Suns News: Week 17 2/16-2/22

[INFORMER]

He just made some fans here feel good because we drafted him and he's a good guy and he was Nash's heir whereas Bledsoe is the new GM's pet project who's a young, greedy, overrated baller.

That is such a lame take, Shel. Dragic has earned favor by his play on the court. PERIOD.

[INFORMER]

Not by me you don't. You know why? We have no idea what the salary cap landscape will look like. We know it's going up but we aren't sure by how much, in what kind of increments, and when exactly. So how do you evaluate anything with those variables?

You're preaching to the choir. That's McMiracle and his followers that are selling that.

[ShelC]

Dragic's play speaks for itself, but people here are way too emotional over the guy. And there's plenty of truth to what I said. Admit it or don't. You've been the one with the Rich Paul avatar or hashtags and quotes.

[carey]

https://twitter.com/BillSimmons/status/567920086876438532 https://twitter.com/BillSimmons/status/567920402653032448

[Gladiator]

https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/567920962647105536

[INFORMER]

You've been the one with the Rich Paul avatar or hashtags and quotes.

Don't put that on me. I've just embraced that ridiculousness the Blabby and Co. made possible.

And Bledsoe isn't greedy. He can ask for as much money as he wants. I couldn't care less.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

He wants 20 mill and run his own team?
Fine by me, let's acommodate his wishes and get the best return posible.

I love the guy, but if he is about business, so we are. He couldn't handle a down season for the team?
We brought his bench fodder brother from overseas to make his NBA dream true, and acomodate the Dragic family together, so now he can take him to the team he is going to run by his own, right into a quick first round exit.

I loooove the guy, but as Shel C said, he is no corner stone, he has no right to held the team hostage over a trade demand. He is no Dwight Howard, nor Kevin Love, to deliver a "desired teams" list to the front office. He has leverage, yeah, but he is burning bridges with my fandom of him, the way he has handled this issue.

[OE32]

https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/567920962647105536

Someone say something about leverage? Bill Duffy just started a bidding war and invited everyone but the team that wants him the most.

[carey]

https://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/status/567923140229275648 Not big on Jason Thompson... at all. I know we were really high on Stauskas at the draft though.

[specialsauce]

I love Dragic, he's my favorite player on the team. But if he wants off this team and out this city, then as far as I'm concerned there's a nice spot on my hairy ass waiting to be kissed. Ship him out...only if it's to our benefit.

[OE32]

https://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/status/567923140229275648 Not big on Jason Thompson... at all. I know we were really high on Stauskas at the draft though.

Maybe we can clear some cap space in a Goran deal and then use that space to take on Stauskas and Thompson?

[specialsauce]

I hope trading Dragic doesn't preclude us from also shipping out Thomas, Green and the Morris Bros. In fact, if he goes I hope they blow the whole thing up.

[iLLmatic]

And that's fine. We made our choice and he was ok with it until he wasn't. Now he wants out. Get the best deal or let him walk. We're in bed with Bledsoe, which I'm ok with. Dragic wasn't leading this team anywhere at this point. Sorry, he wasn't. He just made some fans here feel good because we drafted him and he's a good guy and he was Nash's heir whereas Bledsoe is the new GM's pet project who's a young, greedy, overrated baller. And it won't ever change unless/until Bledsoe wins a bunch of games for us and changes that perception.

I don't ever remember Dragic saying he was okay with it. In fact I remember Dragic being vocal about not exercising his option at the end of the season and testing the market. He has never made a comment of loyalty towards the Suns this season.

Bledsoe is younger but he is not a pure point guard either. Also, Bledsoe has had two knee operations to repair his torn meniscus already which is pretty scary. We're putting a lot of faith in Bledsoe with the money and years that we are committed to him.

[iLLmatic]

https://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/status/567923140229275648 Not big on Jason Thompson... at all. I know we were really high on Stauskas at the draft though.

Boogie and Dragic would be a formidable one-two punch for years to come, I'm not too sure about that.

[Shabazz]

I try not to have emotional takes on this stuff, but I think this is a bit of a punk move by Goran. We don't owe any one player the keys to the franchise. Management needs to do what they think is in the best interests of the team, always. They thought they saw an opportunity to sign a value deal with IT and have some Bledsoe insurance, they took it. It didn't work out. So give the FO an opportunity to rectify it. This franchise drafted Goran, developed him, brought him back as a free agent (shipped him off unceremoniously, too, but I have a point to make) and wants to commit to him. So give the FO an opportunity to fix the logjam. Don't ask out because your feelings are hurt. Boo fucking hoo.

[INFORMER]

We don't owe any one player the keys to the franchise.

He's not asking for the keys of the franchise; he's asking to play point guard. Big difference.

They thought they saw an opportunity to sign a value deal with IT and have some Bledsoe insurance, they took it. It didn't work out. So give the FO an opportunity to rectify it. This franchise drafted Goran, developed him, brought him back as a free agent (shipped him off unceremoniously, too, but I have a point to make) and wants to commit to him. So give the FO an opportunity to fix the logjam.

You say all of that like it's only about Thomas. It's not. And rather than start demanding certain players dealt, Dragic is willing to say, "You made your choice; now I'm going to make mine."

[INFORMER]

he has no right to held the team hostage over a trade demand. He is no Dwight Howard, nor Kevin Love, to deliver a "desired teams" list to the front office. He has leverage, yeah, but he is burning bridges with my fandom of him, the way he has handled this issue.

It's not holding the team hostage. Should he have lied about his intentions this offseason? And what benefit to the Suns would it be to not trade him?

As for the list of teams, that's necessary information. Whatever team that looks at trading for Dragic is going to want to know if he's interested in staying long-term.

[Shabazz]

You say all of that like it's only about Thomas. It's not. And rather than start demanding certain players dealt, Dragic is willing to say, "You made your choice; now I'm going to make mine."

No. It's also about Bledsoe - a player Dragic worked really well with last year and supposedly enjoyed playing with. We made a commitment to half of that tandem, but haven't had an opportunity to make a commitment to the other half yet. That was going to happen this summer.

Between taking turns when they were both in and staggering the rotation, Dragic had plenty of opportunity to play PG when it was just him and Bledsoe. The IT signing is what upset the balance there.

[Shabazz]

And I'm not saying Dragic doesn't have a right to be frustrated. He absolutely does. I just don't think it should be to the point where he's so offended that he's taking the option to return completely off the table.

[EDC]

Dragic has good reason to be annoyed though. They basically took his team away from him. Pushing him farther and farther away from his natural position. The front office has had all season to see that this wasn't working.

This really blows. Hopefully there is enough demand that we can end up getting something out of this. I really hope IT is gone as well. I really don't want to watch a starting lineup of Bledsoe/IT.

Getting tired of the iso's combined with lack of defense/rebounding.

Hopefully McD can turn his mess into something positive.