Gentlemen, no need for personal attacks. I think Phoenix has to force the Hawks to except a sign and trade, letting Joe Johnson go for nothing doesn't make any sense. Do you think JJ recruits Hunter to play in ATL, since the Hawks don't have anyone playing Center? If the Suns cannot pull off a sign and trade, I think they should go after Reggie Evans and Damon Jones.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Mr.Wade:</div><div class="quote_post">Excuses... It's bad they didn't have JJ but every always gets shot in the playoffs, the Heat lost Wade, Shaq and got others injured... every year there will be injuries in the playoffs, it's an 82 game+ season, not everyone is an iron man. Q playing awful is just S.A playing something called DEFENSE, is that something new to Phoenix and their fans? Um, last I heard noone in the league can guard the 2 time MVP, 3 time Finals MVP in a 7 game series. I'll say it again, there's a reason why NYK didn't want anything to do with Kurt Thomas. Alright, it's his least favourite player to play against... so what? That doesn't mean Bell can stop Manu every play night in and night out in a 7 game series. Plus with Bell out there so much, he's gotta do something on the offesnive end as well, which he can't. If Prince can't stop Manu, I'm not sure who else in the league can while he's with Duncan. Hm, they lost JJ, they might lose Hunter. That leaves them with: Nash, Barbosa and Bell in the backcourt. Front court of Amare, Marion, Thomas, Jackson... Walter is garbage. That's 1 quality sub for backcourt, and 1 for frontcourt... Play some D.</div> 1. Q was not bad because of San Antonio's defense. He was bad a few games before the playoffs, bad vs. Memphis, bad vs. Dallas, and bad vs. the Spurs too. And let's not forget his first 20 games. 2. Yes they can guard Tim Duncan. When Steven Hunter and Amare were in at the same time Duncan struggled. That did happen, I saw it happen. Then when Hunter or Amare left Duncan scored, but if you have 2 big guys in there you can contain Duncan. 3. Raja isn't going to stop him every night but will do a very good job of it. He is a good defensive player, Manu didlikes playing against him for a reason. Raja does score and he shoots 40% from the 3-point line. He is a pretty good scorer. 4. They got more depth in this off-season and are still able to get 2 more good, not decent, but good players that are left. Like shapecity said, Damon Jones, Reggie Evans, we could get Finley, or we can re-sign Hunter. If we get 2 of those guys we will be a championship team for sure.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting emannen:</div><div class="quote_post">You have some research to do my friend! It is bad the Suns lost JJ and that is one of the main reasons the Suns lost the series. Yes the Heat lost Wade and he was injured and that was one of the main reasons the Heat lost their series as well. What are you doing other then proving my point?! With a healthy JJ next year (or Finley) the Suns have a great chance to beat the Spurs. They struggled in the series because JJ was injured. Tell me, is Dallas known for their defense?! Because Q struggled mightily against them as well. Let me see, Memphis?! Q did not play well throughout the playoffs! Jackass get your facts straight! And yes no single player in the league can stop TD. He is an MVP and one of the best (if not the best) in the league. Kurt Thomas can defend much better then Amare Stoudemire and is a more complete player then Steven Hunter (who defended Duncan on numerous occasions). With Kurt Thomas guarding TD, rebounding, and hitting shots it greatly improves our team. Manu is a great player and no single player can stop him either (does anyone see the theme here?). But if Raja Bell is the player Manu likes least to see on D that says something (which ruins your argument that if Prince did not stop him Bell could not either). Bell will not hold Manu to 9 ppg but he will pester him, and frustrate him much like Bruce Bowen does to his opposition. Also Raja Bell has a good offensive game. There is a reason he was one of the league leaders in 3 point accuracy and averaged a little over 12 ppg last season. Also when you are a team captain and one of Jerry Sloan's favorite players that says something! Also the Suns have not lost JJ yet. If you READ the Espn article it says that Robert Sarver (Suns owner) told JJ that the Suns would still match the offer. If the Suns do not there is a good chance that Nash's good buddy and former Sun Michael Finley will join Nash in Phoenix. Also we have signed Scott P. and still have room to sign Steven Hunter or another backup Center if he does not resign. SOOOOOO...... Bench PG: Leandro Barbosa- has a good summer so far, named to the summer league 2nd team. SG: Jim Jackson- veteran who played very well in the playoffs, and is a great leader on young team. Raja Bell- Great defender who contrary to popular belief HAS AN OFFENSIVE GAME ! SF/PF: Scott P. - Nice defender, especially on Dirk and has nice outside game. Will not play much because Amare will see major minutes and the Suns still intend to play small ball this year. C: Steven Hunter- Very nice young player who was a great defender last year, he has an expanding offensive game. If Hunter is not resigned expect a filler at this position. The off-season is not over and I expect the Suns to further address the bench accordingly especially finding a backup 3/4 tweener. McCarty is also an FA who we have expressed a small amount of interest in. Tell your Raptors to work on both offense and defense, and ohh that Vince Carter trade! </div> You see this whole off season is based on JJ, if he signs with Atlanta, the Suns are done.. why? Because it's not like Dallas is 100% intent on waiving Michael Finley, they could work out a sign and trade... he is highly coveted by many teams, and Dallas can definatly get something for him, it would be stupid for them to just waive him. I don't get your logic when you're saying I"m proving your point, I'm saying that every team in the league faces injuries especially in the playoffs, and the Suns lost JJ. It was unfortunate, but it's the life of the NBA, which is why you need depth. They didn't have a 6th man that was capable enough to fill the void that JJ left, someone who had as much of an impact... I don't see that on the Suns bench. This off season is a question for the Suns, a turning point... they go from contending to pretending in a matter of weeks. Hunter could be out, JJ could be out... that is 2 key contributors. Even if the Suns match the offer, JJ won't want to play, he already mentioned he doens't want the Suns to match... hint hint? He will request for a trade and the Suns will have to bite. Also, Hunter will get more money in Atlanta, and if JJ goes, look to see him go. With Hunter and JJ the Hawks will be a solid team that could make the post season. While the Suns without JJ and Hunter can almost kiss the Pacific division good bye. As for Kurt Thomas, as I said before there's a reason or a lot of reasons why the Knicks didn't want him, and why Wilkens and Isaih wanted new low post players... Suns, happy to collect the Knickerbockers garbage! If Prince can't stop Manu, and can't pester him enough to play horrible (except to result in injuring him ) I doubt Bell can... Prince is one of the top defenders in the league easily, and just because Manu said he doesn't like playing against Bell, doesn't mean anything. Manu can and would still take it to him night in night out. If memory serves me right, apparently Bell isn't a good defender in the clutch... he can't seem to stand on his feet, I think his ankles remember the Wade attack... Please, no more arguments about Duncan, he's unstoppable. I'll say the Suns are contenders if they resign JJ, Hunter and get another defensive player. Nash is attrocious, Amare is sub-par, and their team D is almost obsolete. I really want the Suns to win, but I can't see them getting the title anytime soon if they don't resign key players, get some stoppers and actualy play TEAM DEFENSE. About the bench that you've named.. Barbosa is still unproven... we all know summer league means nothing, I mean when Lonny Baxter gets MVP, John Salmon MVP and all that jazz, it's pointless naming acheivements there. You know you have a weak bench when...... you name Scott Padgett as a key guy on your bench. P.S - Keep taking shots at the Raptors, everyone does, and I don't care. I know we're not good. Why does everyone resort to taking shots at the Raptors when I try to debate something once in awhile.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Mr.Wade:</div><div class="quote_post">You see this whole off season is based on JJ, if he signs with Atlanta, the Suns are done.. why? Because it's not like Dallas is 100% intent on waiving Michael Finley, they could work out a sign and trade... he is highly coveted by many teams, and Dallas can definatly get something for him, it would be stupid for them to just waive him. I don't get your logic when you're saying I"m proving your point, I'm saying that every team in the league faces injuries especially in the playoffs, and the Suns lost JJ. It was unfortunate, but it's the life of the NBA, which is why you need depth. They didn't have a 6th man that was capable enough to fill the void that JJ left, someone who had as much of an impact... I don't see that on the Suns bench. This off season is a question for the Suns, a turning point... they go from contending to pretending in a matter of weeks. Hunter could be out, JJ could be out... that is 2 key contributors. Even if the Suns match the offer, JJ won't want to play, he already mentioned he doens't want the Suns to match... hint hint? He will request for a trade and the Suns will have to bite. Also, Hunter will get more money in Atlanta, and if JJ goes, look to see him go. With Hunter and JJ the Hawks will be a solid team that could make the post season. While the Suns without JJ and Hunter can almost kiss the Pacific division good bye. As for Kurt Thomas, as I said before there's a reason or a lot of reasons why the Knicks didn't want him, and why Wilkens and Isaih wanted new low post players... Suns, happy to collect the Knickerbockers garbage! If Prince can't stop Manu, and can't pester him enough to play horrible (except to result in injuring him ) I doubt Bell can... Prince is one of the top defenders in the league easily, and just because Manu said he doesn't like playing against Bell, doesn't mean anything. Manu can and would still take it to him night in night out. If memory serves me right, apparently Bell isn't a good defender in the clutch... he can't seem to stand on his feet, I think his ankles remember the Wade attack... Please, no more arguments about Duncan, he's unstoppable. I'll say the Suns are contenders if they resign JJ, Hunter and get another defensive player. Nash is attrocious, Amare is sub-par, and their team D is almost obsolete. I really want the Suns to win, but I can't see them getting the title anytime soon if they don't resign key players, get some stoppers and actualy play TEAM DEFENSE. About the bench that you've named.. Barbosa is still unproven... we all know summer league means nothing, I mean when Lonny Baxter gets MVP, John Salmon MVP and all that jazz, it's pointless naming acheivements there. You know you have a weak bench when...... you name Scott Padgett as a key guy on your bench. P.S - Keep taking shots at the Raptors, everyone does, and I don't care. I know we're not good. Why does everyone resort to taking shots at the Raptors when I try to debate something once in awhile.</div> I am confident that JJ will resign. JJ said he would prefer to play for the Hawks but also said in the article (did you read it?) that if the Suns match he hoped they would welcome him (something to that affect). When I said that JJ's injury was a main reason we lost the series you said it was an excuse. At the same time you said that Wade's injury was a reason the Heat lost their series. Is that not an excuse!? With JJ we had a very good shot at winning the series (even without the additions we have made this year to better our team.....hmmmmm). Also I would not call Steven Hunter a key contributor. He was a nice role player that played good defense. The Suns could very well win the division without JJ and Hunter. With Amare, Nash, Matrix, and KT we have an excellent chance to go deep next year. Remember that id we lose out on these players then we have about $15 million in cap room next year, meaning we will sign major FAs. I really cannot argue much more with you! Is KT not an upgrade over Q? I have already explained to you not to give Isaiah too much credit, he is one of the worst GMs in the league. Nazr Muhammad for Malik, the Steph trade, overspending on Jamal Crawford, etc. He has a history of making awful moves. Look at his team, bloated with swingmen and undersized, and he adds another swingman and loses another big that will help a team win a championship. Also I'll spell this out for you I SAID TD WAS UNSTOPPABLE YOU FREAKING IDIOT! I quote "And yes no single player in the league can stop TD. He is an MVP and one of the best (if not the best) in the league. Kurt Thomas can defend much better then Amare Stoudemire and is a more complete player then Steven Hunter (who defended Duncan on numerous occasions). With Kurt Thomas guarding TD, rebounding, and hitting shots it greatly improves our team". I will agree with you Nash and Amare are bad defenders. Marion, KT, and JJ are good if not great defenders. Off the bench we do have quality defenders. I could argue with you a little more but it is very frustrating to see someone bashing your post while not READING IT in the first place. So please next time READ and then RESPOND!
First of all, I was responding to both you and the other guy who was bashing my post and said that Hunter and Amare together could stop Duncan. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">When I said that JJ's injury was a main reason we lost the series you said it was an excuse. At the same time you said that Wade's injury was a reason the Heat lost their series. Is that not an excuse!?</div> Yes it would be an excuse if they blamed the loss on Wade's injury, my point made. I said what if everyone blamed the Heat loss on Wade's injury, which noone did, yet everyone blames the Suns loss on JJ and if they had him they'd win... right? I don't think so, and it doesn't matter because they didn't win. Period. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Remember that id we lose out on these players then we have about $15 million in cap room next year, meaning we will sign major FAs.</div> And let Amare go after his rookie contract is over? Or be over the cap for the next 5 years... gladly go ahead. I guess that's it...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Mr.Wade:</div><div class="quote_post">First of all, I was responding to both you and the other guy who was bashing my post and said that Hunter and Amare together could stop Duncan. Yes it would be an excuse if they blamed the loss on Wade's injury, my point made. I said what if everyone blamed the Heat loss on Wade's injury, which noone did, yet everyone blames the Suns loss on JJ and if they had him they'd win... right? I don't think so, and it doesn't matter because they didn't win. Period. And let Amare go after his rookie contract is over? Or be over the cap for the next 5 years... gladly go ahead. I guess that's it...</div> You quote my post and then say you are responding to someone else!!? Nice Excuse! The Wade injury and JJ injury are both excuses. But if JJ or Wade played in their respective series then the outcomes may be different there is no denying that. And please do not tell me that there have been no excuses made about these injuries. Also the Suns would be around $15 million under the cap THIS YEAR! JJ is asking for a $14 million contract and if we do not sign him we save that money towards the cap. Also the Suns intend to sign Amare to an extension this summer which would go into effect in 2006-2007 not this summer. If you think Amare is going anywhere then you are a fool. Anything Else............
Sounds like JJ may be having a change of heart! http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/artic...31suns0731.html
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting emannen:</div><div class="quote_post">Sounds like JJ may be having a change of heart! http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/artic...31suns0731.html</div> Just as I say it! Damn JJ! http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/stor...marc&id=2120960
They could re-sign JJ anyway. The coach, Amare, and Nash could have a nice talk with him about why they want him. He's the Suns property right now. If we match he stays. And why wouldn't he try when he could win a championship? I don't think he will be like Sprewell.
He's not that good to carry a team to the playoffs and to the Finals by himself, i don't think he can be a franchise player. Very bad choice by Johnson.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting da pimp 1:</div><div class="quote_post">He's not that good to carry a team to the playoffs and to the Finals by himself, i don't think he can be a franchise player. Very bad choice by Johnson.</div> I do not think he can carry a team either. He is a great compliment and is an excellent player. I am still holding out hope he decides to stay but it is unlikely.
He's a role player and not a star, he might have the potential to be an all-star but like i said he's not a franchise player, and he'll do bad because carrying a team to the playoffs is one thing, but carrying the worst team last season to the playoffs is another.
He may not be a superstar but he was one of the main reasons the Suns were contenders this year and losing him hurts the Suns and their elite status is now in doubt.
^ JJ is still getting better. he'll be an all-star soon. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">but carrying the worst team last season to the playoffs is another.</div> he doesn't have to "carry" them. ATL has plenty of talent. they just need a PG to put them all together. kind of like yuo guys 2 years ago. i thought you were stacked, but you didn't have a PG. then you got nash, and POOF! you're the best team in the league.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting lessthanjake:</div><div class="quote_post">^ JJ is still getting better. he'll be an all-star soon. he doesn't have to "carry" them. ATL has plenty of talent. they just need a PG to put them all together. kind of like yuo guys 2 years ago. i thought you were stacked, but you didn't have a PG. then you got nash, and POOF! you're the best team in the league.</div> JJ is an excellent player and I will agree he is a future All-Star. He is just not the creator Nash is and I do not feel he can have the great impact Nash did. You have decent players (Josh Smith, Marvin Williams) but they are young and unproven. Not to mention you have NO big men. I am also not convinced that JJ can be "the man." He is a great player but I still do not think he can make ATL winners.
