Espn is reporting that the Suns are looking to get another 1st round selection and may be dangling Barbosa and/or Diaw. It sites New York at #6 and Portland at #13 as possible trading partners.

I like Barbosa for his quickness and his scoring ability, but I don't know about his defense. Watching the suns in the playoffs, he was the player that gave the Spurs the most fits. It seemed like he added a lot to the Suns while he was in the game.

He has already been in the league for a few years, and been through the preliminary struggling years that most guards go through. Barbosa would be an immediate upgrade and could fit into the starting rotation immediately. He is only 25, so it seems he would fit well into the championship curve of the Blazers.

The scouting report from espn says :

2006-07 season: Barbosa continued his impressive development by upping his scoring numbers and storming to the league's Sixth Man Award. The freakishly fast Brazilian offered a unique combination of speed and shooting ability. On the one hand, few could stop him from streaking upcourt in transition for layups, even after made baskets. But on the other hand, he hit 43.4 percent of his 3-pointers on more than five attempts a game.

Barbosa averaged 22.1 points per 40 minutes even though the Suns didn't have a lot of extra shots to spare. He ranked sixth among shooting guards in true shooting percentage and his ballhandling numbers improved sharply. Though he took shifts at the point, Barbosa's turnover ratio ranked 14th among shooting guards, a huge improvement on the previous campaign and a big reason he was entrusted with longer shifts.

Scouting report: Barbosa's speed in transition is amazing. After a made basket he'll streak up the left sideline, take a lead pass from Steve Nash, and after one dribble be laying the ball in three seconds after the other team scored. Though right-handed, he does most of his damage from the left. He loves to drive in from that side and then lay the ball up with his right hand; I'm not sure I've ever seen him take a lefty layup even though that's his preferred driving side.

Barbosa has an odd shooting motion, but when his feet are set he's extremely accurate. However, because he shoots with the ball way out in front of his body, he can get the shot off only when it's a catch-and-shoot situation or when the defense has completely fallen asleep. He'll almost never shoot a jumper off the dribble, preferring to drive all the way to the rim.

Barbosa's defense isn't nearly as far along as his offense. Although he has great quickness and anticipation, his on-ball play and halfcourt help defense leave quite a bit to be desired. He frequently bolts early to try to get layups the other way, and his lack of size makes him vulnerable to post-ups by opposing shooting guards.

2007-08 outlook: Barbosa's train appears to be on the way up, as he won't turn 25 until a month into the season. At worst, it seems he'll roughly match last season's numbers; it's possible he'll improve them quite a bit depending on the Suns' wing situation. If Grant Hill is injured again or if Barbosa improves his defense enough to take Raja Bell's job, then he'll be playing close to 40 minutes a night. If that's the case, a scoring average in the 20s is a distinct possibility.

The question is does he fit in well with the blazers and what would it cost to get him. Oh, and can he run a team from the point. He has always had Nash to do the majority of the point guard work. I'm of the opinion he is the point guard that may be available that would fit what the Blazers are looking for the most.

If we could get Barbosa for the #13 and Jack or Frye, I would do it in a second.