Francodman
Diamond Member
Suns better draft Jameer Nelson now. Man, the suns were becomin my second fav team with amare, marbury, and marion 🙁
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Suns dump Marbury to Knicks!
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I can finally have a reason to watch the Knicks again...they went downhill after Ewing left...and they should've kept Spree. Spree plays with so much more energy than VanHorn. Watching VanHorn play is like watching a slowmo replay.
I remember watchin Penny when he was a rookie...he could've been awesome.
I remember watchin Penny when he was a rookie...he could've been awesome.
XMan
Lifer
Here's ESPN Insider's take.
Suns clear cap, will they come after Kobe?
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Monday, January 5
Updated: January 5
2:23 PM ET
A supernova just hit Phoenix. The Suns are blowing up again. Suns GM Bryan Colangelo read the writing on the wall. His team, once considered the best young squad in the NBA, was floundering. Attendance was dwindling. The luxury tax was looming. The chances of making the playoffs dimmed by the day.
What to do? Trade away problem child Stephon Marbury, get Penny Hardaway's millstone off your neck and try again next year. The prize? Enough cap room to make a run at the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, the rights to the best young point guard in Europe, Milos Vujanic, and a chance to to go from a being a good team to a great one next year.
The trade, which sources told Insider would be completed today, sends Marbury and Hardaway to the Knicks for Antonio McDyess, Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley, Maciej Lampe, the rights to second-round pick Vujanic and two first-round picks, including New York's unprotected first this season.
Of all the players the Suns are getting, only Eisley and Lampe will be on the books next season. McDyess and Ward are vehicles by which the Suns can slash a $66 million payroll this season and turn it into roughly $10 million in cap room next year.
How? McDyess' $13.5 million, Ward's $6 million (the Suns will buy out Ward this week, saving another $3.6 million) and Tom Gugliotta's $11.7 million all come off the books at the end of the season. Add in the $6.4 million Eisley is slated to make next season and the Suns are looking at around $36 million in guaranteed salaries next season. Add in cap holds for the two first-round draft picks they own, and that number swells to $39 million. Sources in Phoenix claim, however, the Suns are probably not done dealing. The team will try to move a pick or two along with a salary to get closer to that $35 million number.
If the cap comes in at around $45 million next year, and the Suns are $10 million under, the Suns are suddenly right in the middle of the hunt to land Kobe.
And at first glance, they'd have to be the odds-on favorites. Kobe has been hinting that he wants out of L.A., but before today's trade, his best option appeared to be the Clippers. While the Clippers aren't a bad option for him if Donald Sterling is willing to pay, the Suns would be better. Combined with Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion, along with young players like Joe Johnson, Zarko Carbarkapa, Lampe and Milos Vujanic, the Suns would have as formidable of a team as any in the league. Phoenix has always been a premier free-agent destination because of the weather and the way the Colangelos run a first-class organization. Having Italian coach Mike D'Antoni couldn't hurt things either.
Yes, Kobe would have to take a decent pay cut to play in Phoenix. He's due $14.6 million next year in Los Angeles, and the Suns would probably be able to offer him only around $10 million. But for Kobe, the change of scenery, and the chance to win a championship without Shaq, may be worth the salary hit.
Even if the Suns can't land Kobe, the serious cap room will help them land a top-flight player. The acquisition of the two young European prospects -- Lampe and Vujanic -- also bodes well for the Suns' future.
Lampe stunned scouts when he slipped from a projected lottery pick to the first pick of the second round. The 7-foot native of Poland slipped when rumors that his team, Real Madrid, wouldn't let him out of his contract spread the day of the draft. The Knicks were able to secure a buyout and Lampe played well in the summer league for the Knicks.
Lampe has a typical European game. He's a good ball handler and excellent outside shooter for his size. Unlike other top European big men, however, Lampe has a body built to play in the low post. The Knicks quickly found that he was too slow to play the three in the NBA, but found a lot of success using him as a high-post five in their offense. The Suns were very high on Lampe during the draft, and would've selected him had Zarko Carbarkapa not been on the board.
Given the Suns' lack of true big man, Lampe may be a perfect fit in coach Mike D'Antoni's system. He can run the floor, stretch the defense and is tough enough to go in and grad a rebound. He'll never be athletic enough to play the three, but he could definitely help at the five.
They also landed the rights to Serbian point guard Milos Vujanic. Vujanic, 23, is widely regarded as the best young point guard in Europe. Vujanic averaged 25.7 ppg and 3.2 apg for Belgrade's Partizan team last year. This season playing for Euroleague powerhouse Skipper Bologna, the 6-foot-3 is averaging 12.8 ppg and 2.0 apg on 59 percent shooting from the field. While those numbers won't wow NBA observers, they are considered very solid considering that the Euroleague credits assist differently and that Vujanic is on a team stacked with talent.
Insider actually traveled to Belgrade last winter and watched Vujanic light up one of the top teams in Europe, CSKA Moscow, in front of the home crowd. Here's an excerpt from that scouting report.
At first glance, his game is eerily reminiscent of Steve Nash's, with one or two differences. Both players are fantastic shooters (Vujanic goes 4-for-9 from beyond the arc tonight). They both love to push the ball up the court, and always keep their cool even under pressure. Vujanic, however, is a better athlete and a tougher defender.
The NBA's best point guards all have one thing in common -- the ability to split defenders and get the ball to the basket. Jason Kidd is the master of this, and Vujanic isn't far behind.
One second he's shooting 3s. The next he's pushing the ball on the break and dishing a perfect behind-the-back pass to a trailing teammate for the jam. The next time down, he's battling for offensive rebounds, and then he's flinging himself into the stands for a loose ball. Vujanic has a killer jump stop and can pull up on a dime and sink the open jumper.
CSKA has no answer for him. At times they triple-team him, but he always makes them pay. He is putting on a show tonight. Of all of the players we've seen on the trip, he is by far the best. His stat line at the end of the game tells most of the story: 28 points on 7 of 14 shooting, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals in 36 minutes. Most important, Partizan scores a huge upset over CSKA.
Vujanic opted not to join the Knicks last season and instead signed on with Skipper Bologna. Vujanic and his agent were concerned that with the Knicks' logjam at point guard that he'd be mired on the end of the bench. Vujanic decided he'd be better off getting more experience playing for one of the top teams in Europe. With a clear opportunity to come in and start for Phoenix, expect Vujanic to be in a Suns uniform next season.
If the Suns sign Kobe I will burn every piece of Suns gear I own and root for somebody else. :disgust:
Suns clear cap, will they come after Kobe?
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Monday, January 5
Updated: January 5
2:23 PM ET
A supernova just hit Phoenix. The Suns are blowing up again. Suns GM Bryan Colangelo read the writing on the wall. His team, once considered the best young squad in the NBA, was floundering. Attendance was dwindling. The luxury tax was looming. The chances of making the playoffs dimmed by the day.
What to do? Trade away problem child Stephon Marbury, get Penny Hardaway's millstone off your neck and try again next year. The prize? Enough cap room to make a run at the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, the rights to the best young point guard in Europe, Milos Vujanic, and a chance to to go from a being a good team to a great one next year.
The trade, which sources told Insider would be completed today, sends Marbury and Hardaway to the Knicks for Antonio McDyess, Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley, Maciej Lampe, the rights to second-round pick Vujanic and two first-round picks, including New York's unprotected first this season.
Of all the players the Suns are getting, only Eisley and Lampe will be on the books next season. McDyess and Ward are vehicles by which the Suns can slash a $66 million payroll this season and turn it into roughly $10 million in cap room next year.
How? McDyess' $13.5 million, Ward's $6 million (the Suns will buy out Ward this week, saving another $3.6 million) and Tom Gugliotta's $11.7 million all come off the books at the end of the season. Add in the $6.4 million Eisley is slated to make next season and the Suns are looking at around $36 million in guaranteed salaries next season. Add in cap holds for the two first-round draft picks they own, and that number swells to $39 million. Sources in Phoenix claim, however, the Suns are probably not done dealing. The team will try to move a pick or two along with a salary to get closer to that $35 million number.
If the cap comes in at around $45 million next year, and the Suns are $10 million under, the Suns are suddenly right in the middle of the hunt to land Kobe.
And at first glance, they'd have to be the odds-on favorites. Kobe has been hinting that he wants out of L.A., but before today's trade, his best option appeared to be the Clippers. While the Clippers aren't a bad option for him if Donald Sterling is willing to pay, the Suns would be better. Combined with Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion, along with young players like Joe Johnson, Zarko Carbarkapa, Lampe and Milos Vujanic, the Suns would have as formidable of a team as any in the league. Phoenix has always been a premier free-agent destination because of the weather and the way the Colangelos run a first-class organization. Having Italian coach Mike D'Antoni couldn't hurt things either.
Yes, Kobe would have to take a decent pay cut to play in Phoenix. He's due $14.6 million next year in Los Angeles, and the Suns would probably be able to offer him only around $10 million. But for Kobe, the change of scenery, and the chance to win a championship without Shaq, may be worth the salary hit.
Even if the Suns can't land Kobe, the serious cap room will help them land a top-flight player. The acquisition of the two young European prospects -- Lampe and Vujanic -- also bodes well for the Suns' future.
Lampe stunned scouts when he slipped from a projected lottery pick to the first pick of the second round. The 7-foot native of Poland slipped when rumors that his team, Real Madrid, wouldn't let him out of his contract spread the day of the draft. The Knicks were able to secure a buyout and Lampe played well in the summer league for the Knicks.
Lampe has a typical European game. He's a good ball handler and excellent outside shooter for his size. Unlike other top European big men, however, Lampe has a body built to play in the low post. The Knicks quickly found that he was too slow to play the three in the NBA, but found a lot of success using him as a high-post five in their offense. The Suns were very high on Lampe during the draft, and would've selected him had Zarko Carbarkapa not been on the board.
Given the Suns' lack of true big man, Lampe may be a perfect fit in coach Mike D'Antoni's system. He can run the floor, stretch the defense and is tough enough to go in and grad a rebound. He'll never be athletic enough to play the three, but he could definitely help at the five.
They also landed the rights to Serbian point guard Milos Vujanic. Vujanic, 23, is widely regarded as the best young point guard in Europe. Vujanic averaged 25.7 ppg and 3.2 apg for Belgrade's Partizan team last year. This season playing for Euroleague powerhouse Skipper Bologna, the 6-foot-3 is averaging 12.8 ppg and 2.0 apg on 59 percent shooting from the field. While those numbers won't wow NBA observers, they are considered very solid considering that the Euroleague credits assist differently and that Vujanic is on a team stacked with talent.
Insider actually traveled to Belgrade last winter and watched Vujanic light up one of the top teams in Europe, CSKA Moscow, in front of the home crowd. Here's an excerpt from that scouting report.
At first glance, his game is eerily reminiscent of Steve Nash's, with one or two differences. Both players are fantastic shooters (Vujanic goes 4-for-9 from beyond the arc tonight). They both love to push the ball up the court, and always keep their cool even under pressure. Vujanic, however, is a better athlete and a tougher defender.
The NBA's best point guards all have one thing in common -- the ability to split defenders and get the ball to the basket. Jason Kidd is the master of this, and Vujanic isn't far behind.
One second he's shooting 3s. The next he's pushing the ball on the break and dishing a perfect behind-the-back pass to a trailing teammate for the jam. The next time down, he's battling for offensive rebounds, and then he's flinging himself into the stands for a loose ball. Vujanic has a killer jump stop and can pull up on a dime and sink the open jumper.
CSKA has no answer for him. At times they triple-team him, but he always makes them pay. He is putting on a show tonight. Of all of the players we've seen on the trip, he is by far the best. His stat line at the end of the game tells most of the story: 28 points on 7 of 14 shooting, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals in 36 minutes. Most important, Partizan scores a huge upset over CSKA.
Vujanic opted not to join the Knicks last season and instead signed on with Skipper Bologna. Vujanic and his agent were concerned that with the Knicks' logjam at point guard that he'd be mired on the end of the bench. Vujanic decided he'd be better off getting more experience playing for one of the top teams in Europe. With a clear opportunity to come in and start for Phoenix, expect Vujanic to be in a Suns uniform next season.
If the Suns sign Kobe I will burn every piece of Suns gear I own and root for somebody else. :disgust:
cliftonite
Diamond Member
Oh man Lampe, Vujanic, and 2 first round picks 🙁
SpazzyChicken
Senior member
"If the Suns sign Kobe I will burn every piece of Suns gear I own and root for somebody else. "
I couldn't have said it better myself. Kobe in a sun's uniform?? :frown::|:|:|:|
I couldn't have said it better myself. Kobe in a sun's uniform?? :frown::|:|:|:|
PlatinumGold
Lifer
i think a knicks team that clicks with Marbury, Houston, KVH, Kurt Thomas and Mutumbo can put up some serious points.
4 of the five starters have the capability to average over 15 ppg. marbury and houston can score over 20 ppg. that's 70ppg just from those 4. with penny hardaway to come off the bench.
that's a pretty potent offense if you ask me.
TheToOTaLL
Platinum Member
Yeah, he WAS good.......
....back at U of M 😉
EDIT: Damn, knock on wood or something....as soon as I posted this the news came on and talked about the trade :Q
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