There was nothing to like about the manner in which the Phoenix Suns exited the postseason at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Swept out of contention at the first hurdle, and with no one Suns player having a good series. Devin Booker and Kevin Durant came to play in Game 4 - but outside of that - other key contributors let them down.
Jusuf Nurkic was mostly dreadful and Grayson Allen was a disappointment having signed a new deal just before the playoffs started. It speaks volumes that Timberwolves' superstar Anthony Edwards appeared to think this random role player had a big impact on the series, even though most Suns fans don't want him back next season.
Then there was Bradley Beal - who was not only poor throughout - but gave the media and plans plenty to talk about in a heated moment during Game 4.
With the series about to be over and Beal having fouled out after putting up an ugly nine points on six turnovers, the guard was in no mood to shake hands with head coach Frank Vogel. Instead, he appeared to slap the hand of his coach away altogether, in a moment that was not a good look for Beal.
This is very whack. They about to make Vogel the fall guy when it’s Sadly Beal that should prosecuted. pic.twitter.com/52ioKcRtI7
— The Pettiest Laker Fan 🤫 (@ThePettiestLA) April 29, 2024
Everybody appeared to read between the lines in this moment - including ourselves - to deduct that coach Vogel was about to be made the fall guy for this awful season, and would surely lose his job. Given that Beal has a no-trade clause, Booker is the face of the franchise and Durant is with the team less than two years, it unfortunately made sense that this would become Booker's fault.
Only when Beal got back in front of the media after the series was over, he addressed what happened in a calm and mature way. Rather than take the opportunity to bury his coach some more and leave the organization no choice but to can him, Beal instead had this to say on the incident;
"I was just frustrated with fouls and I knew I was coming out, it wasn’t nothing against coach. Damn, I’m sorry, that probably did look bad… it wasn’t nothing towards coach. There’s nothing there."Bradley Beal on Frank Vogel
This comment alone won't be enough to save Vogel if the Suns decide he has to leave this summer, but it was a nice gesture from Beal. The easy thing to do when a ship is sinking is to turn on one another and try and place the blame elsewhere. In saying that his emotions got the better of him and that it wasn't personal with Vogel, Beal has thrown his coach a much needed life jacket.
It is that sort of mentality that the Suns will need as they look to next season, because their top three players are most likely still going to be on the team. Whether Vogel will once again be in charge remains to be seen - but with no point guard and no quality depth when it matter most - it is hard to see how his coaching was the problem in The Valley.