Summer League 2015

[Folster]

Why are the Suns always one of the last teams to put together their SL roster. Even under Blanks and Kerr they were slow to announce.

 

[Mainstreet]

Paul Coro ‏@paulcoro 2m2 minutes ago

If Alec Brown cannot put on weight and strength it is going to be hard for him to play in the NBA. He gets knocked around too easily.

 

[Mainstreet]

Justin carter has some serious hops.

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[FArting]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...oenix-suns-summer-league-roster-set/29774439/

 

[JCSunsfan]

Cool.

Len, Archie, TJ, Booker will all be on the roster. Its going to be fun to watch.

 

[WildBB]

Cool.

Len, Archie, TJ, Booker will all be on the roster. Its going to be fun to watch.

Whens the first game and who carries it?

 

[FArting]

Whens the first game and who carries it?

Saturday July 11 NBA TV

 

[JCSunsfan]

If Len performs really well early, I would shut him down and look at Alec Brown.

 

[Mainstreet]

If Len performs really well early, I would shut him down and look at Alec Brown.

I hope this is the case.

 

[sunsfan88]

Len is considering playing for the Ukrainian national team in EuroBasket, which will be held Sept. 5-20 with Ukraine's group playing in Latvia. Len is one of seven 7-footers on Ukraine's 22-man preliminary roster.

This is pretty disappointing to hear. Especially for a guy like Len who has a very hard time not getting injured. Suns need to do what's best for his professional career and prohibit him from it imo. It's not that uncommon, Pop did to Ginobili a year or two ago.

 

[FArting]

Here are some quotes from some of the guys on the summer league team

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2...-league-practice-notes-len-goodwin-warren-and

 

[3rdside]

This is pretty disappointing to hear. Especially for a guy like Len who has a very hard time not getting injured. Suns need to do what's best for his professional career and prohibit him from it imo. It's not that uncommon, Pop did to Ginobili a year or two ago.

You and Sir Stefan got to get off this train yo - give me one good reason why he shouldn't play for his country?

Because he plays for a corporation that pays his salary is not a good enough one.

 

[3rdside]

And if he decides not to play, I'd be pretty disappointed in Len tbh - country first when it comes to sports, pretty much always.

 

[3rdside]

(and if it wasn't sir stefan that also supports this idea - apologies - going back a while to when i thought he said something like that..)

 

[Phrazbit]

You and Sir Stefan got to get off this train yo - give me one good reason why he shouldn't play for his country?

Because he plays for a corporation that pays his salary is not a good enough one.

Yes, it is a good enough one. He has a guaranteed contract to play basketball in the NBA. If guy's want to play internationally then they should be putting the guaranteed aspect of their contract at risk. An NBA club should not be liable for injuries these guys sustain playing overseas.

 

[sunsfan88]

You and Sir Stefan got to get off this train yo - give me one good reason why he shouldn't play for his country?

Because he plays for a corporation that pays his salary is not a good enough one.

Because he's fragile and he can get injured again...his health is what's important and I'm talking about his health for the team that pays him.

 

[SirStefan32]

(and if it wasn't sir stefan that also supports this idea - apologies - going back a while to when i thought he said something like that..)

No, you are correct. I am a big proponent of the golden rule. He who has gold makes the rules. My boss pays me to work for her. She signs my paycheck, and since that makes me her asset, she has every right to prevent me from doing something that would jeopardize that asset. Same applies to NBA teams and their employees.

I am sorry that you feel that's not a good enough reason, but you are wrong.
If Alex len (or Goran Dragic, for that matter) want to play for their respective countries, they are welcome to play for them, but their countries can cut them checks in that case. He who pays you makes the rules- it's that simple!

 

[3rdside]

Because he's fragile and he can get injured again...his health is what's important and I'm talking about his health for the team that pays him.

If the guy can't survive a 15 day Euro league tournament, good luck with 82 nba games plus playoffs (potentially).

 

[Chaplin]

If the guy can't survive a 15 day Euro league tournament, good luck with 82 nba games plus playoffs (potentially).

Then again, Summer League isn't exactly organized basketball. You've got more than half the players desperate to join an NBA team and many of them will do whatever it takes, including playing recklessly to get there. There is a much bigger danger playing in Summer League than there is in any other organized competition, and that includes national team tournaments. Only thing it has going for it is that there aren't that many games.

 

[JCSunsfan]

OK. Here is something you are now consistently hearing out of summer league practices. Alex Len is looking really good. He is now very skilled offensively and has a three point shot. Yes. Thats what I said.

He is hitting (at times) 70 out of 100 in practice. Umm. Yes, its practice, and yes there are no defenders, but for those who have played the game before you know that even in practice 70 out of 100 from the arc is significant.

 

[3rdside]

Yes, it is a good enough one. He has a guaranteed contract to play basketball in the NBA. If guy's want to play internationally then they should be putting the guaranteed aspect of their contract at risk. An NBA club should not be liable for injuries these guys sustain playing overseas.

I suppose I should have caveated my response saying it shouldn't apply to all international games i.e. meaningless ones, but olympic and world cup qualifiers or games it most certainly should.



The Eurobasket competition might fall into the meaningless category but it should be up to Len to decide that, not the Phoenix Suns. Of course, they have a vested interest but for any sportsman to play for one's country is often the pinnacle of sporting success - for the love, not the money, might be the best way to put it – and to deny them this right is, well..just not right.



I can accept the insurance side of things is not perfect, nor player injury management by an international team (why, for example, do players continue to come back injured from English football duty) but in an ideal world the former would be covered by insurance, the latter by collaboration between club and country. Until these are resolved as best they can be, then perhaps you have the right argument.



But it is certainly in the wrong spirit; some of my most enjoyable sporting moments have been from Australia doing well on the international stage - to think that if you guys were in charge they may never have happened. So sick.



Interestingly, there were 101 players from non-US countries who played in the NBA last year so even if those that run NBA teams shared your view (which they probably do – who doesn’t get frustrated at injuries that happen on international duty), the likelihood of ‘no national duty permitted’ actually ever coming into practice is virtually nil. Maybe not all of the 101 foreign players want to play for their countries when it counts but I'd bet most would.



Last point - Sir Stefan; an opening argument of "I'm sorry but you are wrong" is just arrogant. An open minded approach to an argument is usually the best way to approach things.

 

[3rdside]

Then again, Summer League isn't exactly organized basketball. You've got more than half the players desperate to join an NBA team and many of them will do whatever it takes, including playing recklessly to get there. There is a much bigger danger playing in Summer League than there is in any other organized competition, and that includes national team tournaments. Only thing it has going for it is that there aren't that many games.

Probably some validity to it - the most reckless thing i've seen or heard on a basketball court though (besides deliberate acts of violence) was on an NBA court, Livingston on Gugliotta...nasty.

 

[3rdside]

And, of course, there's plenty of players who don't enjoy the international experience - check out adebayor's experience with Togo:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...players-may-quit-after-Angola-gun-attack.html

To his extreme credit, he rejoined the Togo squad after initially quitting. And this is the point - for the love, not the money, and the immense national pride sporting teams can bring to a nation, often in the absence of much else.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sunsfan88]

If the guy can't survive a 15 day Euro league tournament, good luck with 82 nba games plus playoffs (potentially).

Yes there's no guarantee he can survive an NBA season but I would rather him come to training camp healthy and be ready on opening day than him be out because of an injury suffered when playing overseas.

 

[SirStefan32]

The Eurobasket competition might fall into the meaningless category but it should be up to Len to decide that, not the Phoenix Suns. Of course, they have a vested interest but for any sportsman to play for one's country is often the pinnacle of sporting success - for the love, not the money, might be the best way to put it – and to deny them this right is, well..just not right.

Nobody is denying him the right to do anything. It absolutely should be up to Len to decide. He should be able to decide between money and love. if he wants to play for love, he can leave his contract behind. Nobody is proposing holding him hostage. We are just saying that since we are giving him money, we should have a say in those decisions. If he doesn't want a team to have a say, let's get rid of contract guarantees in those situations.

Last point - Sir Stefan; an opening argument of "I'm sorry but you are wrong" is just arrogant. An open minded approach to an argument is usually the best way to approach things.

First off, that was not an "opening argument. Typically, opening arguments are not located at the end of a post/ argument. Additionally, I wasn't having an argument. You asked, I answered. If you said that two plus two equaled five, I would tell you that you are wrong. This is no different.

Speaking of arrogance though, it is quite arrogant to ask for an opinion and then dismiss it before anyone responds.

Interestingly, there were 101 players from non-US countries who played in the NBA last year so even if those that run NBA teams shared your view (which they probably do – who doesn’t get frustrated at injuries that happen on international duty), the likelihood of ‘no national duty permitted’ actually ever coming into practice is virtually nil. Maybe not all of the 101 foreign players want to play for their countries when it counts but I'd bet most would.

You are probably right about that, though nobody is proposing a global band on international play. If they have no health concerns, don't have a history of running out of gas towards the end of the season after playing internationally, or don't have a freshly signed five year guaranteed max contract. We are just saying that a team should be able to protect their assets.