Eric Bledsoe [RFA]

[The Bobster]

guess my justification wasnt good enough. meant no harm

make no mistake - there's no way you can have good enough justification to post something like that.

[The Bobster]

https://twitter.com/Gambo987/status/508039738616320002

Since everything should be about building long term, I would have to consider using him as the third guard. The first option is to re-sign him, but if he doesn't want to be here I'd look to move him for comparable assets, if you don't re-sign him or move him, you have to do what's best for the franchise.

[DrSublime]

https://twitter.com/Gambo987/status/508039738616320002

Since everything should be about building long term, I would have to consider using him as the third guard. The first option is to re-sign him, but if he doesn't want to be here I'd look to move him for comparable assets, if you don't re-sign him or move him, you have to do what's best for the franchise.

best thing is, as a 6th man, no way he gets enough burn to allow another team to offer him the max next year even
Rich Paul is such a clown.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Heads up: Listen to the latest B.S. Report or Jalen & Jacoby podcast at about the 35-minute mark. Jalen, who has a more than decent track record with knowing about what's going on behind the scenes in the NBA, thinks there's something to a Bledsoe & Kyrie Irving trade if expectations aren't immediately met in Cleveland this year.

[Superbone]

I love all, but i hate all the same. not racisit if you ask me. If your greedy and selfish, and a jerk then you deserve to be called out a bit. If i said Chink would it be a big deal?

I didn't see what you wrote but any racial epithet is a big deal and won't be tolerated.

[Ring_Wanted]

You don't put Bledsoe on the bench if he takes the QO. The best for the Suns is playing good basketball and winning games, and a malcontent and offended Bledsoe is not better for that goal than a motivated starter looking to show he is worth max money. It's not smart to make things worse than they already are.

Use the guy on the court as you had planned, and listen to offers during the season, but be ready to let him go for nothing next summer if he wants out so bad. Worst case, you had the guy for two seasons at 3M per, feel sorry for a moment about what could have been, and move on.

Under no circumstance take stupid 2 year+ contracts like Ilyasova just to get something. Who knows, maybe during the season the Knicks become open to move their 2018 pick and other pieces like they entertained with Kyle Lowry, although it's Jackson who runs things now, supposedly.

[Ring_Wanted]

Or swap him for Monroe and see what happens.

[Bruiser]

Use the guy on the court as you had planned, and listen to offers during the season, but be ready to let him go for nothing next summer if he wants out so bad. Worst case, you had the guy for two seasons at 3M per, feel sorry for a moment about what could have been, and move on.

Check. Very well said!

I still feel that all of this is still very bad for the Eric Bledsoe brand. If LeBron really wanted to help him to make more money he should have helped him to a shoe deal or something ...

[Ring_Wanted]

If all else fails, up to career ending injury, have no doubts that LeBron will get Cleveland to bend whatever is needed next summer to give his little bro all he can muster.

[Sunsfan4life]

If he signs the QO, it will be interesting to see how the Fans react to him on opening night. I think you'll hear a smattering of Boos. Not that he would or should care. I'll be interested though.

The realism of the situation for Bledsoe is whether he starts or doesn't there are 2 very good guards on the team already and I think Hornecek will play whoever is playing the best. On some nights that will be Thomas and Dragic. So now he has to worry about Health/PT/Playing well with PT. No matter how this turns out he is taking a colossal gamble. I think its a bigger gamble Bledsoe is taken then Greg Monroe due to injury history and the teams they are coming back to.

[Mori Chu]

#BledsOUT

[Bruiser]

https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/508027194816593920

Isn't that Woj saying Rich Paul is an idiot?

[JCSunsfan]

The Cavs de facto GM should make an offer for Bledsoe if he's interested in how much Bledsoe is being offered by the Suns.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Have to wonder if Pat Riley is feeling a bit liberated.

[JCSunsfan]

If all else fails, up to career ending injury, have no doubts that LeBron will get Cleveland to bend whatever is needed next summer to give his little bro all he can muster.

I do not see any way any NBA team can function with four max salaries, period. Bron, Love, Kyrie, and Bledsoe is four. If Bled is in, Kyrie has to go. That just the way it has to be.

[Cap]

https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/508027194816593920

Isn't that Woj saying Rich Paul is an idiot?

Can anyone imagine a contract impasse like this happening with a legitimate superstar, and not reading a dozen stories every day about 29 other teams trying to find a way to take advantage of the situation and acquire the player? We haven't heard so much as a peep about any team other than the Suns expressing interest in having Bledsoe play for them this season. Rich Paul could not come up with a more dramatic demonstration of general lack of demand for his client if he tried.

[Bruiser]

https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/508027194816593920

Isn't that Woj saying Rich Paul is an idiot?

Can anyone imagine a contract impasse like this happening with a legitimate superstar, and not reading a dozen stories every day about 29 other teams trying to find a way to take advantage of the situation and acquire the player? We haven't heard so much as a peep about any team other than the Suns expressing interest in having Bledsoe play for them this season. Rich Paul could not come up with a more dramatic demonstration of general lack of demand for his client if he tried.

How the f*** is it even possible that LeBron makes such a tweet? No way in the world does this happen without Bledsoe and Rich Paul knowing about it before. And if that is so, what were they thinking?

So we know that Bledsoe is not totally happy with taking the QO. Of course, how could he be, right? It might be a very slim chance but he could very well cost himself about 50 Million Dollars if he gets seriously hurt within the next 12 month. It just cannot be a great feeling knowing that and personally, I would do everything within my power to avoid becoming that guy.

When you know there is a very good chance that you will earn about or even more than 100 Million Dollars over the course of your career, you just should not jinx your karma by forcing the issue in order to make it 120 or 150. Feel blessed, do good and enjoy the ride. Life should be lots of fun.

But what do I know. Why not use your greed to destroy your brand image and your commercial appeal when you can make that happen while feeling perfectly miserable. Well played, Eric Bledsoe and his agent.Truly inspiring

[Mori Chu]

It isn't just about Bledsoe; it's about the state of the PG position in the 2014 NBA. There are a -ton- of great PGs in the league right now, partly because most young guards seem to choose to become PGs in HS/college even if they are good shooters. The old SG position is kind of dying because it's seen as being too specialized: a guard who can shoot/score but can't pass or create. Young guards are learning to shoot/score AND pass/dribble/create. And that gets them branded as PGs. By this standard, Eric Bledsoe is essentially being compared against every other guard in the NBA, and there are lots of good NBA guards now. Bledsoe is still very good, but you can get a guy almost as good for a fraction of the price, so his "VORP" or whatever stat you'd like to use, about how much better he is than his potential replacement, isn't super high. You don't max out a guy with a low VORP rating. And NBA teams are getting just barely smart enough to realize that.

It all just adds up to it being a really bad timing for Rich Paul / Bledsoe to go around seeking huge money. It's especially laughable when you add in the facts that:

- Bledsoe has had major injury concerns already in his young career
- he hasn't played a whole season or been a star for a whole season
- he has not one but TWO replacements already on our roster, so our need for him / his negotiating strength is low
- not a single other team is willing to offer him one cent more than the Suns did, even earlier during the FA frenzy
- the Suns have not budged one inch since the start of negotiations
- the local and national media, along with fans, seem to be almost unanimously in agreement that the Suns are doing the right thing by not overpaying him

On and on. I hope this incident hurts Rich Paul's ability to attract future players to choose him as their agent. He's a buffoon, a good ol' boy from Lebron's circle of friends. Nepotism doesn't work.

At this rate, if Bledsoe signs the QO, I fully support the idea of burying him on the bench. There is no point in playing him big minutes if he isn't a part of our future. If he signs the QO, it is a 100% guarantee that he won't be here after next year. And we have Dragic and Thomas and Ennis who can make valuable use of those same minutes and who all may be part of our long-term future as a franchise. I say bench him, give him spot duty only, and trade him for anything of value as soon as possible.

All of this assumes he takes the QO. If he has a change of heart and accepts an offer at/near $48m/4, I will welcome him back with open arms. I can't totally hold him accountable for believing the grandiose promises of his buffoon of an agent or being starstruck by his new buddy Lebron. If he wants to play here and takes a reasonable contract, I'd love having him in purple and orange for years to come, despite the current fuss.

[Dan H]

I'm just ready for the situation to be resolved one way or another. It would be one thing if he was an all-time great that we were debating about, this is akin to Cedric Ceballos holding out during the Barkley years and saying he wants a max deal. Solid player, somebody you want to keep, but not a world-beater.

[JCSunsfan]

Mori, I agree with alot of what you say. But this will not hurt Rich Paul's ability to sign players. As long as he represent LeBron, starry-eyed 19 year olds will sign with him just to catch a little LeBron magic dust.

[Bruiser]

At this rate, if Bledsoe signs the QO, I fully support the idea of burying him on the bench. There is no point in playing him big minutes if he isn't a part of our future. If he signs the QO, it is a 100% guarantee that he won't be here after next year. And we have Dragic and Thomas and Ennis who can make valuable use of those same minutes and who all may be part of our long-term future as a franchise. I say bench him, give him spot duty only, and trade him for anything of value as soon as possible.

All of this assumes he takes the QO. If he has a change of heart and accepts an offer at/near $48m/4, I will welcome him back with open arms. I can't totally hold him accountable for believing the grandiose promises of his buffoon of an agent or being starstruck by his new buddy Lebron. If he wants to play here and takes a reasonable contract, I'd love having him in purple and orange for years to come, despite the current fuss.

Well, I fear I have to agree with every bit of that.

About time to make a decision, Eric Bledsoe.
Where and who do you want to be?