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Post by NAUHurdler on Dec 16, 2011 1:10:55 GMT -5
The PHOENIX SUNS' players have responded positively to GM NAUHurdler by gathering together and deciding that they are going to work harder than they ever have in their lives to get work done this year. Captain Dirk Nowitzki was quoted earlier this evening after practice, "That was one of the best practices I've ever had in my life."
This is in response to the recent comment made to ESPN and league owners that the entire team was up for trade as the Owner and GM want to bring back the high flying flashy play of the Seven Seconds Or Less Era.
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Post by NAUHurdler on Dec 18, 2011 14:31:41 GMT -5
Changes have begun as first the Phoenix Suns made their selection with their only pick in the 2011 NBA Rookie Draft. Knowing that they were hurting and desperate at the PG position, GM NAUHurdler selected Josh Selby, the PG from the University of Kansas.
The GM was quoted after the selection saying, "A couple guys we really wanted were taken a few picks before us but that happens, you move on. We are very pleased with this selection and hope to see Josh get on the court so that he can show what he can do. He's playing for a contender and we strongly feel that if he is given the playing time, he'll contribute nicely to our team."
The GM was also quoted about more changes to come. "We've got some things going on behind the scenes. Changes will happen, that can still be expected at this point especially with the season approaching so quickly."
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Post by NAUHurdler on Dec 18, 2011 15:25:06 GMT -5
And just like that GM NAUHurdler does just as promised and makes a huge change. In what could cause some turmoil in the locker room, Captain and leader Kevin Garnett has been shipped off to Oakland today in a 3 player deal. Phoenix received young Point Guard Mario Chalmers and the talented Caron Butler as well for their former star Power Forward.
NAUHurdler was quoted saying, "I've always been a huge fan of Caron Butler and felt that he was a great talent. We felt since we have the best training staff in the NBA, a staff that has revived the career of Grant Hill and Steve Nash. We feel we can ensure he'll be healthy and able to compete and play for us for years to come!" "KG was always a classy guy around the stadium and I'm sure he'll be missed for some time."
So far, fan reception of the trade has been very positive with most people being very excited about Caron's current signing at his new NBA team but also to have a PG on a team that should be contending all year long.
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Post by NAUHurdler on Dec 28, 2011 16:50:37 GMT -5
More changes for the Phoenix Suns today but on a smaller scale. Once GM NAUHurdler realized that he didn't actually have any players to slot in at SG he got right back on the market for one. Looking for a free agent wasn't working out as prices for mediocre talent got to be too ridiculous, NAUHurdler went back to the negotiation table to see what SG's teams were looking to move.
After a couple days of speaking with multiple owners, NAUHurdler settled on bringing in a veteran talent in Mickael Pietrus. The deal sends a 2nd rounder in 2013 to Golden State in return. "We are hoping that Doc realizes with this short season that he should be resting his big guys more often meaning more opportunity for Pietrus off the bench. Once he sees that, I really feel this trade will benefit us. Worst case, its an extra $2 million in cap room at the end of the year, that was something we definitely targeted, a short contract."
The Suns still look like a team that will try their beat to compete but may not be elite. They have some pieces but still may be some time away from being able to make a deep run in the playoffs.
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Post by NAUHurdler on Jan 2, 2012 21:06:26 GMT -5
The season couldn't have started with a luckier start as the Suns got to play a team that just seemed to not show up, literally. GM NAUHurdler was quoted, "I feel like you just gotta take it, it's a win. It's not our fault the other team was too scared to play us."
During the week, Phoenix also made another pickup. This being their first free agent acquisition, the Suns went out and signed new player Michael Redd. The Suns now have three SG's on their roster, all of whom are not even playing. When asked why they continue to gather these players who are not in ideal situations, the GM was quoted, "It's thin out there at the SG position. We haven't had a lot of opportunities to snap up a star but feel here in the next couple weeks or months, that we'll have a nice little rotation of guys that can contribute in a few different categories for us."
"We're hoping the magical Phoenix Suns training staff who have extended the careers of Steve Nash, Grant Hill, and Shaquille O'Neal have something in store for Redd. He could be a nice source of points but our first concern is to make sure he gets healthy, quick."
The Suns made the move but again did a nice job of not locking up any money for the future. Redd's deal comes in at $2,000,000 and will just be for the season.
Sources say the Suns may be attempting to acquire one more player this week as they have a couple guys injured currently and not playing.
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Post by NAUHurdler on Jan 3, 2012 16:12:12 GMT -5
The Phoenix Suns have come to a deal with PF Hakim Warrick today. Sources say it is a one year deal worth $1,000,000. The Suns have now made a couple moves to attempt to stay competitive this year despite not having the star power of some of the other organizations. GM NAUHurdler said early this morning, "Neither of our Free Agent signings are going to blow people away or shoot us to the top. We understand that. We are simply trying to make smart basketball moves that ate low risk but potentially high reward. We feel both players have an upside that if things work out and they can play themselves into their rotations, that we could have a couple steals here. I said at the beginning of the season that I wanted athletic players that can contribute in a variety of categories and we feel Warrick fits the bill. I like his length and just hope to see him stay healthy and get some quality minutes."
The Suns have a very tough matchup this week with the Kings who have two superstars and so they know they will have to have some players step up big time to beat this divisional rival.
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Post by NAUHurdler on Jan 6, 2012 18:31:24 GMT -5
GM NAUHurdler is at it again. Still not content with the lineup, picks, roster, everything, the GM has made another trade this season. The trade comes as a surprise as the Phoenix Suns are bringing back SF/SG Josh Childress of the Phoenix Suns after the team used their Amnesty Waiver on him earlier this year. Along with Childress, the Suns gained another 2012 NBA Draft pick, that being a 2nd rounder for the Miami Heat. In return, the Suns sent SG Mike Miller of Miami to the Oakland Oats.
"I talked to Josh today and was honest with him. I told him that we are going to get him into the starting line up until one of our other shooting guards comes back from injury and at that time, anything could happen. He said there was no hard feeling but that he was happy to be back wearing that purple and orange" GM NAUHurdler said in an interview with ESPN.
GM NAUHurdler also made some controversial comments later in the interview saying, "This trade is more for the future than now. It gives us another million dollars of cap relief even though it is for an extra year. I think the real kicker and the main reason we did this was because of that Miami 2nd rounder. No offense to Miami, but with what's supposed to be a great draft class this year, I'm hoping for a rough season down there on South Beach. This now also gives us a second pick for the draft. I really wanted to get another one to hopefully be able to make up for the past trade made by the former GM who must have lost his mind and sent away our 1st rounder in a package last year."
Sources confirm that the Suns will be activating Josh Childress going forward until either Michael Redd or Mickael Pietrus return to action.
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Post by NAUHurdler on Jun 30, 2012 10:53:40 GMT -5
GM NAUHurdler has announced that some major changes need to occur during this offseason. "We were an average at best team last year, that's not going to cut it. We want to win, and we want to win consistently."
Reports show that the Suns will not be resigning any of their players that are set to be unrestricted free agents this year. The players include Timofey Mozgov, Michael Redd, Hakim Warrick, and Marcus Camby. "As much as I respect Camby for everything he's done through his career, we can't commit any sort of contract to him as we want to save those for down the line. Michael came in for us and really gave us a lift at the SG position but it still wasn't enough, that is something we'll address strongly through the draft and free agency most likely" said GM NAUHurdler.
GM NAUHurdler made more aggressive and controversial comments regarding past ownership, "We are still trying to recover from the brutality that the previous owner put this team through. We see these other teams with players and picks that should have not been traded away from us and it's frustrating. We are going to continue to push forward though as we try to fix the mistakes of previous ownership without doing the lame duck thing like a lot of owners, by tanking. We have more pride than that. More respect for the game. This is why everyone throughout this organization knows that we will be going 110% this year to continue to make strides in the right direction. Like the recently signed Kevin Garnett says, 'ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!'.
Team officials stated last night they were excited about the trade in which Mo Williams was sent to a new team. The hope is that he will not have to come off the bench and can continue getting solid minutes in Utah.
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Post by NAUHurdler on Jul 4, 2012 14:40:42 GMT -5
BREAKING NEWS:
The Phoenix Suns and Great Britain Pound have agreed to terms to send star Dirk Nowitzki overseas to Great Britain along with Phoenix's 2nd round pick acquired from Miami in exchange for the 9th and 13th picks in this years upcoming draft and Great Britain's 2nd round selection in this draft.
There were reports a couple weeks ago that GM NAUHurdler was looking to make a splash and this is what the news had to have been about. Nowitzki, an aging 34 year old veteran was coming off another down year. This marked two straight seasons in which PPG, RPG, FG%, APG, BPG, and 3PT% all decreased along with his minutes. GM NAUHurdler took notice of the Dallas Mavericks tactics throughout the season in how they played the star and said "it really looks as if he's hit that point in his career where the team is going to put him out there less often to help preserve him for the playoffs. We can't accept this, especially when we are paying the man $12,200,000 a year, almost tops in the league." "Listen, I like Dirk a lot. We have no issues, it was just that time to move forward instead of beating a horse into the ground. We wouldn't be resigning him in 2014, know we probably won't be legit contenders before then, so we pulled the trigger. I'll probably hear grief from other owners with their opinions on this "superstar" being traded but I want to see how they'd feel if they took over a team that was murdered by the previous owner by horrific trades. We had to make a move and we did. We are very excited about the picks and extra cap space so much that we know it'll be easy as pie to make up a measly 21 points per game with less than 7 rebounds from one player eating up over 20% of our cap. Hell Michael Beasley has put similar numbers and is he worth $12.2 mill?"
The swap of the second round picks was also a big bonus for Phoenix as reports show they are eying some young talent later in the draft that they strongly believe can come in and make an immediate impact. "We need depth, for god's sake we have Josh Childress as our starting SG right now", said GM NAUHurdler. "Look I know I shouldn't say things like that but Josh knows where we stand, we got rid of him once and we've told him just as we do any of our players...perform or you'll be gone."
On all the shaking up throughout the NBA with players moving around, GM NAUHurdler said, "I love it. If we can get Rashard to a place like Miami where he can come off the bench for 15 minutes a game and hit a few 3's, I'll take it. He needs to be in a setting where his minutes are controlled because let's be honest, the dude just isn't the same anymore. He hurt us more than anything last year with the volume of shots he would take and the poor percentage he would shoot. Hopefully that can be managed."
"I'm also excited to see how this Mo Williams situation turns out. I was stoked to see him get moved to Utah especially after they moved Devin Harris. We'll see what the plans are for him but I wouldn't mind him staying there and either starting or being their 6th man off the bench. Think that could bode well for us."
Team officials are on record saying that the 9th and 13th picks are not locked in and that the team is exploring even more options with them.
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Post by NAUHurdler on Jul 14, 2012 0:27:32 GMT -5
GM NAUHurdler was at it again this evening.
"Hell yeah I'm excited. Outside of the Dirk deal, we haven't had to do a damn thing yet I think our team has gotten better. I already stated that I was excited to see Mo (Williams) go to Utah and especially happy to see that they sent Devin Harris packing. I think that the additional minutes he'll get there will be nice and allow us a little more flexibility. At this point, I'm just crossing my fingers Utah doesn't have something else in mind when it comes to their starting PG but the reports I've read sure make me feel good about that move."
Along with this, GM NAUHurdler was asked about his thoughts on the Rashard Lewis signing. After clearing his throat, he stated, "I'd like to say....he's taking his talents to South Beach" in his best LeBron impersonation.
"I was really excited to hear he signed with Miami. I'll be honest. He may not like this but he's just not an efficient player anymore. He still can shoot the ball lights out at times, but playing in Washington last year, getting the kind of minutes on a bad team that he was getting, was just bad for him and bad for us. In this situation, I like to know he'll be coming off the bench and that he's aware that he's obviously not a superstar anymore. I mean look at the numbers, he was one of the reasons that our FG% was so horrible last year. I think now that his shots will be in a way, monitored, that he can go back to being a real nice contributor for us in 3 PT's. Heck, maybe if we are lucky, chip in a few things here and there over the season."
At the end of the day, Phoenix Suns management still realizes they have a huge up hill battle if they want to be able to even be competitive this year along with in the future. Management did seem a little more optimistic though in recent days as it feels like things are falling into positive places and really, that's all you can ask for. Their next big decisions will probably come on draft day as they have some picks to play around with. Sources close to the team are saying the teams draft board has grown to a solid list of 15 players that they would be happy with adding to their roster. With the 9th and 13th picks in this upcoming draft, not only is there a buzz around the city but they are excited to be welcoming two young players to sunny Phoenix, Arizona.
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Post by NAUHurdler on Jul 15, 2012 13:04:26 GMT -5
GM NAUHurdler continues to work towards the future while still attempting to remain somewhat competitive in the upcoming season. Sources say that late last night, the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics were in discussions trying to get a trade accomplished before the draft begins. After back and fourth discussion, a trade was agreed upon.
Official documents show that the Phoenix Suns have now sent the #13 overall pick in this years draft, a pick they received as part of a separate deal sending "Dirty" Dirk to Great Britain, along with two 2nd round picks in this years draft to Boston. In return, the Suns move down but received two 1st round picks in this years draft, #21 and #22. Along with this, the Suns received Boston's 2014 1st round pick.
When asked why he decided it would be OK to move down in this years draft, GM NAUHurdler said "Honestly, our draft board seems to be getting longer. We are starting to like more players than we originally thought. Don't get me wrong though, I understand that it's still a crap shoot in the later part of the first round, really the entire draft outside of maybe top 5. We felt like giving ourselves more chances to land someone who can stick with us for the long run."
The 2014 1st rounder from Boston also helps Phoenix a lot as they now have some more future assets and are just crossing their fingers that when the time comes, the ping pong balls bounce in their favor. "At the end of the day, I look back at this Dirk trade that a lot of people questioned, and now see we ended up essentially getting four first round draft picks for him. That's not too shabby for an aging vet who's obviously on the decline, I'd do this again any day.", stated GM NAUHurdler.
When asked if the trading is done and if he's content with where the team stands now, GM NAUHurdler said, "Content? I'll never be content. That's when you lose your ground and take steps back. I'm always open to listening to teams. Like I've said in the past, I want a Championship. This is a business. I'm not trying to be "buddy buddy" with these players. They know what I expect and know that at any moment, if something enticing comes along, they could be sent packing."
GM NAUHurdler's open and honest response continues to surprisingly be well received from current players. Most players would be very upset if their owner stated that they could be sent at any moment but it seems that this group of guys so far use it as motivation to continue to push harder and work for their paycheck. GM NAUHurdler finished with saying, "At the end of the day, just do what you get paid to do."
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Post by NAUHurdler on Jul 18, 2012 21:21:33 GMT -5
With the 2012 NBA Draft getting started earlier than expected, the Phoenix Suns staff sat and waited anxiously, nervously awaiting for their pick to come. Sitting at the #9 spot in the first round, Phoenix had to wait as some of the top young talents were taken early on.
"I'll be honest with you. We had 8 players in mind that we really were targeting at this #9 spot. Eight players that we would have been more than excited and happy to be putting on the Purple and Orange. WOW did we luck out!" said GM NAUHurdler right after their selection was made.
With the 9th pick, the Suns took the young guard from Syracuse University, Dion Waiters. With the current roster having holes at just about every position, the goal in mind was to take the best available. Sources say that the Suns felt strong about 8 players and outside those, felt like everyone else really could be more of a flier.
"Trust me, I was ecstatic. We had a backup plan, but we really didn't want to have to go there. Not only did we luck out on getting a player we wanted, but we also get a player that can get in and start for us from day 1. Josh Childress at our Shooting Guard position just isn't going to cut it. He knows this, we know this." said GM NAUHurdler.
GM NAUHurdler immediately called his new player to express his excitement. Waiters stated afterwards, "I could tell he was stoked. He wouldn't stop saying it. I can tell he wants to win and so that makes me happy that I have a GM who is going to do his best to put us in a position to compete in the future. I'm excited to get to go to the beautiful city of Phoenix and to get an opportunity to showcase my skills from day one. I think that the organization definitely made the right selection and want to go out and prove to the teams who passed on me, that they missed out on a special talent for years to come." When asked how he will cope with the dramatic change of scenery coming from the cold winters of Syracuse to the blazing hot summers in Phoenix, Waiters said in a joking matter, "Looks like I can finally work on my tan. (laughing) I heard there are some honey's down in the Phoenix/Tempe area so this should be a lot of fun!"
Phoenix has two more picks in this draft, #21 and #22 in the first round. All reports indicate that they will make those selections unless an enticing offer comes their way.
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Post by NAUHurdler on Nov 21, 2012 21:49:30 GMT -5
After an eventful summer that included the trading of many draft picks back and fourth, free agent signings that made people scratch their heads, and selecting rookies to come to Phoenix, GM NAUHurdler recently spoke on why he's excited about the general direction and plan that the team has in works.
After selecting Dion Waiters with their top pick, the Suns came back with the 21st overall pick, a pick earlier traded for from Boston, and selecting PG Maquis Teague. Following the selection, the team then traded their 22nd overall pick to Indiana for a future 1st rounder. "We just felt that at that point in the draft, we were content with passing on the remaining players and did not want to get locked up for years to come with one that we weren't comfortable with" said the GM. "We took Teague because we liked the young kids fire and his intensity. I also liked that he played on a college team that had multiple NBA players on its roster, I feel he'll make a nice transition once he gets some solid playing time."
At this point, team officials had planned on passing on the remainder of the draft but in a surprising move, the Suns sent $1,500,000 to Utah for the year in return for the 54th overall pick in the 2nd round. "Honestly, this was just a shot in the dark and something we did just to give someone a chance. We knew our roster would be small and felt we could give a young but mature rookie a chance." said GM NAUHurdler. The move really doesn't hurt Phoenix this year as they were most likely out of contention this season and will thus get the cap room back for the 2013-2014 season. They selected PF Mike Scott with that pick.
Following the draft, the Suns made an interesting trade that thus far, hasn't really hurt the team but hasn't panned out the way they were crossing their fingers for. GM NAUHurdler said "Again, to be honest, this was a risky move for the fact that we did not know what type of role Wesley Johnson would have or if Jonny Flynn would be playing in the NBA again. We still like Wesley and feel that he can eventually carve out a decent role this season and at the end of the day, we needed a change of scenery."
Heading into the free agent season with plenty of cap room to play with, there was no initial idea of what the team's plans were. By the end of the summer though, the team had signed PG Steve Nash along with C's Robin Lopez and Jermaine O'Neal to 1 year deals. The Suns really forked out some cash to get Steve Nash to come to Phoenix. It is believed but no sources have confirmed, that this move was strictly to allow the city of Phoenix and their great fans get the honor of cheering on their beloved superstar for another season. The only comment GM NAUHurdler made to this statement was, "Hey, I love this city. I love this team. I want to win. End of story."
Since the beginning of the season, the Phoenix Suns have gotten off to a very rough start. Too many of their players are not getting enough minutes and it is causing for the team to struggle to find their groove. Through two weeks, the team sits at 0-2 and in the basement of the division. Rumors have it that major changes could come in the next few weeks for the team.
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Post by NAUHurdler on Dec 9, 2012 14:38:38 GMT -5
Rumors said changes were coming and they came quickly and in bunches. The Phoenix Suns had a busy week off the court with two separate trades, both looking to be with the intentions of the future again.
The first of two trades sent PG Mo Williams to Kansas City in exchange for the young rookie Kendall Marshall and a 2014 1st Round Pick from the Kings. GM NAUHurdler was heard commenting on the trades just hours after it went through: "We're 0-4. Things just are changing or happening for us right now so why not build more for the future. This trade gives us two assets whom we think can help us in the next few years. Marshall is getting some much needed playing time down in the D-League at the moment. This is great because he is still somewhat of an unknown talent at the NBA level and this will give him time to adjust and practice on his skills that need to be sharpened. The first round pick helps a lot as it gives us another Draft in which we'll have multiple first rounders to play with. Losing Mo was tough, he's been a warrior for us and honestly, our Captain thus far for this year. We wish him the best and know that the Kansas City owner will give Mo a chance to get to the playoffs and make championship runs."
The second trade was a bit more of a shake up as the Phoenix Suns sent their beloved star Steve Nash to the Atlanta Hawks in return for the young and still disappointing Anthony Randolph and another 2015 1st Round Pick from Boston.
"Honestly, if you think about it, we just signed Steve for that one year contract. We had a feeling we would not be making much of a move towards contention this year so essentially, this signing got us a free draft pick! I'm so excited that it worked out that way and can't see why we wouldn't make the move. We'll get the cap room back next year and now have another young project in Randolph along with another trade asset with the draft pick for the future. Having 7 1st round picks in the next three years makes it so that we can continue to inject youth into our roster while also being flexible with our spending money."
More rumors coming out of Phoenix say that another interesting move could happen soon. When asked about this GM NAUHurdler stated, "We may be taking a huge shot in the dark here pretty soon, only thing holding us back at this time is the fact that we do not need to rush this. We are going to let our guys go out there and play so that they can attempt to prove that they are worthy of staying a Sun."
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Post by NAUHurdler on Feb 26, 2013 21:56:38 GMT -5
Press Release:
The Phoenix Suns were back in news today, though not headline news. The team has sent C Jermaine O'Neal to Chicago in exchange for their 2013 2nd round draft pick. This now gives the team 3 picks in the upcoming draft, 2 of them being in the 1st round. Along with this, it provides another asset for this team who is in major rebuilding mode.
GM NAUHurdler stated, "We're sad to send Jermaine off after our training staff in Phoenix have helped another former star revitalize their career but we had to make the move. We weren't going anywhere and Jermaine wanted an opportunity at winning which is what he'll get now. Personally, I'm stoked as this now means we've acquired two draft picks for free agents we signed this off season to one year deals. That's exactly the kind of return we were looking for when we targeted these players and we hope these picks can turn into something nice for our future."
More rumors coming from the desert about a possible late season signing. GM NAUHurdler hinted at this about 3 months ago and even stated that they felt no rush. It'll be interesting to see if something actually happens at this point being that the team currently sits at 1-13, currently the 2nd worst record in the High Flyers Conference.
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