Suns News: Week 16 1/29-2/4

[n4th4n]

It sure felt like there was a Cleveland-Phoenix trade involving Bledsoe that should have happened. Oh well.

I'd do that deal for Chandler. Get him off the salary books, let him compete in the playoffs. Would want to cut/buyout everybody but maybe Frye.

Jose would actually be a beneficial start for use through the end of the year. Smart vet who spreads the floor and knows how to get others involved. Plus he is a disaster on D so it wouldn't contribute to winning!

[INFORMER]

With Love going down with the broken hand, I'd push to acquire him.

Monroe/Chriss/Ulis/Troy Daniels/Miami pick for Kevin Love & Jose Calderon

[Aztec Sunsfan]

With Love going down with the broken hand, I'd push to acquire him.

Monroe/Chriss/Ulis/Troy Daniels/Miami pick for Kevin Love & Jose Calderon

That would be great, we just need some desperation on Cleveland boiling up, hopefully that locker room scuffle is bigger than advertised and this injury puts Kevin on the market. We patiently sink for 8 weeks then either bring him back to see if he fits or becomes offseason bait.

It is a very good haul for Cleveland, just lacking on flashy names. If they are planning on life after Lebron, it gives them many pieces for it, cap relif, young talent, a draft pick and developed talent to keep the team afloat.

[Wormwood]

I'd do that trade. Or maybe one involving Greg Monroe for something a bit nicer (1st round pick in a few years that's got limited protections?) plus Channing Frye, Green and Calderon?

We have enough pieces to make something good happen. The Cavs are desperate.

[Mori Chu]

I bet the Cavs would rather wait until the offseason, when they can say Lebron's departure forced them to sell off their players. If they make trades like this now, then Lebron can falsely say that he's leaving this summer because they tore the team apart, and not the other way around. The Cavs want their hands clean so they can say clearly that Lebron left them despite their having a competitive team.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

I bet the Cavs would rather wait until the offseason, when they can say Lebron's departure forced them to sell off their players. If they make trades like this now, then Lebron can falsely say that he's leaving this summer because they tore the team apart, and not the other way around. The Cavs want their hands clean so they can say clearly that Lebron left them despite their having a competitive team.

Lebron is leaving, and the FO know it, that’s why that Brooklyn pick is out of the table, wich already pissed Lebron off. They are going to resign Thomas to keep them afloat and then slowly descent from luxury tax land, wich is another BIG reason to start already unloading contracts. Take Shumpert’s off their hands in this deal, and they would save a lot of money beyond his $10mill in cap value. (Thank God we can’t take JR Smith without sending additional money out). And under the unlikely scenario where their King stays, they can pull another Wiggins and trade their just hatched rookie with some of their overpriced pieces for another Kevin Love. OKC could send them Melo under this scenario, maybe even PG on a S&T.

They can even use Kevin Love’s injury to spin the move as a win now move, given that 8 weeks is a long time and they already are third in the East. If somehow they manage to switch going from Love to Monroe on offense (it’s not like Cleveland is going to miss Kevin defensively) and given how likely is that Daniels will improve playing off Lebron and Thomas, plus the possibility of Chriss taking as well a mini leap, then you have three legitimate rotation players, 3 for today and 2 for tomorrow, with or without James. Like I said earlier, that package, plus cap relief and a 1st rounder, should make them at least consider it.

[Mori Chu]

I am having so much schadenfreude watching the Cavs slowly fall apart. I love hating Lebron.

[LazarusLong]

James reminds me a bit of Wilt Chamberlain: an oversized personality and talent, a coach-killer whose own ego got in the way of success.

[Indy]

With Love going down with the broken hand, I'd push to acquire him.

Monroe/Chriss/Ulis/Troy Daniels/Miami pick for Kevin Love & Jose Calderon

Absolutely. If you can get him without giving up both Chriss and Bender, and not giving up our pick, do it. He doesn't hurt our draft position this year, and helps up next year. Win-win.

[O_Gardino]

With Love going down with the broken hand, I'd push to acquire him.

Monroe/Chriss/Ulis/Troy Daniels/Miami pick for Kevin Love & Jose Calderon

So many injuries this season! Is GS the only contender that has been healthy all year so far?

[Indy]

With Love going down with the broken hand, I'd push to acquire him.

Monroe/Chriss/Ulis/Troy Daniels/Miami pick for Kevin Love & Jose Calderon

So many injuries this season! Is GS the only contender that has been healthy all year so far?

I thought Curry missed like 20 games.

[O_Gardino]

With Love going down with the broken hand, I'd push to acquire him.

Monroe/Chriss/Ulis/Troy Daniels/Miami pick for Kevin Love & Jose Calderon

So many injuries this season! Is GS the only contender that has been healthy all year so far?

I thought Curry missed like 20 games.

Good point. Curry missed 14 games.

By my very informal count, the NBA has had 22 starters miss significant time this season, and we're only half way though.

[Indy]

With Love going down with the broken hand, I'd push to acquire him.

Monroe/Chriss/Ulis/Troy Daniels/Miami pick for Kevin Love & Jose Calderon

So many injuries this season! Is GS the only contender that has been healthy all year so far?

I thought Curry missed like 20 games.

Good point. Curry missed 14 games.

By my very informal count, the NBA has had 22 starters miss significant time this season, and we're only half way though.

The trick is to have them out early on (and also be a super-team of talent that doesn't really care if one of their normal starters had to sit every game).

[O_Gardino]

With Love going down with the broken hand, I'd push to acquire him.

Monroe/Chriss/Ulis/Troy Daniels/Miami pick for Kevin Love & Jose Calderon

So many injuries this season! Is GS the only contender that has been healthy all year so far?

I thought Curry missed like 20 games.

Good point. Curry missed 14 games.

By my very informal count, the NBA has had 22 starters miss significant time this season, and we're only half way though.

I was way off.

I took Curry at 14 games missed as my baseline for "significant" time missed (this might not be strict enough). Here's the list of players who have played fewer than 37 games, sorted by number of games started. A lot of these guys don't really matter in the big picture (Mike James and Greg Monroe make the cut), but there are a lot of bigger name players here as well.

http://bkref.com/tiny/4lHsf

The link doesn't take into account guys who just got injured, so I added them at the end. These guys are all starters, but I left off a bunch of starters who I just consider to not be that good, such as Tony Parker, Austin Rivers, and Dion Waiters. Of course, our own tragic Brandon Knight is for sure a legit starter. There's probs 10 guys who are starters, but I didn't add them to this list.

Ball
Curry
Redick
Batum
Rondo
Vecevic
Griffin
Reggie Jackson
Whiteside
Chris Paul
Gobert
Teodosic
Milsap
Conely
Gallinari
D Russell
Beverley
IT
Kawhi
LaVine
Tristan Thompson
Gay
Hayward
Lin
Fultz
Love
Jabari Parker
Cousins
Brandon Knight
John Wall

[Shabazz]

Good read on Booker’s development:

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2226 ... l-suns-nba

[O_Gardino]

Good read on Booker’s development:

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2226 ... l-suns-nba

Good read. Thanks, Carey.

[Superbone]

Good read on Booker’s development:

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2226 ... l-suns-nba

Good read. Thanks, Carey.

Knock it off!

[Shabazz]

How do you know I’m not Carey’s burner account?

[In2ition]

Good read on Booker’s development:

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2226 ... l-suns-nba

I love the comments after the article.

[Superbone]

Remember Brandon Knight? He still wants "to help the team win in whatever way" he can:

https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/ ... 4d1483b279