The Phoenix Suns would obviously benefit from many trades, but why can’t they just win with what they have?
The February 6 Trade Deadline is approaching very fast, and the Phoenix Suns’ name has been floated around here and there regarding potential acquisitions of Danillo Gallinari, Kevin Love, Dennis Schroder, Ivica Zubac, and most importantly Karl-Anthony Towns.
The past would suggest that the Suns will not make any moves at the deadline, although making one could propel them into a possible playoff spot.
The constant slander on the current Suns line-up is mostly acceptable and should be evaluated, however, fans have seen that this team can win with the players it has. What now seems like fools gold, the Suns did start the season going 5-2 and playing some really great basketball, but ever since the 20 game mark the production, consistency, wins, and quality of play have fallen off a cliff.
Generally, the media has been so focused about who the Suns should add to the roster instead of this roster can fix their issues, however, new Head Coach Monty Williams addressed the media a few weeks back saying that until the Suns can learn how to follow a game plan they will have nights where they look good and nights that they lose games they should win.
This Suns as a team has many flaws, but these flaws early on did not seem to raise to the surface.
That is possibly due to the fact to their 3-point shooting, energy defensively, chemistry, and the team actually followed a game plan.
Since then though, their 3-point shooting has really dipped, defensive energy has become non-existent, the chemistry has been difficult to pull together due to injuries, and it is apparent that this team has been failing to follow Monty’s game plans.
If adding players will fix that, then that is what James Jones and Robert Sarver should look to accomplish before the deadline.
Obviously, players like Towns and Gallinari would have an immediate impact, and adding the likes of Schroder would deepen the roster and provide stability at the point guard position which is currently thin with no veterans off the bench behind starter Ricky Rubio.
However, given the track record on previous Suns teams, the organization tends to refrain from making bigger moves at the deadline, potentially mitigating the chances of adding players like Towns or Gallinari in February.
As a fan, one can hope and dream that a package of players and picks will be sent to Minnesota for Towns to come and save this organization with the help of Booker, Oubre, and Rubio.
They can even wish that the Thunder would be willing to move Gallinari and possibly even Schroder – with the potential desire that Oklahoma City wants to clear room to build around their young star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
As the struggles continues for the Phoenix Suns to find a consistency in their play, the solution is not likely going to magically appear happen overnight.
The solution will come from a collection of games where they get back to the things that made them successful early in the year, namely defending capably for long stretches at a time, hitting their 3’s, and finding a level of continuity in the locker room and then on the floor that has escaped them for the better part of the last two months.
Never-the-less, the Phoenix Suns players themselves need to be the one’s to fix what is wrong internally. It needs to start with the players that put on the uniform every night, not the ones putting on other jerseys.