Search for Minimum Free Agents Begin

[Irish]

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/119732

Suns will play waiting game in free agency

Comments 2| Recommend 0
Jerry Brown, Tribune

Wouldn't it be nice if the Suns added Matt Barnes or Mickael Pietrus to go with Grant Hill at small forward?

What if they fortified the backcourt with Ricky Davis or Eddie House at shooting guard, or maybe Beno Udrih or Anthony Carter at the point?
Does anyone have Gilbert Arenas' phone number?

Well, don't count on any of those guys coming to town, and don't imagine general manager Steve Kerr and assistant GM David Griffin poised by the telephone at 9:01 p.m., in furious pursuit of help when the free-agent negotiating period began Monday night.

The Suns do have interest. They will make calls and inquiries to agents and players today, and they do expect to land one or two free agents over the next month-plus.

But with their noses pressed against the luxury tax the NBA imposes on high-payroll teams, the Suns will be watching the big names go elsewhere and hoping the money runs out across the league before all the players they have targeted are signed.

Hill is using the biennial exception, and while the Suns can use a portion of the mid-level exception to spice up an offer, contracts at or near the minimum will still make them a luxury taxpayer.

"I have a hard time seeing anything shake out for us for at least a few weeks," Kerr said. "We have to wait for some dominoes to fall. There are a lot of teams in tough payroll situations, and the economy isn't good. There are a lot of good players out there, many more than teams that can offer a lot of money."

With draft pick Goran Dragic a long shot to arrive this year, Kerr called a backup point guard his "No. 1 priority" going into July. The Suns not only want to limit Steve Nash to 30-32 minutes a game, they want to rest him for as many as 10 games during the season, such as in back-to-back situations.

That means looking hard at veteran Tyronn Lue, a player with championship experience whom the Suns chased in March before losing out to Dallas. The much-traveled Anthony Johnson is another realistic point possibility - with fingers crossed that Chris Duhon isn't lured elsewhere with a mid-level deal.

And if a backup can't be found in free agency, a trade with a team that has a glut of point guards (Travis Diener in Indiana, Sergio Rodriguez or Marcus Williams in Portland, etc.) could be another route. One of those players could also fill another hole as a strong outside shooter. After spending the latter part of the season in Phoenix, Gordan Giricek will command some activity on the market and is unlikely to return.

At forward, Jarvis Hayes - who played for new coach Terry Porter with Detroit last season and was buried on the Pistons' bench late in the playoffs - and Quinton Ross, a player the Suns hoped the Los Angeles Clippers would buy out late last season, are possibilities. Both are 27. Hayes and Ross are likely looking for bigger contracts and would see a minimum deal as a last resort.

And while first-round pick Robin Lopez is now penciled in as the backup center, the Suns will want to add another post player and will look at holdovers (Sean Marks, Brian Skinner) and a few others (Michael Ruffin) to add depth.

Only three teams in the league - Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis - have enough money under the expected $59 million salary cap to sign players. Of those three, neither Memphis - which gave away Pau Gasol to the Lakers to save money - nor the notoriously cheap Clippers are likely to spend big money for hired help.

The Suns are one of 11 teams that are either over the luxury-tax threshold or would go over if the mid-level exception were used.

 

[Andrew]

I want Gordan back...

 

[sunsallday]

I will miss you GG.

 

[Mainstreet]

Please not another year of Sean Marks. I would rather have a younger player fill that roster spot.

 

[mjb21aztd]

Man you want to bet anything that the spurs sign GG away from us... they need another defender now that Finley is pretty much done and GG would be a good replacment hope it doesn't happen but probally will. I would love the suns to add Jarvis Hayes and Lue both players would help our team pretty big for this upcoming season, we better just not resign skinner and marks and say thats it for the offeseason would be really disapointed.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

", and the economy isn't good." - steve kerr

i'm sorry, if you're that affected by the economy you shouldn't be owning a pro sports team. i cannot believe (or rather, unfortunately, i CAN believe) that such a quote made it into a discussion of free agency and the suns. sigh.

 

[LV-Suns]

Here we go again.

"We expect big things from Marks this coming season."

 

[Chaplin]

", and the economy isn't good." - steve kerr

i'm sorry, if you're that affected by the economy you shouldn't be owning a pro sports team. i cannot believe (or rather, unfortunately, i CAN believe) that such a quote made it into a discussion of free agency and the suns. sigh.

Are you serious? The economy ISN'T good! Only 3 teams are below the cap, and 2 of those 3 are awful.

Stop trying to read everything as being a sign of Suns incompetence.

 

[JS22]

", and the economy isn't good." - steve kerr

i'm sorry, if you're that affected by the economy you shouldn't be owning a pro sports team. i cannot believe (or rather, unfortunately, i CAN believe) that such a quote made it into a discussion of free agency and the suns. sigh.

Wow. What a way to take the quote completely out of context just to spin it negatively.

He was referring to the fact that many owners are afraid of spending too much money this off-season because of the economy. A number of people are cutting out a few of the luxuries due to gas costs, food costs, etc. Revenue will probably be down a bit next season due to this. Not by much, but it's still a minor concern.

And by the way, the Suns are, what, $5,000,000 over the luxury tax at the moment?

 

[Mainstreet]

And by the way, the Suns are, what, $5,000,000 over the luxury tax at the moment?

I could see the Suns doing a trade for picks regarding LB or Diaw for this very reason if they can find a way to lessen the burden. I'm not sure if there is a partner out there.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Wow. What a way to take the quote completely out of context just to spin it negatively.

He was referring to the fact that many owners are afraid of spending too much money this off-season because of the economy. A number of people are cutting out a few of the luxuries due to gas costs, food costs, etc. Revenue will probably be down a bit next season due to this. Not by much, but it's still a minor concern.

And by the way, the Suns are, what, $5,000,000 over the luxury tax at the moment?

my bad. i actually interpreted the quote outta context rather than took it out of context. i read it to mean that owners are scaling back just b/c of the economy rather than reading it to mean that teams will likely be impacted by fewer fans, fewer revenues.

everyone relax. i'm not looking to take shots at the front office where they are not deserved (and they've deserved many), just read it the wrong way.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Please say no to Marks and Ruffin


Skinner and Giricek, along with the off chance Dragic can get over here, is ALL we need to be a complete team imo.

Granted, we will be relying on a LOT of rookie action, but it will be exciting to watch imo.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Wow. What a way to take the quote completely out of context just to spin it negatively.

He was referring to the fact that many owners are afraid of spending too much money this off-season because of the economy. A number of people are cutting out a few of the luxuries due to gas costs, food costs, etc. Revenue will probably be down a bit next season due to this. Not by much, but it's still a minor concern.

And by the way, the Suns are, what, $5,000,000 over the luxury tax at the moment?

I didn't read it like Dick Sarver's banking troubles are hurting the Suns. I am sure the overall economy does because the Suns need short term revenue to survive after all we are in the lowest tier of NBA markets, but it's unlikely a man of Sarver's business intelligence would put together an investment group so heavily tied to 1 industry, I just don't buy it.