Offseason goals

[Rastapopoulos]

NY Post reports:

The unraveling of the Suns could benefit the Knicks. Suns owner Robert Sarver, during the Cavaliers-Suns national telecast Thursday night, admitted he could break up the team in the offseason.

There's speculation the Suns, expected to miss the playoffs, could use an early termination clause to release point guard Steve Nash this summer and save $7 million on his 2009-2010 wage. Nash would have to play for the $5.9 million mid-level exception but wants to come to New York.

Here would be my humble suggestion to KP:
1. Use the cap room to sign Nash (have to convince him that he can have more fun for us than losing with D'Antoni)
2. Use all of the following assets to gain the draft rights to Ricky Rubio:
All of our current PGs and either Martell and Channing or just Outlaw. Plus picks, cash, rights to all foreign players...

That would give us a great PG for now and a great PG for later.
Seems impossible, but so, in retrospect, did getting the two best players of the 2006 draft going in with just the #4 and #30 picks.

 

[MIXUM]

My goals....

1. GET ANDRE MILLER

2. GET GERALD WALLACE /TRADE WEBSTER and CHANGE

3. GET RID OF SERGIO... i dont care if hes released

4. GET A BANGER AT PF

5. FANS STOP MAKING EXCUSES

 

[Nikolokolus]

Nash is intriguing, but completely unlikely; he's going to want to play in a system that suits his game, the Blazers aint it. Rubio is an impossibility since he's not declaring for this year's draft.

 

[Minstrel]

2. GET GERALD WALLACE /TRADE WEBSTER and CHANGE

Does Charlotte get any say in whether they trade Wallace and for what?

5. FANS STOP MAKING EXCUSES

This is America, we'll make all the excuses we want. Go back to Communist China!!!!

 

[Minstrel]

Nash supposedly didn't like the slow-down pace the Suns ran under Porter, designed to get the most out of Shaq. Since Nate runs a slow paced offense and Oden may well be featured more in the low post, I'm not sure Nash is going to prefer playing in Portland.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Nash is intriguing, but completely unlikely; he's going to want to play in a system that suits his game, the Blazers aint it. Rubio is an impossibility since he's not declaring for this year's draft.

, , and

And please don't bring up Bibby or Miller. Please. I mean seriously...I'm begging you.

 

[Nikolokolus]

, , and

And please don't bring up Bibby or Miller. Please. I mean seriously...I'm begging you.

I'm not real high on Bibby, but why no love for Andre Miller? I can see some value in him as a temporary stop-gap for a couple of years on a slightly above MLE type deal -- he's durable, he's a decent defender, he's efficient, and he's a great setup man.

 

[e_blazer]

Nash supposedly didn't like the slow-down pace the Suns ran under Porter, designed to get the most out of Shaq. Since Nate runs a slow paced offense and Oden may well be featured more in the low post, I'm not sure Nash is going to prefer playing in Portland.

I'm not sure you can put the slow pace down as Nate's preferred offense. He's been screaming at the team lately to get out and run. That said, I don't see Nash as a great fit here. Brandon needs the ball in his hands in order to create, particularly in the 4th quarter.

 

[Ed O]

I'm not sure you can put the slow pace down as Nate's preferred offense. He's been screaming at the team lately to get out and run. That said, I don't see Nash as a great fit here. Brandon needs the ball in his hands in order to create, particularly in the 4th quarter.

Dude. Of course you can put it down as his preferred offense.

Look at his coaching career with both the Blazers and the Sonics... his teams are CONSISTENTLY near the bottom of the NBA in pace.

For better or for worse, Nate instills a slow-down system with his teams. He can yell all he wants, and he can talk about running "in spots" to the press, but his teams never have, and perhaps never will, run anything near the level of an average NBA team.

Ed O.
P.S., yes there was a year where the Sonics were average-ish... but that was a single year in his career.

 

[MAS RipCity]

I bitch about Blake and Sergio's defense, dear God, I'll have an ulcer watching Nash play defense...DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS..not flashy passes and 3 pointers.

 

[oldmangrouch]

I'm not real high on Bibby, but why no love for Andre Miller? I can see some value in him as a temporary stop-gap for a couple of years on a slightly above MLE type deal -- he's durable, he's a decent defender, he's efficient, and he's a great setup man.

I agree. There is no "perfect" solution out there. I'll be happy with a respectable upgrade!

 

[Boob-No-More]

For better or for worse, Nate instills a slow-down system with his teams. He can yell all he wants, and he can talk about running "in spots" to the press, but his teams never have, and perhaps never will, run anything near the level of an average NBA team.

Ed O.
P.S., yes there was a year where the Sonics were average-ish... but that was a single year in his career.

It will be interesting to see how Nate's slow pace style will do in the play-offs over the next few years. Typically, the games slow down in the play-offs, the scores are lower, there is more emphasis on defense, and as a result every possession becomes more important. That's why defense and rebounding are the keys to winning in the post season.

So, by playing this style all season long, is Nate better preparing his young team for the post season? Since they are already comfortable playing this style, and have had success with it during the regular season, will they do better than expected in the play-offs this season in spite of their youth and lack of post season experience - which are the reasons constantly cited by the "experts" why the Blazers won't advance in the play-offs this year.

That year you mention in Seattle, the Sonics played well in the post season. They eliminated the Kings in 5 games and then pushed the eventual champion Spurs to 6 games in the 2nd round - in spite of not having a single above average big man on their roster.

BNM

 

[BrianFromWA]

I actually have a lot of respect for Andre and was pushing for his a couple of years ago, but in seeing where this team has gone with the PG position I don't see it anymore. He's still decent at D and leading an offense, but he doesn't have the shot from 15-and-out that I think we'd need from that position. The things you're giving up with him outweigh the "leadership" he's bring as a stopgap, imo.

I wouldn't boycott the practice facility if we got Miller, though...like I would for Bibby.

 

[LOTBfan]

We should really talk about Bibby and Miller

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I bitch about Blake and Sergio's defense, dear God, I'll have an ulcer watching Nash play defense...DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS..not flashy passes and 3 pointers.

I guess I dreamed Jason Williams winning a title with the Heat then...

 

[MARIS61]

Why do people keep posting what NY thinks we should do?

Nobody in Oregon gives a rat's ass what NYer's think.

 

[Ed O]

It will be interesting to see how Nate's slow pace style will do in the play-offs over the next few years. Typically, the games slow down in the play-offs, the scores are lower, there is more emphasis on defense, and as a result every possession becomes more important. That's why defense and rebounding are the keys to winning in the post season.

I don't disagree... I think there are two levels of inquiry:

-- Is Nate's system a slow one?, and
-- Is Nate's system a good one?

I think the first question is unquestionably "yes".

The second question is still very much in doubt, but could certainly be "yes", as well.

Ed O.

 

[Ed O]

Why do people keep posting what NY thinks we should do?

Nobody in Oregon gives a rat's ass what NYer's think.

Provincialism is so 20th century.

Ed O.

 

[BalancedMan]

Another more realistic option is Jason Kidd. But he probably signs in LAL-land to win a title.

Steve Nash has a great relationship with D'Antoni. I think he wouldn't mind ending up there, certainly.

 

[gambitnut]

From another thread:

I'd like to keep Frye, and I wouldn't mind keeping Randolph as well. I'd be perfectly happy with a simple offseason, Let Ruffin and LaFrentz go, sign either a third string C or SG (they can fight for second string if they want) with our cap space and get the other with our first round draft pick. Then hope the Clippers' pick we own is the first pick in the second round and use it on a European we can keep overseas for a year or two and trade the rest of the second round picks for future second round draft picks like we have done the past few years.

I'd also be okay with letting Blake go and bringing Koponen over, or trading Blake, Przybilla and our cap space for Shaq and then bringing Koponen over. If we do something like that with our cap space, I'd want to buy a second 1st round pick, possibly by including one of our 2nd round picks, not the Clippers' pick though. I was just looking at the draft prospects on espn.com and thought it was interesting that the C and SG I like most both play for Ohio State.

 

[BengalDuck]

I wish I could neg-rep you for wanting to trade Pryzbilla for Shaq.