Kendall Marshall is now a laker

[RunDogGun]

I wish him zero luck. He's a Los Angeles Laker.

I don't, even though I despise LAL, I won't them to have the least chance at grabbing a possible star in the upcoming draft.

As long as it doesn't affect us, I wouldn't mind if the league tried to get them into the playoffs again, and watch them get swept again. Only if Minny gets the number 14 pick.

[Leor_77]

9 assists in the first half. Bum.

[bwgood77]

I think he's learning Ty Lawson may be a little tougher to contain than a rookie (Trey Burke) and of course, his bad shooting is rearing it's ugly head. A lot of assists again though.

[Sunsss]

He could lead the league in assists if he's given 35 mins a game. But nobody will do that.

I'll be pretty surprised if he has another 15/15 game rest of the season.

[RunDogGun]

He could lead the league in assists if he's given 35 mins a game. But nobody will do that.

I'll be pretty surprised if he has another 15/15 game rest of the season.

I won't be surprised. He had a 9/17/6 game with two steals. He didn't shoot well, but neither does our backup.

[nevetsov]

Kendall could very well be the best distributor since Nash, Kidd, Andre Miller etc. But there's much more to being a successful NBA PG that just passing.

His slow footedness and poor lateral quickness even at this early stage in his career means he will always be a turnstile on D. His shooting is streaky at best. And his leadership capability is questionable.

Fortunately for him, he's lucked into a system where he will have the ball in his hands 99% of the time, and defense is optional. He's the only PG option so he has no pressure whatsoever. He absolutely should thrive.

Now can we please merge the 2 Kendall Marshall threads into one? Or better yet, have one thread for "former suns players/picks" and dump the "what if we drafted..." thread in there too?

[jcsunsfan]

9 pts an 17 assists in a loss to Denver. That's his game. He has always been a stellar passer and good in the open court. 17 dimes doesn't surprise me at all. Neither does 9 pts on 30 percent shooting.

[SunsRback4Good]

I wish him nothing but luck even if he's on the Lakers squad. I can see him being a 13/9/3 type player but under Dantoni's system and without Kobe he could average 15/12/4.

[No-Man]

He is an elite playmaker, and he always has been, he has a nice touch and a big body to absorbe contact and finish, he is nto quick but is a smart player.
His shot is slow, but he can hit when he is alone.
He is a version of Rubio with no defense but better offense.
He is an NBA player for sure, the Wizards were really stupid, Phoenix did the right thing trading him though.

[sunskerr]

I don't think many of us wanted the current backup PG we have now (Ish Smith) over Marshall after we drafted him only 1 year ago (regardless of the massive hate he was getting on this board). But it's not a really big loss and the front office/ coaching staff didn't favor him- his fate was sealed when Bledsoe was acquired. So good for him, hope he keeps it up.

[gaspar]

He is a version of Rubio with no defense but better offense.

Nah, he's a poor man's Greivis Vasquez with even worse jumpshot and defense.
Marshall can put up big numbers but don't expect to win many games with him as your starting PG.

[No-Man]

Marshall is way better as playmaker than Vasquez, not even close.

[JayBenzy]

why are we still talking about this guy? Kendall Marshall who?

[garrick]

I think the inclination to keep Ish over Marshall had less to do with talent, and MUCH more to do with attitude. Kendall always seemed to have this sense of entitlement and a bit too much of an ego for where he was as a player. You could read it in his tweets.

When McD came in, his very first order of business was to purge the team of anyone with a bad attitude (Beasley, Gortat etc.) and instill a selfless, positive, hardworking mentality within the playing group. I strongly believe that this was Marshall's downfall.

I remember early in the season Eddie Johnson said that the suns kept Ish Smith over Marshall because they liked the way Ish pushed the ball. Marshall is slow. Jason Kidd wasn't the fastest guy either (and neither can shoot), but I just don't see Marshall becoming a starting point guard...ever. Even the commentators on draft day agreed that his ceiling was a serviceable backup point guard. (Those same commentators couldn't hide their "WTF Phoenix????" feelings about the pick).

Jason Kidd was pretty fast in his youth and quite good on fast breaks, the Kidd you've seen in the last 5 years or so is a much slower version.
He slowed down a lot after his microfracture surgery and that is also coupled with age.