USA Today: How Phoenix Suns became NBA's biggest surprise

[Superbone]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...resurgence-goran-dragic-eric-bledsoe/4167877/

How Phoenix Suns became NBA's biggest surprise

Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports
8:36 p.m. EST December 22, 2013

When New Year's Eve arrives and Goran Dragic is pondering his resolutions, the Phoenix Suns guard will be hoping for one thing: more of the same.

"2013 is my year," the 27-year-old Slovenian told USA TODAY Sports by phone. "First of all, I get married, then I get a son one month ago. Everything is just falling in the right place. I don't have any worries."

Certainly not on the basketball court.

With about a third of the NBA season behind us, Dragic and his 16-10 Suns team that was supposed to spend this season in the tank are one of the few pleasant surprises in what has been an otherwise-torturous campaign.

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[Errntknght]

Oh, no... slinslin is going to think you're just rubbing his nose in his confident prediction that the pairing wouldn't last 20 games! WTG!

 

[sunsfan88]

Oh, no... slinslin is going to think you're just rubbing his nose in his confident prediction that the pairing wouldn't last 20 games! WTG!

Or his prediction that Gortat is a worthless center. Or that Kelly Olynk will be a stud (not sure if this was him or someone else but I think its him).

Or his fetish for draft picks.

 

[Suns_fan69]

Not quite worthy of it's own thread, but a couple other interesting tidbits from SBNation: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/12/24/5235662/goran-dragic-eric-bledsoe-suns-pace-speed

This makes you wonder if the Suns might be a good landing spot for Omer Asik. Asik had his most success as the rim protector for a similar club in the 2012-13 Rockets, and he directly addresses one of Phoenix's biggest weaknesses. Asik is more expensive and has more experience than Plumlee, but he's only two years older. If Phoenix wants to make a push now, this might make sense.

Finally, as good as Bledsoe has been this year, he's still at the point where he needs Dragic's speed to help his game. Lineups with Bledsoe and without Dragic have been outscored by 7.7 points per 100 possessions this year, according to the NBA's media-only stats page. All this despite Bledsoe himself thriving when playing as the team's only ball-handler -- he's shooting over 57 percent from the floor when Dragic sits, according to the same page. This should give the Suns pause when fielding offers on Dragic.

First of all, I had no idea the age difference between Asik and Plumlee is so narrow. Second, I'm not particularly surprised about the numbers between Bledsoe/Dragic. The offense, to my eye, looks to flow much better with Dragic.

 

[elindholm]

Asik would be a good addition, but it's not clear to me at this point that he'd be a big upgrade over Plumlee, who has been more consistent recently.

The Dragic/Bledsoe dynamic is still very much a work in progress. Bledsoe's poor perimeter shooting really limits his effectiveness when he's not the primary ball-handler.

 

[Errntknght]

Asik has great aspirations so while he would be a terrific addition he could mess up the team chemistry. I drool at the thought of such a rebounder and defender but it would be an expensive, high risk venture.

 

[devilalum]

Asik would be a good addition, but it's not clear to me at this point that he'd be a big upgrade over Plumlee, who has been more consistent recently.

Having 2 athletic centers that can defend and block shots would allow them both to be more aggressive having 12 fouls to give.

 

[elindholm]

Having 2 athletic centers that can defend and block shots would allow them both to be more aggressive having 12 fouls to give.

Yes, but unfortunately neither Plumlee nor Asik can make free throws, which makes them liabilities in crunch time.

 

[Cheesebeef]

i'm pretty amazed at how well Plumlee's played this year. Big men historically take a while to really develop and in his first year of significant minutes he's a 10/9/2 guy. that's pretty damn good, with room to grow.

 

[Suns_fan69]

i'm pretty amazed at how well Plumlee's played this year. Big men historically take a while to really develop and in his first year of significant minutes he's a 10/9/2 guy. that's pretty damn good, with room to grow.

I know it's been mentioned ad nauseum but his footwork is what's impressed me the most. For a game traditionally about the hands, footwork really makes a big difference and Plum's got great feet.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I know it's been mentioned ad nauseum but his footwork is what's impressed me the most. For a game traditionally about the hands, footwork really makes a big difference and Plum's got great feet.

He has all the skills but Plumlee seems to have another level. When he plays at that level, he's a star. All too often though he plays at a lesser pace and when he does that, he's a pretty good backup. This had been the knock on him throughout his college career and we've seen it this season too. When he's not playing with that high energy motor he's still a nice addition to this team but if Jeff can get him to play with a Faried/Rodman kind of intensity, he's a game changer.

Steve

 

[SirStefan32]

Not quite worthy of it's own thread, but a couple other interesting tidbits from SBNation: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/12/24/5235662/goran-dragic-eric-bledsoe-suns-pace-speed





First of all, I had no idea the age difference between Asik and Plumlee is so narrow. Second, I'm not particularly surprised about the numbers between Bledsoe/Dragic. The offense, to my eye, looks to flow much better with Dragic.

I completely agree. Bledsoe is an amazing defender, and I think he very well may be a better individual contributor than Dragic, but between the two, I'll still take Dragic any day of the week and twice on Sunday. I know this is an unpopular position to hold, but I am still not even remotely sold on Bledsoe/ Dragic front court. The Suns will probably stick with Bledsoe and trade Dragic simply because Bledsoe is McD's guy. It will be a dick move to trade Goran for the second time, but unless Sarver interferes, I am 99% sure Bledsoe is staying and Dragic is leaving. They'll also overpay for Bledsoe. They'll pay Bledsoe more than Dragic and they'll get less out of him.

I like the idea of Asik, but there are some issues with that- I don't see how Plumlee and Aski can play together, and each of them needs more than 24 minutes per game. Unless one of them can develop a decent jumper, I don't see how it works. Once Len is ready to play, Asik will probably take PT away from him as well as Plumlee. I am also not sure how big of an impact his salary would have on the cap- his contract is "back-loaded" with that "poison pill" or whatever it's called, and I really don't know if that means he'd add $15M to the salary cap.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I completely agree. Bledsoe is an amazing defender, and I think he very well may be a better individual contributor than Dragic, but between the two, I'll still take Dragic any day of the week and twice on Sunday. I know this is an unpopular position to hold, but I am still not even remotely sold on Bledsoe/ Dragic front court. The Suns will probably stick with Bledsoe and trade Dragic simply because Bledsoe is McD's guy. It will be a dick move to trade Goran for the second time, but unless Sarver interferes, I am 99% sure Bledsoe is staying and Dragic is leaving. They'll also overpay for Bledsoe. They'll pay Bledsoe more than Dragic and they'll get less out of him.

I like the idea of Asik, but there are some issues with that- I don't see how Plumlee and Aski can play together, and each of them needs more than 24 minutes per game. Unless one of them can develop a decent jumper, I don't see how it works. Once Len is ready to play, Asik will probably take PT away from him as well as Plumlee. I am also not sure how big of an impact his salary would have on the cap- his contract is "back-loaded" with that "poison pill" or whatever it's called, and I really don't know if that means he'd add $15M to the salary cap.

I look at the Dragic/Bledsoe, who goes, who gets traded thing like this...Bledsoe is only just starting to scratch the surface and is scratching it a lot in his first real shot and he's younger then Dragic. Meanwhile, Dragic's value will likely never be higher...he keeps this up and he'll have the kind of value that Horny did when we made him the centerpiece of the Barkley deal. If we can do the same with Dragic and picks and pair Bledsoe up with a young dynamic big man, you've got your athletic/defensive one two punch for the next decade.

or, we can just build, much like the Pacers did, hope Plumlee continues to develop and hope we strike it rich with a Paul George type guy in the next couple drafts.

we JUST started the rebuild and even though we're ahead of schedule right now, I don't want to see us overreact and make a big move just to make a big move and push us from a 6 seed to a perpetual 4 seed.

As to who that big man would be that we could get? I don't know. People keep talking about Love, but even though his stats are REALLY gaudy, there's something about him I'm not crazy about. A guy with stats that good SHOULD elevate his team to higher heights then he has, no matter who's playing with him. And it's not like he doesn't have a good coach this year. there's talent on Minny and a good coach, but yet they're still a .500 club.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I completely agree. Bledsoe is an amazing defender, and I think he very well may be a better individual contributor than Dragic, but between the two, I'll still take Dragic any day of the week and twice on Sunday. I know this is an unpopular position to hold, but I am still not even remotely sold on Bledsoe/ Dragic front court. The Suns will probably stick with Bledsoe and trade Dragic simply because Bledsoe is McD's guy. It will be a dick move to trade Goran for the second time, but unless Sarver interferes, I am 99% sure Bledsoe is staying and Dragic is leaving. They'll also overpay for Bledsoe. They'll pay Bledsoe more than Dragic and they'll get less out of him.

About the only part of this I agree with is that Bledsoe can be an amazing defender and we'll probably overpay for him. I see no reason to choose between the two of them and I don't know why you keep boiling it down to this. I watch them and think that even though it's clearly still in the developing stages, each of them makes the other better. Not just while they are on the court either. Being able to offload some ballhandling responsibilities helps them stay fresh for the final minutes.

What's your reasoning for pronouncing Dragic an ex-Sun? What are you seeing that so many of us are missing? Not that you're alone in your opinion, I've certainly seen several others that agree with you but it does appear to be the minority position. Are your concerns historically rooted or are there specific aspects of their games you feel can never mesh?

For myself, I think if you take a group of good players and play them together they will improve regularly as they grow accustomed to each other and they will be better in year three than they were in year two, and so on. When you look at how early we are in this process it seems to me that it's been an overwhelming success playing them together and projecting their growth suggests we're on to something special here.

Steve

 

[SirStefan32]

What's your reasoning for pronouncing Dragic an ex-Sun? What are you seeing that so many of us are missing? Not that you're alone in your opinion, I've certainly seen several others that agree with you but it does appear to be the minority position. Are your concerns historically rooted or are there specific aspects of their games you feel can never mesh?

Steve,

I just don't see Bledsoe as a point guard- he is a shooting guard who can't shoot. I don't have the time or enough interest to look for those stats, but I would guess that Bledsoe's individual stats are great with Dragic on the bench, but the team is not nearly as effective. I'd also bet that Dragic's (and the team's) efficiency was through the roof while Bledsoe was out. I am NOT disputing that he can flat-out defend and score, but my point is that he cannot shoot, and is not a point guard.

If Bledsoe could shoot, there would be no problem. Let Dragic plays his natural position, and play Bledsoe at 2. Dragic would probably be averaging 18 and 10, and Bledsoe would be averaging 22-24 points per game.

To accommodate Bledsoe, they put the ball in his hands, which makes Dragic worse. Dragic is an outstanding point guard, but not a great shooting guard. Bledsoe is not a good point guard, and he cannot shoot.

I am sick of "KJ and Hornacek" crap. Bledsoe is not KJ, and Dragic is not Hornacek. KJ was a point guard, Bledsoe is not. Hornacek was an outstanding shooter, Dragic is not. I refuse to believe that McD and Hornacek don't see that. I really think that's just PR until they find a trade they like.

Bledsoe is the McD guy, Dragic is not. There is no way McD (unless Sarver interferes, of course) keeps Dragic over Bledsoe.

 

[SirStefan32]

People keep talking about Love, but even though his stats are REALLY gaudy, there's something about him I'm not crazy about. A guy with stats that good SHOULD elevate his team to higher heights then he has, no matter who's playing with him. And it's not like he doesn't have a good coach this year. there's talent on Minny and a good coach, but yet they're still a .500 club.

That's exactly how I feel about Love. I watch him, and he looks awesome. His stats say he is awesome. His team has talent, and a good coach, yet they keep losing. Something is just wrong with that picture, but I can't really say what that something is. Maybe he just needs a change of scenery to take that next step in his career and carry his team, but I am just not 100% sold on that idea. His team should be doing better than they are.

 

[95pro]

Cheese, Stefan...word up. That's how I feel about Love. I'm not sure why people would gut the team for him. We'd just be the twolves with better guards.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Steve,

I just don't see Bledsoe as a point guard- he is a shooting guard who can't shoot. I don't have the time or enough interest to look for those stats, but I would guess that Bledsoe's individual stats are great with Dragic on the bench, but the team is not nearly as effective. I'd also bet that Dragic's (and the team's) efficiency was through the roof while Bledsoe was out. I am NOT disputing that he can flat-out defend and score, but my point is that he cannot shoot, and is not a point guard.

If Bledsoe could shoot, there would be no problem. Let Dragic plays his natural position, and play Bledsoe at 2. Dragic would probably be averaging 18 and 10, and Bledsoe would be averaging 22-24 points per game.

To accommodate Bledsoe, they put the ball in his hands, which makes Dragic worse. Dragic is an outstanding point guard, but not a great shooting guard. Bledsoe is not a good point guard, and he cannot shoot.

I am sick of "KJ and Hornacek" crap. Bledsoe is not KJ, and Dragic is not Hornacek. KJ was a point guard, Bledsoe is not. Hornacek was an outstanding shooter, Dragic is not. I refuse to believe that McD and Hornacek don't see that. I really think that's just PR until they find a trade they like.

Bledsoe is the McD guy, Dragic is not. There is no way McD (unless Sarver interferes, of course) keeps Dragic over Bledsoe.

I've read that several times and frankly, it makes no sense. You say he's no point guard presumably because he can't do everything a point guard does and then you call him a shooting guard but acknowledge he can't do the single thing that most identifies a shooting guard. All I can say is, we are winning with young talent that looks to be improving. I'm thrilled.

Steve

 

[AzStevenCal]

Cheese, Stefan...word up. That's how I feel about Love. I'm not sure why people would gut the team for him. We'd just be the twolves with better guards.

I'm all for adding Love but I'm against the idea of gutting the team for any potentially available player, Love included. And I can't think of a deal I'd be willing to make that the Wolves would be willing to accept. I'd give them Okafor and all four of our draft picks (and Frye if they wanted him) but I doubt that deal interests them. I would be very hesitant to part with Dragic or Bledsoe until we see just what they can do together. I'd also be willing to give them Okafor and the Morris brothers but AFAIC that would be the extent of the offer (no picks). Like I said, I can't think of a deal that they would like that I'd be comfortable with. I'd rather watch these guys grow together and see what the next draft or two can do to improve our roster.

Steve

 

[SirStefan32]

I've read that several times and frankly, it makes no sense. You say he's no point guard presumably because he can't do everything a point guard does and then you call him a shooting guard but acknowledge he can't do the single thing that most identifies a shooting guard. All I can say is, we are winning with young talent that looks to be improving. I'm thrilled.

Steve

Right- exactly! Unfortunately, there is no 6th position called the "Driving guard". He is not a leader/ playmaker, and he can't shoot. He is either a point guard who can't facilitate offense and make others around him better, or he is a shooting guard who can't shoot. That's why I don't understand why you and 70% of posters here are absolutely in love with him, projecting him to be a top 10 or even top 5 player.

I am a huge Dragic fan, for example, but I understand that he will never be a top 10 player because he is not a very good shooter. He is a competent shooter, but unless he can shoot 40% from the 3, he is not going to be a top 10 player. You have to be able to objectively asses someone's strength and weaknesses. Hell, I wish Dragic and Bledsoe would both be top 5 players in the league, and that Plumlee was a top 10, but I understand that's something I would like to see happen, which is different from reality.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Right- exactly! Unfortunately, there is no 6th position called the "Driving guard". He is not a leader/ playmaker, and he can't shoot. He is either a point guard who can't facilitate offense and make others around him better, or he is a shooting guard who can't shoot. That's why I don't understand why you and 70% of posters here are absolutely in love with him, projecting him to be a top 10 or even top 5 player.

I am a huge Dragic fan, for example, but I understand that he will never be a top 10 player because he is not a very good shooter. He is a competent shooter, but unless he can shoot 40% from the 3, he is not going to be a top 10 player. You have to be able to objectively asses someone's strength and weaknesses. Hell, I wish Dragic and Bledsoe would both be top 5 players in the league, and that Plumlee was a top 10, but I understand that's something I would like to see happen, which is different from reality.

I grew up watching and playing basketball at a time there was no such thing as a point guard. I've never really known for sure why the league and subsequently every other level of basketball went this direction but when I was a kid, either guard ran the offense. I don't look at these guys and say it can work because Jeff and KJ did it, I expect it to work because it always used to work. I don't really care what you want to call Bledsoe, point guard or not, to me, he's a basketball player. And basketball players win you games regardless of position.

Eric isn't a perfect point guard but it's not like he can't run the offense - he just doesn't run it was well as we'd like. He's had so little time running a team because he's spent most of his college and pro career playing behind John Wall and Chris Paul. I think he's doing very well for his experience level and I see no reason to believe he won't continue to improve. I guess if you're going to assume he's a finished product and he'll never improve then much of what you say about him is true but I think he's just starting out.

Steve

 

[95pro]

I'm all for adding Love but I'm against the idea of gutting the team for any potentially available player, Love included. And I can't think of a deal I'd be willing to make that the Wolves would be willing to accept. I'd give them Okafor and all four of our draft picks (and Frye if they wanted him) but I doubt that deal interests them. I would be very hesitant to part with Dragic or Bledsoe until we see just what they can do together. I'd also be willing to give them Okafor and the Morris brothers but AFAIC that would be the extent of the offer (no picks). Like I said, I can't think of a deal that they would like that I'd be comfortable with. I'd rather watch these guys grow together and see what the next draft or two can do to improve our roster.

Steve

Right. Like I said elsewhere if we gut the team for Love then we'll be the wolves with better guards.

 

[JCSunsfan]

This is a critical point for making moves. It's easy to make yourself worse just because you are still in rebuilding mode. Even if a trade is not bad, you still lose continuity. The better you get the harder it is to make good trades. Memphis and okc are perfect examples.

 

[95pro]

This is a critical point for making moves. It's easy to make yourself worse just because you are still in rebuilding mode. Even if a trade is not bad, you still lose continuity. The better you get the harder it is to make good trades. Memphis and okc are perfect examples.

I know Memphis has had their share of injuries but they continually get worse it seems.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I know Memphis has had their share of injuries but they continually get worse it seems.

That is my point. Same with OKC moving Harden. Did not help.