After battling breathing issues last season, Mirza Teletovic, whom the Suns signed to one-year, $5.5MM deal, believes his 3-point shooting ability should help him fit in nicely with his new team, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes in a worthwhile feature on the player from Europe. Teletovic chose a one-year deal in Phoenix over multiyear offers from the Kings, Bucks and his former team, the Nets.
“Coach Jeff [Hornacek] has the center rolling and the four-man [power forward] popping and spreading the court,” Teletovic said. “They like shooting 3s. I like the energy around the team. Goran really liked the place and the people around the place. And Phoenix had wanted me before I went to Brooklyn [in 2012].”
Here’s more on the Suns:
- While what happens with Markieff Morris is the obvious daily storyline to watch regarding the Suns, the New York Post’s Tim Bontemps writes (on Facebook) that since Morris has a team-friendly long-term contract, Phoenix has no need to rush into a trade just to make one.
- Nothing the Suns did — or didn’t do — during the summer suggests the team is headed in the right direction, writes Shaun Powell in his 30 teams in 30 days series for NBA.com. Powell criticizes a few of the Suns’ biggest moves this season, notably the decision to sign Tyson Chandler, who is 32, to a four-year contract worth $52MM. Besides Chandler’s age, Powell questions the move because it takes minutes away from Alex Len. Powell also second-guesses the Suns’ decision to re-sign Brandon Knight because, according to Powell, the team gave him the kind of money that the Bucks wanted to avoid.
Not only did the Suns gamble $52MM on Tyson Chandler, but they traded Marcus Morris and two other players to free up salary, angering Markieff Morris, who now wants out of town. If adding Chandler doesn’t make Phoenix a playoff team, the move could weaken the franchise for years to come.
Markieef is The next Suns MIP