Could The Phoenix Suns Still Keep Gerald Green?

Last night against the Utah Jazz, Gerald Green checked into the game with 6:13 left to play in the second quarter. A few months ago, there wouldn’t have been anything special about it, other than the fact that Green probably would’ve already been in the game by that point.

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But after playing inconsistent minutes for more than two months, Green entering a ball game for the Phoenix Suns has become noteworthy almost each and every time. And by listening to the reaction of the US Airways Center crowd, his status as a fan favorite is still alive and well.

Late in January, Green registered his first “DNP – CD” of his tenure with the Phoenix Suns. It was a perplexing move at the time, though over the last few months it’s been justified by head coach Jeff Hornacek finding more minutes for youngsters Archie Goodwin and T.J. Warren.

But on nights like last night, where Green enters the game to a loud ovation from the home crowd and proceeds to singlehandedly smite Phoenix’s opponent with a mighty heat check, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic about his breakout 2013-14 season.

Last year, Phoenix fell one game short of the postseason, but games like his 41-point flamethrower against the Oklahoma City Thunder were undeniably magnificent.

Green joined Goran Dragic as one of a few candidates for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award in that surprise of a season. Dragic ended up winning the award, but many believed Green’s first real season of promise was more deserving.

Whatever the case, his microwave act off the bench — and even in the starting rotation when Eric Bledsoe went down — was not only entertaining, but it also helped the Suns win 48 games in the brutal West. All of this endeared him to Suns fans at the time.

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