Sun(Day) On A Monday: LaHeartbreak, A New Leader In Town And More
By Spencer Hann
Life On Planet Orange
1. Well, that sucked. The biggest issue, name and player being discussed on Planet Orange right now will officially be suiting up for the San Antonio “10 years later still beating the Phoenix Suns” Spurs. After giving Phoenix fans a hope and optimism that hadn’t been felt in years, LaMarcus Aldridge officially broke our hearts at 9:17 a.m. Saturday morning.
However, according to several reports, his decision to play for the Spurs came much sooner than that (like before-free-agency-started-sooner). Yet, Aldridge had felt obligated to listen to what other teams had to say. Wow. Add insult to injury why don’t you?
Phoenix as runner-ups to Aldridge (if that truly means anything), had officially been deemed good enough to be invited to the party but not good enough to leave with the big prize everyone coveted. It’s been suggested that the Suns really opened people eyes around the league (both players and executives) with the pitch they made to Aldridge and how intrigued he was by them.
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For this reason: Forget this upcoming season. I absolutely cannot wait for next year’s free agency. The Suns will have all the cap space possible (nearly a $30 million cap increase) to land whatever talent they desire. If Phoenix has truly increased its stock and prestige around the NBA, there will never be a better time than next offseason to give that theory some validity.
The Suns will once again try to prove they’re a premier destination, making the risk to chase the big prize again (Kevin Durant, be expecting a phone call from general manager Ryan McDonough) while other viable players are signed away. Only this time it should work. Right?
2. Now we officially turn our attention to Plan B for the Suns. Or was that still Aldridge? Okay, Plan C. Aldridge again, huh? This is going to be tougher than we thought.
I kid, but in all seriousness, there is not much left on the free agent market for the Suns to work with. Right now Phoenix is made up of Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe at the point position, Devin Booker and Archie Goodwin at shooting guard, T.J. Warren and P.J. Tucker at small forward, Tyson Chandler and Alex Len at center and a pissed off Markieff “how dare you trade my brother?” Morris at power forward.
If I’m the Suns, I’m going after Jordan Hill or Darrell Arthur, offering cheap two-year deals for depth at power forward and simultaneously shopping Markieff and a relationship that is likely fractured beyond repair.
One intriguing route that Phoenix and Ryan McDonough could go: Calling Orlando and offering several second round picks to take on Channing Frye’s $8 million cap hit and the remaining three years on his deal. A Suns team with Channing Frye and Tyson Chandler in the locker room would be a far cry from the immature group we witnessed last year. Oh, and that reminds me…
3. WELCOME TYSON CHANDLER! I saved the best for last. After a totally McDonough-like move straight out of left, the former Defensive Player of the Year is coming to the desert to provide the locker room leadership we all begged for last season. With the Suns training staff and Chandler’s proven pedigree, I’m 100 percent positive he will do the following:
- Mentor Alex Len as hard and efficiently as anyone ever has, transforming the Ukrainian into the best backup center in the league.
- Bring serious accountability into the Suns locker room, commanding full effort from Bledsoe at all times, eliminate the team’s technical foul problem, show the younger players how to work and conduct themselves as professionals, and last but not least, keep Markieff Morris (if he is somehow still on the team) in check.
- Lead the Suns in double-doubles. This one is a slam dunk considering the fact no player on Phoenix averaged more than six rebounds last season, while Chandler grabbed a little over 10 a game, good enough for sixth most in the NBA. Not only that, Chandler is incredibly adept at finishing off lobs around the basket, something he should get plenty of with Knight, Bledsoe, Goodwin and Warren penetrating defenses all season long.
- Make Phoenix a 42-win team, at least. I might be a bit higher on the addition of Chandler than others, but I’m thoroughly convinced after seeing the issues of the Suns this past year that you cannot put a price on having a veteran leader. The Suns now have that AND a starting center who averaged a double-double last year. Even if that price is a four-year, $52 million deal for a player that will be 33 years old when the season starts, it will prove to be well worth it.
Suns Memory Of The Week
Always brightens up a day. Pure basketball maestro at his finest.
If I Were LaMarcus Aldridge This Week…
I would be ecstatic about my chances of winning an NBA championship this season, playing with one of the all-time greats in Tim Duncan and the basketball savant that is Gregg Popovich. Then my mind would start to wander.
Yes, there is a great chance of winning my first title this season and winning 60+ games for the first time in my career. However, what happens after this year? When Duncan is gone, Manu Ginobili is gone and Tony Parker, who has shown signs of seriously slowing down, approaches 34. I’ll still have Kawhi Leonard, a fellow superstar, but which one of us is truly going to be considered THE MAN on this team?
Now if I would’ve signed with the Suns, there is no doubt THE MAN on that team would have been myself. I would never be confined to having to play anything other power forward. My two point guards have not even hit the prime of their careers and are locked up for the next five years. I would play alongside a defensive center in Tyson Chandler, a man I highly respect and admire.
The entire team is young and unlike the Spurs, we would only get better every single season. With the cap space going up $30 million, they would have room to add ANOTHER max player alongside myself, Bledsoe, Knight and Chandler next year. I could win a championship next year with the Spurs. But I could build something special in Phoenix and bring the city their first ever title within the next 3-5 years.
(Yes if it wasn’t obvious before, I’m still hurting over his decision.)
Tweet Of The Week
Suns made it very close, but second meeting w/ Popovich was immense to closing deal. Aldridge pushed further w/ questions, got his answers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 4, 2015
Even if I lived in a world of moral victories, this one still hurts.
Next: Phoenix Suns: The NBA's Most Depressed Fan Base?