For a team that missed out on the biggest names of free agency, the Phoenix Suns have done everything in their power to position themselves for a playoff berth in 2015-16.
The Suns needed veteran leadership and a formidable paint presence, so they signed Tyson Chandler. They needed continuity and a shooter/fellow combo guard to pair alongside Eric Bledsoe, so they re-signed Brandon Knight. They needed a stretch-4 (Mirza Teletovic), they needed a pure three-point shooter (Devin Booker) and they needed internal development (T.J. Warren, Alex Len and Archie Goodwin).
But heading into the 2015-16 season, what the Phoenix Suns need above all else is a level-headed Markieff Morris.
It’s no secret that the Morrii are not the most popular people in the Valley of the Sun these days. Last season’s shortcomings were further enhanced by off-court mishaps that made the team’s situation seem that much worse. From Marcus Morris screaming at head coach Jeff Hornacek to Keef calling out the fan support to the twins facing felony aggravated assault charges, it’s no wonder the Morrii’s on-court progress was so vastly overshadowed by all the drama.
On paper, trading away Keef’s brother was like adding baking soda to the volcano project that has been the Phoenix Suns for the last five years.
On the day of Tyson Chandler’s introductory press conference, general manager Ryan McDonough and head coach Jeff Hornacek both iterated that they hadn’t spoken to embattled power forward Markieff Morris about the events involving the sudden departure of his brother to the Motor City. For a team whose chemistry has been hanging by a thread for months now, this is worrisome to say the least.
When the Suns traded away Marcus Morris, Danny Granger and Reggie Bullock to the Detroit Pistons, they were shedding salary to position themselves for LaMarcus Aldridge and the potential max contract he’d command. The Suns missed out on their prized free agent, but insisted the move would’ve been executed regardless of the Aldridge pursuit.
Whether or not that stance is 100 percent true is irrelevant, if only for the fact that the necessity of dealing Marcus Morris was believable. The Morris twins both thrived in the NBA for the first time after being reunited in Phoenix, but they also seemed to bring out the worst in each other.
As our own Scott Chasen pointed out a few days ago, the Morrii had up more technical fouls than the Celtics, Spurs and Lakers last year, and picked up more player technical fouls than 17 of the 30 NBA teams. Keef finished second in the league in technical fouls, trailing only Russell Westbrook. That kind of volatile personality is exactly what the Suns should be concerned about heading into the 2015-16 season.
With Mook out of the picture, perhaps Keef won’t feel so emboldened to constantly speak his mind to the officials on the court. Perhaps the departure of his brother will send the message that the front office is not afraid to move him too if he continues to act out. But until the Suns brass reaches out to Morris and tries to make amends, this uncomfortable situation will continue to fester, possibly to the point of affecting the very locker room chemistry the front office worked so hard to rebuild this summer.
Sir Charles In Charge
To be clear, McDonough and Hornacek don’t owe Keef much of an explanation. If you’re a decent bench player who can knock down three-pointers and do little else, you don’t have the authority to constantly garner the criticism of fans in the public spotlight as Marcus Morris did. His comments upon his arrival in Detroit do little to contradict the fact that he was a poor fit with an even worse attitude.
But if the Suns want Markieff to be onboard with their plans for a resurgence and maybe even a playoff berth in 2015-16, they need to touch base with him as soon as possible. This bad blood cannot continue after a season that saw locker room turmoil boil over into on-court discord, a mid-season roster shakeup and an injury-plagued end to the year that saw the Suns literally limp across the finish line.
To that end, if the Suns haven’t done so already, it’s high time they reached out to Markieff Morris and re-established the relationship. Phoenix was right to trade the least talented brother of the troublemaking pair; now it’s time to rebuild those burning bridges with one of the most offensively talented (and clutch) power forwards in the league.
Lol this a foul game here man!
— Keef Morris (@Keefmorris) July 2, 2015
Keef may never be a top rebounder or a superstar in general, but he has the offensive skill set Phoenix needs at power forward right now, especially if he can continue to develop his three-point touch. He’s only 25 years only and he’s on a steal of a contract at $32 million for the next four years. None of that potential and none of that bargain value matters if he’s unhappy in the Valley of the Sun.
If you need a refresher already, take a look back on 2014-15 and recall how quickly everything unraveled with Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas. Dragic went as far as saying he no longer trusted the front office, and to be honest, Keef would have a legitimate gripe along the same lines after his brother was unceremoniously shipped away to Detroit.
The circumstances are obviously different, but Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker are the only two players remaining from the 2012-13 Phoenix Suns team that McDonough was gifted when he first took over the GM position. Even from that feel-good 2013-14 Suns team that won 48 games, only Eric Bledsoe, Alex Len, Archie Goodwin, Keef and Tucker remain.
There has been a ton of roster turnover during McDonough’s time at the helm, which makes sense for a team that’s taking the unorthodox approach of rebuilding from the middle up. But now that the Suns have a sense of stability after a relatively successful offseason, the biggest summer priority should be making sure that Markieff Morris is still on the same page.
If this situation were to escalate to the uncomfortable point where Morris demands a trade, the Suns’ playoff hopes would be decimated. Under those circumstances, would Phoenix be able to find a deal that netted them equal value at the power forward position in exchange for a young, offensively skilled player on a bargain of a contract like Keef?
It’s highly unlikely, which means Teletovic would be the Suns’ best replacement option. No offense to Teletovic, but the Suns aren’t making the playoffs in the West with him starting at the 4.
Tyson Chandler figures to be a terrific locker room presence for this young Suns team and a great mentor for Alex Len. The Suns have their backcourt of the future locked in, they have plenty of youth and depth, and the expectation for next season should be finding a way to steal one of the Western Conference’s final playoff spots.
But Markieff Morris represents the stick of dynamite that could either ignite the Suns to a playoff spot or detonate Phoenix’s current core by forcing McDonough’s hand. Phoenix is building something special out West, but unless the front office can find a way to patch things up with their embattled starting power forward soon, the Suns’ season could easily deteriorate under the pressure of the same kind of locker room tension that doomed them last year.
Next: Should The Suns Trade Markieff Morris?