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

[carey]

I've been saying since day one that the contract is too big, too long, undeserved, and that the off season showed us what he is really about. I am anti-Bledsoe until he is gone.

You could be in for a long five years my friend.

[Indy]

Didn't stop us from getting him without any need.....

I've been saying since day one that the contract is too big, too long, undeserved, and that the off season showed us what he is really about. I am anti-Bledsoe until he is gone.

But you would be OK paying a 35 year old Channing Frye 8 million?

[The Bobster]

I would not be okay paying a 31-year-old Channing Frye $8 million.

[Phoenix219]

Didn't stop us from getting him without any need.....

I've been saying since day one that the contract is too big, too long, undeserved, and that the off season showed us what he is really about. I am anti-Bledsoe until he is gone.

But you would be OK paying a 35 year old Channing Frye 8 million?

Yup. IQ, team game and 3 point shot are all things that should last. Channing doesn't rely on his athleticism all that much. Its half of what Bledsoe's getting and its someone who absolutely wanted to be a part of this team. The other half of the contract could have gone towards Dragic next year or towards another big man or 2 guard now. IT/Ennis/Archie makes Bledsoe a very expensive redundant, unnecessary part.

I wouldn't even need to be arguing for Frye (just anti Bledsoe) if we had even attempted to replace his size and skillset, unless they truly thought Tolliver was that guy, in which case, i don't even have words right now. ;p

Addition by subtraction. Eric Bledsoe must go.

[Indy]

Didn't stop us from getting him without any need.....

I've been saying since day one that the contract is too big, too long, undeserved, and that the off season showed us what he is really about. I am anti-Bledsoe until he is gone.

But you would be OK paying a 35 year old Channing Frye 8 million?

Yup. IQ, team game and 3 point shot are all things that should last. Channing doesn't rely on his athleticism all that much. Its half of what Bledsoe's getting and its someone who absolutely wanted to be a part of this team. The other half of the contract could have gone towards Dragic next year or towards another big man or 2 guard now. IT/Ennis/Archie makes Bledsoe a very expensive redundant, unnecessary part.

I wouldn't even need to be arguing for Frye (just anti Bledsoe) if we had even attempted to replace his size and skillset, unless they truly thought Tolliver was that guy, in which case, i don't even have words right now. ;p

Addition by subtraction. Eric Bledsoe must go.

I think it is very short sighted to think Bledsoe is our biggest problem.

[Wally_West]

https://twitter.com/paulcoro/status/545020310542905344

[Phoenix219]

Bledsoe is the most expendable, expensive guard in the line up. He minimizes Dragic, while still turning the ball over and playing very halfheartedly at times. He plays selfishly for a point guard, his defense is *over-rated* and his attitude was made evident to me in the off season. He is one of the biggest problems, the others being a lack of set roles/rotations (young guys needing experience is part of this) and the giant hole in the middle.

[Indy]

Bledsoe is the most expendable, expensive guard in the line up. He minimizes Dragic, while still turning the ball over and playing very halfheartedly at times. He plays selfishly for a point guard, his defense is *over-rated* and his attitude was made evident to me in the off season. He is one of the biggest problems, the others being a lack of set roles/rotations (young guys needing experience is part of this) and the giant hole in the middle.

Bledsoe has nearly as many assists as Goran and IT combined despite playing about a third less minutes. Selfishness is not his problem.

[Mori Chu]

I don't think Bledsoe is the problem, but I do think the 3-PG experiment isn't really working. Others have talked about the need for a big man, but, Markieff Morris is actually having a great year. So what exactly is the problem? When I watch them out there I just don't see the ball moving around the way it should. We also aren't great at defense and rebounding, but that is more of the sum of the parts than a flaw with any one player.

I don't really even know what it would take to fix our team at this point. Every position is stocked with a "pretty good" player. Center isn't a strength, but I like Len and want him to keep getting minutes to grow. PF seems like a weak position for us, but again, career year for Kieff. Exactly who do you swap out that suddenly makes the team a contender?

I think we may just have to be patient and give this (general) group a year or two to figure their shit out and grow together. They actually might be good given time without any substantial additions from the outside.

[Wally_West]

Asked if he was good with the current situation, Thomas said, "I'm not OK with losing, so I don't think anybody is OK with what is going on right now. We've got to figure it out."

Asked if he was good with his individual situation, Thomas said, "My family loves it. So if they're happy, I'm happy. Like I said, we're losing now. And, no, I'm not OK with the situation right now because we are on a six-game losing streak. I'm not OK with it."

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/n ... /20507035/

[Ring_Wanted]

There's not one player you add that turns the Suns into a contender, besides the obvious superstars, but the big man rotation is currently Kieff (good on offense, average at best on D+R), Len (physically weak for a C, but able to contribute where he should and with upside) and Plumlee (should be providing that D+R, but is barely rotation material lately). Tolliver and Shavlik are not dependable players, period.

Combine that with what has turned out ot be a messed up backcourt and you have a clusterfuck.

Just substracting one scoring first PG for a decent PF/C could make a world of difference without needing said big man to be a star, just real rotation caliber, it is, capable of giving you 20 minutes with production of some kind, any kind. A mere Darrell Arthur, Brandon Bass, etc. And if not skilled, at least with a high motor and/or active on the boards and help defense like Dedmon or Biyombo.

The issue is that at this moment such change is essentially a patch, and anyway probably too little and too late given the way things have played out in the west so far, but if the salary wise it was a neutral move, or meant less long term money, I'd still do it. Balance is always healthy and a better way to move forward.

[Dan H]

We need a mid-2000s era Ben Wallace. There seems to be a decided lack of those types of players anymore.

[Indy]

There's not one player you add that turns the Suns into a contender, besides the obvious superstars

I think that is the biggest point. People we counting (hoping) that we could make a similar leap forward like we did last year. That was a huge step up from what was expected, and we didn't do much to make our team better. In fact, we aren't even using our added players all that much outside of IT. And the next highest new guy is Tolliver. That isn't going to make us better.

We aren't going to get much better no matter what move we make this year. We may be able to get better enough to make the playoffs with the right move(s), but we aren't going to get out of the 1st round if we do make it. We need to keep a focus on 3-5 years (as dire as that sounds for us win-now fans).

[iLLmatic]

There's not one player you add that turns the Suns into a contender, besides the obvious superstars

I think that is the biggest point. People we counting (hoping) that we could make a similar leap forward like we did last year. That was a huge step up from what was expected, and we didn't do much to make our team better. In fact, we aren't even using our added players all that much outside of IT. And the next highest new guy is Tolliver. That isn't going to make us better.

We aren't going to get much better no matter what move we make this year. We may be able to get better enough to make the playoffs with the right move(s), but we aren't going to get out of the 1st round if we do make it. We need to keep a focus on 3-5 years (as dire as that sounds for us win-now fans).

I would like two lotto picks in the top 10 this year, if I had it my way. All the while letting our younger guys develop. I don't believe any of the guys on the roster as it stands are the answer to a ring, the sooner the front office realizes that this team is mediocre, the better.

[Indy]

There's not one player you add that turns the Suns into a contender, besides the obvious superstars

I think that is the biggest point. People we counting (hoping) that we could make a similar leap forward like we did last year. That was a huge step up from what was expected, and we didn't do much to make our team better. In fact, we aren't even using our added players all that much outside of IT. And the next highest new guy is Tolliver. That isn't going to make us better.

We aren't going to get much better no matter what move we make this year. We may be able to get better enough to make the playoffs with the right move(s), but we aren't going to get out of the 1st round if we do make it. We need to keep a focus on 3-5 years (as dire as that sounds for us win-now fans).

I would like two lotto picks in the top 10 this year, if I had it my way. All the while letting our younger guys develop. I don't believe any of the guys on the roster as it stands are the answer to a ring, the sooner the front office realizes that this team is mediocre, the better.

Agreed. I think we have some really good role players that could be parts of great teams, but nobody is that #1 guy, or even a #2 guy right now.

[OE32]

We grab that Pels pick, and we could be looking at 3 lotto picks.

[Cap]

Safe bet we won't be sending anyone to the All-Star Game without a ticket.

[Dan H]

I could see Bledsoe as a second fiddle but we very much do not have that guy.

[Mori Chu]

Safe bet we won't be sending anyone to the All-Star Game without a ticket.

To be fair, we do have some guys capable of being All-Stars, most notably Bledsoe. But he isn't going to get All-Star numbers when he plays with 2 other PGs. And no Suns will be sent to the game if we aren't even a playoff team. A balanced roster and a mediocre record don't lead to all-stars.

[Shabazz]

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

The Saturday, 1PM EST game in NYC is all kinds of dangerous.