We have reached the "don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened" portion of the Phoenix Suns' offseason, and everything feels that bit better now that their Round 1 series is over.
This was a great season in which the franchise bounced back from Kevin Durant's exit sooner than expected, and they haven't looked back.
Brian Gregory among those who proved haters wrong
In fact there are three standout candidates within the franchise who did an amazing job of silencing all of the noise around their performances, and all for completely different reasons.
Dillon Brooks
Where do you start with this Canadian ball of energy? Brooks was everything the Suns needed and more, especially during the regular season as his burning desire to prove everybody wrong led to the team piling up wins.
This was the campaign when the 30-year-old proved beyond any doubt that he was made a scapegoat for the shortcomings of his previous employers in the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It is also telling that a large section of Houston Rockets fans would take him back over Durant once more in a heartbeat. That is how critical he now is to the Suns, he is literally their most clutch player and a guy who could yet make an All-Star game. What a turnaround.
Mat Ishbia
Consider this; owner Mat Ishbia began the season by getting into it on social media with Bill Simmons of The Ringer after it was predicted that the Suns would have the worst defense in the league.
There was something corny about the way in which Ishbia defended his team, but from there he was vindicated as the Suns sat in the top 10 in that category for parts of the season.
Along the way he got involved in the Celebrity All-Star Game and gave a strong showing of himself, and backed up his talk that he was going to approach team building differently.
His ability to move away from the Durant and Bradley Beal era was excellent, and The Valley is happy with the direction their team is once again going because of Ishbia changing his leadership style. He is no longer the butt of any joke around the league.
Brian Gregory
The General Manager that most felt was hired because of his ties to Michigan State just like Ishbia, Gregory has made a lot of people look very foolish.
Despite receiving a ton of flack, he has quietly gone about his business from day one and like Ishbia can take credit for pivoting away from the Durant and chasing stars blueprint the organization had.
He also oversaw the drafting of Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming, both of which looking ready to contribute more next season, while the arrival of Collin Gillespie happened on his watch too.
The jury is still out on Mark Williams, but to receive a pair of second place votes in the Executive of the Year award was proof that Gregory was cut out for the role from day one.
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