The Suns are in a tough spot. Let’s not sugarcoat it. And a fourth overall pick in this year’s draft isn’t likely to turn that around.
If they do nothing else, Phoenix is likely to miss the playoffs again. A draft pick (other than a number one or two) isn’t likely to change that…unless the Suns get really lucky. And when does that ever happen?
I’m still steamed about what happened in the lottery – you probably are, too. Not just because I forecast a #5 pick and we got a #4, but because the Suns never get a break. I could catalogue a long list of misfortunes here, but they are already well known. And there’s always somebody (usually a Lakers or Celtics fan) who will respond with: “You make your own luck.” Don’t you hate it when somebody says that? I want to reach through the computer screen and strangle them.
Let’s leave the prognostication about who the Suns will draft to all the “experts” out there. Instead, let’s take a look at what the Suns can do now to make a difference.
First – what can they do in-house to make this team better? Do they keep Alan Williams? The power-forward/center is a restricted free agent. He was a double-double machine when the Suns tanked late in the year. I’ve been a big Williams fan (like everyone else), but is he worth free agent money? It’s hard to judge someone’s performance when most of your best players are sitting on the bench during tank-a-thon, but I think Williams may be worth keeping. The Suns already have Tyson Chandler who has become yet another age-defying Suns player (what is it they feed these old guys?). They should keep Chandler and Williams, and that makes Center Alex Len expendable. Len is a restricted free agent like Williams, so why not trade Len for somebody who can actually help the team?
Let’s admit it – all the talk about the Suns trading half the team for a superstar just isn’t going to happen. Number one, no marquee player wants to come here and wait for a super young team to develop into something – anything – that’s worth their time. The Suns need to go deep and look for front-court players who can make a difference – today – or at least in the very near future.
Yet another year in the hopelessly un-fair, un-lucky, and rigged draft lottery is not going to help matters. (Shut up, Laker fans.) The Suns need to win, and win now, or they are never going to land that big star that turns them into a contender.
So why not package the loose change? Why not trade Len, Brandon Knight, T.J. Warren and next year’s 2nd round pick for a young small forward that might turn into something? (I’m willing to wait on Marquese Chris at PF, but not forever). I know, there are those out there who want to stick with Warren, but frankly I’m sick of waiting for both him and Len to amount to something. And Knight just needs to go. There’s got to be a small forward worth taking a look at, so let’s look at some.
What about Gordon Hayward? The Jazz always make stupid trades, and Hayward keeps saying how much he loves it in Utah. But the chance for Utah to offer Hayward a super-max deal disappeared when Hayward failed to show up on any all-NBA team. So too the way is open for Hayward’s departure.
Hayward arrived in the playoffs this year with a 22.6 PER.How about 22.2 points per game? Yeah, the Suns could use him. He may be 26, but sometimes players like him are late bloomers.
Terrence Ross from the Orlando Magic would make a nice addition. He’s only 25 and a tenacious defender. He has plenty of athleticism, and his three-point shooting would help the Suns at a position where points have been hard to come by. So what if he was just traded to Orlando; teams like the Magic always make mistakes, right?
Then there’s Otto Porter... another restricted free agent. You don’t hear his name a lot, but he’s only 23, and a solid rebounder and defender for the Wizards. Remember defense? The Suns haven’t played a lot of that lately, and they haven’t seen any of it at the small forward position since The Matrix was traded.
These may not be the best suggestions. But my point is, there are a lot of players out there who might not be considered A-listers, but they’re pretty good, and they are on teams desperate enough to become elite that they may be willing to make a trade. I, for one, hope Phoenix will give up on some of the dead weight that’s been hanging around their necks for too long. The Suns have players who know how to lose. Now, they need to make a move to bring this town a much deserved winner again.
In what’s become a two-team league, the Suns need to find a way at least join the conversation.
Or that sad accusation of irrelevancy will continue to raise its ugly head – and then the Suns might do something really stupid.