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Suns see Finley go to rival Spurs
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 1, 2005 12:00 AM
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]In Phoenix and San Antonio news conferences today, each NBA team will introduce a new swingman acquired in an effort to win the West.
The Suns will say hello to James Jones, obtained from Indiana last week, after saying goodbye Wednesday to their chances of signing Michael Finley. In a double whammy, Finley turned down Phoenix's interest in favor of the team the Suns are trying to catch - the world champion Spurs.
The room at the wing position for Jones, a 24-year-old who has a lot of Suns believers, could prove beneficial for Phoenix in the long term over bringing back Finley, who is 32 and coming off ankle surgery.
For many, Finley was the ideal remedy to quickly heal some of the fresh wounds of Joe Johnson's departure. To have Finley choose a bench role in San Antonio over a starting job alongside good friend Steve Nash was disheartening to the Suns.
"Of course, we're disappointed," Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo said. "But to Michael's credit, he didn't just take the money. He talked about a chance to win, and in this case, he chose to play for the NBA champions."
San Antonio had half the money Miami had to offer and fewer sentimental reasons than Phoenix. Finley accepted a deal that will start with a $2.5 million salary in San Antonio, where he will back up swingmen Manu Ginobili and Bruce Bowen. Phoenix could only offer a $1.1 million deal, the minimum for a 10-year veteran.
Finley will collect $51.8 million over the next decade from Dallas, who waived him Aug. 15 for luxury tax savings.
"To be part of a championship team, I'm excited," Finley told espn.com. "This is the closest I've ever been to a championship. I'm looking forward to the challenge of helping this team repeat.
"In a nutshell, they're already a championship team, but they have room for improvement. And I feel my game can help them in the areas where they need improvement."
His agent, Henry Thomas, said the delay in his decision was caused by how hard he wrestled with Phoenix's lure.
"He had a tough time," Thomas said. "They (the Suns) were in it to the end."
San Antonio has a savvy-laden reserve quintet (Finley, Nick Van Exel, Brent Barry, Robert Horry and Fabricio Oberto or Rasho Nesterovic) that could hold its own as a starting unit.
The Suns also became deeper this summer and are solid enough at the wings that they said they don't need to make a move out of reaction to Finley's decision.
Free-agent forward Scott Padgett, whose commitment to Phoenix wavered with the chases for Jones and Finley, is expected to join the Suns.
If the Suns want to keep Jim Jackson coming off the bench, Raja Bell or Jones could start at Johnson's former spot. With Finley aboard, it would have been tough to get all three good minutes.
Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa also figure in at the wings and at point.
"I'm happy with the team," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We've still got some really good shooters. We can be fast. We've got some tough guys and defensive-minded guys. We'll be pretty darn good. I think we'll surprise some people. We'll play the same style and be better defensively.
"We have the main engine parts, the three All-Stars (Nash, Amaré Stoudemire and Shawn Marion). I just don't see us deviating much."
Phoenix has a trade exception worth about $3.6 million, which it can use in a deal to make up for a gap in salaries. The Suns are likely to hold onto that until at least midseason.
The Suns have 12 players under contract, not including Padgett or Lucas Tischer, a Brazilian rookie who will sign before training camp starts Oct. 4 in Tucson.
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Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 1, 2005 12:00 AM
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]In Phoenix and San Antonio news conferences today, each NBA team will introduce a new swingman acquired in an effort to win the West.
The Suns will say hello to James Jones, obtained from Indiana last week, after saying goodbye Wednesday to their chances of signing Michael Finley. In a double whammy, Finley turned down Phoenix's interest in favor of the team the Suns are trying to catch - the world champion Spurs.
The room at the wing position for Jones, a 24-year-old who has a lot of Suns believers, could prove beneficial for Phoenix in the long term over bringing back Finley, who is 32 and coming off ankle surgery.
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For many, Finley was the ideal remedy to quickly heal some of the fresh wounds of Joe Johnson's departure. To have Finley choose a bench role in San Antonio over a starting job alongside good friend Steve Nash was disheartening to the Suns.
"Of course, we're disappointed," Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo said. "But to Michael's credit, he didn't just take the money. He talked about a chance to win, and in this case, he chose to play for the NBA champions."
San Antonio had half the money Miami had to offer and fewer sentimental reasons than Phoenix. Finley accepted a deal that will start with a $2.5 million salary in San Antonio, where he will back up swingmen Manu Ginobili and Bruce Bowen. Phoenix could only offer a $1.1 million deal, the minimum for a 10-year veteran.
Finley will collect $51.8 million over the next decade from Dallas, who waived him Aug. 15 for luxury tax savings.
"To be part of a championship team, I'm excited," Finley told espn.com. "This is the closest I've ever been to a championship. I'm looking forward to the challenge of helping this team repeat.
"In a nutshell, they're already a championship team, but they have room for improvement. And I feel my game can help them in the areas where they need improvement."
His agent, Henry Thomas, said the delay in his decision was caused by how hard he wrestled with Phoenix's lure.
"He had a tough time," Thomas said. "They (the Suns) were in it to the end."
San Antonio has a savvy-laden reserve quintet (Finley, Nick Van Exel, Brent Barry, Robert Horry and Fabricio Oberto or Rasho Nesterovic) that could hold its own as a starting unit.
The Suns also became deeper this summer and are solid enough at the wings that they said they don't need to make a move out of reaction to Finley's decision.
Free-agent forward Scott Padgett, whose commitment to Phoenix wavered with the chases for Jones and Finley, is expected to join the Suns.
If the Suns want to keep Jim Jackson coming off the bench, Raja Bell or Jones could start at Johnson's former spot. With Finley aboard, it would have been tough to get all three good minutes.
Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa also figure in at the wings and at point.
"I'm happy with the team," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We've still got some really good shooters. We can be fast. We've got some tough guys and defensive-minded guys. We'll be pretty darn good. I think we'll surprise some people. We'll play the same style and be better defensively.
"We have the main engine parts, the three All-Stars (Nash, Amaré Stoudemire and Shawn Marion). I just don't see us deviating much."
Phoenix has a trade exception worth about $3.6 million, which it can use in a deal to make up for a gap in salaries. The Suns are likely to hold onto that until at least midseason.
The Suns have 12 players under contract, not including Padgett or Lucas Tischer, a Brazilian rookie who will sign before training camp starts Oct. 4 in Tucson.
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