Piatkowski signs for 2 years Paul Coro The Arizona Republic Jul. 3, 2006 12:00 AM Tim Thomas' rapid dash for cash to the Clippers may have surprised Suns fans. Phoenix's first free-agent addition of the summer should not. The Suns snagged a shooter. Eric Piatkowski, a 6-foot-7 small forward, will spend his 13th and 14th NBA seasons in Phoenix after agreeing to a two-year, $2.4 million deal. Both years are guaranteed and at the minimum for a player of his experience. He can sign July 12. The Suns continue to seek a veteran backup point guard. They have honed in on Lindsey Hunter, 35, now that Bobby Jackson has come to terms with New Orleans. Phoenix will have to beat Detroit for Hunter, who spent 10 of his 13 seasons there. A Hunter deal might start in the range of $1.5 million to $2 million for the first year. advertisement Piatkowski, also 35, had career lows for games played (20), minutes per game (7.9) and three-point shooting percentage (.273) last season in Chicago. He missed 20 games with inflammation in his foot. He ranks ninth for career three-point percentage (.399) among active players (Steve Nash is first). He might come in behind James Jones, who often fills in for Shawn Marion. With 10 players on board for next season, the Suns want other free agents, such as Hunter and Matt Harpring, but will have to wait to see what teams with salary-cap space do. The Suns' summer players, who begin Vegas Summer League play Friday, may have better shots at roster spots. Ex-Xavier star Romain Sato, a 6-5 off-guard, heads the list after standing out in the Italian League's second division. Other summer Suns include former Suns reserve Maciej Lampe, former Clippers point guard Lionel Chalmers, former Washington State shooting guard Jeff Varem, former Magic and Pacers forward Britton Johnsen, former Texas wing Chris Owens, former Arizona and New Mexico guard Ruben Douglas, former Washington swingman Tre Simmons and Valley products Tommy Smith and Nick Lewis. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0703suns0703.html
Only fitting that the Clips would sign him. That's the last team he was actually productive with. Of course, that was 4 years ago.
No, but apparently all transactions will be logged this year, giving the same posters a chance to repeat their contempt for cheap Les, stupid Gumby, and incompetent Dawson. In a way, it will be interesting to watch the Suns, since their backcourt depth has become pretty thin. Starver is hugely against the luxury tax and they're right at the edge of it now. Amare's extension kicks in this year, and Barbosa and Diaw are due to reup in the very near future. With three 8-figure salaries already and two other big pieces about to demand at least $8 million per year each, I would be shocked if they use their full MLE anytime soon. More likely they're going to go after bargin bin players for the minimum on short deals like Pike. I would think at the first sign of Nash breaking down, they move Marion to liquidate the team. Evan
To show you CD's trade record, trading Piatkowski to Chicago for Deke is one of the top 5 trades he has made in the last three years. 1. T-Mac for SF 2. MJ for Reece Gaines 3. DW for JJ 4. Piatkowski for Deke 5. MoT for VB and Mooch. I'm not impressed.
Those are impressive trades considering what he gave up for them. Come on now, Reece Gaines for MJ? Bargain. Piatkowski for Deke? Bargain. Franchise for T-Mac? Bargain. Btw, I remember Piatkowski's shooting from the parking lot when he was with the Rockets... he shot alot of 3's a few feet away from the line, it was impressive.
