At 12-13 and tied for eighth in the Western Conference, the Suns front office decided the team needed a much-needed boost, executing a six-player trade with the Orlando Magic on Saturday.
Phoenix acquired eight-time All-Star Vince Carter, center Marcin Gortat, swingman Mickael Pietrus, a first-round pick in this year’s draft and cash considerations in exchange for Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark.
“We’re very excited about this transaction, both now and for the future,” Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said. “Carter and Pietrus give us great defensive presence on the perimeter, while also being extremely dynamic offensively.
“We also recognize the need here for increased interior presence, size and rebounding and Gortat is someone we’ve had our eye on since we got here and was sought after by many, many teams in the league. We think he’s going to be a great addition here and having a first-round draft choice gives us some more opportunities in this year’s draft, as well.”
After evaluating what it had over the first 25 games, the Suns front office believed that it needed to add some defense, rebounding, toughness and size to the roster. Babby, as well as Suns General Manager Lance Blanks, were excited about this acquisition because they were able to obtain those qualities in the trade without giving up any size in return.
Obviously, the premier name in the deal is the 6-6, 220-pound Carter. The 12-year veteran is an eight-time All-Star, including seven selections as a starter.
The 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year earned All-NBA honors in 2000-01 (Second Team) and 2001-02 (Third Team), while also taking home gold at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. The 33-year-old shooting guard, who currently ranks eighth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list among active players, is just 169 points shy of 20,000 for his career.
Up until this point in the season, "Half-Man Half-Amazing" was Orlando's second-leading scorer (15.1 points) and was ranked third-highest on the team in assists. Carter is currently shooting 47 percent from the floor and 35 percent from behind the arc.
Hampered by some pesky injuries this year, many critics have doubted Carter's ability to be the prolific offensive weapon he once was. Blanks doesn't mind that at all.
"I think that he’s a little undervalued from a perception standpoint," the Suns GM said. "We believe that he has a lot more left than one would think with the naked eye because of his ability to shoot the ball and now to play with a point guard like Steve Nash. I think we’ll see him in a much different light than we’ve seen him over the first 25 games of this season."
Although Carter may be the most-recognized name in the trade, the player most-coveted may have been Gortat. The 6-11, 240-pound center was brought in to provide a much-needed dose of defense, rebounding and toughness to the Suns.
Ironically, he was originally selected by Phoenix with the 57th overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft before he was dealt to the Magic for cash considerations in 2005. Babby said that he knew acquiring Gortat was a good move because even though the center hasn't even arrived in Phoenix yet, “our phone hasn’t stopped ringing with teams looking to get him from us.”
Through 25 games this season, "The Polish Hammer" is averaging a career-high 4.0 points and a career-high 4.7 rebounds in only 15.9 minutes. Currently possessing the worst total rebounding percentage in the league, the Suns may just found their best rebounder.
“From the 50-foot level, we’re seeing that he’s been sparring with the best big man in the NBA in Dwight Howard for several years now,” Blanks said. “There’s got to be a lot of rub-off from that and he’s openly spoken about embracing and wanting a bigger role, minutes, touches and expectations on a team. Also he’s been competing with a team for a world championship and he’s one of the bigger stronger centers in the league that can also run, is mobile, can play the pick-and-roll and isn’t shy about doing the dirty work.”
As it stands, his 4.7 rebounds a game would tie him for third-best on the Suns right now. He's also shooting 54 percent from the floor.
The last player the Suns received in the trade also adds some elements to the team that its been lacking. Pietrus, a versatile, 6-6, 215-pound swingman out of France, will be counted on as a dogged perimeter defender and as a steady outside shooter. His ability to space the floor is something that Blanks remembers well from his time as a member of Cleveland's front office.
"Unfortunately, I watched him hurt us pretty badly a couple years ago in our series (Eastern Conference Finals) when I was in Cleveland," Blanks recalled. "He was like a sniper from the wing and the corner, knocking down big shots. I can’t emphasize enough the level of grit and toughness that he’s going to bring."
"Air France" is a seven-year veteran that owns career averages of 8.6 points and 3.2 rebounds. The 28-year-old, who is expected to play both the 2 and the 3, is shooting a career-high 39.1 percent from three-point range through 19 games in 2010-11.
After losing Amar'e Stoudemire this past offseason, Phoenix attempted to fill its void at the power forward spot with Turkoglu, a life-long small forward. However, it became clear that Turkoglu was too undersized for the position.
“I think the Hedo Turkoglu acquisition was a noble experiment,” Babby said. “I think Hedo and our team really tried to make it work, but I think it became obvious that we weren’t going to be able to succeed with him as our 4. And that’s through no fault of his.”
The trade will add a little more clarity to a frontcourt rotation that now features Robin Lopez, Channing Frye, Gortat, Hakim Warrick and possibly Earl Barron. Now it will just be a matter of Gentry integrating his new players into the Suns' system.
The newest members of the Suns, who are expected to clear their physicals in the next few days, will give Gentry his crack at coaching them when the Suns play host to the Heat on Thursday on TNT. Once arriving in Phoenix and receiving their uniforms, Carter will wear No. 25, Pietrus will sport No. 12 and Gortat will don No. 4.
At 12-13 and tied for eighth in the Western Conference, the Suns front office decided the team needed a much-needed boost, executing a six-player trade with the Orlando Magic on Saturday.
Phoenix acquired eight-time All-Star Vince Carter, center Marcin Gortat, swingman Mickael Pietrus, a first-round pick in this year’s draft and cash considerations in exchange for Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark.
“We’re very excited about this transaction, both now and for the future,” Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said. “Carter and Pietrus give us great defensive presence on the perimeter, while also being extremely dynamic offensively.
“We also recognize the need here for increased interior presence, size and rebounding and Gortat is someone we’ve had our eye on since we got here and was sought after by many, many teams in the league. We think he’s going to be a great addition here and having a first-round draft choice gives us some more opportunities in this year’s draft, as well.”
After evaluating what it had over the first 25 games, the Suns front office believed that it needed to add some defense, rebounding, toughness and size to the roster. Babby, as well as Suns General Manager Lance Blanks, were excited about this acquisition because they were able to obtain those qualities in the trade without giving up any size in return.
Obviously, the premier name in the deal is the 6-6, 220-pound Carter. The 12-year veteran is an eight-time All-Star, including seven selections as a starter.
The 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year earned All-NBA honors in 2000-01 (Second Team) and 2001-02 (Third Team), while also taking home gold at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. The 33-year-old shooting guard, who currently ranks eighth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list among active players, is just 169 points shy of 20,000 for his career.
Up until this point in the season, "Half-Man Half-Amazing" was Orlando's second-leading scorer (15.1 points) and was ranked third-highest on the team in assists. Carter is currently shooting 47 percent from the floor and 35 percent from behind the arc.
Hampered by some pesky injuries this year, many critics have doubted Carter's ability to be the prolific offensive weapon he once was. Blanks doesn't mind that at all.
"I think that he’s a little undervalued from a perception standpoint," the Suns GM said. "We believe that he has a lot more left than one would think with the naked eye because of his ability to shoot the ball and now to play with a point guard like Steve Nash. I think we’ll see him in a much different light than we’ve seen him over the first 25 games of this season."
Although Carter may be the most-recognized name in the trade, the player most-coveted may have been Gortat. The 6-11, 240-pound center was brought in to provide a much-needed dose of defense, rebounding and toughness to the Suns.
Ironically, he was originally selected by Phoenix with the 57th overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft before he was dealt to the Magic for cash considerations in 2005. Babby said that he knew acquiring Gortat was a good move because even though the center hasn't even arrived in Phoenix yet, “our phone hasn’t stopped ringing with teams looking to get him from us.”
Through 25 games this season, "The Polish Hammer" is averaging a career-high 4.0 points and a career-high 4.7 rebounds in only 15.9 minutes. Currently possessing the worst total rebounding percentage in the league, the Suns may just found their best rebounder.
“From the 50-foot level, we’re seeing that he’s been sparring with the best big man in the NBA in Dwight Howard for several years now,” Blanks said. “There’s got to be a lot of rub-off from that and he’s openly spoken about embracing and wanting a bigger role, minutes, touches and expectations on a team. Also he’s been competing with a team for a world championship and he’s one of the bigger stronger centers in the league that can also run, is mobile, can play the pick-and-roll and isn’t shy about doing the dirty work.”
As it stands, his 4.7 rebounds a game would tie him for third-best on the Suns right now. He's also shooting 54 percent from the floor.
The last player the Suns received in the trade also adds some elements to the team that its been lacking. Pietrus, a versatile, 6-6, 215-pound swingman out of France, will be counted on as a dogged perimeter defender and as a steady outside shooter. His ability to space the floor is something that Blanks remembers well from his time as a member of Cleveland's front office.
"Unfortunately, I watched him hurt us pretty badly a couple years ago in our series (Eastern Conference Finals) when I was in Cleveland," Blanks recalled. "He was like a sniper from the wing and the corner, knocking down big shots. I can’t emphasize enough the level of grit and toughness that he’s going to bring."
"Air France" is a seven-year veteran that owns career averages of 8.6 points and 3.2 rebounds. The 28-year-old, who is expected to play both the 2 and the 3, is shooting a career-high 39.1 percent from three-point range through 19 games in 2010-11.
After losing Amar'e Stoudemire this past offseason, Phoenix attempted to fill its void at the power forward spot with Turkoglu, a life-long small forward. However, it became clear that Turkoglu was too undersized for the position.
“I think the Hedo Turkoglu acquisition was a noble experiment,” Babby said. “I think Hedo and our team really tried to make it work, but I think it became obvious that we weren’t going to be able to succeed with him as our 4. And that’s through no fault of his.”
The trade will add a little more clarity to a frontcourt rotation that now features Robin Lopez, Channing Frye, Gortat, Hakim Warrick and possibly Earl Barron. Now it will just be a matter of Gentry integrating his new players into the Suns' system.
The newest members of the Suns, who are expected to clear their physicals in the next few days, will give Gentry his crack at coaching them when the Suns play host to the Heat on Thursday on TNT. Once arriving in Phoenix and receiving their uniforms, Carter will wear No. 25, Pietrus will sport No. 12 and Gortat will don No. 4.
The most casual football fan knows the rewards of being Vince Lombardi. This new documentary shows the price.
"Lombardi" chronicles how long and hard this kid from Brooklyn had to fight before he even got the chance to show that he was one of the best coaches ever.
He graduated from Fordham in 1937. After drifting for a couple of years, he took a job coaching the football team and also teaching chemistry, physics and Latin at St. Cecilia's High School in Englewood, N.J.
He discovered he was a good teacher and an even better coach. So he made the moves he was supposed to make, working as an assistant under the legendary Red Blake at Army, then as an assistant with the New York Giants in the 1950s.
But no one offered him a top job, in part because, as it's phrased here, "his last name ended in a vowel."
So he was 46 before the Green Bay Packers, a faltering team in a small, cold town, finally offered him control of his own professional football team.
By then, he was ready. He was also, for once, lucky. While the Packers had gone 1-10-1 the previous season, they had exceptional talent that just needed to be harnessed and channeled.
Vince Lombardi was marvelously equipped to do that.
He almost won a championship in his second year. The third year, he did. And the fourth. He stayed at Green Bay for nine years and won five championships, a record no pro football coach is likely to match in the modern age of parity.
His blueprint wasn't complicated. He focused on simple plays that worked, like the now-famous "Green Bay Power Sweep," and he drilled the team relentlessly in its execution.
He also outworked everyone on the team, basically spending six months a year immersed in game plans, game film and general game obsession.
The reward was victory. The cost was that his wife, Marie, became an alcoholic; his son, Vincent Jr., drifted away; and his own health deteriorated.
He quit coaching the Packers after the 1968 Super Bowl because he was exhausted. Two years later, unable to live without a team to coach, he left to take over the Washington Redskins.
A year later, he was dead from a cancer that might have been treated had he not refused to see a doctor. But that was his style: If you have enough will and determination, the enemy can't beat you.
"Lombardi" points out that for all his victories, he had a humbler private side. A daily church attendee, he became an altar boy as an adult.
But it was the indomitable coach who got the accolades when he died, and this documentary suggests that Vince Lombardi, the meat packer's son from Brooklyn, earned every superlative.
He also paid full price.
The most casual football fan knows the rewards of being Vince Lombardi. This new documentary shows the price.
"Lombardi" chronicles how long and hard this kid from Brooklyn had to fight before he even got the chance to show that he was one of the best coaches ever.
He graduated from Fordham in 1937. After drifting for a couple of years, he took a job coaching the football team and also teaching chemistry, physics and Latin at St. Cecilia's High School in Englewood, N.J.
He discovered he was a good teacher and an even better coach. So he made the moves he was supposed to make, working as an assistant under the legendary Red Blake at Army, then as an assistant with the New York Giants in the 1950s.
But no one offered him a top job, in part because, as it's phrased here, "his last name ended in a vowel."
So he was 46 before the Green Bay Packers, a faltering team in a small, cold town, finally offered him control of his own professional football team.
By then, he was ready. He was also, for once, lucky. While the Packers had gone 1-10-1 the previous season, they had exceptional talent that just needed to be harnessed and channeled.
Vince Lombardi was marvelously equipped to do that.
He almost won a championship in his second year. The third year, he did. And the fourth. He stayed at Green Bay for nine years and won five championships, a record no pro football coach is likely to match in the modern age of parity.
His blueprint wasn't complicated. He focused on simple plays that worked, like the now-famous "Green Bay Power Sweep," and he drilled the team relentlessly in its execution.
He also outworked everyone on the team, basically spending six months a year immersed in game plans, game film and general game obsession.
The reward was victory. The cost was that his wife, Marie, became an alcoholic; his son, Vincent Jr., drifted away; and his own health deteriorated.
He quit coaching the Packers after the 1968 Super Bowl because he was exhausted. Two years later, unable to live without a team to coach, he left to take over the Washington Redskins.
A year later, he was dead from a cancer that might have been treated had he not refused to see a doctor. But that was his style: If you have enough will and determination, the enemy can't beat you.
"Lombardi" points out that for all his victories, he had a humbler private side. A daily church attendee, he became an altar boy as an adult.
But it was the indomitable coach who got the accolades when he died, and this documentary suggests that Vince Lombardi, the meat packer's son from Brooklyn, earned every superlative.
He also paid full price.
Last weekend, former Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil made a completely unscheduled pit stop at the Rattlesnake Bar in the Ritz-Carlton when he was supposed to be in nearby Ennis.
The rocker was to perform at a free concert during the American Drag Racing League's World Finals at the Texas Motorplex, but the scary storms nearly blew the whole venue all the way to Munchkinland.
Vince's show had to be canceled, and he and event promoter Gabe Reed ended up back in Dallas in the bar at Fearing's.
It's not the end for Vince and drag racing. The word is that next year, he will be performing at all 10 of the American Drag Racing League's national events.
About-towners
Homegrown movie star Owen Wilson was in Dallas and watching the Texas Rangers play on back-to-back nights at Sfuzzi on McKinney Avenue. Michael Raymond-James from HBO's True Blood and former Ranger, now Dodger, pitcher Vicente Padilla were also at Sfuzzi to watch baseball.
Let the chips fall
Last spring at his celebrity invitational golf tournament, Emmitt Smith auctioned off an ultimate night of Texas hold 'em poker with some of his celebrity pals for $30,000.
That poker game went off as planned last week with the help of restaurateurs Dee Lincoln and Richard Chamberlain, who hosted the Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities (PESC) Full Tilt Poker Night with Emmitt, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Daryl Johnston.
The location was Chamberlain's Steak and Chop House, where the game was played amid a sea of great Renteria wine, Herradura tequila and some nice cigars.
Pre-Super Bowl grilling
Abacus chef Kent Rathbun fired up his super-duper outdoor smoker last weekend under the statue of Byron Nelson at the Four Seasons Resort. He and Four Seasons chef Christof Syre grilled beef and pork, and made eggs for the ultimate breakfast tacos.
The occasion was a pre-Super Bowl tailgate party for folks to mingle with ESPN's Monday Night Football talent: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden. Former Dallas Cowboy Chad Hennings was also on hand.
Park Cities Ford provided the tailgates for the occasion: two giant Super Duty Ford trucks that flanked Lord Byron.
Alan's Last Word
"An actor's popularity is fleeting. His success has the life expectancy of a small boy who is about to look into a gas tank with a lighted match." Fred Allen
Last weekend, former Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil made a completely unscheduled pit stop at the Rattlesnake Bar in the Ritz-Carlton when he was supposed to be in nearby Ennis.
The rocker was to perform at a free concert during the American Drag Racing League's World Finals at the Texas Motorplex, but the scary storms nearly blew the whole venue all the way to Munchkinland.
Vince's show had to be canceled, and he and event promoter Gabe Reed ended up back in Dallas in the bar at Fearing's.
It's not the end for Vince and drag racing. The word is that next year, he will be performing at all 10 of the American Drag Racing League's national events.
About-towners
Homegrown movie star Owen Wilson was in Dallas and watching the Texas Rangers play on back-to-back nights at Sfuzzi on McKinney Avenue. Michael Raymond-James from HBO's True Blood and former Ranger, now Dodger, pitcher Vicente Padilla were also at Sfuzzi to watch baseball.
Let the chips fall
Last spring at his celebrity invitational golf tournament, Emmitt Smith auctioned off an ultimate night of Texas hold 'em poker with some of his celebrity pals for $30,000.
That poker game went off as planned last week with the help of restaurateurs Dee Lincoln and Richard Chamberlain, who hosted the Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities (PESC) Full Tilt Poker Night with Emmitt, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Daryl Johnston.
The location was Chamberlain's Steak and Chop House, where the game was played amid a sea of great Renteria wine, Herradura tequila and some nice cigars.
Pre-Super Bowl grilling
Abacus chef Kent Rathbun fired up his super-duper outdoor smoker last weekend under the statue of Byron Nelson at the Four Seasons Resort. He and Four Seasons chef Christof Syre grilled beef and pork, and made eggs for the ultimate breakfast tacos.
The occasion was a pre-Super Bowl tailgate party for folks to mingle with ESPN's Monday Night Football talent: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden. Former Dallas Cowboy Chad Hennings was also on hand.
Park Cities Ford provided the tailgates for the occasion: two giant Super Duty Ford trucks that flanked Lord Byron.
Alan's Last Word
"An actor's popularity is fleeting. His success has the life expectancy of a small boy who is about to look into a gas tank with a lighted match." Fred Allen