Suns' Direction?

Despite very popular signings this off-season for Phoenix, it seems like they’re making the same moves they did during that horrific off-season of 2010; when Stoudemire abandoned the desert for the big apple. The Suns’ have agreed to terms with former 2^nd overall pick Michael Beasley, former Suns’ guard Goran Dragic and the upcoming superstar Eric Gordon.

Even with these signings the Suns are far from title contention with teams such as the Heat, Lakers and now Nets making these super teams built upon the elite stars of the NBA. Another thing to keep in mind is that most of the teams that have been NBA champions got one major thing in common; their best player was originally drafted by their respective team. Kobe Bryant with the Lakers, Dirk Nowitzki with Dallas, Michael Jordan with Chicago, Larry Bird with Boston, Hakeem Olajuwon with Houston, and Tim Duncan with San Antonio.

Even with teams such as the Celtics and Miami who have won the title in recent years has one superstar originally drafted by the team on their roster, Paul Pierce and Dwayne Wade.

 So where does this leave the Suns? The Suns’ have 3 players on their team right now that was drafted by the Suns; Robin Lopez(assuming he returns), Markieff Morris and now Kendall Marshall. It might be a bit early to doubt Marshall, and Morris but it’s fairly unlikely that either of those guys will rise to superstardom; and you can just forget about Lopez.

Even if Gordon somehow finds his way to Phoenix, the future still seems gloomy because with all these new additions the Suns’ suddenly put themselves in the position to take one of the lower seeds in the playoffs even though they probably won’t win a series. This can’t be the ultimate plan the Suns’ front office has been planning. So the question is where do they go from here? The only and quickest logical way for the Suns’ to get in a position for contention is to lose!

I love the addition of Michael Beasley because he has as much potential as anyone in the league, he’s struggled in the NBA due to his off-court discipline and his lack of consistency effort wise but the potential and skill level is all there.

The signing of Goran Dragic made no sense to me, he’s a good point guard? Sure, but is he really going to help the Suns built towards the future? Russell Westbrook was the 4^th pick in the 2008 draft and he struggled as much as any player his rookie season but look him now; that’s the result of playing time as well as experience. With Dragic in the picture, Kendall Marshall is sure to come off the bench with will limit his minutes.

Kendall Marshall during his two years at North Carolina has proved that he’s capable of competing at the highest level as well as handling heavy minutes as he averaged about 33 minutes per game during his sophomore season. With time to develop I think Kendall Marshall will develop into an all-star, between his flashy passing, work ethic, and above all else leadership will ultimately allow him to have a great NBA career. Marshall often gets slammed for his defense and athleticism, and much like the situation with Steve Nash, it’s overblown. People question Marshall’s ability to stay in front of the Derrick Roses of the world, but can you name me 3 players who can? ……………………. EXACTLY. Marshall in fact recorded a 37 max inch vertical leap at the draft combine in Chicago, that’s not something to sneeze at. He also has great strength which should help him a lot on the defensive end in the NBA.

 Had the Suns not made offer to Dragic & Gordon, they would’ve kept their cap space, had a miserable season, but would ultimately land a top 5 pick that can be the face of the franchise.

Another piece that I believe is key, center Marcin Gortat; who had an outstanding season last year partially due to playing next to Steve Nash but he’s an overall pretty gifted big man. He definitely has a lot of trade value on the market, and he’s not exactly a guy that would fit the blue print of a rebuilding team like the Suns. Gortat is turning 28, and by the time the Suns manage to put a contender together Gortat would probably be in his 30s so why not move him now for future draft picks or a couple of talent young prospects? Gortat’s trade value is also high because of his extremely reasonable contract for a 15-10 center, who is an extremely mobile for a player his size. His contract has two years remaining at about 7M a year.

 The Suns’ best shot at contention is to go through the usual losing years which leads to the lottery, which leads to young talent which ultimately would lead to a championship, and let’s face it no one is knocking off Miami or the Lakers any time soon with their ridiculously talented rosters; Brooklyn might in the conversation soon.

So why not bite the bullet for a couple of seasons, give guys like Morris and Marshall time to develop, and finally reel in that championship that all of us Suns fans have been dying for. But then again I’m just an almost college kid who’s trying to be a sportswriter, not the Suns’ general manager.