Rumor: Bledsoe trade to Lakers

[BC867]

Well, if Bledsoe leaves and his role is filled by Thomas then we're only getting smaller and now Dragic, instead of focusing most of his energy on offense, is always going to be covering the oppositions best guard.

This is yet another confusing thing about the stance the 'let Bledsoe walk' crowd is taking. Dragic will not move back to point if Bledsoe goes, for the majority of his minutes he will stay in his current role of combo guard/SG, only with a much heavier defensive responsibility.

Thomas was brought here to be a backup Point Guard (currently, a 3rd Point Guard with Dragic and Bledsoe as the starting two).

I am not suggesting, nor would I want to see, Dragic and Thomas as our starting Guards.

With the two of them sharing 48 minutes at Point Guard (with rare exceptions), two legitimate Shooting Guards and Bledsoe replaced on the 4-Point Guard roster with a rebounding C/PF -- now that's what I'm talkin' about!

That's strength!

P.S.: Playing Dragic at starting Shooting Guard and backup Point is only going to wear him down.

 

[mojorizen7]

 

[BC867]

My sentiments exactly!

 

[mojorizen7]

The Suns are a better team with Bledsoe. Not sure how this is being argued. BUT...his health, reliability and durability is a big issue.

Listened to GM Ryan this afternoon. My take is the Suns will get Bledsoe under contract...and this is the roster we're going with in 2014.

Even if Bledsoe is retained, this was not the type of offseason i had hoped for(although it wasn't too bad). Hopefully this is an ongoing process to build a better post season roster at some point before i pass from this Earth.

 

[TucsonDevil]

I rush to this site to get the latest on the Suns... find the thread that I am looking for "Rumors about Bledsoe to the Lakers" and see all the posts - Perfect.

... But then the thread is populated with a back-n-forth argument on whether Bledsoe is an effective PG with Dragic. This is very disappointing.

Is there anything to this rumor? Are the Lakers looking for a sign and trade for Bledsoe in exchange for Randle and a 1st rounder?

 

[sunsfan88]

I rush to this site to get the latest on the Suns... find the thread that I am looking for "Rumors about Bledsoe to the Lakers" and see all the posts - Perfect.

... But then the thread is populated with a back-n-forth argument on whether Bledsoe is an effective PG with Dragic. This is very disappointing.

Is there anything to this rumor? Are the Lakers looking for a sign and trade for Bledsoe in exchange for Randle and a 1st rounder?

This is a rumor that has no legs now. The Lakers did want him before but now they spent all their cap on others and have no room for EB.

/thread

 

[TucsonDevil]

This is a rumor that has no legs now. The Lakers did want him before but now they spent all their cap on others and have no room for EB.

/thread

Thanks for the quick response.

 

[AzStevenCal]

The Suns are a better team with Bledsoe. Not sure how this is being argued. BUT...his health, reliability and durability is a big issue.

Listened to GM Ryan this afternoon. My take is the Suns will get Bledsoe under contract...and this is the roster we're going with in 2014.

Even if Bledsoe is retained, this was not the type of offseason i had hoped for(although it wasn't too bad). Hopefully this is an ongoing process to build a better post season roster at some point before i pass from this Earth.

Is it? Do we know that? How do we know that. Not all injuries in the past are predictors of future injuries. It's my understanding that his was fixed in a more time costly way but doing so would minimize risk of re-injury in the future. They could have just removed the Meniscus and he would have been back on the court in a week or two. But then he would have been an ongoing injury risk a few years down the road. Supposedly he still has something like 90% of his Meniscus.

Steve

 

[BC867]

Is it? Do we know that? How do we know that. Not all injuries in the past are predictors of future injuries. It's my understanding that his was fixed in a more time costly way but doing so would minimize risk of re-injury in the future. They could have just removed the Meniscus and he would have been back on the court in a week or two. But then he would have been an ongoing injury risk a few years down the road. Supposedly he still has something like 90% of his Meniscus.

Steve

I would like to see us remove the risk and replace it with a rebounder. But, alas, it is probably not going to happen.

So we will see if a 2 Point-Guard, weak rebounding Suns team will make us contenders. I know which side of that bet I would take.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Is it? Do we know that? How do we know that. Not all injuries in the past are predictors of future injuries. It's my understanding that his was fixed in a more time costly way but doing so would minimize risk of re-injury in the future. They could have just removed the Meniscus and he would have been back on the court in a week or two. But then he would have been an ongoing injury risk a few years down the road. Supposedly he still has something like 90% of his Meniscus.

Steve

i'm a big bledsoe fan, but any time a guy has had multiple knee surgeries and had to miss significant time in 2 of 4 seasons he's played I'm pretty confident in knowing he's at the very least a risk, health wise.

now that doesn't make him Penny Hardaway or Amare like some of his haters (and yes, there are definitely haters here of Bledsoe evidenced by the post who basically called him a tweener who does absolutely pretty much nothing good) here have claimed him to be, but it's definitely something to be cautious of.

 

[Chaplin]

What is Dragic's claim to fame? Is it his great year running the team? Nope. It's his 4th quarter barrage against the Spurs in the playoffs. And he was basically a shooting guard in that quarter of that game, so it's not like he can't play SG.

 

[AzStevenCal]

i'm a big bledsoe fan, but any time a guy has had multiple knee surgeries and had to miss significant time in 2 of 4 seasons he's played I'm pretty confident in knowing he's at the very least a risk, health wise.

now that doesn't make him Penny Hardaway or Amare like some of his haters (and yes, there are definitely haters here of Bledsoe evidenced by the post who basically called him a tweener who does absolutely pretty much nothing good) here have claimed him to be, but it's definitely something to be cautious of.

Maybe. I certainly worry about it. But I put a lot more credence on what the medical staff feels about it than how I feel about it. If I understand it correctly, he had a tear and they repaired it when he was with the Clippers. The repair came undone due to contact (?) and they went back in and removed a small portion of the Meniscus. It's nothing like the more serious injuries that have come back to haunt players a few years later. If the medical staff is concerned, I'm very concerned. If they aren't worried, I'm only going to worry a little bit. Just like I do with any player that plays like he does (such as Goran).

Steve

 

[AzStevenCal]

I would like to see us remove the risk and replace it with a rebounder. But, alas, it is probably not going to happen.

So we will see if a 2 Point-Guard, weak rebounding Suns team will make us contenders. I know which side of that bet I would take.

Find me a good basketball player that can rebound and I'm with you. I just don't want a one trick pony. And I hate the idea of trading star quality for mediocrity. It's no way to get ahead IMO. Sell high, buy cheap - not the other way around.

Steve

 

[82CardsGrad]

Is it? Do we know that? How do we know that. Not all injuries in the past are predictors of future injuries. It's my understanding that his was fixed in a more time costly way but doing so would minimize risk of re-injury in the future. They could have just removed the Meniscus and he would have been back on the court in a week or two. But then he would have been an ongoing injury risk a few years down the road. Supposedly he still has something like 90% of his Meniscus.

Steve

i'm a big bledsoe fan, but any time a guy has had multiple knee surgeries and had to miss significant time in 2 of 4 seasons he's played I'm pretty confident in knowing he's at the very least a risk, health wise.

now that doesn't make him Penny Hardaway or Amare like some of his haters (and yes, there are definitely haters here of Bledsoe evidenced by the post who basically called him a tweener who does absolutely pretty much nothing good) here have claimed him to be, but it's definitely something to be cautious of.

For me, I'm no more worried about Bledsoe's "injury issues" than I am any other player.
It's all about the facts for me. And when you examine the facts, Bledsoe hasn't done anything that would even remotely garner consideration of a max deal. Hell, Curry took $11 million per! And there is no way anyone can convince me that Bledsoe has done more, or, will do more than Curry...

 

[elindholm]

If they aren't worried, I'm only going to worry a little bit.

It isn't possible to discern from the Suns' behavior towards Bledsoe so far how the medical staff feels about him.

But also, the issue isn't just whether he is healed from his last injury, or last few injuries. The issue is whether his knees, generally speaking, can handle NBA basketball. Not everyone's can. Even if the knees are in perfect shape right now, if they aren't built to handle NBA rigors, it's only a matter of time before they fall apart again. Of course, this is true for anyone -- there's no NBA player in his late 30s who doesn't have knee problems -- but some knees wither under the strain more quickly than others.

It's quite unlikely that the medical staff can, by looking at his knees right now, project how well they're going to hold up. So then the question the Suns need to ask themselves is, are Bledsoe's recurring knee injuries so far just flukes, or is the joint not strong enough to take the prolonged pounding.

Broken bones are much better injuries than screwed up knees. Take a bad fall, break your collarbone, it heals, end of story. Maybe it doesn't heal just right and you lose a bit of range of motion, but other than that, there's no reason to suspect an underlying problem. A knee that keeps failing is a huge warning sign, no matter how successful the most recent repair of it was.

 

[AzStevenCal]

For me, I'm no more worried about Bledsoe's "injury issues" than I am any other player.
It's all about the facts for me. And when you examine the facts, Bledsoe hasn't done anything that would even remotely garner consideration of a max deal. Hell, Curry took $11 million per! And there is no way anyone can convince me that Bledsoe has done more, or, will do more than Curry...

Curry took 11 million for the same reason we are trying to get Bledsoe to take a similar deal. But he's not the standard, he's the exception. If his contract was written today, he'd be a lock for max and everyone knows it. But his slight build and injury history made him look like a huge risk so his agent and he agreed to a bargain basement deal. They are surely kicking themselves today.

Steve

 

[Cheesebeef]

For me, I'm no more worried about Bledsoe's "injury issues" than I am any other player.
It's all about the facts for me. And when you examine the facts, Bledsoe hasn't done anything that would even remotely garner consideration of a max deal. Hell, Curry took $11 million per! And there is no way anyone can convince me that Bledsoe has done more, or, will do more than Curry...

I don't know how GS got him to sign that deal. Dude's contract is probably the biggest steal in the league.

 

[Phrazbit]

Thomas was brought here to be a backup Point Guard (currently, a 3rd Point Guard with Dragic and Bledsoe as the starting two).

I am not suggesting, nor would I want to see, Dragic and Thomas as our starting Guards.

With the two of them sharing 48 minutes at Point Guard (with rare exceptions), two legitimate Shooting Guards and Bledsoe replaced on the 4-Point Guard roster with a rebounding C/PF -- now that's what I'm talkin' about!

That's strength!

P.S.: Playing Dragic at starting Shooting Guard and backup Point is only going to wear him down.

I dont think it is strength.

We're talking away one of our best players and certainly our best defender to replace him with an unknown quantity. Monroe might rebound but I'd bet my ass we'd be much worse defensively, and on top of it I think we'd see a ton of Thomas/Dragic together in the back court.

 

[AzStevenCal]

It isn't possible to discern from the Suns' behavior towards Bledsoe so far how the medical staff feels about him.

But also, the issue isn't just whether he is healed from his last injury, or last few injuries. The issue is whether his knees, generally speaking, can handle NBA basketball. Not everyone's can. Even if the knees are in perfect shape right now, if they aren't built to handle NBA rigors, it's only a matter of time before they fall apart again. Of course, this is true for anyone -- there's no NBA player in his late 30s who doesn't have knee problems -- but some knees wither under the strain more quickly than others.

It's quite unlikely that the medical staff can, by looking at his knees right now, project how well they're going to hold up. So then the question the Suns need to ask themselves is, are Bledsoe's recurring knee injuries so far just flukes, or is the joint not strong enough to take the prolonged pounding.

Broken bones are much better injuries than screwed up knees. Take a bad fall, break your collarbone, it heals, end of story. Maybe it doesn't heal just right and you lose a bit of range of motion, but other than that, there's no reason to suspect an underlying problem. A knee that keeps failing is a huge warning sign, no matter how successful the most recent repair of it was.

I agree but I can't see the organization signing him to a large contract if his risk is significant. I think 12 per is a reasonable deal for what he's shown on the court (huge impact but very small sample size). I don't think it's an injury discount (like the Curry deal) so it really doesn't tell us much. Four years on a reasonable contract, you're not really risking all that much even if you lose him for a significant portion of the contract. Now, if he gets a much bigger offer and we don't match, that might tell us something about his potential risk.

Steve

 

[elindholm]

I agree but I can't see the organization signing him to a large contract if his risk is significant.

The Suns signed Stoudemire to his huge extension on October 3, 2005. He had microfracture 15 days later. Medical guesstimates are a long, long way from infallible.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Curry took 11 million for the same reason we are trying to get Bledsoe to take a similar deal. But he's not the standard, he's the exception. If his contract was written today, he'd be a lock for max and everyone knows it. But his slight build and injury history made him look like a huge risk so his agent and he agreed to a bargain basement deal. They are surely kicking themselves today.

Steve

Perhaps... however (and I don't think you are arguing this), it does nothing to argue for Bledsoe being worthy of a max deal.
I asked this in another thread, but... if Bledsoe truly feels he is worthy of a max deal - and since it seems quite clear he is not going to get one this year, and since the qualifying offer is a mere $3.7 million, why wouldn't he try to negotiate a 2 year deal with the Suns at $12-$13 million per? After 2 years, surely he would've earned the right to receive a max deal, right Bled?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Perhaps... however (and I don't think you are arguing this), it does nothing to argue for Bledsoe being worthy of a max deal.
I asked this in another thread, but... if Bledsoe truly feels he is worthy of a max deal - and since it seems quite clear he is not going to get one this year, and since the qualifying offer is a mere $3.7 million, why wouldn't he try to negotiate a 2 year deal with the Suns at $12-$13 million per? After 2 years, surely he would've earned the right to receive a max deal, right Bled?

We don't have a clue what they are doing behind closed doors. And I really hope we don't agree to a 2 year contract, I don't think that's in our best interest. I think Bledsoe's camp would love a 2 year deal for 26 million.

Steve

 

[mojorizen7]

I rush to this site to get the latest on the Suns... find the thread that I am looking for "Rumors about Bledsoe to the Lakers" and see all the posts - Perfect.

... But then the thread is populated with a back-n-forth argument on whether Bledsoe is an effective PG with Dragic. This is very disappointing.

Is there anything to this rumor? Are the Lakers looking for a sign and trade for Bledsoe in exchange for Randle and a 1st rounder?

Here's a link to GM McDonough on the sportsline this afternoon.
http://arizonasports.com/41/1752151/Phoenix-Suns-GM-on-Eric-Bledsoe-I-think-he-will-be-back-at-the-end-of-the-day

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I'm not sure I understand the people saying Dragic is better purely at the PG position. He just had his best season while playing a combination of SG/PG and even when Bledsoe was injured he still played some time at SG with Ish on the floor with him. Also I don't see how playing him at SG would wear him down more considering it means less time with the ball in his possession.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

We don't have a clue what they are doing behind closed doors. And I really hope we don't agree to a 2 year contract, I don't think that's in our best interest. I think Bledsoe's camp would love a 2 year deal for 26 million.

Steve

Agreed and I think we would be better off giving him 4/60 than that, because the increased salary cap in a couple years would make a 15 mil salary a bargain for Bled's production. Obviously there is the concern with his knees, but if the team comes to terms on a contract similar to that than I think that should at least give us some confidence considering the team was willing to invest that much in him.