Sun(day) On A Monday Suns Column: Terrico White And 2006 Playoff Flashback
By Spencer Hann
Life On Planet Orange
1. Anyone else feel a weird combination of being surprised but not shocked at the signing of Terrico White? The former 2010 second round draft pick, career D-Leaguer and overseas player joins a room of shooting guards that is heading towards its carrying capacity. Seriously.
Although White’s chances of actually making the team are relatively small, it is interesting that the Suns would even bother signing him with three capable shooting guards already on the roster. For me, this move brings into question whether or not the Suns are sold on Archie Goodwin, even after three years.
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Sonny Weems was signed on a contract indicative of a rotational player and the belief is that he has a shot to be one of first off the bench, while Devin Booker’s shooting is going to be invaluable to the Suns and their floor spacing. Is White coming into training camp to battle Goodwin for his spot on the team?
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The signing of Terrico White could very likely be the Bakersfield Jam rounding out their roster as well. By inviting him to training camp, the Suns’ D-League affiliate would have the inside track to adding him to their roster.)
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2. After reading quite a few articles this past week about the Suns’ Tyson Chandler and how he will serve as one of the top newcomers in the NBA (which I don’t dispute at all), I couldn’t help but think: Has everyone forgotten about Mirza Teletovic? If Chandler is one of the top newcomers, Teletovic has to be one of the most underrated newcomers of the entire NBA offseason.
His ability to be a true stretch-4, spreading defenses and forming deadly pick-and-pops with Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight cannot be understated. We all saw how much the Suns struggled last year without Channing Frye, both as the player and locker room leader. Phoenix has more than made up for letting Frye go with the addition of Teletovic (especially on a one-year PROVE IT contract), yet it has shockingly flown under the radar to most outsiders.
3. In last week’s column, I noticed multiple comments arguing about potential trades; who is expendable and who is not. In my opinion, the Suns’ core for the next 3-4 years consists of the following: Alex Len, Tyson Chandler, Eric Bledsoe OR Brandon Knight (I still believe emergence of Booker will force trade of one of those two), Devin Booker and T.J. Warren.
The Suns SHOULD be actively shopping any player not named in the list above and without hesitation. At this point, Archie Goodwin (along with Markieff) would be my trade bait if I’m the Suns.
For any transaction Phoenix makes involving Markieff, Goodwin should be included as well. His potential and current talent should still be intriguing enough for teams to send over a nice return package to the Suns. With Bogdan Bogdanovic waiting in the wings, the Suns would be wise to cash in on Goodwin before the season begins.
If I Were Mirza Teletovic This Week…
I’m training harder than ever. I’m taking a look at the Markieff Morris situation and sensing an opportunity for myself to possibly start on the Suns. If Phoenix does pull the trigger on a Markieff trade, the chances of them receiving an equal return of a starting-caliber power forward are not great.
This would, of course, open the door for myself to step and start on a team that can showcase my talents better than most. If I’m Teletovic this week, at least 500 three-pointers are getting shot each day. I’m taking notice of the contract Channing Frye received (four years, $32 million) after showcasing himself as deadly pick-and-pop, stretch-4 in this same offense.
With Phoenix’s guards penetrating the paint on a regular basis, “open” doesn’t begin to describe the type of looks I will get. If I’m Mirza Teletovic this week, I am training harder than ever for an opportunity that’s suddenly realistic.
Suns Memory Of The Week
If your heart wasn’t stopped during these waning moments of Game 6 of the 2006 NBA Playoffs with the Suns on the brink of elimination, you weren’t human.
Tweet Of The Week
Next: Can Bledsoe Become A Leader For The Suns?