Whether or not an organization succeeds or fails depends on
any number of factors in the NBA. There are teams that players want to play for
and then there are teams that players try to avoid like the plague. Right now
the Phoenix Suns are one of those teams that players are avoiding. Phoenix
should be a destination spot for free agents and rookie draft picks, but the
franchise has fallen on hard times.
Many people want to speculate on why the Suns are so bad and
they want to blame ownership for the recent seasons of losing, but let’s face
it Suns fans, the reason behind the losing is pretty simple. The Suns don’t
have the players to win. The players are not that good.
When your best player just may be damaged goods that is a
problem. Eric Bledsoe, who is in the middle of a five year-62 million dollar
deal, has been on the disabled list since early in the 2015-2016 and his date
to return to the Suns is still unknown.
With so much youth on this team with Alex Len, Devin Booker,
T.J Warren, Brandon Knight, but not enough veteran leadership to guide them
through a tough 82 game NBA season, this past season was a disaster. With youth
comes immaturity and the Suns had plenty of that in Markieff Morris. Morris was
a cancer in the locker room ever since the Sun’s traded his twin brother Markus
Morris to the Detroit Pistons last summer. With a guy like Morris in the Suns
locker room and the plethora of young players the Suns had to do something and
bring some type of veteran leadership into the fold.
Enter P.J. Tucker, new center Tyson Chandler, Ronnie Price,
Jon Leuer, Mirza Teletovic, and Sonny Weems. Veteran guys that one would think
could help solve the issues that come along with youthful players.
Think again.
The Suns got absolutely nothing from the veterans they chose
to bring in. In fact, I’ll make the argument that the veteran players helped exacerbate
the problem by not sitting Markief Morris down and letting him know that there
is a certain way you act as a professional athlete. Not sure if Morris would
have listened to them, but the effort to correct bad professionalism should
have been addressed by the players.
When the Suns lost to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers what did
the management think was the correct move? It didn’t have anything to do with
the players. It had everything to do with the coaches. Yes, the coaches. The
guys that can’t shoot, pass, or dribble the ball during the game. The Suns
released assistant coaches Jerry Sichting and Mike Longabardi who are both well
respected, and both have championship rings. Sound move right? Not in the
least. The two guys who know how to win on the highest level were shown the
door.
To management, it was a coaching problem and not a player
problem. Not to long after these assistants were fired, head coach Jeff
Hornacek was given his walking papers. Coaches can only do so much in
preparations for a game.
It’s the players that have to execute the game plan and play
the game.
In the end, the Suns have to get better players for this
franchise. Like I said earlier, Eric Bledsoe, is the best player on the squad
and he is currently injured. Devin Booker has shown some promise, but that may
just be it for the Suns. They missed the playoffs for the sixth straight year
this past season and have to contend with being in the lottery and bringing
even more youth and inexperience onto this team. The key will be what changes
they will make with their veteran players. Somehow, someway the Suns have to
get a better mix of vets and youth onto this team, otherwise, it will just be
another long season of losing for a once proud franchise.
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