Rodney White?

[slinslin]

From Coro's blog

This week, they have taken a free look at Rodney White, the former Nugget and Warrior who has been out of the league the past two seasons. He paid his own way to come in and play in Phoenix's informal games.

White, 27, has been impressive and probably needs to be after being known for inconsistent effort and unfulfilled potential. At 6 feet 9 and 230 pounds, White mostly played at small forward in the NBA. But if he found a way to stick in Phoenix, he would take that versatile inside-outside offensive game to the four spot. He was a career 31.4 percent three-point shooter in the NBA. Signing White would not address the cries for a classic big man. The reviews on his defense and rebounding were mixed, especially in the context of being the 2001 draft's No. 9 overall pick. He has spent the past two seasons in Spain and Italy.

On Thursday, the Suns may be taking a look at the final big man candidate they need to see. Brian Skinner will visit along with swingmen Yaroslav Korolev and Richie Frahm.

Rodney White or Yaroslav Korolev plus Brian Skinner or Esteban Batista or PJ Brown.

Would make me happy even more so if they got PJ Brown plus 2 of those 4 on non-guaranteed deals.

 

[Mainstreet]

From Coro's blog


Rodney White or Yaroslav Korolev plus Brian Skinner or Esteban Batista or PJ Brown.

Would make me happy even more so if they got PJ Brown plus 2 of those 4 on non-guaranteed deals.

Skinner and PJ Brown would make be the most happy. The Suns would finally have some strength and size upfront. With PJ's status uncertain getting Skinner would be my goal for the Suns right now. At least fans know he can play.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

This doesnt really need its own thread...

 

[jandaman]

6'9 230?

From what I've heard of him he is very athletic... so maybe he could come in and be the energy guy.... maybe even grab a few boards.... at this point the Suns should look for players who has the traits and abilities to do well in a fast pace system....

 

[F-Dog]

Rodney White is a chucklehead. [/Barkley]


Seriously, the Suns didn't sign Dermarr Johnson before, so why would they sign Rodney White now?

 

[azirish]

I'm always curious why lottery guys flop, but IMHO it is usually because they don't have the work ethic to go with their physical talent.

 

[elindholm]

I'm always curious why lottery guys flop, but IMHO it is usually because they don't have the work ethic to go with their physical talent.

Everyone in the first round has physical talent, usually lots of it. I think the reason that lottery guys flop is often that they weren't that good in the first place.

In spite of what scouts and agents will tell you, there's a huge amount of guesswork in the NBA draft. The information is minimal and barely relevant. It's easy to criticize a team for drafting a bust or passing on a star, but given how little they have to go on, it's pretty understandable.

Perhaps the most striking recent example is Tskitishvili, who had barely gotten off the bench even for his low-level European team. Based on the shooting and agility he showed in an empty gym, he got hyped as a hot prospect. It turned out that he can't play, but there was no way to do better than an educated guess come draft time.

 

[azirish]

Everyone in the first round has physical talent, usually lots of it. I think the reason that lottery guys flop is often that they weren't that good in the first place.

In spite of what scouts and agents will tell you, there's a huge amount of guesswork in the NBA draft. The information is minimal and barely relevant. It's easy to criticize a team for drafting a bust or passing on a star, but given how little they have to go on, it's pretty understandable.

Upside. It is not hard to evaluate guys like Brandon Roy after he played for 4 years. Typically, the guys who last for four years get accused of lacking "upside", but have more maturity and better understanding of the game. Drafting guys with only a year of playing is a typical "high risk, high reward" deal. For every Amare, there are at least a half dozen Skeetas to cause coaches nightmares.

 

[fordronken]

Everyone in the first round has physical talent, usually lots of it. I think the reason that lottery guys flop is often that they weren't that good in the first place.

In spite of what scouts and agents will tell you, there's a huge amount of guesswork in the NBA draft. The information is minimal and barely relevant. It's easy to criticize a team for drafting a bust or passing on a star, but given how little they have to go on, it's pretty understandable.

Perhaps the most striking recent example is Tskitishvili, who had barely gotten off the bench even for his low-level European team. Based on the shooting and agility he showed in an empty gym, he got hyped as a hot prospect. It turned out that he can't play, but there was no way to do better than an educated guess come draft time.

What's amazing to me is the degree to which the players hold the teams hostage. Aren't the players the ones begging for jobs and dying to get a guaranteed contract in the NBA? Wouldn't it be great to be able to have actual 5-on-5 scrimmages with top prospects, put them through more serious workouts and actually have them work out against established players on the team?

This is why I'm glad there is an age limit in the NBA. Although there are still cases with guys like Oden, where you're not ever getting to see them at their best, or guys like Laettner who could never really translate their success, the sample is much more effective when most of the players end up playing in the same league (NCAA) for at least a year.

 

[elindholm]

Upside. It is not hard to evaluate guys like Brandon Roy after he played for 4 years. Typically, the guys who last for four years get accused of lacking "upside"

Right, I understand why it happens, although even with four-year college players there are still unknowns about how well their games will translate, especially power players who haven't regularly encountered the strength of opposition they'll face in the NBA.

 

[elindholm]

What's amazing to me is the degree to which the players hold the teams hostage. Aren't the players the ones begging for jobs and dying to get a guaranteed contract in the NBA? Wouldn't it be great to be able to have actual 5-on-5 scrimmages with top prospects, put them through more serious workouts and actually have them work out against established players on the team?

Heck yeah. But it's sort of like overpaying free agents -- if enough of your competitors are willing to take on the risk, you have to be willing to do the same in order to stay competitive. (That said, it still makes sense to choose your spots carefully.) As long as that dynamic is in place, agents will continue to control the draft.

 

[cly2tw]

I'm always curious why lottery guys flop, but IMHO it is usually because they don't have the work ethic to go with their physical talent.

Because the money is fatter. Even if they just retired after the first contract, they'd be set for life.