Blockbuster close to completion: Suns/Minni/ATL (Deal Looks Dead)

Maybe they want KG enough. The aspect of acquiring him is much more important than a few spots in next year's draft.

 

KG at 31 could still last a long time in this league. The type of frame and skills to last.

Amare is 24 but he also had a major surgery they didn't know if he was coming back from.

KG right now is a LOT better player. = offensively (Amare may be a better finisher but KG is a much better passer, they both have excellent off the ball Js), much better rebounder and defender.

But if I am Phx I look to ship Diaw or KT + picks for a decent back-up C (more of a true body center). KG can play center some, but not even as much as Amare, and Phx already had an interior size problem.

Still, this team is a force. And they can rest KG or Nash and still have a great offense. Neither player has had the luxury in a long time.

 

True, but one would expect Atlanta to make the playoffs now in the East next year...or at least get very close.

I think for the most part it is a fair trade for all teams involved, but I think ti could be riskiest for Phoenix.

Phoenix: They mix it up. They have to. They aren't winning as it stands, so why keep trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. BUT, now your 2 key players are both on the back sides of their careers, even though they are very very very good. Just more pressure to win in the next few seasons. And Shawn Marion, apparently, hasn't been too content with Phoenix lately. And you probably hurt your chances at a higher draft pick for next year.

Finally, is the increase in defensive performance enough to merit the decrease in offensive efficiency. I know overall that KG is the better offensive player. But in the Suns system, Amare seems like the better fit. Amare is better on the break. Is much more explosive on the pick and roll, and grabs more offensive boards in fewer minutes (though with more shots). Whatever the case, I see no way in which just trading KG for Amare makes Phoenix a higher scoring team. It may make them a more effective offensive team, but I doubt that, too.

KG clearly improves them defensively, and that may be what it takes. It's a move Phoenix has to do, but if they are able to just swap Amare to Minnesota for KG, it'd be the better move. That way they don't also help out Atlanta, thus hurting their future draft pick position.

Atlanta: As much talent as there is in this draft, Atlanta has been so bad, for so long, the ability to immediately add a player like Amare, who can not only contribute right away, but create excitement for the fans, further push the Hawks to becoming a high paced team, and would seem to mesh in with Joe Johnson, Smith and Childress well...it just makes too much sense even for Hawks management to screw up. If they could do something like convince Mo Williams to play for the MLE, they'd actually be a very dangerous team in the East.

Minnesota: I understand the argument that the draft is a crapshoot, but in a draft this deep, with the worst of the 3 picks being #11, and getting a decent role player in Pachulia...really not that bad of value for KG. If anything could dampen the disappointment amongst fans of the KG era ending in Minnesota, the excitement of Amare would help...but it certainly wouldn't make Minnesota any better. They'd be a lotto team next year as well. Since they're going to be down for a bit either way, this seems to better choice. Get lucky and you find 3 quality players and maybe a few all-stars. Have a bad draft and at least one of them turns out to be a very very decent player and the other role players. Even with McHale, Minnesota could have:

Horford, Green, Law
Horford, Yi, Thornton
Horford, Brewer, Hawes

any number of possibilities (though Horford would be the clear #3 pick, though)

Finally, if I'm the Rockets, I don't really care what the Suns do. We can't make it past the 1st round people. Baby steps...

 

Troy Hudson. Mark Blount. Trenton Hassell. Marko Jaric. These guys are going to combine for $25 million/year for the next 3 years atleast. I really don't think it has anything to do with his contract.

But I'm looking forward to saying "I told you so" when Amare's FG% drops drastically next year, without the Phoenix system or Nash.

 

Dumbass Hawks still need a PG to distribute and keep those guys happy.

What do you think they would give us for Rafer?

 

I think the Wolves win about 20 games each of the next 3 or 4 years if they do this trade. There's no go to guy on their team, and Juwan Howard will infect the newbies with herpes.

 

I'd take Royal Ivey and a stick of gum.

 

I can't imagine Atlanta will do anything but continue to suck, regardless of who they manage to pick up.

 

A Rox fan should be happy if the deal can come through, KG has no much left, and soft.

 

do the Wolves still owe a pick to clippers, i think it might be next year and unprotected

 

w/ cassell and spree, they went to the WCF, kg and minny did.

now u pair kg w/ nash + amare/marion, u mean to tell me they'll do worse?

again, one great player (which KG is) can only elad a team to the playoffs (like kobe/tmac)

u aint gonna win more than that, esp. in the west.

 

Well, the 4 HOF Lakers was scary on book as well, but they were worse than the Shaq-Kobe teams. Certainly KG is an upgrade to Amare in every aspect of the game, but I just don't see them winning it all. KG and Nash are proven to be great players, but none of them are proven winners, yet.

 

I agree with the sentiment that this hardly guarantees phoenix anything, though it without question makes them better. dallas and san antonio are still awesome and the homer in me believes that if yao ming fully recuperates this offseason and gets back to mvp level, we'll also be heard from.

looking over the trade again, it just seems like a great move for everyone and it's usually hard to say that for a blockbuster like this.

i loved speculating over potential with francis, cat, griffin, etc., so i think for minnesota fans, having 3 lotto picks plus foye is a lot to look forward to, post-garnett.

 

Please Almighty Creator of all things Basketball, don't let this happen...

 

even if this deal doesn't happen, it needs to tell us that even the best teams are looking to improve. so we can't stand pat.

but really, we're just a 'decent' PF away from being the best team too

 

Yea...at least Atlanta's unprotected pick to Phoenix won't be the top three pick they would get if Atlanta was allowed to draft the crap they probably would. Only good thing I see here.



EDIT: Oops....perhaps I should have read the fourth page before posting what has already been posted. Sorry. I'm glad Atlanta landed at third so Phoe. didn't get their pick this year. They would have been able to do this without giving up Amare. Still would have had to dump contracts somehow.

 

they were only one injury away (Malone) from winning the championship that year. They were better than the shaq-kobe duo.

 

We don't know that because of how thoroughly the Pistons controlled them the last 3 games of the Finals. They may have lost even with Malone. Plus, the T-Wolves would have beaten them in the WCFs if Sam hadn't missed some of the games due to injury. The Lakers couldn't come close to handling him.

 

Correct. So many people downplay their run that year because they forget that Malone was essentially on one leg in the WCF and Finals.