to perform better than last year and last year they were both very good.

Dragic has a contract renewal this year.
Bledsoe wants to show he is worth those 70 mil.

They are both forcing it too much.
Bledsoe hurts Dragic by either not giving up the ball or giving it too late as far as I am concerned. The games I watched Dragic kept going into position and waited for the ball and nothing ... You keep doing that for a while and you get frustrated and he started chucking every look he got.

IT has it easy. His contract is one of the best in the league. No other PG of his caliber is playing for such low pay. Gerald Green has always been either totally hot or lost on the court.

I think they are far away from being the best they can be, but it is definitely improving each game. I just hope the main stars of last year figure out soon how to coexist on the court as soon as possible.

They are both more than capable of being in the 4th quarter. Although I would prefer Bledsoe because of Gorans free throws. On the other hand Goran has better leading abilities when he is not trying to do everything by himself. IT right now as he is is the best option for 4th quarter.

Anyway people stop panicking and stop blaming Gorans poor performances on the World Cup. He is not playing badly, because he is tired. He is playing badly because he is trying to do better than last year and forcing it and not succeeding.

 

[82CardsGrad]

... there are several guys struggling. Have we won 5 games in spite of Dragic? Bledsoe was in at the end up the Spurs game... both Laker games, we won those. He sits two 4th quarters and suddenly he is unusable in the clutch. The main reason he has sat is because Thomas is playing out of his mind. People are going bananas when the stats show that he hasn't been terrible, he just has not been as good as last year so far and Thomas is on fire. His main issue is he needs to stop forcing passes.

Most of the team are playing below their levels from last season. However, nobody is as far from the level of last season as is Bledsoe. And, Dragic, Plumlee, Len, Keef and Marcus all are showing positive trending. Whereas Bledsoe seems to be trending the other way...
But I'm not a hater and I don't believe I have unreasonable expectations for a guy who thought he was a MAX player, who then received near-max money and is unable to get on the court on the 4th quarter - crunch time...
It's still early of course so hopefully, he can figure things out... But his ppg, apg and turnovers are pathetic up to this point... And I'd be saying this even if we hadn't sweetened our deal with him...



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Absolute Zero]

I don't think Bledsoe cares about anyone but Bledsoe.

"(Hornacek) is doing a great job coaching. He's doing a great job of coaching the team. I don't have it going right now and other guys do," he said Thursday. "At the end of the day, it's the bigger picture -- we're trying to make the playoffs. We're getting the wins, so that's the biggest thing. Like I said, I've got to stay with it. I know my time will come. At the end of the day I'm going to keep cheering (my teammates) on...."

"Things aren't going my way right now," he said, "but we're winning. And that's all that matters at the end of the day. We're going out here and getting wins, and I'm going to cheer my teammates on regardless of me playing bad or not."

-Eric Bledsoe
http://arizonasports.com/41/1782850/SEARCHING-FOR-ANSWERS

 

[BC867]

Markieff is a tweener PF?

He is growing into the Power Forward role.

Meanwhile, Tucker and Mook are tweeners when they play the "4", aren't they? On the Suns roster, ESPN lists Mook as a PF.

http://espn.go.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/phx/phoenix-suns

And Tolliver is averaging 10.7 mpg and Randolph 7.0 at Power Forward and not in the rotation.

At Center, is not a strong Center and Len is far from being a force.

Except for Green, we are a team of tweeners.

 

[82CardsGrad]

-Eric Bledsoe
http://arizonasports.com/41/1782850/SEARCHING-FOR-ANSWERS

Judging from his sitting position on the bench during crunch-time vs the Nets, when everyone else was standing, jumping, waving towels and cheering, it seems he has an odd/unique way of "cheering for his teammates"...

 

[Sci Fi]

BC,

Here's a trade I'm sure you'd love! They'd start to look like last year's Spurs. You know that tweener team that won it all in crushing style.

Eric Bledsoe for Ricky Rubio.

Now Minnesota almost certainly wouldn't trade straight up so the Suns would have to throw in a pick. Fine, put some protection on it, but not too much so the Wolves bite.

The Suns would be the second best team in the West and would be immediate contenders. Rubio is a perfect fit with Dragic. Absolutely perfect. They'd probably lead the league in pace and offensive efficiency while improving the defense. Come on Ryan, earn that award you lucked into last year.

 

[Chaplin]

BC,

Here's a trade I'm sure you'd love! They'd start to look like last year's Spurs. You know that tweener team that won it all in crushing style.

Eric Bledsoe for Ricky Rubio.

Now Minnesota almost certainly wouldn't trade straight up so the Suns would have to throw in a pick. Fine, put some protection on it, but not too much so the Wolves bite.

The Suns would be the second best team in the West and would be immediate contenders. Rubio is a perfect fit with Dragic. Absolutely perfect. They'd probably lead the league in pace and offensive efficiency while improving the defense. Come on Ryan, earn that award you lucked into last year.

We're being Punk'd, aren't we?

 

[Cheesebeef]

BC,

Here's a trade I'm sure you'd love! They'd start to look like last year's Spurs. You know that tweener team that won it all in crushing style.

you can't call the Spurs a tweener team like us considering they have one of the best big men in the league at C and we have pretty much nothing right now.

The idea that Diaw/Duncan is any way shape or form similar to our tweener combo of Morris/Drek and Drek with Potential doesn't hold a lot of weight to me.

 

[Sci Fi]

Here's the stats for last year's finals. The Spurs were very much a tweener team as BC defines it. Duncan really wasn't that significant, although he was certainly needed. I'm not advocating winning with midgets.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2014_finals.html#SAS-MIA

 

[Cheesebeef]

Here's the stats for last year's finals. The Spurs were very much a tweener team as BC defines it. Duncan really wasn't that significant, although he was certainly needed. I'm not advocating winning with midgets.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2014_finals.html#SAS-MIA

he averaged 15 ppg and 10 boards... in 33 minutes. that's pretty significant to me. our two Cs don't have anywhere near that kind of impact.

 

[Sci Fi]

Forest and trees.

 

[Ronin]

well at least he's consistent...

Miami's Mario Chalmers is the only starting point guard with a lower assist-to-turnover ratio (1.24 to 1) than Bledsoe (1.39 to 1)

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...is-tj-warren-bakersfield-league-nba/18998211/

Last season, Bledsoe had the worst assist-to-turnover ratio (1.64 to 1) among starting NBA point guards.

 

[Phrazbit]

He is growing into the Power Forward role.

Meanwhile, Tucker and Mook are tweeners when they play the "4", aren't they? On the Suns roster, ESPN lists Mook as a PF.

http://espn.go.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/phx/phoenix-suns

And Tolliver is averaging 10.7 mpg and Randolph 7.0 at Power Forward and not in the rotation.

At Center, is not a strong Center and Len is far from being a force.

Except for Green, we are a team of tweeners.

I think you're confusing tweener and lousy. Len and Plumlee are not even remotely tweeners, they're just not good

 

[Mainstreet]

BC,

Here's a trade I'm sure you'd love! They'd start to look like last year's Spurs. You know that tweener team that won it all in crushing style.

Eric Bledsoe for Ricky Rubio.

Now Minnesota almost certainly wouldn't trade straight up so the Suns would have to throw in a pick. Fine, put some protection on it, but not too much so the Wolves bite.

The Suns would be the second best team in the West and would be immediate contenders. Rubio is a perfect fit with Dragic. Absolutely perfect. They'd probably lead the league in pace and offensive efficiency while improving the defense. Come on Ryan, earn that award you lucked into last year.

If Bledsoe is eventually traded, I'm not wanting another PG in return.

 

[Superbone]

If Bledsoe is eventually traded, I'm not wanting another PG in return.

This.

 

[elindholm]

We're being Punk'd, aren't we?

Must be. In what way is Rubio an improvement over Bledsoe?

 

[BC867]

Here's the stats for last year's finals. The Spurs were very much a tweener team as BC defines it. Duncan really wasn't that significant, although he was certainly needed. I'm not advocating winning with midgets.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2014_finals.html#SAS-MIA

The Spurs won it all. The Suns were in a playoff spot after Bledsoe was able to play near the end of the season and they dropped out.

Whatever the Spurs did, they did it right. The best! Whatever the Suns have done, they did it wrong. Trying to compare the Suns to the Spurs accomplishes nothing. We are just trying to reach the playoffs this season.