I know he didn't play all that well during the post season. But he still has a shooter's touch and his 3-point shooting % is still high. It doesn't seem like he wants to play for Phoenix anymore.. And the more 3 point shooters we get the better, right? For about the leagues minimum he should be worth the money. Personally, i would've signed him over Bowen.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0824sunsnb0824.html Trade for Pacers' Jones is expected by end of week Paul Coro The Arizona Republic Aug. 24, 2005 12:00 AM There likely will be a new Suns player by the end of the week. That would have figured to be Scott Padgett or Michael Finley not too long ago, but Padgett is waffling a little and Finley is still pondering. In the meantime, Phoenix is poised to bring on 24-year-old Indiana swingman James Jones in a sign-and-trade deal that should be completed this week. The trade is awaiting Joe Johnson's physical in Atlanta, which must be done by Saturday to consummate that sign-and-trade deal. Part of the Johnson deal includes a $6 million trade exception for Phoenix, which will use part of it to acquire Jones. advertisement The Pacers have a full roster and want to lower their luxury tax-burdened payroll. That makes a trade involving a draft pick, rather than a Suns player, more plausible. Jones was a 2003 second-round pick (No. 49) who did not play as a rookie and averaged 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds last season, so the deal might require the Suns to surrender only a second-round choice. "I'm a big Jones supporter," said Suns guard Raja Bell, a fellow Miami prep product who played with Jones in the summers. "Every year, he gets better. I think he can fit right into the system because he plays different positions, shoots the ball well and runs well." Jones played center in his high school days, setting him up for a versatile future. Indiana's suspensions and injuries led to Jones going from scrub time to a major role, including 24 starts, last season. He played shooting guard, small forward and power forward. Jones, who is 6 feet 8, 220 pounds, hit 39.8 percent of his three-pointers but only 39.6 percent of all his shots. His maturity and basketball IQ drew raves from the Pacers staff. Padgett problems Jones' role might be expanding before he even signs, now that Padgett is not sure about joining Phoenix anymore. Padgett, a free agent who played for Houston last season, figured to be the versatile shooter the Suns like to use at power forward and also as a wing. Padgett, 29, told a Houston television station and the Louisville Courier-Journal this month that he would sign with the Suns. The 6-9 forward said he had hoped to play in a style that was reminiscent of his Kentucky days. The Suns would give him a two-year contract starting at his veteran's minimum salary (more than $900,000 for his six NBA seasons). Since he and the Suns came to terms, Phoenix's pursuit of Finley and Jones may have prompted Padgett to consider other offers. "I'm hoping to have something done by the middle of the week," Padgett told The (Henderson, Ky.) Gleaner this week. "I'm talking to three or four different teams. The most serious are the Suns and the Clippers. There's a major difference in money between the two, but there's a major difference in winning between the two." Not Finley's element This is a most unsettling spot for Finley. He has been thrust into one of the NBA's biggest, most drawn out summer story lines. Because of a one-time amnesty waiver rule, Finley became available and is being treated like a blue-chip recruit. "He's a private guy," Finley's agent, Henry Thomas, said. "He doesn't crave the spotlight. He doesn't need the bells and pony show. He's been around. He didn't think it was necessary to (go city to city). He's a nuts-and-bolts guy."
chinesetaco? Are you an Asian woman? Padgett was a fun player, to be sure. But we've essentially traded Padgett and Spoon for Stro and DA. You can't beat that with a stick.
i would kind of like to have him back but i don't think he fits in anymore. he said he wanted a larger role in phoenix and he'd be taking a reduced role even from last year's if he came back to the rockets. i think he will still end up in phoenix or his other option clipperland before houston.
I would take him back in a heartbeat. IMO, he's more likely to contribute than Lonny Baxter because he brings a skill to the table that JH & Swift do not. Baxter is a 6'8 post player who may not have a place in the NBA.
I could understand if Padgett was getting paid more elsewhere, but he would only be taking the minimum in Phoenix. We still have the minimum and I don't see a better way to use it than bring Padgett back. But I guess he wants PT, for which the Rockets cannot give him.
i thought we could give him an incremental raise over last year because he has been on our roster (INCLUDING TRADES) for more than 3 yyears so we can offer him something in the area of 2 million which seems about right., but i could be wrong. Regardless he could be that 5th big man, and could give a few mins at SF if the matchup favored it. or situaiton. he camnt hurt us too much. could possilby trade him to phoenix later since they wanted him so bad
This is off topic, what worries me about this article is if Finley is such a lock to go to Miami because of that deal he supposedly cut with Cuban to go to an East team, why hasn't he signed yet. Makes me think that his boy Nash has got him at least thinking about Phoenix as a destination, that would save the Suns off-season if he signs with them. As far as SP, I think he could open the door to come back but I don't he wants to because he wants more playing time.
We have better use of his roster spot than some streaky 3 point shooting. Padgett is the old Walt Williams at pf spot, only whiter and heavier.
