Suns Offseason Thread 4: Where's Terrence Williams?

[Damkac]

So we are going to be the second worst team in the western conference.

Spoiler:

http://arizonasports.com/2015/08/10/espn-writer-phoenix-suns-have-second-worst-roster-construction-in-western-conference/

A few points I agree with about this.
1)

The way Doolittle sees it, the Suns have zero elite players, zero superstars and zero upper-tier starters. What they have is three starters, four second-unit players and three deep reserves.

But But But....he is right, damn it. Nothing else I can say about that.

2)

Two seasons ago, the Suns performed at a level greater than the sum of their parts. Last season, the opposite was true. This season, they need Jeff Hornacek to coax a repeat of his 2013-14 performance, as Phoenix’s roster doesn’t look as strong on paper as it did at this time a year ago.

Again I have to agree. Some people want to try and say the traded players didnt have enough time to gel. I am a firm believer of "you are what your record says you are".

My last point on this is I think Ryan Mcd is gambing on something no one should ever bet on. That is, trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice. Ryan is trying to be successful again with a two PG, unfortunately this is not going to work and he is going to look bad The team two years ago was "LED" by goran who had a great connection with the players around him AND he played outstanding while Bledsoe was hurt. And the players filled roles that worked (basically a lightning in a bottle situation). All those players are gone. Talk to any (knowledgable) fan (other than suns fans) and they will agree the 2 PG system is not a recipe for long term success. I may be wrong and Ryan strikes lightning twice but there is absolutely nothing about this situation and system I would bet on. I love this team and want it to succeed, I just dont think this a route that should be taken.

No way!
Nuggets will tank.
Portland lost 4 starters.
Lakers sucks.
Wolves was the worst team last season. I know they have great talent but they will not make such a big leap so fast.
Kings will screw everything up like they always do.

Don't belive any of these teams will end above Suns. Then we got:
Dallas has experience and great coach but every important player is either way past his prime or after serious injury.
Pelicans are better as long as Davis is healthy.
Utah also looks better but I don't know how important was Exum for them.


I'm hopeful about the coming season. There is no way Suns will not end with a better record than last year. That roster was a mess with 3 best player on the same position and just 1 true PF. Current team is much more balanced and hopefully Markieff will soon be traded for other PF and team chemistry will be healed. I'm excited about having 7'1 mobile rim protector on the floor for 48 minutes every game. With Chandler as a mentor Len could become one of the best defenders in the league. Suns also added more shooters to help with spacing. The bench looks good imo if one of Bledsoe and Knight will be on the floor all the time with Warren, Weems and Len.

The future is bright

[saintEscaton]

I agree that we have a terribly constructed roster composed mostly of "bargain signings" at oversaturated/non-premium positions and expendable "assets" we are still looking to consolidate and flip. But we're not quite bad enough to be a cellar dwellar, Sarver and McDuh have ensured that by their unwillingness to blow it up and their last resort desperation to make knee-jerk deals to salvage yet another overachieving fringe squad who's peak is a first round playoff exit.

[Qwigglez]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKPearrxbbw[/youtube]

And there you have it. Bledsoe and Cousins basically want each other.
Len/Kieff/Goodwin 3 1st for Cousins.

[NaturalBuns]

Tucker is never going to get any better than he is. He has maxed out his potential. Warren has the potential be a 20+ point scorer this year. His offensive repertoire is on a different level than Tucker. He was awesome in the Summer League. It is pointless to hold him back. I think a Bledsoe, Knight, and Warren lineup has far more potential than a Bledsoe, Knight, and Tucker lineup.

I have watched Tucker on the Suns for three years now. He is a bad offensive player. The last two years as a starter he averaged 9 points a game on less than 44% fg. He is never going to be a scorer. Warren reminds me so much of Cedric Ceballos. You put him in the starting lineup and I think he averages 15 ppg easy. If he does really well, he could be at 18-20 ppg. He is the best cutter on the team by far. It is not even close. The Suns want to be a fast paced team and Warren is perfect for that too.

Tucker is the one player in the starting lineup that the Suns already have an internal upgrade for. Tucker does not need to start. People might say Warren is not ready defensively but I disagree. He needs to be out there as much as possible. Who cares if Tucker is a better defender right now. It is not like Tucker is some DPOY candidate or something. He was just the best defender on a bad defensive team the last couple of years. Amare Stoudemire was never a good defender but he was an unstoppable scoring machine. Would you want to sit Amare in favor of some player that sucks at scoring but plays a little better on defense? No way.

I agree with its time to let warren start.
I'm a big tucker fan and I wanted him to start the previous two years because the Suns were a playoff caliber team

Going into this season It doesn't look good so it's pointless to start tucker. Amare comparison was to far though. Warren should defenitly not be considered a elite scorer. And PJ is way above a avg defender and hustle is really unmatched by his position

[tdjm]

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20150812_Markieff_Morris_demands_trade_from_Suns.html

Biggest test of McDonough's tenure so far. If he calls Keef's bluff and gets him to buy in and they make the playoffs, success. If he trades him for equal or better value, success. If he gets outmaneuvered and has to trade him for a poopoo platter due entirely to circumstances of his own creation, that's a massive black mark. Very curious to see how this all plays out.

[Cutter]

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20150812_Markieff_Morris_demands_trade_from_Suns.html

Biggest test of McDonough's tenure so far. If he calls Keef's bluff and gets him to buy in and they make the playoffs, success. If he trades him for equal or better value, success. If he gets outmaneuvered and has to trade him for a poopoo platter due entirely to circumstances of his own creation, that's a massive black mark. Very curious to see how this all plays out.

Good, now it's out in the open. No more Twitter smoke screens.....Keef wants out. McD will look at all available options and make the best move for the team. I don't think we will come out of this with an upgrade at PF, but if we can get a decent haul for this douchebag I'll be happy.

[Qwigglez]

How I feel about Kieff wanting out...
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UceGF3M56bE[/youtube]

[saintEscaton]

Finally.There's no way around it.Start up the tank!! Intentional or not. From LMA to Teletovic as our starting PF. Well this offseason took quite the turn

[letsgosuns]

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20150812_Markieff_Morris_demands_trade_from_Suns.html

Biggest test of McDonough's tenure so far. If he calls Keef's bluff and gets him to buy in and they make the playoffs, success. If he trades him for equal or better value, success. If he gets outmaneuvered and has to trade him for a poopoo platter due entirely to circumstances of his own creation, that's a massive black mark. Very curious to see how this all plays out.

Markieff says some pretty damning things in that article. I do not see any way how he can stay on the Suns. When the local news gets wind of these comments, they will destroy him.

"One thing for sure, I am not going to be there," Morris said Tuesday after a morning workout at Competitive Edge Sports in King of Prussia.

"If you want to put that out there, you can put that out," he added. ". . . I am not to going to be there at all."

"I've got to show up. No question." said Morris, who is scheduled to make $8 million this season. "You can't do that. I will be a professional. Don't get me wrong.

"But it won't get that far. . . . I'm going to be out before then, should be."


The craziest thing is Marcus is still talking about the Suns too as the article ends with a quote from him.

"As far as I'm concerned, I never was a Phoenix Sun," Marcus said. "It's a new start for me. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to take care of business, expand my game and get the height I know I can get to."


These brothers are seriously insane.

[lilfishi22]

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20150812_Markieff_Morris_demands_trade_from_Suns.html

Biggest test of McDonough's tenure so far. If he calls Keef's bluff and gets him to buy in and they make the playoffs, success. If he trades him for equal or better value, success. If he gets outmaneuvered and has to trade him for a poopoo platter due entirely to circumstances of his own creation, that's a massive black mark. Very curious to see how this all plays out.

Also not a good look on McD. That's two players that's wanted out within a calendar year, although this one is probably not his fault. I wonder if this would have any effect on how players see McD as a GM. Surely hope not

[Sunsdeuce]

I swear Ktar reads our forums. They posted that article like 5 minutes ago.

[batsmasher]

Also not a good look on McD. That's two players that's wanted out within a calendar year, although this one is probably not his fault. I wonder if this would have any effect on how players see McD as a GM. Surely hope not

No way. Everyone around the league knows they're headcases. That's our biggest problem trading him.

[Sunsdeuce]

Screw it, a second rounder and a complimentary ticket to the blue man group for markieff.

[kennydorglas]

YEAHHHHH
THE TRADE IS COMING

[drewsprocket]

Frack that. He's playing as a Sun unless its the highest bidder on a deal we approve. He's going to be a professional about it. So yeah, I wouldn't cut any losses. I love that he says team chemistry was good even despite all the griping. He's outta his mind and is on a different level than others. Trade him for a good deal or force him to own his contract.

[RaisingArizona]

We take a major step back if we trade him for a 2nd round pick lol. Just keep him, he has to play for us or forfeit his salary. Inform him and his dense entourage that if he plays well he will be gone soon enough. Now is not the time to sell, though. Not for the worth of a 2nd round pick.

[AtheJ415]

We take a major step back if we trade him for a 2nd round pick lol. Just keep him, he has to play for us or forfeit his salary. Inform him and his dense entourage that if he plays well he will be gone soon enough. Now is not the time to sell, though. Not for the worth of a 2nd round pick.

I kind of want him gone to Sac and try to get Cauley Stein. Would make Sacramento even more of a ticking time bomb.

[Frank Lee]

Paging all KeefKeepers
Paging all KeefKeepers

There is a mandatory meeting in the mess hall at 12Noon.
Please bring your badges

[alldayeveryday]

My Chino Bandido offer still stands.

[saintEscaton]

We take a major step back if we trade him for a 2nd round pick lol. Just keep him, he has to play for us or forfeit his salary. Inform him and his dense entourage that if he plays well he will be gone soon enough. Now is not the time to sell, though. Not for the worth of a 2nd round pick.

I kind of want him gone to Sac and try to get Cauley Stein. Would make Sacramento even more of a ticking time bomb.

They are called the Suicide Squad for a reason. Ride or die