Quest Club of Arizona

I’m out of my basketball comfort zone with this post, but anyone think that the Arizona Cardinals should try to go after Jay Cutler? It looks like the Broncos fumbled and bumbled their way into ruining their relationship with their Pro Bowl QB. The way some QBs can play well into their 30′s, Cutler could be the Cards’ QB for the next 10 years after Warner retires. The huge hurdle would be convincing Cutler to compete with Warner for the starting job.

In reverse to the Suns situation, maybe the Cardinals can trade the proverbial young players, draft picks, junk players and cash for a superstar?

Normally, I agree with TNT analyst Charles Barkley or at least understand where he’s coming from. However, I think he has got it all wrong with his idea that the Suns should trade Amare Stoudemire for young players and draft picks.

As you know, I am firmly in the “keep Amare” camp. Perhaps I’m the only Suns fan who truly feels this way. But regardless of your feelings about Stoudemire, the reality is that a trade will more than likely not improve the team and instead might make things worse.

First, let’s examine this season. When the Suns were shopping Stoudemire, it turns out the strongest possibility was the Chicago Bulls. Yes, a 1st round draft pick would have been part of the deal. However, there is a good chance that this would not have been a lottery pick. The Bulls own two 1st round picks for 2009, their own and the worse of either the Nuggets’ or Spurs’ 1st pick. In terms of young players, the Bulls were offering Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha. No disrespect to these players, but I don’t see any of them becoming a go-to, franchise-type player.

On top of that, the Bulls are currently tied for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. In other words, the Suns could have risked trading Stoudemire against the odds of the Bulls making the playoffs and may have ended up with three role players, the 15th pick in the 2009 draft, and some cleared cap space. That would have been a disastrous way to begin a rebuilding project. As a GM, you cannot trade your star player on a gamble. You need a sure bet.

Also it is vital to remember that Stoudemire’s eye injury was not discovered until after this season’s trade deadline passed. All trade decisions were made under the assumption that Stoudemire would have been able to finish out the season and playoffs.

Turning to the upcoming offseason, there is one major impact player in the draft. As Fred alluded to in a comment to one of my previous posts, Oklahoma sophomore Blake Griffin is the consensus predicted 1st pick for the 2009 draft. However, there is no chance that the Suns will be able to trade Stoudemire for the rights to draft Griffin, and here’s why. At 6-10 with tremendous athleticism and great scoring ability, Griffin will play in a very similar role to that of Stoudemire. No team will want to trade away the rights to Griffin for a player who is older, similar, more expensive with an opt-out clause, and possibly damaged goods. The only way the Suns get Griffin is if they win the lottery themselves and get the 1st overall pick with their own draft pick.

Another important dose of reality. If the Suns trade away Stoudemire and begin rebuilding, they currently do not have a 1st round pick in 2010. This is one of the infamous “sold draft picks” given away by Suns majority owner Robert Sarver and GM Steve Kerr. If the Suns bomb out next season with a bunch of young project players, rookies, and scrubs, the will kindly hand over to the Oklahoma City Thunder a nice gift in the form of another lottery pick for that franchise. The Suns have every incentive to make the playoffs next season because they have already traded away their 2010 1st round pick.

I’ll repeat myself from my last post and argue that the Suns need to hold their ground for next season and aim for 2010 as a rebuilding year. The 2010 free agent class completely blows away 2009. Assuming that Stoudemire and Steve Nash don’t return for the long term, the contacts of Stoudemire (player option), Nash, and Shaquille O’Neal all expire for 2010, putting the Suns in an ideal position to sign two marquee free agents. This is something certain that a GM can plan for.

Bottom line? If the Suns trade Stoudemire this offseason, it will be the worst trade in the franchise’s history since they traded Dennis Johnson to the Boston Celtics for Rick Robey.

Based on the title, you might think that this post will be about the past, as in the past trades made by Suns’ GM Steve Kerr. Actually it is not. I am following advice from Kerr himself and not looking back, but forward. This post is about what the Suns should do in the offseason.

However, I will regress just set the scene. After last year’s playoff series loss to the Spurs, I wrote an email to Kerr using the Suns’ website contact page. I begged him to keep the team together and keep Mike D’Antoni as coach. I pleaded that the future of the team was with a starting front line of Shaq, Amare Stoudemire, and Boris Diaw as Triple Towers.

Obviously, Mr. Kerr never bothered reading my email. And that brings us to this post. If any of you out there are reading this article, it would be at least one more person than who read my last message to Kerr. I’m getting at least a 100 percent improvement on this one.

Mathematically, yes, the Suns can still make the postseason. Practically speaking, last night’s loss to the Mavericks has eliminated to Suns from the playoff race. Honestly, the Suns have actually played pretty well throughout this current five game losing skid. Yet, it is painfully clear that the loss of Stoudemire has been cataclysmic as far as registering wins versus losses. The Suns need to continue to finish out the season with pride, play hard, and try to win as many games as possible. It will set the tone for the future.

First and foremost, let’s forget about the concept of “blowing up the team” and starting over. In order to dismantle a team, first there must have been a stable roster to begin with. The Suns have already been blown up. Only three players remain from that magical 2004-05 season: Stoudemire, Steve Nash, and Leandro Barbosa. Only six remain from last year: Stoudemire, Nash, Barbosa, Shaq, Grant Hill, and Alando Tucker. Even more turnover will only ensure a further downward spiral. Instead, Suns management should keep this current team together for one more shot at glory.

Despite his defensive weaknesses and despite his personality flaws, Stoudemire is one of the best scorers in the game. Most importantly, he is a finisher, a closer, someone you can give the ball to at critical moments of a game to make something happen. There are only a few players who fit that description, and none would be available to the Suns via a trade or free agency for next year. Kobe? LeBron? Pierce? Wade? Duncan? Not a chance.

How about trading Stoudemire for a lottery pick? Terrible option. No one in his right mind would bet the future on the 2009 draft lottery, one that is best described as “weak”. By keeping Stoudemire, the Suns hold on to a sliver of hope for a championship. By trading him, there will be no hope at all.

The Suns should also keep Nash and Shaq. Both have contracts that currently go no further than next season, clearing substantial salary cap space for two seasons from now. Nash is another closer and is still popular with the fans. And with the return the to uptempo offense, his stats are falling in line with the previous four seasons. From a basketball perspective, the Suns are also better off keeping Shaq. In the last 12 games, the team has proven it can run with Shaq in the lineup. Throw in a healthy Stoudemire and instead of being 6-7 under Alvin Gentry, the Suns could be 10-3 or even 11-2.

Ultimately, my advice to Steve Kerr is to do the most difficult thing of all: make no major changes. The team’s three best players should remain as well as most of the other players under contract: Barbosa, Lou Amundson, Jared Dudley, Robin Lopez, Tucker, and Goran Dragic. Given his productivity, Barbosa is a bargain at $6.6M per season. As a 12th man free agent signee last offseason, Amundson is an absolute steal. Dudley is a contributor. Lopez is a mobile big guy with potential. Tucker has a great locker room/practice court presence and an affordable contract. Dragic may or may not succeed but he would be too expensive to get rid of at this point.

The one player who the Suns should consider trading is Jason Richardson. The general rule is that any guard who gets paid more than $10M per season must have the ability to dominate the ball when needed and win games for his team. At an average of $13.3M per season for three seasons, Richardson has proven to be greatly overpaid. He is a tremendous athlete who can score in big bunches. Yet, despite all his abilities he cannot take over a game and lead his team to victory. The Suns’ acquisition of Richardson seemed to make sense at the time. And like many, I was in favor of it when it happened. But after 40 games, I admit that my analysis was off the mark. It will be difficult to move Richardson who still has a big multi-year contract. The Suns would not be able to get comparable talent in return. However in terms of needs, the Suns could really use a dependable power forward or center. Using Richardson as trade bait to fill a need could have tremendous benefits for the Suns.

As mentioned in my previous post, based on current contracts, 2010-11 is guaranteed to bring dramatic changes to the Suns’ roster. Like virtually every other team in the NBA, 2010-11 is the season Suns management needs to target for any overhauling plans. The free agent class is a who’s who of superstars. Therefore, the Suns need to keep the current team mostly intact for one more season not only because there is a slim chance that they can go deep in the playoffs next year, but also because any dramatic moves now might eliminate much bigger possibilities in two seasons. A knee jerk reaction by Kerr this offseason could destroy any hopes for this franchise for many years to come.

A couple weeks ago, Yahoo columnist Johnny Ludden wrote an article bringing into question how valuable Amare Stoudemire is to the Suns. After watching the Suns lose two winnable games against Orlando and Miami, I think Mr Ludden has his answer: a whole heckuva lot.

Against the Magic’s two 6-10 starting forwards, the Suns had no answer with its combination of the 6-8 Grant Hill, 6-7 Matt Barnes, and 6-6 Jason Richardson. Against the Heat, it is true that the Suns shot the lights out. However, the Heat’s zone defense shut down the Suns at the right times. Stoudemire’s ability to get to the hoop and draw fouls usually with “and 1″ opportunities would have made an important difference in both outcomes.

The most vulnerable playoff position team in the West is the Dallas Mavericks. Yet, the Suns now have three more losses than the Mavs with just 21 games left to play. If things were different and the Suns managed to win against the Magic and the Heat, the deficit would have been only one loss. And because the Suns still have two games against the Mavs before the season is over, I would have liked the Suns’ chances. However the way things are now, the Suns have no control over their own destiny because even a sweep in the their two games against Dallas won’t be enough to pull them ahead in the playoff race.

It is clear that the Suns are now playing with pride and a sense of purpose. Alvin Gentry is doing a great job of coaching. Defensive lapses aside, the Suns are also a lot of fun to watch again. But the midseason trade of Boris Diaw (along with Raja Bell) combined with the loss of Stoudemire to eye surgery have left the team severely depleted when it comes to playing physical and being able to match up with playoff-caliber teams.

However, I still believe that this team still has a lot to play for. The most important thing for the Suns to do is finish the season strongly, playoffs or not. Simply measuring how competitively the Suns play each game and begin to win back the fans will determine what happens in the offseason. Assuming the core roster remains for next year along with Coach Gentry, it will definitely be the last opportunity for this mix of players to take a shot at winning it all. As far fetched as it may seem for the Suns to win the NBA title in 2009-10, we all can be assured that the 2010-11 team will look much different.

Shaq’s contract expires after next season. Provided the Suns do pick up Steve Nash’s team option for next year but then not sign Nash to an extension for the future, his contract will also be finished. Hill talked about perhaps playing one more season, but he will certainly be done at the end of 2010. Other players who may leave are Stoudemire (player option), as well as Robin Lopez, Jared Dudley, and Alando Tucker (all team options). Barnes is only on a one-year deal and no mention has yet been made of him even being back for next season. All told, there are only three players who are under firm contracts for two seasons from now: Richardson, Leandro Barbosa, and Goran Dragic. All guards, no big men.

It will be nearly impossible for the Suns to improve their roster this offseason unless they can pull off a major trade. But we have already been down this road with Stoudemire and Shaq. Even though the rumors have been tantalizing, the reality is that the actual offers have been underwhelming. And who knows if Stoudemire has been further devalued by his health problems.

The alternative strategy of trading to clear salary cap space is not particularly viable for next season either. Looking at the upcoming crop of free agents, there isn’t any one player who stands out as a good fit that would address the Suns’ needs in size, interior athleticism, and defensive prowess. Carlos Boozer is not appropriate for the uptempo game and would be too expensive. Rasheed Wallace is now strictly a perimeter player. Shawn Marion would probably not entertain the thought of coming back. Ron Artest is too volatile. The realities of the market may force the Suns to stand pat when it comes to major personnel decisions for this offseason.

With all this in mind, there is a fragment, a hint, of intrigue surrounding the Suns’ latest free agent signee, Stromile Swift. True, he has done nothing to distinguish himself in his previous eight seasons in the NBA other than being drafted second overall. And there is no factual basis in expecting Swift to make a major contribution this season. However, he is athletic, he’s tall with a long wingspan, and he has experience.

At 29, it is now-or-never time in Swift’s career for him to be remembered as anything more than just another lottery flop. Solid play by Swift in whatever opportunities he gets this season can be parlayed into a full-time role next season as a multi-purpose backup for Shaq and Stoudemire. If he can fill this much-needed role for the team, then there will be one less thing to worry about this offseason for the Suns faithful.

I have actually begun to watch the Suns and I really like what I see. They lost a couple of tough games in Florida, and I think if they make the playoffs they will be a dangerous team no one will want to play. THEY ARE FUN TO WATCH!!!! Shaq is playing at a very high level right now and he is their best player. They rest of the team is playing well and shooting the lights out most nights. The defense is get up a shot in 7 seconds even after the other team scores. Won’t play as well in the playoffs, but it sure is fun to watch.

Some of the visiting announcers like Jeff Van Gundy, and some of the Analysts like Peter Vessey have come down hard on three of the Suns: Steve Nash, Grant Hill, and Amare Stoudemire for not buying into the Terry Porter style of play and not giving it 100%. I’m not sure because I wasn’t watching the Suns at that point, but it doesn’t sound like any of them. One of the sideline reporters asked Steve Nash about it at a game that Nash wasn’t playing, and he said he hadn’t heard any such thing. Anyone have an opinion on this. Did these guys lay down on Porter and cost him his job.

ARIZONA CARDINALS: Warner is signed and I can quit whinning. Latest rumor is the Cards are shopping Leinart around. They still have a couple of big jobs to get done dealing with Boldin and Dansby. Then some of the lesser lights on defense. Sport’s Illustrated has predicted they will draft a center as they feel the Cards need more help on the offensive line. They are also looking for a running back. Think where they would be if they had drafted Adrian Peterson. He was there when they drafted their OT, who is a very good player, but Peterson looks like a Hall of Famer.

It was too late to make comments last night so I will make my comments and go right into the results and the wild card choices: The group was really strong in the men and not so good in the women. That pretty well set it up for Lil Rounds. I thought that Kristin was pretty good, and I like Felicia Barton (the one called back for a second chance). I was very disappointed in the performance of Ariana Afsar (cute as a button). It was a very poor performance.

There were four guys who I thought had a chance to make it: Von Smith, Ju’not Joyner, Scott MacIntire, and Jorge Nunez. I liked Joyner the best. I got goose bumps during his song, but I was concerned for him because of all the chatter concerning some of the other contestants, and the hard plugs for MacIntire and Nunez. I felt Joyner might fall through the cracks. That would be too bad.

One other contestant caught my attention and in the old format she would have advanced I think. Kendall Beard, the country singer. She looked like and sounded like Kellie Pickler, and if you have been following, Kellie is very successful in Nashville.

RESULTS: Lil Rounds was the class of this group and could win the whole thing. Scott MacIntire was also picked, and though he’s a very good singer, it was an emotional pick. The final two were Joyner and Nunez, and after the strong plugs by the judges it was preordained that it would be Nunez, and it was. All three were very good singers and none a surprise. But the surprises of the night were yet to come.

THE WILDCARD PICKS: Von Smith, Jasmine Murray, Matt Giraurd, Megan Corkray, Ricky Braddy (a slight surprise, but he was deserving), and Anup Desai. The two surprises: one made me very happy and the other kind of yuck. Jessie Langseth I thought was terrific in a soulful and bluesy way, but Tatiana Del Toro…very good voice, but such an emotional train wreck. The other surprise was Ju’not Joyner being passed over. He was my favorite tonight. It was almost like he was too good, made it look too easy. He had a great back story too, but ????????? He just didn’t connect.

Who will make it tomorrow night for the last three spots: I think Matt Giraurd and Megan Corkray (Simon likes her), and maybe Von Smith or Anup Desai. What do you all think?