The Bledsoe dilemma

[AzStevenCal]

Bledsoe is more like Baron Davis than Marbury.

He will put up a few triple doulbes this season surely.

Can he roller skate? I don't see the Marbury connection but I'm not sure I see the Baron Davis comparison either.

Steve

 

[AzStevenCal]

Not that it's a perfect comparison but I see him more as a Deron Williams than KJ, Marbury or Baron Davis.

Steve

 

[BC867]

With all of our talk last season of having not one go-to guy in the 4th quarter, we do now. Eric Bledsoe.

Whether he and Dragic can start side-by-side, or one of them gets traded leaving the other as "The Man" or they both get traded for a passer, or whatever . . .

We can't afford to lose Bledsoe unless and until we replace him with another ligitimate go-to player. Especially now that the term "tanking" seems to (rightfully) be leaving our vocabularies.

 

[AzStevenCal]

With all of our talk last season of having not one go-to guy in the 4th quarter, we do now. Eric Bledsoe.

Whether he and Dragic can start side-by-side, or one of them gets traded leaving the other as "The Man" or they both get traded for a passer, or whatever . . .

We can't afford to lose Bledsoe unless and until we replace him with another ligitimate go-to player. Especially now that the term "tanking" seems to (rightfully) be leaving our vocabularies.

I agree but I don't want to see us lose Bledsoe even if we add a legitimate go-to player. I love the pressure he puts on the ball handler and I like the fact the moment never seems to big for him. I think Hornacek will have him working on his mid-range game and if he succeeds he'll be tough to stop. I knew he was strong and athletic but we're seeing so much more from him than that.

Steve

 

[JS22]

My son was a big Suns fan growing up, but going through grad school he has had very little time to watch. He recently went to the opener and when he cam home he said, "The Suns have this new pg that plays just like Stephon Marbury."

I agree. He is Marbury, with better D.

I can see that. Side note, I think Marbury was pretty underrated in PHX.

 

[elindholm]

I can see that. Side note, I think Marbury was pretty underrated in PHX.

Well he has sure been underrated in hindsight. You'd think he was right up there with Musolini with how this board talks about him now. He was never a great player, but it was only a few months before he was traded to the Knicks that the Suns signed him to one of the richest contracts in the league and most of this board stood up and cheered. It's just bizarre.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Just for giggles. This is a Pelicans fan take on Bledsoe after the game last night.

I'll say this much. Eric Bledsoe is an absolute TERROR. He has to be in the same class with Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose in terms of athleticism, speed, and explosion. The guy looks unguardable. Play up on him and he will get in the lane. Sag off on him in mid-range or the three, he will shoot and make it. There is absolutely no answer for him on the pick and roll and his presence makes their offense go the way that it does.

Their three point shooting is very tough to defend also. You can't do regular closeouts with green light teams like the Suns (run at them and put a hand up). From what I saw, most of their threes were decently contested but that's not good enough. Ideally you need to be in their shirts, but the problem there is with Bledsoe probing the pick and roll, you need to be able to help and rotate for that. Gotta make a choice and commit. Playing in-between isn't enough because then everyone will get theirs.

http://www.pelicansreport.com/showthread.php?78998-Game-Thread-Pelicans-Suns/page11

I like to read opposing team's game threads during games. It gives you an interesting, immediate reaction to your team and players. I don't post though.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Well he has sure been underrated in hindsight. You'd think he was right up there with Musolini with how this board talks about him now. He was never a great player, but it was only a few months before he was traded to the Knicks that the Suns signed him to one of the richest contracts in the league and most of this board stood up and cheered. It's just bizarre.

I agree. He parted on difficult terms, but he was fast, strong, could get to the hoop with ease, and was pretty good in crunch time. He just didnt like being here.

 

[KloD]

I like to read opposing team's game threads during games. It gives you an interesting, immediate reaction to your team and players. I don't post though.

Once in a while I like to read them too. I never register or post, but it's funny at times (as I'm sure it is for fans of other teams to read ours) to read the homer posts and how people perceive their team.

The N.O. fans are funny when it comes to evaluating the talent on their team. I recall during the Gordon malfunction a few of them coming on here and claiming the Hornets/Pelicans were building a dynasty. LOL! Outside of unibrow, they don't have much. I like Anderson, but bringing in Evans and Holiday were a head scratcher to me. Seeing offseason moves such as those makes me appreciate McD all the much more. I'm really having fun following the Suns again and have just about given up on getting a top 5 pick this next draft. I assumed I'd be disappointed if they finished ahead of expectations, but I gotta admit that I'm enjoying watching them play above expectations so far. I ordered the season pass with the expectation that I'd see a lot of losing, but would be able to see our young team have it's moments and see the youth develop. So far, I got a deal with the entertainment they are providing.

Go Suns!

 

[AzStevenCal]

I agree. He parted on difficult terms, but he was fast, strong, could get to the hoop with ease, and was pretty good in crunch time. He just didnt like being here.

I didn't realize he was unhappy here (or maybe I just don't remember). I really didn't like him but to be fair, I didn't think he was anywhere close to horrible either and I suspect most Suns fans would agree. He wasn't in the Kidd, KJ, Nash group but off the top of my head I can't think of another Suns PG that was clearly better than him. I think Bledsoe will soon get there but it's really too early to rate him.

The knock against Marbury was always that he didn't make his teammates better. That's kind of a catch-all complaint they throw in the direction of any star on a less than successful team. It didn't help Marbury's image that the teams he left always got better right after his departure but NJ was the real killer. They went overnight from being a very bad team to representing the East in the finals. That certainly wasn't all Marbury's fault, it was almost a completely different roster for Kidd but it did help cement Stephon's legacy.

For me though, I just didn't care for his style of play. He dominated the ball throughout most of the shot clock and put way too much pressure on his teammates by doing so. He'd elevate his game for the spotlight but far too often it was all about him on the court. IMO, he had HOF talent but rarely played at an All Star level.

Steve

 

[Suns_fan69]

My favorite (and only?) good memory of Marbury was of him absolutely abusing Tony Parker in the playoffs the year before he was traded.

 

[hcsilla]

Can he roller skate?

 

[hcsilla]

I agree. He parted on difficult terms, but he was fast, strong, could get to the hoop with ease, and was pretty good in crunch time. He just didnt like being here.

I never had the impression that Marbury didn't like being in Phoenix.

He always wanted to be a hero and here after hitting the game-winner 3 against the Spurs in the play-off he became one.

Mission was accomplished.

 

[hcsilla]

My favorite (and only?) good memory of Marbury was of him absolutely abusing Tony Parker in the playoffs the year before he was traded.

He usually put great performances vs. the Spurs in the regular season as well.

 

[AzStevenCal]

He usually put great performances vs. the Spurs in the regular season as well.

He'd usually put on a good show when we faced the best teams or the best point guards. That is a great attribute but it's frustrating when he would return to earth and we'd lose to a last place team the next night. He was made for the spotlight but the spotlight isn't always shining.

Steve

 

[sunsfan88]

Thread on the Hornets forum about who they would rather have, Holliday or Bledsoe:

http://www.pelicansreport.com/showthread.php?79040-Jrue-or-Bledsoe&

 

[sunsfan88]

Bledsoe was making some ridiculous layups today. Absolutely ridiculous.

He was exhausted in that 4th QTR and we had literally nobody scoring the ball except for him.

Fatigue factored into him shooting 1-8 in his last 9 shots big time.

 

[Sunburn]

Correct me if I'm wrong, and this is going way back to my childhood, but does Bledsoe remind anyone else of a defensive minded KJ?

 

[Gaddabout]

Correct me if I'm wrong, and this is going way back to my childhood, but does Bledsoe remind anyone else of a defensive minded KJ?

EJ made the same connection. [But KJ had a mid-range jumper].

Bledsoe and Green play well together, IMO.

 

[BC867]

EJ made the same connection. [But KJ had a mid-range jumper].

Bledsoe and Green play well together, IMO.

The dilemma is that, like KJ, Eric is becoming too predictable in the 4th quarter. Too much of a focal point.

For his own sake, someone (or someones) need(s) to step up during 4th quarters.

In reality, that would be a huge jump from the pits of last year to the improvement this season.

That should be our major goal for next season. Which would stress an experienced player via trade or free agency over rookie draft picks -- any rookie draft picks.

 

[Errntknght]

KJ didn't have much of a jumper his first few years in the league but when he did develop one it helped immensely. I expect Eric to make a similar improvement, but first he has to believe its necessary.

As far as other options in the fourth Q's, Dragic will do pretty well if he can quit knocking himself out of games. Down the road I expect one or both of Goodwin and Len to help in that regard. You can already see that Goodwin can get himself shots - he merely has to start making them.

 

[BC867]

As far as other options in the fourth Q's, Dragic will do pretty well if he can quit knocking himself out of games. Down the road I expect one or both of Goodwin and Len to help in that regard. You can already see that Goodwin can get himself shots - he merely has to start making them.

But if we are going to work out to becoming a solid playoff team, let alone contender, none of those names are going to take sufficient pressure off Bledsoe. 'Seems like it will have to be a free agent.

 

[sunsfan88]

I think he's proving that he's worthy of an extension that's in the neighborhood of what Jrue Holliday and Steph Curry got. If he keeps this up, 4 year $48 million should be a very fair offer to give Bledsoe.

 

[Phrazbit]

Good lord no. Beverly is OLDER than Bledsoe and about 1/4th as talented.

 

[sunsfan88]

PG: Eric Bledsoe, Phoenix Suns

The longer Phoenix keeps winning, the better their offseason trade for Bledsoe looks. The Suns enter the Christmas break at 17-10, good for the fifth-best record in the West, and Bledsoe is nestled among the very best Player Efficiency Rating performers at his position, enjoying a spot near the top of the charts alongside the likes of Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard and Tony Parker.

Both player and team qualify among the league’s most pleasant surprises, and Bledsoe is right near the top of the charts when it comes to bang for the buck production. In the final year of his rookie contract, Bledsoe is averaging 18.9 points, 6.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 49.5 percent from the field, all while earning just $2.6 million. By comparison, the Bulls paid Derrick Rose $1.8 million per game for the 10 appearances he made prior to his season-ending knee injury.

Suns GM Ryan McDonough hasn’t gotten enough hype for plucking Bledsoe, and there’s an argument to be made that his trade for Bledsoe belongs in the same discussion as Houston’s trade for James Harden, especially when it comes to short-term results. By comparison, Bledsoe is cheaper than Harden was because of his draft order slot, the Suns are overachieving more than the Rockets did last season (so far), Bledsoe’s 21.5 PER is comparable to Harden’s 23 PER from last season, there’s little question that Bledsoe is a better two-way player (in that he actually competes on both ends), and Phoenix’s return package has been a pittance compared to Houston’s bounty for Harden.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey is credited for making one of the best trades in recent years in snagging Harden — and rightfully so — but he did part with a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, a young prospect who has blossomed into a rotation player and a lottery pick to get it done. What did McDonough pay to get Bledsoe? Jared Dudley, a 2014 second-round pick and the money owed to Caron Butler, whose contract he later ditched for two lower-cost players. As for Dudley, he has a PER of 8.9, which ranks among the worst for starters at his position. “I been playing like s—. It’s been downright embarrassing,” he tweeted earlier this month. Well then. Even if Dudley turns things around, this was a highway robbery price for a franchise building block like Bledsoe; The Point Forward gave Phoenix an “A+” for the move at the time, which may have been missing three or four “plusses” at the end of the grade.

The fact that Bledsoe will command a max-type extension next summer does dampen the excitement here just a touch, but his acquisition was a little bit like waking up on Christmas morning to find the keys to a Mercedes in your stocking. Yes, there will be expensive insurance and maintenance costs to consider down the road but that’s not exactly killing the vibe, not when you just upgraded from a Hyundai out of nowhere.

Read rest here:

http://nba.si.com/2013/12/24/all-stocking-stuffer-eric-bledsoe-nick-young-robin-lopez/