elindholm He admittedly blew it last summer.
That was an error in basketball judgment, not in willingness to pay. He didn't think Johnson was worth his asking price, and most of us on this board didn't either. Overpaying players just to make sure you don't lose them a year or two later is a terrible basketball strategy. The bad blood with JJ started with Sarver giving Q a big contract then turning around and making JJ a low offer. Yes I do remember everybody on this board saying that the offer was fair (like we know anything) but JJ was clearly insulted and it was all down hill from there.
He also made the Q trade to save money.
You must be the only person who believes this. Anyone who doesn't realize that the Suns had crippling weaknesses in rebounding and interior defense last season is blind. Like I said this could have been addressed with the MLE. Yes this was not that bad a deal but it sure would have been nice to keep Q, add the inside player you're talking about and drafted a player with the #21. And Sarver did make this trade IN PART to save money. The team acknowledged it at the time saying it would give them "cap flexability" down the road.
If he hadn't been a tightwad he could have kept Q and JJ and signed a free agent with the mid level exception. Sure it would have caused cap problems...
It's not just that it would have caused cap problems. It would have made the team virtually unable to make any other roster adjustments for the next several years. How are they supposed to stay competitive that way? I disagree. My question is "How do you stay competitive when you blow up your YOUNG team just after you win 62 games?" And its rediculous to say they couldn't make any moves because they were over the cap. As long as you have young talented players you can make moves.
The main reason we lost to the Spurs was our inexperience.
Wishful thinking. The main reasons the Suns lost to the Spurs are that they let the Spurs have multiple shots on way too many possessions, and that, even with Johnson, their roster was far too short to allow anyone the luxury of playing tough defense and risking foul trouble. Not wishful thinking, FACT. Just imagine the same Suns team as last year with these additions going head to head with the Spurs this year. Amare one year older, leaner, meaner and wiser, Grant, and somebody like Stromile Swift (best I could come up with off the top of my head) and a solid wing player or PG taken with the #21 to add depth. I would bet on that team to beat SA!
As for Sarver being cheap I can't believe I need to rehash all the little things that have come up on this board over the last year.
But in most cases, we've later been proved wrong. Many of us assumed that the Cabarkapa dump was for money reasons, but then the team turned around and used that exception to acquire McCarty, who was better suited to help at that time. The other cases are similar. Besides selling Gortat, can you come up with any tangible examples of cheapness, or is it just your subjective impression? I remember reading many examples but can't remeber specifics. I'll get back to this.
He has admitted so himself. Of course he uses terms like fiscally responsible but he has said he won't "waste" money, he won't exceed the cap etc...Not to mention all the little cost cutting daily operations stuff, complaining that he made the "$10,000 book" for nothing........................
No one likes to blow $10,000, not even Cuban. I'll readily agree that Sarver has been embarrassing at times, and it may well be that he's still getting used to the high-stakes gambles that come with owning a major sports franchise. But I haven't seen any clear evidence that he's cheaper than the middle of the pack. YES! I agree, he is still getting used to the high stakes gambles associated with being the owner of an NBA franchise.
Moreover, I don't think you have either. You're upset that last year's team fell short and you've maintained hope that all they needed was another year to try to build on the magic. That was a longshot at best, but the plan became completely torpedoed when Johnson bolted. Now you need someone to blame, so you've set your sights on Sarver. That anger is misdirected. Name one other young 62 win team that got blown up after the season was over? If you can find one I would bet money that they weren't better the next year.
Last year's team not only overachieved, but it's gone, and it would have been gone no matter who the owner was or how much money he spent. It's just as pointless to pine for the 2004-05 Suns as it would be to try to re-assemble the Barkley/Kevin Johnson team. This is silly. This is what we do. We talk about what we should do, what we should have done, what we have to do, etc..... Isn't that the point?
