Reply With Quote
If Hoopshype says it, then it must be true.
the skinny on Bell from Hoops Hype:
Extremely aggressive on the defensive end... More skilled than most people think on the offensive end... Runs the floor like a deer.
The Suns are gearing up with defense in mind. This whole offseason and training camp will be about defense.
If Hoopshype says it, then it must be true.
^
No, it's on ESPN
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2098485
Phoenix Suns- Utah Jazz: The team struck the first deal of the free-agency period on Friday, coming to an agreement in principle with free agent Raja Bell.
"Raja Bell intends to sign a contract with the Suns when the moratorium ends," his agent, Herb Rudoy, told ESPN Insider Chad Ford. "Raja really wanted to play with Steve Nash and saw a great opportunity to do just that."
The Suns will sign Bell with part of their mid-level exception. Last year the exception was for $4.9 million and is expected to go up slightly this year.
Suns GM Bryan Colangelo declined comment on the story, citing league policy that prohibits NBA teams from commenting on free-agent negotiations during the moratorium.
Bell and the Suns can make things official on July 22, when the moratorium is lifted.
That's very good for the Suns. Most were hoping that the Spurs would look at him.
I like both the Suns' moves so far this off-season.
Now we'll have to see if D'Antoni a) can coach any defense and b) knows how to use a bench.
Also whether there will be any PT problems.
Nice pickup, Bell is very solid.
Excelllent signing.
Bell is a good signing. He's a tough defender and is getting better offensively. He's also a dirty player, which is probably needed on the soft Suns roster.
But I wonder how good he'll be in a running game. It sounds like the Suns are going away from what worked last year. They aren't going to become a defensive team overnight. They should have stuck with the offensive gunners and just try to outscore their way to a le.
A team with Steve Nash will never win by trying to play good defense.
^^I don't think Suns are trying to concentrate on playing defense 48 min like Spurs, Pistons, Rockets, etc. so much as they are trying to teach them to make more stops in crucial situations (i.e 4th Q of Games 1 and 2)
I keep saying it.. The Suns don't need to play 48min of D. What they need are players who are good defenders and when the games are close at the end(Spurs series) that can get four or five stops when they need. Or when a team is making a run during a game they can stop it defensively. By no means are they moving from an offensive oriented team. D'Antoni will coach more defense in training camp.
The Suns now have three players (Amare, Marion, KT) whocan grab at least 10rebs/game. There might be nights when they get 40-45 between them. That's what killed them the most agains the Spurs. Only Marion was a fundamental rebounder with boxing people out.
Now they can give Nash a rest, make JoJo the PG, and put JoJo/Bell on Gino/Parker.
Last edited by BillsCarnage; 07-01-2005 at 02:08 PM.
Good signing, the Suns seem for real this summer.
Great pick up for the Suns. They remain my favorite team outside the Spurs.
suns so far seems to be right on target.
theyre signing quality players. still dont like the fact that they traded q though.
I wonder about the "only get stops when we need to" logic. To play Raja Bell in a 4th Quarter, gotta have a stop situation, the Suns will have to take Nash, Johnson, or Marion off the floor (and I think, really only Nash), or will have to play extremely small by removing either Stoudemire or Thomas. Whomever they take off the floor in those situations, the Suns will be taking away from their greatest strength in an effort to improve at only one spot. If you play Bell for Nash, the Suns are going to have to save timeouts or hope for lots of deadballs, or they'll be forced to play crunch time moments in tight games without Nash on the offensive end, which didn't prove to be a good move for the Suns last season.
I think the Suns are better with Bell, because they'll be better in the middle quarters on the defensive end, but I wonder about the crunch-time explanation for that move.
Well, I've said it at least once today, their picking up defenders, but it remains to be seen if the Suns are going to actually commit to playing defense. They're making the moves to get a good defensive team started, but it's not an overnight, wave a magic wand sort of thing.
I agree, but that's what training camp is for.
The Suns are going through the same learning process that the Mavs did...it's funny, they are doing the exact same things...but they are getting further away from what made them so great this season...
Bell is a good signing...but he'll jack up bad shots and gets stupid fouls...that will slow their running game down.
The Thomas trade wasn't good...at all.
Thomas doesn't like playing D unless he's getting to shoot his mediocre 17 foot J 15 times per game...
He also doesn't come out on picNrolls...
Basically...Kurt Thomas was a cancer on the Knicks....
The Knicks have been trying to get rid of Thomas for something since Isiah has been the GM...and they finally did it...
How anyone can say Phoenix got the better end of that trade is beyond me...even with QRich flaming out in the playoffs...
Phoenix will not be as good this year as they were last year....Bank on it.
Spurs should sign Greg Buckner.
That was a pretty good move for the Suns but I still they need a of a lot more to beat the Spurs.
Well if the Suns continue their transformation into the Mavs, I think Buckner is next for them.
Get ready Walt Williams, you're next.
Maybe Bradley will play another year . . .
suns better be carefully they may be lucky to win 50 games next year
if they are learning a new system it is going to take time
and then they could flame out in the first round if they do not not have a good seed
They are doing the exact system except Marion will be where Q was and Kurt thomas will be where Marion was but a little closer or vice versa.
I don't think they'll fall off that much. Nash, Stoudemire, Marion, and Joe Johnson are still there, and that nucleus is what drives the team.
62-20 probably won't happen, and I think they know that. They're trying to beat the Spurs, not just get the #1 seed.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
