# ESPN Reported Suns Reached Verbal Agreement with Steve Nash



## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

LINK

I do not like the length of the contract but definitely love to see Nash in Suns uniform for a while.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

They're going to be fun to watch and it's a good short term move, but they're going to be paying a lot of salary in 3 years or so when they resign Joe and Amare.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Amare is going to have a MONSTER season next year. With Nash running the show and passing it to Amare. 

And if they continue to double and triple it to Amare, Nash will kill them with his shooting.

Nash and Amare are going to be a great pick and roll tandem too.


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## MJG (Jun 29, 2003)

Ick -- that's a whopper of a contract to give to Steve Nash. Knock off 2 years and $35 million and I'd consider it a whole lot closer to what Nash is really worth.

That said, it will certainly be a boost for the team the next couple of seasons. Nash will go great with the big three you already have. I just hope the team really makes something of the next few years, because when you get to the second half of the deal, things won't look quite as nice in my opinion.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

In 5 years Nash will only be 35. He doesn't rely on his athleticism and we have Barbosa growing under his wings.

Look at the late John Stockton , even Gary Payton at age 35.


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## Knicksbiggestfan (Apr 29, 2003)

Nash relies a lot on his athleticism. He runs all over the place and trys his first step all the time on people.

This is overpaying. In the sense of what he command from a market.


However, he brings a ton to the suns, He's a great fit for Marion, he spreads the floor, he drives he dishes, he shoots well.

Debate his monetary value all you want, he is one of those players who changes the way teams approach the team he's on.

Huge pick up. Personally I like the move from a personnel standpoint. Is jacobsen still a part of this team. If so, shooting is taken care for this team.


Furthermore, the Mavs just go weaker. Even if they bring in the daddy, who is going to push the ball up and get it to him, Daniels? No he's shoot first. Harris, no, he's not ready by a long shot.

So they made an opponent weaker, changed their team chemistry for the better, and added a whole new dimension to their offense.

When you think about it, some players are overpaid for certain reasons.


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## Knicksbiggestfan (Apr 29, 2003)

I am not familiar at all with D'antoni's coaching style. However, if he's as good as billed, this move buts you in the playoffs barring any major injuries, and a Mcd resigning.


Kobe or no Kobe, this is enough. Period.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

We could be considered favorites for the pacific division now.

Nash > Bibby
JJ > Christie
Marion = or > Peja (Marion will have a huge season next year)
Amare > Webber
Okur < Miller or Camby > Miller or Blount < Miller or McDyess if healthy = Miller


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## Knicksbiggestfan (Apr 29, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>BigAmare</b>!
> We could be considered favorites for the pacific division now.
> 
> Nash > Bibby
> ...


Actually Bibby generally gets the better of Nash.

I would say that Marion is better than Peja and I totally agree, Marion will probably benefit the most out of anyone on this team from the Nash trade. Hope he's locked up for Phoenix's sake.


He is going to have a huge season. Seriously huge.


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## girlygirl (Dec 6, 2003)

____________________________________________________
quote:

Originally posted by Big Amare:

In 5 years Nash will only be 35. He doesn't rely on his athleticism and we have Barbosa growing under his wings.

Look at the late John Stockton , even Gary Payton at age 35.
____________________________________________________

Did I miss something? Last I heard, John Stockton wasn't dead!


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

I like how people are overlooking the Suns. They only see the possible long-term implications for the team without actually looking at the roster and realizing that we could potentially be a hell of a team.


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## guilherme.rcf (Mar 4, 2003)

I just need to understand a thing. Didnt the suns traded marbury beause he was overpaid? They got some draft picks back and have already traded them. And now they will pay 13mil per year for an older PG? It cant be right, something we dont know must be happening.


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## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

Steve Nash brings winning to the team. He has the kind of killer instinct and good veteran attitude that every team loves to have. Contract aside, he should have a wonderful time fitting in this young and talented squad and teaching them what it takes to win. I won't expect a miracle next season. I would be satisfy if this team just make the playoffs. After all, the upper echleon (sp?) teams will still be too much for these young talents to overcome.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>BigAmare</b>!
> We could be considered favorites for the pacific division now.
> 
> Nash > Bibby
> ...


No way is Nash better than Bibby. Christie is a great defender, and I'd take him over Joe Johnson. Webber is equal to Stoudemire, and Peja is equal to Marion. Miller is better than or equal to anyone the Suns will get in FA.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>guilherme.rcf</b>!
> I just need to understand a thing. Didnt the suns traded marbury beause he was overpaid? They got some draft picks back and have already traded them. And now they will pay 13mil per year for an older PG? It cant be right, something we dont know must be happening.


Ummm we traded

Marbury and Penny Hardaway

for 

Nash, McDyess, Lampe, Vujanic, 3M$, SEVERAL MILLIONS from luxury tax and savings on Googs contract which was moved with the Knicks picks, and several more millions that were tied up in Marbury's and Penny's contracts.

Plus we will still sign one of the centers with the capspace we got out of the trade.

I'd do that over and over again.

And Nash won't overdribble like Mabury. Marbury is great drive and kick PG who needs great spot-up shooters.

We need a PG who can spread the floor for Amare, run the breaks and lob it to the Matrix and not dominate the ball so JJ can have some freedom with the ball in his hands.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Damian Necronamous</b>!
> 
> Christie is a great defender, and I'd take him over Joe Johnson. Webber is equal to Stoudemire




Christie and Webber just came off the worst seasons of their careers and are aging, Johnson and Stoudemire are two of the league's next generation studs. It's not even close. Talent wise, we are close to Sacramento, if there is a variance it is on our side. However, those guys have run an offense together for a few years now and have great chemistry. I don't think that's going to be an issue with the Suns, but we'll see.

I'm pumped for next season, we're going to be alright. I would have LOVED having Iguodala come off the bench to be a lockdown defender for us, but alas.. We get Jackson Froman.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>BigAmare</b>!
> 
> 
> Ummm we traded
> ...


Spot on. Nash is not only a better fit here than Marbury, but I think most of us Suns fan feel Lampe is going to be our center for a long time. The kid can play.


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## darkballa (Sep 19, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>guilherme.rcf</b>!
> I just need to understand a thing. Didnt the suns traded marbury beause he was overpaid? They got some draft picks back and have already traded them. And now they will pay 13mil per year for an older PG? It cant be right, something we dont know must be happening.


aactually i think they traded him to make room for kobe who they were "planning" to go after on this very day. Seems like theyre going for Nash though. But think about it Nash came from dallas showing how bad his defense is (we all know that right?) . Leandro is a "slightly" above average defensive player. One thing i didnt understand is why the suns wanted Kobe when theyve got Joe Johnson who averaged somehing like 20 ppg after the marbury trade.


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## Knicksbiggestfan (Apr 29, 2003)

Marion and Peja aren't equal, and to say Webber is similar to Amare is ridiculous.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>darkballa</b>!
> 
> One thing i didnt understand is why the suns wanted Kobe when theyve got Joe Johnson who averaged somehing like 20 ppg after the marbury trade.


Presumably, they would have started both Johnson and Kobe and ran a dual-point offensive system like they did this year with Leandro and JJ. That backcourt would be overwhelming both offensively and defensively - JJ and Kobe are two of the best man defenders in the entire league when they put their minds to it. JJ would have been less effective on offense though, as Kobe has the ball in his hands a lot. Nash does to an extent, and for that reason I actually think JJ gets the worst end of this trade - that is to say where Marion and Amare are going to benefit from Nash, JJ will underperform (at least statistically) - but he should be alright. As it is now, I'd probably expect about 15/6/3 from JJ next year, and some improved defensive efforts.


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## TheRifleman (May 20, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>guilherme.rcf</b>!
> I just need to understand a thing. <b>Didnt the suns traded marbury beause he was overpaid? They got some draft picks back and have already traded them. And now they will pay 13mil per year for an older PG?</b> It cant be right, something we dont know must be happening.


:rotf:

That probably makes sense to the new owner(s) of the Suns. They probably can't recall this is the 2nd go-around with Stevie Nash. The suns needed a bona fide starting pg, even if he is one who is really a #2 guard masquerading as a point guard.


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## EduRiker (Jan 27, 2004)

What will happen to Barbosa?
Is he going to play a little 2 like last season? 
Will he average at least 15 minutes?


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Barbosa will be like Bobby Jackson to us.

I would say he gets at least 14mpg at PG, some minutes at SG, some minutes at backup SF ( although esentially JJ will play SF and Barbosa will play SG in that case).


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Nash is a warrior, a floor general, and a top 5 PG. 5yr/65mil may be a lil' too much, but I've seen much worse contracts for crappier guys. 
Well I guess with this signing Phoenix is suddenly a top 5 fav team of mine...


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## montalban (Jun 27, 2004)

Yeah, the Suns probably overpaid by 10-15 mil or so, but Nash's a big-time upgrade, at least for the next couple of years. I worry about his durability and his ability to maintain his play over the length of his contract, but given our options he was the best guy we were likely to find. And on a cheaper or shorter contract the Mavs might well have ponied up. So goes free agency.

I really hope this leaves enough cap room for a big man. I wonder if the Suns are looking at Mark Blount; he doesn't have much of a track record, but if really is the guy he looked like last season, he'd be a great fit surrounded by all the scorers the Suns have. I think Okur's the most likely guy, unless Rasheed really does go to the Knicks, and Detroit goes back to Okur.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Camby is off the table now so we are down to


Divac, Okur, Ostertag, Dampier, Swift, Thomas or Blount now.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

But what made the Suns so sure they weren't getting Kobe Bryant in FA? When you trade away Stephon Marbury, you don't use the cap space you gain on a 30 year old PG. He's a nice player, but he's a defensive liability and I don't see how you can just pass up the chance of signing Kobe Bryant.

First they overpay Nash, now I hope they don't go out and overpay a player like Mehmet Okur or Adonal Foyle.

And I don't think Divac is leaving Sacramento, not so close to the title and retirement over there.


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## montalban (Jun 27, 2004)

I dunno about Divac; he'll be gone in a couple of years, and that's when the Suns probably will be peaking. Pretty much the same goes for Ostertag, though his history of playing Shaq fairly tough is appealing. The rest of the league sure gives him trouble, though. Unless the Suns think one of them could mentor Lampe or Vroman into a legit center, they're not who I'd want.

A young guy like Okur, Swift or Thomas could grow into the positon and still be capable of making an impact when the Suns are ready to be a championship contender. I think Blount's in his late 20's; he should still be effective down the road.

The one advantage the old guys might have is their contracts probably would be coming off the books when Amare and Johnson are due their extensions. If they're in a penny-pinching mode the Suns might like that.

Going with Dampier would be a massive risk; never trust the underacheiver who finally has a big year right before going into free agency.


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Arclite</b>!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


After the Lakers traded Christie he became a 12th man for the Knicks for a couple of years before Toronto re-discovered him, so last year was really not his worst.

Anyways, talent wise this team isn't better than the 8th seeded Suns from two years ago, but I think Nash is a much better fit for this roster than Marbury was. I expect Nash to become the MVP of the Suns offense next season as the Suns get over the 40 win range.


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## Lynx (Mar 6, 2004)

So, the team who traded Nash in 1998, signed him in 2004.

:laugh:

I think it's a good deal for Nash since he couldn't get a max contract in Dallas. Good deal for Suns that they have gotten a veteran PG who can lead the team of atheltic, young guns!


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## PhatDaddy3100 (Jun 16, 2002)

Read the paper and the suns sti ll have 5.5 million to sign someone. And if Detriot signs Rasheed Id say we have a great chance for Okur, Okur just wants to play, and even though Detriot could offer him teh same money, he would be able to start here.


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Lynx</b>!
> So, the team who traded Nash in 1998, signed him in 2004.
> 
> :laugh:
> ...


Haven't really thought about that, Suns let Dallas rent Nash for 6 years and got Marion in return.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>The Franchise</b>!
> But what made the Suns so sure they weren't getting Kobe Bryant in FA? When you trade away Stephon Marbury, you don't use the cap space you gain on a 30 year old PG. He's a nice player, but he's a defensive liability and I don't see how you can just pass up the chance of signing Kobe Bryant.
> 
> First they overpay Nash, now I hope they don't go out and overpay a player like Mehmet Okur or Adonal Foyle.
> ...


Nice post - but we don't know. If Kobe made it clear he didn't want to sign with them (which wouldn't surprise me considering the ridiculous gyrations the Lakers are going through to keep him), they probably wanted to move elsewhere. What I don't understand is why the Suns started out so high? they signed him so fast that it's pretty obvious that that is the offer they had lined up for him right off the bat. Why wouldn't you start out with something like 6 years/50 mill and see if Cuban wants to match that? I don't think he would have signed him to that long of a contract after the acquisition of Harris.

Jamel - the Suns are more talented than they were two years ago simply because of the improvement of Amare Stoudemire (and Johnson) and the weapons we'll have off the bench next year (namely our foreigners, Barbosa, Z and Lampe).

Maybe it wasn't Christie's worst season statistically, but he is definitely on the downslide, and he has been one of that teams major cogs over the last three years.


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## canadianmade (Jul 2, 2004)

I hear alot of talk about Nash being a defensive liability. A few months ago ESPN.com.NBA called Nash one of the NBA's underrated defenders. The reason they gave was because he was capable of keeping his defender in front of him.

I think he gets a bad rep because of the team he played on. I watched many mavs games this past year and yes, they give up 100 plus points a game but if you watch Nash, he works his can off. He is energy from the moment he steps on the court until he takes a seat. He might not get the defensive stats but he still gets the job done.

All NBA players get beat because of the great level of play. If you are a mav and get beat, who is there to play help? Dirk? Bradly is ussually on the bench. Just give Nash a chance to play defense on a good defensive team before you draw too many conclusions about his abilities. I think he will be alright.

Can't wait to watch Phoenix play this year!


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## mavsman (Jun 11, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>canadianmade</b>!
> I hear alot of talk about Nash being a defensive liability. A few months ago ESPN.com.NBA called Nash one of the NBA's underrated defenders. The reason they gave was because he was capable of keeping his defender in front of him.
> 
> I think he gets a bad rep because of the team he played on. I watched many mavs games this past year and yes, they give up 100 plus points a game but if you watch Nash, he works his can off. He is energy from the moment he steps on the court until he takes a seat. He might not get the defensive stats but he still gets the job done.
> ...


I have been saying this for years. It would amazing how much of
a better defender Nash would become if he had a shot blocker
behind him. He does not get beat nearly as much as some people
claim.

Why do you think everyone on the Piston's looks like great defenders? 
They are not bad but I claim that if Nash played on a
team with Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace behind him nobody
would be saying that he sucks on defense.


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## TheRifleman (May 20, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>mavsman</b>!
> 
> 
> I have been saying this for years. It would amazing how much of
> ...


BINGO! I saw Rip play while he was with the Wizards, and he couldn't guard my sister. Put him on a team with shot blockers around him, a coach who KNOWS how to teach defense and all of a sudden Rip is an acceptable defender.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

LOL, horrible signing, imo. I knew it was a mistake to trade away marbury from the start. Now they get an even older pg and worse contract. You don't trade away your all-star pg because of a half season "slump" in the league's strongest conference. All that capspace is now gone...

They better have a good reason for this signing. Maybe a trade for Kidd??? Since NJ wants Kidd out, maybe Kidd can come back here. Nash isn't better than Marbury, imo, but Kidd is.


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