Phoenix Suns: Playing The What If Game

So you’re saying there’s a chance?

Sources: Suns have legitimately closed the gap in pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge. Tyson Chandler, perimeter talent. They're a real factor.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2015

With LaMarcus Aldridge scheduling meetings with nearly a third of the league and Jalen Rose describing the Phoenix Suns’ chances of signing him as “zero” on Grantland’s Jalen and Jacoby podcast, this is more than a pleasant surprise.

So let’s indulge ourselves here: What if Aldridge spurns the rings, spurns one of the 10 greatest players of all time, spurns Gregg Popovich and signs with Phoenix?

After the All-Star break, Phoenix was the third worst offensive team in basketball (by offensive rating), and the worst beyond the arc.

The Eric Bledsoe-led attack was bogged down by spacing issues, selfishness and youth. Aldridge by himself solves a lot of those issues.

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Aldridge is one of the elite midrange shooters in the game today, and the fact that he brings it as a near seven-footer puts an enormous amount of stress on opposing defenses.

Aldridge’s mere presence as a pick-and-pop threat opens up the floor for Brandon Knight and Bledsoe to attack the rim.

Those kind of openings lead to out-of-control close-outs on shooters and guys like P.J. Tucker and Devin Booker turn from non-drivers into guys who can pump fake by a defender, take two dribbles and keep the offense moving.

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That type of constant movement, with the ball beaming around the perimeter as the defense gets increasingly overextended until it breaks, is what the best offenses in the league thrive on. That type of movement can only be generated by an elite shooting centerpiece (or, you know, the Spurs’ offense), which Aldridge is as close to as the Suns are going to get.

It’s worth pointing out that Markieff Morris was actually a better midrange shooter than Aldridge last season, but Morris could never replicate that kind of efficiency over the same volume, not to mention Aldridge played most of last year with a torn ligament in his thumb.

In addition to his midrange game, Aldridge is a load to deal with in the post. The former Longhorn can turn over either shoulder and has superb touch around the rim, shooting 65 percent in the restricted area. He’ll also function well in the Suns’ fast-paced attack since he’s one of the most mobile bigs in the league.

While he only averaged 1.7 assists last year and can be something of a ball stopper, Aldridge is a really good passer when he wants to be and almost never turns the ball over. The Tyson Chandler signing (which opened the door to Aldridge seriously considering the Suns) makes Aldridge an even stronger fit.

Even at 32, Chandler can suck an entire defense in when he rolls to the rim and is the type of vertical finisher Aldridge has never played with. That should lead to career best levels of effciency for Aldridge, at least next year when the two will presumably still be near the peak of their powers.

After essentially not shooting the three ball for the first eight years of his career Aldridge shot 35 percent from beyond the arc last season and was elite from the left corner shooting nearly 50 percent (on an admittedly less than statistically significant 19 shots per game).

Defensively, Aldridge is a solid post defender though he doesn’t like banging with centers (which is why signing Chandler was so essential). He can occasionally get exposed by quicker fours and will struggle in an aggressive pick and roll scheme, but surrounded by three/four strong defenders and, most importantly, a rim protector, Aldridge won’t be a liability.

All this isn’t to say Aldridge is a perfect fit. Despite the rising cap, the Suns are going to be making a significant finical commitment to a big nearing the end of his prime, normally not a recipe for success. Additionally, Aldridge is something of a volume scorer, using about 30 percent of Portland’s possesions when he was on the floor the past two seasons.

That being said, Aldridge would absolutely be a home run signing.

The whole premise of general manger Ryan McDonough’s rebuilding plan was to collect assets and then pool them together for a star, in the hopes that one would prompt another to test out life in the desert. While Aldridge isn’t James Harden (the best-case scenario of McDonough’s plan), straight up signing a star while keeping those accumulated assets shoots the rebuild years ahead of schedule.

A Suns team with a core of Bledsoe-Knight-T.J. Warren-Aldridge-Chandler, probably isn’t a title contender, but with good injury luck it could be a 50-win team. Aldridge should age well, and a bench led by Archie Goodwin, Devin Booker and Alex Len could develop into one of the league’s best.

With the old salary landscape starting to resemble the aftermath of a particularly violent Game of Thrones battle scene, the Suns (with some maneuvering) could afford a second superstar as soon as next offseason. With today’s news that Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock, and Danny Granger were shipped off to Detroit in a salary dump, it’s obvious McDonough is all in on Aldridge.

Suns have no assurance that Aldridge will sign, but the fact that he's suddenly so intrigued has motivated them to push hard.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2015

Look, this article is probably pointless. Phoenix hasn’t signed a free agent of Aldridge’s caliber since a certain floppy haired Canadian sparked a revolution in US Airways Center 11 years ago.

But even if the Suns don’t get Aldridge, the fact that they’re trying to speaks volumes. Phoenix has been sliding back and forth in NBA purgatory since McDonough took over.

They were in a deep rebuild, then they almost made the playoffs. They put together the deepest group of point guard talent in the league, than they ditched the face of the franchise and watched that depth crumble in brutal fashion. Finally, they let all those assets get some much needed run, on the way to a horrific finish and yet another mid-first round pick.

The Chandler signing and the run at Aldridge show that Phoenix is going for it, that the flip-flopping is over and that the treacherous climb to the top of the Western Conference mountain has begun.

Next: Phoenix Suns Trade Morris, Granger, Bullock To Pistons

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