Thanks for the faith/common sense, guys! I'm passing on pretty much everything I'm hearing right now.....
I love me some Gogi, but I'm hoping and praying that somehow it works out to be Bledsoe. Qualifier: I obviously think Dragic had a better season, but I think Bledsoe will make a bigger jump this year and is a better fit. Not only are we getting a younger guy that's a better defender with star potential, but we're also avoiding the risk of Dragic walking after a season to go to an even better team if things don't pan out for us. Bledsoe would be locked up long term, and we'd have a guy who can be effective without the ball and with the ball. Dragic can do that as well, but I'm just a little wary of the idea of his usage being cut a ton by Harden when he doesn't give a whole lot on the defensive side like Bledsoe does. I'd be legitimately scared of a Bledsoe/Beverley small lineup in situations. They would hound the ball like crazy. (Who knows if we'll have to give up Beverley, but I'm hoping not)
Color me unconvinced that Bledsoe is the better defender. Bledsoe gambles more. And so his steal rate reflects that. But you don't see in the stats how much those failed gambles hurt the team. Goran doesn't gamble as much. And he's a bruising defender, chasing guys down, bodying them up, bumping and grinding all over the defensive side. Dragic is one nasty, tough-nosed defender. The kind of guy you HATE to play against because he just wears you down with his size and physicality. Frankly....I think his grit and grind defense combined with his basketball iq make me favor him over Bledsoe.
I am probably way behind the eight ball on this (I don't generally waste a whole lot of time thinking about Phoenix Suns roster decisions), and this may have been covered earlier, but I don't understand why the Suns would have signed Isaiah Thomas if they weren't planning on moving either Dragic or Bledsoe pretty soon. Would they really go with their three most highly paid players as guys who are point guards first, especially when they have so many other holes? Obviously, Dragic can play some at the 2, but that isn't where you'd prefer him all the time. If they sign Bledsoe to the max as seems to be the way it is going, I'm pretty sure they'd be spending more on their three point guards than on the rest of their roster combined.
No team is ever looking to trade a player. They never call other teams about trading a player. All they do is take phone calls from other teams interested in trading for their players.
I'll give you the Bledsoe point. He does play a little over-aggressive on D. I think you're overrating Dragic's defense quite a bit though. He's improved in the past year or so to be an average defender. I'd love either and would be over the moon for Dragic. I just think the difference between the two is not enough to risk Dragic walking in free agency. (Especially with Bledsoe only being 24 to Dragic 28)
Gogi is an electric transition player, always has been. He's improved a lot in the not so transition lately though.
As long as he doesn't get saddled with injuries (a legitimate concern), Bledsoe will be the better player, I don't think there's much doubt about that. Hopefully, at least for him, the experience meets the talent before its too late.
It would be nice, but the Suns aren't just handing us Dragic, despite what the alleged "insiders" claim.
