Phoenix Suns are in trouble if they do not have Baynes and Rubio

The Phoenix Suns may be without Ricky Rubio and Aron Baynes in the bubble, and if so, their already poor chances of making the playoffs just got worse.

At this point, if Ricky Rubio or Aron Baynes is with the Phoenix Suns in the Disney bubble, then they made a pitstop at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and stole a couple of those invisibility cloaks because they have been the only contributing players not yet seen.

I have a gut feeling Elie Okobo is also not yet with the Suns, but considering he has been less-impactful this season, his absence does not hurt as badly.

What is puzzling, though, is that the Suns have now been in the bubble for over two weeks. It was my understanding a positive COVID-19 test meant a two-week quarantine, but assuming the players are asymptomatic and have two consecutive negative results, then they are allowed to rejoin their team in Orlando.

The Phoenix Suns may not have any true veteran presence at Disney.

If the Suns still do not have Rubio and Baynes, we may have to start considering the possibility they might not come back at all during these final eight games.

And if that is the case, the Phoenix Suns are in trouble.

Sliding into the playoffs (or play-in game) was already doing to be a challenging maze to navigate, even under optimal conditions, but if the Suns don’t have Baynes (who has played out of his mind this season), Rubio (who some would consider the MVP of the team), and also Kelly Oubre (who would be in the discussion for Most-Improved Player of the Year), then their chances of finding the cheese are about as good as a blind mouse with a broken leg in the aforementioned metaphorical maze.

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The starting lineup would likely be Carter-Booker-Bridges-Saric-Ayton with Johnson and probably Payne coming in as the first guys off the bench.

That is the kind of lineup that may be able to hold their own and maybe steal a win here and there if Booker and Ayton dominate, but doesn’t exactly instill confidence for long term success.

The other possibility is that Johnson starts over Carter and we see a lot more Point Booker.

Without their veterans (Baynes [33] and Rubio [29] are the two oldest players on the team), the Suns may be forced to re-prioritize their Disney goals to developing young players and having what essentially equates to tryouts for next season, considering many players’ contracts are not guaranteed.

More than anything else though, like the fans, these guys are just ready for some competition, and this Thursday, they’ll get their first whiff of it, as they play the Utah Jazz in the first of three scrimmage games.

We will know then who is and who is not available for the Suns.

Next. 6 players who may not be with the Suns next season. dark

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