Suns Plan Aggressive Pursuit For LeBron James

[grumpysaddle]

bwaaaahahahaahahahaha

I laughed too, but then you read that they could pay him and Carmelo and just what they could still put around them with young players and future first round picks and if you just ingnored the fact it's the Suns and it very well could be one of the best actual situations you could go to.

Why "ignore the fact it's the Suns"? Outside of titles, the Suns are one of the most successful franchises in the league. Outside of the past few years, when some bad decisions were made, and stars aged, or forced their way out, the Suns are more often than not a successful team. They were one game out of the playoffs last season with a team no 'experts' thought would win 20 games, and that was missing their second best player, in Bledsoe, for nearly half the season. They set their future up, as far as youth and cap space go, perfectly. It's a warm place to play, unlike Cleveland, and a far less douchey city than Miami. The only reason I can't see James and Anthony wanting to play in Phoenix is because it is the Western Conference, and they will have to actually bring it every night, instead of coasting by in the joke conference. Wade is nothing like he used to be, and Bosh is easily replaceable.

[Qwigglez]

Even if you were right, 58 wins still only gets them third in the West, a mere one game ahead of the 57 win Clippers.

This is what you also have to factor: Anytime a team adds significant talent like that there will be an adjustment period. They will take time to gel. At a minimum that will take half a season, very likely a little longer.
Then you have to compete with 7 other '50 win' teams in the West that already have the jump on you by having been together longer. It's not unreasonable to expect all 8 playoff teams in the West to be just as good, if not better, next season.

Even with that impressive roster, my guess is they would end up close to or slightly ahead of 5 & 6 (Golden State and Portland) but still a little behind the top 4 (S.A., OKC, Houston, and L.A.Clippers).
In other words, the middle of the pack. In the West, that's nothing to sneeze at.

Well to argue that, the Suns had a new roster last season; they added Bledsoe, Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee. Channing Frye hadn't played the season prior as well.
I can't argue with the Spurs and Thunder having the best chemistry in the league, but the Clippers and Rockets IMO are pretenders, so I'd say the Suns, with that type of lineup, could easily be a top 3 team.

[entrapt]

Even if you were right, 58 wins still only gets them third in the West, a mere one game ahead of the 57 win Clippers.

This is what you also have to factor: Anytime a team adds significant talent like that there will be an adjustment period. They will take time to gel. At a minimum that will take half a season, very likely a little longer.
Then you have to compete with 7 other '50 win' teams in the West that already have the jump on you by having been together longer. It's not unreasonable to expect all 8 playoff teams in the West to be just as good, if not better, next season.

Even with that impressive roster, my guess is they would end up close to or slightly ahead of 5 & 6 (Golden State and Portland) but still a little behind the top 4 (S.A., OKC, Houston, and L.A.Clippers).
In other words, the middle of the pack. In the West, that's nothing to sneeze at.

Hahaha yeah, a team with LeBron, Melo, and two border-line allstars would be a 4-6 seed... smgdfh...

Is that it?
Nothing to counter my reasoning? Nothing to add to the conversation?

smh indeed.

Well, saying that adding Lebron and Melo would only add 10 wins is too low IMO. I'm a Suns season ticket holder, so I am biased, but we were hardly ever blown out all year and if Bledsoe had stayed healthy we would've won 5+ more games at least. Adding Lebron and Melo would've resulted in another 12-15 more wins on top of that, which puts us right at the top of the West. The fact that we wouldn't need to lose the core from last year while still adding two superstars would instantly vault us into championship favorites territory. The only issue would be "gelling," but as great as the chemistry was last year I wouldn't see it being a major issue.

[Cancun Van Exel]

Even if you were right, 58 wins still only gets them third in the West, a mere one game ahead of the 57 win Clippers.

This is what you also have to factor: Anytime a team adds significant talent like that there will be an adjustment period. They will take time to gel. At a minimum that will take half a season, very likely a little longer.
Then you have to compete with 7 other '50 win' teams in the West that already have the jump on you by having been together longer. It's not unreasonable to expect all 8 playoff teams in the West to be just as good, if not better, next season.

Even with that impressive roster, my guess is they would end up close to or slightly ahead of 5 & 6 (Golden State and Portland) but still a little behind the top 4 (S.A., OKC, Houston, and L.A.Clippers).
In other words, the middle of the pack. In the West, that's nothing to sneeze at.

Well to argue that, the Suns had a new roster last season; they added Bledsoe, Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee. Channing Frye hadn't played the season prior as well.
I can't argue with the Spurs and Thunder having the best chemistry in the league, but the Clippers and Rockets IMO are pretenders, so I'd say the Suns, with that type of lineup, could easily be a top 3 team.

The CLips won 57 games and CP3 missed 22 bc of injury. That doesn't sound like a pretender. They would have likely taken the Heat too IMO.

[King4Day]

Even if you were right, 58 wins still only gets them third in the West, a mere one game ahead of the 57 win Clippers.

This is what you also have to factor: Anytime a team adds significant talent like that there will be an adjustment period. They will take time to gel. At a minimum that will take half a season, very likely a little longer.
Then you have to compete with 7 other '50 win' teams in the West that already have the jump on you by having been together longer. It's not unreasonable to expect all 8 playoff teams in the West to be just as good, if not better, next season.

Even with that impressive roster, my guess is they would end up close to or slightly ahead of 5 & 6 (Golden State and Portland) but still a little behind the top 4 (S.A., OKC, Houston, and L.A.Clippers).
In other words, the middle of the pack. In the West, that's nothing to sneeze at.

Hahaha yeah, a team with LeBron, Melo, and two border-line allstars would be a 4-6 seed... smgdfh...

Is that it?
Nothing to counter my reasoning? Nothing to add to the conversation?

smh indeed.

The big thing is, the Suns would have the ability to keep going, even when their starters hit the bench (though I doubt there would ever be an instance where Hornacek would bench them all at the same time). The bench is deep and last season, they were actually better than the starters on a lot of nights.

Had Wade played every game or most of them last year, the Heat probably finish with the best record in the league.
Offense:
With LeBron and Melo, the Suns would have plenty of scoring with LeBron, Melo, and Dragic. Bledsoe can slash and score (though not a great shooter).
The Assist problem gets fixed with LeBron, though it wouldn't be a strength of the team.

Defense:

Bledsoe and LeBron can help any fault Melo has. Dragic isn't elite but he gets his share of steals and isn't afraid to contest.
Rebounding would still be the only main issue. Melo is a decent rebounder but the lineups can be altered to address this.

The Spurs may still be the top in the west but Phoenix would have enough to combat OKC, LAC, and Houston.
On paper at least. It'll take some time to figure lineups out.

Point is, maybe the first season there will be adjustments to get everyone on the same page but the Suns have ridiculous chemistry right now and can slide in two guys who only want to win.

[Qwigglez]

The CLips won 57 games and CP3 missed 22 bc of injury. That doesn't sound like a pretender. They would have likely taken the Heat too IMO.

Like I said, just my opinion. Blake Griffin really stepped us his game this year, but they rely heavily on their chuckers. They need another ball-handler IMO.

[CHAMPi0N]

lol this would be a dream come true... seeing James and Anthony on the same team, that too with guys like Bledsoe and Dragic? In PHOENIX??? Get outta here!

[Cancun Van Exel]

The CLips won 57 games and CP3 missed 22 bc of injury. That doesn't sound like a pretender. They would have likely taken the Heat too IMO.

Like I said, just my opinion. Blake Griffin really stepped us his game this year, but they rely heavily on their chuckers. They need another ball-handler IMO.

I agree actually. Doc has always relied heavily on the 3 point shot for success. I noticed that in Boston. Not so sure about that philosophy in terms of solid path to the championship. I think the Clips can win one, but they'd have to shoot well in the later stages of the playoffs basically.

[totalrekall]

that could be an incredible team. we dont know how Melo would fit in when he needs to defer but it would be so much fun to watch.
if I were LeBron I would leave Miami. Wade cant play enough anymore, and Bosh as his main support isnt enough to win championships. Miami is really only viable if Wade and Bosh take significant paycuts to the point where you have cap flexibility. I dont see that happening.
Houston would also be on my short list. since LeBron left Cleveland theres really no reason to stay loyal to any one team. may as well jump teams and chase championships the rest of his career

[pcbothwel]

...but may only put them in the middle of the pack in the West.

Just the middle?

The Suns were a 48 win team last season without Lebron/Melo and with Bledsoe missing half the season. We missed the playoffs by 1 game (5 games out of 4th place). I think it would be safe to say that Lebron/Melo could/would add at least 10 wins on top of that.

Even if you were right, 58 wins still only gets them third in the West, a mere one game ahead of the 57 win Clippers.

This is what you also have to factor: Anytime a team adds significant talent like that there will be an adjustment period. They will take time to gel. At a minimum that will take half a season, very likely a little longer.
Then you have to compete with 7 other '50 win' teams in the West that already have the jump on you by having been together longer. It's not unreasonable to expect all 8 playoff teams in the West to be just as good, if not better, next season.

Even with that impressive roster, my guess is they would end up close to or slightly ahead of 5 & 6 (Golden State and Portland) but still a little behind the top 4 (S.A., OKC, Houston, and L.A.Clippers).
In other words, the middle of the pack. In the West, that's nothing to sneeze at.

Yeah, but those 10-12 wins would come with losses for other teams in the West. You cant just add 10 wins to the team and keep all the other teams with the same record

[Jeff Van Gully]

bwaaaahahahaahahahaha

I laughed too, but then you read that they could pay him and Carmelo and just what they could still put around them with young players and future first round picks and if you just ingnored the fact it's the Suns and it very well could be one of the best actual situations you could go to.

yeah. i don't dispute that they could put a great team together. it's just a shame that it's... phoenix. you have to get traded there kicking and screaming.

in all honesty, i wish the playing field were more level for the small and medium market teams in off-brand locations. and this is coming from a knicks fan (whose team fails despite its advantages in this regard).

[grumpysaddle]

bwaaaahahahaahahahaha

I laughed too, but then you read that they could pay him and Carmelo and just what they could still put around them with young players and future first round picks and if you just ingnored the fact it's the Suns and it very well could be one of the best actual situations you could go to.

yeah. i don't dispute that they could put a great team together. it's just a shame that it's... phoenix. you have to get traded there kicking and screaming.

in all honesty, i wish the playing field were more level for the small and medium market teams in off-brand locations. and this is coming from a knicks fan (whose team fails despite its advantages in this regard).

Why do you have to get traded to Phoenix kicking and screaming? Phoenix has always been a desirable FA destination. It's not NYC, but what have the Knicks done in the past 20 years? This post is stupid.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using RealGM Forums mobile app

[King4Day]

bwaaaahahahaahahahaha

I laughed too, but then you read that they could pay him and Carmelo and just what they could still put around them with young players and future first round picks and if you just ingnored the fact it's the Suns and it very well could be one of the best actual situations you could go to.

yeah. i don't dispute that they could put a great team together. it's just a shame that it's... phoenix. you have to get traded there kicking and screaming.

in all honesty, i wish the playing field were more level for the small and medium market teams in off-brand locations. and this is coming from a knicks fan (whose team fails despite its advantages in this regard).

Ehhh kicking and screaming to come to a 48 win team? The 4th or 5th most successful franchise in NBA history?
It's not a sexy market but talent will go there.

[DJ3thenew23]

I laughed too, but then you read that they could pay him and Carmelo and just what they could still put around them with young players and future first round picks and if you just ingnored the fact it's the Suns and it very well could be one of the best actual situations you could go to.

yeah. i don't dispute that they could put a great team together. it's just a shame that it's... phoenix. you have to get traded there kicking and screaming.

in all honesty, i wish the playing field were more level for the small and medium market teams in off-brand locations. and this is coming from a knicks fan (whose team fails despite its advantages in this regard).

Ehhh kicking and screaming to come to a 48 win team? The 4th or 5th most successful franchise in NBA history?
It's not a sexy market but talent will go there.

Especially if you are a talented player who recently had a bad injury and is looking to start your career again.

[BallerTalk]

Well to argue that, the Suns had a new roster last season; they added Bledsoe, Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee. Channing Frye hadn't played the season prior as well.
I can't argue with the Spurs and Thunder having the best chemistry in the league, but the Clippers and Rockets IMO are pretenders, so I'd say the Suns, with that type of lineup, could easily be a top 3 team.

You actually just reinforced my point; The Suns were a young athletic team with good talent at all positions this season but STILL missed the playoffs in the West.
Think what you will of the Clippers and the Rockets but they each won 57 and 54 games respectively in the brutal West. Your newly minted Suns lineup would have to earn its way up that mountain and it wouldn't be easy.
Top 3? No. Maybe top 5 if they gel quickly.

Well, saying that adding Lebron and Melo would only add 10 wins is too low IMO. I'm a Suns season ticket holder, so I am biased, but we were hardly ever blown out all year and if Bledsoe had stayed healthy we would've won 5+ more games at least.

Virtually every playoff team in the West has a "what if" story.
The Grizzlies would say, "What if Gasol hadn't missed the first 1/3 of the season when they got off to a slow start?"
The Blazers would say, "What if Aldridge hadn't gone down in the middle of the season and ended their blazing start?"
The Rockets would say,"What if Beverley and Howard hadn't gone down at the same time the final month of the season that disrupted a 28-9 run at the start of the new year?"
The Clippers would say,"What if Chris Paul hadn't missed 20+ games?"
The Thunder would say,"What if Westbrook had been healthy and in the lineup consistently all season long?"
The Warriors would say,"What if key defenders Iggy and Bogut hadn't combined to miss 34 games this season?"

If your "what if" gives 5+ more games to the Suns, how many do you give to those teams?

This is all speculation about something that will likely never happen but to suggest that Suns lineup would automatically be vaulted to the top of the notoriously strong Western Conference is just unrealistic.
You have to earn every win in the West. After missing the playoffs with nearly 50 wins, the Suns fans should know this better than anyone.

[Jeff Van Gully]

I laughed too, but then you read that they could pay him and Carmelo and just what they could still put around them with young players and future first round picks and if you just ingnored the fact it's the Suns and it very well could be one of the best actual situations you could go to.

yeah. i don't dispute that they could put a great team together. it's just a shame that it's... phoenix. you have to get traded there kicking and screaming.

in all honesty, i wish the playing field were more level for the small and medium market teams in off-brand locations. and this is coming from a knicks fan (whose team fails despite its advantages in this regard).

Ehhh kicking and screaming to come to a 48 win team? The 4th or 5th most successful franchise in NBA history?
It's not a sexy market but talent will go there.

wasn't dissing your club. the wins and talent are legit. i was rooting for you guys to make some noise. but who was the last star player to say, "i'm going to sign to phoenix as a free agent?" tom chambers?

[Revived]

yeah. i don't dispute that they could put a great team together. it's just a shame that it's... phoenix. you have to get traded there kicking and screaming.

in all honesty, i wish the playing field were more level for the small and medium market teams in off-brand locations. and this is coming from a knicks fan (whose team fails despite its advantages in this regard).

Ehhh kicking and screaming to come to a 48 win team? The 4th or 5th most successful franchise in NBA history?
It's not a sexy market but talent will go there.

wasn't dissing your club. the wins and talent are legit. i was rooting for you guys to make some noise. but who was the last star player to say, "i'm going to sign to phoenix as a free agent?" tom chambers?

There was this one scrub named Steve Nash or something like that who signed there in like 04 or something didnt he?

[Jeff Van Gully]

Ehhh kicking and screaming to come to a 48 win team? The 4th or 5th most successful franchise in NBA history?
It's not a sexy market but talent will go there.

wasn't dissing your club. the wins and talent are legit. i was rooting for you guys to make some noise. but who was the last star player to say, "i'm going to sign to phoenix as a free agent?" tom chambers?

There was this one scrub named Steve Nash or something like that who signed there in like 04 or something didnt he?

i'm glad you used nash (a decade ago) and not dragic (who was playing well in houston but blew up in phx).

the common thread in both cases is... they were both drafted by the suns and came back. that speaks volumes to their positive prior experience. but can we find someone who wasn't a sun before?

star player. new to the town and organization. signs a big deal without having been traded/drafted. again, tom chambers is the only player i can think of. but a phoenix fan should be able to help if i'm overlooking anyone.

so, back to the matter at hand: why should i like phoenix's chances of landing lebron or carmelo?

[ib4]

Virtually every playoff team in the West has a "what if" story.
The Grizzlies would say, "What if Gasol hadn't missed the first 1/3 of the season when they got off to a slow start?"
The Blazers would say, "What if Aldridge hadn't gone down in the middle of the season and ended their blazing start?"
The Rockets would say,"What if Beverley and Howard hadn't gone down at the same time the final month of the season that disrupted a 28-9 run at the start of the new year?"
The Clippers would say,"What if Chris Paul hadn't missed 20+ games?"
The Thunder would say,"What if Westbrook had been healthy and in the lineup consistently all season long?"
The Warriors would say,"What if key defenders Iggy and Bogut hadn't combined to miss 34 games this season?"

If your "what if" gives 5+ more games to the Suns, how many do you give to those teams?

This is all speculation about something that will likely never happen but to suggest that Suns lineup would automatically be vaulted to the top of the notoriously strong Western Conference is just unrealistic.
You have to earn every win in the West. After missing the playoffs with nearly 50 wins, the Suns fans should know this better than anyone.

This.

such is sports.

[Revived]

Its important to note that Robert Sarver has planned to spend over the salary cap this summer

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2014/ ... er-the-cap