What if?

[George O'Brien]

Sometime in the next couple of weeks McDyess is expected to return to the lineup. Since up to now he has done very little, most of us have all but written him off. However, there is at least a chance, no matter how small, that he might actually be able to play to play.

At one time Dice was an oustanding player. During a three year period in Denver his record was:

98-99 21.2 ppg 47.1% 10.1 rpg
99-00 19.1 ppg 50.7% 8.5 rpg
00-01 20.8 ppg 49.5% 12.1 rpg

Then he became injured. He came back briefly prior to the trade and played in 18 games. He was not really recovered, but in NY he still scored 8.4 ppg on 45.8% and grabbed 6.6 rpg.

What if Dice actually is mostly healthy? Even if he was only 80% of the guy he once was, he could be better than many of the big men we have been discussing.

A month ago it was argued that if he played well, he would leave the Suns because they could not afford to re-sign him. With only 30 or so game left, he may be inclined to sign for the veteran minimum. Considering the nature of his injuries, he may not want to have to play 30+ minutes to justify a big contract.

I was thinking about Dice when reviewing the record of Camby. Camby has never played in more than 63 games in a season in his entire career and only played in 29 in each of the last two years. Yet this year he is apparently healthy and productive. When he was healthy, McDyess was a lot better than Camby. Even this year, Camby is only averaging 8 ppg.

If Camby can make a comeback, is it so outrageous to wonder if Dice might?

 

[creed]

We just got rid of one Penny..dont need another...thanks.

 

[elindholm]

If I had to bet which player had a better chance of being fairly healthy over the next few years, I'd go with McDyess. However, Camby would give the Suns a good center, while McDyess wouldn't. I don't think a lineup with McDyess and Stoudemire as the "bigs" would be successful.

Also, there are some Suns fans out there who really resent McDyess, or who find the memories of the organization's previous blunder with him to be too painful. I think it's very unlikely that the Suns will resign him. In fact I think even Camby is more likely.

 

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by creed
We just got rid of one Penny..dont need another...thanks.

Penny had a long term contract of $14.4 million next year and $15.7 million the following year.

I'm talking about a $1 million one year contract. I'm not really sure they are comparable.

 

[scotsman13]

mcdyess will get a MLE from some team, it may even be the suns late in the summer. first thing is that they have to release his rights and then i think you have to wait 90 days or something like that before you can even make him an offer. mcdyess and stoudmire might work well together on the court at the same time of mcdyess has gotten his shooting stoke back. his game is mostly that of a mid range shooter while amare's game is closer to the basket.

 

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by scotsman13
mcdyess will get a MLE from some team, it may even be the suns late in the summer. first thing is that they have to release his rights and then i think you have to wait 90 days or something like that before you can even make him an offer. mcdyess and stoudmire might work well together on the court at the same time of mcdyess has gotten his shooting stoke back. his game is mostly that of a mid range shooter while amare's game is closer to the basket.

I seriously doubt that McDyess would get MLE with only 30 games under his belt. McDyess is 29 years old and no one knows whether he will be able to play extended minutes. Last year Eldon Campbell on got $4 million and he is a lot taller and was not coming off a major injury (unless being out of shape qualifies as an injury).

From a financial standpoint, Dice might think it would be better to take less money this year and wait a year before testing the FA market. If he is healthy next season, he could get a lot more money if he waits.

At the same time, he may decide this is the best environment for him. He might decide that playing under 20 minutes a game would keep in basketball longer than if he has to play heavy mintues to justify a big contract. He is not poor and this might be a better place to be.

Resentful fans? Maybe. But if he can produce, I doubt whether the resentment would last.

Can he produce? There are smaller centers in the NBA and he was once a very good defender and a great rebounder. He might be able to back up both the PF/C positions.

I'm not counting on it, but I'm not wildly excited about the FA big men that are likely to be available and how much they would cost.

 

[Joe Mama]

I wonder sometimes whether Antonio McDyess could be " guilted" into signing minimum contract with the Phoenix Suns. I don't think anybody will give him the mid-level exception this summer unless he looks a lot like his former self over the last 30 games.

Is just so difficult to speculate about this kind of thing because we know so little about the Phoenix Suns plan this summer. If they really are going to make a run at Kobe Bryant they aren't going to be able to afford even small deals like McDyess. Well, this they can sign anyone for the veteran minimum. Roster spots or another concern. It will be interesting to see what his contribution is over the last three games.

BTW I'm not sure my post here really contributed anything to this thread.

Joe Mama

 

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by Joe Mama
I wonder sometimes whether Antonio McDyess could be " guilted" into signing minimum contract with the Phoenix Suns. I don't think anybody will give him the mid-level exception this summer unless he looks a lot like his former self over the last 30 games.

Is just so difficult to speculate about this kind of thing because we know so little about the Phoenix Suns plan this summer. If they really are going to make a run at Kobe Bryant they aren't going to be able to afford even small deals like McDyess. Well, this they can sign anyone for the veteran minimum. Roster spots or another concern. It will be interesting to see what his contribution is over the last three games.

BTW I'm not sure my post here really contributed anything to this thread.

Joe Mama

Hey, it's easy to speculate. It's just hard to be accurate.

I think it is going to be something to watch. The reality is that the Suns are unlikely to get much immediate help from the draft (Okafor is probably out of reach) and most of the free agents are terribly expensive for what they offer and the health risks they represent. White seems to playing his way off the roster and is overpaid under any condition.

So where does it leave the Suns? If White goes, the Suns would have only four inside guys: Voskuhl, Stoudemire, Lampe and Carbakapa. Lampe is very raw and Carbakapa is very thin.

Even if Lampe makes big strides, the Suns will still need more help inside. If Dice is even 75% as effective as he once was, he would be a lot better than anyone else that might be had for under $2 million.

That is two big IFS. We don't know how much skill he will retain and what it would take to keep him. But I think it is worth paying attention to.