The FO's plan has been to remain as competetive as we can this year and then use the 2012 offseason to reload/retool through free agency. All of their moves have been made with this summer's free agent market in mind.

We are going to have a pretty ridiculous amount of cap space going into the offseason(~$30 million I think), enough to sign two max FAs.

This sounds like an excellent plan:

1. Nail this year's draft

2. Add 2 max cats through free agency to play next to Steve and Gortat

3. Championship baby!

There's only one (big) problem with that plan. Jump it brosephs.

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Quite interesting what Marcin said about Robin Lopez: "our relations with Robin Lopez were not good from the beginning. First day I came to Phoenix I've asked RoLo where do we start training - at gym or video room? And he said "I don't know I haven't found out yet", Gortat went to gym and after two minutes Robin Lopez went to video room. Coach came to the gym and said- "Where are You, you're five minutes late" Gortat asked " I didn't know where do we start, I've asked Robin and he didn't know either, he didn't tell me, coach said" how he didn't tell you- everybody knew" And Gortat said- aha I know where are we (himself and Rolo). Gortat promised himself that Rolo won't even catch the ball during training and revealed he was waiting more for a training than for a game (to try Rolo). At the and of a day he said that Rolo didn't take his 2 years big chance (of starting five) and he came and took this opportunity (which he was dreaming about behind Dwight)

This is a really eye-opening piece from ValleyoftheSuns.com. You should definitely read the whole thing(at the link), but here are some excerpts: 

The guy who immediately sticks out to me is Markieff Morris, who ranks second among power forwards with a 13.5 PAWS40 behind only Kenneth Faried, the small school product whose 17.2 score laps the field.

...

What impresses me most about Markieff is his stellar defensive rebound rate. He corralled 24.4 percent of the available defensive rebounds and 17.7 percent of the available boards. Since rebounding often translates to the pros, this bodes very well for Markieff, who edged out his twin for the Big 12 PER lead. According to StatSheet, Markieff excelled in true shooting percentage as well, shooting 61.1 percent two years ago and 64.1 percent last year when he ranked second in the Big 12.

...

On the flip side of this ValleyoftheSuns favorite Tristan Thompson grabbed about half as many defensive boards as Markieff, according to Hollinger’s stats, with a 12.8 DRR. Thompson is known as a quality rebounder due to his superb work on the offensive boards (12.6 ORR) but it concerns me that his teammate Jordan Hamilton was a much better defensive rebounder (17.5 DRR).

 

Thompson’s PAWS40 of 8.1 is second worst among the DraftExpress projected lottery picks. I’ve been high on Thompson in recent days, but it’s disconcerting that he grabbed defensive rebounds at a Robin Lopez-esque rate in college, and his 53.6 true shooting percentage does not exactly impress.

...

Advanced stats and Jimmer

But the PAWS40 metric isn’t so kind to him with Jimmer scoring a 9.3 to place him outside the top five in point guards and in the bottom third of the top 12 DraftExpress prospects.

...

His career pure point rating of minus 0.2 for his BYU career and minus 1.8 last year are not what a team should want out of its point guard of the future.

...

Considering Jimmer averaged 28.9 points per game last season, he seems like an obvious candidate to be drafted higher than he should, especially when factoring in Jimmermania and the emotional appeal to drafting a player like him. Therefore, the Suns could likely find better value at 13 than Jimmer.

Read more: http://valleyofthesuns.com/2011/06/18/markieff-morris-undervalued-tristan-jimmer-overvalued/#ixzz1PkAmqAQV

I also thought this was interesting analysis from Oliver and Newmann on TrueHoop:

Superficially, Fredette’s scoring volume has inflated his value to the point where he may be a lottery pick. His ceiling is lower than others because of his age, and his ability to develop into a passer is in question. When evaluating the entire package, Fredette projects better to the NBA as a late first-round or early second-round pick, given his one specialty skill. That way, he can begin to carve out a career as a designated shooter, with a chance to improve his overall game

http://espn.go.com/blog/TrueHoop/post/_/id/30321/will-jimmers-skills-translate-to-next-level

Again, you should read the whole article...they talk about how he compares to Steph Curry and Nash, and it's rather unfavorable.

Damn it....now I'm more confused than before. What do you guys think?

Edit: I just now noticed that Seth already linked to this.

I'm a moron.

Should Suns Adjust to Vince Carter’s Game?

Saw the above article in the NYTimes today and thought it would definitely be worth sharing. So...what do you guys think we should do with him? He's no longer producing as a starter, and the fact that he's played 9 minutes total in the last 2 4th quarters shows that he's being marginalized(with good reason).

Vince seems almost Hedo-esque: if you get him involved in the offense, he'll produce. If not...there's nothing else he can really do for you.

Do we start Dudley or Peaches, bench Carter and tell him that he's the new Barbosa? Goran played off our crazy Blur really well last season, and I think that, if Carter would accept it, he'd be a great weapon off the bench with Goran. As Mahoney points out though, if you put the ball in Vince's hands too much, you may get him re-engaged at Goran's expense...

It's quite the conundrum.

Thoughts? Questions? Ideas on how much lighter fluid it would take...?

We don't currently have another spot for anybody in our rotation, but what would you guys think about pursuing Anthony Randolph for our "missing PF"? He's having a terrible season right now playing for D'Antoni(who keeps pulling him in and out of the doghouse), but he showed an insane amount of potential in his Golden State stretch, so much so that they refused to include him in any Amare talks a year ago.

To me, he's a better, taller Earl Clark. He's younger too, even though he was drafted before Earl. He's grown to 7 feet, he can handle the ball and pass like a guard. He's an excellent shotblocker and a decent rebounder. Of course, his game has some deficiencies. He has some terrible shot selection, and when you couple that with an Earl-esque inability to shoot, you get some facepalm inducing plays on offense. He forces a lot of stuff on offense(like Earl). He's not that great at man to man defense just yet, but his physical tools(insane wingspan+quickness) lend him a high ceiling on that end. Also, he had a reputation as a bit of a primadonna, but I'm not sure how true that is. 

I think he would fit in perfectly here. He and Clark together would be an incredibly versatile frontline. They're bigs with guard-like skillsets, and having a 22 year old 6'10 Clark at SF, a 21 year old 7 foot Randolph at PF, and a 22 year old 7 foot Lopez at C would make for a fantastic frontline to build around. But I'm not talking about acquiring him strictly for the future; I really do think he could be the PF we're looking for. Couple his mindblowing abilities with Nash and you have a really potentially effective combination that could help us THIS YEAR.

The problem is that we don't have room for him in our rotation unless we move some pieces(if he's our PF, what happens to Hedo? If you move Hedo to SF, what happens to Hill? If Hedo goes to the bench, who on the bench do you kick out of the rotation? If you don't give Randolph minutes and bury him like Clark because he can't crack the 10 man rotation we currently have, does he pout and become a nuisance?). Additionally, this is his last year under contract, so giving up anything of value for him would be risky considering he'll most likely be overpaid next summer due to his massive potential. Also, NYK turned down Indiana's first round pick for him, because they're trying to use him as the centerpiece for a Carmelo trade, so I don't know what their asking price would be.

Here's a scouting report from draftexpress last summer:

In terms of raw talent, no player displayed more glimpses of potential than Golden State Warrior Anthony Randolph. Leading the summer league at 27 points per game in just 33 minutes, Randolph was simply a scoring machine all week long. Besides putting the ball in the net with the greatest of ease, though, Randolph also contributed in other areas, with 8.5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2.2 steals.

Randolph’s physical gifts are impossible to ignore, and are clearly a huge part in what makes him such a special talent. 6-10, with a pterodactyl wingspan and freakish athleticism, there are very few players in the NBA he can be compared to. He used his athleticism to make a number of unbelievable plays throughout the week, particularly utilizing his length around the rim.

What makes Randolph unique is his ability to create his own shot from the perimeter at his size, or operate as a super fluid one-man fast break. He possesses a devastating first step and excellent ball-handling skills, to go along with great coordination and extremely advanced footwork. It’s not rare to see him tap-dancing his way to the basket with the greatest of ease, often throwing in lightning quick spin-moves along the way, only to stop on a dime and then pivot in the opposite direction for an effortless finish.

Randolph got to the free throw line like an absolute machine in Vegas—21 times in a single game in fact (!)—and although he was getting calls at times as if he were a 10-year summer league vet, it wasn’t hard to see how tough a cover he is for almost any player to guard. Randolph also didn’t shy away from taking his man down to the paint and showing his post repertoire. This is an interesting part of his game that can still be developed into a terrific weapon, as his excellent combination of quickness and footwork really makes him a big mismatch against small forwards and power forwards alike, despite his lack of strength.

Thanks to his size, Randolph also has the ability to rise up and get his shot off almost whenever he pleases, and he indeed showed a very nice turnaround jumper he can use to bail himself out when he gets himself into trouble.

Despite all the positives, there are still a number of glaring holes to Randolph’s game that he must iron out if he wants to reach his incredibly high ceiling. Considering that he’s still only 20 years old, this might not come as all that much of a surprise.

From DraftExpress.comhttp://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Anthony-Randolph-1069/#ixzz15msEsewf
http://www.draftexpress.com

Some highlights:

Anthony Randolph '08-'09 Highlight Reel (via BBJ)

Warriors 2008-09 Highlights: Anthony Randolph (via GoldenStateWarriors)

Anthony Randolph vs. Spurs (via orangino)

Anthony Randolph goes off on Jazz (via orangino)

And finally, Randolph(mixed with some Anthony Morrow) versus the Suns:

Anthony Randolph & Morrow vs. Suns (via orangino)

For a team that's most credited with starting the positional revolution that's currently sweeping the NBA....to me, Anthony Randolph is an avenue that should be pursued.

This is my attempt at a 4 way trade between PHX, UTA, NOH and CHI. I think it makes sense for everyone involved...what do you guys think?

Phoenix Out: Shaquille O'Neal(expiring), Jason Richardson(2 years)
Phoenix In: Luol Deng(5 years), Tyson Chandler(2 years), Andrei Kirelenko(2 years)

Chicago Out: Luol Deng(5 years), Tim Thomas(expiring), Jerome James(super expiring, 80% covered by insurance)
Chicago In: Shaquille O'Neal(expiring)

New Orleans Out: Tyson Chandler(2 years)
New Orleans In: Jerome James(expiring), Tim Thomas(expiring)

Utah Out: Andrei Kirelenko
Utah In: Jason Richardson

Reasoning for all four teams after the jump....

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This rumor is reported by someone who has been very accurate in the past & is a main source of insider info to Bulls fans:

 

http://www.rumorpress.net/

 

There is a possibility Shaquille O’Neal could be in a Chicago Bulls uniform next season. In a rather surprising discovery, the Phoenix Suns and Bulls plan on engaging in trade talks that could send the future hall of fame center to Chicago, as soon as teams are allowed to talk after the playoffs. Suns GM Steve Kerr is looking to deal Shaq and is said to be interested in Loul Deng. The Suns would like to move the aging center mainly because he has slowed the up-tempo Suns down drastically. They feel Deng could bring some young, athletic energy back to the team. The Suns also feel Deng could still live up to his potential and contract if he can stay healthy

 

(MORE at link)

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http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/12/10/20081210sunstradeonline.html

WOW WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS  WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS ORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS ORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS ORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS ORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS ORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS  ORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS ORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS 

Along with Jared Dudley, in exchange for Raja Bell, Sean Singletary and Boris Diaw.

dbdynasty is the Suns insider on the RealGM forum; he broke news of the Shaq trade weeks before it happened, and he provided constant updates on the D'Antoni situation this offseason.

The salaries match: 

Richardson is spectacular on offense, and a great 3 PT marksmen last year, so he'll help spread the floor, but according to Hollinger's scouting report, he's an atrocious defender.

I really, really love Raja Bell and Boris Diaw. Raja is part of the heart of this team, and he can still ball, even though he's become inconsistent and his defense has clearly suffered. Boris Diaw is exceptionally talented, and he's put it together this year to become a valued role player and a great guy off the bench. He's our second best post player and our best post defender IMO. Without Boris, we're left with Amundson and Fropez as our backup bigs....not a good sign. 

We should trade Tragic before we trade Singletary as well, but I do like Jared Dudley quite a bit.

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 12/10/08 3:04 PM PST ]

On the surface I don't like this trade. I am all for moving Bell because we have depth there so replacing him with a shooting guard that needs the ball doesn't make much sense. JRich can ball but I don't see him as a good fit on the Suns right now.

If we are going to make a move we need a backup PG and/or a backup Center. Our two deepest positions are the shooting guard / small forward. Why would we want more of those?

So I vote no unless there's more to this.

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 12/10/08 3:16 PM PST ]

Looks like my vote counts for crap. Seems official:

Reaction?

Shaq Says Run!

HALLELUJAH!

words words words amare needs to learn how to rebound amare needs to learn how to rebound amare needs to learn how to rebound amare needs to learn how to rebound amare needs to learn how to rebound amare needs to learn how to rebound amare needs to learn how to rebound amare needs to learn how to rebound amare needs to learn how to rebound amare needs to learn how to rebound amare needs to learn how to rebound 

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/07/20/20080720barnes.html

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/121245

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3497934

Suns fan here; I haven't watched too much of Barnes aside from the amazing run during 07 Playoffs. What can you guys tell me about him? What's he like on defense? Any info you guys could contribute would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jack_mccallum/04/30/suns.dantonio/index.html?eref=sircrc

:O

Personally, I think the wrong man got fired.

This is a sad day for the Phoenix Suns...I wish Mike the best of luck.


I can't think of any words here so....this sucks. It really does. This is upsetting.

Um. Am I at the limit yet?

WHY CAN'T WE FIRE KERR INSTEAD?

FOUR MORE WORDS NEEDED!

Sad face.

I was perusing the ESPN boards the other day and I found a fantastic post(author GMATCallahan) addressing the whole "Marion vanished in the playoffs" schtick.

I thought I'd share it with you all:

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