Phoenix Suns

I know what you're thinking. Actually I don't, but if I ever become telepathic I'll give you a heads up. Back to what I was alluding to... What the hell is Sergio Rodriguez doing gracing the cover of the podcast episode? Well.... Rodriguez is the last player the Suns selected with the #27 pick (2006 draft). 27. Hopefully the Suns fare better when they draft #30 (at least likely) next week. Sergio was sold to the Portland Trail Blazers on draft day (Remember the good old days when the Suns were firesaling all their draft picks? Good times.) and left the NBA after the 2009-10 season for Spainier pastures. ----------- I want to thank Kris Habbas for letting me back on the show this week after my vacation. I always have a level of trepidation when I step away from something I'm embarrassingly underqualified to do. The worry -- that somebody will step in and reveal my gross incompetence. Bad thing for you... you're stuck tolerating me for at least one more week. :) I also want to thank Paul "PLR" Richardson from the Sports Kave for covering my ass filling in during my absence. ---------- Phoenix Suns Podcast Episode 27

Today, the NBA announced the schedule for the 2013 Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada. 22 teams will be participating over the 11 day session (July 12-22), including your Phoenix Suns. This year's Summer League will be debuting a tournament style schedule to crown the first ever NBA Summer League Champion. The schedule will include each team playing three preliminary games from July 12-16, after which they will be seeded accordingly in a tournament that will feature the last two teams standing in a championship game on July 22. Each team will play at least five games, with the additional games dependent on its success in the tournament. The Suns will make their Summer League debut on July 13 against the Portland Trail Blazers. This game will also mark the debut of new Suns Head Coach Jeff Hornacek, who has revealed that he will be leading the Suns' Summer League sqaud. This makes sense for the rookie Head Coach, as five current Suns - Diante Garrett, Kendall Marshall, PJ Tucker, and Marcus and Markieff Morris - will be playing in Summer League, as well as all the rookies the Suns will draft in a little over a week. With what could be most of the Suns' 2013-2014 roster competing in the Summer League, Coach Hornacek will get an early start in trying to handle this Suns roster. Most of the games will be televised on NBA TV, (the complete broadcast schedule will be released at a later time). Check out the complete schedule of matchups here. For Suns fans aching to see some on-court action, the Summer League will offer a great precursor to the upcoming season. Here's wishing Coach Hornacek and the Suns Summer League roster the best of luck in their efforts.

Strengths As far as point guards go, Michigan’s Trey Burke is the most-polished floor general heading into the 2013 NBA Draft. While he might not have the same upside as a Michael Carter-Williams or... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

NBA Releases 2013 Summer League Schedule

Mock drafts are always fun. They're even more fun when YOU get to choose what the teams do. We've been getting a lot of response to the SBNation Blogger Mock Draft, with you guys having a lot to say about the draft choices Dave (and the rest of the Bright Side Front Office) has been making. Well, here's your chance to run things your own way. Taking a page from Fear the Sword (check out their Community Mock Draft sign-up here), we have decided to give BSotS users a chance to participate in an interactive mock draft. In the comments section of this post, sign up for one of the 30 teams. The teams will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, so whoever requests a team first will get assigned that particular team. I will be the Suns so pick anyone but them, please. Hehe sorry. The actual draft will happen live on Monday, June 24th at 10 pm EST/7 pm PT. We will do the draft on a live thread, which I will be updating as people make their respective teams' picks. Here are some rules: We are only drafting the first round. On draft day, you will have 5 minutes to make your pick once your team is up (like the real draft). If you fail to make your pick within those 5 minutes, I (or another moderator) will make your pick for you. To make your official pick, either post a comment (on the mock draft thread, not this one) with your pick in the subject line or email me a list of your top picks you think might be available at your spot ahead of time. TRADES ARE ALLOWED. However, I need to make sure they're valid so when you and another user agree to a trade, one of you needs to email me (sjasthi13@gmail.com) so I can approve them. If you can't be here on Monday night but still want to participate, you will need to email me your pick ahead of time. Please email me a few options of players you think will be available when you're picking, ranked in your order of preference. Pick your team in the comments section below (once again - first-come, first-served). You can/should also use comments to discuss trades with other users (you may also choose to provide your email address so others can contact you about possible trades). Feel free to ask any questions about something I may have forgotten to mention. Here is the order of the 2013 NBA draft. 1. Cleveland Cavaliers 2. Orlando Magic3. Washington Wizards4. Charlotte Bobcats5. Phoenix Suns - Richard6. New Orleans Pelicans7. Sacramento Kings8. Detroit Pistons9. Minnesota Timberwolves10. Portland Trail Blazers11. Philadelphia 76ers12. Oklahoma City Thunder13. Dallas Mavericks14. Utah Jazz15. Milwaukee Bucks16. Boston Celtics17. Atlanta Hawks18. Atlanta Hawks19. Cleveland Cavaliers20. Chicago Bulls21. Utah Jazz22. Brooklyn Nets23. Indiana Pacers24. New York Knicks25. Los Angeles Clippers26. Minnesota Timberwolves27. Denver Nuggets28. San Antonio Spurs29. Oklahoma City Thunder30. Phoenix Suns - Richard

It wouldn't be draft season without a bit of controversy. This week, that controversy surrounds leaks to the media about work ethic and maturity issues with the top 2 overall prospects in the 2013 NBA Draft. You have to ask yourself why these leaks are out there. Who benefits? Well, it allows Cleveland to muddy the waters a bit more on who they take #1 overall. The inevitable backlash they'd receive over passing on Noel and/or McLemore would lessen if there were fresh, legitimate questions of character. It's a lot like a political race. Smear the one you don't like to make your favorite look a little cleaner by comparison. Nerlens Noel Since the early days of last college basketball season, Nerlens Noel has been the top prospect coming out of college. As an 18-year old freshman at Kentucky, Noel averaged nearly 10 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game. He showed a natural ability to defend the post, provide weak side defense and alter shots near the rim. Noel also showed a rudimentary offensive game limited to putbacks and rolls to the rim, but those limitations are skill-based which can be learned over time. He also needs to put on weight, which is true of any 18 year old. In fact, 7-foot 18 year olds who don't need to put on weight should have a red flag of their own, because it's just natural to gain weight in your 20s. But none of those deficiencies detracted from Noel's clear No. 1 status in this NBA Draft. No other player has the upside, the ceiling of Nerlens Noel. Yet when Noel tore up his leg (and yes, I realize the very first comment is going to be dudotski posting that disgusting gif or pic of Noel's injury because that's just what dudoski does), the fears of his wafer-thin legs' ability to stand up to the NBA rigors began to form. Add in some character questions - recent rumors of being "handled" to much by his handlers, refusing to visit teams outside the top 2, missing meetings and interviews - and you've got a full-blown chance controversy. Top it off with Cleveland's "need" to make the playoffs next season, we just might see an NBA Draft where the very best player is not taken No. 1 overall because he will miss a chunk of the season. If Noel drops out of No. 1, how far does he drop? Can Orlando, who love Vucevic and need a shooting guard, pass on him? Can Washington, who really need a small forward, pass on Noel? Washington has veterans on the front line and a need to make the playoffs just like Cleveland and a bigger hole at small forward (Otto Porter) than center. Or Charlotte, who need help in the pivot but really, really need an offensive force down there? Charlotte already boasts a developmental defensive whiz in Bismack Biyombo. What they really need is offense in the post. Could Noel drop into the Suns lap? If that happens, would the Suns blink twice before taking Noel? Suns GM Ryan McDonough said yesterday he doesn't anticipate drafting any player at 5 who hasn't visited the Valley before next week's draft, but could he really pass on Noel? Ben McLemore Like Noel, Ben McLemore has been stop the prospect charts all season long. He's got a sweet shooting stroke and the ability to fill it up offensively from the field, often being compared to a Ray Allen. McLemore is long (6'9" wingspan) and uber-athletic, possessing the talent to be an impact defender as well as scorer. Yet, McLemore was passive in college. He never demanded the ball, or took over games. Part of that is because he's not good at handling the ball. He's a shooter, not a passer. Like a Jamal Crawford, for example. And now, Chad Ford leaked that there are red flags with 19-year old McLemore. He's apparently been dogging it in workouts. We all know he's been refusing to compete against other top players (Porter has refused as well), and now Ford says he has sources who tell him McLemore was unimpressive in his Phoenix visit, having trouble keeping up in the drills designed by head coach Jeff Hornacek. Ford: McLemore remains i

It was Doug Collins, back when he was the best analyst in basketball at TNT, who once said that NBA teams should hire and fire coaches and general managers as a tandem. Collins, who stepped aside as coach of the 76ers after this past season, still feels the same way.

MIAMI -- For three quarters, it was not LeBron James' finest night. The Miami Heat superstar entered Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs averaging 31.5 points, 10 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 11 elimination games. But entering the fourth quarter Tuesday night, James had missed nine of 12 shots, and the Heat trailed by 10 points.

Whether the San Antonio Spurs and their fan base consider the Phoenix Suns a rival or not matters little. Two of the Western Conference’s winningest franchises have quite the history because of... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Hey Phoenix fans! Cavs fan here from Fear the Sword. Over there, we're doing a mock draft on Monday that will be live. Each team will be represented by a member of FTS, and I'm here because I am the one responsible for your pick. What I've gathered from looking over your roster and snooping around on BSSotS is that Dragic is considered the only "keeper" player, Gortat is available for a mid-late lottery pick, and Jared Dudley can be thrown in to increase what you will be getting back in a trade that likely involves Gortat. In terms of who you'd like to draft, I'm assuming that the Suns will be in BPA territory. However, I'd imagine that Trey Burke isn't necessarily who you'd like--more likely Oladipo or Mclemore. Again, though, beggars can't be choosers, so my opinion is that the Suns will be taking whoever is left that is highest on their draft board. My purpose for coming here is this: to check in with you on your favorite draft targets, get input on what you're willing to give out in trades (because those will be a part of our mock), and what you'd be interested in obtaining in any trades. To get the best representation of the Suns' needs and plans for the future, I'd love to hear BSSotS's thoughts on the draft process in the comment section. Thanks!! Hey Phoenix fans! Cavs fan here from Fear the Sword. Over there, we're doing a mock draft on Monday that will be live. Each team will be represented by a member of FTS, and I'm here because I am the one responsible for your pick. What I've gathered from looking over your roster and snooping around on BSSotS is that Dragic is considered the only "keeper" player, Gortat is available for a mid-late lottery pick, and Jared Dudley can be thrown in to increase what you will be getting back in a trade that likely involves Gortat. In terms of who you'd like to draft, I'm assuming that the Suns will be in BPA territory. However, I'd imagine that Trey Burke isn't necessarily who you'd like--more likely Oladipo or Mclemore. Again, though, beggars can't be choosers, so my opinion is that the Suns will be taking whoever is left that is highest on their draft board. My purpose for coming here is this: to check in with you on your favorite draft targets, get input on what you're willing to give out in trades (because those will be a part of our mock), and what you'd be interested in obtaining in any trades. To get the best representation of the Suns' needs and plans for the future, I'd love to hear BSSotS's thoughts on the draft process in the comment section. Thanks!!