Look Out NBA - Bring your Suns Screen, Next Season You're Gonna Get Burned

In the life of a sports fan one thing is always consistent: every season comes to an end.  And for most fans, one other thing is often consistent: the season ends without a championship.  All it takes is simple math to figure out that if only one team can win a championship each season that means 29 other teams go home empty handed.  Yes I understand that there are conference and division championships, but let’s be honest, no fan really cares about winning a conference or division championship.  No one rushes out to purchase shirts that declare “Pacific Division Champions”. 

Most seasons will end in disappointment.  Most will end with heartbreak.  Many will end in missed opportunities and falling short of expectation.  Second only to being a parent and raising children, the most helpless and excruciating job in life is that of a sports fan.  A sports fan has absolutely no control over the outcome of a game.   He is forced to sit there and watch while screaming at the TV and telling the coach or players what to do, but they never listen.  A true sports fan is forced to love his team unconditionally no matter what happens.  If your team falls short of a title, no one knows better than the fan what trades the team needs to make, what players they need to sign and what young stars they need to draft.  But no team’s General Manager has an open door policy to listen to the fan’s suggestions.  Yes, being a fan is completely helpless and most years hopeless.

Ask 99% of fans if they would consider a season in which their team lost 3 straight games at the end of the year and therefore missed the playoffs, if that season was a success?  Now imagine that in all 3 of those games that team had the lead in the 4^th quarter.  Imagine that this team had double digit leads in two of these games and in one of those games, the opposing team was resting two of their best players.  Even with all these factors in your team’s favor, they still lose all 3 of these “must-win” games and end up missing the playoffs.   Sounds to me like that season would go down in the books as a letdown and a major disappointment. 

Now what if I told you that this team and the overall season they had was in no way a disappointment but instead, exceeded all imaginable expectations.  I of course am talking about the Phoenix Suns.  If we can remember all the way back to October before the season started, all the top NBA minds (myself included), predicted that the Suns would finish in last place in the Western Conference and would likely win a grand total of 15 games.  This season was for sure going to be a massive tank job and the Suns would be contending for the top pick in the upcoming draft.

All we have to do is take a look at last year’s team and compare it to the team they put out on the court on day one this season.  Four of the five starters from last season (Marcin Gortat, Shannon Brown, Luis Scola, and  Jared Dudley) were no longer on the team to start this year.  The head coach was let go halfway through last season and a new head coach, Jeff Hornacek, would be taking the reins of his first NBA team.  Last year the team won only 25 games, the fewest they had won since their inaugural season in 1969.  Those 25 wins were good for last place in the western conference and earned them the number 5 pick in the draft. 

In the off season the Suns began to overhaul their entire roster (not to mention a much needed redesign of their jerseys).  In addition to the 4 players listed above, Michael Beasley, Wesley Johnson, Kendall Marshall, Jermaine O’Neal and others would not be returning for this season.  Replacing them would be a group of players who many other teams had thrown down to the end of their bench.   Both Gerald Green and Ish Smith have played for more teams than they have played years in the league.  Channing Frye was returning from a life threatening heart problem.  Mason Plumlee was averaging a solid 0.5 points per game for Indiana and was going to be stuck into the Sun’s starting lineup.  The one off-season signing that showed any hope was Eric Bledsoe.  But Bledsoe was a backup point guard for the Clippers and had not proven that he could lead a team.  Not to mention, the Suns already had a PG, Goran Dragic, why did they need another one?  The moment Bledsoe showed up in Phoenix, the rumors began that Dragic was on the trading block and would not make it through the entire season.

Looking at the turnover on the roster, the brand new coach, and the losing culture that has been in Phoenix ever since 2010, there was no reason to believe that the Suns could even match their win total from last season.   Not to mention that they play in the extremely difficult Western Conference.  For a fan, there was little hope when the season began.  All I could do was look forward to the 2014 draft and hope that Andrew Wiggins would make his future home in the valley of the sun.

The 2013-2014 season has now come to a close for the Suns and 13 other teams who will miss out on the playoffs.  Most of those teams and their fans (probably no one more than the Knicks) are upset and frustrated as another fruitless season comes to an end.  I on the other hand am just upset about one thing: that I won’t get to watch this team play for another 6 months.  This Phoenix Suns team has very likely been my all-time favorite Suns team.  Wait, what did I just say? My favorite Suns team ever? But they didn’t even make the playoffs.  When I take some time to consider the Suns teams of the past that included Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kevin Johnson, Charles Barkley and others, it is quite bold to say that this team was my favorite, but I don’t know how else to say it. 

The Suns won 30 more games than they were supposed to.  They were alive for a spot in the playoffs until the final week of the season.  They left us with some memorable wins including two over the Thunder, two blowout wins over the top seeded teamin the east, Indiana, a 41 point game by Gerald Green and a 40 point game by Goran Dragic.  They were the last team to beat San Antonio before they went on a 19 game win streak.  Oh and did I mention that they did all this while Eric Bledsoe missed a huge chunk of games during the season due to multiple injuries?   Did I also mention that they have the second lowest payroll in the NBA and their highest paid player, Emeka Okafor, didn’t play a single game all season?

(Here are a few more highlight from just a few of the many exciting games this year: Bledsoe hits a buzzer beater against the Jazz, Suns end Portland's 11 game win streak, Suns blowout the Clippers in LA, Green hits the game winner against the Wolves, the season end with Archie Goodwin scoring his career high 29 against the Kings.)

Any and all expectations I had for this season were shattered.  Not only did they win more than anyone expected, their style of play, their never give up attitude and the personalities on the team made them so much fun to watch (pay attention to play #5 in this video, this is exactly why I love this team).  I will forever remember this Suns team and I hope that in a few years I can look back and see how this team laid the foundation for a future Phoenix Suns championship, and not just a Pacific Division title.

So with a pivotal offseason ahead, Phoenix will hope to retain their core players, as well as strengthen their roster through the draft and free agency. With so many ways to improve, we really don’t know, what’s next.  All I can say is that I can’t wait to watch.  My buddy Ed will take a look at what we hope to see this off season in Phoenix.

Suns Offseason 

by Ed Rothlisberger

Many months ago before this season began, brand new GM Ryan McDonough began collecting draft picks and young players for what many thought was destined to be a rebuilding year. Flash forward to the trade deadline. What, the Suns are contenders?! How is this possible? Many people thought the Suns would deal draft picks and Emeka Okafor’s expiring contract for some veteran leadership in order to secure a playoff spot. Well, the deadline came and went without anything happening and as was mentioned before the playoff spot now belongs to the Memphis Grizzlies. Did not making a deal at the deadline cost the Suns a playoff spot? That is debatable, but I digress…

Before the start of the season it was clear that best option for the Suns was to rebuild with youth. Now there seem to be countless paths that the Suns can take. I propose a three step plan that will not only ensure the Suns making the playoffs but quite possibly could be the beginning of a dynasty.

Step One: Keep Dragic, Bledose and Green

Ok, maybe that is not the cleverest play on words but it shows the three players that the Suns need to sign to long term deals: Green, Bledsoe and Dragic. Dragic was an important piece that Phoenix found necessary to bring back and played like an All-Star this season. I won’t even mention the fact that he got robbed of a spot on the All-Star team…ok I will mention it and I am still bitter. Bledsoe showed the ability to be a great combo guard and the perfect complement to Dragic in the backcourt. So why make keeping a 28 year old journeyman wing player a priority? Bledsoe missed about half the regular season games this year. Dragic got dinged up here and there. When one of these players was out Green stepped into a starting role and made people forget about the “bust” label so many people had tried to place on him. Green shot 45% from the field, a ridiculous 40% from 3, 85% from the charity stripe and averaged almost 16 points per game for the season, which included 47 starts. He also remained healthy and showed that his freak athleticism has not left him. When he isn’t starting Green plays the Jamal Crawford role as a scoring sixth man. There aren’t many Jamal Crawford’s in the NBA which makes Green, who becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2015, a valuable commodity. A four year, $25 million deal, possibly with a player option for a fifth year seems like a fair deal for a player like Green. Critics may say that this is an anomaly season for Green but I believe he has found a system and a situation where he can continue to thrive.

Step Two: Sign a Free Agent or Two

Let’s take a look at some of the possible free agents this offseason. LeBron James most likely is keeping his talents in South Beach, as is Dwyane Wade (although the Bulls could make a push for his services). Carmelo Anthony most likely will not use his early termination option and neither will Chris Bosh. Greg Monroe is a restricted free agent that the Piston’s will either keep or shop around in order to begin their rebuild. Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan will likely retire with the only teams they have ever known. So who else could come help push the Suns over the edge and into the playoffs? For starters, a small forward would come in very handy. PJ Tucker played excellent defense and better than expected offense as a starter this year but he is a restricted free agent that I do not see the Suns holding on to. Luol Deng is an unrestricted free agent in Cleveland. Gordon Hayward and Evan Turner are restricted free agents for their respective teams. Hayward is most likely staying in Utah, although the prospect of playing for his college coach in Boston may sway him to the east coast. Turner does not have a clear role in Indiana and was playing great ball in Philadelphia but has be inconsistent during his career. Deng has expressed his displeasure with the situation in Cleveland and is a great scorer who can rebound well but comes with a hefty price tag. Both players would benefit from a change in scenery and I would not mind seeing either as a Sun, but having that veteran leadership that Deng would provide has me leaning towards signing him.

Another place where the Suns could use improvement is with the center position. Miles Plumlee started most every game this season and certainly exceeded all expectations. However, his minutes and overall production dropped as the season progressed. Alex Len, our lottery pick from last year, has shown some promise in limited minutes but is still a year or two off from making an impact. Oh yeah, we also had Emeka Okafor who did absolutely nothing for us and is pretty much gone. So the Suns have two young developing centers would could use some veteran leadership and mentoring. Enter Pau Gasol. The Lakers are looking to start a youth movement of their own and it seems that Gasol does not figure into their plans. He also dealt with vertigo towards the end of the season along with some other injuries. Even though this sounds unappealing, let us all remember the miracle workers that are the Suns’ training staff. Remember the magic they worked on Steve Nash all those years? Why can’t they do the same for Gasol? Gasol is veteran big man with playoff experience and a great work ethic. He is a smart player (was almost a doctor in his native Spain) and would play a huge role in providing valuable mentoring to Plumlee and Len as well as productive minutes on the court. Imagining a starting lineup of Dragic, Bledsoe, Deng (or Turner), Frye and Gasol brings a big smile to my face.

Step Three: The Draft

Barring any trades the Suns have six first round picks over the next two years. That is insane. It is also an opportunity to load up on young talent and work on developing them into productive NBA players. Although it is not set in stone yet, nbadraft.net has Suns having the 14^th, 17^th, and 26^th picks in the first round of this year’s draft along with the 44^th pick in the second round. If the Suns did make a splash in free agency by signing one or two big names the Suns’ roster would be bulging at the seams. In this scenario it would be in the best interest of the Suns to draft many players with high upside who can be stashed overseas or in the D-League while they develop. If the Suns do not sign any free agents they could very well use the “draft the best player available” strategy to bolster the overall talent on their roster. Here is what I would want to see happen, regardless of what happens during the period of free agent signings and based off the projected picks from nbadraft.net.

14^th pick – The best available point guard. Who came in during the season to play point guard when Dragic and Bledsoe were both taking a rest? Ish Smith. This left me scratching my head many times wondering “What the ish?” Certainly we can upgrade our backup point guard situation through the draft. Although Dante Exum and Marcus Smart will be long gone there will be many viable options for us at this pick. Zach LaVine, an athletic point guard from UCLA could be available. Tyler Ennis from Syracuse could also be available. Shabazz Napier from the champion Uconn Huskies and Andrew Harrison from the runner up Wildcats of Kentucky could also be options here. In the end, I think the Suns would pick up Tyler Ennis and immediately start reaping the benefits of having his services.

17^th pick – Power Forward. Channing Frye may help spread the floor but his rebounding is suspect and he isn’t getting any younger. Markieff Morris is a better rebounder than Frye but still lacks consistency. Plumlee is more of a center than a power forward. This would be the perfect place to draft the power forward of the future. One candidate who I am very high on is Adreian Payne of Michigan State. Payne can spread the floor with an impressive outside shot but also is not afraid to bang with the big guys in the low post. He is a bit older than most people in the draft but he is athletic and a man of great character. If you get the chance read the story about him and his relationship with 7 year old cancer patient Lacey Holsworth. I did and could not control the tears that freely flowed from my eyes. Even thinking about it now as I write this gets me choked up.

26^th pick – High upside foreign stash. This is where I would take a foreign player who is still raw but is showing signs of brilliance and secure their rights while they develop overseas. Players that fit this category are Clint Capela, an extremely raw 6’11 power forward from Switzerland, Mario Hezonja, a 6’7 Croatian swingman playing for FC Barcelona, or Walter Tavares, a 7’3 giant from Cape Verde who is currently playing from Gran Canaria in the Spanish league. The first two seem like great investments, especially Hezonja, but hey, who wouldn’t want to have the rights to a 7’3 giant? Funny story about Tavares, he has only been playing basketball a couple of years and was discovered in Cape Verde by a German tourist in 2009. Keep your eyes out while on vacation everyone, you could wind up finding a future NBA player.

44^th pick – D-League stash. At this point I’d pick up a college stud who could use some refining in the D-League before taking it to the next level. Iowa State’s small forward Melvin Ejim, North Carolina’s combo forward James McAdoo or Cincinnati wing player Sean Kilpatrick are all candidates here. I’d love to see the Suns pick up Kilpatrick since he already has a stellar offensive game.

After going over the three steps the Suns should take during the offseason, my ideal 2014-15 Suns would look something like this: Dragic, Bledsoe, Deng, Frye and Gasol starting with Ennis, Green, Goodwin, the Morris twins, Payne, Plumlee and Len coming off the bench. In my perfect world I see the Suns grabbing the 6^th seed in the playoffs and possibly making some waves in the first round of the playoffs. Or I could be completely off my rocker with everything that I have said. Either way it will be interesting to see what movies and picks are made during this offseason and how it will affect us in the years to come.