The Phoenix Suns’ 2014-15 season didn’t go according to plan. This was the year the Suns were supposed to end their playoff drought. They had more point guards than they knew what to do with, they were going to run teams out of the building and they were going to repeat their playing style that made them the most fun team in the NBA in 2013-14.
Instead, the point guards were unhappy splitting minutes, the trade deadline irreparably changed the roster and the Suns fell nine wins short of their 48-win season the year prior.
How did everything go so wrong? What were the turning points that turned an optimistic fan base into one of the league’s most depressed in the span of a few months?
We’ve already covered the best moments of the season, but now it’s time to take a look back on the dog days to try and provide some perspective on how everything went wrong in the end.
Honorable Mention: Alex Len–Hassan Whiteside Tussle
This was an ugly moment in the season. This play marked the second time Whiteside had clowned Len in a loss to Goran Dragic and the Miami Heat. It wasn’t just that Whiteside dunked on him, it was that both times, he landed on Len on purpose, in a punk-ish way of asserting his dominance. The second time, Len wasn’t having it.
Both players were ejected, and somehow Len was fined more than Whiteside was. But watching the team’s seven-footer — and his history of ankle problems — get tackled to the ground was slightly terrifying at the time for Suns supporters, even if Len was simply standing his ground.
Next: No. 10
10. Marcus Morris Screams At Hornacek
Perhaps we should have seen it coming. Most of us did when Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris started off the year by racking up bad technical fouls. Whether they were trying to give off the “tough guy” vibe or just weren’t disciplined enough to control their tempers (or both), the Morrii were hurting their team as the Suns led the league in technicals early on.
But none was more confounding and unacceptable than the one Mook picked up on Jan. 7 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Going for a loose ball against Thaddeus Young, Morris came up holding his nose. He seemed controlled enough speaking to the referee, but at the next stoppage he continued the conversation and was T’d up.
During that timeout, Morris completely lost it and took his frustration out on head coach Jeff Hornacek, screaming at him in the huddle. It was a heat of the moment-type incident, and both parties “put it behind them,” but we probably knew then that the Morrii’s tempers were going to be a problem.
Next: No. 9
9. Home Losses To Bad Teams
One of the early turning points in the season wasn’t so much of a set “turning point” as much as it was a string of disappointing home losses that put Phoenix in a bad position as the trade deadline approached. A look back on some of the home games Phoenix dropped shows how the Suns could’ve easily been 35-19 at the All-Star break instead of 29-25.
On Nov. 7, the Suns dropped a game against their crap-team kryptonite, the Sacramento Kings, in a two-point double overtime loss. DeMarcus Cousins killed Phoenix’s bigs as usual, finishing with 25 points and 18 boards, but he fouled out with 35 seconds left in regulation. Losing that game with Boogie out for BOTH overtimes was just unacceptable.
It got worse. We didn’t know it at the time, but the Charlotte Hornets wound up being one of the biggest disappointments of the 2014-15 season. That didn’t stop the Suns from coming out flat against the Zombie Bobcats on Nov. 14 in an eight-point loss.
But November wasn’t done yet, and as the Suns continued to adjust to their new point guard hydra, they fell to the lowly Orlando Magic by three on Nov. 30. On Dec. 9, the Suns lost to the Miami Heat by six the night after Blake Griffin broke their hearts at the buzzer.
On Dec. 12, the Suns had one of their most embarrassing games of the season, falling by two points to the Detroit Pistons, who were in the middle of their worst portion of the season at that point. Then the Milwaukee Bucks came to town three days later and came away with a two-point win at the buzzer.
The Suns had a brutal stretch to finish the season, but at that point, it was irrelevant. But dropping so many winnable games early in the year, Phoenix didn’t put itself in a good position to hold on for a playoff spot. All those close losses to bad teams at home sank the season before it even really began.
Next: No. 8
8. Jan. 9-11, 2015
It was almost comical how many people condemned Jeff Hornacek’s technical foul rule early on in the season. While a stipulation that any player who received a T would sit out the rest of the game seemed a bit too Coach Carter for the NBA, Phoenix’s technical foul problem wound up costing them an important road game they might have won otherwise.
The home losses to crappy teams hurt, but they were so early in the season it was hard to gauge their impact. A Jan. 9 road loss to the San Antonio Spurs — who played without Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in the fourth, and Kawhi Leonard for the entire game, by the way — was a kick in the crotch of Phoenix’s playoff hopes, however.
Trailing 85-82 with two minutes to play, P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris picked up back-to-back technical fouls. Patty Mills made both technical free throws, extending the lead. Phoenix rallied to cut the lead to two with 14 seconds left…and had to foul at that point. If it weren’t for those technicals, the Suns could’ve played out the last possession in a tie ball game.
San Antonio made its free throws and iced the game. You’d think the Suns would learn from that kind of boneheaded mistake and carry it with them into their next game, but no. Once again, Phoenix squandered a perfect opportunity to grab a big road win, this time against the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 11.
With the Suns leading 108-106 with 17 seconds left, Isaiah Thomas dribbled into a double-team trying to advance the ball past half court. Instead of calling a timeout, he launched a desperate pass that was intercepted by Courtney Lee. Dragic accidentally ran into Lee, sending him to the line.
Lee made both free throws and the game went to double-OT, where the Grizz proceeded to outscore the Suns 14-2. Back-to-back games, back-to-back mental breakdowns that cost the Suns their chance at a big road win.
Next: No. 7
7. The Brutal Home Stretch
Any time you close out the season on a 1-10 skid, that’s obviously going to be one of the worst (extended) moments of the year. But it wasn’t the losses by themselves that made the home stretch so unbearably brutal. Once the Suns were eliminated from playoff contention, the effort dropped off a cliff and the losses got even uglier.
There was a nine-point home loss to the Kings. There were back-to-back beatdowns at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder. There was an appalling 96-69 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. There was a late collapse against the Dallas Mavericks. And then there were three consecutive double-digit losses to close the year out.
Suns president Lon Babby said the 1-10 finish was "bitter" but added "I don’t think that truly reflects where we are and the season we had."
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) April 15, 2015
Even worse was the amount of drama in the locker room during that stretch. During that time, Gerald Green wondered if the Suns even wanted him anymore. Green’s agent blasted Hornacek for his comments about G-Air-ld’s defense and the reason for his lack of playing time. And even youngster Archie Goodwin spoke up about the team’s lack of veteran leadership.
During that stretch, the news about the investigation of the Morris twins surfaced again (more on this in a bit) and Bledsoe was ejected from a game when his team needed him to step up as a leader. There were very few positives to take from the final 11 games, and it’s the reason there’s not much optimism heading into the offseason.
To be fair, the trade deadline destroyed this team’s playoff chances, especially when the chief acquisition from that deadline — Brandon Knight — went down with his ankle injury. Alex Len also missed time and by season’s end, half the team was out. But such a pitiful conclusion to the season was hard to watch no matter who was available.
Next: No. 6
6. Brandon Knight Ankle Injury
On a related note, Knight’s absence for all but 11 games of his Suns tenure was definitely one of the biggest lowlights of the season. Keep in mind, this team had just lost the closest thing it had to a “face of the franchise,” after Dragic said he no longer trusted the front office. The Suns had also panic-traded away Isaiah Thomas and when all was said and done, one-third of the roster was gone.
With fan optimism dwindling, Knight was supposed to be the guy who made everyone feel better about how everything had collapsed. But as he struggled to adjust to playing off the ball, Knight’s All-Star-caliber numbers (for the East) shrank in epic proportions. Phoenix’s “backcourt of the future” just didn’t look sharp together.
So Brandon Knight is going to finish with 11 games, 16 games missed, and an eFG% of 43%. Not quite an inspiring start to his Suns tenure
— Scott Howard (@ScottHoward42) April 6, 2015
Of course, once it did start to show signs of promise, Knight went down with the ankle sprain. In his 11 games with the Suns, he averaged a meager 13.4 points, 4.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game on 35.7 percent shooting (31.3 percent from downtown).
With Knight heading for a big payday this summer, those numbers weren’t exactly what the Suns were hoping for. It will likely cost Phoenix anywhere from $10-15 million per season to keep the 23-year-old Knight, and that injury prevented he and Eric Bledsoe from developing any sort of substantial chemistry.
Next: No. 5
5. The Ugliest Loss Of The Season
On Feb. 28, whatever was left of Phoenix Suns pride met its grisly demise. The fact that it came at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs made it 10 times worse, and the ultimate final score multiplied the shame of the defeat by another 100.
In a 101-74 smackdown at home, the Suns completely failed to show up against one of their biggest Western Conference rivals — just one game after eking out a big overtime win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Suns were held to a franchise-record low for points in a half with 24 points in the first two quarters.
If it weren’t for a 33-point fourth quarter in garbage time, the Suns would have undoubtedly set a new franchise record for fewest points in a game. And if that weren’t bad enough, the postgame comments made everything 10 times worse….
Next: No. 4
4. Keef Calls Out The Fans
To be fair, the Morris twins had been complaining about the fans at US Airways Center after the win against the Thunder two nights before. But that was off-the-record locker room talk. When Markieff Morris went on the record in calling out the home crowd after the Spurs rout, he came off as a really sore loser who didn’t deserve the crowd’s support.
“I don’t think we have a home-court advantage,” Morris told Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Keef publicly questioned whether or not the fans were as behind the team as they should be, going on to say:
"“They don’t boo but they don’t cheer that much either. We feed off, for the most part, off the energy of each other. I know we’re a lot better than that. I know Phoenix fans are a lot better than that. Like I said, we have a lot of genuine fans that cheers for us – the ones that are in the first row, in the second row, in the third row. Once you go up, you feel like people was just at the game, just watching.”"
No matter when he said what he said, calling our your own fans is generally a bad idea (even if he was 100 percent right). But when the team has been good in the past, the fans have shown up and been LOUD. For the fair-weather fans to show up, the Suns need to get there again. Until then, it’s a good idea not to alienate the fan base this team should be trying to impress in the first place.
Next: No. 3
3. Morris Twins Charged With Felony Aggravated Assault
This one is still pending, but since we first heard about the Morrii being investigated in a felony aggravated assault case during the season, we’re counting it as the rotten cherry on top of the s**t sundae that has been the 2014-15 season.
The Morris twins have been officially charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault. During the season they were just being investigated, but a few days ago, it became official. Their first court date is May 7.
“Innocent until proven guilty” is the modus operandi at this point, but during one of the roughest patches of the season, this news broke at the worst possible time. The Morris twins didn’t make very many fans this season, and if the allegations wind up being true, don’t be surprised if the Suns seek out a deal to move them.
All (allegedly) over an inappropriate text sent to their mother. “F.O.E.,” indeed.
Next: No. 2
2. The Game-Winners
In games decided by three points or fewer, the Suns tied the Indiana Pacers with the most losses in the NBA (12). Both teams were 4-12 in such contests, but the Suns also recorded four losses in overtime. Every night, it seemed like this team found new ways to blow close games, but every time it was just as painful to watch.
The buzzer-beaters made it 10 times worse. It started with a Blake Griffin step-back three in overtime. The Suns had hung tough and needed one stop to close the game. Despite P.J. Tucker’s best efforts, the Flyin’ Lion made the ugliest buzzer-beater you’ll ever see:
I mean, come on. That ball was on a straight line to the rim, hit it head on, bounced straight up, grazed the backboard and somehow fell in. That thing was ugly up until the moment it wasn’t. But only a week later, the Suns were burned by yet another buzzer-beater that left everyone shaking their heads:
Khris Middleton and the Milwaukee Bucks went on to have quite a nice season, but really? A leaning three-pointer out of a spin move? Off the backboard and rolling around the rim before dropping in?
The defense on that possession wasn’t great, and Middleton hit another game-winner from that very position against Dragic and the Miami Heat later in the season, but at least that one was pure. This one was just plain unlucky.
Luck had nothing to do with the third buzzer-beater drained in Phoenix’s mug, though. It’s no secret the Suns don’t have a superstar who can carry the load when his team needs it, but the Houston Rockets do, and the Suns got a good look at what one looks like when James Harden broke Tucker’s ankles and calmly drilled a step-back jumper over Isaiah Thomas:
That’s three winnable games the Suns dropped because they couldn’t close out the game with a stop, but there’s still more! And unfortunately, this one might have been the most brutal, one of the final nails in Phoenix’s playoff coffin.
Needing a road win to keep their postseason hopes afloat, the Suns went home empty-handed and broken-hearted after Boogie got a lucky bounce to sink them at the horn:
To be fair, that was a brilliant shot fake to get Markieff Morris up into the air and clear enough separation for the game-winner, but…wow. That ball hit the back of the iron, bounced up, hit the front of the rim, bounced backwards on the iron and somehow found the net. Unreal. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
At this point in the season, the Suns were only playing for pride. They fought hard against the Golden State Warriors — the league’s best team — in a building where only two visiting teams won in 41 tries this year. In a back-and-forth final minute, Bledsoe’s reverse layup out of an inbounds play gave Phoenix the lead with 4.5 seconds to go.
That’s when Harrison Barnes put the icing on the cake for this depressing Suns season, as yet another bounce failed to go the Suns’ way.
But hey, since he made that shot with 0.4 seconds left on the clock, at least this one wasn’t a buzzer-beater, right?
Buzzer-beaters and game-winners are a part of what makes the game of basketball so wonderful and exciting. But nobody had five losses on go-ahead shots in the final five seconds of regulation or overtime like the Suns did (the next closest was three). There’s no better way to break a young team’s morale than breaking their backs at the buzzer over and over again.
Next: No. 1
1. The Trade Deadline
For better or worse, the 2015 NBA Trade Deadline changed the Phoenix Suns — not only for the season, but for years to come. Technically, it all started with the offseason acquisition of Isaiah Thomas, but things really kicked into high gear when Goran Dragic, who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, said he wouldn’t re-sign in Phoenix.
Citing a lack of trust with the front office for bringing in another point guard and playing him off the ball so much, the Suns had to trade away Dragic just to get some value for him. They also panic-traded away I.T. and the coveted top-five pick from the Los Angeles Lakers. In return? They got Brandon Knight and a few draft picks that won’t amount to much until years down the road.
By shipping away one-third of the roster, the Suns were simultaneously retooling for a playoff run AND building for the future. Trading Dragic meant the Suns wouldn’t have to pay him a max contract this summer, and they went from a 29-year-old point guard to a 23-year-old one.
However, disrupting what little chemistry the Suns had built meant the team heavily struggled after the deadline. It was a tale of two seasons as the Suns’ offense died a horrible death. Bledsoe was more turnover-prone than ever, Knight went down with an injury, Marcus Morris had to play in the starting lineup and youngsters T.J. Warren and Archie Goodwin were heavily relied upon off the bench.
In the long run, the Suns are still okay. They’ll have to overpay to keep Knight and depending on what happens with the Morris twin charges, bigger decisions may need to occur. The Suns still need a star player and they desperately need veteran leadership. General manager Ryan McDonough lost a lot of believers this season based on the moves he made over the last year.
Personally, I think he did about as well at the trade deadline as could be expected. Dragic did only give him 48 hours notice with his comments, after all. But trading that Lakers pick and burning that bridge with Dragic in the first place with the I.T. sign-and-trade means McDonough has his work cut out for him to get this rebuild back on track.
That whole deviation from the main path of rebuilding started with the turning point of the season, the 2015 NBA Trade Deadline.
Next: Suns Rankings: Which Western Playoff Team To Root For?