While the Phoenix Suns and Eric Bledsoe found themselves embroiled in a negotiating standoff this summer, the offseason drama had more to do with the vagaries of restricted free agency than any lack of interest on Phoenix’s part in keeping the 24-year-old guard in Arizona. As their eventual five-year, $70 million offer made clear, the Suns have an awful lot of respect for the damage that the Kentucky product can do with his explosive athleticism … and now, so does Jared Cunningham.
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Cunningham, 23, was drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers and promptly shipped to the Dallas Mavericks in a five-player deal. The 6-foot-4 guard has had cups of coffee with the Mavs, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings, but has spent the bulk of the last two seasons in the D-League, and caught on with the Clips for training cap looking to grab a roster spot in L.A. or, failing that, other teams’ attention and consideration for gigs down the line.
Well, Jared, you’ve got our attention now:
That comes to us from the third quarter of the Suns’ Wednesday matchup with the Clippers, and it is pretty remarkable. Crossovers happen all the time; dudes get dropped to the floor a bunch of times every season in the NBA. They don’t, however, tend to just jog off the court. Maybe they should — it’d undoubtedly be funnier if they did — but they don’t. (Still: You’ve got to hit that jumper, Eric!)
Our man @cjzero took the opportunity to commemorate the occasion by cueing up some Sarah McLachlan:
Cunningham’s plight caught the eye of Chicago Bulls power forward Taj Gibson, who could only shake his head and sympathize:
That they do, Taj … including, it must be said, Bledsoe, who got crossed up and shaken by Chris Paul during the second quarter of Wednesday’s preseason contest:
Bledsoe showed out in the Suns’ second-to-last preseason tune-up, turning in a team-high 27 points on 6-for-12 shooting with two assists and two steals in 34 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back. But his former teammate and “big brother” had the last laugh, pouring in 34 points (12 for 18 from the floor, 6 for 6 from the foul line) to go with nine assists, five rebounds and four steals in 37 minutes as the Clippers held on for a 108-105 win that new Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sure seemed to appreciate:
I know, man. I’m pretty excited about basketball, too.
Vine via Cork Gaines. Hat-tip to SB Nation’s Seth Rosenthal.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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