During the home stretch of the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film "Pulp Fiction," Harvey Keitel -- in his cameo as The Wolf -- defined an outstanding approach for judging personality.
"Just because you are a character," The Wolf said, "doesn't mean you have character."
A look at the names on last season's Suns roster reminds us that despite lacking playoff-caliber talent, the team certainly had well-above-average character. And, based on last Thursday's drafting of North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall, it seemed little had changed.
"If the quality of his play matches the quality of his character, we have a wonderful player," president of basketball operations Lon Babby said in describing Marshall. "We have to do what we say, which is to build through the draft and also have players who reflect well on the organization, ownership and community."
Unfortunately, a few of the names attached to the Suns' free-agent shopping list are -- based on the character requirement -- a bit peculiar.
Before calling roll, it should be noted that everyone makes mistakes, and some of the reports associated with these young men may suffer the vagaries of timing and/or context.
But let's start with Michael Beasley, who was the second overall selection in the 2008 draft and was recently granted unrestricted-free-agent status by the Timberwolves. Beasley, an extremely talented lefty who can operate at either forward position (although I wouldn't want him guarding threes), has been an on-court enigma with off-court issues. In addition to spending time in a Houston rehab clinic (what he was rehabbing from never was specified), Beasley checks in with a couple of marijuana-related incidents during his NBA years.
Former Arizona forward Jordan Hill, another rumored target, looked outstanding in a reserve role for the Lakers a couple of months ago but was charged in a domestic dispute that allegedly occurred while he was with the Rockets.
Point guard Raymond Felton continues to insist that he didn't lead the charge to get Nate McMillan fired as coach of the Trail Blazers, but Portland writers (directed by input from teammates) reported otherwise. And Jamal Crawford, who's a cordial guy and an engaging interview subject, may be unfairly perceived as a malcontent, but there's little questioning his shoot-first approach on the court ... although with the Suns looking for capable hired guns, that may not be such a bad thing.
The Suns, according to reports, also have professed interest in recent Clippers guard Nick Young, who -- according to an assistant coach on a team he played for -- is one of the league's foremost knuckleheads.
Big men Chris Kaman and Carl Landry are solid players and good guys who probably fit what has been the Suns' character profile.
Restricted-free-agent shooting guard Eric Gordon (New Orleans) is an impressive talent with an injury history, a seemingly robust price tag and -- according to one of his former NBA coaches -- a questionable interest in working hard. But he plays hard during games.
By the way, another unrestricted FA still drawing interest in Phoenix is former Suns backup point guard Goran Dragic. Dragic, who remains extremely popular with local fans and media, reportedly is seeking a contract worth about $10 million per season. He's also seeking a long-term starting role, something that may not be automatic with Marshall around.
KNICKS AND NASH
Shortly after fielding a reportedly generous employment pitch from the Raptors on Sunday, Steve Nash sat down for a chat with the Knicks.
The Knicks, it has been reported, are hoping to hire Nash by using sign-and-trade scenarios to boost the amount of cash the 38-year-old playmaker can earn in the Big Apple. That would require the Suns taking back enough salary in player contracts to allow New York to fit Nash under the cap.
A name discussed, a source close to the proceedings told FOXSportsArizona.com, was swingman Landry Fields. Another reported name was guard Iman Shumpert, whose solid rookie season ended with a knee injury during the playoffs.
Shumpert, a reported target of the Suns during the 2011 draft, would be a fine "get" a year later, but the source of the Fields info could not confirm that his name was discussed regarding a Nash deal. Fields is a nice player in the Jared Dudley mold ... but more athletic on the floor and less active on Twitter.
By the way, the source indicated that Fields and Shumpert both are "really good character guys." With Nash and Grant Hill possibly both headed elsewhere, the good-guy list may need an upgrading.
NIC AND SUNS
We have yet to hear of the Suns making a run at restricted-free-agent Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum.
The T-wolves are loading up the truck in hopes that the Blazers' max offer to restricted Pacers center Roy Hibbert will not be matched, possibly limiting how much the Blazers would be willing to cough up to keep Batum.
But as long as Paul Allen owns that franchise, the financial wherewithal to match certainly is there.
And it might be moot; expect the Pacers to take a deep breath and pony up the necessary loot to keep Hibbert.
