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Suns Want Improvement, Express Optimism for Offseason

There are explanations for the Suns’ season-ending tailspin if you look hard enough (injuries, roster imbalance and trades among them).

Then there is the stern approach that says Phoenix simply didn’t do well enough after a feel-good 20013-14 campaign.

“The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby.

That was the general tenor on Wednesday, which saw players, coaches and front office personnel meet for their exit interviews before heading into the offseason, intent on improving through individual and collective means the 39-43 result that was the 2014-15 campaign.

On one hand, there was optimism. In the other, improvement. The Suns are hoping to combine both to take its next step toward Western Conference contention.

Optimism

A lot of wrongs can be made right with a healthy roster. Phoenix finished the season with a mere eight players available for the final game, and the injured list included two starters (Alex Len, Brandon Knight).

A fully available contingent of players makes a world of difference, especially with the vast majority of them still in their mid-twenties. Most are expected to improve. Eric Bledsoe enjoyed his best numbers (including games played) of his five-year career. Ditto for Markieff Morris. Alex Len proved he is a difference-maker as the Suns’ starting center.

Brandon Knight

Those players are under contract through next season. Those who aren’t expressed a desire to return, including restricted free agent Brandon Knight. The talented 6-3 guard said he was “optimistic” about re-signing with the Suns this offseason. He wants to spearhead a playoff push similar to the one he helped engineer in Milwaukee, which went from bottom-feeder to playoff team this season.

“I enjoyed my time here,” Knight said. “I look forward to being here in the future.”

The feeling is mutual.

“We like him as a player. We like him as a person,” said Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough. “We have interest in bringing he and Brandan Wright back to Phoenix.”

Improvement

Asked about common threads gleaned from the player interviews, McDonough revealed the one kind of discontent teams want to have.

“They weren’t satisfied with how the season went and how it ended,” he said. “That’s a good thing.”

There was no one overwhelming force behind the Suns’ disappointing season, just as there is one singular way through which to improve.  Suns Head Coach Jeff Hornacek tabbed rebounding, wing shooting and leadership on his offseason wish list. Phoenix’s assets include another lottery pick (likely to fall at No. 13), cap room and “the ability to create more cap room,” according to Babby.

“I hope we’re one of the first teams other teams call if they have a disgruntled star player.”

— Ryan McDonough

The Suns remain in the hunt for a star player, one whose desired change of scenery just might include gentle winters, year-round golf courses and the best training staff in the NBA. In exchange, the Suns have a war chest of future draft picks at their disposal.

All Phoenix needs now is an opportunity.

“I hope we’re one of the first teams other teams call if they have a disgruntled star player,” McDonough said.

Meanwhile the Suns are hoping to unload the disgruntled portion of its own chemistry, which included a more individual approach than the team would have preferred. Hornacek’s exit interviews yielded that as a universal conclusion, as players expressed a concern that “we didn’t have all guys that were just concerned with winning.”

In the end, doing more winning in general remains the goal despite a brutal geographic fate. Teams with worse records in the Eastern Conference are currently basking under feel-good reviews, while the better-record, playoff-less Suns are forced to find a path through the thorny West.

Eric Bledsoe

Phoenix will aim for a better mix on the roster, especially in terms of age. McDonough and Hornacek want more veteran leadership on the team next season, something that can be achieved both internally and via free agency.

Both players and front office feel confident about the next steps that wait to be taken.

“Since I’ve been here, those guys have given me every reason to trust and believe in them,” said P.J. Tucker. “For me, it’s just trusting in them and letting them do their job and everybody coming in and coming together as a team like we did two years ago and try to make it happen.”

“We’re not far off,” Hornacek added. “A couple pieces here or there…they know that next year will be better.”

“We’ve got the right people in place,” Babby concluded. “The infrastructure is well developed in every respect. Now it’s just a question of getting the pieces we need to add. We’ve got the resources and the acumen to do that. But again, we have to do it.”