Phoenix Suns: 10 Takeaways From The 2014-15 Season (Part 2)

3. The Isaiah Thomas Pickup Changed Everything

So how did this happen? Why were the Suns backed into a corner with Goran Dragic and who’s to blame? Unfortunately, as convenient as it’d be to blame the Dragon for abandoning a fan base that’s already had to watch Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion walk out the door, the guy had a point.

Maybe not about the whole “not trusting the organization” bit, but was he wrong for wanting the ball in his hands? Last season he was Third Team All-NBA and a top-five point guard who won the Most Improved Player of the Year Award! And now he was being told to play off the ball and defend small forwards on the other end?

It was ugly the way it all went down, but the cause of that frustration was the presence of Isaiah Thomas.

When the Suns picked Thomas up in a sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings, they locked him in for four years and $27 million, a virtual steal for a player of his caliber. Even better, the Suns didn’t really have to give up anything to get him.

Even the staunchest critics of the idea to bring in another point guard had to admit it was a value move. At the time, Bledsoe’s contract status was still up in the air and by making this move for I.T., the Suns had insurance for Bledsoe. And even if he stayed, Thomas represented a vast improvement over Ish Smith at the backup point guard position.

Ryan McDonough had Mcdone it again.

Except sometimes you can win the battle and lose the war. In this cutthroat, Game of Thrones type league, McDonough was Robb Stark, the king who never lost a battle. The Thomas acquisition and subsequent trade deadline fiasco represented his Red Wedding, sealing the Suns’ fate in the most gruesome way possible.

That being said, I.T. himself did nothing wrong. The guy actually played pretty well for the Suns off the bench in a sixth man role. He said all the right things about taking on whatever role was necessary as long as the team was winning, he never publicly complained and he fed off the crowd at US Airways Center on the nights when he got hot.

It’s also worth noting that unlike poor Robb Stark, McDonough’s time is not done. One bad move that was a slam dunk at the time does not mean he’s a poor GM or that the Suns are doomed. But like Hornacek, McDonough is only in some second year. Some mistakes were to be expected.

But if we’re analyzing the season as a whole, we have to note that it was Isaiah Thomas’ mere presence that complicated matters for the Suns. Simply put, there was too much talent in the backcourt and not enough minutes to go around for three starting-caliber players, and it was one of the chief reasons for the steep drop-off after the All-Star break.

Next: No. 2