Trade Discussion

[saintEscaton]

I would like a Rubio/Bledsoe backcourt more than Knight/Bledsoe. Better defensively, and I think would be a lot more fun to watch. I think the team overall would be a lot more productive with Rubio handling the ball, enough to offset his poor shooting.

Bledsoe can't play off the ball though you will often find him napping when its not in his hands. His pull up jumper is reliable but he doesn't move well enough without it to be a spot up catch and shooter. He can't matchup against SGs the whole game with his 5 inch height defeciency

And that's the Bledsoe dilemma. Bledsoe hasn't proven that he can QUarterback a team either. He lacks the court vision and play making ability needed to be a full time PG. He doesn't know how to use his penetration skills to set up teammates.

Know don't get me wrong, Bledsoe is lightening quick and has shown great basketball abilities. But he is more of a combo guard. Combo guards rarely (if ever) work out as full time PGs.

I don't think he's combo guard either because he is undersized even for a PG.

[blee732]

Bledsoe can't play off the ball though you will often find him napping when its not in his hands. His pull up jumper is reliable but he doesn't move well enough without it to be a spot up catch and shooter. He can't matchup against SGs the whole game with his 5 inch height defeciency

And that's the Bledsoe dilemma. Bledsoe hasn't proven that he can QUarterback a team either. He lacks the court vision and play making ability needed to be a full time PG. He doesn't know how to use his penetration skills to set up teammates.

Know don't get me wrong, Bledsoe is lightening quick and has shown great basketball abilities. But he is more of a combo guard. Combo guards rarely (if ever) work out as full time PGs.

I don't think he'a combo guard either because he is undersized even for a PG.

yeah definitely not a SG, but not really a PG either. seems like the type of guard that needs a particular system to really excel (sort of like a derek fisher type role in the triangle). I do really like Bledsoe, but admit he's not a good fit in the offenses we've traditionally run.

[MVSteve]

I would like a Rubio/Bledsoe backcourt more than Knight/Bledsoe. Better defensively, and I think would be a lot more fun to watch. I think the team overall would be a lot more productive with Rubio handling the ball, enough to offset his poor shooting.

Bledsoe can't play off the ball though you will often find him napping when its not in his hands. His pull up jumper is reliable but he doesn't move well enough without it to be a spot up catch and shooter. He can't matchup against SGs the whole game with his 5 inch height defeciency

And that's the Bledsoe dilemma. Bledsoe hasn't proven that he can QUarterback a team either. He lacks the court vision and play making ability needed to be a full time PG. He doesn't know how to use his penetration skills to set up teammates.

Know don't get me wrong, Bledsoe is lightening quick and has shown great basketball abilities. But he is more of a combo guard. Combo guards rarely (if ever) work out as full time PGs.

It might just be me trying to see him through rose-tinted lenses, but I really feel like Bled improved his playmaking skills over the last two years (his AST% has gone up). Especially at the beginning of this year, I think he was doing a pretty solid job creating. I definitely don't think he can play off the ball well (and Knight doesn't seem to do that well either), so I don't think our current lineup works, but I could see Bledsoe/Booker being a solid 1/2. He's not going to be Nash obviously, but I think he can be the PG for a winning team. The question for me is, will we be able to put together a competitive team while he's still in his prime? I could definitely see his effectiveness decrease when he loses some athleticism.

[TeamTragic]

Kieff is important to this franchise. Horford would be great. They are not related

[dremill24]

Horford doesn't beat people up, physically fight teammates during games, throw towels in coaches faces, flip off fans, and blame a blowout loss on the fans. Beyond stats... Dumping markieff and getting someone with better character sounds like a huge win to me.

If anyone thinks it'd be better to have Markieff Morris over Al Horford, they really don't understand real basketball.

It'll never happen though.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

I'm not a fan of Markieff, but don't make up stuff to fit your hate. There is no proof he beat up anyone, even from the eye witness account who posted here. Next he never blamed the loss on the fans. He said it sucked that there are usually more fans for the opposing team at our home games, and the fans aren't loud or even close to what he experiences in other cities. (Which is very true) there are way more cheers for Matt Bonner when we play the Spurs at Walking stick, then almost all of our players. He sure picked a bad time to voice this truth.

Now with that said, I'm fine with moving Markieff for I feel he is a bad example for our super youth, but no real rush in my opinion. He is signed for three more years, and his stock is getting better with more effort he puts forth. If no good deal comes up, it might be best to see what teams miss out on FAs come July.

You don't have to come out and say the words "it's your fault" to say that it's your fault. If you're married, you know exactly how that goes.

Arizona has a TON of residents who are not natives, and bring loyalties to other teams with them. And to be fair to our fans in attendance, there has been very little to cheer about for almost 10 years. I was at this game, pinched pennies for months so that I could splurge on lower level, centercourt tickets for my wife and I (who is from SA). To hear him bad mouth the people who allow him to have a job is the worst thing he's done in my eyes. Says the fans in the front rows are the only ones who are loud...that's cause they spent almost the entire 1st quarter in the bar/club areas getting drunk. They show up to their seats with 2:30 left in the 1st, blocking the view of the people sitting behind them (the ones who actually care what's going on) for the rest of the quarter while they file in stumbling. They scored 27 points in the 1st half..what the **** were they supposed to cheer about?

And on that note..where in our ticket purchases are we bound to be loud enough to motivate his spoiled ass? He can't use the millions of dollars, competitive spirit, or pride as a man to get himself up to play? A real man/athlete should be able to put forth an effort when the stands are empty if needed. Oh and he conveniently said all this right before a 2 week road trip, so when he got back everybody had apparently forgotten, I AM disappointed in the fans for not booing him out of the building that day.

You can't give him a pass for this. He's a spoiled, entitled baby And deserves every bit of heckling he gets that he feels the need to flip people off for.

[WeekapaugGroove]

If the suns have a choice while dealing guys like keif or tucker in taking a late 1st this year or a later year like 17 or 18 they should opt for the later option. They already have the cavs pick this year and will have their own early second and combined with their own high 1st and Bogdan coming over they will have 4 guys coming to the roster next summer. Now of course they can package some of these or take some euro stash picks but overall it would be better to obtain future assets as opposed to 2016 picks.

[Sunsdeuce]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/spearsnbayahoo/status/700035547092246528[/tweet]

That sucks for him.

[DRK]

Also people dont get that Horford is a center.

He spent his entire career at the 5.

Mostly out of need tho...he'd definitely benefit playing next to a mobile center who can rebound.

IMO, and this might sound ridiculous, but if Keef is motivated, Keef > Horford.

There. I said it.

You... Uhmm.. What now?

Thats it.Its 330am here... Im going back to bed. Thats enough RealGM for today

[blee732]

It might just be me trying to see him through rose-tinted lenses, but I really feel like Bled improved his playmaking skills over the last two years (his AST% has gone up). Especially at the beginning of this year, I think he was doing a pretty solid job creating. I definitely don't think he can play off the ball well (and Knight doesn't seem to do that well either), so I don't think our current lineup works, but I could see Bledsoe/Booker being a solid 1/2. He's not going to be Nash obviously, but I think he can be the PG for a winning team. The question for me is, will we be able to put together a competitive team while he's still in his prime? I could definitely see his effectiveness decrease when he loses some athleticism.

I don't think it's rose-tinted lenses, I think he's definitely gotten better since we first acquired him. I think the problem is that even then his playmaking is still not at the level that many would want as fans (although admittedly we've been spoiled with a run of Nash, Kidd, KJ over the past 2 decades) and also not good enough to justify running the offense through him (the increase in AST% is also b/c we're running the ball through him more, not just improved playmaking skills).

He probably still has room to improve and even now can be a PG on a winning team, but as you point out the timing between his peak and rest of the team is not well-matched. Probably makes sense to find him a new home unless McD is working magic behind the scenes. But I would definitely trade Knight first.

[AZWildByNature]

If the suns have a choice while dealing guys like keif or tucker in taking a late 1st this year or a later year like 17 or 18 they should opt for the later option. They already have the cavs pick this year and will have their own early second and combined with their own high 1st and Bogdan coming over they will have 4 guys coming to the roster next summer. Now of course they can package some of these or take some euro stash picks but overall it would be better to obtain future assets as opposed to 2016 picks.

I agree, but I think Bogdan won't be in a Suns uniform until 2017. There was a BSOTS article about him waiting until then to get out of the rookie scale contract and sign for market value with the Suns. Given that, 3 New rookies and probably more Free Agents would be quite the change in the roster.

[RunDogGun]

Horford doesn't beat people up, physically fight teammates during games, throw towels in coaches faces, flip off fans, and blame a blowout loss on the fans. Beyond stats... Dumping markieff and getting someone with better character sounds like a huge win to me.

If anyone thinks it'd be better to have Markieff Morris over Al Horford, they really don't understand real basketball.

It'll never happen though.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

I'm not a fan of Markieff, but don't make up stuff to fit your hate. There is no proof he beat up anyone, even from the eye witness account who posted here. Next he never blamed the loss on the fans. He said it sucked that there are usually more fans for the opposing team at our home games, and the fans aren't loud or even close to what he experiences in other cities. (Which is very true) there are way more cheers for Matt Bonner when we play the Spurs at Walking stick, then almost all of our players. He sure picked a bad time to voice this truth.

Now with that said, I'm fine with moving Markieff for I feel he is a bad example for our super youth, but no real rush in my opinion. He is signed for three more years, and his stock is getting better with more effort he puts forth. If no good deal comes up, it might be best to see what teams miss out on FAs come July.

You don't have to come out and say the words "it's your fault" to say that it's your fault. If you're married, you know exactly how that goes.

Arizona has a TON of residents who are not natives, and bring loyalties to other teams with them. And to be fair to our fans in attendance, there has been very little to cheer about for almost 10 years. I was at this game, pinched pennies for months so that I could splurge on lower level, centercourt tickets for my wife and I (who is from SA). To hear him bad mouth the people who allow him to have a job is the worst thing he's done in my eyes. Says the fans in the front rows are the only ones who are loud...that's cause they spent almost the entire 1st quarter in the bar/club areas getting drunk. They show up to their seats with 2:30 left in the 1st, blocking the view of the people sitting behind them (the ones who actually care what's going on) for the rest of the quarter while they file in stumbling. They scored 27 points in the 1st half..what the **** were they supposed to cheer about?

And on that note..where in our ticket purchases are we bound to be loud enough to motivate his spoiled ass? He can't use the millions of dollars, competitive spirit, or pride as a man to get himself up to play? A real man/athlete should be able to put forth an effort when the stands are empty if needed. Oh and he conveniently said all this right before a 2 week road trip, so when he got back everybody had apparently forgotten, I AM disappointed in the fans for not booing him out of the building that day.

You can't give him a pass for this. He's a spoiled, entitled baby And deserves every bit of heckling he gets that he feels the need to flip people off for.

He spoke the truth, I'm sorry you don't like it. I've been to many games, in many different cities. The fans at PHX home games suck, well at least for the Suns. Now if it's a Chicago, Laker, Spurs, or heck any major city, our fans get dwarfed out of the building. Even when GS sucked, their home crowd was very good. I scream my head off at games, call out bad ref calls and players, and the fans around me, wherever I sat, look at you like you should be like a fan at a golf game. Great plays happen all the time, if you aren't there to cheer on your team (and hopefully at Walking Stick, it's for the Suns), and you feel you don't have ANYTHING to cheer for, go home.

Enough said on the subject, back to trades. Something will happen, but I just don't think it will be anything big for us. It probably looks as if we could do better in the offseason then right now. If anything, it would be to get a player who is restricted, that would be easier to resign than to go after in FA.

[blee732]

Mostly out of need tho...he'd definitely benefit playing next to a mobile center who can rebound.

IMO, and this might sound ridiculous, but if Keef is motivated, Keef > Horford.

There. I said it.

You... Uhmm.. What now?

Thats it.Its 330am here... Im going back to bed. Thats enough RealGM for today

Although I'm not terribly familiar with Horford, one stat that jumps out to me is that Atlanta has been near the bottom of the league in rebounding rate the past few years. Also, Horford's overall rebound % is pretty low, a lot lower than I expected. Admittedly there's a lot more to consider, but I think the comparison between Keef and Horford is closer than many think.

But regardless I'd still take Horford over Kieff any day. From what I understand, he's a huge positive when it comes to being a teammate and overall team/organizational culture.

[AtheJ415]

IMO, and this might sound ridiculous, but if Keef is motivated, Keef > Horford.

There. I said it.

You... Uhmm.. What now?

Thats it.Its 330am here... Im going back to bed. Thats enough RealGM for today

Although I'm not terribly familiar with Horford, one stat that jumps out to me is that Atlanta has been near the bottom of the league in rebounding rate the past few years. Also, Horford's overall rebound % is pretty low, a lot lower than I expected. Admittedly there's a lot more to consider, but I think the comparison between Keef and Horford is closer than many think.

But regardless I'd still take Horford over Kieff any day. From what I understand, he's a huge positive when it comes to being a teammate and overall team/organizational culture.

I personally think Horford has taken a step back this year, but I still think Kieff in his best year is probably worse than Horford's average year. Horford is definitely starting to get older. I don't think we need him. I'd rather get a 1st so we can get younger. There is some talent late in this draft although it's not as deep as usual drafts. We could use that first to take a flier on Zhou Qi or Diallo or some Euro guys, or some underperforming one and done with athletic upside. Both are better options for our future imo.

[Sunsdeuce]

Bulls are "aggressively" shopping Pau. Damn 4 years too late. Dude is on the verge of retirement.

[AtheJ415]

I think we'll see a flurry of activity regarding the Suns at the deadline just like last year. I just don't see how all of Kieff, Tele, and Tucker aren't moved. I'd also like to see Chandler and Price moved but they seem less likely to me.

[bhawk]

I think we'll see a flurry of activity regarding the Suns at the deadline just like last year. I just don't see how all of Kieff, Tele, and Tucker aren't moved. I'd also like to see Chandler and Price moved but they seem less likely to me.

It takes 2 (or 3) to tango...

[letsgosuns]

Bulls are "aggressively" shopping Pau. Damn 4 years too late. Dude is on the verge of retirement.

His stats are still fantastic this year though for an aging player. 17 pts, 11 rbs, 2 ast, 2 blks, 48% fg, 41% 3pts, and 81% ft in 32 mpg. I think the Thunder should trade for him.

[AtheJ415]

I think we'll see a flurry of activity regarding the Suns at the deadline just like last year. I just don't see how all of Kieff, Tele, and Tucker aren't moved. I'd also like to see Chandler and Price moved but they seem less likely to me.

It takes 2 (or 3) to tango...

Not sure what you mean. There's been confirmed interest in all 3 of those guys.

[JMac1]

Waiting for the board and Gambo to explode when Kieff isn't traded


I can't wait!!!

[Sunsdeuce]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/dougandwolf987/status/700046077618073600[/tweet]

This makes me sad. What's Sarvers big hang up with Colangelo. Jealousy? Everyone and their damn brother knows Colangelo was a way better owner and a respected resident of AZ. Why not embrace it? Some people In life you just want to punch in the face and Sarver for me is one of them.

Mark Cuban had the former owner of the Mavs at the game when the Mavs won their championship and even honored him during the post game speech. Why the hell cant Sarver be a stand up guy and do the same damn thing? So god damn frustrating dealing with Sarver.


Anyway, I digress, hopefully Suns do something today.