Friday morning’s press conference – which addressed the three trades Phoenix pulled off in a 90-minute window on Thursday – went longer than 30 minutes. Statements were made, questions were asked, answers were given.
You didn’t have to listen too closely to discover the motive behind the Suns’ trade deadline upheaval.
“This is a team sport,” affirmed Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough. “We’re looking for team-first guys. This isn’t singles tennis. The guys who will be here are the guys who will buy in and play the right way. Those that don’t will be gone.”
Suns Trade Press Conference
The Suns’ front office is as analytically aware as it gets, but it didn’t need graphs, shot charts or statistical formulas to see that something was off with this year’s team. A feel-good 2013-14 campaign was followed by a tense encore. The drop-off wasn’t in the standings. The Suns are only three games off of last year’s pace and were in eighth place entering the All-Star break.
But the team never exhibited the all-for-one, one-for-all feel that defined last season…even with 10 players returning from that squad.
“The thing that’s been just nagging at us all season long and even before the season began was trying to recapture that feeling, trying to recapture that chemistry that we had last year that made last year so special,” said President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “It’s hard to do. We knew going into the season it was going to be hard to do. We never quite captured it.”
This is not an NBA aberration. It has happened with almost any team you can think of, including Suns teams past. After a historic 55-win season in 1988-89, Phoenix began the following season 7-10 despite sporting essentially the same roster. They responded by trading away the young-and-talented Armen Gilliam for a veteran role player (Kurt Rambis), and went 37-9 as a result.
The 2008-09 season featured a full helping of Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal and Amar’e Stoudemire. The Suns missed the playoffs, and shipped O’Neal off for essentially nothing before replacing him with Channing Frye. The following year, Phoenix earned eight more wins, a top-four seed and a trip to the conference finals.
In short, fit matters. A lot. So does selflessness. Those two factors, far more than individual numbers or perceived talent, add up a lot more quickly toward the Suns’ ultimate goal.
“Every move we make is with the goal of getting the Phoenix Suns to a championship level,” McDonough said. “Sometimes players view that as a good thing. I think they usually do. The good ones do. Sometimes get a little selfish and are more worried about ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’ than ‘us’, ‘our’ and ‘we’.”
Suns players who have contended for a title can attest to this. Dick Van Arsdale, a three-time All-Star, had to make way for Alvan Adams and Paul Westphal in 1975-76. Jeff Hornacek made room in the backcourt for Kevin Johnson’s budding talent. Johnson had to do the same for Charles Barkley. Shawn Marion learned to play at an All-Star level with Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire after doing so with far less talent around him. The trick, the Suns’ front office insisted, is to allow a team-first mindset in the midst of individual transition.
After completing Thursday’s myriad of moves, Babby and McDonough went down to the arena parking garage, where what remained of the team was still on the bus headed to the airport for a two-game road trip. Babby relayed a simple message.
“Let’s have fun again,” he said. “Let’s not be selfish. Let’s play as a team. Let’s recapture that chemistry.”
“We’re looking for team-first guys. This isn’t singles tennis. The guys who will be here are the guys who will buy in and play the right way.”
— Ryan McDonough
The trades Phoenix made should make all that a little easier. There is more breathing room on the roster. Roles should be easier to define and embrace. There are still question marks, but they are minor compared to the cloud that previously hovered overhead. The smaller concerns can be easily addressed immediately (buyout free agents, D-League, young prospects) and long-term thanks to a refreshed cache of draft picks and cap room.
As for what-if’s, well, what if anyone else had been at the wheel heading into those final 36-hour trading window?
“We won’t ever apologize for trying to get better and improve this team,” McDonough said.
Nor should they.