Suns, Eric Bledsoe Far Apart In Talks

[JCSunsfan]

I just hate this. It reminds me so much of Shawn Marion. Why can't players just be happy with their tens of millions of dollars and let us as fans enjoy the game we love?

 

[JS22]

I just hate this. It reminds me so much of Shawn Marion. Why can't players just be happy with their tens of millions of dollars and let us as fans enjoy the game we love?

Because this is their job and they're trying to earn as much as possible, which is fine. But at some point you have to realize what your market is and take the best available offer. Bledsoe (or Rich Paul) seems to think he is worth the max and will drag this on for as long as possible. I guess it's within his rights. But these things tend to get ugly after awhile.

 

[Phoenix219]

I just hate this. It reminds me so much of Shawn Marion. Why can't players just be happy with their tens of millions of dollars and let us as fans enjoy the game we love?

Marion never pulled anything like this. We never even tried to negotiate with him. Kerr flat out told him, with no tact, that they weren't going to pay him the max, and then traded him. Marion was the consummate professional for years, and loved being in Phoenix. He had an inferiority complex (not entirely unfounded, considering his work ethic vs Amare's lazy defense, and the fact that he was here first; the defensive team snub, his role in '06 after Amare went down, etc).... that could have been handled better by a more experienced GM. It wasn't about money; it was about respect. It wasn't about his big "ego"... it was about his insecure complex.

 

[unseenaz]

Does anyone NOT want to see him back after this whole saga? I feel like he doesn't want to even be here anymore, and my opinion on him has soured a bit

 

[Mainstreet]

Marion never pulled anything like this. We never even tried to negotiate with him. Kerr flat out told him, with no tact, that they weren't going to pay him the max, and then traded him. Marion was the consummate professional for years, and loved being in Phoenix. He had an inferiority complex (not entirely unfounded, considering his work ethic vs Amare's lazy defense, and the fact that he was here first; the defensive team snub, his role in '06 after Amare went down, etc).... that could have been handled better by a more experienced GM. It wasn't about money; it was about respect. It wasn't about his big "ego"... it was about his insecure complex.

In retrospect trading Marion for Shaq was a bad trade. I know the Suns wanted to get rid of Banks but still a bad trade.

 

[Phoenix219]

Does anyone NOT want to see him back after this whole saga? I feel like he doesn't want to even be here anymore, and my opinion on him has soured a bit

Yup. If we get a great package for him we can find someone who wants to be here and isn't just in it for a paycheck. I'm more then content with Dragic, IT and Green. It should be explosive and exciting, with or without Bledsoe.

 

[Phoenix219]

In retrospect trading Marion for Shaq was a bad trade. I know the Suns wanted to get rid of Banks but still a bad trade.

The thing thats always bothered me about that trade was that it denied us closure on the '07 scandal and suspensions. We were well on our way to getting the monkey off our back that year. We would have crushed that Cavaliers team. The whole thing was emotionally deflating for the team. The next season, they were going through the motions a bit in the regular season, but its understandable, considering the 82 game marathon to get back to where they left of the previous year. They were still #1 in the West before the Shaq trade, just waiting to turn it up in the post season. Kerr gets scared, wants more size (after the KT fiasco), banks on Grant Hill's health to play Marion's role in the playoffs, and gets us ... Shaq. I was against the trade at the time, and still am. I even wondered what it would have been like to have traded Amare instead of Marion, kept our defense, and demanded Beasley in the trade. (this was before we suffered through having him, but the what if remains, if we had been able to mold him earlier on.) The final slap in the face being Terry Porter, who took everything Suns like out of our team, and put Shaq back in the drivers seat.

Getting J Rich and Dudley did make me feel better after awhile. 2010 was so much fun, and the 3 games in '09 with Shaq, Gentry, Amare and our offense, we looked unbeatable.

In the end, we never got a chance to get redemption for '07, we never got to keep our "core" together (which was the reason for all the draft pick dumping in the first place), AND we never got to see the true results of the Shaq experiment. We wasted the end of our prime for nothing, and then we wasted Nash's last two years with one foot in, one foot out, never actually trying to go for it with any real pieces, settling for overpaid garbage. We could have had Tyson Chandler for I believe, Ben Wallace's corpse? So many wasted chances...

 

[Mainstreet]

The thing thats always bothered me about that trade was that it denied us closure on the '07 scandal and suspensions. We were well on our way to getting the monkey off our back that year. We would have crushed that Cavaliers team. The whole thing was emotionally deflating for the team. The next season, they were going through the motions a bit in the regular season, but its understandable, considering the 82 game marathon to get back to where they left of the previous year. They were still #1 in the West before the Shaq trade, just waiting to turn it up in the post season. Kerr gets scared, wants more size (after the KT fiasco), banks on Grant Hill's health to play Marion's role in the playoffs, and gets us ... Shaq. I was against the trade at the time, and still am. I even wondered what it would have been like to have traded Amare instead of Marion, kept our defense, and demanded Beasley in the trade. (this was before we suffered through having him, but the what if remains, if we had been able to mold him earlier on.) The final slap in the face being Terry Porter, who took everything Suns like out of our team, and put Shaq back in the drivers seat.

Getting J Rich and Dudley did make me feel better after awhile. 2010 was so much fun, and the 3 games in '09 with Shaq, Gentry, Amare and our offense, we looked unbeatable.

In the end, we never got a chance to get redemption for '07, we never got to keep our "core" together (which was the reason for all the draft pick dumping in the first place), AND we never got to see the true results of the Shaq experiment. We wasted the end of our prime for nothing, and then we wasted Nash's last two years with one foot in, one foot out, never actually trying to go for it with any real pieces, settling for overpaid garbage. We could have had Tyson Chandler for I believe, Ben Wallace's corpse? So many wasted chances...

Lots of bad memories and some good. The Amare/ Diaw suspension still weighs heavy on me.

 

[Phoenix219]

Lots of bad memories and some good. The Amare/ Diaw suspension still weighs heavy on me.

Same here, except its completely connected to the following Shaq debacle, and the loss of one of my favorite players, part of the heart of our team. It was the beginning of the end.

 

[BC867]

Does anyone NOT want to see him back after this whole saga? I feel like he doesn't want to even be here anymore, and my opinion on him has soured a bit

Yes, I do NOT want to see him back.

I think you meant does anyone WANT to see him back after this whole saga.

I didn't want to see him back before the whole saga. I thought he's a flake and that it would catch up with him or with us eventually. 'Didn't take too long.

It is also why I don't want to see him running the team as Point Guard.

 

[SirStefan32]

I am with you, BC. I hope Bledsoe is not on the Suns roster in October.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I am with you, BC. I hope Bledsoe is not on the Suns roster in October.

I am completely shocked by this revelation!

 

[leclerc]

I hope McD tries to find a good trade for us so we get something for this clown.

 

[Sunburn]

I would take Julius Randle, Jordan Hill, and a first round pick for Bledsoe.

 

[Phrazbit]

I've said it, I will keep saying it... that you guys are so thin skinned by a contract negotiation is depressing. I realize some of you had a bizarre hate for him before any of this began, so its not surprising that there is one crowd that completely condemns him, but still. This is not a hold out, its not like he is pissing on some agreement, there is no agreement. He wants what 99% of people do when they're negotiating their salary, the most they can get. He almost certainly wont get that because the market is not there for him.

Has he ragged on the team? No. Has he ragged on the fans? No. Has he even used his ONE piece of leverage he has (demanding out), No.

Even the one line people keep bringing up, "The Suns are using restricted free agency against me", is not shown in its full context. The full quote was...

"First off, I'm going to let my agent handle it," Bledsoe said [of the contract negotiations] while attending a "Ball Up" streetball tournament in Birmingham. "I can understand the Phoenix Suns are using restricted free agency against me. But I understand that."

Its a negotiation... he gets it, the Suns get it and are using their leverage. I wish more of you understood it.

Bledsoe might be here, he might not... if he isnt I hope the "F Bledsoe" crowd does not waste their breath whining about how exposed our back-court defense becomes.

 

[3rdside]

Hear hear

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I've said it, I will keep saying it... that you guys are so thin skinned by a contract negotiation is depressing. I realize some of you had a bizarre hate for him before any of this began, so its not surprising that there is one crowd that completely condemns him, but still. This is not a hold out, its not like he is pissing on some agreement, there is no agreement. He wants what 99% of people do when they're negotiating their salary, the most they can get. He almost certainly wont get that because the market is not there for him.

Has he ragged on the team? No. Has he ragged on the fans? No. Has he even used his ONE piece of leverage he has (demanding out), No.

Even the one line people keep bringing up, "The Suns are using restricted free agency against me", is not shown in its full context. The full quote was...

Its a negotiation... he gets it, the Suns get it and are using their leverage. I wish more of you understood it.

Bledsoe might be here, he might not... if he isnt I hope the "F Bledsoe" crowd does not waste their breath whining about how exposed our back-court defense becomes.

 

[Griffin]

This is not a hold out, its not like he is pissing on some agreement, there is no agreement. He wants what 99% of people do when they're negotiating their salary, the most they can get.

Yeah, I am also surprised a little bit why people are getting upset over this situation. It is summer. It doesn't really matter, as far as the team is concerned, whether he signs now or later. He is not skipping out on practices, because there aren't any yet. He is not preventing the Suns from doing other business. They still have ample time to sort this out.

But it will be interesting to see what happens when voluntary workouts start. I hope he shows up regardless whether he is under contract or not.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Yeah, I am also surprised a little bit why people are getting upset over this situation. It is summer. It doesn't really matter, as far as the team is concerned, whether he signs now or later. He is not skipping out on practices, because there aren't any yet. He is not preventing the Suns from doing other business. They still have ample time to sort this out.

But it will be interesting to see what happens when voluntary workouts start. I hope he shows up regardless whether he is under contract or not.

I doubt his agent will allow it.

Steve

 

[JCSunsfan]

It seems that Eric's 5/80 demand is not because he thinks he is worth it. Basically he is saying to the Suns that he wants out and the only way he will stay is if the Suns overpay him. He KNOWS it's an outrageous demand.

So it's not really about the money. It's about being the highest paid player on the team. I just can't see how how his presence is a good idea if this is true. I think he is jealous of Goran and he is not a fan of the 2 pg system.

If manipulating his situation is his biggest priority, he might just take the QO.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I've said it, I will keep saying it... that you guys are so thin skinned by a contract negotiation is depressing. I realize some of you had a bizarre hate for him before any of this began, so its not surprising that there is one crowd that completely condemns him, but still. This is not a hold out, its not like he is pissing on some agreement, there is no agreement. He wants what 99% of people do when they're negotiating their salary, the most they can get. He almost certainly wont get that because the market is not there for him.

Has he ragged on the team? No. Has he ragged on the fans? No. Has he even used his ONE piece of leverage he has (demanding out), No.

Even the one line people keep bringing up, "The Suns are using restricted free agency against me", is not shown in its full context. The full quote was...

Its a negotiation... he gets it, the Suns get it and are using their leverage. I wish more of you understood it.

Bledsoe might be here, he might not... if he isnt I hope the "F Bledsoe" crowd does not waste their breath whining about how exposed our back-court defense becomes.

Agreed on all counts.

 

[JustinD]

How this is even being dubbed a "saga" amuses me.

There have been very few public comments from either side...and the ones we do have are in no way inflammatory.

Dude and his agent are just going through the motions just like any player/agent would.

I can't see how realistically he would risk playing on the qualifying offer and jeopardizing a for sure $50+ million in salary.

He will sign a deal in Phoenix, he will be on the team next year, he will be happy about it and the people bashing him right now will be happy he is on the team.

 

[AzStevenCal]

How this is even being dubbed a "saga" amuses me.

There have been very few public comments from either side...and the ones we do have are in no way inflammatory.

Dude and his agent are just going through the motions just like any player/agent would.

I can't see how realistically he would risk playing on the qualifying offer and jeopardizing a for sure $50+ million in salary.

He will sign a deal in Phoenix, he will be on the team next year, he will be happy about it and the people bashing him right now will be happy he is on the team.

Some of them will be. But some of them are convinced you can't have two "point guards" on the court at the same time, some of them are convinced he'll steal Dragic's thunder or drive him away and some of them are just convinced he's not a very good player. But I agree with you, he will probably be back on the team and we'll be better off because of it.

Steve

 

[elindholm]

He will sign a deal in Phoenix, he will be on the team next year, he will be happy about it and the people bashing him right now will be happy he is on the team.

I think that's true. My skepticism about Bledsoe as a long-term building block for the Suns doesn't have much to do with the contract negotiations.

They do share a common thread, however. Both Dragic and Bledsoe think of themselves as PGs, and both want to lead the team. You can slot one of them at SG and call up a bunch of stats to show that it works, but that doesn't get around the fact that one of them is the lead PG and the other one isn't. That tension isn't going to go away.

 

[devilalum]

It seems that Eric's 5/80 demand is not because he thinks he is worth it. Basically he is saying to the Suns that he wants out and the only way he will stay is if the Suns overpay him. He KNOWS it's an outrageous demand.

So it's not really about the money. It's about being the highest paid player on the team. I just can't see how how his presence is a good idea if this is true. I think he is jealous of Goran and he is not a fan of the 2 pg system.

If manipulating his situation is his biggest priority, he might just take the QO.

This has always been my suspicion as well. He got traded from a situation where he was behind a star to another situation where he is second fiddle. He has never seemed happy to be here because he wants to be "the man." And he's not going to just come out and say this because it sounds lame.

If you want to be "the man" go out and take it.