OT: Phoenix might waive Pavlovic

[campybatman]

The Suns will add a player, either with the slot created by waiving Sasha Pavlovic or by trading him. A trade is difficult because the Suns lose the value of Pavlovic's contract ($1.5 million of the $4.95 million is guaranteed) unless they deal with a team that has salary-cap space. Phoenix probably will waive Pavlovic for $6.9 million in payroll and luxury-tax savings and sign a free agent.

There is no deadline for the Suns to waive Pavlovic.

"We don't want to leave Sasha hanging all summer and not allow him to look for other possible situations," Kerr said. "At the same time, we need to take our time with the contract because it is a creative contract that allows for some other possibilities."

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... n0716.html

[TheOGJabroni]

He gets a bad rep but TBH, I wouldn’t mind him being a backup for Pierce. As long as it can at the minimum. I don’t know about the LLE simply because we need a backup for Rondo in case Gabe doesn’t cut it as well.

[rambo_ortega]

he would be nice here.. he's a tall sf who can shoot. i'm not sure about his defense but i think he can be a decent one esp with a defensive environment in boston.

[GuyClinch]

Meh. I never seen the guy shoot that well. I think Jiri Welsch was the better player (and that's not saying much).

[underneathtoDJ]

Ehhh. I guess he'd be ok on a vet min contract, but he really hasn't done a whole hell of a lot the past 2 seasons. Apparently he's a solid defensive player, so that works in his favor and after hitting only 36% from 3 two seasons ago, he bounced back last year to hit 41%. But his minutes took a hit and his PER was only 8.65. In comparison, TA had a PER of almost 13 last year.

Like I said, I'd be ok with it, but I don't think he's anyone to get too excited about and I'd be worried if he had to play extended minutes due to a Ray/Pierce injury.

[GreenGrizz]

He won't help us. His role is very similar to Scal's.

[TheOGJabroni]

He won't help us. His role is very similar to Scal's.

Except more at a position of need. There's no way Scal can play all Paul Pierce's backup minutes, nor would I want him to. Sasha, I wouldn't mind so much.

[GuyClinch]

Except more at a position of need. There's no way Scal can play all Paul Pierce's backup minutes, nor would I want him to. Sasha, I wouldn't mind so much.

Scal is better then Sasha. He defends better. Yes Sasha is that bad. That's why they are releasing him.

[bc legends]

rather look at other options and save this as a very last one if anything. still other decent backups left.

[humblebum]

As a vet minimum SG-SF I'd be cool with Pavlovic. I think he has reasonably solid ability on both ends of the court he just seems to struggle with staying focused on the game. Definitely not a great trait to have in a ball player but at the minimum you can't hold out for the perfect guy.

[DirtyDez]

Trying to package him with J-Rich, any takers?

[TheOGJabroni]

As a vet minimum SG-SF I'd be cool with Pavlovic. I think he has reasonably solid ability on both ends of the court he just seems to struggle with staying focused on the game. Definitely not a great trait to have in a ball player but at the minimum you can't hold out for the perfect guy.

I've said it in the thread I created and I'll say it again - IMHO, Sasha's struggles were solely caused because of LeBron. No link of him saying that or anything like that just what I have tended to notice I suppose.

Think about it, he was pretty highly regarded coming into the league. He started for their team when they lost to the Spurs in the finals. He was probably always the best player overseas before he came to the NBA. Then all of a sudden, has to adjust to being one of the last options. Then losing his starting spot. On top of that was a part of the LeBron show where James dominates the ball, making it hard for Sasha to really get into the game. I could be way off, but I believe that is reasonable.

If you think of Sasha purely from a prospect standpoint:
6'7"
GF
3 Ball
Athletic
Decent D

what else could you ask for at a cheap price to spell Paul some minutes?

[s1ickd]

I think he gets a bad rap because in Cleveland he was a young player with talent that never got any consistent playing time. When he'd start playing well, they'd put him on the bench.

He's basicaly a VERY poor man's ginobli at this point, which isn't bad at all. He can hit an open shot, isn't a complete liability with the ball in his hands, and can finish adequately. He also can play and defend both the 2 and 3. I'd be down for bringing him in and giving him 10-15 off the bench.

[cisco]

Yes, bring him in. I think he could be great here. And no, Scal is not better than Sasha.

[JHTruth]

Danny liked him in the draft if I recall correctly. I know most Cavs fans hate this kid but I honestly haven't seen much of him in the NBA. His numbers don't jump out.

We should at least take a look..

[ParticleMan]

not a bad idea. compared to some of the other names being thrown around (like matt barnes), sasha would be better.

[TheOGJabroni]

Yes, bring him in. I think he could be great here. And no, Scal is not better than Sasha.

Thank god someone agrees with me.

[campybatman]

He turns twenty-six in November, so he's still young and likely a better investment than A. Parker for Boston.

The idea is to have him add depth to the second unit and backup both Pierce and Ray. He's ideal for his height and has some semblance of defensive ability. Is said to be inconsistent, turns the ball over and struggles against a physical defender on him. And isn't a good ball handler. His role will probably always be that of a reserve. But he has the talent to be effective on offense with the right coaching.

I wouldn't mind adding him, I'm tired of just having House and Tony.

[vct33]

Sasha sucks A$$. He's a dumber version of TA. He'd having you holding your breath every time he touches the ball.

[Bill Lumbergh]

FWIW, I was curious to know what the Cleveland fans thought of him, so I asked on their board:

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=928559&p=20262892#p20262892