Here is my argument for KEEPING Gortat. I realize I am biased toward disliking Gortat, so I'm going to take the opposite side of the argument. Please let me know your thoughts.
I'll admit, I pegged Marcin Gortat as a Mickey Mouse Bar short of a Mr. Softee Ice Cream Truck within seconds of the first time I watched him play for the Phoenix Suns (which was the first time I remember noticing him play - I didn't watch a lot of Orlando Magic games, because I don't watch unimpressive teams play unless it's the Suns, and at their best the Magic were a Fulton Street knock-off of the mid-90's Orlando Magic that would've wiped the floor with the late mid-to-late 2000's Magic team, so I never paid attention enough attention to them to notice the guy who came in when the Magic were short-handed at center). Point is, my opinion of Gortat has always been biased by that first impression, and as a result, I am much more attentive to any play he's made that reinforces my impression of him as a WNBA role player in training, as opposed to the good plays he's made, which I have been able to dismiss as expected anomalies.
That said, for all intents and purposes, the Phoenix Suns' playoff hopes took a tremendous blow when Grant Hill had his second knee surgery, and we were all able to push that idea our of our minds because Shannon Brown stepped up. But even with a Shannon Brown playing at a level close to that of Grant Hill's (albeit with different strengths), the Suns lost a starter who contributed immensely to this team's collective IQ and, considering how marginal this team was to begin with, without Grant Hill we were a key man down. Expecting the Suns to maintain their improved level of play, which began after the all-star break - and coincided almost perfectly with Grant Hill's best basketball of the season - was unfair and unrealistic. The fact that I personally allowed myself to be fooled into thinking the Suns still had a shot at the post-season was a mistake, and every mistake we made was thus amplified by the fact that my expectations for the team were too high.
I don't think anybody would argue that the most obvious scapegoat on which to pin our decreased level of play was Marcin Gortat. With every loss, the significance of every game was amplified, and that amplified the collapse of Gortat's play.
Where does that leave us? I firmly believe that any future Suns team will be unsuccessful if Gortat is called upon to be a consistent 16 & 10 guy. Whether you believe that Gortat's weak play was caused by his wearing down MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE or that the cause was that other players picked up their intensity and physicality, or most likely, a combination of the two, Gortat is a 28-year old, white European center. Judging by other guys his size, with his race, with his Eastern European genetics, and with his build, it is statistically unlikely that he is in his physical prime, and if he is, it's even less likely that it will last much longer. If you honestly believe this team needs to rebuild through the draft, Gortat WILL NOT be a part of the team that comes out the other end 4 years from now. He will be a guy in or past decline and, best case scenario, we'll have some up-and-coming young guys who have real potential.
With all this said, I think we should keep Gortat IF AND ONLY IF we are able to markedly increase this team's talent this offseason or, at the latest, by next season's trade deadline, and we should only keep him past this offseason if Steve Nash re-signs. With Steve Nash at point, there's no reason to believe that Gortat will not go the first half of next season averaging around 13-15 ppg and 8-10 boards. Gortat will be fresh, the opposition won't play with quite as much ferocity every night as they have over the last month, and we will have at least a couple of better players to take attention and pressure off the Nash-to-Gortat pick-and-roll.
