Damkac wrote:As bad as the team looks lately I don't think our situation is impossible to fix. A few moves would change Suns for better:
- Get Kieff's ass of the team
- Change Hornacek for the best possible coach
- Get the best possible defensive assistant
- Draft best possible player in the draft (we won't get top 3 pick but hopefully McD will do his best)
- During offseason sign some retired perimeter player who was great defender to mentor Knight, Booker and Warren how to defend
- Use cap space to sign some young players that can defend and have solid bbiq
The keepers are Booker, Warren, Len, Bledsoe and Knight (if you like him or hate, let's be honest McD is not going to trade him)
I would like to keep one or both of Leuer and Teletovic. But as a bench players not as starters.
I honestly don't know what to think about Chandler. I hated his signing at first, then I loved it, when we started sucking I wanted to trade him and tank, now I don't know if we shouldn't keep him. As I say in Len's thread Suns system makes centers looks like crap. Someone proposed trading for DAJ. He would be 20mpg 6pts 6 rebs 4pf player here. Maybe we should give Chandler chance with a better coach instead of trading him now when his value is so low.
Good draft choice, one or two good signing, better coach and we looks much better.
Bledsoe - FA/draft
Booker - Knight
Warren - FA/draft
FA/draft - Leuer/Tele
Chandler - Len
I somewhat agree. I'd much rather keep Leuer than Telly because of their difference in defense, particularly with the defensive struggles of Booker, Warren and Knight. If Knight dribbles, takes bad shots, and continues the high turnover rate, I'd move him to second unit. I would PROBABLY hang onto Tucker, provided, you play him primarily at the 4, alternating him with Leuer UNLESS we end up with Brewer and Jones, and rarely use him at the 3 because Booker could slide there when Warren sits. Though I would move Tucker if we could get something of value for him this year regardless. I wouldn't want him playing time to alter big minutes for Warren and Booker though, but moreso for a little insurance to potentially resign (though I know this will be unpopular here) IF AND ONLY IF we cannot find a PF in free agency, trade for one and especially if we can't keep Leuer, or even Telly, or potentially if we only keep one, because we'd lack PF depth.
I'd hang onto Chandler if he didn't have any trade value because I don't think cap space helps much. We can always dump guys like him in the summmer if we strike gold and some great FA says they will sign with us and we need some cap space, but we will probably have that cap space anyway. He's also the best insurance we have since Len is injury prone. Another reason to keep Tucker as a 4 if we don't find a good replacement is because Leuer can play 5, or possibly even Tucker against a small ball team like GS, where we play Bledsoe/Knight/Booker/Warren/Tucker.
Ideally we find better players all around and CAN move Tucker and Chandler though.
As for Hornacek, I seriously doubt he gets his option picked up and I could go either way here, because I think it is virtually impossible to be successful with constant roster turnover, injuries and disgruntled players due to front office moves. Frankly he's gotten a raw deal, but he has had some head scratching lineup rotations at times. I think good teams have continuity and more constant re-shuffling is never a recipe for success.
But if we had a great successor in place, I'd be fine moving on from Hornacek this summer. Personally I'd probably give him one more year with the team with a new team, without disgruntled players, having time to allow these players to develop chemistry and see what happens.
I think next year unless we get some unbelievably good coach, and that's certainly not Walton, Nash, Thibs, etc. I do like D'Antoni, but I don't think he would get a ton of this squad particularly in his first year, that we will not make the playoffs next year. We will likely be better either way though if we have a more stable team, no disgruntled players, and further playing time for Booker and Warren this year.
McD MIGHT be gone this year, particularly if Hornacek is, but if we fail to make the playoffs, next year, no matter who is coach, I think McD will be gone, and I'm not sure a new GM is the right move either, though I think he's put a bigger cloud over this team than Hornacek, despite having made a couple of solid picks in Warren and Booker.
