Free Agency Positioning

Draft day has come and gone and the Suns have nothing to show but some money and cap room to breath. The Suns traded the #21 pick Rajon Rondo as well as Brian Grant and his expiring contract to the Boston Celtics for a future first round pick. This trade helped clear up about $4 million in cap room for free agents. The Suns also received $3 million for the #27 pick Sergio Rodriguez, which does not effect the cap either way. The Suns are looking to sign a couple of veteran free agents in the offseason.

The reason the Suns traded the picks is because all the picks they really wanted had already been picked and nobody wanted to trade down. Considering the Suns intentions on not breaking up the core of this past season, whomever they picked would have likely been the 8-10th man. Suns management wanted to get a draft pick that could come in for this role and have an immediate impact and the players they liked for this were not available. They then decided to dump the picks to free up cap space for a couple proven veteran players.

The main player they created cap room to sign is Tim Thomas who wants to stay in Phoenix but, like any professional, was not going to play for free. Tim Thomas really elevated his game this season especially in the playoffs where he proved he can shoot really well, as well as, defend, rebound, and make clutch plays. What I like the most about Thomas' game is he is big enough to play at PF or center but his game resembles someone who is a SF. When Thomas is in the game playing at these positions, he can find his space at the perimeter which makes the opposing defender make a decision. Does he close out on Thomas, who can shoot the 3 really well? Or, does he stay in the paint and protect the basket yet yield the open shot? PF's and centers do not want to leave the paint to defend. When they do they are at a disadvantage because Thomas is fast enough to drive around the player yet can shoot good enough to knock down the open shot. Either way, Thomas creates an advantage for the Suns. If the opposing player closes out, it also opens up the lane for other Suns to penetrate and go to the rim without worrying about the defender/shot blocker being there. An offense like this with Thomas in the PF/C position is constantly breaking down the defense and making defenders think. Plus at 6'11", he can shoot over just about anyone.

Tim Thomas is also versatile as his natural position is SF so he can play the 3, 4, or 5. He is a great interchangeable cog in the Suns system who is working hard at improving his questionable defensive ability as well as his rebounding. He has shown lots of hustle and grit for the Suns and already has an impressive offensive game. Tim is the main reason for the posturing the Suns have made yesterday and I hope to see him back next season.


The Suns should also be interested in signing a veteran point guard to fill in some minutes for Steve Nash as he needs more rest this season. I want the Suns to get Brevin Knight from Charlotte as he is a great defender, great passer, and can lead a team. He can't shoot but I have heard that Charlotte was looking to move him and I feel this is the best option for the Suns. I have no clue as to whether they will be able to get him under the cap and cba rules because that stuff is more complicated than organized religion.

Steve Nash Has Cornrows!

Steve Nash needs to get some cornrows quick in order to improve his arguably bad defense. Hopefully it will also stop all the talk that Steve Nash is just a greasier John Stockton. Cornrows would make Steve a better defender due to the badassness that people with cornrows command. In a league dominated by black athletes, Steve's 'hippy' hair is viewed as soft. With cornrows Steve could lose the bad defender wrap while at the same time intimidating like only a "bad white boy" with cornrows can. Point guards will no longer be forcing Steve to work on the defensive end by by taking him one-on-one in an attempt to waste his energy on his weak side of the floor. Besides, look at how much cooler he looks pumping that fist. A cornrowed Nash fist pump would strike fear into even the most thuggish NBA ballers. Just don't wrap them too tight, you might get a headache.

Shawn Marion is hanging out and barbecuing with George Clinton. Amare Stoudemire is riding bikes in my hometown of Cleveland with Lebron, Richard Hamilton, Dwyane Wade and Eric Snow.


The Suns just drafted: #21 - Rajon Rondo and #27 Sergio Rodriguez. They have pulled the trigger and dealt Rondo along with Brian Grant to the Celtics for future first round draft pick. They have also dealt Sergio Rodriguez to the Trailblazers for cash in order to try and sign Tim Thomas. I would like to see Thomas back next year since the Suns don't like the draft picks. I like what I see in Rajon Rondo but Thomas is a maximum contract caliber 6th man who really improved his game and impressed in the playoffs. Thomas is often unfocused but showed lots of progress and hustle for the Suns.

Draft Prospects Continued

It seems that the Suns will be trading either one or both the 21st and 27th picks in order to move up in their selection to get a player that can make an immediate impact on the upcoming season. If they decide to trade only one they would trade the 27th and package it with a player to move up. Otherwise they will be moving both picks and maybe even a player to get to the position they want to be on draft day. The Suns are apparrently high on the following players: Ronnie Brewer, Rodney Carney, Thabo Sefolosha, Shannon Brown, and Saer Sene.

I like the idea of them making a draft day trade as they could get in good position to get an extremely athletic pick who would be more likely to be NBA ready and have an impact next season.

Ronnie Brewer
Ht: 6'7"
Wt: 217
Position: SG/PG

Brewer is an extremely athletic and versatile combo guard who can lead a team at the point and create shots for himself. Has very good court vision and works to get his teammates involved with a great passing ability. With very long arms and a solid frame Brewer is a defensive menace as well as a great rebounder for his position. Very fast in the open floor and has quick hands which help him anticipate passes. Pressure on the ball forces a lot of steals. Great all around player who has been called a thoroughbred athlete. He is a decent leaper and needs the ball in his hands. Brewer's father Ron played in the NBA and was a decent player in his 8 year career. To me this is a very important detail. I feel that out of father/son legacies in the NBA, one of the two are usually all-star/superstar players while the other remains mediocre. Look at the Barry's, Bryant's, and Walton's of the league. I feel Brewer could be a superstar for the Phoenix Suns down the road. He could play as the Joe Johnson-esque SG/PG for the Suns like they had in the 04-05 season.

Rodney Carney
Ht: 6'7"
Wt: 205
Position: SG/SF

Rodney Carney is one of the most athletic players in the draft who is also very versatile. He is a terrific all around player who can shoot, defend, steal, and rebound with lots of speed and quickness. Very long and confident he is a human highlight reel. Still a bit skinny, he should bulk up before the season starts. Carney forces shots at times but is improving his shooting game. He needs to put in a bit of work to improve his ball handling ability. He will probably require some time to develop his game before he can have a serious impact for the Suns.

Thabo Sefolosha

Ht: 6'6"
Wt: 213
Position: SG/PG

Thabo is a combo guard that handles the ball, defends well and is good at the catch and shoot. Excels on an Italian team that runs a wide open offense simliar to the Suns style of play. He has recently bulked up and is very long. Great leaper and passer makes him deadly handling the rock. Sefolosha would be a very valuable player on this Suns team because he can defend extremely well with his long limbs and would be able to be inserted into the Suns offense immediately. To have a large impact to the team he will need time to develop but I think he would be a great piece to add. He is very athletic, adept at attacking the rim, but defers to his athleticism too often at times and lacks real range to his jump shot.

Shannon Brown
Ht: 6'3"
Wt: 200
Position: PG/SG

Shannon Brown is one of the most highly explosive players in the entire draft. He has good length, a great first step, body control and finishes impressively. Brown is a very hard worker and registered the best workout the Suns had. He is a very coachable player who takes pride in his tenacity and competitiveness. He is highly aware and sets others up with open shots when he isn't doing all the little things. Brown is a very good character guy who could have an immediate impact coming off the Suns bench and adding to the great collective chemistry of this team.

I would like the Suns draft Shannon Brown if he drops to a spot where the Suns could get him. Next I would select the combo guard Ronnie Brewer followed by Carney then Thabo. I feel Brown could be the greatest long term player in the Suns organization as well as have the immediate impact coming off the bench that the Suns need.

A Juggernaut Plans His Return

Apparently Amare Stoudemire is doing extremely well on his road to recovery after microfracture surgery on one knee and an arthroscopy on the other knee. Reports say he is running full court sprints, banging with other bodies and finishing at the rim. This is great news. Amare has to come back. He just does. From what STAT said himself, he feels pretty confident.

I feel pretty explosive.

That’s a relief. It would be one thing if the man said “I am doing great at running and jumping, I feel good.” But the fact that he is now measuring his level of rehabilitation at how explosive he has come is another thing. The man has worked on his rehab program for at least 2 hours a day since he was able to put weight on the knee in April. This man is determined to get back to the level he was at at the end of the 04-05 season. Amare is going to finish his rehab all they way to the finish, including the often overlooked mental rehab. His knees are obviously fine and he now is working on the final stretch of the process. In my opinion, explosiveness is more than just physical ability. Being explosive is having the will power and mental focus to harness all that talent and unleash it in a split second. Kwame Brown has all the physical talent but is not definitely not explosive. The next test for Amare is freaking hilarious.

Amare will be gearing up to play in the Vegas summer league. Yes the same league that hosts all the scraps from the end of NBA rosters. The same league that is used to give inexperienced players competition before it is decided whether they can actually play in the real league. Now we have one of the top 5 players in the league (when healthy) playing against a bunch of offspring. I hope nobody gets killed. Those will be the most amusing games to watch all summer as bodies are thrown to the hardwood while a basketball Juggernaut works to find the rest of his explosive will.

The Power and the Fury of Amare Stoudemire

Matrix Rumors

Another off season comes and with it more rumors circulating that the Suns will trade Shawn Marion. This is silly talk. Will the Suns trade Shawn Marion?

HEEEEEELLLLLLLLSSSSSS NO.

The Matrix is a top 10 player in his prime and is a key cog to Suns championship hopes. Shawn flourishes behind a dominant player such as Amare who will command double teams. Shawn is at his best when the focus is not on him and he is free to roam cleaning up at the basket when Amare, or anyone else, misses. The past season Shawn was questionably the 1st or 2nd offensive option and teams played him as that, and would defend him as such. Shawn plays within the Suns team mentality and when the team plays well and all cylinders are clicking, Shawn is unstoppable. Shawn rarely forces plays, is a rediculous athlete, a rebound monster, defensive stopper, and can block shots. Oh yeah, he is one of the fastest players in the league. In short, he is a freak. In the L, we like freaks. Shawn is the player that gets 20/10 every night without any plays being run for him. He lurks in the shadows and gets more points and rebounds than your starting center.

The only reason for all this silly talk of trading the Matrix is because sports writers want him on their team. Garnett for the Matrix? Nah, I'll take Shawn.

HOLLA!

Nasty Dunk

Draft Prospects

The needs: The Suns have a couple decent first-round draft picks this offseason and are looking for a player who can make a small, yet immediate, impact. They are looking at a PG that can allow Steve to rest more and not play an exhausting amount of minutes next year. They are also looking at a back up for Amare at the PF position. I do not think they have a dire need for a Steve Nash caliber PG at this time because Amare should be back at full strength which takes a lot of pressure off the PG. The Suns also have an amazing playmaker in Boris Diaw who facilitates ball movement. The Suns also will have a lottery pick next year, which might be a stronger draft, if they want to get a PG understudy for Steve Nash. For the PG position I feel they need someone who can handle the ball without turnovers, score about 10 pts a game, maybe get 3-4 assists, and possibly defend.

The Suns also need a backup for the PF position as they have no solid player to come off the bench for Amare. It looks as though the Suns want a defensive minded rebounder/shot blocker as they were extremely undersized this past season and they want to address that. The PF that they will draft will likely play 10-15 minutes a game, depending on who returns from this past seasons roster. They may choose to trade both picks or trade a pick and player to move up in the draft, if they really like someone. Below are players I think they Suns should draft to fill their needs.

Jordan Farmar
Ht: 6'2"
Wt: 170
Position: PG

The Skinny: A pass first "true" point with the ability to lead a team and set up teammates for open looks. Excels in crunch time, has pass-first mentality, great shooter, great ball handler and great court vision. Very creative. Has the ability to take defenders off the dribble with a deceptive first step. Plays good team defense, which would be perfect in the Suns system. Man to man defense is lacking but could bulk up in the summer and become a decent one-on-one defender. The Suns may want to grab Farmar as the best possibility at a point guard for their 21st pick. Would be a great understudy for Steve Nash as he has shown terrific work ethic and his skills resemble Steve's game. Would be able to take the pressure off Steve immediately and shorten Steve's minutes. Not the greatest athlete and his size is lacking but Nash has shown that such things do not matter with enough creativity, passion, work ethic, and an unorthodox skill set. Should be the Suns first option should he fall to the 21st pick.

Rajon Rondo
Ht: 6'2"
Wt: 171
Position: PG

The Skinny: Extremely quick ball handling combo guard with a scorers mentality and the ability to defend extremely well. Great at penetrating and dishing the ball which would feed right in to the Suns system. Can get by just about any defender with his quickness. He is very long with great jumping ability and is a great rebounder for his size and position. Rondo would not be picked up as an understudy to Steve Nash but could immediatley have an impact playing as a back up to Steve. Not a "true" point guard his role would be to handle the ball, score while Steve is on the bench, and defend well. Many people think that the Suns need a Nash caliber point guard from this draft but with Amare back, Steve won't be so burdened as Amare can create shots for himself and he takes the pressure off the point guard. Also, with Boris Diaw on the floor as a playmaker the Suns need a backup point guard who can handle the ball without turnovers, score, and defend while Steve gets rest. The Suns will have a lottery pick in next years draft, which should be stronger, where they can pick up an understudy to Steve. Could be an extremely valuable addition getting 10 pts per game. He needs to develop an outside shot as he has not shown that he has very good range. Decent mid range shooter. His greatest offensive strength is getting to, and finishing, at the rim.

Saer Sene
Ht: 7'0"
Wt: 235
Position: PF/C

The Skinny: An absolute athletic freak. From Senegal, Saer Sene has only been playing basketball for a few years but has shown enough talent and improvement to become a mid to late first round pick. The Suns seem to be high on this kid who would definitely be a project requiring 2-3 years to develop. He could get minutes off the bench immediately as a shot blocking/ rebounding menace with his freakish 7'8" wingspan. He can run the court very well but does not have much of an offensive game. He would primarily be used as a defender. Critics are wary of raw african bigs due to busts of the past like DeSagana Diop and DJ Mbenga. I think Sene should not be compared to these two because he has shown good work ethic and he seemingly really wants to learn and play. The downside is the Suns might want to get a big with knowledge of the game that would be less of a project.

Hilton Armstrong
Ht: 6'11"
Wt: 235
Position: PF/C

The Skinny: Very strong and athletic big man who can run the floor very well and is a shot blocking machine. Great hands and great rebounding ability. Can catch almost anything and has shown the ability to pass well. Good at puting back misses and is a janitor of the rim, cleaning up everything that doesn't go in. Decent mid-range jump shot but is mostly limited offensively to thunderous dunks. His downsides are court awareness and his offensive game. He makes some defensive mistakes and would need to work on his defensive I.Q. Not much of an offensive game but the suns have plenty of firepower and would look to draft a big time shot blocker/rebounder such as Armstrong to come in off the bench. I think Armstong should be the Suns first choice should they decide to pick a big instead of a PG. They might need to trade down to draft him because he will probably be a low-mid round pick. Could come off the bench for Amare and provide some defense to compliment the offense of Boris Diaw.

Guillermo Diaz
Ht: 6'2"
Wt: 190
Position: PG/SG

The Skinny: An athletic Phenom with incredible leaping ability and an extremely aggressive scorer. Great outside shooter and very competitive. Excellent form on his shot and has the ability to create shots for himself. Good strength and body control. Can run the floor extremely fast and pushes the ball. Smart player and tough. More of a small shooting guard due to his size. Not a great playmaker, more of a scorer. Would be able to have an immediate impact for the Suns as a back up to Steve. Will be able to put points on the board. Has a freakish 50 inch vertical leap. Plays bigger than his size due to his leaping ability. Comparisons to Steve Francis.