Suns News: Week 8 12/15-12/21

[carey]

Current record 12-13

Last Week.
Monday, December 8th @ LA Clippers LOSS 121-120
Tuesday, December 9th vs. Miami LOSS 103-97
Friday, December 12th vs. Detroit LOSS 105-103
Sunday, December 14th @ Oklahoma City LOSS 112-88

This Week.
Monday, December 15th vs. Milwaukee 9:00 PM EST
Wednesday, December 17th @ Charlotte 7:00 PM EST
Saturday, December 20th @ New York 1:00 PM EST
Sunday, December 21st @ Washington 6:00 PM EST

Suns News.
Isaiah Thomas fires agent as trade season begins: LINK
Dragic hopes to return against the Bucks: LINK

[Dan H]

Going to say we go 2-2 this week.

* Edit and please, for the love of God stay far far away from Lance Stephenson.

[Ring_Wanted]

Ouch. IT's agent the first casualty of the failed experiment. Meanwhile, the Bulls are having their share of troubles too. Taj Gibson and Thibs got into an argument recently...

[Mori Chu]

I wonder if the Bulls would part with Gibson in a trade? They have a bit of a logjam in the frontcourt right now with Pau and Mirotic. Maybe they'd take IT or other parts for Taj.

[Gladiator]

I wonder if the Bulls would part with Gibson in a trade? They have a bit of a logjam in the frontcourt right now with Pau and Mirotic. Maybe they'd take IT or other parts for Taj.

We'd have to add some pretty good other parts I think, but Gibson would be terrific.

[specialsauce]

IT + Plumlee + Minnesota pick for Taj

[Superbone]

I'd give away half our roster for a decent big man.

[Ring_Wanted]

This roster has 'addition by substraction' written all over it. Multiple players for one decent big man is our best shot at getting it together, but even if that's not enough, at least you are opening time for the kids.

[OE32]

This roster has 'addition by substraction' written all over it. Multiple players for one decent big man is our best shot at getting it together, but even if that's not enough, at least you are opening time for the kids.

I want to prepare to make a move on draft night. If Utah or Detroit gets the #1 or #2 pick, I could see either being interested in trading down and grabbing a pass-first PG in the process. A lot of bigs in this draft, but no consensus on who goes where 4-20. I want someone who can play between Alex and Kieff.

Immediate improvement, in my eyes, is not important. I'd take and develop Vonleh if he's available in trade. Established, expense, win-now bigs need not apply.

[Ring_Wanted]

Immediate improvement, in my eyes, is not important. I'd take and develop Vonleh if he's available in trade. Established, expense, win-now bigs need not apply.

I still want to compete, but first the team needs to show sings of real life, and frankly, it's not looking good.

So at this very moment I am still interested in swapping contracts long term money if the result is more balance, but the way things are going, it won't take long before all I want is clearing up the logjam at PG and SF.

In that case, IT3, PJ and Green would be my casualties if nothing changes drastically. For those three I'd be willing to lower my expectations in terms of return from a trade as long as we get cap space and gives Warren and the other youth a real opportunity.

My preference would be to keep the Bledsoe-Dragic combo, but I'm also willing to listen to real offers for Bledsoe. Others might differ, but I'm not just dumping him for a low pick and an assortment of expiring crap or fungible parts with two years+ remaining. Despite all the heat he takes from us due to his TOs, he has been the only guy who has given us a high level of 2 way play, even if plagued by the same inconsistency that affects the rest of the roster.

I want absolutely no part of Dragic-IT3-Green taking the lion's share of the minutes at the 1-2 spots.

[OE32]

I hear you about the two-way play. I just think Bled needs to be next to a playmaker 2.

I want two draft picks for him, or a pick and a high-level prospect. I think the Rockets can probably make the best deal (and they can put him next to Harden) - the Pels pick and their own in 2016, with no long-term contracts coming back.

I'm not interested in subtraction for the sake of subtraction: I want value coming back. I'm down with sending IT, Green and TJ out. That's a lot of firepower. A lot of teams would be interested in a package of two of those guys. Give me a pick and a prospect and I'm content to lose all three. Any two I'd give up for a future 1st and a future 2nd: the way I see it, we'll have turned cap space into cap space and a draft pick. Can't complain too much. That's a big win.

Frankly, though, the PG I like best on this roster is Tyler. I understand if we have to give him up to get a better piece, though. I get all my Suns enjoyment from watching the young guys play, these days. So more young players = more fun for me. The difference between winning a losing is negligible in my eyes, because it's all about the long-term vision at this point. All about those rings.

[Ring_Wanted]

I hear you about the two-way play. I just think Bled needs to be next to a playmaker 2.

I want two draft picks for him, or a pick and a high-level prospect. I think the Rockets can probably make the best deal (and they can put him next to Harden) - the Pels pick and their own in 2016, with no long-term contracts coming back.

Houston has the pick, but not the prospect unless you think Capela is high level, which honestly I don't know. TJones does little with for me with Kieff here, and won't take long before someone has to pay him.

I'm not interested in subtraction for the sake of subtraction: I want value coming back. I'm down with sending IT, Green and TJ out. That's a lot of firepower. A lot of teams would be interested in a package of two of those guys. Give me a pick and a prospect and I'm content to lose all three. Any two I'd give up for a future 1st and a future 2nd: the way I see it, we'll have turned cap space into cap space and a draft pick. Can't complain too much. That's a big win.

I agree in general, and obviously I am not just sending them out for mere cap space. At least one 1stR has to come out of them but I'd look at scenarios with a very open mind.

PJ should be easily to move as a number of teams are in need of a 3D wing or could use him as an upgrade to their bench. Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Clippers, Memphis, New Orleans, Portland, OKC to play Thabo's role, for instance.

Too bad PG is the most stacked position in the league. Can't see IT starting for many teams. Maybe Boston if Rondo was gone. Indiana, LAL and Miami. The 76rs to pair him with MCW.

Frankly, though, the PG I like best on this roster is Tyler. I understand if we have to give him up to get a better piece, though.

He certainly is the only one looking by default to set up his teammates, and is not a TO machine, but I'd have to be convinced that with starter minutes his limitations won't get exposed.

[OE32]

Yeah I don't think Tyler's ready to start, just that he's ready to contribute, and that he'll eventually be a quality starter for a winning team.

Great post overall. I agree with your analyses. My biggest problem with this site is that I can't +1 posts. That's the best thing realgm has going for it. That, and the volume of posts on this site hasn't been enough for me of late. I don't want to believe that the heyday of phxsuns.net is behind us....

[Indy]

I want absolutely no part of Dragic-IT3-Green taking the lion's share of the minutes at the 1-2 spots.

What about Dragic, Ennis, Green at the 1-2 spots?

And I hear you about Bledsoe. He is one of only the 5 guys above the average NBA player on our team (along with IT, Keiff, Goran and Green) based on PER.

[Ring_Wanted]

Yeah I don't think Tyler's ready to start, just that he's ready to contribute, and that he'll eventually be a quality starter for a winning team.

Great post overall. I agree with your analyses. My biggest problem with this site is that I can't +1 posts. That's the best thing realgm has going for it. That, and the volume of posts on this site hasn't been enough for me of late. I don't want to believe that the heyday of phxsuns.net is behind us....

Thanks. And1's are a cool feature. Perhaps Mori can implement somethig similar. The amount of posts is directly dependant on the level of excitement the team generates, and right now we are at our lowest since before last season so until something changes what you see is what you get eheheh. Internal feuds have not done any good to the board either, but we can't blame McD for that, right?

[Indy]

Internal feuds have not done any good to the board either, but we can't blame McD for that, right?

Let's blame Rich Paul.

[Ring_Wanted]

I want absolutely no part of Dragic-IT3-Green taking the lion's share of the minutes at the 1-2 spots.

What about Dragic, Ennis, Green at the 1-2 spots?

I think it's better distribution/control but not strong defender either. The way we are getting killed by big men is what we'd see at the backcourt without Bledsoe or a defender of his caliber.

Despite all his playmaking flaws, I still acknowledge that there are not many guards in the league that can stay in front of the likes of Lowry and Lawson, while also being a threat to score 20+, capable of grabbing quality rebounds and play the passing lanes the way he does.

[Superbone]

If we're going to lose, we might as well see what the young guys have got. I don't know if it's by design but TJ Warren has been very timid on offense so far. I'd like to see him be more aggressive with the ball.

[OE32]

Internal feuds have not done any good to the board either, but we can't blame McD for that, right?

Let's blame Rich Paul.

[Ring_Wanted]

Internal feuds have not done any good to the board either, but we can't blame McD for that, right?

Let's blame Rich Paul.

#wemessupourownboard.