Thomas NOT returning

[Joe Mama]

This is definitely discouraging... I don't think we can keep picking "diamonds in the rough" and acting short-sighted (though this draft doesn't bother me all that much since they did try to trade up).

I respectfully disagree. I believe we can still keep picking out "diamonds in the rough", and I believe it may be shortsighted to offer free agents like Tim Thomas too much money or really too many years on the contract.

I just hope Sam Cassell moves to another team. That would be a huge hit for the Clippers.

I would love to have Matt Harpring if I was sure he could play well, but those injuries scare the hell out of me.

One thing is for certain, if the Phoenix Suns (Sarver) do not spend that money that they saved from trading out of the draft I'll join the rest of you who are upset. I'm not happy that Tim Thomas signed with the Clippers, but I don't think it's the end of the world as long as they use the money on someone else who will help make season.

Joe

 

[hsandhu]

I will say the thing to get upset about is the suns for the second year in a row acting like they had their own free agent locked up, and not keeping them.

They need to stop looking like clowns in that respect.

 

[newfan101]

Actually if we were in a position to use the full MLE the title of this thread would be "Tim Thomas Returning" The fact of the matter is that we were always in a position to use our full MLE, however it is clear that management has made a decision that saving money (despite having the largest profit in the NBA) is more important than keeping players that help you win.

Bingo. You nailed it on the head. I cant wait to hear the spin on this one.

 

[Covert Rain]

How are they going to spend that money? There are not any players in free agency worth all the cake the Suns just saved. At best your going to see them bring in some bodys.

So you might as well be upset now.

 

[Nash]

Not only outbid. They only offered HALF of what the clippers did.

They better RUN OUT and get Rad.

Rad? hsandhu just mentioned that the Clippers couldn't offer Rad enough money to stay. What sucks is we couldn't even pay enough to keep Rad's backup for the Clippers-TT.

Lindsey Hunter - this guy has been injury-riddled for a while. He missed most of last season with the Pistons and didn't do much when he returned for the playoffs.

 

[Cheesebeef]

the biggest thing for me here is this - we are no longer a team that apparently EVERYBODY wants to play for. The Suns discount? Let's see, JJ didn't want to stay here, even though we were offering him the MAX, Finley chose SA over us, and then another one of our FAs choose the Clippers over us.

A Phoenix "discount"? Sorry, but the days of Colangelo getting AC Green and Danny Manning to sing for us are gone and here's the reason why - people KNEW Colangelo was a man of his word and that if you signed for the discount, you would be heavily rewarded afterward. For Sarver to think he's got that kind of cache is beyond me at this point.

Oh well, let's hope Amare's 100% Amare and then this likely won't matter all that much if we can sign BJax and Harpring, but who says those are givens either? Are we gonna be trying to get thme at this great Phoenix "discount" as well?

 

[Covert Rain]

Rad? hsandhu just mentioned that the Clippers couldn't offer Rad enough money to stay. What sucks is we couldn't even pay enough to keep Rad's backup for the Clippers-TT.

Lindsey Hunter - this guy has been injury-riddled for a while. He missed most of last season with the Pistons and didn't do much when he returned for the playoffs.

There could be many factors. He probably didn't want to stay. Sort of like Tim Thomas here. Suns could have offered Tim more. They could also offer RAD a good contract.

They need to do something after screwing up the draft then screwing up in free agency.

There is a new owner in town people and nobody wants to take a discount to play on his team.

 

[Evil Ash]

How are they going to spend that money? There are not any players in free agency worth all the cake the Suns just saved. At best your going to see them bring in some bodys.

So you might as well be upset now.

You can split among players, you don't have to spend it all on one player. What we need is a backup guard (PG preferably) and ideally a big man to be a backup that can help with our interior defense when KT is out (a taller swingman would also work).

Losing TT sucks but we don't need starters, we need decent backups and thats it

 

[Goldfield]

I respectfully disagree. I believe we can still keep picking out "diamonds in the rough", and I believe it may be shortsighted to offer free agents like Tim Thomas too much money or really too many years on the contract.

I just hope Sam Cassell moves to another team. That would be a huge hit for the Clippers.

I would love to have Matt Harpring if I was sure he could play well, but those injuries scare the hell out of me.

One thing is for certain, if the Phoenix Suns (Sarver) do not spend that money that they saved from trading out of the draft I'll join the rest of you who are upset. I'm not happy that Tim Thomas signed with the Clippers, but I don't think it's the end of the world as long as they use the money on someone else who will help make season.

Joe

I agree 100%

We will allways get bench/veteran players on the cheap for 1 year deals as long as were a contender, and a run & gun uptempo style. Players will want a chance to win pluss our style allows players (TT & House) to get a bigger contract after leaving us.

 

[Cheesebeef]

anyone got the terms on the TT deal with the Clippers?

 

[Covert Rain]

You can split among players, you don't have to spend it all on one player. What we need is a backup guard (PG preferably) and ideally a big man to be a backup that can help with our interior defense when KT is out (a taller swingman would also work).

Losing TT sucks but we don't need starters, we need decent backups and thats it

The Suns were already going to split a small amount of money on bringing guys like that in. It's the other chunk of cap space they have now. Who are they going to use that on?

 

[George O'Brien]

I don't know anyone who suggested the Suns do a full MLE deal for TT. I'm sorry he's not coming back, but the Suns have a lot of financial issues that made a long term deal all but impossible.

Oddly enough, the signing means the Clips won't have VRad and you have to wonder how they can afford Cassell.

Not to Plan B.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I don't know anyone who suggested the Suns do a full MLE deal for TT. I'm sorry he's not coming back, but the Suns have a lot of financial issues that made a long term deal all but impossible.

Oddly enough, the signing means the Clips won't have VRad and you have to wonder how they can afford Cassell.

Not to Plan B.

George - do you have ANY IDEA what you'r etalking about in respect to the Clippers? They just got a CHEAPER replacement for Vlade, thus making it EASIER to sign Cassel.

 

[Joe Mama]

It doubts that we lost Tim Thomas, but let's not go overboard here. Before Kurt Thomas was injured the Phoenix Suns were a better team than the one we saw in the playoffs with no Tim Thomas and more importantly without Amare Stoudemire. I wish they had been able to keep Tim Thomas, but I'm not in this fairly disappointed that they made the decision not to offer him $24 million.

I just hope they don't get desperate to find someone else. Offering Harpring much more than the minimum would be a mistake in my opinion.

Joe

 

[Evil Ash]

The Suns were already going to split a small amount of money on bringing guys like that in. It's the other chunk of cap space they have now. Who are they going to use that on?

We don't have a big chunk of cap space, they're over the cap. All we had to work with was the MLE and vet min contracts meaning if we signed TT to the full MLE like the Clips did, we wouldn't have a backup PG and people would whine about that

Can't have it both ways

 

[Goldfield]

You can split among players, you don't have to spend it all on one player. What we need is a backup guard (PG preferably) and ideally a big man to be a backup that can help with our interior defense when KT is out (a taller swingman would also work).

Losing TT sucks but we don't need starters, we need decent backups and thats it

Bobby Jackson & Joel Przybilla....

 

[hsandhu]

the biggest thing for me here is this - we are no longer a team that apparently EVERYBODY wants to play for. The Suns discount? Let's see, JJ didn't want to stay here, even though we were offering him the MAX, Finley chose SA over us, and then another one of our FAs choose the Clippers over us.

A Phoenix "discount"? Sorry, but the days of Colangelo getting AC Green and Danny Manning to sing for us are gone and here's the reason why - people KNEW Colangelo was a man of his word and that if you signed for the discount, you would be heavily rewarded afterward. For Sarver to think he's got that kind of cache is beyond me at this point.

Oh well, let's hope Amare's 100% Amare and then this likely won't matter all that much if we can sign BJax and Harpring, but who says those are givens either? Are we gonna be trying to get thme at this great Phoenix "discount" as well?

Completely agree with the first part. We've been shunned a lot in the last couple of years.

And yes, this won't make or break our championship chances. Unless of course they add nobody with the money they have left..

Then this does hurt, mainly because of the lack of depth we would once again have, not because of the talent (i'm probably not as high on thomas actual talent he adds, he would've been important because would've had good talent for a guy coming off the bench)

On a side note, I will enjoy listening to the jive that comes out of the organization's mouths the next few days. Because there are people who incorrectly believe tim does effect championship chances, and the team will been in full spin mode to address those people.

 

[Evil Ash]

Bobby Jackson & Joel Przybilla....

Przybilla is getting the full MLE from somebody but you're on the right track

 

[Covert Rain]

It doubts that we lost Tim Thomas, but let's not go overboard here. Before Kurt Thomas was injured the Phoenix Suns were a better team than the one we saw in the playoffs with no Tim Thomas and more importantly without Amare Stoudemire. I wish they had been able to keep Tim Thomas, but I'm not in this fairly disappointed that they made the decision not to offer him $24 million.

I just hope they don't get desperate to find someone else. Offering Harpring much more than the minimum would be a mistake in my opinion.

Joe

If they do that, then they are just trying to put a band aid on a huge wound. First I think they need to go after a larger tier player now.

Second they should be on the phone talking to Eddie House's agent, offering more money to stay. We need him on the bench more then ever right now.

 

[Cheesebeef]

We don't have a big chunk of cap space, they're over the cap. All we had to work with was the MLE and vet min contracts meaning if we signed TT to the full MLE like the Clips did, we wouldn't have a backup PG and people would whine about that

Can't have it both ways

do we actually know that the Clips offered the entire MLE to TT? Where are you getting that?

 

[Covert Rain]

do we actually know that the Clips offered the entire MLE to TT? Where are you getting that?

They offered tim 6 million dollars. Double what the Suns offered. That means the Suns offered 3 million.

 

[Evil Ash]

do we actually know that the Clips offered the entire MLE to TT? Where are you getting that?

The story said $5.4 million this year meaning the whole MLE

 

[hsandhu]

Again reading the la times, the clippers have given cassell the two year deal he wants, but not at the money he wants. It'll be interesting to see if he takes it, i'm guessing he will.

I'm not at all worried how this move makes the clippers tougher, just worried as to how it effects our depth (not necessarily talent).

 

[hsandhu]

It essentially came down to years. Suns offered 12 million over 3.

Clippers offered 24 over 4.

 

[Covert Rain]

It essentially came down to years. Suns offered 12 million over 3.

Clippers offered 24 over 4.

Years and money. His contract can be worth up to 6 million per year. I would say that it was more then years.