Valley of the Suns
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Phoenix Suns roundtable: New Year’s resolutions

By Lucas Johnson

PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 18: Tyson Chandler #4 of the Phoenix Suns walks up the court during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 18, 2017 at Talking Stick Resort Arena 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 18: Tyson Chandler #4 of the Phoenix Suns walks up the court during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 18, 2017 at Talking Stick Resort Arena 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Valley of the Suns rings in the new year with a roundtable of New Year’s resolutions for the Phoenix Suns’ coach, general manager, owner and one player.

It’s the beginning of 2018 and most people make new year’s resolutions to better themselves. The Phoenix Suns as a whole should set some New Year’s resolutions for themselves to hopefully end this rebuild sooner rather than later. We at Valley of the Suns came together to form resolutions for interim head coach Jay Triano, general manager Ryan McDonough, and owner Robert Sarver. Our writers also chose one player at their own discretion to give a resolution to.

Lucas Johnson

The player

Brandon Knight won’t see a game this season due to him recovering from an ACL tear. That doesn’t mean Knight shouldn’t focus on next season. There is no doubt that Knight has had uneven play while apart of the Phoenix Suns organization, however that was mostly due to Earl Watson being the coach. Whether it’s Jay Triano or another as head coach next season, Knight’s game should show improvement. He’s still young enough to be a part of the Suns’ core going forward, whether that’s as a starter or bench player is yet to be seen. He has shown flashes in the past of being a legit point guard while with the Milwaukee Bucks. If he can tap into that again for the Suns, then both parties will benefit. Knight’s resolution should be to prove he’s apart of the Suns’ future once healthy.

The coach

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As the interim head coach, Jay Triano has done way more than expected and should be considered for the gig next season. He’s led the team to a 14-21 record since he took over. Triano has done almost everything to remove the interim from his title. One thing he should do is to begin featuring Alex Len in the starting lineup. Len has been playing his heart out this season and is hitting the market this upcoming summer as a free agent. He needs as much time and opportunity to prove he is worth a big contract, whether it’s for the Suns or another team. Other than giving Len the opportunity to start, Triano just needs to focus on improving the team like he has been.

The general manager

Personally I think Ryan McDonough needs to go, he has had more misses than makes over his tenure. Nevertheless, as long as he’s the Suns general manager the biggest thing he needs to work on this year is his handling of players not named Devin Booker. McDonough has made it clear that Booker is the poster child of the club, allowing Booker to have a voice on team moves. However, his more recent handling of Len’s restricted free agency this past summer and the Eric Bledsoe fiasco has shown he doesn’t know how to handle delicate situations well. Len’s now going to be a free agent again this summer and the team will have to make some important moves that will make or break McDonough’s career in Phoenix. How McDonough handles players will be key during this process and that’s why working on his people skills should be his new year’s resolution.

The owner

Robert Sarver has to stop being such an integral part of the Suns’ decision making for his new year’s resolution. He needs to let the front office executives make the decisions. It’s almost guarantee that the Suns will be better off for it. Sarver is two steps away from being a James Dolan type of owner and no Suns fan wants that. Sarver needs to take a step back and let McDonough and James Jones make the decisions.

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