Suns Experiment Goes Up in Flames! Analyst Declares End of Era in Phoenix
NBA All-Star weekend is officially in the rearview mirror – and the Phoenix Suns are rapidly approaching the second half of the season while sitting at a massively underwhelming 26-28 mark.
Despite this subpar record, this week is a huge opportunity to pile up more victories – with the San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, and Toronto Raptors on deck over the next several days.
Some fans could look at this stretch over the next two weeks – including two games against the New Orleans Pelicans as well – and believe that this is a prime opportunity to turn the tides this season.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report doesn’t necessarily share the same sentiments as those with hope, as he described the Suns’ situation in two words – “experiment over.”
His justification for the lack of belief in the franchise below:
“This is Kevin Durant’s third season alongside Devin Booker in Phoenix and their second alongside Bradley Beal. This should, in theory, be when everything is coming together, yet the Suns are coming apart at the stitches. Had the campaign closed at intermission, they would’ve been denied even a play-in spot.”
The Suns are certainly underachieving due to a myriad of reasons – but the Durant/Booker duo remains one that posts a well above .500 mark when both take the court.
The unfortunate reality in the midst of this is that the Suns have a very limited scope when it comes to avenues towards improvement.
Hughes is very aware of that as well – and believes that they must tear this experiment down in order to build back better.
“This is the most expensive roster in the NBA and perhaps its biggest disappointment (the Sixers are in that mix, too). Barring some stretch-run magic, huge changes could be coming to this club, and given its glaring lack of assets, that means subtractions—not additions.”
Even if the Suns can eventually move Beal’s contract, it’s certainly a question if the return they get would be enough to justify running things back with a less top-heavy roster.
The difficult truth is that Phoenix may need to move past the Durant era to ensure they can support Booker’s prime in a more suitable fashion – the second apron and a lack of high-value first round draft picks is currently unsustainable under the new CBA.
The next chance to catch the Suns in action is this Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs
