Knights of the round table

[Danimal]

Hi all

Does anyone know what the plan is for Knight since we weren't able to rid ourselves of him at the deadline? I don't remember hearing anything from Watson or McD recently

He is being benched currently in favour of Ulis who i have enjoyed watching and barbs seems to be getting all the backup sg minutes. But then what to do with knight? His value is at rock bottom and still has some years on his contract. He isn't an aging Vet like Chandler so we can't bench him under the guise of resting him. What are peoples' recommendations on this?
- continue the benching trade value be damned?
- work him into a purely off ball sg role and try to get him back into a functional nba player?
- buy out?
- find a way to dump him in the offseason?

[carey]

I posted in the news thread that Gambo said Knight will likely be sitting the rest of the season and his situation will be re-assessed in the Summer.

[Danimal]

I posted in the news thread that Gambo said Knight will likely be sitting the rest of the season and his situation will be re-assessed in the Summer.

sorry only saw it after my post. But what are your thoughts on that Carey?

[carey]

I don't really have any. He's playing poor basketball so he has to take his medicine. Hopefully this forces him to reexamine his game and make improvements instead of pouting and hoping for a trade. We'll see. I have enjoyed seeing Ulis and Williams immensely though.

[The Bobster]

Are we really sure they have a plan?

[UglyTruth]

Maybe they can feel him feel miserable by giving him DNPs and he'll just retire?

He's supposedly a really smart kid who got great grades in grade schools and college so I'm sure he's financially secure and could live off good investments in the future.

That said, he's probably also smart enough to not pass on the remainder of the massive amount of money that's owed to him.

Its amazing, I think even players like Warrick and Childress had contracts that were more tradable than Knight's. Knight's probably the most "untradeable" contract we've had since Kurt Thomas.

[virtual9mm]

Have Knight start every 5 games or so, "rest" him otherwise.

[Mori Chu]

It's bad player and asset management. Playing him 20-30 minutes was bad, but playing him 0 minutes (and telling him it's your plan to play him 0 minutes) is also bad. He'll be upset and could become a problem in the locker room. And now he'll never fetch anything in a trade.

[ShelC]

McD completely screwed the pooch on this one and better GMs have been fired for less. We're pretty much in an unwinnable situation with Knight and McD is gonna have to swallow his pride and take what he can get, if he can get anything at all. This isn't about getting a return on an asset. We shopped him at the deadline and couldn't get an expiring deal and a 2nd rounder. Maybe things change in the offseason. A lot can happen between now and then. But here are the facts: Knight plays the most crowded and talented position in the league; He hasn't shown anything worthwhile on the court since basically Milwaukee. And even when he was playing OK in Milwaukee, there weren't many teams enamored with him or convinced he was a winning PG.

I'm sure there are questions around the L as to whether or not he's even a starting PG anymore. We've completely driven down any value and made him look terrible on the court while doing it. He's also got a ton of money and years left on his deal. We'll shop him during the draft and then during free agency if/when some teams strike out. I'm hoping the Knicks are one of those potential teams. They've had interest in the past and will need a PG. Supposedly they have their sights set on Jrue Holiday but if they swing and miss on FAs, maybe we pawn Knight off on them.

If it's August and he's still on the team, I think a buyout has to be done. You can't go into next season with him on the roster. He's dead weight. I like that he's been professional, because if I were him and his agent, I'd be going HAM on the suns. But I don't think that professionalism will last heading into next season and McD has to know that.

[Hermen]

Zach Lowe said he'd be surprised if Knight can be moved without McD also giving an asset with his contract. In this case there's no point in moving him.

[djy2j]

I'm sure the Suns will hem haw around again like they did with Morris and make a bad situation worse. McDo will be fired here in the next year or not retained. We'll get a new GM with a new "vision", push out the players that aren't "his guys" and the process will start over again. Sound about right?

[The Bobster]

At this point all they could expect in return is a similarly bad contract.

[djy2j]

At this point all they could expect in return is a similarly bad contract.

So we'll be getting Evan Turner then?

[carey]

If it's August and he's still on the team, I think a buyout has to be done. You can't go into next season with him on the roster. He's dead weight. I like that he's been professional, because if I were him and his agent, I'd be going HAM on the suns. But I don't think that professionalism will last heading into next season and McD has to know that.

Why? He's responsible for how poorly he's played. He's been here for 2 years now. We've tried him in various roles and he's succeeded in none of them. I don't understand how this is the Suns' fault.

[carey]

I'm sure the Suns will hem haw around again like they did with Morris and make a bad situation worse. McDo will be fired here in the next year or not retained. We'll get a new GM with a new "vision", push out the players that aren't "his guys" and the process will start over again. Sound about right?

It sounds like what I've been afraid of all season.

[ShelC]

Why? He's responsible for how poorly he's played. He's been here for 2 years now. We've tried him in various roles and he's succeeded in none of them. I don't understand how this is the Suns' fault.

It's absolutely our fault asking him to play a role/position he's never played before. We've never made him the main or even 2nd option in the offense. He's been a starting, ball dominant scoring PG since he's been in the league and we've asked him to play the 2spot and then come off the bench. We did the same with Goran when we brought on Bledsoe and he was uncomfortable and asked out. If Bledsoe were injured and Knight were given the keys to the offense, I think he'd get back to being an 18-7 player same as when Bledsoe got injured 3 years ago and Goran went back to being the lead guard. McD had a vision and it failed. It's our fault.

[carey]

So none of this is Knight's fault? He signed the contract knowing Bledsoe was our primary PG. He also is in charge of how he plays when on the court. I get the frustration with the Suns but I don't think this one is entirely on them.

[ShelC]

Do you expect any player to turn down a max contract? Tell me which player would. Can't knock him for that. We brought him in with the explicit intention of playing him as a SG next to Bledsoe and offered him the max because that was the vision of the FO. Then when the experiment failed and Booker emerged, we tried to make him a 6th man. I get that he didn't play well, maybe intentionally, in the role we placed upon him but this one is still on us. Can't be mad at Knight.

[Indy]

What Shel said. It is not Knight's fault that he accepted our contract offer. We made some really stupid calls, and that should fall squarely on the boss.

[Cap]

It all comes down to Jerry's decision to sell the team. I blame him.

Actually, if I hadn't been born and raised here, I probably wouldn't be a Suns fan in the first place. I blame my parents.