Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eric Bledsoe To Miss Remainder Of Season

December 29th, 2015 at 1:39pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Suns announced today that point guard Eric Bledsoe underwent successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and he will miss the remainder of the season as a result. Initial reports predicted Bledsoe would be out of action for about six weeks, though that timetable may have been reflective of the team’s hope that Bledsoe’s surgery would remove the meniscus, which usually entails a shorter recovery time, rather than make an attempt to repair it, though that is merely my speculation.

Bledsoe, now in his sixth year in the league, was enjoying the best season of his career prior to suffering the injury. His 20.4 points, 6.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game are either tied with or exceed career highs. His absence is certainly a blow to the 12-21 team, and it could hasten the front office in pressing the reset button on its current rebuild. The Suns are eligible to apply for a disabled player exception with the loss of Bledsoe, which would be valued at $5.464MM, notes former NBA executive Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The team is not currently eligible to apply for a hardship exception, however.

The 26-year-old is in the second season of the five-year, $70MM deal he inked in 2014. This is now the second major knee injury that Bledsoe has suffered since arriving in Phoenix, with the point guard limited to just 43 games during the 2013/14 campaign, courtesy of a torn right meniscus. With Phoenix still owing the player $43.5MM over the next three seasons, the organization is certainly crossing its fingers that he can return to form.

Pacific Notes: Morris, Dudley, Rondo

December 29th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Eddie Scarito

There is too much bad blood for Markieff Morris to thrive with the Suns in Phoenix, but there is belief that he can succeed elsewhere, like his brother Marcus is doing in Detroit, Chris Mannix of SI.com pass along (Twitter links). Mannix adds that several teams still really like the combo forward, especially because of his team-friendly contact.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Jared Dudley wishes he had played better during his lone season for the Clippers, J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic writes. “How it ended with us, I can always say that’s the one team I played on I played really, really bad,” Dudley said. “Fans probably look at me, ‘Jared was a failure,’ which is very true. I was at that time. I’d be the first to admit it.”
The Rajon Rondo–Darren Collison pairing in the backcourt is starting to show improvement, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee observes. “For some reason, the first 10, 15 games, it just didn’t seem like it had much rhythm,” Coach George Karl said. “But it seems D.C. plays off the ball most of the time when that happens. I still like two guys who can run pick-and-rolls and pick and choose your opportunities with two point guards on the court.”

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Morris, Nance Jr.

December 28th, 2015 at 4:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In an interview with Tzvi Twersky of Slamoline.com, Kings center DeMarcus Cousins said that he believes because he’s been on a struggling team for his entire career he doesn’t get the credit for being a tough leader the way that the Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett has. “This is what I’ve come to conclude: Winning covers up everything,” Cousins told Twersky. “If KG was always losing and was the same person, they would think he was the worst guy ever. That’s basically the situation I’m in. Since I’m losing, no one loves a loser—everyone loves a winner. That’s how it goes. I don’t see a difference between me and Joakim Noah. If anything, I feel Joakim has more crazy moments than I do—but his is passion, mine are an attitude or anger problems.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

It’s unclear if and when the Suns will look to trade disgruntled forward Markieff Morris, but there are a number of teams that are intrigued with the combo forward and his reasonable contract, Chris Mannix of SI.com relays (Twitter links). There is likely too much bad blood between Morris and the Suns organization for that relationship to be salvaged, but there is belief around the league that Morris can thrive in a different environment than Phoenix’s, Mannix adds.
The Lakers have moved rookie Larry Nance Jr. into the starting lineup thanks to his energy and versatility, but he’ll need to look for his shot more often if he wants to continue in that role, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “I talked to him today that again when you have an open shot, you got to take the shot,” coach Byron Scott said. “[I told him] ‘You have a nice enough stroke’ and if he can make them on a consistent basis, the defense will start to respect him. But he moves the ball. That’s the only thing about Larry. He doesn’t take a lot of shots; he doesn’t even take the ones that are open. That’s one of the main reasons we changed the starting lineup – to get more ball movement.“

Jeff Hornacek On Hot Seat With Suns

December 28th, 2015 at 11:05am CST by Will Joseph

MONDAY, 11:05am: The Suns have officially announced the assistant coaching moves in a press release. “It is never easy to make changes to a coaching staff in the middle of a season but we feel Earl and Nate are ready to take the next steps in their careers and provide some creative ideas to our group,” said GM Ryan McDonough. “We thank Mike and Jerry for their contributions. They are both good coaches who made significant contributions to our team winning 87 games over the previous two seasons.”

11:10pm: The Suns are firing assistant coaches Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, while Stein hears that fellow assistants Nate Bjorkgren and Earl Watson will take on more prominent roles (Twitter links). Hornacek’s future is still unclear, Wojnarowski says, though Stein suggests in a second tweet that the moves indicate the team is giving Hornacek another chance.

SUNDAY, 1:39pm: Jeff Hornacek‘s job as head coach of the Suns is under immediate threat because of the team’s 12-20 record and its recent 5-15 skid, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. With belief growing within the organization that the team is no longer responding to Hornacek, the organization is thinking about making a coaching switch, according to Stein. This is the final guaranteed season on Hornacek’s original four-year contract.

The Suns were viewed as having a strong chance to make the playoffs this season after solid campaigns in each of Hornacek’s first two seasons. Phoenix was one of the league’s most improved teams in 2013/14, Hornacek’s first year. The Suns went 48-34 that season yet did not make the playoffs. They were 39-43 last season and again missed the playoffs. The Suns’ signing of Tyson Chandler was thought to be a significant addition and one that would make the Suns a much better team, as Stein points out.

Things have not worked out that way, especially lately. The Suns’ loss to the Sixers on Saturday seems to have been especially tough for the organization to swallow, Stein writes. It was Philadelphia’s first road win since last March. What’s more, as Stein adds, it was the first game on the Sixers’ bench for former Suns coach Mike D’Antoni, who was hired recently by new Philadelphia chairman of basketball operations and former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo to serve as associate head coach to the Sixers’ Brett Brown. The timing of the news is also interesting because Eric Bledsoe will likely miss a significant amount of time with a knee injury, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).

Hornacek’s agent, Steve Kauffman, reportedly engaged in an odd exchange on an online message board over the summer in which he denied that Hornacek declined to interview for the then-vacant head coaching position at Iowa State, his alma mater. Shortly before that, Hornacek expressed his commitment to the Suns when asked if he had interest in coaching the Cyclones.

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround: 12/27/15

December 27th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The positive momentum the Suns gathered from nearly landing LaMarcus Aldridge this past summer was short-lived. Markieff Morris demanded a trade later in the offseason, and though he seemingly recanted that at the start of training camp, Phoenix has apparently engaged in serious talks about dealing him away, and coach Jeff Hornacek is reportedly in danger of following him out the door. Eric Bledsoe isn’t going anywhere, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be on the court anytime soon, as the initial belief is reportedly that he’ll be out until the All-Star break is through with an injured left knee.

Suns ownership and management has been reluctant to fire Hornacek, but owner Robert Sarver and GM Ryan McDonough had one-on-one meetings with Suns players today to try to understand why the team has fallen to 12-20, a record that includes an ugly home loss to the Sixers on Saturday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

Assistants Mike Longabardi and Earl Watson are possible replacements if the Suns oust Hornacek, Wojnarowski writes. A source with ties to the Suns who spoke with Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck a few weeks ago speculatively predicted that the Suns would get rid of Hornacek and go after Warriors interim coach Luke Walton in the offseason (Twitter link). Morris is in the middle of a two-game suspension the team handed down after he threw a towel that connected with Hornacek during Wednesday’s game, though Morris says he didn’t mean to hit the coach.

It all leads to our question for the day: What do the Suns need to do to fix their issues? Should they fire Hornacek? If so, with whom should they replace him for the short term and long term? Should they trade Morris? If so, who or what should they realistically try to obtain in return? If they keep Hornacek and Morris, what’s the solution to their problems?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.

Eric Bledsoe Likely Out For Six Weeks

December 27th, 2015 at 7:49pm CST by Will Joseph

7:49pm: Bledsoe is expected to miss about six weeks, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, largely confirming what Windhorst reported earlier. Six weeks from today is February 7th, and the Suns play their final game before the All-Star break February 10th. The surgery will repair the meniscus, according to Wojnarowski.

7:26pm: Bledsoe will have surgery Tuesday to repair a torn meniscus in the knee, the Suns say, according to Windhorst and Coro (Twitter links). The team didn’t give a timetable and didn’t say whether the surgery would remove the meniscus, which usually entails a shorter recovery time than an attempt to repair it.

2:26pm: The initial belief is Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe will be out until after the All-Star break because of a left knee injury, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic first reported that Bledsoe will likely miss a significant amount of time (Twitter link). Bledsoe is set to have an MRI after leaving Saturday’s game against the Sixers, Coro adds.

Any time Bledsoe, Phoenix’s leading scorer, misses would be obviously be a significant blow to the Suns, who are already nosediving at 12-20. Bledsoe, in his sixth year in the league, is enjoying the best season of his career. His 20.4 points per game, 6.1 assists per game and two steals per game are each career highs.

The Suns made headlines during the summer when they re-signed Brandon Knight to a five-year, $70MM contract. Many at the time were skeptical that the backcourt tandem of Bledsoe and Knight would work, but it was recently beginning to show promise. There were also reportedly talks that Bledsoe was expendable after the Suns inked Knight, but those conversations seemed to disappear as the season drew closer.

Sixers Notes: Okafor, Hinkie, Colangelo, D’Antoni

December 27th, 2015 at 6:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jahlil Okafor‘s camp didn’t want him to end up with the Sixers before Philly drafted him in June, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. GM Sam Hinkie wasn’t allowed to interview Kristaps Porzingis at his predraft workout in Las Vegas, Pompey also hears. An agent told the Inquirer scribe in October that he wouldn’t want his maximum-salary clientele signing in Philadelphia and would advise mid-tier clients to play for the Sixers only if the team offered to overpay them. It all points to Hinkie’s difficult dealing with agents, though the GM says to Pompey that new executive Jerry Colangelo is changing that.

“Yeah, he’s helped there, too,” Hinkie said. “I think he’s had lot of good advice and I had lots of questions there about ways in which we could do things better. And he’s helped on that front already.”

See more from Philly:

Colangelo implied that he doesn’t have as much power with the Sixers as some might assume, saying that this experience is different from his time with the Suns “because in the past, the buck always stopped with me,” notes Arizona Republic columnist Paula Boivin. Of course, Colangelo was in charge of the Suns as an owner, and he’s merely advising Sixers owner Josh Harris, so the comment isn’t necessarily about his role in Philly’s basketball operations.
Mike D’Antoni said he’s “happy as heck” to be back in coaching as the lead assistant for the Sixers, and referred to head coach Brett Brown as the top draw for him to come to Philly, observes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Nerlens Noel explained some of the reasons why he’s such a fan of Sixers trade acquisition Ish Smith, who also played with the team at the end of last season. Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com has the details. “I think it’s his experience,” Noel said. “Him being as athletic as he is at the point guard position, and being able to create. Just a willing passer. He makes things a lot easier for the people around him. He makes them better.”

Pacific Notes: Green, Jordan, Bledsoe

December 27th, 2015 at 9:03am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Warriors own a record of 28-1 and a major reason for the team’s success is the play of Draymond Green. While Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson receive much of the attention, Green, who re-signed with Golden State for $82MM over the five years, is the team’s most valuable player, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post argues. The Michigan State product is averaging 14.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 7.1 assists to go along with 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game this season.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers understood that landing DeAndre Jordan was considered a longshot, but they believed that signing the big man would have turned around the franchise’s fortunes, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times writes. “We just talked to [Jordan] about what this organization has achieved. It’s all about championships here,” coach Byron Scott said. “Basically, it [would have been] a fresh start for him … with some young talent. Kind of help them guys develop and hopefully when we get a couple other guys to go along with him, that we would have been a team that could definitely vie for a championship.”
Scott added that the team plans to make next year’s meetings with free agents more about basketball, Bresnahan writes in the same piece. “I guess this summer we’ll sit down and talk about our approach as far as the guys that we’ll target this year. But that’s seven, eight months away,” Scott said.
Eric Bledsoe, who was the subject of trade chatter during the offseason, has improved in many areas this season and Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders believes he should be considered a top-tier point guard. Bledsoe is averaging 20.4 points, 6.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while sporting a 20.9 player efficiency rating.

Western Notes: Griffin, Morris, Nowitzki

December 26th, 2015 at 4:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers have been a disappointment thus far this season after the franchise added numerous offseason pieces in an attempt to bolster its depth, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post writes. “We haven’t won any big games,” said power forward Blake Griffin. “We haven’t won the games you go into it thinking, ‘Okay, this is one we have to get.’ We’ve lost all those games.” Griffin also notes that the team trying to get all its new personnel on the same page can no longer be used as an excuse, Bontemps adds.

“That was kind of the narrative early on,” Griffin told Bontemps, when asked if trying get everyone on the same page was still a legitimate excuse. “But after however many games, you can’t keep saying that over and over. At a certain point, it can’t be about new guys. It’s just got to be about buying in. Every team has some new guys. Most teams have some new guys. We have to figure something out. We have to be better than this. We are better than this and we’re not showing it.”

Here’s more from out West:

Suns GM Ryan McDonough said that the team would have disciplined any of its players the same way as Markieff Morris, whom the club handed a two-game suspension for throwing a towel at coach Jeff Hornacek during Wednesday’s game, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays. “We try not to be punitive with these kind of things,” McDonough said. “We try to be fair. That’s why we consulted with the league. Sometimes, these things do get emotional. We asked for their opinion. There was precedent for these kind of situations but we would’ve done the same thing if it was any of the other 14 players on the roster.“
Despite the Mavericks‘ attempts to add big name players, power forward Dirk Nowitzki still remains the face of the franchise and the team’s best player, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. “The names [on the scoring list] he’s passed and continues to creep up on are the greatest legends in the history of our game,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’re very fortunate to be able to see a guy like this play. And we’re doing everything possible to keep him playing at a high level and keep him playing as long as possible.”
The Rockets have assigned K.J. McDaniels and Montrezl Harrell to their D-League affiliate, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reports.

Latest On Markieff Morris

December 24th, 2015 at 1:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:43pm: Morris issued an apology via Twitter (hat tip to Coro).

“My frustration got the best of me last night,” Morris wrote. “It won’t happen again. I apologize to Jeff. My teammates told me I hit coach with the towel. In no way was that towel intended for him. I just want to help my team win so much. That’s my focus moving forward.”

1:26pm: The Suns have confirmed the suspension (Twitter link), citing “conduct detrimental to the team.” Morris will miss games against the Sixers and Cavs.

1:05am: The trade value of Markieff Morris is such that teams are asking the Suns to attach another player or asset to him in any proposal, tweets Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, using Archie Goodwin‘s name as an example of the sort of add-on other teams want. The Wednesday towel-toss that marked the latest chapter in a back-and-forth relationship between Morris and the Suns has prompted the team to issue an unpaid two-game suspension, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. It’ll cost him $145,455 out of his $8MM salary, Charania notes. Morris threw a towel in the direction of coach Jeff Hornacek, who tossed it back as the pair engaged in an argument during Wednesday’s game, though Morris told teammates he didn’t mean for the towel, which connected with Hornacek’s leg, to hit the coach, Charania hears.

The Suns are unlikely to agree to give up value on top of Morris in a trade, Lowe says, though the power forward is “very available” on the trade market, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last week, when he added that talks with the Rockets about trading Morris to Houston, which Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops originally revealed, have been serious. It’s unclear whether the Rockets or another Morris suitor, like the Pelicans, have spoken to the Suns about Goodwin or if Lowe was merely using him as a hypothetical. Goodwin, making about $1.16MM in year three of his rookie scale contract, has only played 41 total minutes in December.

Phoenix has lost three in a row and six of eight, and the Suns are four games in the loss column behind eighth place in the Western Conference. Morris, who backed off a summer trade demand when he showed up at training camp, lost his starting job earlier this month and disappeared from the rotation entirely before re-emerging to average 16.3 minutes per game over Phoenix’s last four contests. All of the Suns players were present for practice today except Morris, who deflected a question last week about whether he wanted to be traded, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).

What do you think the Suns can reasonably get in exchange for Morris? Leave a comment to share your ideas.