Originally posted by elindholm
I'm visiting relatives and had to beg a laptop for this, so you'd all better appreciate my comments! 
This organization needs to make up its mind, find a plan, and stick with it. Every other move contradicts the direction of the previous one. They deal away Robinson to save some money, then decide they need Outlaw. They deal away Outlaw to save some money, then decide they need White.
I hope you're having a good time on vacation. My fantasy team is not quite as hot, but I believe I'm still winning.
I think we can all acknowledge that the Suns have made a few bad trades that were knee-jerk reactions to early-season struggles (Robinson, Jahidi White). Actually I thought the mistake in trading Cliff Robinson was that they traded him away too soon. They could have traded him directly to Orlando and probably receive more back in return. But Colangeli has said repeatedly that the teacher that trade was the first-round draft pick they got back along with Bo Outlaw. I think right now trading Knight for Jahidi White is looking like a huge mistake.
They deal Kidd away to secure Marbury as their long-term star point guard, then sign him to a ridiculous extension when he unexpectedly leads the team to the playoffs, then dump him as soon as the team falters. They announce that Marion is part of their youthful core, then trade away the players that have helped him succeed.
I do not think they traded away Jason Kidd specifically to secure Stephon Marbury as their long-term point guard. I think they traded away Jason Kidd in order to get something of good value in return. They knew his contract would be expiring in a season. He was not making a ton of money, and he clearly was not going to re-sign with the Suns.
Signing him to do a ridiculous extension might have been a mistake, but it was the mistake that allowed them to make this trade. Bryan Colangelo has said several times today that if it were not for the extension there's no way the New York Knicks make that trade. And somebody would have given him more than the maximum season when he could have opted out of his contract.
The core is in place, the core isn't in place. They're saving money, they're trying to win now. Which is it?
You have been saying since the summer that you do not believe this core of players was going to really contend for a championship. You said they were a financial mess, muchly because of their own quick trigger with the extensions.
I figure they were willing to stick with the core, but I said Thomas and the Knicks made them an offer that was just too good to pass up.
Well, now we know for sure. This team is in for major, highly speculative rebuilding. My guess is that Marion will be traded this summer, once it becomes clear that he can't cut it as a primary option. I wouldn't get excited about either Lampe or Vujanic (?) -- Lampe couldn't earn time on the Knicks, and Vujanic may never come over to the NBA.
I'm not sure what makes the rebuilding "highly speculative". Essentially they cleared a lot of salary cap, and they have acquired a nice stock of young talent. I don't know what's really going to happen with Lampe and Vujanic, but they do have good potential.
The worst insult of all has to be the re-acquisition of McDyess. Sure, he'll probably spend most of his time on the IR and be gone at the end of the season. But still. It's as though the Suns organization is completely fixated on "what could have been" with the Kidd/McDyess core, and they've been running around like headless chickens ever since.
The Phoenix Suns did not reacquire Antonio McDyess because they are fixated on "what might have been". They reacquire him only because he has an expiring , maximum contract. That's it. Anything they get out of him is a bonus.
I was skeptical of the Suns' future, given their many huge contracts for not-quite-top talent. But at least they had talent, and at least the team wasn't going to be a long-term joke. Had Stoudemire emerged as a superstar, the Marbury/Stoudemire/Marion unit could have amounted to something. But now I fear that the pressure on Stoudemire will be too great for even his impressive heart.
What if the Phoenix Suns were convinced that last season was a bit of a fluke? What if they were convinced now that at best they were a perennial first-round exit in the competitive Western Conference? Should they have waited until Marbury was making $20 million and completely untradable to make a move? I think Amare Stoudemire wants that pressure. It did seem like you is becoming increasingly frustrated with the Marbury dominating the ball.
I was preaching patience just 24 hours ago, but I never anticipated a deal like this could be made. I still wouldn't mind getting rid of Shawn Marion's contract, but essentially the Suns have gone from a last-place team that was going to lose $20 million to a last-place team with even more young talent that is almost financially responsible. They will be able to make moves, and the hope is that they will make them cautiously and carefully.
Right now, this looks like the beginning of the end of the franchise. It will be years before the Suns are credible again. If fans weren't supporting the club before, they certainly aren't going to now.
I doubt the Phoenix Suns will be right back in the mix, but I do know that at least we aren't going to be watching a team headed nowhere (if that's what they were) that was going to become more and more unfixable.
We'll see. I think in the end when we look at what they gave up in order to get rid of Hardaway's $30 million over the next two seasons and Marbury's long-term contract, and we see what they got in return this trade will make a lot of sense. I believe we will see that it was just too good to pass up even if it was not what the franchise had planned just a few months ago.
Joe Mama
