Bill Golamb
Chandler, AZ
- 39 comments
- 3 likes given
- 6 likes received
As a long time hoops fan, I've enjoyed both watching and playing the game for as long as I can remember. Despite being a Phoenix native, I've always been a Sonics fan first. Now that my team has been stolen, I've chosen to put my backing with my hometown team despite an inept and moronic owner doing everything he can to sabotage the team. As for stuff outside hoops, I'm a 38 year old US Navy vet. I'm also a graduate of UNLV.
@BoomShakaLuka I don't think your thought process is far off point, Boom. It's only a matter of time.
@IowaPhXfan Juvenile yet unsurprising. I guess you expect more of someone after a lengthy debate, but no matter. Fucks given? NONE.
@TySun It's easy to judge in hindsight, yes... but the point was that Sarver sold off picks we could have used to strengthen the team instead of hamstringing us into the situation we now face. That's all.
As I said before, the draft is a lot like Forrest Gump's classic line relating to chocolates. You might get a star, but you might also get a bust. You just never can tell.
@IowaPhXfan Psssh. Another toss in the dirt. C'mon, man. At least give me something to swing at. :/
Gordon never really changed his tune. As I said, he used PHX as leverage and nothing more. Him going from a poor but much more promising situation in NO to the craptacular situation we have here? Bwahahahaha! Spare me. Besides, NO stated from the get go they would match any offer. He knew he wasn't going anywhere from the start. Stop trying to pretend his words were anything more than a charade.
Johnson was playing well here. There is no reason to think he wouldn't have continued to develop given the talent around him at the time. As for Stoudemire, I've never once suggested he be signed to a max deal. That's your assumption. He obviously felt he was worth one, but that doesn't mean he deserved it. He should have been smarter about things and just signed here. He had a good thing going and instead screwed it. Sarver wasn't keen on overpaying and to that I can understand, but he didn't need to blatantly lowball him either.
You put so much into max contracts. It's not a guarantee a player gets one and if an owner overpays just to keep said player, that's on them. As I said before, this league and its players are all about the money. Yes, the new CBA is changing things. We'll see how things pan out from here.
Looks like we agree on the tanking issue. Perhaps we can play in the same sandbox after all. LOL
Look, let's save the nonsense sports jabs and just say that we disagree in this aspect. While I do appreciate the debate, it does get tiresome. That is in no manner an admission of defeat as there was never a contest to begin with.
@IowaPhXfan What should be shutout is your mouth. Seriously.
Have YOU been paying any attention to anything I've said? At least we agree on the Marshall pick. If there's a silver lining to this cloud, that's it. As far as Gordon and that article, he changed his tune and has since stated that he was never really that into PHX. It was and will always be about money. That much is evident.
Sarver began the show by spurning Joe Johnson. He followed that by selling off picks that amounted to Luol Deng and Rajon Rondo. He sold off another pick that was Rudy Fernandez. That's two all star level players and a solid rotation guy. He followed that with the atrocious Marion/O'Neal deal and then closed with the Stoudemire mess. So, again, tell me how that hasn't gutted the franchise? I wasn't a fan of Amare for the max nor Nash for the $10M per you've stated. There was no guarantee that Amare would have had further injuries. That's why you play the games. I suppose he leveraged risk over potential reward and came out on top. Still, no guarantee that his woes would have continued had he played on here. As for Nash, he probably would have taken the "home team" discount but it was clear Sarver wanted him gone. I appreciate all he's done here to keep them competitive, but he should have been moved prior to last off season.
Regardless of PHX tanking, it's something that should NEVER be done. It's poor sportsmanship, period. If the team just blows despite a solid roster, then that's something else. Purposely constructing a team with the sole purpose of failure is nonsense. At this rate, they'll be drafting somewhere between 5-7. Will they move up? Maybe. With Gortat now out and them potentially holding out Dragic et al, that chance increases somewhat.
Go ahead and throw another one into the dirt... because you sure can't seem to find the strike zone.
@IowaPhXfan Didn't know we switched to tennis. Interesting.
Could Telfair used language that conveyed the message in a more tactful manner? Sure. However, he's human and reacted honestly to his feelings with regard to the situation. I do believe he was cheated out of his time. Marshall has shown next to nothing. He's certainly not justified being a lottery pick. Garrett is a toss in. He's got talent and can score, but he's unlikely to ever be the number two guy. No matter what you say, Marshall was a waste as far better talent was available with that pick.
Funny you should mention Telfair and being a number two or three guy. What the hell do you think Marshall and Garrett are? Telfair is still better than both and got bumped out of the rotation since sitting their lottery pick makes the management look like fools. Then again, they don't have to sit someone for that.
Sarver IS about cutting costs. The trade was made to get the pick. Haddadi won't be on the roster long and was merely filler. If this trade had occurred earlier into the season, he would have been cut by now. If you don't believe Sarver to be about cutting costs, I don't know what team you're watching. He's utterly gutted a contender and replaced it with a laughingstock during his ownership tenure. He makes Donald Sterling look like he's giving money away. Sarver's ownership has definitely affected the free agent market and potential players to come here. If they do, it's all about the money since winning isn't realistic. Do you HONESTLY think that Eric Gordon wanted to be here? Hell no. He wanted the money and used PHX's offer to set up the one he got from NO.
The team as constructed or even as you've mentioned isn't anywhere close to being a playoff team. While high picks are nice, they often don't pan out. There have been several that were thought to be difference makers... and the only difference they're making is on the bench.. or overseas. That much is truth.
Lastly, I, too can see the "big picture" when looking towards the future. The issue with continually playing poorly to get picks sets up a bad precedent and ruins the culture of the team. The team doesn't have hardly ANY talent let alone young talent. Who is at fault for that? Sarver and his merry band of morons.
When you try and serve this time, try hitting it over the net.
@IowaPhXfan Telfair was a winner last night, that much was clear. He's surely better than Marshall and Haddadi as well.
So, what you're saying is we should continue to tank instead of at least trying to win? That's what this is about now? Spare me. I know why they traded him, but it was a bad choice as Telfair was better than either of the two bench guards you referenced.
Stockpiling high picks or picks in general is great and all, but it's a moot factor when the team has shown time and again that they haven't a clue as to what should be done with them. Selling them off or trading them to other teams doesn't help THIS team at all. What it helps is Sarver keep costs low since that's all he's interested in.
Rebuilding the team? Right. No free agents of any merit want to come here. NONE. You can't do it with young players alone and if you try, it's going to take years upon years before you make any progress if any progress is made at all. This FO is not the same as what they've got in OKC, so quit trying to make it souns as though it's all going to suddenly come together overnight. I don't recall ever hearing your name mentioned as a GM, either. Time to get over yourself.
I'm elated that the Suns got their asses kicked. They deserved it, and I'm sure no one relished being a part of it more than Telfair. I'm also glad he spoke his mind rather adamantly about what he felt went down in relation to the trade.
What an utter joke this team has become. Time to say goodbye to that other first round pick, too. Looks like the Lakers are going to follow through on Bryant's promise. It never fails that he always seems to find a way to kill the Suns. However, this year it was a team effort... Bryant, the Suns' FO, Sarver, and all the quitters on the Suns' roster.
Pathetic.
@john manhole Maybe ol' Sarver should try to hook up with Martha Stewart... as she openly admitted that she'd do precisely what you stated in order to be famous. What a pair those two would make, eh?
I was somewhat hesitant to stand behind the FO on the O'Neal acquisition, but he's proven to be in far better shape than he was in BOS and has produced for the Suns on the regular. Seeing as how he helped them win against a hated rival and appears to be healthy, it would be nice to see him come back next season. I know that he's got some family issues to attend to that are of the utmost importance, but I do believe that he can be productive here. The training staff has shown time and again just how good they are at revitalizing players who were thought to be through, but JO just keeps on going.
@DBreezy @4everis2long Sadly, you are more correct than many would like to admit. The ownership and FO have turned our proud franchise into a laughingstock with no true signs of turning the situation around.
If Gortat, Dudley, and Scola are sent packing, they might as well fold the team. I doubt they would get anything significant in return or to even balance out what we're losing in those three players. PHX will soon become the dumping ground for bad contracts and sub par players.
As for Brown, I'm not sure of his contract situation and if/when it becomes fully guaranteed. My guess is that like the others mentioned, he too is moved in the offseason. Johnson will more than likely be brought back on the cheap. I figure that soon all we'll have on our roster are cast off lottery picks who never hit their potential. Beasley and Marshall (and Johnson, maybe) are the posterboys for that.
@4everis2long I'm sure this isn't what got Brown to re-sign for another year when he could have gone elsewhere. While he's streaky, he's got starter quality in him if given the opportunity. Brown's problem is that he spent too much time behind Kobe and picking up his bad habits. Just because you're a decent shooter as well as quickness and hops doesn't mean you go iso every time you get the ball. The sooner he gets that, the better off he'll be.
I feel bad for Dudley, too. We still had something decent when he signed onto another contract. Now, to have your name swirling in rumors and not getting as much run as before? Disheartening, for sure. If they do make a trade, they need to do him the same favor they did for Nash and reward him for being loyal when he could have gone elsewhere.
I'm still not entirely sold on Johnson. He was a #6 pick at one time not too long ago, so I hope he's able to put it together and do something with his talent. We've got a former #2 pick on the roster who surprisingly has yet to wash out of the league. Then again, if Kwame Brown is still in the league....
@BoomShakaLuka That wouldn't surprise me, but that's a deplorable "strategy" for sure. For a team to lose intentionally merely to increase their draft position is everything that's wrong with the system as it currently exists. One has to wonder about San Antonio so many moons ago when Tim Duncan was the premier pick in the draft. The same can't be said this year when there's no clear cut/completely above the rest player to be had that makes tanking worth it.
I hate to say it, but Shannon Brown is getting screwed here. He is a better player than Johnson at this point and for him to just get benched and not even a sniff of minutes is silly. If the plan was to use Johnson more and not even give Brown some backup burn, why did we hold on to him?
What a waste. The FO and dipshit owner are apparently out to alienate the fans and make the players even more resentful than they may already be.
@steppxxxxz I wouldn't exactly call the two Morris twins busts. Both are far better than Marshall who IS a bust, so let's be fair. Though I'm not a fan of the lack of movement on the part of the front office, picking up the other Morris (who was a first round pick) for a likely worthless and unproductive second round pick is a good move.
Dragic is good, but he clearly needs more help. Beasley was never that guy and his signing only further illustrates the lack of sense in the FO. If he's not traded this offseason of before the next deadline, I'll be shocked and outraged. Gortat is one I'd keep since he's one of the few bright spots on the team. Yeah, he's bitching and complaining.. but that's because the team sucks and they've done nothing to remedy that. Imagine how bad things would be had they not scooped up Scola on the cheap?
@TySun There's no telling where the Suns will fall at this point, but many have them between four to six on the board. There's still some time left to go until June, and prospects can change dramatically in the span of one game (ask Nerlens Noel).
What I'd rather the team not do is draft on "best available". They need to take someone who fills a spot at which they're hurting, and that spot is SG. However, if they could get Tony Bennett from UNLV... that would be just fine with me.
@bkkkkkkkk Hard to make a tasty pie when all the apples in the bushel are rotten.
@BoomShakaLuka @hawki A FEW more? That's putting it on the light side, don't you think? The Suns are going to be a perennial lottery team as long as Sarver continues to be the owner with Blanks and Babby running the FO.
This team is a travesty, and the blood is solely on Sarver's hands. It's time for that idiot to sell the team to someone who wants it and will do what it takes to win, and that means spending money instead of scrimping it.
@4everis2long I know he didn't play up to expectations in MIN, but I, too, would like to see him get more run. He could turn into a really productive guy and perhaps a solid starter at some point if he develops some consistency on his shot. I thought he'd be in the starting spot for sure once word had spread around that Dudley and/or Tucker might be gone. Now that the deadline has passed and both are still around, does Hunter continue giving Wes minutes or does he go back to the pine?
As has been established, I've never been a fan of the Marshall pick. It was a waste given the far better talent available at the time; despite that, we're now stuck with him and need to see what he's got. If he progresses along after some run in the summer league, then maybe things will be more positive for him. Garrett is a filler and little else. I know the kid has game, but it seems as though they have no interest in letting him show it. What a shame.
Gortat should man up and get to his job of crashing the boards and scoring. Bitching isn't going to solve anything and will only serve to hurt his trade value. I didn't want to see him go to OKC since Perkins wouldn't be a good fit here. Going to ATL for Smith would have been okay, but there was no way that was going to happen. Now, we need him to just get to work and help us win. I do like the guy and know he can easily be a nightly double double producer. The question is, does he even want to?
@bkkkkkkkk That's ONLY if the Lakers miss the playoffs, and I don't see that happening. They're not that far out from the last spot.