Suns Offseason Thread 2: The Hunt for a Blazer Continues!

[RunDogGun]

Grant Hill while a big "name" at the time was not a major free agent. He was a 34 year old who had 6 injury riddled years in Orlando that signed a two year deal for the bi-annual exception. Tyson Chandler is a soon to be 33 year old on the downside of his career. Nash was the last major free agent in his prime that signed with the Suns that I can remember. I expect the team to be improved and compete for one of the last two-three playoff spots, whether or not they get one of those spots...

But the reason we got Nash was because Cuban thought he was on the decline, and wasn't worth signing him to the small contract we signed him for. He wasn't considered in his prime. Now we lucked out that he somehow overcame his back issues and played higher than what Cuban thought. Which other teams were courting Nash? Nash didn't make the Allstar team the year before he came to Phoenix.

Oh well, I still don't see how claiming FA avoid us like the plague has anything to do with reality. Often we never had the money to sign big name FAs, and lately we haven't had the players now big name FAs look for.

[NoKneeBledsoe]

Let's offer Thompson max to piss off Cleveland.

[letsgosuns]

Letsgosuns, even though some of your points about Keef are valid, the fact is that if real GMs (teehee) acted from emotion like that, they wouldn't last a single season. Like it or not, Keef is one of the three most valuable assets on our team at the moment, so if we are going to trade him, it better be for something significant that helps us get somewhere in the next 3-4 years.

I understand exactly what you are saying. Here is my bottom line with him. Forget all that off the court garbage, the immaturity, the arguing with refs. I just do not think he is that good. At best, and I mean truly at best, a backup power forward. The Suns are going to go nowhere with him in the 3-4 years anyway if he is the starter.

Then I factor in all the other stuff besides his actual game and I say to myself, why would I want this guy on the team any longer. They do not win with him anyway. He does nothing but cause problems and aggravation for the organization. If what he said about the fans was not a big deal, then why was Robert Sarver a guest on Gambo's show the day after it happened at exactly 2 p.m., trying to play down what he said. Because it was a huge deal what he said. How often does an owner of a basketball team take the initiative to call in themselves to a radio show unless something major has happened.

I have talked to quite a few people about this (not on this message board) and they all want him off the team. Someone I know actually said to me, when has the Suns organization ever had players like the Morris brothers in franchise history. These are not the kinds of players the Suns are known for. Ever. Maybe Michael Beasley's influence is still on people's minds and fans have lowered their standards on what kinds of players they want to watch but I have not. I want to watch players that actually go all out and do everything they are capable of to win. Perfect example is Matthew Dellavedova. That guy sucks and has virtually no game, but he tries harder than I have ever seen Markieff try in his career. Markieff obviously smokes him talent wise but heart wise there is no comparison. Hence why I say you will never win with Markieff on your roster.

[bwgood77]

Well, I suppose we can commit to rebuilding and playing the youth now OH **** JUST KIDDING WE SIGNED TYSON CHANDLER FOR 52 MILLION DOLLARS LOL

As Lowe said, it's better to use your cap space on solid players than retain it because everyone will have a load of it next year. We needed front court depth. Len will still play plenty. He's basically just a nice Wright upgrade.

[rsavaj]

There's a reason Pop asked for the second meeting. Somebody upthread asked why we need a second meeting:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz246_Pjjkc[/youtube]

ALWAYS
BE
CLOSING

[ray ray]

Len is playing PF and Center with Kieff and Chandler, giver Leuer his back up mins and roll. I like Len in the LA role. Not so much a Gasol threat, but a shooting big. Warren will beast now Marcus is gone. Again, when Len is balling you guys will all be happy that we didn't sign LA and traded for Chandler and got rid of the 3 SFs.

I keep telling everyone ... Watch out for Len! .. From what I'm hearing, he's looking like he's gonna have a break our year.. Plus, he can actually shoot from 20 consistently.

[Kyler Murray]

The fact that pisses me off the most is that it had to be the freaking Spurs...

[jcsunsfan]

OK. I don't like Markieff's t's, his constant complaining, or his off-the-court stuff complaining about fans etc, but I am not sure I could ever accuse him of not playing hard. His effort on the court seems to be consistent.

Also, I actually think he might improve with Marcus gone. Not sure.

[bwgood77]

That blows but now we should go the other direction. Gotta rebuild through the draft. Hope for Ben Simmons.

No, since there is a sure fire #1 pick, we will barely beat out like the Clips for the last playoff spot, and they will win the lottery sitting in the 14th slot.

[matt131]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/617411015383191552[/tweet]

can't wait to see how frustrated CP3 gets with him haha

[rsavaj]

Anybody who thinks we can just back out of the Chandler deal is delusional. You do that and your franchise is immediately blacklisted. No agent will want to work with you gain. Free agents will steer clear of the team.

Chandler is here to stay, and I'm okay with it. "Oh now, we'll draft 14th in the lottery!" Well, we were gonna draft 13th without him, so...big difference.

GSW/SAS/HOU/MEM/OKC/LAC(they lost Jordan but they're Paul/Griff/Pierce still ther)/NOP are gonna make the playoffs for sure barring unforseen injuries; that leaves one spot for Dallas, Utah and us.

Bledsoe/
Knight/Goodwin
Tucker/Warren
Kieff/
Chandler/Len

We need a backup point and a backup PF. Sign Ish, sign Amare, go forward and just do the best we can. Can't "tank" now that we've signed Chandler, so need to do the best we can to make the playoffs.

[TeamTragic]

Letsgosuns, even though some of your points about Keef are valid, the fact is that if real GMs (teehee) acted from emotion like that, they wouldn't last a single season. Like it or not, Keef is one of the three most valuable assets on our team at the moment, so if we are going to trade him, it better be for something significant that helps us get somewhere in the next 3-4 years.

I understand exactly what you are saying. Here is my bottom line with him. Forget all that off the court garbage, the immaturity, the arguing with refs. I just do not think he is that good. At best, and I mean truly at best, a backup power forward. The Suns are going to go nowhere with him in the 3-4 years anyway if he is the starter.

Then I factor in all the other stuff besides his actual game and I say to myself, why would I want this guy on the team any longer. They do not win with him anyway. He does nothing but cause problems and aggravation for the organization. If what he said about the fans was not a big deal, then why was Robert Sarver a guest on Gambo's show the day after it happened at exactly 2 p.m., trying to play down what he said. Because it was a huge deal what he said. How often does an owner of a basketball team take the initiative to call in themselves to a radio show unless something major has happened.

I have talked to quite a few people about this (not on this message board) and they all want him off the team. Someone I know actually said to me, when has the Suns organization ever had players like the Morris brothers in franchise history. These are not the kinds of players the Suns are known for. Ever. Maybe Michael Beasley's influence is still on people's minds and fans have lowered their standards on what kinds of players they want to watch but I have not. I want to watch players that actually go all out and do everything they are capable of to win. Perfect example is Matthew Dellavedova. That guy sucks and has virtually no game, but he tries harder than I have ever seen Markieff try in his career. Markieff obviously smokes him talent wise but heart wise there is no comparison. Hence why I say you will never win with Markieff on your roster.

Definitely agree that heart and talent should go together. However beggars can't be choosers. We've built him into the player he is today and if we are moving in a different direction with McD then he needs to get moved. He is definitely not a positive influence on our youth but remember that every team that has ever won a championship has a nasty/cocky/bruiser.

2015: Warriors - Green/Iguodala
2014: Spurs - the entire **** team + Pop
2013: Heat - LBJ/Wade/Bosh
2012: Heat - LBJ/Wade/Bosh
2011: Mavs - Kidd/Chandler/Butler + Barea

[letsgosuns]

OK. I don't like Markieff's t's, his constant complaining, or his off-the-court stuff complaining about fans etc, but I am not sure I could ever accuse him of not playing hard. His effort on the court seems to be consistent.

Also, I actually think he might improve with Marcus gone. Not sure.

Gambo said on the radio towards the end of last year that one of the most frustrating problems the Suns have with Markieff is that he does not bring it every night. That he has motivation problems and him and Burns said how can you have a guy on your team that frankly, you have to convince to play hard every night. Those are not my words. Those were Gambo and his partner's. And he was reporting on the Suns.

[TeamTragic]

OK. I don't like Markieff's t's, his constant complaining, or his off-the-court stuff complaining about fans etc, but I am not sure I could ever accuse him of not playing hard. His effort on the court seems to be consistent.

Also, I actually think he might improve with Marcus gone. Not sure.

Gambo said on the radio towards the end of last year that one of the most frustrating problems the Suns have with Markieff is that he does not bring it every night. That he has motivation problems and him and Burns said how can you have a guy on your team that frankly, you have to convince to play hard every night. Those are not my words. Those were Gambo and his partner's. And he was reporting on the Suns.

I'm not sure Gambo has any insight since McD took over. However Kieff is definitely inconsistent. Check the box scores.

[tdjm]

I have a hard time pinning the Suns sucking in 11-12 and 12-13 on Markieff. He was a rookie/sophomore and those teams were garbage to the core, not like he's going to transcend and carry them, lmao. Is it TJ Warren's fault we sucked last year? I guess Wiggins blows sack because he couldn't schlep Minnesota anywhere except to the #1 pick. Ol' Wiggins just isn't a "winner".

In '13-'14, him (and his brother, too) were a HUGE part of the unexpected success by both playing two positions and obliterating opposing bench units. It's not like it's a coincidence that Markieff was a top vote getter for sixth man of the year and helped the team overperform by 20 wins (but I guess since he couldn't singlehandedly jumpshoot his way to a championship he's not a "winner", whatever that means).

Last season clearly wasn't a good look for them, but it's not like they were the only source of stuff going wrong. I also couldn't care less if the casual trash mayonnaise-white Suns fans who get butthurt over players not being squeaky clean don't like Markieff. McDonough isn't running a convent, he's running a basketball team. Suns fanbase is seriously garbage, I enjoy watching the honkies squirm.

[AtheJ415]

That blows but now we should go the other direction. Gotta rebuild through the draft. Hope for Ben Simmons.

Lol. We'll make the playoffs this year imo. LAC and Portland were devastated by FA. Portland will be picking top 7. Yes, OKC will make it, but our learning curve is higher than other teams and many of those will be drastically older.

Also disagree we have to go in the other direction. I'd agree if we were an aging team with no upside. The Suns and Pelicans aren't contenders now, but they shouldn't turn around simply because their younger talent is so much better than teams like the Sixers and Jazz that they actually win a lot. Both the Suns and NO will improve simply by their current young talent developing and other teams aging.

We should continue to build on our young guys and try to make the playoffs. Go into next FA period armed with an obvious opening at the 3 and 4, a max contract to offer, and a team loaded with young talent that has more legitimacy than it did this offseason.

[bwgood77]

Hey guys Heat fan here,congrats on the Tyson Chandler signing.

I was very interested in Gerald Green.

How do you guys like his game,do Suns fans want him back? And what do you think his value is on the open market?

He can be really fun and get really hot and have nasty dunks and then he can get cold as well, and he isn't a terribly smart player. He's definitely a nice player to have unless he is taking major minutes from someone who needs to develop.

[bwgood77]

One thing about this that I did not say prior. Even though I really wanted Aldridge, I never felt he would make the Suns a true contender. I did not think he would make the Suns good enough to beat the Warriors, Thunder, or Cavaliers. I just thought he would make the Suns awesome and relevant again. Also, regardless of what happens, I think the Spurs are going to go downhill fast once Duncan retires. I could care less that they have Aldridge and Leonard on their team with Popovich. Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili is the greatest three player tandem of all time, and Duncan is the key. He has been the key since the day he was drafted. He dominated from the moment he came into the league and he dominated in the playoffs last season. He is unbelievable. Ain't no way Aldridge is going to make up for that. Not happening. Anyway, now the Suns can focus on doing some other stuff and getting back on track.

I almost posted the same thing you said in the second sentence...typed it up and everything, but didn't want to sound like sour grapes...but I never felt he was quite the guy that would make you a contender as your best player.

[bwgood77]

One thing about this that I did not say prior. Even though I really wanted Aldridge, I never felt he would make the Suns a true contender. I did not think he would make the Suns good enough to beat the Warriors, Thunder, or Cavaliers. I just thought he would make the Suns awesome and relevant again. Also, regardless of what happens, I think the Spurs are going to go downhill fast once Duncan retires. I could care less that they have Aldridge and Leonard on their team with Popovich. Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili is the greatest three player tandem of all time, and Duncan is the key. He has been the key since the day he was drafted. He dominated from the moment he came into the league and he dominated in the playoffs last season. He is unbelievable. Ain't no way Aldridge is going to make up for that. Not happening. Anyway, now the Suns can focus on doing some other stuff and getting back on track.

I almost posted the same thing you said in the second sentence...typed it up and everything, but didn't want to sound like sour grapes...but I never felt he was quite the guy that would make you a contender as your best player.