Winning? Who said anything about winning?
Most Phoenix Suns fans have been eying the 2019 draft class with great interest because of the amount of star quality talent at the very top, in particular, likely first overall selection (and possible Charles Barkley incarnate) Zion Williamson.
But fans can walk away from a tv and drink an adult beverage or two, easily ignoring the losing, knowing the Suns will always be there (regardless of what Robert Sarver threatens), waiting until the team is good to re-invest time, treasure, and souls.
But the players cannot always wait that long while they lose game in and game out, further dragging their collective competitive spirits and dignity, down into the gutter.
Phoenix Suns
Warren, Jackson, and Booker have shown obvious signs of frustration on individual levels with the situation befalling them, Booker’s being the most egregious – and alarming.
Devin Booker in particular knows that he is very good, and knows that he has wasted the first three and a half seasons (thus far) of his career for a franchise that has done absolutely nothing to actually put a legitimately competitive team around him.
While he can say all day long that he is done not making the playoffs (and probably means it whole-heartedly), it would take a truly generational-type player to actually carry this team over the top and into the playoffs.
LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan maybe each could, but right now even I wouldn’t say that with absolute certainty.
Adding Mike Conley right now, especially this late in the season, will make the Suns a little bit better, but not that much better, so the potential of winning the lottery and adding Zion would still very much be a possibility.
Even if the Suns went on a big tear and won nine in a row (or something crazy like that that I have zero doubt in my mind Conley could not orchestrate), Phoenix would still be the worst team in the Western Conference and likely still bottom-five in the league, continuing to retain a great opportunity at that coveted first overall pick once again.