| Suns Lock Up Barbosa, Diaw Next? Authored by Johnny Wu - August 6, 2006 - 1:29 am
| Current Featured Columns | | Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
A Melo Behind The SuperstarsCarmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
 |
Maynor Using Utah’s Resources
Eric Maynor is an increasingly rare four-year, small college rookie. He sat down with RealGM to discuss how his first few weeks of NBA life has gone and what he has learned from Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan.
|
 |
Why LeBron To The Clippers Makes Sense
LeBron James already plays for a perennial underdog in Cleveland, but moving to the Clippers would allow him to do so in a huge market and with a core that will immediately compete for championships while also having an encouraging long term outlook.
|
 |
‘Home-Heavy Schedule’ Brings Question Marks
The Heat have been plagued by inconsistencies, making it difficult to determine how good they really are this season.
|
|
More from RealGM's Columnists
|
| |
Barbosa will be making $1.67 million for the upcoming 06-07 season and his new deal will kick in after the conclusion of next season. Barbosa was in Phoenix on Thursday for a press conference, but has since re-joined his Brazilian team for the FIBA World Championships in Japan. So what does the Barbosa signing mean for the upcoming Suns season? Perhaps the more pressing issue is what future ramifications will this mean for signing emerging superstar and 2006 Most Improved Player Boris Diaw?
During the 05-06 season, the 23 year old Barbosa proved that he could one day become a star in this league, breaking out with a career high 13.1 points-per-game 2.8 rebounds-per-game and 2.6 assists-per-game season, up from a 7 ppg 2 rpg and 2 apg effort the previous season. What was more astonishing is Barbosa shot a torrid 48.1 percent from the field, and 44.8 percent from beyond the arc (3rd best in the NBA.) He added a potent outside threat to the high-flying Phoenix offense and provided speed and offense filling in for the free-agency departures of Joe Johnson and Q-Rich.
Last year, Leandro proved to be better suited as a shoot-first type of player rather than being Steve Nash's backup at PG. He will most likely remain Phoenix's starting two-guard after the arrival of backup guard Marcus Banks. Banks will certainly challenge Barbosa for the fastest player in the league. The thought of running up and down the court with Nash, Banks, and Barbosa makes me dizzy and it will be even tougher for opposing teams to keep up with this up tempo run and gun style next season.
The addition of Banks was a great one, he is young and plays an aggressive style suited for Mike D'Antoni's fast tempo offense. During the 05-06 season the Suns often looked out of place and out of rhythm when Nash was not on the court (see: Conference finals.) Banks will help keep the flow going and give Phoenix a much needed backup point guard to give the aging MVP some rest. This will be crucial come playoff time when Nash's minutes jump and his presence is key to the Suns' success.
The Barbosa signing is also solid. He is only 23 years of age, is extremely athletic, and can use his speed to break games open. Ask the Los Angeles Lakers who had had almost no one that could guard his dribble drive penetration during the playoffs. He blows by defenders with ease and makes the game look easy. Teams already have a hard enough time defending Nash and will have even more trouble next year stopping a much improved Barbosa.
One knock on Barbosa is, if he wants to stay entrenched in the combo guard role, he must learn to play better defense against the premier shooting guards in the league. The 6'2" Barbosa is vastly undersized and does not have the strength or muscle to guard the likes of Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce who are much bigger and stronger than he is. This can become a problem come playoff time when good defense and rebounding will win championships. Phoenix must address this, by either bringing in someone who can play D off the bench or hope Barbosa's offense will override his defensive problems, but defense is not Phoenix's strength anyhow.
The Barbosa signing means that Phoenix will enter the season with the same team and with a high probability of a third straight 50 or more win season, and go deep into the playoffs.
But the burning question is after the signing of Barbosa Suns fans must question how much money is left in Suns owner Robert Sarver's pocketbook to sign the 2005-2006 Most Improved Player Boris Diaw to a long term extension.
Diaw had an exceptional debut season, filling in very nicely for an injured Amare Stoudemire. He racked up career highs in points-per-game (13), rebounds-per-game (7) and assists-per-game (6). Originally, Diaw was supposed to be a throw-in for the Joe Johnson sign and trade, but he turned out to be much more than that. As amazing as his regular season production was, he had an above average superstar-calibre performance in the playoffs, boosting his averages up to 18.7 points-per-game, including averaging a ridiculous 24.5 points-per-game in the Western Conference finals against a tough Dallas defense. All this playing against players like Lamar Odom, Bryant, Elton Brand and Dirk Nowitzki is not bad for a player who was not expected to do much.
Diaw proved that he was on the track to being a bonafide superstar in the league. A 24 year old swingman who can shoot a silky smooth mid-range jumper, grab boards, and is as versatile as they come for a man his size, will most definitely fetch top dollar on any free agent market. Signing Diaw will be tough for the Suns unless Sarver is willing to pay dollar for dollar. This is coming from an owner who many regarded as one who refuses to break open the bank and is as cheap as they come. The most likely scenario is for Diaw to play out this season and test the free-agent market after the 06-07 season. This would let the Suns match any offer tendered by another team (similar to Johnson situation.) If Diaw is to sign on the dotted line this year, it would take a long term deal worth in the range of 8-10 million dollars per season, which is a stiff price with Nash/Marion/Amare taking up more than half of the team's salary cap.
What this boils down to is how committed the Phoenix Management are to brining a championship franchise to the city. They have already brought in one of the core pieces from last year in Barbosa and the other piece will be much tougher and more expensive to sign. If Sarver will open his wallet, Diaw will be signed at a "reasonable amount" by league standards at around $8-9 million per and if not the Suns will let him play out the season, and a rebuilding team might just offer him a maximum contract. At which point, it may become impossible for the Suns to match.
Diaw is widely considered the final piece to the Suns' championship puzzle and with him locked up and if Stoudemire stays healthy, this team should have the opportunity compete for an NBA Championship this season.
Feedback, Comments, or Article Ideas? Please email me at wu.johnny10@gmail.com, thanks for reading |
