azcentral.com: Suns success is here to stay

[spurschick]

John Gambadoro
Special for azcentral.com
May. 30, 2005 09:00 AM

This week the Phoenix Suns begin preparation for next season. They will take some time to reflect on their accomplishments this season – of which there were many. They will take a moment to enjoy their status as one of the premiere teams in the NBA. They will wonder “what if” for a short time. And then get to work.

And unlike past years when the Suns would send a wrecking ball through each team they are no longer in the dismantle mode. The Suns were built to withstand the test of time. They are not a one-hit wonder. They will be back in this same position next year. They were put together to a make a five-year run. And they will do just that. Sure there will be some tinkering. But for the most part the main pieces will stay intact.

First and foremost on the Suns off-season checklist is to sign Amare Stoudemire to an extension and make sure they have enough money in the war chest to match any offer that comes Joe Johnson’s way. Johnson is a restricted free agent and several teams including Atlanta, New Orleans, Cleveland and possibly Seattle and the Los Angeles Clippers are going to show some interest. The Suns have the right to match any offer and are prepared to do so thanks to a reorganization that included a ticket price increase.

They also traded Zarko Cabarkapa to Golden State to free up money towards Johnson’s signing and are also looking at drafting an international player that could stay overseas for a year or two with the 21st pick in this years draft. That would save the Suns an additional million.

The Suns are over the cap. So they will not be major players in free agency. They will have the 21st and 57th picks in the draft. There is a good chance their second-round selection could make the team as the 12th man.

Both Bo Outlaw and Walter McCarty are free agents and will not be back. Both Steven Hunter and Jake Voskuhl have player options and must decide two weeks after the season ends if they are coming back or not. Voskuhl has an option for $1.9 million. Hunters’ comes in at $800 thousand. The Suns have a team option on Paul Shirley.

So it is possible the Suns will lose five players from this team. None of the five were fabulous, although Hunter showed some signs of maturing as a player and might be worth keeping.

Voskhul will have the toughest decision. He knows that he is no longer in the teams’ plans and will be an end of the bench guy if he stays. But he might not be able to make $1.9 million anywhere else and his family does like Phoenix. Looking to the future he might be better off taking less from another team – the veterans minimum exception – and playing for future contracts instead of being buried on this team.

Hunter wants more money and has earned it after making just over $700 thousand this season. But how much does he want? It’s unlikely a team would give him the mid-level exception (about $5 million per year). He could decline his option and re-sign with Phoenix for the minimum exception – which will be around $1 ½ million. Or sign with another team that has cap space and needs a shot-blocking presence.

The Suns will most likely use both the mid-level and minimum exception to improve its bench. There will be several veteran players wanting to come to this team to take a chance at the brass ring. That’s what Jimmy Jackson did in forfeiting $300 thousand with New Orleans by sitting out in order to get traded to a contender. He is under contract for one more year at $2.6 million and the Suns want him back. The Suns like Leandro Barbosa but he could be expendable for the right piece, which might be a true backup point guard.

The new collective bargaining agreement has yet to be written, so rules can change. But what won’t change is the Suns commitment to the core of this team. Stoudemire, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and Joe Johnson are locks to be in a Suns uniform for a while. Quentin Richardson’s poor playoff performance could have the Suns brass looking at possible moves should the opportunity arise. But more than likely he will be back. Richardson is a good shooter who plays within the team concept. He just got cold at the absolute wrong time. The Suns would be wise to keep him around. He will be a better player next year after getting his first taste of the NBA’s playoffs.

In fact the whole team will be better next year. The Suns will be hungry after getting within one series of the NBA Finals. They are young. They had been inexperienced. Now they aren’t. Next year at this time the Suns will have the luxury of some 14 playoff games to help them through the difficult times. Time alone will improve this team.

With a year under their belt and three or four new pieces, this team could make up the difference between them and San Antonio.

[ducks]

First and foremost on the Suns off-season checklist is to sign Amare Stoudemire to an extension and make sure they have enough money in the war chest to match any offer that comes Joe Johnson’s way. Johnson is a restricted free agent and several teams including Atlanta, New Orleans, Cleveland and possibly Seattle and the Los Angeles Clippers are going to show some interest. The Suns have the right to match any offer and are prepared to do so thanks to a reorganization that included a ticket price increase.