Phoenix Suns

Judging Garrett based on his playing time for the Suns Diante didn't exactly cement himself as a NBA player in his rookie season. In fact, he did much the opposite. The most glaring deficiency is his overall shooting ability. Garrett ranked 434th in eFG% out of 469 players that stepped on a NBA court last season. When factoring in that 19 of the 36 players below Garrett played less than 60 minutes the entire season it becomes readily apparent that he was one of the most atrocious shooters in the league. The next area of infamy is the turnovers per 36 minutes. Garrett averaged 3.9, which slotted him as 16th worst in the league. Of the 15 somehow worse than him only three played more minutes. Not all of this section consists of me making denigrating remarks about Garrett's game, though. Diante did average 7.5 assists per 36, which was good enough for 19th in the league. Only one player ahead of him played less minutes on the season, so this makes Garrett somewhat of an outlier. Interestingly enough, the Suns had three players in the top 23 in assists per 36 - Goran Dragic 7.9, Garret 7.5 and Kendall Marshall 7.3 - which contradicts the prevailing sentiment that the Suns lack of shooting was holding their point guards back. What about thievery? Diante is morally reprehensible. His 2.4 per 36 ranks him 7th in the NBA. The top three in the league played a combined 65 minutes. The other three are Ricky Rubio, Chris Paul and Eric Bledsoe. So Garrett is one of the worst players in the league at shooting and taking care of the ball, but in the ranks of the elite at distributing and burglary. Is the chasmic difference startling? Not so much. The sample size is still microscopic enough there is no way to confirm these as definite trends. It is somewhat interesting to see these areas at such opposite ends of the spectrum, though. Grade: C- Judging Garrett based on his backcourt bench cohort Neither of these guys had stellar years. While Kendall's bemoaned shooting woes placed him 12th in eFG% among Suns this season, Diante managed to finish dead last (16). In WS/36 Marshall ranks 12th again while Garrett once again is in the caboose. Surprisingly, Garrett beats out Marshall in his one plus level skill (assists). Diante also shows his more diverse skill set with the edge in rebounding and steals. While I give Kendall the slight nod among the rookies, I think Marshall clearly distances himself by virtue of being nearly three years younger than Garrett. Grade: D+ Judging Garrett based on his stints with the Bakersfield Jam Garrett excelled in his role for the Jam. He averaged 17.3 points (49.1% FG) and 7.3 assists in eight regular season appearances. He even made 13-21 three point attempts and 17-21 free throws, suggesting that his NBA numbers may not be entirely reflective of his ability. Is he awestruck or just unable to get similar looks at the highest level. Free throw shooting should be static, so maybe it's a case of the former... His playoff numbers were even better as he averaged 21.0 points (50% FG), 7.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds in two games. Turnovers were still an issue for Garrett, however, as he averaged 3.0 per game over his 10 total appearances. Garrett is eminently qualified as a D-Leaguer, but his ability to be productive as a pro is very suspect. Grade: A- Overall Grade: C Garrett started the season as a fourth string rookie point guard who snuck onto the roster and played like one. He shouldn't have been better than third stringer Marshall, though he was close. He didn't do anything to make a case for an expanded role, but also fared well enough with the Jam to maintain a lambent glimmer of future potential. With an expected roster shake up it is unlikely that Garrett will return to the Suns as an end of the bench security guard, but hopefully he hasn't played himself out of the league. He will turn 25 at the start of next season and that's starting to get up there in term

Strengths Oladipo has two qualities which may be the best in the draft: his motor and his defense. Victor plays at a much faster pace than every player he shares the court with. On both ends of the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Besides the Phoenix Suns, there are another seven (seven!) head coaching openings this spring, And that doesn't even include Keith Smart in Sacramento who still has a job but knows a new ownership is taking over the team. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers have filled their spot with Mike Brown - formerly of the Cavs with the Los Angeles Lakers in between. A head coach is important during the draft process to run the individual workouts with prospects and give his take on which players would be best fits for his coaching style and offensive and defensive schemes. Players and coaches have to be able to understand each other and somewhat speak the same language, or their performance on the court might suffer. Especially with rookies. Lottery teams like the Charlotte Bobcats, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers all need coaches. Pseudo-lottery Milwaukee Bucks need a coach as well. Three openings exist on playoff teams: The Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers came up short of expectations and decided the coach was the problem. Why are teams waiting so long to fill their coaching position? The delay, which could extend to late June Because some of the best coaching prospects are still roaming the sidelines in the Conference Finals, that's why. Brian Shaw (Indiana), Mike Budenholzer (San Antonio), David Fizdale (Miami) and Lionel Hollins and Dave Joerger (Memphis) are all on the short list of favorites. Indiana, in particular, has declined all interview requests through the end of the playoffs. Not only is Brian Shaw on a lot of teams' lists, so is GM Kevin Pritchard to take over front office openings. The still-working coaches Fizdale and Joerger, who have never been head coaches in the NBA, are wanted by the lottery-bound rebuilding teams. Hollins, whose contract expires in June, is coveted by teams with big aspirations like the Clippers, Nets and maybe even the Hawks. Shaw and Budenholzer are wanted by everyone - they are long-time #2 men ready for the #1 position. They have the perfect profile for any coaching position. They will have their pick of openings. The openings For established coaches, the Clippers and Nets openings are the very cream of the crop. Guys like Alvin Gentry and Nate McMillan will be hot after those positions because your first year could include a Conference Finals appearance without adding any new talent. Those teams want the best of the best, and will likely try hard to grab Lionel Hollins before anything else. The Atlanta Hawks position is quite interesting as well: they have a GM with an open pocketbook intent on adding huge names this summer. If they land Dwight Howard and Chris Paul in a package deal, the Hawks could be playoff contenders. But if they miss on Howard (most likely to return to LA or sign with Houston if Paul doesn't come to Atlanta too) and Paul, the cupboard is bare. Josh Smith wants out, and he's the next best free agent on the market. So this position is a wildcard risk. Latest rumor has Budenholzer at the top. The other openings all have tough days ahead. All are in the lottery or just on the cusp of it. There's an exciting challenge to taking over a non-playoff team, but also a lot of pressure to make it work quickly. The Phoenix Suns It's still hard to tell exactly which guy is at the top of the Suns priority list. Suns GM Ryan McDonough hinted the other night that his timeline had slowed down on the coaching front, partly because of the complexities involved in interviewing coaches still in the playoffs. J.B. Bickerstaff (Rockets) and Steve Clifford (Lakers) formally interviewed this week for the Suns job. Lindsey Hunter interviewed last week, and Jeff Hornacek (Utah) and Kelvin Sampson (Houston) are likely coming to town very soon. So too will Quin Snyder (Russia) and maybe even Mike Malone (Golden State). McDonough said he's conducted a number of phone interviews as well. But there is no end in sight, and McDonough is prepared t

At the number 5 spot, the more sure fire players will likely be off the board. Oladipo, McLemore, Noel, and Otto Porter are difficult players to envision not being able to find solid roles in the NBA. However if they are all gone, which is likely, we are left with a different tier of players. Alex Len, Shabazz Muhammad, Anthony Bennett are viable options but each have their own serious question marks. Cody Zeller and Michael Carter Williams are good players but what's their ceiling and do we want to use our highest draft pick in recent history on players who likely will be not much better than mediocre? SO I decided to take a deeper look at Trey Burke and CJ McCollum. Both are likely to be available when the Suns select their player. Neither player is a position of need. Yet a case can be made that they may be the best player available at that draft position. Before my research, (mostly I read articles, watched highlights, and watched scouting videos) I viewed them as relatively interchangeable players. Both are smaller, offense oriented players so in that sense I wasn't wrong. But they are very different players. CJ McCollum is listed just under 6'3. He is VERY intelligent and VERY crafty. He uses hesitation and a killer crossover move to get past his defender. His moves are methodical and deliberate almost as if analyzing his next move and the defense with each dribble. He is a very nice shooter off the catch and off the dribble, making him a valuable asset with the ball in his hands and off the ball. Defensively, he is active off the ball getting steals, blocks and rebounds. THE BAD: Without elite athleticism and without good size he struggled finishing at the rim. He does counter this with a knack for getting to the free throw line, but it is a problem that should only be magnified at the next level. From what I saw, he was ATROCIOUS guarding his man on the ball, getting beat time and time again by players who quite frankly weren't all that fast. MY TAKE: He should be an asset at the next level. At 6'3 he'd have to play as a combo guard alongside the Dragon. Personally, I like the idea of adding the shooting he would bring. But if he struggles with the length of NBA defenders he may be limited at the next level. I like his game, but am not sure if it translates well or poorly if at all. My opinion dropped on him as I can't help but think we could likely find a player that contributes in those areas at number 30... Trey Burke is listed at just under 6'. He is a great shooter as well and has range well beyond the NBA three point line. He is a speedy guard and has a knack for the big moment. Watching him, my first thought was "this kid can play in the League!" When he gets to the rim, I saw him finish cleanly. He has a good midrange game. He also has legit PG skills and can hit his man on the PnR or the shooter off the drive. I have a hard time seeing him not contribute in the league. At worst, he should be able to find a niche as an instant offense off the bench. Though he should be better than that. THE BAD: His shot selection can be spotty. He's a volume scorer and while he draws the attention of the defense with the ball in his hands, I didn't see much off the ball ability from him. His size is also a big concern, as he will likely always be a liability on defense. MY TAKE: I don't really see much of a role for him on our team. Unlike McCollum he can't play the off guard, and quite frankly I don't believe he will be good enough to move Dragon to the off guard position permanently At the number 5 spot, the more sure fire players will likely be off the board. Oladipo, McLemore, Noel, and Otto Porter are difficult players to envision not being able to find solid roles in the NBA. However if they are all gone, which is likely, we are left with a differ

We were reminded recently of a story, which you probably think that you know. It's about an athletic, rail-thin, talented basketball player whose star faded before it really even had a chance to shine. He was given a gift but saddled with a troubled soul.

Josh Holmberg-USA TODAY Sports The Phoenix Suns are one of those teams that need as much help as they can get. They have the making of going nowhere fast, which means pretty much any player they get with the fifth overall pick should make a difference. Every position besides point guard must be considered. With that being said, the Suns would be wise to select UNLV Rebels forward Anthony Bennett in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft. Ideally, Phoenix would like to get small forward Ben McLemore. However, there is a good chance he will be off the board by the time the Suns are on the clock. Bennett is most certainly the next best thing as he is someone that could have an immediate impact for Phoenix. The 6’7”, 240-pound power forward has tremendous offensive game with an unquestioned upside. He is physically intimidating and his intensity will go unmatched at the next level. He is certainly one of the most athletic big men in the entire draft, something that will benefit the Suns immensely in their front court. Bennett has the ability to get past defenders with ease and is capable of scoring from anywhere around the basket. He is also known for slamming down ferocious dunks. The freshman averaged 16.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.2 blocks and 27.1 minutes per game last season. He also converted 53.3 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. Bennett is capable of playing either small or power forward, which is good news for Phoenix considering they got little production out of both positions. He will have to improve his focus on defense and his rebounding skills, but overall he will be a force.

It would be an understatement to say this season was a disappointment. By August there was genuine excitement for what the newly signed Goran Dragic could do on his return trip from Houston. Many had the Suns sitting in the early 20's of pre-season power rankings. But nobody knew what this team could do. How would Goran work with Marcin Gortat in the PnR? Would Dudley take his game to another level? Would the high risk signing of $6 million man Michael Beasley pay off? Fast forward to now and things are pretty bad. Except, well, we have the most promising young GM in the league and a competent President of Basketball Operations to help him out. Ryan McDonough was brought in as a talent scout, and that is exactly what we expect to see from him. Something the Suns have failed to find- talent. So what will pick 5 and pick 30 do to get the Suns back on track? This year's draft has been noted for its depth, but more importantly its lack of star talent. For the Suns, this is good news: the best player in the draft may drop to our pick at 5, or even 30. Here's how I see it all falling into place. Mock Draft Top 10 with explanations 1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Nerlens Noel With the first pick in the 2013 NBA draft, The Cleveland Cavaliers select......Nerlens Noel. Really there shouldn't be any surprises here. Some have Otto Porter finding his way to the Cavs but I just don't see it. The team needs a star talent to pair with Kyrie. Otto Porter is a self-proclaimed 'glue-guy'- sure, great if you're a contending team, but not when you're trying to develop a strong talent pool. Noel has immense shot-blocking capabilities and is so raw no-one really knows what his ceiling is. 2. Orlando Magic: Trey Burke Orlando did deceptively well this season. Not only did they acquire the highest lottery chance, they essentially received Harris and Lamb for J.J Redick. Their talent is on the up, yet they still lack majorly at the point. Burke would be a perfect fit to contend with Jameer Nelson for minutes- and most likely either take the starting job through his performances or an injury to Jameer. Last season he improved across the board on all key stats- showing there remains a great deal of potential for him to develop into a star talent in the league and lead the Magic to the playoffs. Expect him to dominate the pre-draft workouts and climb up the draft boards. 3. Washington Wizards: Ben McLemore The Wiz drafted Beal last season so you're probably asking why the heck McLemore is here at pick 3? Beal and McLemore played together for the St. Louis Eagles in the AAU. McLemore's game isn't one that develops directly into that of the NBA, so there'd definitely be some time for him to settle in. Whilst Beal is getting the starting minutes, McLemore can provide valuable bench minutes as he figures out his own game. Personally, I don't see his game translating well to the NBA- he has too many things he does pretty well and only one NBA ready asset: his athleticism. Time will tell if he can put it together. 4. Charlotte Hornets: Anthony Bennett Charlotte have two options: go with the safer pick of Porter or try and find some shooting, something they desperately lack. Bennett can play offensively, there is no doubting that. He does sit in the tweener range standing at 6'7", however his 7'1" wingspan more than makes up for this. He has said himself he would like to develop the game of a wing, which is a possibility seeing as he is currently a forward who gets all of his points playing a guard's game. Charlotte are begging for an offensive threat to ease the pressure on Kemba Walker. Bennett may end up being this, or he may go down the road of every other talent acquisition of the Bobcats Hornets. Who knows, new name, new luck? 5. Phoenix Suns: C.J McCollum WHAT. NOT OLADIPO? ARE YOU CRAZY? I love Dipo, he's an awesome, gritty player who has a niche for defense. However, the Suns lack both ends of the flo

Strengths One of the best pure shooters in the 2013 draft class, California Golden Bears guard Allen Crabbe played three years of efficient ball for well-respected head coach Mike Montgomery. At... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

The 2013 NBA Draft is still just over four weeks away. While NCAA games have been over for two months and the annual Draft Combine is in the books, we just figured out the draft order. Now the NBA's worst teams can start honing in on single players at their pick with full knowledge of who's ahead of and behind them. While there's plenty of talk of trading away picks and moving up and down a few spots to get the right value, the likelihood is that the top 5 picks will go to the teams who currently hold the top 5 picks. Why? Because this is the NBA, and individual talent is king. Only five guys play at one time, and a single player can mean the difference between winning and losing. Talent trumps all. You can't win with marginal players. So why would a team drafting in the top 5 trade away their pick? It's happened, but almost never to the benefit of the team that gave away that top pick. Boston traded the #5 overall pick in 2008 to acquire Ray Allen. Memphis and Minnesota swapped the 3rd and 5th picks a few years ago. Washington traded the #5 overall pick to Minnesota for a couple of role players. Sacramento traded it's #5 pick seven months later to the Rockets for a bag of beans and a lint ball. There's a couple more examples, I'm sure, but the point is that teams keep their top-5 picks almost all the time. So let's look at the team needs at the Top 5 of the Draft. I am going primarily with the adage that with a top-5 pick you don't draft a position where you're already boasting a young up-and-coming player who projects to be just as good. Cleveland Cavaliers The Cavs have gotten lucky with the ping pong balls lately, but that has yet to turn into wins. Drafting #1, let's only look at the best 6 players in the draft: C Nerlens Noel, SG Ben McLemore, SF Otto Porter, SG Victor Oladipo, PF Anthony Bennett, PG Trey Burke. Really, for the #1 pick you have to narrow down to Noel, McLemore and Porter. Maybe Burke, not probably not. With former #1 overall Kyrie Irving at PG, former #4 overall Dion Waiters at SG and former #4 overall Tristan Thompson at PF, I am guessing that the Cavs will not draft at those positions when they pick #1. This rules out SG Ben McLemore and PG Trey Burke. I assume the choice is down to two players: Noel and Porter. Noel is the better top-end talent, but he's injury-prone. Porter is more healthy and appears to be a great fit with big-time scorers already on the wings in Irving and Waiters. My pick: Nerlens Noel Orlando Magic The Magic did a huge tear-down last summer and brought in a number of young player who performed well last season, showing promise that will continue to flourish in the years to come. With young Tobias Harris and Moe Harkless at SF already, the Magic are unlikely to look hard at Otto Porter. With Nikola Vucevic and Andrew Nicholson at PF, the Magic are unlikely to zero in on Anthony Bennett. But C, SG and PG are currently being manned by veterans who won't be around when the Magic start winning again. With Noel off the board, that leaves McLemore, Oladipo and Burke as the choices for the #2 overall pick. Given McLemore's talent, youth and upside, I have to go with McLemore here. Secondary option would be PG Burke - who just may end up being the younger version of the guy already starting at PG for them: Jameer Nelson. But still, McLemore has the highest upside. Gotta take him. Washington Wizards The Wizards look to be in great shape right now. They jumped up from the #8 spot while enjoying a playoff-caliber second-half run on the backs of former #1 PG John Wall and former #3 SG Bradley Beal. With those two already on hand, I will rule out McLemore, Oladipo and Burke. Otto Porter would be a great fit at the SF, just like he would have been for the Cavs. Putting Porter in there to do everything except dominate a game would be a nice compliment to scorers Wall and Beal. A secondary option for this team would be PF Anthony Bennett. The Wiz need front court scorin

Arguably the Phoenix Suns most thrilling playoff run was twenty years ago. We relive the run with game-by-game recaps as the Suns down the Lakers, Spurs and Sonics before falling to the Bulls in the NBA Finals. Since the current iteration of the Phoenix Suns is on vacation during these playoffs, we at Bright Side thought it would be fun to relive the Suns' exciting 1993 playoff run with recaps of each game, starting with Game 5 of the Western Semis. Revisit yesteryear while we wait for the Suns to rise again. After a thrilling come-from-behind first round series win over the Los Angeles Lakers ("and everyone's gonna say what a great series it was"), the Phoenix Suns faced an equally big opponent in the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs had just beaten defending Western Champ Portland Trailblazers in round one, and saw the smaller Suns as their next step on a Finals run of their own. David Robinson was a beast surrounded by role players that made them greater - and more frustrating - than the sum of their parts (where have I heard this one before). Avery Johnson. Sean Elliot. J.R. Reid. Antoine Carr. Dale Ellis. All good players, but all role players around a Hall of Fame center. The smaller Suns had led the league in scoring, by a wide margin, and boasted a passable defense (9th in efficiency vs. 18th in points allowed) to win a club record 62 games before the playoffs started. (again, where have I heard all this before?) Charles Barkley was the Suns Hall of Famer in 1993, putting up 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game, along with a block for a good measure. Charles had truly an historic season, one that has not been topped in the valley - either in terms of raw stats or raw impact - since. You could argue that Steve Nash made the same, if not bigger, impact (and certainly a more long-lasting one) but Nash never guided the Suns to the Finals and never in the way that Charles did. The Suns supporting cast was a who's who for Suns fans: PG Kevin Johnson (MIP, 3-time All-Star, 5-time All-NBA). SG/SF Dan Majerle (3-time All-Star, 2-time All-Defensive). F Tom Chambers (4-time All-Star, 2-time All-NBA). Danny Ainge (1-time All-Star). Ced Ceballos (1-time All-Star). Mark West. Oliver Miller. Richard Dumas. Tim Kempton. 4th-quarter Frank Johnson. Man, that was an exciting team. The Suns painted the town orange that year. Chambers, Kempton and West still work for the Suns to this day. Ceballos was their in-game entertainer for years. Majerle was a TV guy, then coach. Barkley still lives in the valley. In many ways, the 1993 team is still part of the franchise fabric. May 18, 1993: Suns beat Spurs 109-97, take 3-2 series lead Boxscore - courtesy of basketball-reference.com The Suns returned home for Game 5 after letting the series get tied up 2-2. "It's never very hard to play on the road," shooting guard Danny Ainge quipped. "It's just hard to win on the road." Feasting on home cooking and a rocking home crowd, the Suns muddled through three tight quarters before Charles Barkley lit up the night with 19 fourth-quarter points, including 16 in a 6-minute stretch. Barkley put the Suns on his back and carried them home when they needed it the most. Barkley finished the game with 36 points (on 16 shots and 15 free throws) and 12 rebounds. He got great support from Kevin Johnson (15 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds) and Dan Majerle (17 points, 4 rebounds). As a team, the Suns shot 59.7% for the game, a huge improvement over shooting less than 42% in each of the losses in San Antonio. The crowd was electric. The Suns attendance ranked 5th in the league that year, with every single game sold out and playoff tickets really hard to come by. My dad went to every game and will never forget that series. Up next: another showdown in the Alamo for Game 6. Could Barkley and the Suns step up on the road?