The Phoenix Suns want a team that is not afraid to grind and needs someone to instill it in them. What better player for that role than the “Grindfather”?
Devin Booker is the Phoenix Suns‘ starting shooting guard and there is no question about that. However, with the recent injuries to Brandon Knight and Davon Reed there is a big question about who the backup off guard should be.
The team could stay in house and go with a player currently on the team to give Booker rest, but who? Peter Jok and Elijah Millsap, if they make the opening night roster, are mere reserves. Derrick Jones and T.J. Warren should remain logging their minutes at forward not guard. Mike James and Jared Dudley may be the most fitting, however, James is more of a point guard, whereas Dudley is more of a forward and will also be coming back from injury.
On the outside, the free agent market is all but dried up. However, there are still a few potentially solid gets.
Phoenix Suns
The team has a lot of youth and Tyson Chandler deserves another vet to play with him. The NBA All-Defensive Team, two time NBA All-Defensive Team, NBA All-Star, All-NBA Third Team, Defensive Player of the Year, and NBA Champion who instead of asking for a trade agreed to stay.
This is even when he was asked to ride the final stretch of last season on the bench to allow the youth to play more because he stated the team needed him.
One name that should be in the ears of the Suns front office is Tony Allen. Yes he is 35-years-old, but Phoenix could really use the “Grindfather.”
That is if he is willing to come. It would be a tragedy to see him out of the league as he still has too much left in him to be ready to hang it up quite yet. In just 27 minutes per game last year, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 5.5 rebounds and is still quite the thief as he averaged 1.6 steals. No, he cannot shoot and yes the Suns need better shooting than last year. Although, non-distance wise he did shoot a respectable 46 percent clip from the field.
What better veteran to bring in than another defensive star. The Suns want to instill a hard nosed defensive mind set into their youth and there is not a single player available that could help do that more than Allen.
Most older veterans want to chase a ring, but he already has one. The team needs to sell him on the fact that he is still appreciated, valued, and would be a cornerstone on this team. He would be a cornerstone in the regards that the youth needs to be molded personality-wise and defensively in the form of him and Chandler. Phoenix could even offer a coaching job after he retires from playing.
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The Phoenix Suns want a team that is not afraid to grind and they need someone to be the shining example P.J. Tucker used to be forthem. What better player for that role than the “Grindfather”? The Suns need Allen and he needs to be a Sun.