2020 Offseason Speculation, free agency, summer trades (keep draft prospect talk in draft thread)

[lilfishi22]

I like Bolden. He's got good length and athleticism for today's NBA which helps with the shot blocking and has the shooting to be a good stretch 4/5.

Good job JJ, now let's see him play

[lilfishi22]

I thought Bolden was bigger for some reason. 6'8" 220

Not terrible signing given who is available.

He is probably 6'8.5" without shoes, so he is a legit 6'9 player. And he looks now around 230 lbs.

You will see tonight that he is bigger than those 6'8 220.

Is he playing tonight? I have my doubts

[BobbieL]

I like Bolden a lot, I think he can be a very good third string PF/C for us.

He is probably better than Diallo, I like his mobility and good range. Defensively he is long and smart.

Hopefully he plays well enough and we can sign him on a cheap contract for next season.

BUT THIS BOARD WANTED DRAGAN BENDER!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think Bolden, Bender - both are similar to me. Big guys who can be cheap with upside potential. Low risk, high reward. If the player signed would have been a shooter like the guy from Dallas - thats good too. Mainly - taking a flier on somebody as opposed to Waiters

[King4Day]

I would have rather had Bender (to see if maybe Monty could have made him good somehow), but I'm not too disappointed. Nobody we sign will help us get to the playoffs this year. It has to come from within.

[Qwigglez]

That’s it we are done with our rebuild. Playoffs baby!

All joking aside, he doesn’t look that bad. Could benefit from Ayton sharing his secret stuff though as he looks frail.

[timetoshinebaby]

I wonder if the giving Bolden a chance is part of a plan to re-sign Baynes especially given we didn't trade him at the deadline. I am starting to more and more think Baynes is someone culturally we want to keep around for his impact especially off the court.

Possibly not but Baynes is someone you'd try keep if you could on a reasonable deal and he is the type of guy who seems like he would do what he could to give a friend a chance.

[Barkley6]

Don't know much about Bolden, but a big is definitely a priority right now. Seems like a good energy guy who can spot up and hit a three every so often. Not a bad guy to have around. Still think they need another guard to run with the second unit, but this isn't a bad signing.

[Kerrsed]

I thought Bolden was bigger for some reason. 6'8" 220

Not terrible signing given who is available.

He is probably 6'8.5" without shoes, so he is a legit 6'9 player. And he looks now around 230 lbs.

You will see tonight that he is bigger than those 6'8 220.

Is he playing tonight? I have my doubts

John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station confirmed the report, adding the big man is expected to be available Wednesday night as the Suns face the Golden State Warriors.

[Keith_myath]

Bruce's KID!!! I'm excited.

Watch on YouTube

[Kerrsed]

From everything i have read (From like 9 different websites):

He is a 3&D stretch 4. Was a highly touted recruit out of HS, every college was trying to get him, decided on UCLA but had to redshirt his first season as the NCAA ruled him ineligible. After spending that season with UCLA, he decided to just go overseas and play Pro in the Adriatic League (Think Saric/Jokic). Wasnt a big deal for him as he is a foreigner already (From Austrailia), his dad played Pro ball for 17 years in Aussie land. Playing overseas really helped him develop his 3 point shot much better (Shooting close to 40% on higher volume than the 27% he shot in HS/College). He was also made to understand different defensive schemes much quicker and was going up against older bigger guys in Europe.

Still 23 years old, is full of potential, Sixers really really liked him, but he got the shaft being stuck behind the Great Wall of Embiid. Then he got pushed back even farther with the acquisitions of Horford and O'Quinn. Still he honed in his defense and is/was grateful as he had to guard Embiid in practice all the time, and yet adjust his defense to also guard Horfords stretch style of play in practice too.

He is pretty much the type of player we have been clambering for. A PF that can stretch the floor, but also defend the paint/perimeter. Monty knows him well from his time in Philly, and Baynes knows him well from the time they have spent playing together for the Australian Nation Team in the World Cup this year.

Him fouling A-LOT is a bit of an overstatement. Those numbers can be skewed a bit as his PER36 for this season was 10 fouls, but he only played in 4 games for a total of 15 minutes (He picked up 4 fouls in the one game he played 9 minutes). His best game was last season against the Wolves (Go figure), he had 19 points (7-10 FG & 5-7 3PT), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and a steal in 31 minutes.

[bwgood77]

Spoiler:

The fix is in: With assistants’ help, Mikal Bridges has rediscovered his smooth shooting stroke

By Bob Young Feb 11, 2020 8
Seeing was believing for Mikal Bridges.

He didn’t feel his shooting mechanics change. But once he sat down with Phoenix assistant coaches Larry Greer and Darko Rajakovic to look at video of his jump shot during his career at Villanova and compare it to his release earlier this season, the Suns forward could sure see a change. The video didn’t lie. He had developed a hitch.

So he went to work with Greer, Rajakovic and player development coach Riccardo Fois to fix it.

“Sometimes you don’t think about it because you’re just shooting, especially if you’re making it,” he said. “You’re not thinking too much. But once you see it on video, then you’re kind of like, ‘Oh dang, now I’ve got to really work on it,’ just to make sure it’s more fluid.”

He figures the film sessions began a month or a month and a half ago. Since then, he’s been putting in extra time with coach Monty Williams’ staff to iron out the hitch. It has still popped up from time to time along the way, but in recent games, Bridges has been on a hot streak with a rhythmic release.

“I just keep working on it,” he said. “Sometimes if I’m tired or if I’m standing up it will come, but I’m just always trying to be conscious of staying low and keeping the ball tight and stuff like that. I’m just trying to be conscious every time of being low, being ready to shoot it every time on the court.”

Over the team’s past five games, all starts, Bridges has hit 55.6 percent of his shots, including 10 of 20 3-point shots. In 13 starts this season, he has hit 45.2 percent of his 3s. And he’s making just a shade under 40-percent of his corner 3s this season compared with 31.5-percent from the corners last season.

But it isn’t just about his stroke. Bridges has emerged as one of the team’s more reliable players and someone Williams will trust with just about any defensive assignment.

“With Mikal, it’s been more than his shooting,” Williams said. “I’ve seen him as a guy who’s attacking the basket. He began to slash more in November, and we saw some residual effects from that.

“His shot has gotten more fluid the last month or so. He was working on it before then, but he’s put it into practice in games without hesitation the last month. He’s talked to Darko, he’s talked to Larry. They’ve looked at film with him from his time at Villanova when his shot was just coming straight up. I would have to say that he trusts those guys because he’s seen the effects of it. I’m really excited about his growth as a player.”

Bridges said he was putting in some extra work on his shot all season, but he has turned it into a part of his daily routine in recent weeks, “just trying to get more fluid” and build confidence with the extra reps.


Suns assistant Larry Greer and forward Mikal Bridges. (Scott Wachter / USA Today Sports)
As a result, his confidence is growing.

“I think it’s confidence from just coming in every day, even on off days, getting in and trying to get better every day, and my coaching staff, especially Coach Monty, just talking to me and telling me keep shooting that thing … just feel comfortable and shoot it,” he said. “So, I thank them for having confidence in me.”

That confidence has allowed Bridges to find a balance between slashing to the basket as Williams encouraged him to do early in the season, and spotting up at the 3-point line.

He said Williams and the Suns coaches are “just telling me to play the game.”

“It’s not slash here or slash there; just read the play and play basketball,” he said. “So, that’s what it really is. I’m kind of slashing less because my teammates are telling me to stay out, because it’s like, ‘You’re shooting it well. Just stay out and we’ll find you.’ So I just find the moments and stay ready to catch and shoot or cut or drive it.”

He joked that his teammates have so much confidence in him that they’re looking for him “a liiiiitttle bit more” with skip passes when he’s open on the weak side.

“They just play the game as well,” he said. “And I think awhile ago I didn’t get skip passes because I’d be over-cutting sometimes, so it’s just me being more confident in myself and staying out there on the perimeter and them finding me.”

More important, Williams sees the change in confidence and the work that has led to it. Fixing shooting mechanics in the midst of an 82-game season is no small task.

“I think it’s in the way he has been diligent about the video work, the one-on-one sessions,” Williams said. “I come to the gym, he’s already in a 10, 15, 20-minute sweat with the coaches. And you’re starting to see a confident shooter.

“Our guys know they’re not going to be taken out of the game for shooting open 3s or getting to the rim. You kind of want to stay away from those non-paint 2s early in the clock — we’ve talked about that a lot — but I like the progression of his game.

“He’s got a ways to go to be the player that we feel like he can be. As he gets stronger and learns the league … I told him today I’ve got him playing five, four, three, guarding (Luka) Doncic, LeBron (James), Trae Young, (James) Harden. He’s guarding everybody. He’s become a really good complement to Devin (Booker).”

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

?s=19

Time for Booker to get in!

[timetoshinebaby]

Bolden has been okay. Not going to get too excited as the opposition's best big is Chrissssssssssssssssssssssssss but better than stinking it up. He probably needs a bit of confidence given his run lately. Might be worth giving minutes for the rest of the season.

[KLEON]

Still pissed they traded Bonner and they know that D.T is now injury prone. If they somehow manage to get Tina Charles and Skylar Diggins that would make me happy

Trade hasnt gone through yet, but its HUGE if we do end up landing those two. Word is everything is in place with Dallas, but they want all the picks that Connecticut just gave us and we arent down for that as Bonner has more value than Diggins does.

It should help extend Diana's career, as she would no longer have to worry about doing all the playmaking.

Diggins/Taurasi/Griner/Charles are all multiple-time allstars and have all played with each other in USA basketball. Its really going to be a gamechanger.

Bold move. But maybe the right time to make a change. Bonner is 32. Diggins-Smith is 29. So getting a little younger. But helping Diana and her career. Which is the key. Taurasi is the best female player of all time. Give her another year or two. Can't believe they got three first round picks for Bonner though. Thats a lot.

I like D.T but I think Cynthia Cooper is the best female player of all time

[KLEON]

Read on Twitter

?s=19

Time for Booker to get in!

Its already a crime that Booker was not selected especially with Ingram being selected but lets see how the NBA screw over Booker this time.

[lilfishi22]

Shooting coach Devin Booker? What?

Watch on YouTube

[sunskerr]

Can the people who worked with Mikal's shot please for the love of god fix Rubio's?

[Qwigglez]

I'm actually a bit nervous if Booker makes the all-star team. He'll be on team Lebron/AD, and Booker may need a new agent soon. If we hear he will be represented by Klutch Sports in the next coming weeks I think I might punch a baby.

[Qwigglez]

Can the people who worked with Mikal's shot please for the love of god fix Rubio's?

Not likely. Rubio would have to completely change his form. Even in games when someone finds an open Rubio three, he pounds the ball once to find rhythm and then he shoots as opposed to most catch and shoot 3's.

[BobbieL]

Bolden has been okay. Not going to get too excited as the opposition's best big is Chrissssssssssssssssssssssssss but better than stinking it up. He probably needs a bit of confidence given his run lately. Might be worth giving minutes for the rest of the season.

Nice game. Granted its just one game against the Warriors but he might be worth signing for the rest of the year.

Having a guy making the minimum for next year as a back up 4 would be a nice option with the way the cap will be for the Suns - meaning, pretty tight to make the moves needed.

Bolden, Jerome and Cam Johnson getting plenty of minutes the rest of the year - would consolidate 8 of the rotation heading into the offseason. Kaminsky might be 9.