The 2016 Offseason Thread

[sunsbum]

Crabbe was a good solid 2 way player for the blazers but was usually a 3rd or 4th option. Blazers are making some really questionable moves this offseason.

[Mulhollanddrive]

How do you sign 3 Max players to win a championship with run of mill players making 17m.

[JMac1]

I can assure you I'm both. I'm inherently ridiculous, and quite angered by this.

[JMac1]

Crabbe was a good solid 2 way player for the blazers but was usually a 3rd or 4th option. Blazers are making some really questionable moves this offseason.

Do you want them to pay Crabbe 19 million per year?

[NavLDO]

The Watson interview on Doug and Wolf was better than I thought it would be, there was some good insight on the team, his expectations of the young guys and how they plan to develop them, his coaching staff, their roles, and how he wants to put together the most talented coaching staff around him that he can as a new coach, and a lot of other good stuff. Booker seems to be trying to adapt the role of a leader for our young team and expanding his game, it was pretty funny to hear that Booker wants at least 6 touches in the post a game during Summer League lol, and Watson says he'll only probably get 2 games in during Summer League. Watson also said he wants to send young guys up to Northern Arizona to play in D-League games as well when we have long enough breaks between games and the NAS play. If anyone that can't listen wants to know more details, then I'd be happy to break it down a bit, but I definitely recommend giving it a listen if you have a half hour of free time.

One thing he said in that interview that really stood out to me was that their personnel decisions (i.e. the Dudley and Leandro pick-ups) aren't about basketball ability, it's about the type of people they are. He also referenced how important it is to have older players who know what it means to win in a Suns uniform specifically. It wasn't long ago that both Leandro and Dudley were 1-2 wins away from getting us to the Finals.

Translating that to real life, it matters so much more to be guided by someone who has been successful in your job and on your team. Being successful elsewhere just doesn't have the same impact.

Agreed. I know someone just mentioned a few days ago that our young players don't need other players as mentors; that's what we have coaches for...and I kinda disagree with that. Coaches are great for mentoring in some areas, but there are a lot of other aspects to a young player's entrance into the NBA that, to me, takes other 'older and wiser peers'--ie players, to help them wade through.

For instance, when I have an issue at work, I don't go to my CAPT most of the time, I'll go to another Junior Officer or Senior Enlisted that may have run into a similar issue, and how they best dealt with it. Let's face it, there are things we all need help with from time to time, and who wants to go to their 'boss' to show your relative ignorance regarding a situation? Not me, I'd much rather get advice from a peer, and let's face it; Dudley, Chandler, and Barbosa are 'peers', just much more experienced 'peers' that might be able to guide these young guys.

[batsmasher]

I love Evan Turner the entity but think Evan Turner the player is ass. What he did in Boston is about the best he can do, and that was good situation for him.

But man, the Bulls 1-2-3 is like the Blazers but without the shooting. Both teams will be very interesting this season. It could be really, really bad.

[sunsbum]

Crabbe was a good solid 2 way player for the blazers but was usually a 3rd or 4th option. Blazers are making some really questionable moves this offseason.

Do you want them to pay Crabbe 19 million per year?

They gave evan turner the money instead. Im also pretty sure crabbe would have returned for less if they would have given him a starting spot at the 3.

[NavLDO]

Crabbe was a good solid 2 way player for the blazers but was usually a 3rd or 4th option. Blazers are making some really questionable moves this offseason.

Do you want them to pay Crabbe 19 million per year?

They gave evan turner the money instead. Im also pretty sure crabbe would have returned for less if they would have given him a starting spot at the 3.

Yeah, some teams' moves seem to be real head-scratchers. Of course, that's to us fans; there may be a reason they didn't want Crabbe starting...who knows? But it's not like Turner is some 'all-star' in the waiting...but maybe they had discussions with Crabbe and didn't like what they heard. If that's he case, the Nets may have 'given' too high of an offer to ensure the Blazers won't match.

[Saberestar]

No way we should go after Larry Sanders. Period.

[sunsbum]

Do you want them to pay Crabbe 19 million per year?

They gave evan turner the money instead. Im also pretty sure crabbe would have returned for less if they would have given him a starting spot at the 3.

Yeah, some teams' moves seem to be real head-scratchers. Of course, that's to us fans; there may be a reason they didn't want Crabbe starting...who knows? But it's not like Turner is some 'all-star' in the waiting...but maybe they had discussions with Crabbe and didn't like what they heard. If that's he case, the Nets may have 'given' too high of an offer to ensure the Blazers won't match.

I know for a fact crabbe loved portland very much and his first choice was to stay. Think about this, crabbe doesnt sign his offer which has supposedly been on the table from the nets for days..hes waiting for the blazers to offer him something. Only untill the blazers have gone and spent money on 2 other players does he take the bloated net contract. Turner is what he is, a guy that never lived up to his expectations and is a questionable fit with 2 ball dominant shoot first guards. Then you have crab, a 3rd year 2nd round draftee who was busting his ass in summer league last year just to stay relevant. There is no question in my mind who I take for roughly the same amount of money. The guy that they havent even seen the best of yet.

Bad move.

[Ettorefm]

Crabbe was a good solid 2 way player for the blazers but was usually a 3rd or 4th option. Blazers are making some really questionable moves this offseason.

What questionable moves? Signing Ezeli for basically nothing? It's 7.5 the first year and the 2nd is a TEAM OPTION. People were talking about him getting the max before the playoffs, now they got him for EXACTLY MLE money (in the old cap)

Then, they let Crabbe go, which was a great thing. He's not worth that much and they can replace him easily, they've done a great job in finding underrated players on cheap contracts instead of paying for mediocrity. Why pay so much when you can replace him?

They still can sign Harkless and Leonard and nobody seems to be interested so far. They also got Napier for NOTHING (just cash), I like him as a backup making practically the minimum

The only problem might be Evan Turner, but in a year his contract will be even less of a problem. 70/4 is not THAT bad

How is the blazers offseason questionable?

[Saberestar]

Crabbe was a good solid 2 way player for the blazers but was usually a 3rd or 4th option. Blazers are making some really questionable moves this offseason.

What questionable moves? Signing Ezeli for basically nothing? It's 7.5 the first year and the 2nd is a TEAM OPTION. People were talking about him getting the max before the playoffs, now they got him for EXACTLY MLE money (in the old cap)

Then, they let Crabbe go, which was a great thing. He's not worth that much and they can replace him easily, they've done a great job in finding underrated players on cheap contracts instead of paying for mediocrity. Why pay so much when you can replace him?

They still can sign Harkless and Leonard and nobody seems to be interested so far. They also got Napier for NOTHING (just cash), I like him as a backup making practically the minimum

The only problem might be Evan Turner, but in a year his contract will be even less of a problem. 70/4 is not THAT bad

How is the blazers offseason questionable?

IMO they are going to be worse than last season. Not by much, but they have made some weird movements.

Gerald Henderson is way underrated here. He is a very good defender, athletic and his mid range game is money. Very good role player, he reminds me Grant Hill on his last 3-4 years with us...he just doesn't make mistakes on the court and he plays hard.

Crabbe to me is better than Turner too. They are different players with different skillset, but they are essentially SG/SF who are not a first or second option on any team.

Turner needs the ball on his hands to be effective, and with McCollum and Lillard he is just a catch and shoot guy out there...and he is not good at that. Crabbe is better without the ball and defensively they similar players, so I think they are gonna regret that decision.

Ezeli is a good backup big, but he is not better than Ed Davis or Plumlee, so he is not gonna have a big role...just around 15 minutes per game. Good signing but not a game changer.

Napier was horrible last year, he probably is out of the league in a year or two.

Overall, I think they are going to be slightly worse.

[sunsbum]

Crabbe was a good solid 2 way player for the blazers but was usually a 3rd or 4th option. Blazers are making some really questionable moves this offseason.

What questionable moves? Signing Ezeli for basically nothing? It's 7.5 the first year and the 2nd is a TEAM OPTION. People were talking about him getting the max before the playoffs, now they got him for EXACTLY MLE money (in the old cap)

Then, they let Crabbe go, which was a great thing. He's not worth that much and they can replace him easily, they've done a great job in finding underrated players on cheap contracts instead of paying for mediocrity. Why pay so much when you can replace him?

They still can sign Harkless and Leonard and nobody seems to be interested so far. They also got Napier for NOTHING (just cash), I like him as a backup making practically the minimum

The only problem might be Evan Turner, but in a year his contract will be even less of a problem. 70/4 is not THAT bad

How is the blazers offseason questionable?

No one was talking about ezeli getting the max, you must be confusing him with...well im not sure who. You can replace napier with 30 people in the NBA at this point, if you want to grasp for straws and say a 35% career shooter is a positive be my guest.

Then you overpaid for a guy thats been an under achiever his whole career only to lose a young buck who had great chemistry and worked his ass off to get where hes at.

Im not a fan of letting gerald henderson go either.

I was totally on board with oshleys moves last year but hes trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice and is failing miserably.

P.s. cap projection is going down not up next year so turners contract will look even worse.

[Saberestar]

Jared Dudley, Suns forward with Doug & Wolf (7/8)

Suns forward Jared Dudley explains the biggest factory that convinced him to come back to Phoenix. Dudley describes the good things he sees in the Suns roster.

http://arizonasports.com/player/?a=323147

[darealjuice]

Crabbe was a good solid 2 way player for the blazers but was usually a 3rd or 4th option. Blazers are making some really questionable moves this offseason.

What questionable moves? Signing Ezeli for basically nothing? It's 7.5 the first year and the 2nd is a TEAM OPTION. People were talking about him getting the max before the playoffs, now they got him for EXACTLY MLE money (in the old cap)

Then, they let Crabbe go, which was a great thing. He's not worth that much and they can replace him easily, they've done a great job in finding underrated players on cheap contracts instead of paying for mediocrity. Why pay so much when you can replace him?

They still can sign Harkless and Leonard and nobody seems to be interested so far. They also got Napier for NOTHING (just cash), I like him as a backup making practically the minimum

The only problem might be Evan Turner, but in a year his contract will be even less of a problem. 70/4 is not THAT bad

How is the blazers offseason questionable?

No one was talking about ezeli getting the max, you must be confusing him with...well im not sure who. You can replace napier with 30 people in the NBA at this point, if you want to grasp for straws and say a 35% career shooter is a positive be my guest.

Then you overpaid for a guy thats been an under achiever his whole career only to lose a young buck who had great chemistry and worked his ass off to get where hes at.

Im not a fan of letting gerald henderson go either.

I was totally on board with oshleys moves last year but hes trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice and is failing miserably.

P.s. cap projection is going down not up next year so turners contract will look even worse.

No it's not. This year's cap is at $94 million, and next year's is projected to be $102 million. It went down from the previous projection of $107 million, but it's still going to increase.

[Barkley6]

Not sure if this has been discussed, but what would you think about offering Mo Harkless? He'd fit in with our youth movement, and would likely push PJ Tucker to a similar role of Dudley, Barbosa where it's less about basketball and more about personality. Gives us another young piece to work with and for Coach Watson to develop. The beauty of it too is that it makes either him, or TJ Warren potentially available in a future trade without robbing the SF position of talent.

If our depth chart looked like:

PG- Bledsoe, Ulis, Goodwin
SG- Booker, Knight, Barbosa
SF- Warren, Harkless, Tucker
PF- Dudley, Bender, Chriss
C- Len, Chandler, Williams

I'd be pretty excited with that.

Further, the added competition at every position for playing time can only help bring out the best in these players, one of the biggest issues I had with the D'Antoni era was no one was pushing our starters in practice, Shawn Marion never felt like he was going to lose minutes to Piatkowski, but with this group you're going to have competitive practices, where everyone is being pushed and everyone is fighting for minutes, which can only make the team better.

[sunsbum]

What questionable moves? Signing Ezeli for basically nothing? It's 7.5 the first year and the 2nd is a TEAM OPTION. People were talking about him getting the max before the playoffs, now they got him for EXACTLY MLE money (in the old cap)

Then, they let Crabbe go, which was a great thing. He's not worth that much and they can replace him easily, they've done a great job in finding underrated players on cheap contracts instead of paying for mediocrity. Why pay so much when you can replace him?

They still can sign Harkless and Leonard and nobody seems to be interested so far. They also got Napier for NOTHING (just cash), I like him as a backup making practically the minimum

The only problem might be Evan Turner, but in a year his contract will be even less of a problem. 70/4 is not THAT bad

How is the blazers offseason questionable?

No one was talking about ezeli getting the max, you must be confusing him with...well im not sure who. You can replace napier with 30 people in the NBA at this point, if you want to grasp for straws and say a 35% career shooter is a positive be my guest.

Then you overpaid for a guy thats been an under achiever his whole career only to lose a young buck who had great chemistry and worked his ass off to get where hes at.

Im not a fan of letting gerald henderson go either.

I was totally on board with oshleys moves last year but hes trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice and is failing miserably.

P.s. cap projection is going down not up next year so turners contract will look even worse.

No it's not. This year's cap is at $94 million, and next year's is projected to be $102 million. It went down from the previous projection of $107 million, but it's still going to increase.

Ah, ok i never saw the numbers, when i heard it was going down i didnt take in the fact that it would be going down from NEXT years projection.

[sunsbum]

[list=][/list]

Not sure if this has been discussed, but what would you think about offering Mo Harkless? He'd fit in with our youth movement, and would likely push PJ Tucker to a similar role of Dudley, Barbosa where it's less about basketball and more about personality. Gives us another young piece to work with and for Coach Watson to develop. The beauty of it too is that it makes either him, or TJ Warren potentially available in a future trade without robbing the SF position of talent.

If our depth chart looked like:

PG- Bledsoe, Ulis, Goodwin
SG- Booker, Knight, Barbosa
SF- Warren, Harkless, Tucker
PF- Dudley, Bender, Chriss
C- Len, Chandler, Williams

I'd be pretty excited with that.

Further, the added competition at every position for playing time can only help bring out the best in these players, one of the biggest issues I had with the D'Antoni era was no one was pushing our starters in practice, Shawn Marion never felt like he was going to lose minutes to Piatkowski, but with this group you're going to have competitive practices, where everyone is being pushed and everyone is fighting for minutes, which can only make the team better.

Blazers are pretty high on harkless.

[JMac1]

Not sure if this has been discussed, but what would you think about offering Mo Harkless? He'd fit in with our youth movement, and would likely push PJ Tucker to a similar role of Dudley, Barbosa where it's less about basketball and more about personality. Gives us another young piece to work with and for Coach Watson to develop. The beauty of it too is that it makes either him, or TJ Warren potentially available in a future trade without robbing the SF position of talent.

If our depth chart looked like:

PG- Bledsoe, Ulis, Goodwin
SG- Booker, Knight, Barbosa
SF- Warren, Harkless, Tucker
PF- Dudley, Bender, Chriss
C- Len, Chandler, Williams

I'd be pretty excited with that.

Further, the added competition at every position for playing time can only help bring out the best in these players, one of the biggest issues I had with the D'Antoni era was no one was pushing our starters in practice, Shawn Marion never felt like he was going to lose minutes to Piatkowski, but with this group you're going to have competitive practices, where everyone is being pushed and everyone is fighting for minutes, which can only make the team better.

PG- Bledsoe, Ulis, Goodwin
SG- Booker, Knight, Barbosa
SF- Warren, Bender, Tucker
PF- Dudley, Tucker, Chriss, Bender
C- Len, Chandler, Williams

[Saberestar]

I think we have too many young and good players in that 3-4 spots with Warren, Bender and Chriss....and I am not too high about Harkless.

I would pass.