http://www.nba.com/suns/news/singletary_080825.html Posted Aug. 25, 2008 PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns announced today that the club has acquired rookie guard Sean Singletary from the Houston Rockets in exchange for guard D.J. Strawberry. “Sean gives us depth at the point guard spot,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr. “We like his instincts and his ability to run a team. He also puts a lot of pressure on the ball defensively. We thank D.J. for his contributions and wish him well.” In Singletary, the Suns acquire a dynamic 6-0, 185-point rookie guard, who was the 42nd overall selection (second round) of the Sacramento Kings in the 2008 NBA Draft. Singletary was then traded to the Rockets along with Patrick Ewing, Jr. in the deal that sent Ron Artest to Houston in exchange for Donte Green, Bobby Jackson and a future first-round pick on August 14, 2008. Singletary was a member of the Kings’ 2008 Las Vegas Summer League squad, averaging 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 32.2 minutes with appearances in each of the club’s five games. A four-year standout at Virginia, Singletary was a three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team selection. During his senior season of 2007-08, the soon-to-be 23-year-old led his team in scoring for the second-straight season (19.8 points) and was the lone Division I player to rank in the top 40 in both scoring and assists. That production earned Singletary an Honorable Mention All-America Selection from the Associated Press and made him a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate point guard. A three-time co-captain for the Cavaliers, Singletary finished his career as the only player in ACC history with 2,000 career points, 500 assists, 400 rebounds and 200 steals. Singletary’s jersey was retired by Virginia before his final home game. Strawberry was selected by the Suns with the 59th overall pick (second round) of the 2007 NBA Draft. In his rookie campaign with Phoenix in 2007-08, the 6-5, 201-pound guard averaged 2.2 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 8.1 minutes, appearing in 33 games. The Phoenix Suns open their 41st season of play with an exhibition contest on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at US Airways Center, hosting the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. Phoenix then hosts the first outdoor NBA game of the modern era on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif. in a preseason contest against the Denver Nuggets that will be carried nationally on TNT. The Suns tip-off the regular season at San Antonio on Oct. 29 on ESPN and the club’s 2008 home opener will be the next night, Oct. 30, against New Orleans on TNT.
I don't really see the rationale behind this deal, but I'm sure I'm about to be enlightened... Better training camp fodder?
I think Strawberry can actually make the team. Great defender, extremely quick. Probably an insurance PG, but someone you'd want on your team, IMO.
I agree completely. he can be an elite shutdown defender at pg in this league. great move considering how much offensive firepower we have, he will only be asked to distribute and defend.
Singletary partially guaranteed. Strawberry $0. http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/08/18/20080818suns0819.html
I always thought Strawberry would make a nice backup PG for the Rockets. Now Brooks has someone to compete with. This doesn't look good for Francis. I would consider this offseason a failure if we don't re-sign Landry.
Oh wow, I didn't expect Morey to get anything for Singletary and/or Ewing Jr. Well played Morey, well played.
Jarryd Bayless Ends DJ Strawberry's Career by Phoenix Stan on Jul 19, 2008 10:33 PM MDT in Commentary Or at least he ruined his evening with 36 points most of which seemingly came in the final crucial minutes of a tight game. DJ on the other hand turned the ball over four times including calling a non-existent time out with 1:03 left. The suddenly very young and inexperienced point guard was bringing the ball up court with a Suns 5 point lead and as he felt some pressure on the side line called time out. Problem being of course that the Suns had no remaining time outs which resulted in lose of possession and technical free throw. On the other end Bayless blew by Strawberry getting into the lane for bucket and 1. Strawberry with less then a minute remaining then dribbles off his foot, regains control, gets pressured by his man, almost calls timeout again and is called for an 8 second violation. Turnover. Game over. Bayless drops 36 including key late buckets while DJ folds in the clutch. Is it the end of DJ's career? Of course not. But you have to think that his poor performance in the critical part of the game will have a lasting impression on Kerr and Griff. From the looks on their faces it certainly seemed that way. Tucker continued to dominate other guards in the paint and Robin was again spectacular. For a much more coherent version of the game from the very nice, professional and non-bloggery bloggers - Dave and Ben - check out Blazer's Edge. More to follow from me in the morning including a recap and hopefully video of Robin Lopez' face up 360 spin dunk. Link
You ppl think we're actually going to pick up that contract? hell no. THis was done to save les some money.
From NBADraft.net: NBA Comparison: Kendall Gill (less scoring ability) Strengths: Has worked hard this past season to become a more consistent three point shooter ... Ball handling ability and foot speed allow him to effectively take defenders off the dribble ... Perimeter defense is among the best in the college ranks ... Physically he possesses the tools of an elite defender ... Quick hands, anticipation skills and great lateral movement ... Does a great job of disrupting passing lanes ... What may be even more impressive is his ability to effectively deny his man the ball out on the perimeter ... Court vision enables him to see the floor well ... Unselfish player who will look consistently for open teammates ... Quality rebounder for his position where his athleticism and long arms aid him greatly ... Moves well without the ball constantly attempts to run off screens and makes good cuts to the basket ... Great NBA ready body that will enable him the comfort of adding more weight without sacrificing any speed ... Possesses great body control on his drives ... Plays the game with emotion and will display his competitive spirit in the heat of battle ... First step allows him to gain separation from his defender ... Feel for the game is advanced ... Versatile guard able to rotate over and play the point guard position for a short time, as he showed taking over the position for his entire junior season ... Excellent finisher in transition ... Weaknesses: Remains an inconsistent shooter from the perimeter ... Can loose his confidence offensively if his shot isn't falling early on ... When this happens it's uncommon for Strawberry to defer to teammates ... Has the ability to create off the dribble but struggles to convert off the dribble ... Tends to struggle when he has to play in a half court set as teams will often play him for his perimeter shot ... Tends to force the action a bit as he will shoot difficult attempts ... Must continue to improve his shooting off the dribble from mid-range ... Must continue to improve upon protecting the ball when dribbling in traffic ... Defensively Strawberry will at times overplay his man trying to gain easy steals ... The result is that he often is out of position to effectively defend his assignment ... Doesn't finish at times after contact in the lane ... Lacks the explosiveness to get his shot off over bigger opponents ... Could be smaller than his listed 6-foot-5 ... Notes: Son of former New York Mets star Darryl Strawberry. Matthew Maurer - 3/18/2007 Strengths: One of the top defenders in college basketball ... Has great instincts off the ball, especially jumping passing lanes ... Is very tough on the ball, with good length and quickness ... Quickly developing a strong mid-range offensive game ... Good ball-handler, a result of playing point guard his junior year ... Can play in the post, especially against smaller players ... NBA ready body ... Can take over offensively at times ... A true team player ... At his best in fast paced games ... Very smart on the break ... Causes a lot of turnovers ... Can make an open three, and won't force poor shots ... Plays intelligent basketball ... Hustles constantly and shows a lot of emotion ... A solid athlete with great body control ... Weaknesses: Streaky offensively ... Seems to hit hot spots and then fall off of the game at times offensively ... Doesn't look for his shots enough ... Occasionally caught out of position in zone defense, much better in man-to-man ... A gambler at times in the passing lanes ... Not a consistant threat from the perimeter ... Still developing offensive game ... Quick, but not lightning fast and doesn't have amazing athleticism ... Occasionally turnover prone when asked to run offense ... Not capable of running point properly ... Not a great free throw shooter ... Appears to be a small 6-5, could be 6-4 ... Notes: Strawberry has been known as one of the ACC's toughest perimeter defenders since his freshman year, when he jumped onto the scene with a great performance in Maryland's 2004 ACC Championship off the bench. Was the Terrapins starting point guard for the 2005-06 season. Adi Joseph - 11/30/2006 Link
