Phx-Suns.Net

I'm surprised, impressed, and optimistic for the first time in years knowing that the Suns actually had a plan going into the free agent season!

Can you imagine what the Suns might be able to do with the cap space if they are actually able to work Bledsoe into a sign-and-trade deal for Aldridge? Now they can afford to keep PJ Tucker.

I think they might have good reasons to keep Tucker, as I believe he and Aldridge might have been roommates in college, or at the very least were teammates for the Longhorns. Might be a selling point to LMA.

Ladmo wrote:I'm surprised, impressed, and optimistic for the first time in years knowing that the Suns actually had a plan going into the free agent season!

Can you imagine what the Suns might be able to do with the cap space if they are actually able to work Bledsoe into a sign-and-trade deal for Aldridge? Now they can afford to keep PJ Tucker.

I think they might have good reasons to keep Tucker, as I believe he and Aldridge might have been roommates in college, or at the very least were teammates for the Longhorns. Might be a selling point to LMA.

Suns brought Bledsoe to the meeting with LMA on his request. He wants to play with him if he comes here. If its an S&T for LaMarcus its Kieff,P.J. or Both going out.

Wasn't sure if it had been mentioned...but yea, LMA did request Bledsoe be in the meeting but the report said it was because LMA wanted to get to know Bledsoe. This leads me to believe a few things...

1) LMA didn't personally know Bledsoe and wanted to get a sense of who he was; not sure what the perception around the league is of Bledsoe but his rep may have taken a hit last summer with the negotiations and this season with the PG situation imploding. LMA may have wanted to find out if Bledsoe was some asshole me-first type whom he wouldn't want to get in bed with.

2) LMA, it's been stated, wants to be the man and face of the franchise. Again, the perception may have been that it's Bledsoe's team (given his salary, the fact they moved Dragic, and seem to be building around him) so LMA wanted to make sure Bledsoe would be ok with him coming onboard and being "the man" and first option.

LMA basically wants what he had in Portland, except reversed a bit. Lillard took over as the franchise player and a guy the league has marketed and promoted but LMA dealt with it because they were winning and he recognized the talent. He had a great young PG and a defensive center. We've done our best to position things similarly. I won't say Bledsoe or Knight are Lillard, but they're no slouches either.

Hopefully LMA got a good vibe from those guys and his concerns were alleviated. Still a tough task to get him to pass on the Spurs but I think we've positioned ourselves nicely regardless.

Agreed on all points, Shel.

Well, that's disappointing. I'm still clinging to the hope that we move Bledsoe. With any luck LMA wants him gone as terms of an agreement.

https://mobile.twitter.com/paulcoro/status/619013884318322688

I don't care if this 'doesn't move the needle enough' or if Chandler is a little past his prime, or too injury prone.

The club desperately needed leadership, experience and no nosense guys.

Glad Tyson Chandler has been signed. Far from a waste of time or resources.

I think he's going to help us. I don't think his contract is unreasonable. And his biggest supposed flaw, health, is one that our training staff can help to ameliorate. I like the Chandler signing even in the absence of Aldridge or any other moves.

I also like in general how we are working to purge the team of knuckleheads. I am really happy to see that the FO understands the collateral damage that has been caused by having too many idiots and chuckers on the team.

Mori Chu wrote:I don't think his contract is unreasonable.

It absolutely is not unreasonable. It just doesn't make sense for this team.