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Phoenix Suns: Ryan McDonough could be making a mistake

By Lucas Johnson

PHOENIX, AZ - MAY 28: Jeff Hornacek head coach of the Phoenix Suns and General Manager of the Phoenix Suns Ryan McDonough pose for a picture on May 28, 2013 at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - MAY 28: Jeff Hornacek head coach of the Phoenix Suns and General Manager of the Phoenix Suns Ryan McDonough pose for a picture on May 28, 2013 at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough will be looking for guard depth going into training camp, but he is approaching it from the wrong perspective.

After hearing about the knee surgery of Phoenix Suns rookie Davon Reed, we at Valley of the Suns took two different approaches about how the teams should deal with the injury. One was the team will be fine if they fill the void by looking in-house and the other was that they need to look at the free agent market. According to Scott Bordow of azcentral, it appears that general manager Ryan McDonough is open to both options. This is great for the Suns, but McDonough is limiting his options which could be a mistake.

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Bordow reported, that McDonough wants to stay away from older veterans and look at primarily young players. On the surface this appears to be logical reasoning. McDonough is taking a page out of former Philadelphia 76ers’  general manager Sam Hinkie. Hinkie limited his rosters to having one or two veterans while trying to find potential diamonds in the rough. It also leads to the team struggling more which will help them have a better chance of landing a top pick in next year’s draft. Not a bad strategy overall, however that along with several other things led to the divorce between Hinkie and the Sixers.

Rebuilding or not, all teams need a healthy number of veterans. The Phoenix Suns currently only have Tyson Chandler and Jared Dudley, both of which are front court players. To help continue the growth of star Devin Booker, McDonough should look to add a veteran wing that excels in an areas where Booker struggles. A veteran shooting guard will not only help Booker but all the other young guards on the Suns roster. An aging veteran will not add little if any to the Sun’s win total. For example, veteran Leandro Barbosa only added 0.6 win shares last season. The only negative to adding a veteran is that there is a less of a chance of finding a diamond in the rough.

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McDonough needs to reassess his free agent strategy. If he believes that Reed is Booker’s long term back up, there is no point in bringing in another young player that could take his place. Bringing in a veteran gives Reed a better chance to prove his worth once he becomes healthy.

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