Suns News: Week 4 (11/7-11/13)

[ShelC]

The Knicks wouldn't entertain that IMO, especially with Mitch Robinson on a new deal.

Randle...I'm not sure. I know Suns Twitter (Cooper) is on him, maybe sarcastically, and while I like Randle I'm not sure I want him on the team. He's got all the skills we'd want as a PF, but he's kind of a ballhog and can sulk if he's not getting touches. He's also not a great defender even when he's committed. Just has a lot of bad habits on both sides of the ball. And if we're trading DA, then we're looking at starting either Biz or Landale so there'd be a dropoff. I think Landale would be a better frontcourt partner because he can space and pass better than Biz but can he handle starting fulltime?

I like IQ a lot and would take him in place of Shamet and Payne. I'd much rather push for Obi if he's available, but I'm also not sure if he can handle the starting PF spot defensively night in and night out. He's more of a hybrid 4/5 IMO. Very similar to Amar'e.

[Split T]

Only if we had a deal to use those 2 picks plus Crowder/Saric to get an upgraded big to pair with Randle.

[Split T]

I’ve come around a bit on trading for Randle, but I’d want a Crowder/Saric package being what we send out. We need to do something and Randle would definitely be something.

[Drewsprocket]

Hmm. I wonder if he would have done that if it weren't a contract year? Hope it doesn't come back to haunt him.

I do think in general that he has been driving to the basket too much and too recklessly. I know we want our shooters not to be so one-dimensional, but I think of CamJ as a 3-point specialist. I just want him camped out at the 3-point line the whole game. I don't really need him to attack the basket. He can take one dribble in for a mid-range jumper sometimes, but I don't need to see him down under the basket banging into guys and taking hard falls like he's been doing. I don't think his body is really built for that kind of play and I would prefer to see him stay healthy and focus on what he's best at. This is in contrast to Mikal Bridges, who I think has improved his dribbling and driving to the basket lately and seems to be incorporating that well.

Yeah, he probably needs to adapt. It never looked like a sustainable part of his game. He lands worse than TJ does. There are other ways to take it to the cup with more finesse or improved pull up middy. Fingers crossed for him. I hope it was just a small tear. Either way, he’s sort of older so I can see why he wants his next contract. If he can come back and still put up buckets then he’ll still get a sizable deal.

What's funny is for all of our fretting about Cam getting hurt on one of his precarious drives to the basket, he tore his knee up on what was basically a non-contact play.

Really? What was it? A bad move?

[AmareIsGod]

I'm sure his meniscus injury didn't happen on one play but instead was a combination of things. A ticking time bomb. He wasn't running around with a 100% healthy meniscus that suddenly tore or became injured on a non-contact play.

[Superbone]

I'm sure his meniscus injury didn't happen on one play but instead was a combination of things. A ticking time bomb. He wasn't running around with a 100% healthy meniscus that suddenly tore or became injured on a non-contact play.

From experience, nothing fancy has to happen. If I remember right, I was just going up for a short shot with nobody touching me.

[ShelC]

[SunsRIt]

I'm sure his meniscus injury didn't happen on one play but instead was a combination of things. A ticking time bomb. He wasn't running around with a 100% healthy meniscus that suddenly tore or became injured on a non-contact play.

From experience, nothing fancy has to happen. If I remember right, I was just going up for a short shot with nobody touching me.

I’m not even sure when mine tore. Woke up one morning and realized my knee hurt. And would shift when it was in certain positions.

[INFORMER]

it gets Sacramento off Fox’s contract too

Um, I don't think anyone sees De'Aaron Fox as a contract a team needs to get off of.

[INFORMER]

You'd think the increased aggression would also come with more than 1.1 combined blocks and steals per game, but what do I know?

Yeah, that isn't good.

[INFORMER]

With the cap going up in a few years, Mikal's deal should seem in line with his production. If he were getting $120m, it'd be a much tougher pill to swallow.

This is a hilarious thing that keeps coming up, like his pay this year is justified by the cap going up IN A FEW YEARS. In 2044 this deal will look great!

Yeah, I've never understood that reasoning.

Regardless, Mikal Bridges is a role player. And he has played like a role player. I know the team needs more in general, but I'm not sure why we keep expecting it to come from him.

[INFORMER]

Would you trade Ayton for Julius Randle, Immanuel Quickley + 2 1st round picks?

NY wouldn't.

[specialsauce]

With the cap going up in a few years, Mikal's deal should seem in line with his production. If he were getting $120m, it'd be a much tougher pill to swallow.

This is a hilarious thing that keeps coming up, like his pay this year is justified by the cap going up IN A FEW YEARS. In 2044 this deal will look great!

Yeah, I've never understood that reasoning.

Regardless, Mikal Bridges is a role player. And he has played like a role player. I know the team needs more in general, but I'm not sure why we keep expecting it to come from him.

We have too many role players making high dollars (Mikal, DA, CP3) and our actual role player $$ players are playing like minimum deal guys (Shamet, Dario)

[Aztec Sunsfan]

Only if we had a deal to use those 2 picks plus Crowder/Saric to get an upgraded big to pair with Randle.

Miles Turner?

[TOO]

Would you trade Ayton for Julius Randle, Immanuel Quickley + 2 1st round picks?

OMFG yes.

[Split T]

it gets Sacramento off Fox’s contract too

Um, I don't think anyone sees De'Aaron Fox as a contract a team needs to get off of.

Hmm, I have actually seen that a lot. He’s playing well this year though, so they probably don’t feel the need to. But before there was a lot of talk about Sacramento trading Fox and how he wasn’t worth his max deal. Small guard with a TS% going the wrong way. Being outplayed by Haliburton on a rookie deal.

[Split T]

Only if we had a deal to use those 2 picks plus Crowder/Saric to get an upgraded big to pair with Randle.

Miles Turner?

Turner is actually probably the ideal guy to pair with Randle

[Split T]

With the cap going up in a few years, Mikal's deal should seem in line with his production. If he were getting $120m, it'd be a much tougher pill to swallow.

This is a hilarious thing that keeps coming up, like his pay this year is justified by the cap going up IN A FEW YEARS. In 2044 this deal will look great!

Yeah, I've never understood that reasoning.

Regardless, Mikal Bridges is a role player. And he has played like a role player. I know the team needs more in general, but I'm not sure why we keep expecting it to come from him.

We have too many role players making high dollars (Mikal, DA, CP3) and our actual role player $$ players are playing like minimum deal guys (Shamet, Dario)

Mikal makes 20 million, CP3 and DA make 30…pretty significant difference. Mikal is the 64th highest paid player. Is there 64 players you’d rather have than Mikal? I doubt it…he is paid about the same as guys like Bojan, Gordon(Aaron and Eric), Dinwiddie, Hield.

[specialsauce]

With the cap going up in a few years, Mikal's deal should seem in line with his production. If he were getting $120m, it'd be a much tougher pill to swallow.

This is a hilarious thing that keeps coming up, like his pay this year is justified by the cap going up IN A FEW YEARS. In 2044 this deal will look great!

Yeah, I've never understood that reasoning.

Regardless, Mikal Bridges is a role player. And he has played like a role player. I know the team needs more in general, but I'm not sure why we keep expecting it to come from him.

We have too many role players making high dollars (Mikal, DA, CP3) and our actual role player $$ players are playing like minimum deal guys (Shamet, Dario)

Mikal makes 20 million, CP3 and DA make 30…pretty significant difference. Mikal is the 64th highest paid player. Is there 64 players you’d rather have than Mikal? I doubt it…he is paid about the same as guys like Bojan, Gordon(Aaron and Eric), Dinwiddie, Hield.

And what do all those players teams have in common? They suck.

You can’t construct a championship roster with overpaid role players. Gotta allocate your cash to the front of your roster and then get the role players on the cheap (young guys on rookie deals or vets looking to win)

[Shabazz]

This is a hilarious thing that keeps coming up, like his pay this year is justified by the cap going up IN A FEW YEARS. In 2044 this deal will look great!

Yeah, I've never understood that reasoning.

Regardless, Mikal Bridges is a role player. And he has played like a role player. I know the team needs more in general, but I'm not sure why we keep expecting it to come from him.

We have too many role players making high dollars (Mikal, DA, CP3) and our actual role player $$ players are playing like minimum deal guys (Shamet, Dario)

Mikal makes 20 million, CP3 and DA make 30…pretty significant difference. Mikal is the 64th highest paid player. Is there 64 players you’d rather have than Mikal? I doubt it…he is paid about the same as guys like Bojan, Gordon(Aaron and Eric), Dinwiddie, Hield.

And what do all those players teams have in common? They suck.

You can’t construct a championship roster with overpaid role players. Gotta allocate your cash to the front of your roster and then get the role players on the cheap (young guys on rookie deals or vets looking to win)

There’s no one way to construct a championship roster.

I’m totally fine with Mikal’s contract. He’s not the problem. Not close.