Jason’s Richardson’s influence isn’t limited to just the hardwood. Just ask the grateful residents of Saginaw, Mich.
J-Rich has been busy this offseason with a multitude of community projects aimed at giving back to his hometown. Between a food drive for needy Saginaw families, a golf classic benefitting the United Way and his motivational Man-Up forums, it’s of little wonder the Michigan State is finally getting some notoriety for his philanthropic endeavors.
As part of GQ’s “Better Men Better World Search,” here’s your chance to vote for J-Rich as “The Best Man.” After August 5, CLICK HERE to cast a ballot for the Suns’ starting shooting guard, who is aiming to become one of five finalists eligible for the top prize through fan voting. The contest honors men who are all about “the betterment of society through charitable work, volunteerism, and community involvement.”
CLICK HERE to see photos from the Michigan State alum’s busy stopover in Saginaw earlier this month, which includes exclusive images from his food drive, the Jason Richardson Golf Classic and his Man-Up Forum, with a special appearance from actor Chris Tucker.
Suns owner Robert Sarver recently stated that the most likely scenario for the Suns to acquire a star player was through a trade, and that the organization’s plan was to build up pieces to put themselves in a position to possibly do that.
Now what star player could possibly be available in the near future? The biggest stars are staying put for the most part or have free agency coming in the next season. There is, though, one player that is said to be “available.” Chris Paul.
True, it is rumored he wants to play in New York. True also is that he recently came out and said that he wants to represent New Orleans. But, really, what was he gong to say? That he is tired of a sad and dirty city? Of course he’s going to say publicly that he wants to stay with the Hornets.
Now, New Orleans has all the leverage here. Paul has two years remaining on his current contract. He gets paid almost $15 million this coming season and more than $16 million the season that follows. The Hornets also have a young point guard in Darren Collison, who showed he can play at a high level and a margin of the price.
Going back to the Suns, why should they get involved and try to get Paul?
He’s a star. He’s an elite point guard. He would play to the strengths of an already potent scoring attack.
Since 1989, with the exception of the last part of the 2002-2003 season, the Suns have ALWAYS had an elite point guard. Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd, Sam Cassell, Stephon Marbury, and Steve Nash are the elite point guards that have brought the ball up the court for Phoenix.
The only other elite point guards that did not play for the Suns were John Stockton and Gary Payton in the previous generation. Nash, Paul, Deron Williams, Tony Parker, and Derrick Rose are the current group of the elite, and Nash is in the twilight of his career. Goran Dragic could be very good, but he is not as of yet anywhere near elite as a point guard.
It would be appropriate that the Suns look into getting Paul. They could offer Jason Richardson and the trade would work with the salaries. Additionally, Phoenix would likely have to offer a future first round draft pick, but to get a player like Paul, you go for it.
New Orleans would lose their star, but Darren Collison showed that he can run the team. Richardson would give them much needed production from the shooting guard position.
Phoenix would get their starting point guard for the next several years and would have the face of their franchise as well. It has the look of a killer deal. Plus, imagine both Nash and Paul on the court at the same time. Both can shoot and both can create—it would be a nightmare for defenses.
Now obviously I am ignoring the negative ramifications. Paul would improve the team’s defense against point guards, but Nash would be stuck guarding shooting guards or small forwards. That would be a nightmare. Furthermore, it would make an already undersized team even more undersized. It would be a team of point guards and small forwards.
What the trade would allow after this coming season would be to have Dragic start alongside Paul, and allow Nash to play the final year of his contract (and possibly his career) as a backup. The size problem and defensive issues would be resolved and you still have one of the best point guards in the game, and a Paul/Dragic backcourt could develop into one of the deadliest combinations in the league.
Will this trade happen? I really doubt it. Should it? As a Phoenix fan, this is one trade that you should be willing to sell off your soul, spouse and children for. And that isn’t an exaggeration (okay maybe a little).
You can follow me, the (Happily) Trapped Fan on Twitter for my posts and other random thoughts that come up in my trapped life .
Hedo Turkoglu has been in the NBA for ten years and it has been an up and down career for the most part. However, some of his best years came with the Magic where he garnered Most Improved Player Honors and was a huge piece in Orlando’s run to the NBA Finals in 2009. As a Clevelander, I still can’t shake what he did against the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009. Turkoglu averaged 17 points per game, he hit clutch shots at the end of games, and was a match-up nightmare for the Cavs. He was put on center stage in the Eastern Conference Finals against LeBron James and his performance opened up the eyes of many people around the NBA, including the Toronto Raptors. Last offseason he was one of the most coveted free agents and ultimately landed in Toronto. After signing his enormous contract, Turkoglu had a terrible season in Toronto and was traded to the Phoenix Suns.
This is a great pick-up for Phoenix. It was clear that Turkoglu was never comfortable in Toronto and should be a very good fit in the Suns offense playing next to Steve Nash. Even though the loss of Amar’e Stoudemire certainly hurts, Turkoglu should soften the blow a little bit in the Valley.
Hedo Turkoglu joined KTAR in Phoenix with Gambo and Ash to talk about his horrible season last year with the Raptors, how excited he is to play with Steve Nash, and how tough it will be to fill the shoes of Amare Stoudemire.
On his season last year with the Raptors:
“It was, but it is past right now. I’m just excited and happy to be here. It’s a new beginning for me, new start for everything. No reason to talk for the past anymore. Let’s just talk about the things that I’m going to do here for the Phoenix Suns.”
On how excited he is to play with Steve Nash:
“I am actually. Like I said, I’m really excited about it. The team has been great many, many years. They’ve been successful by playing together unselfishly. Great chemistry, great personality, and great fans behind them supporting them. I’m just looking forward to do the things to help myself bring my game to that level again and help the team to reach success like they did in the past.”
On whether or not he feels the pressure of picking up the slack for the departed Amar’e Stoudemire:
“I don’t think so because were different players. He’s a great player, he’s an all star, but we play different basketball. I do things in a different way, he does things in a different way so right now I couldn’t even compare it like that. I just try to bring my personality, bring my game, and just try to help the Suns be to that level again. If they compare like that, even if they don’t, I still have to try and do my best. Go out there, play hard and be successful.”
On how he is feeling after a little surgery:
“Yeah. I’m feeling great. I’m healing quickly more than we expected. Makes me happy and just looking forward to getting back on the court again and just try to do the things that are going to help me be in the great shape.”
For all you Steve Kerr bashers out there, you’ll have to read Mike Prada’s piece on SBNation that ranks all 30 NBA general managers (or at least each team’s most recent GM). Your boy Kerr is in the middle of the pack.
The Phoenix Suns introduced the newest member of their team today at a press conference as Hedo Turkoglu made his first Valley appearance as a member of the Suns.
Turkoglu was acquired from Toronto more than a week ago in a trade that sent veteran guard Leandro Barbosa to the Raptors.
The 6-10 forward averaged 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 74 games with the Raptors last season, his first in Toronto.
Turkoglu spent the previous five years in Orlando, where he won the Most Improved Player Award in 2007-08 and helped the Magic advance to the NBA Finals in 2008-09.
Turkoglu’s new head coach Alvin Gentry intimated that the team has big plans for him in Phoenix. “He’s such a versatile player–we can use him as a ballhandler, we can use him as a screener, we can use him as a spot-up shooter, we can isolate him on the elbow and take advantage of a lot of things he can do,” Gentry said.
The name Lon Babby is recognized by basketball fans because of his work as one of the most prominent agents for the past decade. Babby represented players like Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, and Ray Allen, but now he is moving into a new role in the NBA. Babby gave up his job for a seat in the Suns front office as he was just named the team’s President of Basketball Operations. It’s pretty rare that an owner would hire an agent to run the Basketball Operations aspect of an NBA front office, but that’s exactly what Robert Sarver did. In doing this, the Suns owner is taking a huge risk. Babby is not yet qualified to handle personnel decisions or scout players. Which is why his first task as President is to find a General Manager to replace the second part of the departed Steve Kerr’s job.
Lon Babby joined KTAR in Phoenix with Gambo and Ash to talk why he decided to take the jump to the Suns front office, what qualities he will be looking for in a General Manager, and how tough it was to deliver the news to his clients.
On why he decided to join the Suns organization:
“I’m coming into a dream situation, a dream job for an organization that I view not just a premiere NBA organization, but an elite organization in all of sports. To have the opportunity to come into a place like this and bring what I think I’ve learned over the last 35 years from first the management side and then the player’s side, starting from such a high level if I can make a contribution at a place like this, it’s the ultimate. I’m more than excited about it. I know it’s going to be challenging, but it is truly an opportunity of a lifetime.”
On how difficult the transition will be:
“I know it’s going to be different. It’s going to be challenging and there are things I need to learn. I don’t come into it blind to that but I’ve got wonderful people here to work with and I think I can bring some things that are new to them. It’s going to be a partnership. It’s going to be a partnership with whoever we bring in as General Manger. I’m going to play to my strengths and I’m gonna try to impose processes, discipline, and a level of preparation that will allow us to succeed more often than other places. That’s not to say every decision is going to be right. It’s not, that’s the human endeavor, but I want to make sure we’re making decisions for the right reasons and based on preparation.”
On what he is looking for in a GM:
“Yeah. What I’m looking to have is the person is going to report to me so I suppose on some level I’m number one, but I’m not looking for number two. I’m looking for 1A. I’m looking for someone who is going to be willing to work in full partnership with me. What that person needs to be first and foremost is a basketball genius. We have geniuses here, we just need more geniuses. Everybody needs more geniuses. I want someone who can say this player is a better player than that player and this player can only go so far. My job is to take that information with the person in that position and flesh it out and make sure were asking all the right questions. Make sure we’ve analyzed it from all the angles, make sure we understand the implications from the collective bargaining agreement, the cap, and the tax. In the NBA, the way it works now, nothing is in isolation, but that guy is going to be able to be the most influential voice on basketball decisions from the standpoint of what happens on the court.”
On how much of a soft spot he will have for his former clients:
“More than a soft spot. You develop personal relationships that are brother to brother, or father to son and I think that’s what makes the job incredibly gratifying. To start working with them when they’re coming out of college and then to watch them grow as a professional basketball player, but more importantly grow as a person, a husband, and a father, that is a wonderfully gratifying experience. What’s really been terrific for me in this whole process is in communicating to my clients first that I was thinking about this, they all seemed proud. Proud that my work with them led to this opportunity. Those relationships will be different and I will have to be careful to be different now because I don’t represent them. They are in great hands with my partner Jim Tanner, but those relationships are going to last a lifetime.”
Phoenix Suns’ center Robin Lopez, who was named to the Team USA roster for the upcoming FIBA World Championships in Turkey last week, has left the team, citing that he’s not far enough along in his back rehab.
Lopez missed 21 games (including 11 playoff games) with the back injury in 2009-10.
His answer? “I don’t know,” Sarver said with a chuckle.
Sarver then went on to cite the Suns loss of Amar’e Stoudemire as a huge factor and explain that most experts don’t think that Phoenix will be as good as they were in 2009-10. He said that he’d expect to be projected anywhere from 8th to 10th in the West in 2010-11.
So can we expect the Suns’ owner to be in his courtside seats wildly waving two orange foam hands with eight fingers extended next season?
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In the last two seasons, Suns’ fans have railed on Sarver for his moves, and his passion for winning in relation to his desire for a healthy bottom line has been questioned by many. And that was before Sarver let Stoudemire walk in free agency, unwilling to guarantee the last two years on a proposed five-year contract to the five-time All-Star.
There are certain times it’s o.k. for a sports owner to lie. Manic Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert showed us one of those instances about two weeks ago. In his open letter to LeBron James, Gilbert guaranteed the Cavs would win a championship before Miami would. Ridiculous, right?
Absolutely. But it’s exactly what the scorned fans of Cleveland wanted to hear. Gilbert let the most prized free agent in the history of basketball walk away for absolutely nothing in return, and yet somehow, fans of the Cavs are on his side. That’s because he told an acceptable little white lie. Fans want to believe their team has one singular goal–winning a championship.
When I heard Sarver’s quote from Tuesday’s presser, I could only shake my head. Sure, he’s being honest, but shouldn’t he believe that the Suns still are the 2nd-best team in the conference even with all of the new faces added in the last couple of weeks? How does admitting you think your team has taken 6 to 8 steps back in the standings inspire confidence in the product? And furthermore, if Sarver feels that Stoudemire was that crucial to the Suns’ success in the near future, don’t you think it was a no-brainer to re-sign him?
Think back to your last job interview. You were probably asked a question along the lines of “how do you think you can help this company?” I doubt your answer was anything like “I don’t know”, followed by a chuckle. I’d assume you’d sell the best qualities of your personality and highlights of your work history. I’d assume you’d do everything in your power to inspire confidence in your future employer–even if what you’re saying is “embellished”.
It’s very rare that I’ll quote anybody associated with NASCAR, and even more rare that the person I reference is fictional, but I believe it was Ricky Bobby who said, “if you’re not first, you’re last.”
Who would have thought that a Hollywood caricature of a stock car driver could be so prophetic?
I’m tired of hearing the names of great basketball players come up in conversation with that verbal asterisk next to them.
“He was great, but he never won a ring.”
Please.
It seems more and more like the way most basketball fans validate players these days is by spouting off the number of championships that player has won. In fact, it got so bad, that a couple of years ago when Robert Horry retired from the NBA after playing on seven championship teams, there was some talk about his inclusion in the Hall of Fame some time down the road. Are you kidding me?
Never mind the fact that Horry also played during that stretch with Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan. Never mind the fact that Horry averaged under 10 points per game in the playoffs for each of his last five championship teams. Some people actually believe that seven championships should be an automatic ticket to the Hall of Fame. Maybe in boxing, but not in basketball. Horry was a contributor who was in the right place at the right time all throughout his career.
On the flip side, a player who has had success shouldn’t have an asterisk next to his name either. Did Elgin Baylor suck because he didn’t win a championship? God no! In a four-year stretch between 1959 and 1963, Baylor averaged 35.8 points per game–in the playoffs. His Lakers’ teams just didn’t win rings–Bob Petit and the St. Louis Hawks knocked them off in 1960 and 1961 in the Western Conference playoffs, and over in the East, the Boston Celtics were collecting championships every year.
On the local front, Suns’ point guard Steve Nash is being thrust into that “asterisk” category. The two-time MVP has led the league in assists four times. He’s played in the Western Conference Finals three times in the last six seasons. But his teams, through no fault of his own haven’t gotten over that championship hump. For anyone to diminish Nash’s career because of his lack of bling is just foolish.
The talk has been stirred up again since Amar’e Stoudemire left Nash and the Suns for greener pastures in New York, signifying to many that the Suns’ championship window is closed. Amare’s exodus also shows some that if #13 ends his career in Phoenix, he’ll do so without a championship ring.
Nash isn’t alone. If you built an all-time team of players who’ve never won a championship, you’d have yourself a damn good basketball team. I’ve taken the liberty of doing so.
Publicly, Steve Nash would say he’s honored just to be mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned legends. Privately, he’d loathe the company.
As talented, respected and accomplished their respective careers were, they all share a common lack of bling. Nary a championship can be found among their storied careers, and Nash is in danger of joining that famously infamous club. He can only defy Father Time so long, and even as he defies the passing of time, his supporting cast hasn’t. He’s seen Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire move on during their respective primes while seeing 25-50 cents on the dollar returned as small consolation.
The former MVP still has a shot - a long one, but better than a few weeks ago when Hakim Warrick appeared to be Phoenix’s only fallback plan for losing Stoudemire. Instead, owner Robert Sarver surprised everyone by using his financial flexibility to recover and acquired Josh Childress and Hedo Turkoglu. Nash’s feelings are mixed, because while the unexpected talent recovery is welcome, it came at the expense of Leandro Barbosa. Nash and the Brazilian were close, both from on-the-court battles over the years as well as off-the-court friendship. Nash publicly tweeted his disappointment over Barbosa’s departure, lamenting that he was the only one remaining from the Seven Seconds or Less Era.
If solace can be found anywhere, it’s within the career of former Miami Heat player Alonzo Mourning.
The former All-Star started his career in Charlotte, spent his younger years playing alongside then-stud Larry Johnson (he was The Man before his back betrayed him). The duo were supposed to rule the NBA for the next decade, but contract issues drove Mourning to Miami.
The Heat of the late 90s featured one of the best prototypical lineups assembled, with Tim Hardaway and Dan Majerle at the guard spots while Jamal Mashburn, P.J. Brown and Mourning manned the frontcourt. Like Nash’s Suns, they had the talent, the chemistry, the fit. Like Nash’s Suns, they lacked the luck.
The Knicks (like the Spurs did to Phoenix), painfully eliminated the Heat in consecutive years. 1998 featured the Knicks/Heat brawl and the subsequent suspensions that cost Miami their franchise player (Mourning) while the Knicks lost a role player (Larry Johnson). The following postseason, the Heat (a No. 1 seed) lost to New York on a Game 5 buzzer-beater by Allan Houston.
The Heat reloaded for the 1999-2000 campaign, but suffered a similar setback to the 2005-06 Suns. Mourning announced before the start of the season he would be out for the entire season due to a kidney disorder. Mourning returned, but teammates moved on. After he was breifly traded away, Mourning returned to the Heat, who appeared to have no forseeable shot at a championship.
Amazingly, things fell in place (that phrase has yet to be said of Phoenix, but there’s a first time for everything). Shaq arrived, Dwyane Wade came into his own, and the Heat overcame an 0-2 Finals deficit to beat Dallas for the 2005-06 NBA championship.
Why the not-so-brief history? The similarities are eerie. An early pairing with a superstar that didn’t work out. A playoff nemesis leaving emotional scars. Unexpectedly enduring an entire year without a star frontcourt player. Bitterness over an era wasted.
Here’s the thing — after all that, Mourning got his ring at the absolutely, unequivocally, least likely time of his career. Some of the above is rational and can be explained. Others (see: a team with Antoine Walker and a washed-up Gary Payton winning a championship) can’t. It just happened.
When Miami did win, there was no arguing for whom the championship held the most value. Not Shaq for doing it without Kobe. Not Wade for shutting up the draft experts who said it was a reach to pick him at No. 5. Not Payton for finally getting his long-sought ring (he signed on as a hired gun. The bling loses some luster for that — *cough* LeBron! *cough*).
It was Mourning, the guy who had given the most of any player to that franchise. The guy who fought bravely and vainly for his team time and again. The guy whose prime and window were supposedly behind him, but without whom that Miami team doesn’t beat Dallas.
Lady Luck still has a lot of work to do if Nash, like Mourning did, will get his long-awaited recompense. Mourning showed just staying in the fight long enough can yield that luck. Bloody playoff injuries and faithfulness to a cursed franchise shows Nash has the fight.
A Fanster exclusive blogger and Steve Nash enthusiast, Steve Fan provides takes on Steve Nash and the Suns. Watch out because he has MVP caliber talent.
A new fan but seasoned author, Keira-Anne brings her passion for all things basketball to add her take on things from north of the border. Hailing from Steve Nash's stomping ground of Vancouver Island, this Vancouver blogger has been writing about life on the coast for more than five years. An eternal optimist and sometimes realist, Keira-Anne hopes that her love for the Phoenix Suns will translate into nothing short of exciting views of life on Planet Orange.
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Suns owner Robert Sarver recently stated that the most likely scenario for the Suns to acquire a star player was through a trade, and that the organization’s plan was to build up pieces to put themselves in a position to possibly do that.
