Suns and Bledsoe on the Verge of Irreparable Relationship

[jcsunsfan]

John Stockton was on the 92' dream team. Steve Nash has two MVP's. Goran Dragic is Goran Dragic. If you really think 4-5 years from now Dragic will still be a high level player then you're just flat out wrong. 4 years from now, when Goran Dragic is 33 years old, he will either be starting for a bottom feeder like the 76'ers, or coming off the bench for fringe playoff team.

At this same point in time, Bledsoe will still be running fast and jumping high.

His point, which I agree with, is that PGs in general seem to be able to play their peak game longer than other positions. The rules protect them and they generally are not very physical in their games. I agree the most athletic ones would fall off faster, but I think Dragic at 32 will be pretty close to his peak especially because he will have even more intangibles and experience by then to rely on. PG is a very mental position.

But his point is all wrong. Its the other way around. In the last 5 years the only PG's to play at a high level after 32 are...

Chauncey Billups
Steve Nash
Jason Terry
Andre Miller


That is just Four guys in the last 5 years. So yea, this is not common at all and not something to 'expect' out of a guy like Dragic. Especially to pass up on a dynamic young athlete like Bledsoe.

You can't deny history.

Dragic does not have an injury history and does not have alot of nba miles under his belt. With Eric's meniscus issues, the likelihood of the two of them retiring about the same time is pretty good. Dragic will probably be effective until 34-5 years old or so. Eric is likely headed on a Dwayne Wade trajectory and will be about done at 31.

BTW. The Suns med staff is the best in the league. Eric has a chance at a longer, more lucrative career playing with the Suns. Eric's team cannot try to negotiate as if the injury issues do not exist.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2 ... under-suns

That’s because of the delicate nature of the procedure Rose underwent. When a player has a tear in the meniscus, the surgeon can either remove the torn portion or choose to repair it by sewing it back together. Removal is an easier path, with shorter recovery time, but it leaves the player without a portion of the shock absorption his knee requires, and could leave him prone to arthritis later on.

[I_Never Lied]

The nature of restricted free agency is that teams are willing to take the chance on the Suns matching. That is what happened with Hayward and Parsons. No one even bothered to take that chance on Eric. There are always people who make their excuses "Oh, we would have given you 60 but we knew the Suns would have matched" crap. Hey, Eric. I am sorry. They were lying. Yes, if he was unrestricted, maybe. But the fact is that he is an unrestricted free agent, which by its very nature makes it harder to get a max contract. That's what the CBA is designed to do.

Eric's camp has not even talked to the Suns in four months according to published reports. That is incredibly unprofessional. Maybe there is a difference in negotiations and maybe they are far apart. But you do not insult the people who have your future in their power either through a big contract or trade. The best possible outcome for this situation is for Eric Bledsoe and the Suns to work our a win-win deal. You cannot do that if you do not talk.

I admire the Suns front office in this situation. They have said nothing but positive things about Eric and his agent during this process. Sarver even went public and denounced a local reporter who ripped on Eric's agent.

I really want Eric Bledsoe on the Suns. I really like him as a player. This whole thing sickens me. The attitude shown by Eric's camp, and by you in this thread is what sickens me about the NBA.

Good grief Eric. Come to the bargaining table. Squeeze out a couple more million. Ask for a PO in year four. THAT will secure your future. Then play your brains out and opt out in three years and get your big pay day. THAT is the smart move and EVERYONE in the NBA will say so.

Who are the Suns? What have they done and what do they have going for them? Nothing. You can be sick all you want but this is an entertainment Business. I know for a fact that when the Suns come to my town to play, I'm not going there to see Markeif Morris or Goran Dragic. The Sun don't have any other players except for Green that people pay to see play. Bledsoe is the most dynamic thing that has graced your city since Amare.

That cost money.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1958 ... ust-see-tv

And that's besides being named the "Other One Man Fastbreak" and one of the "most exciting players in the league" by guys like Magic, Steve Nash and Jerry Colangelo.

Go home dude and play some xbox.

The opinions Magic and Colangelo? Please, do tell me. Who does Bernie Bickerstaff and Tommy Heinsohn think is exciting to watch?

[bwgood77]

Rich Paul is a moron, who shouldn't be representing anyone as an agent. But these dumb players fall for his BS and it's only hurting the players he represents.

Bledsoe deserves to lose more and more money each day for letting a bum like rich Paul be associated with him.

So Rich Paul sells jerseys from his car and now he is an agent. That's definitely not someone who should be a professional athletes agent. He shouldn't be allowed within 10 feet of professional athletes.


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Yeah, it will be interesting to see how many players sign up with him in the future now that this fiasco has happened. He may try it with Tristan Thompson too, a guy that won't even start. He's making an ass out of himself.

[NapoleonII]

Who are the Suns? What have they done and what do they have going for them? Nothing. You can be sick all you want but this is an entertainment Business. I know for a fact that when the Suns come to my town to play, I'm not going there to see Markeif Morris or Goran Dragic. The Sun don't have any other players except for Green that people pay to see play. Bledsoe is the most dynamic thing that has graced your city since Amare.

That cost money.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1958 ... ust-see-tv

And that's besides being named the "Other One Man Fastbreak" and one of the "most exciting players in the league" by guys like Magic, Steve Nash and Jerry Colangelo.

Go home dude and play some xbox.

The opinions Magic and Colangelo? Please, do tell me. Who does Bernie Bickerstaff and Tommy Heinsohn think is exciting to watch?

Well, I'm more than willing to bet they trump yours.

[Sunsdeuce]

Bledsoe doesn't owe the Pheonix fans anything. He's only been there for 5 minutes. This is business we talking bout. If you really think Bledsoe is pricing himself out the market then you're gonna be in for a rude awakening. It sounds like you were just hoping to get a young dynamic high flying player on your team for a Steph Curry deal. Well Steph Curry is stupid and didn't believe in himself or his ability to get healthy and play at a high level. But if you have that confidence in your ability, you will look these Donald Sterling owners in the face and tell em'.

"F U, Pay ME". Straight like that.

He's already priced himself out of the market! If he's worth a max deal, he would've seen them flowing in but none have. Not a single one. How the hell do you price yourself out the market if there is no market? Rich Paul has priced his client out the market and is too proud/stubborn to take a very reasonable deal the Suns have on the table.

How do you know Bledsoe hasn't already heard from other teams that they will offer 60? How do you know they are not going to offer it because Phoenix said they will match. Please don't just assume things.

By all means go sign a deal than. Oh, thats right he hasnt because there is no other deal (especially in the 60 mil range).

Honestly at this point, I would rather have a less talented (harder working) player than Bledsoe's diva butt. Besides, the Suns really dont need another PG at this point. Goran is better and Thomas put up better numbers than Bledsoe anyway. I would rather see Bledsoe sign a big contract with a team like the bucks and see his team lose year after year.

Bledsoe has crossed the threshold where he is just another annoying selfish athlete that needs to go somewhere else. Oh, and dont forget to take that jersey sellsman with him, Rich Paul.

[Sunsdeuce]

Who are the Suns? What have they done and what do they have going for them? Nothing. You can be sick all you want but this is an entertainment Business. I know for a fact that when the Suns come to my town to play, I'm not going there to see Markeif Morris or Goran Dragic. The Sun don't have any other players except for Green that people pay to see play. Bledsoe is the most dynamic thing that has graced your city since Amare.

That cost money.

A year ago only a hand full of people really knew who Bledsoe was. Thanks to the suns people know who he is now. In all honesty Suns fans came to see the Most Improved Player of the year. Goran Dragic! People wearing Goran jerseys outnumber bledsoe jerseys 30 to 1 in Phoenix. So there is just another argument of your that is bogus!

[inquisitive]

I'm still waiting for him to sign that QO...so he can be set free...lol

[Kerrsed]

I'm still waiting for him to sign that QO...so he can be set free...lol

He wont.

Do you honestly think he will play for his $3.7M QO (passing on a new contract that guarantee's him a hell of a lot more money) with his injury history? The kid has had 2 surgeries on his right knee in the past 3 years. Thats the whole reason that they (Bled&RP) are fighting as hard as they are, as his knee is working on borrowed time and this is most likely the biggest contract that Bledsoe will ever see in his career. If he took the QO next season and got injured, he would be royally f**cked.

He's looking for that Grant Hill Orlando Magic deal. He wants max years/money that way when his knee gives out again, he can ride the pine collecting checks and stacking racks. His contract after that one will be small and for a contender, where he might be able to provide a small solid bench role.

[bhawk]

Something to consider... I bet our offer is contingent on a physical which Bledsoe and his agent are reluctant to accept. Maybe they are buying time so that knee heals a little bit more to give him a clean bill of health? Risk, risk, risk... That knee may be a bigger issue than we are giving it credit.

What if he played injured at the tail end of the season so that we wouldn't require a physical???

Conspiracy theorists unite!

[ubernathan]

Bledsoe should just take the qualifying offer and sit the year out. So what if he forfeits his pay, he'll be a free agent next year and get a big contract since he stayed injury free.

There's no guarantee that he'll be injury free if he takes the qualifying offer. He could take the qualifying offer AND get injured. Taking the qualifying offer means he's not allowed to sit out the year, but required to play for the Suns at the below market value of $3.7M during what should be a prime earning year in his career.

When was the last time that a free agent with an injury history chose the Qualifying Offer during a prime earning year instead of taking a long term deal? Even if the long term deal is not as lucrative as he may feel he deserves.

Oh, he shouldn't play. Just take the offer and refuse to take the court; what can they do?

[lilfishi22]

How do you know Bledsoe hasn't already heard from other teams that they will offer 60? How do you know they are not going to offer it because Phoenix said they will match. Please don't just assume things.

You're assuming. I'm looking at facts and facts are, there has not been a single offer. You're assuming there's a bunch of teams out there clambering to get their max offer out to Bledsoe and that just isn't the case.

It does not matter who did it and whether he was sane or not. It happened then and its gonna happen again. This is a once in a life time opportunity.

And it just shows you're crazy offering that kind of money to an athletic guard with bad knees. Eric Gordon is a prime example why the Suns made the first mistake by offering a max deal and the Pels made an even bigger mistake matching it.

[lilfishi22]

Something to consider... I bet our offer is contingent on a physical which Bledsoe and his agent are reluctant to accept. Maybe they are buying time so that knee heals a little bit more to give him a clean bill of health? Risk, risk, risk... That knee may be a bigger issue than we are giving it credit.

What if he played injured at the tail end of the season so that we wouldn't require a physical???

Conspiracy theorists unite!

I'm pretty sure most contracts are like that. They probably haven't come in for a physical because they feel if we do the physical and we suddenly withdraw our offer or significantly lower the offer, it'll basically tell everyone else in the league there's red flags.

[Kerrsed]

http://arizonasports.com/41/1758061/NBA ... o-a-corner

[aIvin adams]

http://arizonasports.com/41/1758061/NBA-insider-Bledsoe-agent-boxed-into-a-corner

"A lot of this, I think, is posture. The idea that it's so poisonous and they can't go back - everybody can go back. I don't buy that."

No kidding..

[NapoleonII]

Nope, the Suns are just penny-pincher, Euro-obsessed nitwits and Bledsoe is a better-than-Westbrook, electric point guard about to enter his "prime".

Let's give the man with the bad knees 15 million dollars for 5 years and call it a day.

[inquisitive]

I'm still waiting for him to sign that QO...so he can be set free...lol

He wont.

Do you honestly think he will play for his $3.7M QO (passing on a new contract that guarantee's him a hell of a lot more money) with his injury history? The kid has had 2 surgeries on his right knee in the past 3 years. Thats the whole reason that they (Bled&RP) are fighting as hard as they are, as his knee is working on borrowed time and this is most likely the biggest contract that Bledsoe will ever see in his career. If he took the QO next season and got injured, he would be royally f**cked.

He's looking for that Grant Hill Orlando Magic deal. He wants max years/money that way when his knee gives out again, he can ride the pine collecting checks and stacking racks. His contract after that one will be small and for a contender, where he might be able to provide a small solid bench role.

i don't either...he would be stupid to turn down the 4yr/48mil...he is embarrassing himself now...but he might do it due to people telling him, "i told you so"

[spaceballer]

Bledsoe should just take the qualifying offer and sit the year out. So what if he forfeits his pay, he'll be a free agent next year and get a big contract since he stayed injury free.

There's no guarantee that he'll be injury free if he takes the qualifying offer. He could take the qualifying offer AND get injured. Taking the qualifying offer means he's not allowed to sit out the year, but required to play for the Suns at the below market value of $3.7M during what should be a prime earning year in his career.

When was the last time that a free agent with an injury history chose the Qualifying Offer during a prime earning year instead of taking a long term deal? Even if the long term deal is not as lucrative as he may feel he deserves.

Oh, he shouldn't play. Just take the offer and refuse to take the court; what can they do?

No, they can't do that. If he takes the qualifying offer and then refuses to take the court, they will sue him for breach of contract, in addition to suspension or expulsion from the league along with docked pay.

[bwgood77]

Oh, he shouldn't play. Just take the offer and refuse to take the court; what can they do?

Take which offer? The QO? If he does that and doesn't take the court, I doubt many teams will be lining up to sign him for a max deal. He will need to make up that $9 million he lost by playing for the QO too over the next three years so would need to make $15 million a year the following three years just to break even with the Suns offer.

[spanishninja]

Nope, the Suns are just penny-pincher, Euro-obsessed nitwits and Bledsoe is a better-than-Westbrook, electric point guard about to enter his "prime".

Let's give the man with the bad knees 15 million dollars for 5 years and call it a day.

Heh, if it were 15 OVER 5 years Suns would be hopping to sign.

[spanishninja]

Who are the Suns? What have they done and what do they have going for them? Nothing. You can be sick all you want but this is an entertainment Business. I know for a fact that when the Suns come to my town to play, I'm not going there to see Markeif Morris or Goran Dragic. The Sun don't have any other players except for Green that people pay to see play. Bledsoe is the most dynamic thing that has graced your city since Amare.

That cost money.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1958 ... ust-see-tv

And that's besides being named the "Other One Man Fastbreak" and one of the "most exciting players in the league" by guys like Magic, Steve Nash and Jerry Colangelo.

Go home dude and play some xbox.

The opinions Magic and Colangelo? Please, do tell me. Who does Bernie Bickerstaff and Tommy Heinsohn think is exciting to watch?

Personally I trust Magic a hell of a lot more than Bickerstaff on the subject of exciting basketball. You know, that Showtime stuff.