That said, I agree it would be tricky to find
value. Maybe they would offer Stoudamire for Dwight Howard, which would save them more than $10 million (next year, before Howard’s extension kicks in). Or, if Phoenix gets Atlanta’s pick – like #4 – they could offer that and Stoudamire in exchange for Greg Oden.

I think this is accurate:
http://www.hoopshype.com/salaries/phoenix.htmvalue

p.s. I love Josh Smith

Why do you say that the Suns won’t add any salary, and may look to dump salary, this offseason? If they got a deal that they felt made their team better I’m sure they would gladly dump salary, but what attainable player on his rookie contract are they going to trade an important piece (Marion or Stoudemire) of their 61 win championship contender for? Furthermore, they’ll already get salary cap relief after next season when Kurt Thomas’ $8 mill deal expires and, if he’s not extended, the follwing year when Shawn Marion can opt for free agency.

Saying Diaw is as similar to Kirilenko as any player in the league was an overstatement on my part (but really, who else? Josh Smith). All I meant by it was that Diaw’s a similarly versatile defender, able to guard any position 1-5. AK’s certainly much better at creating turnovers, but Diaw is a pretty good defender in his own right.

By saying that Diaw is a better run-jump athlete I meant that he’s the kind of athlete who excels in an up-tempo attack, leading or finishing on the break. His statistical superiority creating for teammates and shooting the 3 also seem to make him a better fit for the Suns offense (Diaw might not be a deadeye shooter, but he’s at least efficient hitting 33% of 3s on 0.6 attempts per, while AK hits only 21% on 1.1 attempts per). Maybe AK’s numbers would look similar in the Suns efficient, fast paced offense, but, then again, he was playing on the league’s 3rd most efficient offense this year already. The Jazz offense played at an average pace so maybe the increased pace would benefit AK, don’t know.

The player they should have made a move for is Steven Jackson. He would have been a natural fit.

I don’t think Diaw and Kirilenko are similar, either… AK is a much better defender (and at least as good an athlete), while Diaw is a much better playmaker. Neither one has a dependable 3-point shot as far as I can tell.

Diaw would be a decent fit for the Knicks, in that he doesn’t need the ball to be effective, but wouldn’t offer the same defensive upgrade.

I don’t think either is worth the size of their contract, for a team like NYK that has so far to go before being a contender.

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/AllStories/MBasketball/2007/04/26/20070426.html

Furthermore, this move would reduce the Suns, already a below average rebounding team, from a team with three above average rebounders to a team with one above average rebounder. Kurt Thomas is gone in Dwyer’s scenario and Marion’s rebound rate would probably decline if he were strictly a perimeter defender. That leaves only Amare to grab the boards necessary to start the Suns’ high octane attack.
KT is also a very good, physical man defender in the post. A skill that becomes particularly valuable in the postseason, as Dwyer points out with the Nets’ Jason Collins.

Provided that the Hawks don’t win a top 3 pick, in which case they retain the pick, the Suns are in a great position with a 4-7 pick (depending on how the lottery turns out) in what’s considered to be one of the strongest draft classes in history and neither an obvious need to address nor the need for an immediate contributor.
They could make a long-term investment in a raw or uncertain prospect like Yi Jianlian, Brandan Wright, or even Hasheem Thabeet. (A bit scary after Detroit’s Darko experience, although you could also think Tyrus Thomas on the Bulls.) Take an immediate contributor to make their team even scarier and deeper. And/or draft the eventual replacement or upgrade for an aging player: Conley for Nash, Brewer for Bell, or Hortford for Thomas.
If they play their cards right the Suns could end up with a player who is immediately better than AK, or a player who is about as good, younger, and doesn’t step on the toes of Diaw and Marion.

But he’s got to throw the ball up, and trust Dirk’s hands. Just lob it in there.

best,

K-DAWG!

They’ve managed to “hold” Golden State to under 50% eFG in game one (49.3%). Yet, Golden State, an admittedly terrible defense during the regular season has flipped on its “defense” button, holding Dallas to under 50% eFG in every game.

What was supposed to make this Dallas team nigh invulnerable was its commitment at the defensive end. That’s what I’m not seeing. Dallas, in its half-court offense, is a jump-shooting team, thus prone to stretches of cold shooting. But where’s the D? The Mavs don’t appear to be winning a single important defensive matchup.

I don’t think Dallas can shoot its way out of this. Dallas should be getting wins in games where they shoot 49.3% and 49.4% eFG, as in games 2 and 4, but they didn’t guard anybody. Golden State shot 52.6% and 54.1% in those games. That’s terrible.

All the talk is about the Dallas offense. The defensive collapse is the thing I find breathtaking.

Last year Phoenix got down 3-1 before finding out that they did need to guard to advance out of the first round. It’ll be interesting to see if Dallas is made of the same stuff.