Please enlighten me.......I just don't get it

[corrado]

I've read some quotes from BC about getting another guy that can hit the 15 footer in order to open up the lane from Amare.

I've been in the Valley since 1979 and the Suns track record on the type of team they like to assemble is an offense-minded club with defense as a low priority.

The Suns had a great year this year and I strongly believe they they should be looking at a guy with the 21st pick who can bring some defense (rebounding, agressiveness, etc.) to this team.

I will be very disappointed if they end choosing someone whose stong-suit is not defense first. The last thing I want to see is another high-scoring wing player who pays little defense.

 

[playstation]

i don't think it matters in the shortterm. if we are fortunate enough to be in the conf. finals again next year, a rookie will not find himself in our rotation outside of an emergency. we need rebounding, this is true, but not from the draft. draft is BPA time. always BPA, especially when you have no glaring holes to fill.

 

[Joe Mama]

If the Phoenix Suns draft for defense they really need to get a perimeter player. Only possibly Chris Taft (if you really works hard) is going to be a good frontcourt defender next season. I think you look for strong defenders in free agency. Of course they still should be able to hit an outside shot consistently in order to keep the middle open for Amare Stoudemire and others going to the basket.

I do think it's important that if they take a frontcourt player at #21 he can hit the boards. Again, defense would be great, but I don't see it happening at #21 next year. They could take someone like Petro or Blatche for the future. I think it's unlikely they are strong defenders next season though.

More than anything the Phoenix Suns need frontcourt depth. I like Hunter, but I find it amazing that the Phoenix Suns made it all the way to the Western Conference finals with team representing the only real frontcourt depth.

PlayStation, it's entirely possible that you are right about the draft pick. Perhaps they will draft somebody who they will develop, but I suspect they really want someone who can come in and help right away.

IMO the Suns have two real needs in free agency/the draft. They need at least one, good frontcourt player... preferably a center. They also need another versatile swingman in case of injury and/or somebody struggling. It also gives them some extra pieces if they do decide they want to make a deal next year. I really doubt the Phoenix Suns want to use their draft pick or spend much money on a point guard. This is Barbosa's last chance, and they know they have the JJ's. If Hunter leaves as I suspect he will they will need another frontcourt player.

At the moment we don't really know what type of exceptions the Phoenix Suns will have to work with in free agency. At best it's going to stay somewhere to the latest now leaving the Suns with a $5 million exception and a smaller $1.6 million exception. I think Hunter is gone, or at the very least he is going to command the greater part of the $5 million exception.

Perhaps the Phoenix Suns believe they have the inside track on specific free agents that filled the above needs they may be willing to draft someone with a lot of potential who they can develop. Either way I don't see them passing on somebody who they really think could be something special.

Last year we had a lot of money in free agency and a high draft pick. There was a lot to talk about. I think the next big news this summer will be the rules of the new CBA. It should be fun to figure them all out in order to see what the Suns have to work with. Then we'll have the draft, summer leagues, and free agency. As far as the message board goes this is one of the most exciting times of the year.

Joe Mama

 

[George O'Brien]

I've read some quotes from BC about getting another guy that can hit the 15 footer in order to open up the lane from Amare.

I've been in the Valley since 1979 and the Suns track record on the type of team they like to assemble is an offense-minded club with defense as a low priority.

The Suns had a great year this year and I strongly believe they they should be looking at a guy with the 21st pick who can bring some defense (rebounding, agressiveness, etc.) to this team.

I will be very disappointed if they end choosing someone whose stong-suit is not defense first. The last thing I want to see is another high-scoring wing player who pays little defense.

I don't think there is anyone in the draft who would much help stopping Duncan in the low block and certainly not at #21.

The Suns have drafted or traded for some guys with defense in mind, but the usual problem has been that what the Suns gained on defense was more than lost by having a much more limited offense. Many opponents have commented about how hard it is to stop a team that puts five guys on the court that are a real threat to score 20 plus.

Every team the Suns play want to double team Amare or at least be prepared to bring weak side help. As Amare learns to become a better distributor, this will create ever greater problems for opposing defenses.

Putting a guy on the floor who is not an offensive threat makes it much easier to double Amare. If a player is only a threat to score on layups, then teams can simply pack the paint and try to make Amare a jump shooter. But if the player is a threat to shoot from the outside, packing the paint just leaves another shooter open.

For those of us who are pushing for a rebounder, we are also insisting that the guy can shoot. This is why someone like Petro is not that inviting even though he may become a good player someday. Petro is likely to be a liability on offense.

Ike, May and Simien all have some offensive skills to go with their rebounding. Taft is not as good on offense, but is more athletic than these three. That along with his attitude is why he is not as popular inspite of having a lot more potential.

 

[HooverDam]

I hope the Suns get a PF/C and PG in free agency/the draft. I also dont understand this desire for a swing man. We have JJ, Jjax, Q and Barbosa, I think thats sufficient. We need someone to give Nash a breather, I dont like JJ as the back up PG, cause that means he doesnt play his natural swing position and plays a ton of minutes.

I would really like it if we could draft Ike, he can shoot, play in the post when Amares on the bench and rebound and play D. A lot of people say he isnt athletic enough in the Suns system, however, the Suns system is a lot slower when Nash is on the bench. If Ike was used when JJ/Barbosa/hopefully new back up PG was running the show, he could be used more traditionally in a half court set.

 

[George O'Brien]

I hope the Suns get a PF/C and PG in free agency/the draft. I also dont understand this desire for a swing man. We have JJ, Jjax, Q and Barbosa, I think thats sufficient.

It really all depends on who is on the board. Jimmy Jackson is 34 with just one more year on his contract, so another wing would be preparing for the future. None the less, I think there will be an inside guy worth taking and would disappointed if the Suns went small. However, I should point out that the Suns may have a lead on someone through free agency they like, so we can't judge just from the draft.

We need someone to give Nash a breather, I dont like JJ as the back up PG, cause that means he doesnt play his natural swing position and plays a ton of minutes.

JJ's minutes have little to do with his playing PG, but the fact that he is the best on the ball defender and outside shooter on the team.

There are reasons why playing JJ at PG has some attractions as he becomes more comfortable with the roll. Playing JJ a PG creates enormous matchup problems for opponents. Look at how Billips abused Tony Parker in tonight's game at least partly because Bilips is more than 20 pounds heavier. JJ is 4 inches taller and at least 35 pounds heavier than Billips.

Right now the main problem with JJ at PG is that he is not comfortable running the Sun's high pick and roll. My guess is that they did not practice it with JJ during training camp because they never really accepted that JJ would be a PG. That may change this season.

There is no reason why JJ couldn't become a great pick and roll PG. As big a threat as Nash is when the opponent doubles Amare on roll, JJ is a much bigger threat to go to the basket and can shoot that floater over most defenders. Obviously Nash is the master when it comes to finding the open man when teams double down, but there is no reason why JJ can't become reasonably good.

I would really like it if we could draft Ike, he can shoot, play in the post when Amares on the bench and rebound and play D. A lot of people say he isnt athletic enough in the Suns system, however, the Suns system is a lot slower when Nash is on the bench. If Ike was used when JJ/Barbosa/hopefully new back up PG was running the show, he could be used more traditionally in a half court set.

I like Ike too. His athleticism limitations could be a problem on defense, but on offense the issue is not raw footspeed but pace. Nash is not an especially fast player, but he plays at top speed and hustles. Ike should be fine if he understands that the pace the Suns play means he will have to get into incredible condition to keep up.

 

[Errntknght]

corrado, when I read that quote from BC I figured he meant a big who could hit a 15 footer, not another wing player. If he meant a wing he'd have said at least an 18 footer.

Hopefully, they'll have Voskuhl shooting 600 jumpers a day all summer. I'd hate to see Jake as our first big off the bench but at least I'd like to see him start nailing 15-17 footers when he does get some minutes. Oddly enough, after all this time I still think he could be quite a good shooter from that range - I'd be surprised if he wasn't quite deadly already in practice. He's got a good enough stroke, he just needs to 'groove' it so it doesn't desert him in games.

As far as the draft goes I think the Suns will draft the guy they think is most likely to help in the short term. I'd guess they'd take a PG ahead of a SG/wing if they were about equal. Statistically, it wouldn't be smart to draft a big at #21 since it would be extremely unlikely to result in short term help though I suppose Ike might be worth a try should he fall that far - he's the type of player that many GMs would pass on because of his height yet he's big enough to play PF for the Suns.

Personally, I'd prefer the Suns draft an ace perimeter defender. I'm not holding my breath because they have never thought in those terms and they probably wouldn't know one if they tripped over him anyway.

 

[HooverDam]

Hopefully, they'll have Voskuhl shooting 600 jumpers a day all summer.

Hopefully Voskuhl won't be on the team next year. Don't get me wrong, he seems like a great guy and all, but I dont think he fits on this team anymore. He is just too slow and I dont think he can play "skill ball." He is a reasonably good big man, maybe we can package him in a trade for something we need- or just move his salary in some way to help us resign Hunter.

 

[cly2tw]

Watching the finals, we need to add a big who can defend Duncan as well as the Wallaces and Rasheed if we get into the finals. Who could that be in the FA or via trade? An additional shot from 15 feet in would be plus.

Swift, R.Evans, Magloire, Kurt Thomas, Gazuric, Dalembert, Nene, Chandler, Brown, who else?

 

[corrado]

Todays Republic...

had an article that they brought back in Ike along with Petro, Fernandez and Garcia. Reading between the lines I think if Garcia is there at 21 (questionable) they will take him. He is another wing player who weighs about 190 pounds. I just don't get it. Maybe they hope he develops into a Prince type of player.

 

[fordronken]

Well, they obviously like Ike, but I don't think he'll be there. Also, if they think enough of Petro, I can't imagine them not taking him. But if he's that good, I don't know why he'd fall this far.

Realistically, it'd be extremely difficult to get a quality big man who isn't an extreme gamble at 21. Getting a pretty good wing player is much more possible.

 

[Joe Mama]

had an article that they brought back in Ike along with Petro, Fernandez and Garcia. Reading between the lines I think if Garcia is there at 21 (questionable) they will take him. He is another wing player who weighs about 190 pounds. I just don't get it. Maybe they hope he develops into a Prince type of player.

Prince and Garcia have little in common except that they are both rail thin. Garcia is actually a pretty good perimeter defender and shot blocker. The worry is that his man will simply post him up every time there is an opportunity. Of course the other worry is that he'll have injury problems because of much bigger players knocking him around. He's a very good shooter who can also handle and distribute the ball.

The Phoenix Suns currently have Jim Jackson and Q under contract. It's likely they'll be oval to bring back JJ, but you never really know. Besides, Jim Jackson is around 35 years old with only this next season on his contract. I'm sure the Phoenix Suns would prefer to get a good frontcourt player with the pick, but they shouldn't pass on a good perimeter player to get someone mediocre for the frontcourt. They can do that for the NBA minimum in free agency.

Joe Mama

 

[Chaplin]

I do have to go with what you said a few days ago, Joe, and that is the Suns probably are looking for somebody who can contribute now. That's why I thought Warrick would have been great--but of course he'll be gone by then. Diogu and Garcia both will be able to contribute at least a little bit right away--so it's probably more of a sure thing that it will be one of them or a player like them.

Picking Petro and stashing him in Europe doesn't help us at all, IMO. It's already a crapshoot anyway at #21. Drafting on potential is definitely high risk-high reward, but for a team contending for a championship, I'm not sure that's the way to go.

 

[scotsman13]

i dont remember who said it maybe it was cotton, but it went something like this "you can never have enough shooters."

why was this team so successful last year? they didnt rebound well. they didnt defend well, heck they didnt get a lot of steals, why? the biggest reason is that they had an offensive that no one could stop. they shot the ball better then anyone else, they found the weak points in other teams defense and took advantage of it. so what does this this have to do to move to the next step? well greater depth would help a lot (yes we need another big but if they cant run and spead the floor they wont get off the bench, also we saw how much we were hurt by having jj go down). rebounding will be increasingly important more teams look to pick up the pace agianst the suns.

so what should the suns do this off season?

-draft take the best player who will fit there style of play. dont pick joe kleine just because they need a big man.

-resign joe johnson. this is really important maybe as much as signing amare. jj find up the role of the second star on the team in years to come (he is just 23 years old) and can creat his own shot. he defends well and plays a smart game plus he has shown the ability and willingness to work in the off season to get better.

-resign hunter. at 23 years hunter is still very young and has a lot of learning and getting better left in him. if we can get him he back for 1.7 or something close to that great for another 2 years.

-sign amare amare is the future of the team where he goes so goes this team.

-free agents bring in player who will fit the style of player of this team but also might help with some of the weaknesses. gary payton might be the best player out there to do this. as a back up point guard he can fill in for nash and help provide defense off the bench. for big man help hunter is one of the best free agents at being defense at the hoop (he need to rebound better and work on his free throws shooting) and he can bring a lot to the team if he can hit a good rate from 15-18 for the future. i would love to pick up an enforcer someone like charles oakley who has the mass and strenght to scare other from going after nash and amare but they have to be able to run the floor with this team.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Well, they obviously like Ike, but I don't think he'll be there. Also, if they think enough of Petro, I can't imagine them not taking him. But if he's that good, I don't know why he'd fall this far.

Realistically, it'd be extremely difficult to get a quality big man who isn't an extreme gamble at 21. Getting a pretty good wing player is much more possible.

I am pretty sure they had Petro in to workout against Ike. He made some comments about how the Suns were just doing checkups on him, since they have watched him for 3 years. He also said that they wanted to see how he did against a taller player, which Petro fits into.