Should the Suns match a max contract offer for Bledsoe?

[sunsfan88]

The million dollar question....should the Suns match a max contract offer for Bledsoe if he is offered one?

He's got his good and he's good his bad. He's one of the rising stars in this league. He averaged 18, 5 and 5 in his first season as starter. He's also a very good defender...a quality that many stars in the desert haven't had throughout franchise history. Only 24 years old so nowhere to go but up.

He's got his bad also...he seems to get tunnel vision sometimes and ball hogs the heck of out of the ball. Doesn't really show any emotion and hasn't yet said that he actually wants to stay here longterm (even though this could be his agent making him do it but there have been other RFAs who have said they want to stay and playing for their team so idk).

Hardly ever talks and not very social so I don't think he's ever really going to be a vocal leader. EXTREMELY turnover prone. How long can a duo PG lineup work especially when its on a team that ranks worst in the league at sharing the ball (assists). Most importantly, his KNEES....can they hold up? We do have the best training staff so I got faith in Aaron Nelson.

A lot of the game skills that I listed as weaknesses can obviously be improved going forward...this was only his first season as a starter.

Frankly I'm so glad I'm not the one making this decision. I don't know what I would do. Kinda don't want to overpay him and kinda don't want to lose him either.

Regardless of what any of us think, McD may or may not match a max contract...question is...what do you think the Suns should do in that scenario?

 

[slinslin]

The Suns will and it is a no-brainer.

The max is only like 4 years 5x million dollars and his cap-hold is small so we can still spend big regardless of Bledsoe.

 

[SirStefan32]

He is a walking injury waiting to happen. He doesn't like to pass the ball, especially at the end of games, he doesn't have PG skills, and he can't shoot the ball very well.

He is a good $8M to $10M player, but $14M, in my opinion, is way too much. Even at $12M per season, I don't think I would match. I think you have to sign and trade Bledsoe.

 

[overseascardfan]

He is a walking injury waiting to happen. He doesn't like to pass the ball, especially at the end of games, he doesn't have PG skills, and he can't shoot the ball very well.

He is a good $8M to $10M player, but $14M, in my opinion, is way too much. Even at $12M per season, I don't think I would match. I think you have to sign and trade Bledsoe.

First off, I voted yes.

My question, not just to you SS32, but to all who think Bledsoe should be traded, who do you trade him for? MIN has Rubio, so I doubt MIN would want him in a deal for Love. Move him for a lottery pick, that is not a lock to improve this team the way the addition of Bledsoe did? You know what you have in Bledsoe, he fits this team's system very well. PHX better be sure they get someone who will make this team better if they deal Bledsoe.

 

[elindholm]

My question, not just to you SS32, but to all who think Bledsoe should be traded, who do you trade him for?

Well, whoever wants him, obviously. Once he hits the market as a RFA, we'll find out plenty quickly who has him as a target. If no one steps up with a big offer, the Suns are bidding against themselves.

The trick will be for the Suns to convince the other team that they really will match if a sign-and-trade can't be worked out. It becomes a game of chicken. Does the other team give up assets in order to be assured of getting him, or do they get greedy and gamble that the Suns won't make a huge commitment to a player they don't really want?

I agree that Minnesota is unlikely to be interested. A backcourt pairing of Rubio and Bledsoe would probably work, but they'd be giving up an awful lot offensively.

 

[Mainstreet]

The Suns need to match or sign and trade Bledsoe. Can't let a major asset walk for nothing. So I guess the answer is both yes and part of no.

 

[overseascardfan]

Well, whoever wants him, obviously. Once he hits the market as a RFA, we'll find out plenty quickly who has him as a target. If no one steps up with a big offer, the Suns are bidding against themselves.

The trick will be for the Suns to convince the other team that they really will match if a sign-and-trade can't be worked out. It becomes a game of chicken. Does the other team give up assets in order to be assured of getting him, or do they get greedy and gamble that the Suns won't make a huge commitment to a player they don't really want?

I agree that Minnesota is unlikely to be interested. A backcourt pairing of Rubio and Bledsoe would probably work, but they'd be giving up an awful lot offensively.

The stars would have to align perfectly for PHX to find a team that is willing to pay Bledsoe (will have to be a team with cap space so that narrows the field) and meets PHX's asking price which would probably be a good PF because that is what PHX really needs. A team could just offer Bledsoe the max and see what PHX does. Knowing it just ties up PHX's cap space. If that happens and it most likely will, PHX is just going to end up paying the max anyway because they are not going to let him walk for nothing.

 

[Cheesebeef]

this is one of the few times I'll completely defer to the Suns FO/Med Staff. If they aren't worried about his knee and think he's good to go, I'm okay with matching a 4 year Max offer for him.

the kid made a huge difference for this team this year in his first starting role. For all those who believe he's not going to get better, do you not realize we have proof of a player doing that playing RIGHT NEXT TO HIM?

 

[sunsfan88]

First off, I voted yes.

My question, not just to you SS32, but to all who think Bledsoe should be traded, who do you trade him for? MIN has Rubio, so I doubt MIN would want him in a deal for Love. Move him for a lottery pick, that is not a lock to improve this team the way the addition of Bledsoe did? You know what you have in Bledsoe, he fits this team's system very well. PHX better be sure they get someone who will make this team better if they deal Bledsoe.

No offense but what kinda logic is that?

Well we have PJ Tucker so I guess we don't need LeBron on this team right? Well we have Plumlee so there's really no room for Dwight Howard on this team right?

Rubio is nothing but crap. Bledsoe is miles better than him. One of the main reasons Minnesota fell short of everyone's expectations was because they actually assumed Rubio to be good.

 

[Finito]

Have no idea why suns fans love this guy so much, no way is he a max player he averaged 17 points a game for half a season and had a major injury are you serious. I understand that he plays defense but are you going to throw him on Lebron late? What about KD? Duncan?George? No hes obviously to little. Great defensive point guards don't win championships. Give me a really good wing defender and I want to rebound and control the paint.

He's in the mold of Iverson and Rose that tiny freak athlete that can crash the land but he's not as good as either of those guys and those type of players break down. Do I like him he do I want him on my team sure but am I going to give him a max deal no way

 

[Phrazbit]

A max contract is not what it used to be, especially for a dude coming off his rookie deal.

IF someone offers him the max, you match it, the most it will be is 4 years 58 million. Bledsoe has already recovered fully from his injury, if you bother to gain an understand of what his injury was compared to other guys who have had serious problems you'd see there is not a connection.

Bledsoe is a great two way player, the best all around player on our team last year, the Suns were a totally different team with him compared to without him. Unless someone absolutely bowls the Suns over with a sign and trade offer then keeping him is a no brainer.

And remember, we cant just trade him. He has to agree to sign with a team as an RFA, then we have to convince them we will match the contract unless they give us value. We dont get to pick the team, he does.

And I find it funny that SF88 was all-in on giving the constantly injured and inferior Eric Gordon a max contract but is hand wringing over the idea of giving Eric Bledsoe the same deal.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Have no idea why suns fans love this guy so much, no way is he a max player he averaged 17 points a game for half a season and had a major injury are you serious. I understand that he plays defense but are you going to throw him on Lebron late? What about KD? Duncan?George? No hes obviously to little. Great defensive point guards don't win championships. Give me a really good wing defender and I want to rebound and control the paint.

He's in the mold of Iverson and Rose that tiny freak athlete that can crash the land but he's not as good as either of those guys and those type of players break down. Do I like him he do I want him on my team sure but am I going to give him a max deal no way

Silly us, we like to win. When Bledsoe and Dragic are both healthy we win at a very high rate. When one of them is missing, we are a very average team. Why in the world would we not do whatever it took to keep not just Eric but the both of them?

Steve

 

[Finito]

There is a connection between him and guys with similar builds and games. Guys like that burn out quick and he's already been hurt. He's been in the league 4 years and this is the second time he's only played half a season because of injury. Not a good sign.

Like to win? I can't tell. I don't consider winning 50 games getting bounced in the first round or second round a good thing, but suns fans for the most part are easily entertained they love this crap. Not all but most. Seriously who was this team going to beat in the playoffs. This team a threat to win it all? Come on now. Might as well go back to the Jason Kidd years

I'm so frustrated with the suns I loved the fact they wanted to be really bad this year. You have to be really bad before you get really good. Instead here we are right in the middle... Great.

 

[sunsfan88]

And I find it funny that SF88 was all-in on giving the constantly injured and inferior Eric Gordon a max contract but is hand wringing over the idea of giving Eric Bledsoe the same deal.

I don't want to repeat that same thing with Eric Gordon, that's one of the MAIN reasons I'm hesitant about matching a max for Bledsoe. I was wrong about Gordon and I don't that thing same turmoil happening in Phoenix.

 

[sunsfan88]

Silly us, we like to win. When Bledsoe and Dragic are both healthy we win at a very high rate. When one of them is missing, we are a very average team. Why in the world would we not do whatever it took to keep not just Eric but the both of them?

Steve

I had that same thought as you but this article below changed my opinion. Those lists are just down right scary

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2...c-bledsoe-expendable-in-the-suns-search-for-a

 

[AzStevenCal]

I had that same thought as you but this article below changed my opinion. Those lists are just down right scary

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2...c-bledsoe-expendable-in-the-suns-search-for-a

It's just one fan's opinion. I don't see how it changed your opinion as you've always leaned in that direction. Anyway, if you read through it he's actually making a case that we should break them up in order to land Love but he's also making the case that we need a top flight shooting guard. IOW, trade Dragic for Love seems to be his message which is consistent with his earlier stuff. He's never been very high on Dragic.

Steve

 

[marios13]

I can promise you this Suns will lose every game against a team Dragic is on that is not Suns ... if they trade him.

 

[sunsfan88]

It's just one fan's opinion. I don't see how it changed your opinion as you've always leaned in that direction. Anyway, if you read through it he's actually making a case that we should break them up in order to land Love but he's also making the case that we need a top flight shooting guard. IOW, trade Dragic for Love seems to be his message which is consistent with his earlier stuff. He's never been very high on Dragic.

Steve

No I think the point is that you have to invest more money into the front court than the backcourt in order to win a title. Or atleast that's what I got from that. And of course he used Love as an example.

 

[AzStevenCal]

No I think the point is that you have to invest more money into the front court than the backcourt in order to win a title. Or atleast that's what I got from that. And of course he used Love as an example.

I'd say read it again. He's right about the history of success in the league and I'd agree we'd be better off with two All Star level players, both of them at positions other than PG. But this is what we have. If someone offers us a star for Bledsoe or Dragic, that's one thing. But to let him go because he wants a little more than we want to pay him sets us back quite a bit.

He used history to show that our current approach to winning a championship is flawed. But guess what? Any approach that doesn't include building around the best player in the game is flawed. We don't have the best player in the game so we're swimming upstream no matter what we do. Giving away a very good player isn't going to improve our approach, it will just dead-end it.

Steve

 

[BC867]

I believe it would be easier to replace Bledsoe than Dragic.

If we intend to keep them both, could we afford to eventually match his salary with Bledsoe's?

Bledsoe gets hurt . . . repeatedly. Dragic plays hurt . . . repeatedly.

I vote 'no'.

 

[overseascardfan]

No offense but what kinda logic is that?

Well we have PJ Tucker so I guess we don't need LeBron on this team right? Well we have Plumlee so there's really no room for Dwight Howard on this team right?

Rubio is nothing but crap. Bledsoe is miles better than him. One of the main reasons Minnesota fell short of everyone's expectations was because they actually assumed Rubio to be good.

These are really bad comparisons, Bledsoe is nowhere near LeBron or Howard and Rubio is actually pretty close in a head to head comparison. Rubio is a true PG where Bledsoe is a combo guard. Rubio is a little better on defense, however my point is that both Bledsoe & Rubio need to have the ball in their hands to be effective. They cannot play off the ball, so having both on the same team is redundant as neither is a particularly good outside shooter. The reason Bledsoe & Dragic worked out is because Dragic can play off the ball and is a good spot up shooter. You honestly think MIN would ask for Bledsoe?

 

[Phrazbit]

Bledsoe would not sign with Minnesota in the first place so its all moot. And with Minnesota being over the salary cap I dont believe they are allowed to take part in a sign and trade.

However, Bledsoe is much better than Rubio, and on both ends of the court.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Bledsoe would not sign with Minnesota in the first place so its all moot. And with Minnesota being over the salary cap I dont believe they are allowed to take part in a sign and trade.

However, Bledsoe is much better than Rubio, and on both ends of the court.

And off the court too. I don't see Bledsoe making those commercials.

Steve

 

[JCSunsfan]

I believe it would be easier to replace Bledsoe than Dragic.

If we intend to keep them both, could we afford to eventually match his salary with Bledsoe's?

Bledsoe gets hurt . . . repeatedly. Dragic plays hurt . . . repeatedly.

I vote 'no'.

I totally disagree. Bledsoe's two way talents are much more rare than Dragic's abilities. Bledsoe had a meniscus tear. It happens. It was one season.

If Dragic continues to play like he had to this year without Bledsoe, I guarantee you he will break down too, and it won't be pretty.

I am all for keeping them both. In fact, I am not really sure about Love. I like his rebounding and scoring, and he might become more efficient playing for a team like the Suns, but if he has to take the ball out of everyone else's hands in order to be effective, the who team could become less efficient.

We have two choices. Build a team like the Spurs or like the Celtics.

Spurs: Draft a core player. Find other players through wise draft choices, signings, and trades and let that core grow together. Keep continuity. Disadvantage: Slow process, need that key core player. Advantage: long periods of relevence.

Celtics: Stockpile young talent and then trade it away to put together a veteran core. Advantage: Contention immediately. Disadvantage: Short window.

 

[BC867]

I totally disagree.

Does that mean you disagree with my first point? That if we intend to keep them both, we couldn't afford to eventually match Dragic's salary with what we would have pay Bledsoe to re-sign him, for the luxury of having two starting Point Guards on the roster?