Proceed With Caution on #TheTimeline

Over the course of the past month, #TheTimeline has gained traction among Suns fans for better or worse.

Many Suns fans embrace #TheTimeline. As it’s a fan made movement that preaches patience, youth, hope, and builds toward the future.

Most Suns fans believe that by staying low and building through high lottery picks, the team will eventually be equipped to take over the Western Conference by the time at least half of their contenders are on the outside looking in.

In theory, you can understand where fans are coming from. The team is not good and makes minimal impact in a Conference that was already tough to compete in and suddenly became “a bloodbath,” as Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough recently put it, in only one offseason.

The Suns aren’t even close to the non-championship contenders. Add in the fact that the team is comprised of mostly young players and the hype behind this fan movement is understandable.

McDonough seems to understand the current situation. (The Timeline  is not the official plan/slogan the team is aiming for a la Trust the Process, but the ideologies are kind of similar).

Fans of #TheTimeline though should proceed with caution. It is okay to be optimistic for the future as many including myself am! With that said, they should know that there are no guarantees, only expectations, for what will happen 3-5 years from now and should hold a reasonable amount of reservation of judgement.

The main points of the argument are again, fans are fine with the team being bad for years; Phoenix gets a solidified young core to build around; other teams in the West will age and/or fall apart; and here we go! Timeline complete by 2021 as an estimate!

If fans are okay with consistent 20-62 seasons then so be it. However, at some point the team must turn the corner. If you run a team that are collectively a bunch of players who have never tasted winning, it is going to be hard to get fans and players alike to stay and/or come. At that point, your fandom becomes dependent on hope and the thought of tomorrow – Indefinitely.

To provide some context to think about, being in the position of the Portland Trailblazers (an average team with weird roster depth and bad contracts) isn’t a glamorous position. Though can you make the slam dunk case that the Philadelphia 76ers’ position is miles better?

The Sixers future is dependent upon one word, “if.” What if  Joel Embiid is healthy. If  Ben Simmons makes an impact, how great will it be. What if  Markelle Fultz is a home run pick. Do they have the right mix of veterans to be effective mentors. At least we know what Portland has in their top two assets. Although, for what it’s worth, The Process  has not amounted to a lot yet and we don’t know if it even will for the time being.

Speaking of which, the Suns have picks and young prospects to work with which is a theorhectical big part of the length of the timeline. What happens if the team keeps missing and not one blue chip prospect walks through the door?

Timeline detractors would probably feel a lot better if a blue-chip prospect like Nikola Jokic, Karl Anthony-Towns, or Kristaps Porzingis were on the team.

As much as I like Devin Booker, the Suns don’t have anyone as of now on that same tier.

It is possible that someone like that will come along either in-house or through the draft. However, if the team can’t hit on these prospects or properly develop them, then #TheTimeline could extend much longer than many hope, and not many people would be okay with that.

The third component of #TheTimeline would be to wait and see other teams fall apart. There are plenty of questions to this component that can be hard to answer. First off, which teams will fall apart? When will it take place? How would it happen? There’s plenty of unpredictability here going on.

The Warriors will still likely be at least good  in five years. The Spurs seemingly will be in the mix forever. You can count on Rockets GM Daryl Morey to make moves to keep them in the mix while James Harden advances in age. Meanwhile, Denver and Minnesota should still be in the mix as, especially Minnesota, is combining their young studs with several strong veteran pieces. Also, If New Orleans keep Cousins and Davis then they’d be a good bet to stick around.

That’s already six teams off the bat – and we don’t even know what Oklahoma City will be like if they retain Paul George, or if the Los Angeles Lakers acquire him, and/or Russell Westbrook, and even LeBron James.

Yes, nothing is a guarantee and you could make a case how any of those the six could just as easily fall apart and how the Suns could step in. I could do the same. With that said, we’re at the point of guessing, hoping, and speculating again. Where is the end game in this?

When discussing #TheTimeline, the consensus is that fans hope for a better tomorrow. Waiting for dominos to fall and players to develop.

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It is okay to be patient. It has previously been said that being stuck in the middle is perhaps the worst position of them all. However, if you have an opportunity to get better through certain moves along the way, do it! You don’t punt on that by adhering to #TheTimeline. Hording onto assets and hoping that draft picks pan out, when there are already exceptionally talent players in the league right now who could begin to help build the next great Suns team.

So, Suns fans should proceed with caution. Time may or may not be on the same side as the Suns rise.