Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns Sign Jarell Eddie To 10-Day Deal

March 19th, 2017 at 12:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 19, 12:34pm: The signing is official, according to a tweet from the Suns.

MARCH 18 8:56pm: The Suns will sign Jarell Eddie to a 10-day contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. The 6’7″ forward is currently playing for the Bulls’ Windy City affiliate in the D-League.

Eddie, 24, has previous NBA experience with Washington, where he appeared in 26 games last season but averaged just 5.7 minutes per night. He went through training camp with the Wizards, but was waived in October just before the start of the season.

Eddie went undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2014 and has spent most of his career in the D-League, playing for Austin as well as Windy City.

The Suns have been carrying an open roster spot since last month’s trade deadline, when they acquired and then waived Jared Sullinger and Mike Scott. Phoenix signed Ronnie Price to fill one of those openings, but left the other one vacant until now.

Suns Notes: Bledsoe, Knight, Chriss

March 17th, 2017 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite the fact that he’s dealing with some knee soreness, Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe didn’t seem thrilled with the team’s decision to shut him down for the season, a call that was made by management earlier this week. Speaking to Doug Haller of AZCentral Sports, general manager Ryan McDonough explained that there was little upside to continuing to lean on Bledsoe down the stretch with the Suns essentially eliminated from playoff contention.

“We’re not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, but we’re getting close to that point and we have enough young players that we wanted to get them enough opportunity to play and also save some wear and tear on Eric as best we can,” the Suns’ GM said. “We do a lot of the sports science measurements and looking at those readings, Eric has some of the higher load numbers in the league. … We just didn’t want him to get worn down during a season where we’re not going to end up in the playoffs.”

Here’s more out of Phoenix:

Within Haller’s piece linked above, McDonough also addressed Brandon Knight‘s decision not to play in the Suns’ game on Wednesday night, after telling the team he was battling back spasms. “He said before the game that his back was tightening up and he was feeling some pain,” McDonough said. “He wasn’t able to move as well as he would’ve hoped, so if he says he feels that way, we have to take his word for it.” At least one local analyst this week expressed skepticism that Knight’s injury was legit.
Marquese Chriss probably isn’t a viable candidate for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, but 2016’s eighth overall pick has shown signs of improvement over the course of his first professional season, in the view of Suns head coach Earl Watson. Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic has the quotes from Watson.
With the Suns headed for another high lottery pick this year, Dennis Chambers of Basketball Insiders takes a closer look at what steps Phoenix can take to move forward in the coming months.

Chandler Didn't Want To Be Traded

March 16th, 2017 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran center Tyson Chandler could have been dealt to a contender prior to the trade deadline but opted to stay with the Suns, according to Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic. Chandler told team executives in a meeting prior to a deadline he was content to take a reduced role in Phoenix and aid in the development of the team’s younger players. “I didn’t want to go nowhere,” Chandler told Haller. “I wanted to be with these dudes and finish it out.”

Suns Shut Down Eric Bledsoe For Season

March 16th, 2017 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

It appears that Eric Bledsoe has played his last game of the 2016/17 season. The Suns held Bledsoe out of their lineup on Wednesday night, and according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, the team intends to shut down him down for the season. Doug Haller of AZCentral (Twitter link) confirms as much, noting that the point guard has been battling knee soreness.

While Bledsoe’s knee issue may have played some part in the Suns’ decision, the club’s record almost certainly played a larger part. As our 2016/17 Reverse Standings show, Phoenix currently has the NBA’s third-worst record at 22-46. A few extra wins down the stretch would put the Suns at risk of passing the Magic and Sixers in the standings, reducing their odds of landing a top draft pick.

The Suns are the second Pacific team in the league’s bottom three to shut down veterans for the season. Earlier this week, reports indicated that Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng likely won’t play again for the Lakers in 2016/17, despite the fact that they’re healthy.

Of course, Mozgov and Deng haven’t produced at nearly the same level for the Lakers that Bledsoe has for the Suns this season. The seventh-year point guard has established new career highs in several categories this season, including PPG (21.1) and APG (6.3). Without him in their lineup, the Suns figure to lean more heavily on rookie guard Tyler Ulis, among others.

Brandon Knight, another veteran who had apparently been shut down by the Suns in recent weeks, could also see some minutes in Bledsoe’s absence, though there are hints that he hasn’t been thrilled by the way the team has handled his role. According to Gambadoro, the Suns asked Knight to play on Wednesday night and he told the team he was suffering from back spasms — Gambadoro expressed some skepticism regarding that self-diagnosis.

And-Ones: Cook, Ferrell, Fines, Tanking

March 10th, 2017 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Quinn Cook has rejoined the D-League’s Canton Charge after his 10-day contract in Dallas expired, but it may just be a matter of time before he’s back with an NBA team, writes Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. “He proved he can play in this league,” one source told Amico. “Now he just needs to find the right opportunity.”

Cook could find inspiration from Yogi Ferrell, who was briefly Cook’s teammate in Dallas. The undrafted point guard turned a 10-day contract into a multiyear contract with the Mavericks after being cut by the Nets. As Ferrell explains, via Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News, things didn’t work out for him in Brooklyn, but it only takes one team “to fall in love with you” (Twitter links). “Brooklyn didn’t like me, so they got rid of me,” Ferrell said. “I came to Dallas and they love me. So I’m glad it worked out here.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the league:

The NBA announced on Thursday that Suns forward Jared Dudley and Wizards guard Brandon Jennings were fined $35K apiece for their actions during an altercation that took place in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game between the two teams.
ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link) provides a top-10 list of sorts, assigning teams a “Tank Rank” that looks a little different in some cases than their current spots in the 2016/17 Reverse Standings. For instance, even though the Suns currently have the league’s third-worst record, it’s the Sixers that Ford places third in the tanking rankings, suggesting that Phoenix is playing well and could pass Philadelphia in the standings in the coming weeks.
Deron Williams (Cavaliers), Matt Barnes (Warriors), Brandon Jennings (Wizards) are among the recently-signed veteran free agents who could end up making an impact in the postseason, writes James Blancarte of Basketball Insiders.

Watson: No Immediate Plans To Get Chandler, Knight Back In Rotation

March 7th, 2017 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

Veterans Tyson Chandler and Brandon Knight were viewed as trade candidates for the Suns, but after both players stayed put at the deadline, it appears the team no longer feels the need to showcase them. As Doug Haller of The Arizona Republic outlines, Chandler and Knight have fallen out of the rotation since the All-Star break, giving way to younger players, and Earl Watson doesn’t intend to move away from that plan anytime soon.

“I’m not changing it unless management changes it,” the Suns head coach said. “I have a boss and my boss has a boss, so whatever comes from up top is what’s going to happen. And right now, that’s not even part of our equation.”

While Watson’s comments made it sounds as if the directive to focus on developing the young players down the stretch came from the Suns’ front office, he declined to confirm that: “I didn’t say that. I said if things change, it will be from management.” Either way, for now, it seems that players like Alan Williams, Tyler Ulis, and even Derrick Jones will receive more playing time at the expense of vets like Chandler and Knight.

Thomas Calls Suns Trade A 'Christmas Gift'

March 5th, 2017 at 5:54pm CST by Austin Kent

The trade that sent him from the Suns to the Celtics back in 2015 was “a Christmas gift”, says Isaiah Thomas. A. Sherrod Blakeley of CSN New England spoke with the point guard upon his return to Phoenix. Thomas performed well with the Suns but wasn’t even close to the MVP discussion that he now finds himself in with Boston.

Current Arena Could Be Renovated

March 2nd, 2017 at 9:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Phoenix city council will pay a consulting group $75K to determine how to upgrade the Suns’ Talking Stick Resort Arena, Dustin Gardiner of the Arizona Republic reports. The Suns have played in the arena since 1992. The council paid the same consulting firm $190K last year to study options for building a new sports and entertainment arena, so this could signal a shift in the city’s plan to keep the team downtown, Gardiner adds.

Watson: Suns Need An Enforcer

March 1st, 2017 at 10:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns coach Earl Watson believes his team is in need of a tough guy to watch out for its scorers, according to ESPN.com. Watson was angry after Tuesday’s loss in Memphis, particularly about an elbow from Vince Carter that knocked down Devin Booker. Carter was ejected, but Watson said the incident changed the momentum of the game and highlighted the Suns’ need for an enforcer. “We have to find someone in free agency or the first chance we get who can protect our top offensive players,” he said.

Suns Expected To Pursue Porter

February 28th, 2017 at 5:58pm CST by Austin Kent

The Wizards are intent on keeping forward Otto Porter in Washington, Deveney writes, even as the suddenly hot 23-year-old commodity, gets pursued by other teams like the Suns and Nets, as expected. As the pool of suitors grows, Porter’s price tag could approach max territory.

[SOURCE LINK]