While swooning over the Suns’ appointment of Steve Kerr as their new GM (“He’s so popular that the Suns could have hired Opie as general manager and drawn less favorable response”), the Arizona Republic’s Dan Bickely points to a probable Shawn Marion departure, along with noting Kerr has long had ownership’s ear.

Soon, the sticky decisions begin, most notably how to handle Shawn Marion. If they can trade him and get great value in return (ie: a high draft pick), the Suns will solve the long-term financial puzzle in one maneuver. One team source said it’s about 50-50 that Marion gets jettisoned, but if he stays, something or someone has to give.

Fret not. There is much that Kerr brings to the table. Unlike many former star players who have failed in talent evaluation – Kevin McHale, Elgin Baylor, Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, etc. – Kerr always has been a back-of-the-room, cerebral type, the lesser player who had to get by on his acumen. He is the quintessential role-playing catcher, the one who sees everything and always seems to make the best baseball manager.

Besides, Kerr knows the Spurs organization intimately, and that’s the biggest hurdle on the road ahead. He’s smart enough to know that they’ve got a good thing going here in Phoenix, and that tyranny is not a good idea.

And this just in: Most decisions regarding players and talent have been run by Kerr’s desk for some time, just to get his opinion, just because Sarver trusts him so much.

Now Kerr has a vested interest. And going forward, basketball operations probably will run a lot smoother by not having to track down Kerr’s input while he is off broadcasting basketball games.

The Akron Beacon-Journal’s Brian Windhorst previews….The Battle Of The Floppers!

I’ve decided what I’m going to track in this series, who flops more: Anderson Varejao or Manu Ginobili.  These guys are the South American champs in this regard.  I give Varejao the edge.  I know Ginobili can sell it better because he’s smaller, but Varejao has convinced me he’s the greatest in the world.  Why?  Twice this year, the man has drawn charges on jump balls, including one against the Pistons.  By the way, he’s drawn seven charges and 13 overall offensive fouls in the playoffs…by my unofficial count, of course.