What’s the most productive thing the Phoenix Suns did this past season?
One could make a strong case that shipping Markieff Morris to Washington and getting so much in return — including what will become a lottery pick to stack on top of a likely top-five selection — is the best answer.
General manager Ryan McDonough pulled off that deal. He brought in Devin Booker, arguably the steal of the entire 2015 draft. Alex Len might have hit a wall the past few weeks, but if viewed in a larger context, he’s showing that he could in time become a highly valuable big man. The prospect of owning two lottery picks and three first-round picks in the 2016 draft gives the Suns a lot more options than most non-playoff teams. A building process can move forward, and that’s an exciting thing to contemplate for a franchise.
That’s all good news.
The bad news? The Suns are still owned by Robert Sarver, they need a coach, and the Tyson Chandler acquisition — which failed to bring LaMarcus Aldridge to the Valley of the Sun — didn’t achieve what it was intended to.
Phoenix should feel that it can and will move forward. To be more precise, this organization should get better, not worse, over the course of the next few seasons. However, anyone who has followed this franchise over time knows that just when the Suns are ready to shine brightly, clouds have a way of rolling in and downgrading the forecast.
If this was another organization with a less meddlesome owner, Jeff Hornacek would probably still be the coach, for one thing. If this was another organization, it would be easier to accept the negatives and know that the positives would win out. With the Suns and Sarver, even the most legitimate forms of optimism must be tempered.
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It’s true that Markieff Morris became a supremely corrosive presence in the locker room this past season. This was partly the product of his own lack of maturity, but it was also the result of the Suns’ refusal to ship him after brother Marcus Morris went to Detroit. The Suns paid a price by acting later rather than sooner on this front, so even though McDonough scrambled quite effectively to gain assets in exchange for Markieff Morris, the organization was still scarred. The Suns paid for their delay in L’Affaire Morris with Jeff Hornacek’s job.
It’s really too bad.
Hornacek was a fan favorite on the 1990 team which knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs — a relatively rare occurrence in the franchise’s history — and his work with the Suns a few years ago suggested he could become an exceptionally good coach. His exit marked a real loss for the organization, and now it’s up to McDonough to find a genuine upgrade if the Suns are going to move forward. With the young talent which currently exists on the roster — and will soon join it from the first round of the 2016 draft class — McDonough doesn’t merely need to get this hire right; he has to do a little more than that. He needs to find a coach who won’t just be good for the team in two years, but in five. McDonough has to find someone who will command enough respect from Sarver that he won’t be on the hot seat in 2018 if glowing results don’t immediately emerge.
Oct 9, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler (4) reacts to a foul called against him in the first half against the Utah Jazz at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
This need for patience should be evident on its face, but the point becomes more urgent when one realizes that this roster is still imbalanced in favor of the backcourt. The Suns are still carrying four point guards, and the Brandon Knight-Eric Bledsoe combination remains intact. Phoenix has only two power forwards on its roster, Jon Leuer and Mirza Teletovic. The Suns could use a small forward who can more effectively complement T.J. Warren’s bench production. Chase Budinger and P.J. Tucker do not inspire confidence at a high level.
Draft night can and should give the Suns needed reinforcements at these positions, but the reality of having to cultivate players — thereby developing a deeper and more useful bench — is a time-consuming process. The Suns have a situation which should allow them to make the most of the talent on hand, while also enabling them to polish and enhance what’s about to come into the organization this June.
As long as Robert Sarver can get out of his own way, and as long as McDonough makes an enlightened choice at the head coaching position, the Suns can be a force in the league as soon as 2019…
… without the caveats, qualifiers or clouds which have so often prevented the Suns from shining as fully as possible.
