Suns Column: Ryan McDonough’s Plan Unorthodox, But Trustworthy
Ryan McDonough hasn’t been perfect by any means. As one of the youngest executives in the league, playing this high-level game of NBA poker where millions of dollars are at stake will sometimes result in losing a big pot. Sometimes the opponent will just have a better hand, which is exactly what happened when the Spurs lured away Aldridge to San Antonio.
McDonough’s harshest critics will blame him for the way that surprisingly successful 2013-14 Suns team dissolved into a tumultuous and unhappy trade deadline in 2015, which included the closest thing Phoenix had to a franchise player — Goran Dragic — outright telling the world he no longer trusted the front office and that he wouldn’t re-sign in the Valley, a place he once called his home away from Slovenia.
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There’s no excuse for the ugly departure of the Dragon. Bringing in Isaiah Thomas was a gambit that blew up in McDonough’s face, and that unconventional risk undervalued the importance of chemistry and fit.
But at the same time, even the individual move that McDonough made — a sign-and-trade of Thomas for a trade exception and the rights to Alex Oriakhi — was not an ill-advised one in and of itself. It’s also worth noting that as widely condemned as the point guard hydra was, it worked for awhile, didn’t it?
Until the Suns lost a few close games, everyone panicked and the point guards all wanted more, that is.
At that point, a roster shakeup was in order. Dragic went to Miami, Thomas was (panic)traded to Boston, and one-third of the roster was shipped away when all was said and done. The Suns capsized with Eric Bledsoe in sole control of the helm, Brandon Knight spent his time either trying to adjust to playing off the ball or on the sidelines with an ankle injury and Phoenix literally and figuratively limped to a 1-10 record to close the season.
And yet, even with all their late-season injuries, locker room turmoil and disastrous finish to the year, the Suns still managed to win 39 games, which would have qualified them for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Suns still set in the West, and that won’t change anytime soon. But McDonough has done everything in his power this offseason to position the team for a playoff appearance in 2015-16 no matter what conference it’s in.
Next: McDonough's Triumphs