The Phoenix Suns are embarking upon a 2013-2014 NBA season that is sure to be one that we as Suns fans will hope to forget. No matter how positive an outlook you take with this team, it would be fool’s gold to think they are going to fight for a playoff spot, let alone even be close.
When the 2012-2013 season was all said and done, the Suns finished with last in the Pacific Division and at the bottom of the Western Conference. This year, the team is bringing back a completely new team with ten new players. But the majority of these athletes are unknown and unproven players like Dionte Christmas and Ish Smith. With this being the case, and the stellar 2014 NBA Draft, it is in the Suns best interest to be as bad a basketball team as possible. In other words, to tank the season.
First off the Suns are clearly in a rebuilding phase. After the abysmal 2012-2013 season they released interim manager, Lindsay Hunter and fired GM Lance Blank. They brought in Jeff Hornacek as manager and new GM Ryan McDonough to lead the team. Immediately Hornacek and McDonough stressed the fact that the Suns are going to build around the young talent they already have on the roster and through the draft. As of right now, they have 4 first round draft picks for the 2014 draft.
But the best part could be soon to come. With the worst record in the NBA, they could put themselves in the position to draft Andrew Wiggins from Kansas in 2014. Already this kid is being compared as the “next Lebron.” Other players in the draft like Aaron Gordon from Arizona, Marcus Smart from Oklahoma and Julius Randle out of Kentucky have the potential to become NBA stars. These athletes are being compared to Kobe Bryan, Lebron James, and Blake Griffin. And for the Suns, how can you not be hoping that your team plays poorly, if it means drafting one of these young superstars?
Obviously, Hornacek and the players are not going to intentionally tank the season. But the roster assembled is simply not good enough to compete with the majority of teams in the league. Yet the Suns will go out every game with every intention of winning. They have shown that in these first three games by beating the Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and playing close with the OKC Thunder. But it is 3 out of 82 games and the Suns will hopefully begin to show their true colors and loose a lot more than they win.
The hope for us as Suns fans should be for the team to tank the season. Sure it’s going to be difficult to watch, but in the end we will have a top 5 draft pick and hopefully a player who can turn this franchise around. The direction that the Suns are heading in is one with huge optimism. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder used the same strategy and drafted NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Now they are competing for NBA Championships and one of the best teams in the league.
The Suns haven’t been relevant in a while and that’s not going to change. It is going to be a rough couple of years, but the franchise will return to their winning heritage, it just going to take some patience for us as fans. Patience and a lot of bad basketball.
Image Credit: Washington Post
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