LOS ANGELES – Until Robert Sarver kindly elaborated in the Phoenix locker room after his team barely beat the Knicks’ seven-man team (minus two who fouled out), I had no idea the Suns were coerced into relinquishing a first-round pick in the Quentin Richardson-Kurt Thomas exchange.
What made the owner’s revelation particularly pertinent was that “five feet nothing” Nate Robinson, the upshot of that slot, had just done a 27-point, nine-rebound, five-assist, three-steal, no-turnover nasty number on Steve Nash as Richardson ascended in the scoring column to an inopportune fetid four.
What made that remarkable mismatch increasingly unfortunate was it came in the wake of a Daily News report that a Nash-Mike D’Antoni reunion is looming over the New York skyscrapers. For a cornucopia of reasons, my pet pen pal guesstimates the Knicks may be able to secure the pinup point this summer or the one after.
According to the reliably comatose columnist, Nash’s disappointment with last week’s departure of Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, as well as his frustration with the measured style of attack employed (until lately) by Terry Porter may persuade Sarver to trade the team’s fan favorite, rather than fully guarantee next season’s salary. As of now, the Suns are on the hook for a mere $7.5 million of the $13, 125 million total.
“That makes perfect business sense to me,” Bernie Madoff calculates.
Just as it’s seamlessly coherent for the Knicks to covet Nash this summer should the Suns spring him from his contract or when it expires. I defy Donnie Walsh to find a 34-to-35-year-old with a more imposing past when the Knicks begin to reinvest and rebuild for real in early July, 2010 to back up Chris Duhon and Robinson.
Then again, Walsh might want to start making alternate – younger, taller, stronger, more defensively impervious free agent – plans. Sad to convey, but Sarver and Steve Kerr are determined to stash Nash in the United Center for the next few years.
“I’ve talked to Steve about extending his contract,” Kerr said several days ago in Phoenix. “He knows we want to keep him here. He knows our high level of respect for him as a person and player.”
I suspect the commitment will be reciprocal. Who would you rather compete against every day in practice, Leandro Barbosa or Robinson? If Nash knows what’s good for him he will snatch Suns’ security when offered before it dawns on management he’s a budding shadow of the MVP he was two, three seasons ago.
A visiting scout saw what I saw. Al Harrington’s length and Robinson’s fleet feet had Nash constantly complaining to the refs about non-calls and yelling at teammates once or twice for not getting open.
“Steve used to be able to get around anyone anytime and could pick apart any defense with his passes,” the scout said. “That stopped being the case last year, but it hasn’t stopped him from trying, and the result is often a turnover.”
That brings us back to why the Suns were compelled to include a No. 1 choice in the Richardson-Thomas swap.
“When we signed Quentin as a restricted free agent for $43million we had no idea his back was uninsurable,” Sarver said, still upset about how things went down.
Only after the Clippers declined to match and Richardson took a physical did the Suns learn they had been had. The part about his surgically repaired back conveniently had been left out.
“Had Quentin suffered a career-ending injury to his back we were liable for his whole contract,” Sarver said contemptuously.
Predictably, despite Richardson’s critical contribution and the team’s success, he was moved first chance management got though Thomas’ sun dial speed (and contract) made him a flawed fit. To his credit, he became accomplished at in-bounding, following scores and a feared (jump-shooting) trailer on the break.
Still, the distant odor of the luxury tax stimulated Sarver to sanction the sacrifice of two No. 1 picks (10 months before need be) to entice the Sonics to remove Thomas’ salary from the Suns’ books. So, in actuality, Richardson’s deportation cost them three No. 1s.
The Knicks were informed about the back/insurance problem and refused to assume the financial risk unless we gave them a No. 1, Sarver said. Robinson was on the Suns roster for five minutes before being re-assigned.
Who says Isiah Thomas didn’t earn his keep?
In case you’re wondering, Sarver didn’t get to the Knicks game until 15 minutes before tipoff, thus missing the chance to exchange holiday greetings with his estranged coach.
“Did Mike have anything nice to say about me when you interviewed him?” Sarver asked late in our half-hour discussion. Clearly, some words had wounded him.
“No matter what he said about me I still think he’s a helluva coach. Look how the Knicks (didn’t win their 11th game last season until Jan. 15) are playing to him. Mike was very good for me. But I’d also like to think I was very good for him.
“But, bleep, the way everybody’s been killing us lately for our trades and coaching change you’d think we broke up the ’27 Yankees.”
Kerr enjoyed that line so much that he took credit for it the next day on Dan Patrick’s a radio show.
“You know what’s been lost in all this Mike stuff?” a Suns employee accentuated. “In the last two seasons, we’ve won one playoff series. We lost in the second round in ’06 and the first round in ’07. We were in decline, which everyone seems to be in denial about.”