Trading Gortat

[Budden]

I think it's become clear that any future in which the Suns have playoff success is going to have to be without Marcin Gortat. He's soft, unreliable, and is a liability in a physical game. Without Robin Lopez because of the Flagrant 2 against the Clippers, we might lose a game that will decide the fate of our season if Gortat doesn't play very well.

What I'm wondering is who you think the Suns would have to get in return to where you'd be willing to trade Gortat this offseason? His numbers are good and his highlights as a player might make him seem attractive to other teams. Maybe we could get Kris Humphreys or Leandro Barbosa.. Or Kenyon Martin.. someone who is either on the older side of a good career, or the younger side of a mediocre one (like Humphreys)..

 

[slinslin]

#2-5 pick+

 

[elindholm]

Although I agree with the assessment of Gortat's weaknesses, he's obviously worth more than Barbosa, who for that matter is a free agent this summer.

 

[Phrazbit]

I like Gortat but I would love to trade him for a top 5 pick in this year's draft... however, I dont think any of the teams in the top 5 would give up their pick for Gortat.

 

[cly2tw]

I think it's become clear that any future in which the Suns have playoff success is going to have to be without Marcin Gortat. He's soft, unreliable, and is a liability in a physical game. Without Robin Lopez because of the Flagrant 2 against the Clippers, we might lose a game that will decide the fate of our season if Gortat doesn't play very well.

What I'm wondering is who you think the Suns would have to get in return to where you'd be willing to trade Gortat this offseason? His numbers are good and his highlights as a player might make him seem attractive to other teams. Maybe we could get Kris Humphreys or Leandro Barbosa.. Or Kenyon Martin.. someone who is either on the older side of a good career, or the younger side of a mediocre one (like Humphreys)..

He sounds like the perfect fit for the Suns as long as Nash is the resident franchise player.

 

[Mainstreet]

I mentioned it before somewhere in another post, but I think Gortat has worn down physically this season which has caused him to be less effective battling inside. IMO, he needs to add a few pounds.

In regards to trades, I always willing to see what is available. Getting a proven young player and a first round pick offers the most appeal for me.

 

[desertdawg]

This place cracks me up, didn't expect to laugh that hard this morning. Should put warnings on this thread, almost ruined my keyboard.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I like Gortat but I would love to trade him for a top 5 pick in this year's draft... however, I dont think any of the teams in the top 5 would give up their pick for Gortat.

me neither.

 

[Folster]

Gortat is a fine center. If you're expecting him to average 25 and 12 or even 20 and 12, you'll be disappointed. He can't be counted on to be your best frontline player or a go to guy. Unfortunately he is our best frontcourt player. He needs to be paired with a more dynamic power forward.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Gortat is a fine center. If you're expecting him to average 25 and 12 or even 20 and 12, you'll be disappointed. He can't be counted on to be your best frontline player or a go to guy. Unfortunately he is our best frontcourt player. He needs to be paired with a more dynamic power forward.

I agree. He's a great teammate and has a strong work ethic and I love that he's in Phoenix. I won't be brokenhearted if we trade him but as I've said many times, I'd only trade him if we received premium value for him. His play has seemed to deteriorate over the past month or so but he's still no worse than average and I'd love to see him what he could do playing alongside Morris at the 3 spot and a strong player at the 4.

I don't want to go back to the Suns of old, always wondering what undersized player or what just-off-the-street-scrub will be manning the center position for us today. He needs to get stronger, he needs to play tougher but I think it's absurd to go in search of someone you can unload him on. Put him on the market and there will be a lot of teams calling with decent offers and if one of them steps up with a great offer, move him, otherwise keep him in a Suns uniform as long as you can. Surround him with better talent.

Steve

 

[Superbone]

I'm not ready to give up on Gortat after a few sub par games. Sure, I'm disappointed that he has seemed to back down from shot blocking centers recently but I think he'll come back around. Somebody needs to get in his ear and tell him to stay aggressive.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I agree. He's a great teammate and has a strong work ethic and I love that he's in Phoenix. I won't be brokenhearted if we trade him but as I've said many times, I'd only trade him if we received premium value for him. His play has seemed to deteriorate over the past month or so but he's still no worse than average and I'd love to see him what he could do playing alongside Morris at the 3 spot and a strong player at the 4.

I don't want to go back to the Suns of old, always wondering what undersized player or what just-off-the-street-scrub will be manning the center position for us today. He needs to get stronger, he needs to play tougher but I think it's absurd to go in search of someone you can unload him on. Put him on the market and there will be a lot of teams calling with decent offers and if one of them steps up with a great offer, move him, otherwise keep him in a Suns uniform as long as you can. Surround him with better talent.

Steve

You had me until Morris at the 3. I just can't envision Morris developing into a decent starter at the 3. He's unfortunately a classic tweener - too slow for 3, too small and short armed for the 4. Other than that, agree with everything else.

 

[Gaddabout]

Nash + Gortat + this year's first-round pick wouldn't get you a Top 5 pick. Gortat has value, but I think you can forget a high first-round pick using him as trade bait. You might be able to get something in the latter third, though.

 

[BillsCarnage]

This place cracks me up, didn't expect to laugh that hard this morning. Should put warnings on this thread, almost ruined my keyboard.

No kidding...

For the umpteenth time regarding trading Gortat... NO

When was the last time the Suns had a center average 15/10?? Exactly!

 

[Joe Mama]

I mentioned it before somewhere in another post, but I think Gortat has worn down physically this season which has caused him to be less effective battling inside. IMO, he needs to add a few pounds.

In regards to trades, I always willing to see what is available. Getting a proven young player and a first round pick offers the most appeal for me.

It does seem like he is dinged up. I can't remember what game it was (San Antonio maybe), but he got knocked to the ground pretty hard. I don't remember him being so leery of contact or going inside against shot blockers as he has been the last three or four games.

Nobody's going to give up a top five draft pick for him, but he's a good center with a piece of the price tag for the next two seasons. To get the most out of him he definitely needs to be paired with a pick and roll guard, so his value will decrease if/when Steve Nash leaves this summer.

Joe

 

[hcsilla]

Nash + Gortat + this year's first-round pick wouldn't get you a Top 5 pick.

It would.

Nash+Gortat+this year's 1st is almost a team.

I bet that the Kings would deal their 1st rounder for this package. In a heartbeat.

So would the Bobcats if it's not #1.

 

[Gaddabout]

It would.

Nash+Gortat+this year's 1st is almost a team.

I bet that the Kings would deal their 1st rounder for this package. In a heartbeat.

So would the Bobcats.

1) I used Nash's name to make a point, but he's a free agent, so you can't trade him.

2) No, it wouldn't, not in this draft. It might be different if Gortat were 24, but at 28, he is what he is, and he's not worth a lottery pick in what's expected to be one of the deepest drafts in a decade. I do agree he would be worth a first-round pick if that's the direction the team wanted to go, but if the Suns re-sign Nash, they won't be trading Gortat.

That simple.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Good grief. Gortat is a great center. That's the last place we need to look to improve.

 

[Cheesebeef]

You had me until Morris at the 3. I just can't envision Morris developing into a decent starter at the 3. He's unfortunately a classic tweener - too slow for 3, too small and short armed for the 4. Other than that, agree with everything else.

agreed.

 

[Cheesebeef]

It would.

Nash+Gortat+this year's 1st is almost a team.

I bet that the Kings would deal their 1st rounder for this package. In a heartbeat.

So would the Bobcats if it's not #1.

no way in hell. It's THIS team and it's barely making the playoffs.

In a good draft, no team is gonna give up a top 5 pick for that package because it does nothing but make a presumably young team building of the future all of a sudden old and going nowhere.

 

[AzStevenCal]

You had me until Morris at the 3. I just can't envision Morris developing into a decent starter at the 3. He's unfortunately a classic tweener - too slow for 3, too small and short armed for the 4. Other than that, agree with everything else.

I'm afraid you're probably right. However, I'm more convinced that he can't be your every day power forward than I am that he can't be your every day small forward. A lot of people here don't but I think Morris is good enough to start for the right team (or will be, in a year or two) if you can find a position for him. I'd have no problem playing him at PF if he was next to a Dwight Howard or even a Bynum but in our lineup, we just can't really afford to give away that much size and strength if he's playing next to Gortat.

Steve

 

[Budden]

I agree. He's a great teammate and has a strong work ethic and I love that he's in Phoenix. I won't be brokenhearted if we trade him but as I've said many times, I'd only trade him if we received premium value for him. His play has seemed to deteriorate over the past month or so but he's still no worse than average and I'd love to see him what he could do playing alongside Morris at the 3 spot and a strong player at the 4.

I don't want to go back to the Suns of old, always wondering what undersized player or what just-off-the-street-scrub will be manning the center position for us today. He needs to get stronger, he needs to play tougher but I think it's absurd to go in search of someone you can unload him on. Put him on the market and there will be a lot of teams calling with decent offers and if one of them steps up with a great offer, move him, otherwise keep him in a Suns uniform as long as you can. Surround him with better talent.

Steve

Don't get me wrong - I'm a firm believer in building a team where guys can play their natural positions; the 2010 team was able to overachieve largely because of the fact we had Nash, J. Rich, Hill, Amare, and Lopez starting and had Dragic, Dudley, Frye, and Admundson to comfortably play the positions they were both physically and skillfully equipped to play.

Gortat is 6'11" with long arms and a decent amount of bulk. But he's not strong enough to post up Chris Paul. He isn't big enough to dunk the ball if "shotblockers" like Randy Foye is within 15 feet of him.

Now, I agree that he may be worn down a bit. It's the last week of the regular season. Everyone is worn down. There is nothing abnormal for a guy to running close to empty at this point in the year. There is also nothing abnormal about the intensity of each possession picking up at this point of the year, either. Some guys find a way to elevate their game, focus, etc. when they don't feel their best. The majority of NBA players don't have what it takes to compete at a championship level. Toughness is a prerequisite for success at the NBA playoff level, not a bonus. And Gortat has shown the opposite of toughness. He's been soft all year; our opponents have just been getting more physical, and it's exposing Gortat for what he is.

If we don't trade Gortat this offseason, the not-so-well-kept secret - That Gortat's name is missing a "w" between the letters "t" and "a" - won't be a secret at all.

 

[Folster]

Some of you are making a lot out of a handful of games. The majority of the games Gortat has played well.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Good grief. Gortat is a great center. That's the last place we need to look to improve.

a great center? He's solid. Not much more, definitely no less. But great is a pretty big stretch IMO.

 

[Folster]

a great center? He's solid. Not much more, definitely no less. But great is a pretty big stretch IMO.

Great by Suns standards...