Suns establish expectations for upcoming season at media day
Sep 29, 2016, 4:11 PM
Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker poses for a photo, Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, during the NBA team's media day in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
PHOENIX — The dawn of a new season brings hope, and the Phoenix Suns don’t particularly care for the outside perception of their team, as evidenced by some of the quotes that circulated from their annual Media Day.
Head coach Earl Watson: “No more going home in April, I’ve never been a fan of that.”
Eric Bledsoe: “I just want to win.”
P.J. Tucker: “Just win, just win, that’s it. I want to win, man. That 48-win season, we gotta get back to that.”
Jared Dudley: “The goal is definitely playoffs.”
Tyson Chandler: “This team realistically is a playoff team.”
The Suns believe through improved chemistry and better injury luck that they can quickly rebound from a 59-loss season.
Some will point to the Suns’ youth — seven players who will make the 15-man roster are 23 or under — as a reason to keep expectations in check, but they don’t want to hear it.
“I think I can do it with the young talent,” Watson said bluntly. “I know we can.”
Watson believes in himself and believes in his players, but history shows us winning with youth is a difficult task in the NBA.
This is where the lines become blurred on how Phoenix should handle this upcoming season in regards to the perspective discussed above.
The Suns could easily fill out their rotation with Chandler, Dudley, Tucker, T.J. Warren, Alex Len, Devin Booker, Brandon Knight and Bledsoe. There’s youth in that group, yet it’s youth which has already gone through some trials at the professional level.
How do lottery picks Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss fit into the equation?
This is the biggest challenge Watson faces this season.
If the Suns want to prioritize winning and are satisfied with ending up in no man’s land of the NBA picture that’s OK — they just have to do it the right way.
The words being spoken to this point show they understand the overall vision they want to have, but when they start to get into the heat of regular season games, will they have the discipline to carry out the plan?
The Suns exceeding expectations would be a nice bonus to the 2016-17 season.
It has to remain a bonus and the bigger picture focus can’t be lost for short-term satisfaction.
