Suns vs. Rockets

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by thegrahamcrackr
I agree with a lot that you said, however the departure of Marbury has a big deal to do with I think. Joe has been playing much better when he intiates the offense. Even if he doesnt bring it down, if he is able to start up the play, he does much better. He also takes it inside a lot more now. When Marbury was on teh team, he constantly drove it inside, clogging it up to much for anyone else to penetrate.

Absolutely. JJ's ability to weave through traffic is one of the reasons he is so effective. At the same time, JJ seems more willing to pass the ball than to dribble around hoping to get around the defender the way Stephon did.

 

[sunsfn]

thegrahamcrackr said:
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JJ is up for an extension this summer I believe, you have to assume he feels just as much pressure to perform well in order to cash in off of this.
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No, the suns have the option to extend his contract one year and they will. The amount is already known. It is the 4th year on the rookie contract, and it is at the teams option.

I feel strong that JJ is playing better for the reason of Marbury being gone as much as Penny gone. When JJ gets the ball now and gives it up he will probalby get it back, when Marbury was here if he gave it up he was probably not going to get it back. Same thing will happen with Amare. Amare never got it back if he passed it back, and he still is in the keeping it mode but not as much as he was before. (in the few games he has played since Marbury has gone)

JJ is playing the game the way it should be played right now. If he has the ball and an opening he uses it, if he has the ball and he is guarded or the middle is blocked up he passes it. When the shot clock is winding down he gets himself in a position to shoot no matter where he is on the floor, or creates so he can shoot in the paint.
Eddie Johnson made an observation the other night in the game when he said JJ drove the lane and recognized that if he did not pass to someone he would be called for a foul, he passed it to an open man who made the shot. Very smart playing, and now that he has taken charge of his game, and is doing the things that make a great player, I really think he has arrived and you are seeing an all star in the near future!!!
When Amare returns and Amare, JJ, and Marion learn how to play together, and the emergence of Jake, Barbosa, CJ, Zarko, and next year with a first round pick, and Vujanic from Europe, and hopefully with a center that can play and block some shots and be a presence in the middle, they will be a very good playoff team in a couple years. If White can lose some weight and is able to jump better than he is doing now, he can be a much better presence in the middle. I think the suns will try to draft big though, either p. f. or center if one is available on their pick. Otherwise it will be the best player available and that is what they should do.
This team is playing well now and is going to get better with time.

I really think that D'Antoni is doing a great job and has the team playing hard.

 

[slinslin]

sunsfn

grahamcrackr is still right, JJ is up for his extension THIS offseason. Rookie contracts are extended before the team option year.

 

[Chaz]

Correct, the Suns already picked up the 4th year option (next season) on JJ's contract I believe.

The extension he would be up for this summer would be for after next season. It would be his second contract.

 

[cly2tw]

So, essentially, JJ has a two-year window to prove himself. If he failed this season, he'd just have to prove he was worth anything in his fourth year as rookie. With this small safty net, he is not that under pressure for contract extension already this off season.

 

[King A]

and if it's hard on hard you can always match the offer sheets he gets from other teams (Clipper-like).
Not a way the Cs like to do it, and if you take care of your players, you don't do it that way. But this way you can get over the cap to keep your player,

 

[elindholm]

JJ is up for his extension THIS offseason. Rookie contracts are extended before the team option year.

Potentially. The team can offer an extension immediately if it wants, or it can wait and think a little more about what the player can do. The Suns better not blow it again with Johnson the way they did with Marion. If they offer him a huge extension this off-season based on his last few months' play, I think I really will have to abandon the franchise.

 

[Joe Mama]

Originally posted by elindholm
JJ is up for his extension THIS offseason. Rookie contracts are extended before the team option year.

Potentially. The team can offer an extension immediately if it wants, or it can wait and think a little more about what the player can do. The Suns better not blow it again with Johnson the way they did with Marion. If they offer him a huge extension this off-season based on his last few months' play, I think I really will have to abandon the franchise.

Overpaying a very good player is not nearly enough to make me think about abandoning the franchise. In fact I don't think there's anything that could get me to stop supporting the Suns with the exception of acquiring Karl Malone.

However I agree that it would be a mistake to throw a huge contract at JJ this summer. If they can get him for a contract starting at $6-7 million I would have no problem with that whatsoever. That is, of course, assuming that he continues his good play through the end of the season. If he gets even better a contract starting at $8 million might be OK. But there's really no reason to throw a maximum or near maximum contract at him this summer.

Joe Mama

 

[Chaz]

Originally posted by Joe Mama
Overpaying a very good player is not nearly enough to make me think about abandoning the franchise. In fact I don't think there's anything that could get me to stop supporting the Suns with the exception of acquiring Karl Malone.

However I agree that it would be a mistake to throw a huge contract at JJ this summer. If they can get him for a contract starting at $6-7 million I would have no problem with that whatsoever. That is, of course, assuming that he continues his good play through the end of the season. If he gets even better a contract starting at $8 million might be OK. But there's really no reason to throw a maximum or near maximum contract at him this summer.

Joe Mama

Exactly, if they can get him signed for a reasonable number this summer he may be a bargin in two years.

 

[slinslin]

If you don't offer him an extension this offseason you have a good chance of being forced to offer him a max contract next offseason.

He is 22 he will continue to improve.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

That is my point. I think it is in the best interest of the Suns to lock him up this year.

I still don't have any idea where people get 7 million a year starting. Corey Maggette got a starting contract of 5.5 million, and some people felt the Jazz were offering him over value in efforts to keep the Clips from resigning him.

As good as these 16 games have been, and even if he continues them for the rest of the season, that should get him the 5.5 million, not put him 1.5 million above that.

To tell you the truth, even if JJ regresses a bit next season, having him locked in at the 5-7 range (over the duration of the cotnract) isn't that bad for a 6'8" swing guard that can handle the the ball and create his own shot. Not to mention rebound.

I agree with Slin, if you wait a year to make him prove himself, you could be forced into overpaying him. By doing it right now, we should get a good contract.

 

[F-Dog]

Originally posted by elindholm
JJ is up for his extension THIS offseason. Rookie contracts are extended before the team option year.

Potentially. The team can offer an extension immediately if it wants, or it can wait and think a little more about what the player can do. The Suns better not blow it again with Johnson the way they did with Marion. If they offer him a huge extension this off-season based on his last few months' play, I think I really will have to abandon the franchise.

It'll be a shame to lose you, Eric.

Hey, maybe the Clips will get Kobe--they would be tailor-made for your support then.



Seriously, if Joe J does what he's doing now for the rest of the year, I'd be happy to get him locked up starting at $8m.

If he holds out and keeps playing this well, the team is looking at a max contract, so there are risks either way...

 

[George O'Brien]

I don't see what the problem is. JJ is a restricted FA in summer of 2005 with a qualifying offer of $3.2 million. The Sun can match any offer another team makes and would be expected to so.

The only significant RFA moves last season were Andre Miller and Lamar Odom - from the Clips. Many teams gambled that the Clips would not pay the price, ven moderate ones.

Maggette's only offer was $5.4 million by the Jazz which the Clips matched. The Heat gave Brand a contract starting at $10.9 million which was designed to be high enough to keep the Clips from responding. They did anyway.

Why would anyone assume the Suns wouldn't match? Almost every RFA bid was to players who really wanted out of the original team. This is not likely to be a problem with JJ.

I'm not sure the Suns should wait too long to discuss an extension, but it will not be a max deal because they don't have to.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

George, the point is if we let him go to RFA status, another team COULD offer him the max. If he plays next season like he has been playing lately, that is a possibilty.

Yes we would most likely match any offers for him, but by sitting on it, if he improves his value, we may be forced to pay him a lot more than if we signed himthis summer.

It isn't a question of whether or not we are going to resign JJ, it is a question of how much it will cost us.

 

[elindholm]

I'm not sure the Suns should wait too long to discuss an extension, but it will not be a max deal because they don't have to.

This would be correct, except that they maxed out Marion a year early, even though they didn't "have to" by exactly the same logic.

 

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by elindholm
I'm not sure the Suns should wait too long to discuss an extension, but it will not be a max deal because they don't have to.

This would be correct, except that they maxed out Marion a year early, even though they didn't "have to" by exactly the same logic.

I'm not sure the situation will be viewed the same way now. At the time the Marion deal was made, the Suns had no hope of getting in the FA market and were more concerned about locking in their players before the price went up even more. Now, the Suns are going to be trying to manage their cap space, so timing will be more crucial.

Of course, if they can sign an extension for JJ along the lines of what Maggette got, I'd take the risk and do it.

 

[sunsfn]

I am pretty sure the sun have not extended JJ's contract. That would have been news and an e-mail from them.

Some difference in the players is that Marion has produced from the 2nd year and got a big contract.
JJ is producing like he should in the 3rd year and doing great. He may not get as much because of the time compared to Marion. Also I think the contracts have come down some.

Maggette has been in the league the same time as Marion and has not produced until toward the end of his 3rd year. That is probably why his contract is smaller.??

Although I think JJ will get more than Maggette.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Sunsfn, The suns picked up their 4 year option for JJ last summer.

So he is locked for sure for next year.

THIS summer is the first year they are eligible to extend him. However, the extension won't kick in till the 2005-2006 season.

If they choose not to extend him this summer, then he is given a qualifying offer, which means he becomes an RFA for the summer of 2005. We then have the right to match any contract offers, or we can offer an extension of our own.

 

[sunsfn]

hall of famer,

Thanks for the info, but I did not know they picked up his option. I have the e-mail from the suns as a lot of you do and they announce things like that.

Where can you read about that now.

How did you know that.
I believe you, but would like to know if there is a place to view these options...........suns site?

Thanks,

 

[slinslin]

sunsfn,

It was definately on suns.com

 

[Chaz]

Originally posted by sunsfn


Where can you read about that now.

http://www.nba.com/suns/news/johnson_option_031024.html