<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Phoenix Suns signed free agent Steven Hunter to bolster their inside game. The 7-foot center played a career-high 59 games with the Orlando Magic. He started in 23 games, averaging 5.4 point, 4.7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 21.6 minutes. ``Steven Hunter's athleticism, shot blocking and rebounding ability give us an added dimension to address the need in the middle,'' Suns president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said Friday. Hunter averaged 3.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.05 blocks in 12.1 minutes in 145 career games with Orlando.</div> <div align="center">Link</div>
Good signing in my opinion. Hunter is a guy who has proved nothing in this league. He has been very inconsistent. I think though he is hungry this year. He is training with Tim Grover MJ's old trainer. He has added muscle and has watched tapes of Great defensive players and rebounders all summer. This guy knows what the Suns want him to do. Rebound, defend, run the floor, and make garbage shots. Personally for $720,000 this is a great signing. Also take into account that he has played with Q and is comfortable playing with him. This guy maybe soft but playing with Amare will change that, plus I think this guy wants to be good. You can tell by how hard he has trained this summer. I think the Cavs will truly regret that they realeased him. This guy could end up being a gem. I don't expect much from him but if we get 6ppg 9 rpg 1-2bpg I will be overjoyed (this truly says something about Suns centers the past decade). Overall a great signing for the veterans minimum. Props to Bryan C. for a great summer.
Hunter has the athleticis, but his IQ is very low, he could be a good defender but isn't because of his basketball IQ. Hunter still has potential, and I like him, but he said he would be an All-Star in three years after he was drafted, little did he know you actually need to work on your offense and your total game for that to happen. Good signing, Hunter still has potential and could be useful.
I dont think Amare is going to be happy with their new "legit" center, but Hunter still has time to improve and he will get minutes here wont he? Or is he just going to be starting and splitting the minutes equally with Lampe?
Does this mean the Suns won't be trading Marion??? I hope so I live in Australia and I was recently watching the US vs Aus match and Marion killed!! I've been a Suns fan for along time and believe me it's hard getting NBA gamesa down under. Though when I have watched them Marion seems to be great. I've never heard of Steven Hunter but as long as Marion, Q or JJ don't get traded I'm a happy camper.
Its an ok sign ing nothing big,Hunter has lots of potential but he seems to have some issues,if he can get his mind right he could be something serious one day. I hope this isnt the answer to the Suns hole at the C position,even tough Hunter is a solid player I really dont think he is ready to start yet,if they give him some nice mins off the bench then he will be more effective.
Don't expect much from Hunter. He's not starting material and has several years before he reaches that point. On defense he looks like he's lost and lets his defenders slip past him. He needs to work on his offensive game, and his footwork downlow. On the positive side, he's a decent shot blocker.
well i love this aquistion of youth to the suns. hoepfeully amre can instill some work ethic in the dude and they can be a force to gether to reckon with an the post. the suns are shaping up majorly i cant wait to see how everything goes down during the season. and i hoep they let joe johnson get some playing time. whos knows maytheyll run some lineups with q at sg joe at sf and marion at pf with steven at the c sometimes during games just to spice things up.
I'm glad the Suns picked up Hunter. He does have potential, and has been working really hard in the offseason. Something you gotta remember is how great of a coaching staff we have, as far as young players are concerned. More than coaches, the assistants are excellent teachers, especially with big men. This also gives the team more lineup options. If they want a small, fast line up then you go with Nash, Q, JJ, Marion, Amare. If you want big, but atletic you go JJ, Q, Marion, Amare, Hunter/Zarko. Either way, we can't judge the team yet without seeing them play yet. I for one, expect great things from these guys.
I don't see whats wrong with Hunter for $720,000!? I don't think anybody expects great things from him at all. I expect 5ppg 6rpg and 2bpg. I also think he should start, unless we sign another 5 like Scott Williams. Little Jake is best suited in a backup role providing great energy off the bench. You also can't forget about M. Lampe who has been working out all summer. He is supposedly working on defense, rebounding, and many other abilities that a great 5 must possess. He has also been hitting the weightroom hard. I still see a weakness at the Center position but it was much weaker about a week ago.
Very good move. I hated when the magic tossed in Steven Hunters contract in the Battie trade because he has got very good size he is listed at seven foot one. He is also young so a good young body that the Magic could have used to tosss at Shaq would have been a huge help. His down side is he is as inconsistant as they come. He can play well one night basically play like a seven footer should. Then the next night play like a guy thats four feet tall ( not gona say five feet tall because earl buycons(sp?) is pretty good). If he can improve that and learn to use his body fully he will be good also they where in need of a big man getting him some what fills that hole.
Do any Magic fans have posotive things to say about Steven Hunter that Phoenix Suns fans have not seen at this point?
