Will the Phoenix Suns tank or go for the playoffs?

The Phoenix Suns will have a choice going into their last 27 games of the season: do they try to win as many as they can, or do they tank and position themselves for a high draft pick?

It is an age-old question, and one the Phoenix Suns are all too familiar with. Going into the final stretch of the season, should the team make a run at the 8th seed in the Western Conference and try to eek into the playoffs, or should they tank, and put themselves in a position to get a high draft pick?

First and foremost, tanking is the worst. It isn’t fun. It is demoralizing. It is just all-round bad.

That being said, getting a high draft pick is good. Really good. So should the Suns sacrifice some quality wins in an effort to make a run at it next year?

Here are some things to consider: this year’s draft class is horrid. Seriously. There really isn’t anyone that jumps out as a player who could make a serious instant impact.

Having said that, draft picks are valuable trade pieces, regardless of the quality of the draft class, so a high draft pick could be parlayed into a strong trade this offseason.

The counter-argument to tanking, however, is this season is important for the Phoenix Suns because it is the opportunity to “take the next step.” The definition of this rather vague cliché is up for interpretation, but if the Suns were to go 0.500 the rest of the season, that would put them at 35 wins. While not great, it would nearly double their 19 win total from a season ago.

Also, caveats matter.

This team hasn’t played more than a handful of games this season with its full complement of players available to them. Assuming that most, if not all, of the Suns’ current long list of injured players will make their return shortly after games kick back up, James Jones will finally get a chance to fully evaluate the team he put together.

If nothing else, he will see who gels and who doesn’t; who is expendable and who should be coveted when the inevitable roster moves take place in the offseason.

With a weak draft class and still a lot of figuring out to do, it is clear to me the Phoenix Suns should try to win every game from here on out. Every single one.

Let’s be serious: it is a longshot for the Suns to make the playoffs this year, especially with the Memphis Grizzlies getting better at the trade deadline. That’s not to say it isn’t possible, but it is most certainly not going to happen.

That shouldn’t stop the Suns from going for it, but missing the playoffs should not be viewed as a failure at this point.

The rest of this season should be used to get better, learn what this team is and needs, and win all the games they can.

Not to tank.

As for the draft, the Suns will get the pick they get. We’ll worry about how they will mess that up when the time comes. For now, win.