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LINKFor Suns, losing J.J. just isn't an option
FanBoy email me
Jul. 26, 2005 02:26 PM
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] In case you have been living under a rock the past couple of days or have missed columns by Paola Boivin and John Gambadoro, then you may have missed the collective freak-out that is taking place over the possibility of losing Joe Johnson to the Atlanta Hawks.
It seems pretty clear from all the published reports that J.J. will sign a $70 million contract with the Hawks once the NBA decides to set a date for the free-agency signing period to officially begin. It will be Sarver's decision to match the offer and keep the most versatile of the Suns in the fold for years to come.
This is clearly Sarver's first tough decision and one that may define his era as owner. It seems to me that Sarver has very little choice in the matter: He has to sign J.J. The alternatives are just too tough to take. All he can do is take the financial hit and accept the fact that he gambled and lost when he didn't sign him last year at this time.
The effect of losing J.J. would be felt not only on the court but off of it as well. Even though the Suns made the Western Conference Finals last season and won over fans all across the country with their style, all that goodwill will quickly evaporate if they don't sign J.J.
The cracks in the Suns' armor started to show about a month ago with the Quentin Richardson deal. While most fans agreed that the Suns needed to get tougher on the inside, the deal that was worked out with the Knicks seemed very one-sided, especially giving up a player like Nate Robinson who could have helped back up Steve Nash.
If the Suns couple the trade with not doing whatever it takes to re-sign J.J, then all the excitement generated from last year's playoff run would quickly become a distant memory. It will be a slap in the face for all those fans that defended the Suns' style and felt slighted when the national media made snide comments about what was going on at AWA.
And going out and signing Michael Finley isn't the answer. Replacing Quentin Richardson, J.J. and Robinson with Finley, Raja Bell and Kurt Thomas doesn't make the Suns any better or get them any closer to beating the San Antonio Spurs. It just makes them slower and much less fun to watch.
The fear is that the Suns are basing all the personnel moves on fielding a team that can beat the Spurs. It's a failed philosophy that has caused teams around the NBA to take two steps back while thinking they are taking a big step forward.
The Mavericks tried this same philosophy a couple of years ago when they based their whole strategy on how to get past the Kobe and Shaq-led Lakers. The idea was to make Shaq work on the offensive end and they went out and traded for Raef Lafrentz, who they later extended for a ridiculous sum. The idea was that Lafrentz would pull Shaq away from the basket on the defensive end, thus tiring him out on offensive.
What came out of that brilliant plan: a roster that was hamstrung by Lafrent's huge salary and playoff losses with reaching the goal of beating the Lakers. It didn't come close to working.
It looks like the Suns are doing the same thing in targeting the Spurs this off-season. They gave up way too much in acquiring Thomas and overpaid to sign Bell. These decisions may make them a bit more competitive against the Spurs, but it takes away the advantages they had against teams like the Mavericks, Kings and Rockets.
Losing J.J. is something Sarver cannot afford. It may cost him several million dollars more than he initially wanted to spend, but the effects and losing him would be felt far deeper than in his pocketbook.
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