Steve Kerr needs to sh*t or get off the pot
Steve Nash
The last time I saw Steve Kerr on TV, he was explaining why he traded 2009′s All-NBA third team center and All-Star co-MVP for Ben Wallace‘s blowup doll and a practice player who might be the third-best “Sasha” in the League.
Interviewed by ESPN during the Draft, Kerr admitted the original trade that brought Shaq to Phoenix didn’t work, and, probably as a preemptive explanation for the Amar’e Stoudemire trade that was in-progress at the time, said the Suns are “in transition” — another way of saying “rebuilding” — and are not a championship contender.
But ever since then — after the trade that would have sent Amar’e to Golden State and brought a nice rebuilding haul of Stephen Curry, Brandan Wright and Andris Biedrins back to Phoenix fell apart — the moves Phoenix has made don’t look like that of a rebuilding franchise at all. Rather than chasing free agents and pursuing trades to make the roster younger, the Suns have been talking to Steve Nash about an extension, and just locked up Grant Hill after a bidding war with the Knicks and Celtics. Does it look like rebuilding when your primary concern is re-upping with a 35-year-old point guard with a bad back (who again has no decent backup) and a 36-year-old small forward with fragile feet and ankles?
Wouldn’t it make more sense to let Hill go and spend your energy and limited free agent budget on somebody like Marvin Williams, an affordable SF with long-term potential? Or, since you already have Earl Clark in the fold, do what you’ve needed to do for years and get a young point guard to (eventually) replace Nash?
If the Suns are truly rebuilding, they can still commit to that movement despite the failed Amar’e deal. After all, STAT is only 26, and maybe you forgot, but he’s a really really good player. Make Amar’e the centerpiece; keep Nash around short-term to (1) ease the transition and (2) keep the team attractive to potential free agents; pull the trigger on the rumored Wallace-for-Tyson Chandler deal, or else use Ben’s $14M to bring in a few young players; and continue getting guys like Channing Frye, who Phoenix signed earlier today.
But maybe that is Kerr’s strategy; say you’re rebuilding as a way to lower the expectations, so when/if your attempts to win fall short, you’re not on the hot seat. Because if Kerr has shown anything in taking the Suns from a legit title contender to a Lottery team in a little more than a year, he’s probably not the guy to get the Suns to that championship podium.
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July 10th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
tangman says:
Amare is 26
July 10th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
L says:
Steve Kerr is garbage and continues to destroy what is left of the Phoenix Suns.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
bobby stew says:
Frye is good. Now trade Amare to Houston.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
SK says:
Kerr makes Isiah Thomas look like a genius. He doesn’t seem to have a plan at all and can’t make up his damned mind.
July 10th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Steve Gomez 10a-2p on Hot104.7 Modesto, CA says:
Kerr isn’t the one responsible for the mess in Phoenix. The owner is. Sarver is the one who contacted the Heat owner about the Marion/Shaq trade. It was Sarver that declined to give Joe Johnson a 50 mill extension (he even later admitted he regrets not extending him). It was Sarver that sold the draft pick that became Rondo. It was Sarver that traded Kurt Thomas to save salary. Sarvers penny pinching is the cause behind all the problems in Phoenix.
July 10th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
No one can make Isaah Thomas look like a genius, but Kerr sure did try. But the Suns were fucking it up even before Kerr got there, can you say Joe Jeezy
July 10th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
calvin brodus says:
in the denver papers over the past week they were talking about the nuggs chasing hill and frye. clearly, those are no longer options.
plenty of denver bloggers talking about trying to get amare too. ive read nene (or kmart), kleiza, and a pick for amare. thats probably a pipe dream, but if the nuggs scored amare i would jizz in my pants.
July 10th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
I like Steve Gomez he doesn’t post alot but always comes with that fire and I always takes the words out of my mouth. He’s spot on I’ve always been high on Kerr he’s a great basketball mind that was brought up by a great basketball mind but unless his owner allows him to do his job there nothing he can do. Sarver is in money saving mode like the rest of the league or the country for that matter. I would have loved that deal for my Warriors but what GM would really consider trading Amare for 3 rooks that haven’t proven themselves yet? Good thing the Warriors owner is finally looking to sell the team. Please let the next owner fix this mess in GS by fring the president and the GM and the coach.
July 10th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
hb in az says:
Thanks AB, I have to completely agree, shit or get off the pot. Make up your f-ing mind already Kerr… young or old/ rebuild or rehash. But do something that gives us few remaining Suns fans some shred of hope for the direction of this franchise. That being said, I do like the Frye signing and Clark in the draft, but are top two priorities in the off season have been two past their prime, albeit still very formidable, players who are chasing rings. Where are you taking us Kerr?????????
July 10th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Kevin says:
I agree, Steve Gomez seemed spot on with that assessment.
Then again, looking at how real estate value in phoenix has plummeted, maybe sarver is being overly frugal for good reason.
July 10th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
sans says:
You can’t fire owners unfortunately.
FIRE STEVE KERR! FIRE STEVE KERR! FIRE STEVE KERR!
July 10th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Moose says:
Is it so hard to find a decent back up PG?
July 10th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
sh!tfaced says:
dont forget they also traded rudy fernandez for cash to add to their list of f*ck-ups…
July 10th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
kanDman says:
This the Suns Modus Operandi..every two or three years, they put together an exiting team that gets their fans all lathered up. Making it ever so close to the “promise land”. Every year their fans shout “wait till next year” This way they can still sell tix and make profit off jerseys etc. Then they blow the team up and go into rebuild mode like this year. Before the end of the season they will make some sort of move that will once again fire up their fans…only problem DA BIG BAD LAKERS own the West….
July 10th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
alimoe says:
kerr is the worst gm ever
July 10th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
Well let’s look at the roster constructed as is provided there are no more trades.
pg Nash/Goran D.
sg J.Rich/Barbosa/Sasha P.
sf Grant/Earl Clark
pf Stat/Frye
c Ben/Lopez
This team as constructed is an 8th seed in the playoffs. IMO they are a back up point guard and a decent young center away from being a great young team and built for running and gunning. Are they ready to compete for a championship no, but who in the west can we really say is going to win a championship? The Lakers just added Artest for god’s sake. Let’s not forget people only one team can win that precious Obrien trophy anyway so I say unless you have the personnel to beat the Lakers everyone is in rebuilding mode. Like Steve Kerr said they are rebuilding and from the looks of it that’s exactly what they are doing.
July 11th, 2009 at 4:15 am
sh!tfaced says:
damn steve kerr says he’s rebuilding but he’s making sure the suns are good enough so they barely make the first round of the playoffs and end up with at least a mid round or late lottery pick. and he’s not making them bad enough so they have a chance to draft another franchise player to help nash and amare.
July 11th, 2009 at 6:49 am
smoove chips says:
only owner worse than sarver has to be donald sterling by a mile !
still can’t explain why Kerr still has a job but hey got my own problems.makes me appreciate the hell outta kupchak though!!
July 11th, 2009 at 8:31 am
haslem says:
YESSSS! Frye got signed!!!!
July 11th, 2009 at 8:32 am
haslem says:
and he`ll acctually get to play again!
July 11th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Mack Brownee says:
Being a mavs fan that dislikes the suns, I love what steve kerr is doing. Go ahead and trade amare to us for eric dampier and jj barea
July 11th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
mikey dub says:
i can only think of 2 sasha’s in the nba… who’s the third??
July 12th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
wanabballer says:
The suns need youth… grab a pair of Tarheels in Marvin Williams and Raymond Felton and toss in Gerald Green… atleast then we can say we have some young talent/potential – rather than the garbage we currently have sitting on the bench.
Suns never had a center, i say just keep a role player like Lopez in that position… just to take up space (ala Jazz Ostertag)
July 12th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
darkdefender says:
@ post 22
sasha kevlavic. he plays for the bucks.
July 17th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
lsbsgjd says:
Stevie Nash is very intelligent and gifted. Kerr is very unintelligent and ungifted. Nash is only getting hurt by all this not trading him. But he will be okay because he is Canadian, raised on Salmon and Guiness, and will be a great player til he’s 45, just like his dad.