| 30 Teams, 30 Days: Phoenix Draft Preview Authored by Jason M. Williams - June 17, 2009 - 10:43 pm
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2009 Draft Picks: 14th, 48th, 57th
Pre-Draft 2009-10 Projected Starters:
PG Steve Nash
SG Jason Richardson
SF Grant Hill
PF Amare Stoudamire
C Shaquille O’Neal
Key Reserves:
PG Goran Dragic
SG Leandro Barbosa
SF Matt Barnes
PF Louis Amundson
C Robin Lopez
What The Suns Do Well:
The Suns have one of the sweetest starting five’s ever assembled – the only problem is that it might have been the best back in 2002. Now? They have three aging star players trying for one last hurrah that appears to be falling short.
Last year, the Suns tried to go slow under new coach Terry Porter when Mike D’Antoni bolted for the bright lights of New York. That worked out about as well as General Motors' plan to supply the 'Transformers 2' movie with over 60 ridiculously costly concept cars while their company sinks to the depths of bankruptcy.
Instead, they replaced Porter with Alvin Gentry, an assistant under D’Antoni’s Suns, and back on the run they went. The Suns were headed toward the playoffs until an eye injury cost Amare Stoudemire the remainder of his season and the team missed the playoffs despite its high profile lineup.
Shaq had a renaissance season for Phoenix, leading the team with 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.44 blocks per game. Nash’s numbers fell by the wayside without D’Antoni, but still put up an impressive 15.7 points and a team-leading 9.7 assissts. Jason Richardson was a very welcome addition to the Valley of the Sun, providing his new mates with a high flyer on the wing who delivered 16.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 38.3% shooting from deep.
Greatest Areas Of Improvement:
Youth at Point Guard, Small Forward, and Center
Any time three of your five starters are 35 and older, it’s time to start expecting some roster turnover. Shaq, Nash, and Grant Hill are all entering the twilight of their careers and perhaps its time to start dealing them away while they can still bring back some decent value. They need to be deft with this year’s lottery selection and make sure it is used on a talented youth that can contribute for years to come.
Upgrade at Combo Forward
With all signs pointing to the Suns trading Shaq at some point in the next couple of months, they should strongly consider moving Amare back to center and adding a versatile combo forward in the mold of Lamar Odom. This way, he can slide in nicely in the run-and-gun offense at the four next to Amare, and spell the aging Grant Hill at the three.
Who’s Gone Number 14 Recently?
Over the past four years, solid players have dropped to the 14th slot. Anthony Randolph and Al Thornton were two of the biggest steals of the past two years, and Ronnie Brewer has been improving his game on a yearly basis since being selected in 2006.
2008
Anthony Randolph, Golden State Warriors
2007
Al Thornton, Los Angeles Clippers
2006
Ronnie Brewer, Utah Jazz
2005
Rashad McCants, Minnesota Timberwolves
2004
Kris Humphries, Utah Jazz
Who Should The Suns Target?
- Austin Daye of Gonzaga
While saying Daye is skinny is an understatement, he does come equipped with the potential to be great. The only question is, will the Suns take a chance on a talented and athletic big man project knowing that they are still lingering on the fringes of a win-now mentality?
- Jeff Teague of Wake Forest
The contract of Nash runs out after this season and despite talks of an extension, it doesn't seem like something that really works for either side. The Suns should jump on the opportunity to grab a solid point guard option while they can – unless they feel that Goran Dragic is the final piece to the NBA championship puzzle…
- Earl Clark of Louisville
Clark has a huge body and the athleticism to play both forward positions. He could be the ideal candidate who can step in and contribute to a playoff team this season and provide them with stability for years to come.
- James Johnson of Wake Forest
Johnson is another big versatile combo forward that could give the Suns an impact rotation guy this season. At age 22, he’s older than most draftees, which could cause teams to shy away from selecting him in the lottery, but then again look at how well Al Thornton is doing (and was also the 14th pick two years ago as a 23-year old senior).
Picks Over the Past Five Years
The Suns are quite disgraceful when it comes to the Draft over the past five years. They have continually dealt away first round talent for cap savings and unsurprisingly have zero titles and a bleak future to show for it. They could have had Luol Deng, Nate Robinson, Rajon Rondo, Sergio Rodriguez, and Rudy Fernandez. And even now, their second round selection of Marcin Gortat looks great – except for the fact he’s in Orlando!!! Instead, they have… Alando Tucker and Robin Lopez.
2008
Robin Lopez, 15th
Malik Hairston, 48th (traded to San Antonio)
2007
Rudy Fernandez, 24th (traded to Portland)
Alando Tucker, 29th
D.J. Strawberry, 59th
2006
Rajon Rondo, 21st (traded to Boston)
Sergio Rodriguez, 27th (traded to Portland)
2005
Nate Robinson, 21st (traded to New York)
Marcin Gortat, 57th (traded to Orlando)
2004
Luol Deng, 7th (traded to Chicago)
Who Do the Fans Want?
According to Andrew Perna’s Phoenix Suns Lottery Summit, an interactive forum featuring the responses of true RealGM hoops fans hoping to add their two cents to the Suns Draft discussion, the fans of Phoenix have made it known that they would like to draft the best player available.
The Verdicts
1. What could the team have done differently to make the playoffs?
amitg: If they fired Terry Porter, and didn't do the trade with Charlotte.
Sun Scorched: Although the coaching drama did not help, the injury to Amare Stoudemire left the Suns short of the playoffs by a small margin.
MaryvalesFinest: Nothing since Amare got injured.
b-ball forever: The Suns would have made the playoffs if Amare didn't go down.
ginobiliflops: If we kept Mr. Pringles, made S.T.A.T. wear his goggles, and drafted impact players instead of garbage-time fillers.
eastsidecrossover: The coaching saga, fire Steve Kerr and, of course, not losing Amare.
rag-time4: They picked up Stromile Swift, but didn't really use him, instead choosing to start Matt Barnes at power forward. As a direct result, the Suns defense in the paint was terrible. Shaq needed help in the frontcourt, but the coaching staff refused to give it to him.
2. Where were the team’s biggest strengths?
amitg: The medical staff. When was the last time you've seen Shaq or Grant Hill play like they did?
Sun Scorched: Scoring. After Alvin Gentry took the reins it was clear that Steve Nash could still run his team on all cylinders. “Seven Seconds or Less” became “Seven Seconds or Shaq.”
MaryvalesFinest: Offense.
b-ball forever: The Suns' biggest strength is the Amare/Nash pick-n-roll, but we were only able to use it for a couple games in between the Porter era and the Amare injury, so I guess it doesn't count.
ginobiliflops: The offense was consistent throughout the year.
eastsidecrossover: Scoring and the P-n-R.
rag-time4: Despite starting Barnes, the Suns maintained the ability to catch fire and beat anyone. However, the lack of a consistently effective power forward in the starting lineup (though Swift was available) made the Suns an inconsistent team.
3. Who had a surprisingly effective season?
amitg: Jared Dudley, Shaq, and Louis Amundson.
Sun Scorched: The nod has to go to the Big Cactus. An All-Star appearance with a dominating game against Dwight Howard along with an All-NBA Third team nod and PER of over 20 showed that the Big Expiring still has more value than that.
MaryvalesFinest: Barnes. He put up some of the best averages in his career.
b-ball forever: It’s got to be Shaq and Lou. Shaq did what was asked of him and was the only player who fit well in Porter’s system. He was able to adjust to Gentry's run-n-gun well for a guy his age. Lou's hustle off the bench was very useful.
ginobiliflops: Hill. He played a lot better than I thought he would. Honorable mentions go to Lou, Shaq and Dudley.
eastsidecrossover: Shaq, of course. Nash showed no slowing down after the coaching change at the end of the season.
rag-time4: Shaq had a great season with some very nice performances, and was consistently healthy and available.
4. Who had a surprisingly ineffective season?
amitg: Jason Richardson and Nash, mainly because of Porter.
Sun Scorched: The blame can’t fall solely on one player’s shoulders, though Robin Lopez can’t stay on the floor and out of foul trouble to save his life. With an aging O’Neal and a maddeningly-ineffective Lopez, the Phoenix front office has to be concerned about the center spot going forward.
MaryvalesFinest: Nash. His numbers dropped off, he caused Porter to get fired and has been acting like a cancer lately.
b-ball forever: The J-Rich and Lopez acquisitions didn't work out well, but that wasn't really "surprising" to me since I wasn't expecting them to be good fits.
ginobiliflops: Goran Dragic, Lopez, Stoudemire, Barnes and Barbosa.
eastsidecrossover: Lopez and Dragic.
rag-time4: Nash was surprisingly ineffective late in the season (perhaps it's surprising, no doubt he was ineffective). His defense was terrible, and he had some poor performances at key times, in particular a key game against Portland where every pass he threw seemed to get deflected or stolen.
5. How confident are you in the front office heading into the offseason?
amitg: As confident as I am in a blind taxi driver in Manhattan.
Sun Scorched: Not very. I will remain optimistic, but the last few offseasons have not gone well at all.
MaryvalesFinest: I'm going to wait and see what Robert Sarver/Kerr do this offseason before I pass judgment.
b-ball forever: More confident then I was last season actually (not like it could get worse from there). I was sure Kerr was going to screw over the team this past season, and that's exactly what he did, but he might be learning from his mistakes.
ginobiliflops: I think Kerr knows he messed up. I’m not confident at all that we won’t be a lottery team next year as well.
eastsidecrossover: Just look at our history in drafting and a limited budget.
rag-time4: The Suns are in disarray right now. The chemistry of the organization as a whole seems shaky. It seems they want to run and gun again, but I don't believe the front office really wants to play that way.
6. What are the team’s biggest needs in the draft?
amitg: A defensive and athletic shooting guard.
Sun Scorched: This is tough, but because Phoenix must have learned it’s lesson by now... they need to draft the best player available.
MaryvalesFinest: The Suns need to take the BPA.
b-ball forever: This team needs defensive-minded players, but shouldn't pass up on superior talent just to get good fits.
ginobiliflops: Athleticism, defense, high basketball IQs, a backup point guard, toughness ... there are a lot of needs.
eastsidecrossover: BPA. We have old guys, so take whoever the Suns evaluate as the highest and best player.
rag-time4: The team needs defense. I wouldn't mind seeing them trade their choices for a good defensive player if available.
7. Who would you like the Suns to take with the 14th pick?
amitg: No clue.
Sun Scorched: If someone starts to slip, regardless of position, we need to seriously consider taking them. To be specific, I think someone like Earl Clark or Terrence Williams, if they’re available, would be great fits.
MaryvalesFinest: Anyone except Chase Budinger, B.J. Mullens, Tyler Hansbrough or DeJuan Blair.
b-ball forever: Williams. Hopefully he'll be available, if not then Lawson.
ginobiliflops: Jonny Flynn or Williams.
eastsidecrossover: BPA.
rag-time4: It's moot for next season if the Suns don't make a commitment to playing guys with Shaq and Nash who are good defensive players.
Click here to read other draft previews in our 30 Teams, 30 Days series
Who do you want the Suns to draft at number 14? Feel free to contact Jason M. Williams with your thoughts. He can be reached at Jason.Williams@RealGM.com for comments and questions. |
