IN SEARCH OF A MISSING PIECE
Constructing a successful NBA team is like building a house on stilts. Or an apartment complex on a fault line. It’s perilous work. ¶ Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough knows better than anyone. He has aced the past three NBA drafts, only to find that kids don’t win much in a men’s league. He has lost out on high-profile free agents, only to feel blessed for his misfortune. He is entering a free-agency period that is fraught with diminishing returns, but he's also the architect of a franchise that has missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons. ¶ How long will organizational patience safeguard his good judgment, especially when the baseball team across the street is suddenly capturing the imagination?
McDonough doesn’t have many appealing options in free agency. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are locks to return to Golden State. Paul Millsap is a terrific player, but his age (32) doesn’t fit the team’s timeline. The best possible fit is Blake Griffin, a polarizing power forward with the ability to shore up the front line and posterize opponents.
After opting out of his contract with the Clippers, Griffin might be interested. During a recent podcast, he ranked Phoenix as the underrated pick on his Mt. Rushmore of NBA cities, comparing the Valley to Teddy Roosevelt on the iconic monument.
“It’s a good team, great weather always, (and a) young town,” Griffin said. “You have Scottsdale. You have Phoenix. It’s all right there. That’s like a sleeper city to me.”
Griffin is 28 but prone to injury. He has holes in his game. He doesn’t rebound like he should and can’t deliver the big basket on command. But he has charisma, attitude and athleticism. He can be an unstoppable force in the pick-and-roll and still runs the floor extremely well.
If he doesn’t re-sign with Los Angeles, is he worth a four-year deal for roughly $130 million? Would he be a desperation move, another contract the Suns might regret in the near future? Is he a good fit, a winning player?
I would take that chance, banking on a player who once blinded the league with his raw talent, a player who could benefit from a fresh start in a new system. But his is not an easy decision.
To their long-term benefit, the Suns whiffed on the pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge, who has been a colossal disappointment in San Antonio. They failed to acquire Kevin Love, hardly an impact player during the NBA playoffs. Before McDonough arrived, the Suns signed Eric Gordon to a $58 million offer sheet, and the player was injured shortly after New Orleans matched the terms. And they never had a shot at signing LeBron James, even if the NBA’s best player once feigned interest.
The best possible maneuver might’ve transpired before the NBA draft, where multiple reports claim the Cavaliers, Pacers and Suns were involved in serious talks that would’ve brought Kyrie Irving to Phoenix. The Suns would’ve parted ways with Eric Bledsoe and the No. 4 pick, while Paul George would’ve joined forces with James.
The trade reportedly stalled when Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wanted assurances that James would remain in Cleveland after the 2017-18 season.
The deal disintegrated when James couldn’t make that promise, and that’s a shame. It could’ve been the biggest blockbuster coup in Phoenix since Charles Barkley landed in the desert.
It’s also proof of the ever-shifting NBA landscape, and how professional basketball franchises have ceded control to the players, leaving very little room for dramatic improvement.
The NBA draft is no longer considered a dream fulfilled by those entering the league. Instead, the process is being infiltrated by agents who conspire with their client’s teams of choice. The Suns worked this trend to their advantage, drafting Josh Jackson after he blew off a job interview with the Celtics, even though team executives had flown across the country for a private workout.
The coalescing of talent is another impediment. There are rumors that George has spoken with Warriors star Klay Thompson about joining forces down the road, presumably with the Lakers. There is speculation that Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade could join James in Cleveland next season for one last shot at a title, if the aging stars are bought out of their existing contracts.
Having spent a great deal of time with the 2008 USA men’s basketball team in Beijing, I can tell you this with absolute certainty:
The super-team phenomenon started during those Olympic workouts in China, when James, Anthony and Wade plotted and giggled about joining forces in the future. And it would be just like James to make it happen before his last season in Ohio.
Welcome to an age where inmates run the asylum. During the Warriors’ parade celebration, Draymond Green openly mocked James for his belief that he’s never been part of a super team (“You started the super teams, bro”). His transient ways will have a severe impact on the Valley if James is truly focusing on joining the Lakers after next season, as many believe.
His impending departure may have already cost the Suns a shot at acquiring Irving, exactly the kind of young superstar the team needs for true elevation. And imagine the nausea if the rival Lakers end up with the next great super team.
It will be another dark day for basketball fans in Phoenix, where the NBA franchise is about to turn 50 and still searching for that elusive ring. at