http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-stoudemiresuns020509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns Steve Kerr has really screwed the pooch in his Phoenix tenure.
St*pid, St*pid move! You DO NOT trade your franchise player. Id rather them blow up the team than trade Amare. Trade the old guys! Nash, Shaq, fire terry porter for god's sake! just dont trade your best player who happens to be only 26-28 (not sure) Trading Diaw and Bell was a bad move already, not to mention that marion for shaq. They might as well give us Amare for Gasol (but at this point id still keep PAU LOL). WTF is Kerr trying to do.
Kerr's already fucked this franchise, IMO the best thing to do at this point is just rip it down. Nash and Shaq are getting old, and unless a miracle happens, Amare WILL NOT re-sign. A good chunk of the blame goes to Sarver as well, considering he's a cheap fuck and didn't want to pay the money for first round picks. The Suns could have had Rajon Rondo, Rudy Fernandez, Luol Deng, Francisco Garcia, Sergio Rodriguez, and Nate Robinson. One or two of those guys on this roster, and they're doing a lot better. Here are some trades I'd make, if I were Phoenix: http://www.realgm.com/src_checktrade.php?tradeid=4975268 Nash has a good chance of jumping to New York anyway, and the Knicks have no reason NOT to want him, so might as well send him there early. Suns get Q-Rich (for salaries) and Nate Robinson, and a few draft picks. This one's iffy, because I'm not sure what NY's draft situation for the forseeable future is, off the top of my head. http://www.realgm.com/src_checktrade.php?tradeid=4975273 If Portland really wants to make a run this season, this is the trade to make. They get Amare and J-Rich, and send Outlaw, LMA, Blake, Raef, and draft picks to Phoenix. I think this one's pretty feasible, and I'm pretty sure Portland's draft situation is okay. This can't happen until the 10th, though, because of J-Rich already being traded once this year. http://www.realgm.com/src_checktrade.php?tradeid=4975295 Now THIS is very unlikely, but I'll make my case. Shaq goes to the Pistons to help them make a last stand of sorts, and his contract is a year longer than the outgoing Iverson's, but it does expire right in time for 2010. As for Phoenix/Iverson, well, they need expirings. I'd be floored if this trade actually happened, but you never know. Suns roster: PG: Steve Blake SG: Allen Iverson SF: Quentin Richardson PF: LaMarcus Aldridge C: Robin Lopez -- G: Leandro Barbosa F: Travis Outlaw G/F: Matt Barnes F/C: Raef LaFrentz Iverson/Raef are gone at season's end, and the Suns have some cap room and picks to play with.
The owner has fucked the franchise's ability to compete for a championship by being so stingy and selling away their 1st round picks every year. Otherwise the Suns would have already won a championship by now, most likely. Then he hires Steve Kerr, a television analyst who has no previous experience, any experience working in an NBA front office, to be GM (wtf). Kerr's lack of experience obviously shows, as he built this lunatic asylum.
The st*pid moves keep on getting more st*pid. Why the hell do you hire a coach that has a half-court based system and trade your potentially best half-court offensive player in Amare and keep your aging RUN n' GUN PG in Nash??? Seriously... I had so much respect for the Suns when they made a team of Nash/Starbury, Joe Johnson/Barbosa, QRich/Bell, Diaw, Marion, Amare... Now they just F8cked themselves.
i think he is basing his trades on how he does in his fantasy teams. maybe he won his fantasy league by pulling those kind of trades (e.g. marion for shaq who simply went on a tear)
yeah...it was crazy to see him rebuild a team with just vetrans and trading off thier draft picks...lol. he made a painful gamble and he crapped out....as bad as it is....he put them in this situation where pretty much the only player he can trade to get back on track would be Amare...since that is the only player he could trade and get quality young players and draft picks in return for.
^ i don't think Amare is the only tradeable player. i think there would be A LOT of suitors for Nash. J Rich would also attract teams willing to give up decent role players or mid - level expirings. Barnes? eh... not so sure... i personally think his contract is unattractive for such a straky and 1 dimensional player. i think no one would do a deal for Hill and Shaq though, they'd have to be st*pid. (im sure Pat Riley threw a "I pulled off the financial deal of the year last year" party after he traded Marion for Shaq ) Kerr should keep Amare, Lopez, Barbosa, Banks (basically youthful players with light contracts) and trade all the others! LOL
that leaves portland with... bayless/sergio roy/rudy jrich/martell webster/batum amare/frye/diogu oden/pryz not sure jrich is enough of a sf personally. but we kill them talentwise.
Hes too small for SF. Listed at 6'6 but more like 6'4 in reality. He can play spot minutes there but if he was big enough he would have actually played there his whole career a la 6'6 Corey Maggette who is also strong and athletic. A guy with J-Rich's lack of handles and lateral quickness should definitely be a three so if he could be a full time three I'm sure he would have been played as one his whole career. As for Amare, I'm hoping GS throws everything they can at the Suns to get him but I doubt they trade him in conference let alone within the division. Anyone else think the Heat are a threat to get Amare? Pat Riley is gonna jump all over this and he can trade Marion back to PHX plus hes got Beasley, Chalmers, picks, Haslem, etc. to use.
Mike Dunleavy Jr (back when he was baaaad), Stephen Jackson for a very short period, Gerald Wallace, now Grant Hill/Barnes? Jackson and Wallace are pretty good but the other MDJ in W's days and Grant hill in PHX days is nothing to write home about. All I'm saying is look at J-Rich's game; mostly jumpshots whether it be pulling up off the dribble, spot up, coming off screens, etc. Finishes very well but can't drive due to shitty handles. Generally too slow laterally to play good D on SGs. Rebounds well, blocks shots well for his size, hes the best post scorer among all wing players in the entire league IMO. He was a PF his whole life until college. Sounds like a prototypical SF to me. Hes significantly below average in ball handling and lateral quickness. He's done well at SG but he'd probably be a lot better defensively at SF if he was 2-3 inches taller plus his ball handling wouldn't be as much of a weakness relative to other players at his position.
i think this trade would do good for Phoenix (and Dallas): http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=609~1727&teams=21~6&te=&cash= Dirk's offensive game clashes with the likes of Howard and Terry who need the ball to be effective. Amare would give Dallas that offensive low - post threat that Dirk isn't (more of a high - post shooter) and opens up the perimeter for shooters like Terry, Stackhouse and Howard. Amare isn't exactly an expiring contract but he's an upgrade over Dirk in terms of youth. A duo of Amare and Howard to build on provides a potentially good future. For Phoenix, they get a player more suited for the half - court system of Terry Porter and gives Shaq the paint all to himself. When Shaq isn't played due to his customary rest day, the Suns can simply start Lopez he wouldn't be too bad. Plus this is the kind of trade Kerr would do that would make the most sense because Dirk is a proven All - Star. I Know Kerr wants a young player, picks and expiring contracts but Dirk will put them on the same level as the Lakers and could make a run for the title this year and maybe even next.
The trade scenario which made a lot of sense was a deal with Dallas. The Mavs send Kidd to Phoenix and Shaq goes to Dallas. I'm not sure how the politics of it work out because Kidd's departure from Phoenix ended ugly, but if the Suns start winning again his past won't matter. The Suns would be able to run again with two of the all time greats at the point guard position. Firing Terry Porter and hiring Marc Iavoroni back would be another key move.
As a Blazers fan, I wanted to weigh in on this idea. Fact is, most Blazer fans prefer Aldridge to Amare, simply because Aldridge is perceived as an adequate and improving defender, as well as a great character guy, whereas Amare is seen as severely lacking in both aspects (their head-to-head results notwithstanding). And, we agree with most of the respondents that Richardson would not be an adequate fit for us at the 3. However, if Raef+Batum+Outlaw+Freeland+2009 #1 would be sufficient compensation for Amare (1 super-expiring, 3 talented young forwards, and 1 draft pick), then perhaps a three-way deal which would send Stoudemire to Indy and land Granger in Portland (along with the horrific contracts of Tinsley and Murphy) could be a win-win-win for all involved.
