Wow! Is Sarver Thinking of Selling? Also, news on GM Search!

[Gee!]

My biggest fear since day 1 was that he'd get rid of purple, erode the fan base and move them to San Diego.

Think I remember Colangelo putting a stipulation into the sale that he couldn't move the team.. And if the NBA won't approve the move of the Kings, they won't approve a move of the Suns.. Especially with all the pull Colangelo still has..

 

[FArting]

We can criticize Sarver all we want he is staying here.

We need to get rid of Babby first.

Dbacks did the same exact thing hired Jeff Moorad. Look where it got them.

 

[Mainstreet]

he was there from 1994-2001...where the Clippers made the playoffs ZERO times and were atrocious every year.

the next five years 2001-2006 for the Nuggets weren't impressive either. It's not like he found a diamond in the rough with Melo and that team never actually got the right pieces around Melo good enough to actually contend until THREE YEARS after he left when they finally got out of the first round.

the Bucks are a complete waste of space in the east. John Henson is a feather in his cap? Jennings is okay, and Sanders was a solid find, but whatever he's done with that team, it hasn't made much of a lick of difference in making them even mediocre.

Drafting and coaching players are two different jobs in the Suns scheme. I think a top scout could fill the Suns GM position because of the job description, primarily evaluating talent. My hope is the Suns go in this direction. I'm not going to get into a debate about Weltman but needless to say I think he would be a huge improvement over the Suns last three GMs: D'Antoni, Kerr and Blanks.

 

[Mainstreet]

Exactly. It would be one thing if we were bringing in PJ, but for the turd sandwich we're going to end up with, I'd rather give Barkley a chance. He'd at least make things interesting, something you can't say about anything Suns related as of late.

Please tell me you are joking.

 

[Mainstreet]

There are reportedly three finalists for the Suns GM position: Ryan McDonough, Jeff Weltman and Scott Layden.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wireta...ewing-McDonough-Weltman-Layden-For-GM-Opening

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Please tell me you are joking.

Nope. Again, which of these names really excite you, and why?

 

[Folster]

Nope. Again, which of these names really excite you, and why?

How exciting was Sam Presti prior to the Thunder hiring him from his assistant GM position at San Antonio or Daryl Morey before Houston hired him from his ops position with the Celtics?

 

[Mainstreet]

Nope. Again, which of these names really excite you, and why?

None of the candidates knock me off my feet.

I think it is a roll of the dice and hoping Babby gets to make the educated choice. Sarver selected the last three GMs: D'Antoni, Kerr and Blanks. Babby wanted Weltman during the last GM hire. Hopefully he is open to new options as well. I guess I'll go with Ryan McDonough of Boston to break with the San Antonio and Milwaukee ties. The Suns need a breath of fresh air. All the candidates seem to have something to offer.

I guess you are still down with Barkley.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I really don't know who I want as our next GM. We truly know so little about these guys and what they've actually done. Most everything in the NBA involves more than one person and you just never really know who drove the decision. So put me down for ABCB.

Steve

 

[ASUCHRIS]

How exciting was Sam Presti prior to the Thunder hiring him from his assistant GM position at San Antonio or Daryl Morey before Houston hired him from his ops position with the Celtics?

Seriously? You need me to explain the difference between two of the finest minds in basketball (who were considered as much at the time and helped work on rosters loaded with talent) and an assistant GM from the Bucks, a team that hasn't won a playoff series since Big Dog?

 

[elindholm]

The Suns' fundamentals are still exceptionally poor. Their best player figures to be the #5 pick in a weak draft. Their next most valuable assets are Dragic, Gortat, and Dudley, none of whom has other teams exactly jamming the phone lines. This team is still a long, long way from being exciting, no matter who the new GM is.

 

[Chaplin]

The Suns' fundamentals are still exceptionally poor. Their best player figures to be the #5 pick in a weak draft. Their next most valuable assets are Dragic, Gortat, and Dudley, none of whom has other teams exactly jamming the phone lines. This team is still a long, long way from being exciting, no matter who the new GM is.

At this point, does it matter? You have to start somewhere, right? They tried starting with Blanks, and that was a dud. What would you have them do?

 

[elindholm]

At this point, does it matter? You have to start somewhere, right? They tried starting with Blanks, and that was a dud. What would you have them do?

The point is that getting someone solid and being patient makes a lot more sense than getting someone "exciting" and impatient like Barkley.

 

[Chaplin]

The point is that getting someone solid and being patient makes a lot more sense than getting someone "exciting" and impatient like Barkley.

The reality is that I don't think Barkley will ever be a serious candidate with this front office. A lot of people might want him for the "excitement," but that doesn't mean it's realistic.

 

[elindholm]

The reality is that I don't think Barkley will ever be a serious candidate with this front office. A lot of people might want him for the "excitement," but that doesn't mean it's realistic.

I think it's worthwhile to discuss philosophical questions irrespective of their potential practical application.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

The point is that getting someone solid and being patient makes a lot more sense than getting someone "exciting" and impatient like Barkley.

I thought that was supposed to be Blanks and Babby? All we heard before last offseason is how they weren't going to spend money just to spend it, and then they go and try to destroy all our flexibility on Beas and Eric Gordon. Only by the grace of New Orleans were we saved from a state of perpetual irrelevance. (Although maybe that's inevitable)

Bottom line, nothing this current front office has done gives me any hope that they can run a team or hire the right guy to run a team.

 

[elindholm]

I thought that was supposed to be Blanks and Babby?

I'm not saying that the list of the three finalists is any good, just that we know Barkley is bad.

Bottom line, nothing this current front office has done gives me any hope that they can run a team or hire the right guy to run a team.

I'd agree with that, but pursuing Barkley as GM wouldn't only be "different"; it would be stupid.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I'm not saying that the list of the three finalists is any good, just that we know Barkley is bad.

Sorry, how do we know he's bad? Not sure how much you watch TNT, but his insight about most teams/series and the basic philosophy of a successful team are pretty spot on. Not sure if you caught the transcript of his interview with a local radio station that made it onto AZcentral, but most of his takes on the Suns were pretty accurate.


Combine that with the fact that our potential options are so beyond uninspiring, and it's difficult to understand why people are so willing to dismiss Barkley out of hand.

 

[elindholm]

Not sure how much you watch TNT, but his insight about most teams/series and the basic philosophy of a successful team are pretty spot on. Not sure if you caught the transcript of his interview with a local radio station that made it onto AZcentral, but most of his takes on the Suns were pretty accurate.

Did you learn anything from his analysis, or was your reaction, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too?" If the latter, then what makes Barkley more qualified than you? The ability to say things that resonate with a knowledgeable fan base isn't a qualification.

I don't know what the GM job entails, but we can assume that it's some of the following:

* long, disciplined work hours
* good teamwork skills
* sophisticated financial sense
* the ability to be "poker-faced" about what you really want, for example when working out a trade or negotiating a contract
* willingness to accept criticism when things don't work out well
* intuition for balancing short-term and long-term goals

I could go on, but I think if you ask yourself whether Barkley could even develop most of those skills -- much less already have them in hand -- I think you'll see why I'm pretty sure he'd be a disaster.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Did you learn anything from his analysis, or was your reaction, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too?" If the latter, then what makes Barkley more qualified than you? The ability to say things that resonate with a knowledgeable fan base isn't a qualification.

I don't know what the GM job entails, but we can assume that it's some of the following:

* long, disciplined work hours
* good teamwork skills
* sophisticated financial sense
* the ability to be "poker-faced" about what you really want, for example when working out a trade or negotiating a contract
* willingness to accept criticism when things don't work out well
* intuition for balancing short-term and long-term goals

I could go on, but I think if you ask yourself whether Barkley could even develop most of those skills -- much less already have them in hand -- I think you'll see why I'm pretty sure he'd be a disaster.

Don't get me wrong...I understand these potential pitfalls with Barkley. That being said, I'd like to think that he'd have an understanding that many of these things come from the position, and he's intimated as much.

With a GM, I'm more interested in overall philosophy, and I think Barkley has a very good grasp on what it takes to win in the NBA. Do I think he'd fulfill every aspect of what you're looking for in a GM? No, but I also think with his connections, he'd be intelligent enough to build a smart team of advisers and scouts.

Again, I'm not arguing Barkley is a perfect candidate, or that it isn't a big risk, but at this point, look at where we're at.

Will you be feeling much better about our chances when we overpay some mediocre FA's in the offseason and continue to be the most hopeless team in the NBA, with the worst owner?

 

[elindholm]

Will you be feeling much better about our chances when we overpay some mediocre FA's in the offseason and continue to be the most hopeless team in the NBA, with the worst owner?

No, but committing to a bad idea just to stave off the possibility of an even worse outcome is a level of cynicism I'm not yet willing to accept.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

No, but committing to a bad idea just to stave off the possibility of an even worse outcome is a level of cynicism I'm not yet willing to accept.

Ha, we'll see how cynical you are after we sign Igoudala/Jennings to a max deal...

 

[BC867]

I don't know what the GM job entails, but we can assume that it's some of the following:

* long, disciplined work hours
* good teamwork skills
* sophisticated financial sense
* the ability to be "poker-faced" about what you really want, for example when working out a trade or negotiating a contract
* willingness to accept criticism when things don't work out well
* intuition for balancing short-term and long-term goals

That is all true. But when a team is in desperate need of an image change, it takes thinking outside the box.

I can see a Barkley setting the philosophies and projecting them to the public and a guy like Mark West as his Assistant GM handling the details.

In dire times, sometimes an exaggerated image is just as important as substance. That is why I would offer Charles a 2-year contract and then go more traditional.

 

[Mainstreet]

If Sarver cannot tolerate Bryan Colangelo being outspoken, he certainly would not be able to tolerate Charles Barkley's bluntness. I don't know why people are stuck on Charles Barkley for GM. Sarver is a control freak. Barkley shoots from the hip with his mouth. It would be like trying to mix oil and water. Also Barkley is not even remotely qualified to be a GM.

 

[Neo]

Too often "thinking outside the box" is used as justification for doing something extremely stupid that everyone should have known at the time was a stupid idea.

Hiring an agent as the GM is thinking outside the box, and look where it got us. Other than making for great press conferences, the "exaggerated image" that Barkley would bring to the team would not make up for the lack of substance.

Who on earth would want to work for a boss that doesn't actually do anything, but knows how to be funny and has been around the industry for a long time? Charles Barkley would be the Michael Scott of the NBA.