Bright Side Of The Sun: All Posts by Dave King

Phoenix Suns picking 5th, but that second first-rounder is the key to the draft

2013-05-22T13:50:12Z

In a draft devoid of that next great superstar, it's not the end of the world to pick 5th. The 5th pick has less pressure to excel than the top 1 or 2, for both the team and the player, and yet might have the same or better upside.

"The guy who goes there might not be much different, or any different, than guys who go in the top three," Phoenix Suns General Manager McDonough said after the Suns learned they would pick 5th.

"We're excited about it," he continued. "We're going to get a good player. There are at least five players. I think there are more than five good players in this draft."

McDonough said they would likely be able to get all the top guys to come to Phoenix, and that they would focus most effort on 8-10 guys for that #5 pick.

Yet it's the later pick, currently slotted at #30, that holds the key to this draft.

We can hope that the Suns brain trust, led by serious young man Ryan McDonough, will identify the best players in the draft. One or more of them will be off the board by the 5th pick, and certainly by the 30th. But that doesn't mean the Suns can't or won't pull one over on their brethren. Every draft has winners and losers. It would be nice if the Suns were in the "winnners" bracket for once.

"I think in every draft there are a few star players," McDonough said at the post-lottery press conference on May 21 at US Airways Center. "And they don't always go according to form. It's not always one, two, three, in that order. There are some good players here. I don't know if there is a franchise changer, but I'm confident we'll get somebody really good who is able to help the Suns next year."

McDonough identified guys like Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley in prior drafts as gems. He reportedly even had Rondo as #1 or #2 overall in 2006. McDonough has spent eight seasons drafting 19th or lower. He's used to working that much harder to find gems.

Drafting 5th is different, I think, and possibly easier. When you're drafting 5th, you're picking from the already-known cream of the crop, and the pressure to pick a known quantity is high but the downside is less worrisome. Most of the top-5 picks are successful in the NBA.

It's that later pick that has a bigger bust potential, but also requires the best scouting to get a difference-maker that no one else expected to be so good. Rondo. Bradley.

McDonough has pieces in hand to get the guy he wants later in the draft. The Suns have the #30 pick and some nicely-priced veterans to trade to a playoff contender for their mid-round pick if he really identifies a diamond in the rough. The Suns also have the cap space to absorb more salary than they send out, up to $10 million more.

Maybe you take the known quantity at #5 (Oladipo, Bennett, McLemore) and then trade up for the gem no one's taking high, like the Celtics did when they acquired the #21 pick. Early rumor has it that some picks are for sale (Dallas, for one) to save money for free agency. Several teams have two first round picks and may not want both young players on their roster with guaranteed multi-year contracts.

My money says the Suns stay at #5, take the best available known quantity, and then get creative with their second pick currently slotted at #30.

A perfect scenario has Phoenix drafting a player like Oladipo or Bennett or Len at #5, and then taking "the next Rondo" with their second pick in a trade-up scenario.

ESPN's Chad Ford has the Suns taking Oladipo at 5 and Reggie Bullock at 30.

SI.com's Chris Mannix has the Suns taking Bennett at 5 and C.J. Leslie at 30.

NBADraftInsider's Kris Habbas has the Suns taking two international prospects at 5 and 30: Rudy Gobert and Livio Jean-Charles. Check out the link and Kris' site for explanation as to why...

NBA Draft Lottery: Phoenix Suns get 10th chance to win lottery - best odds since 1987, highest pick since 1988

2013-05-21T14:45:29Z

Tonight, the Phoenix Suns try to get lucky and move up in the draft for the first time since 1987. There are two ways to move up - via the lottery system, or via trade. The Suns have benefited from the lottery system only once (1987, Armen Gilliam) and have rarely drafted higher than their record-based slot.

The Suns did acquire Atlanta's future #1 pick in 2005, which finally conveyed to Phoenix in 2008 as 15th overall (Robin Lopez). But they have never made a draft-day trade to move up to get a player they liked.

The Suns also acquired the Lakers' 1995 #1 pick in 1994 for Ced Ceballos, which became Michael Finley.

Other than those three times, the Suns stayed right where they were to take the best player.

Lottery Odds

The Suns have the 4th-highest chance to move up to the top-3 pick tonight - nearly 33% overall.

Their chance to get #1 overall: 11.9%

Chance for #2: 12.2%

Chance for #3: 13.3%

Lon Babby will represent the Suns tonight in the lotto room.

"My grandson (Josh) is playing on a T-Ball team at age 4 so he's got a little baseball card. I got him to sign it for me so he wrote his name on it. I'll have it in my pocket," Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said to Arizonasports.com.

"I don't know if he's good luck, but I always like having his picture with me, anyway. That will be my good luck charm."

So, no personal superstitions?

"I didn't say that. Everybody is superstitious," he said. "I used to have a lucky pair of pants that I wore for every exam in college. The trouble is they don't fit anymore.

"The other thing is," Babby continued, "I'm going to stay as close as I can to (Orlando Magic senior vice president) Pat Williams because he's won it four times (with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1986 and the Magic in 1992, 1994 and 2004). I'm going to see if I can touch him a couple of times just to get some good luck."

Trade, trade away

On the opposite end of the move-up spectrum, the Suns have traded away at least one first round pick a whopping ELEVEN times (1990, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012) in the last 26 years, since Gilliam was drafted in 1987. The 2008 and 2012 picks were "second" picks, later in the first round. But still. Gulp.

Since the draft lottery came to fruition in time for the 1985 draft, the Suns have been bad enough to get ping pong balls ten times, including this year (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013).

Never the bride

While the Suns have never drafted #1 overall in their existence, twice the Suns have drafted as high as #2 overall. The first time, they lost out on Lew Alcindor on a coin flip (settling for Neal Walk at #2 overall).

The second time, the Suns moved up to second overall in the 1987 lottery. The Suns lost out on David Robinson, instead taking Armen Gilliam #2 overall in 1987.

Highest pick since 1988 guaranteed

No matter what happens tonight, the Suns will draft no worse than 7th overall. This guarantees the Suns their highest selection since Tim Perry in 1988 - 25 years ago.

Other top-7 picks - besides Walk and Gilliam - include Corky Calhoun (4th, 1972), John Shumate (4th, 1974), Alvan Adams (4th, 1975), Walter Davis (5th, 1978), William Bedford (6th, 1986), Tim Perry (7th, 1988).

Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire were both drafted 9th overall, while Ed Pinckney was drafted 10th in 1985.

Logistics

The lottery drama begins at 5:30pm AZ Time on ESPN, with picks revealed in inverse order. Start paying attention immediately. The Suns begin in 4th position overall. If a later team jumps ahead of the Suns, then the Suns will drop to as low as 7th unless they too win a higher spot.

Barkey Blasts Spurs! Twenty years ago today, Charles Barkley hits winner, Phoenix Suns drop Spurs to win Western Semis

2013-05-20T20:48:42Z

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. Today, the Suns and Charles Barkley end the Spurs season with a game-ending clincher by Barkley. One of the greatest moments in Suns history.

May 20, 1993: Suns beat Spurs 102-100 on Barkley jumper, win series!

Boxscore - courtesy of basketball-reference.com

The Phoenix Suns couldn't find a way to win either of their first tries in San Antonio, shooting less than 42% each time and generally wishing they were playing at home.

But in Game 6 in San Antonio, the Suns would not be denied. Specifically, Charles Barkley would not be denied. Barkley posted 28 points, 21 rebounds (21!), 4 assists and 4 steals.

Dan Majerle played every minute of the game, tallying 18 points and 4 rebounds while defending like a madman. KJ had 18, 8 and 3 steals. A "big" surprise was Oliver Miller. The Big O put up 12 points, 5 rebounds and a huge FIVE blocks along with 2 steals. When you get contributions like that, it's easier to win on the road.

But this was Barkley's show.

For more coverage of the 1993 playoff run, including quotes and recollections, check out azcentral.com's band of Suns-covering dudes and dudettes!

Solar Flares - Open NBA/Suns Thread - On coaching opening, lotto luck, etc

2013-05-20T14:30:25Z

It's lotto week!

The last couple of weeks have provided Suns fans with next to zero news, despite this being one of the Suns' most important offseasons in franchise history. Clearly, new GM Ryan McDonough is not all about flash and sound bytes. He'd rather just pick the right people - coaches and players - to move this franchise forward.

Lotto

Tuesday night, Suns fans will finally find out what all this angst for the past few years has brought on the Suns franchise. While it's just about random bouncing balls, fans will undoubtedly apply the results to some version of 'karma'. If the Suns lose ground (ie. pick 5-7), then the franchise is now cursed. If the Suns gain ground (ie. 1-3) then it's the basketball gods laughing at us since this is the worst Top-3 draft in years. This draft is heavy on depth but lacks any surefire superstars at the top.

For luck, the Suns are sending Lon Babby to the show.

Coach

In another lottery, the Suns are soon going to pick from a pile of up-and-coming assistant coaches to lead this team into the next few years. Expect the hire to be a guy who embraces analytics and is willing to take a job likely to produce 50-60 losses in the next 12 months. The coach will be growing with the team, much like Monty Williams in New Orleans (still respected despite horrific loss counts) and hopefully not like Mike Dunlap in Charlotte (fired after one season).

Rumor has it that the Suns want a coach in place for individual player workouts in prep for the draft, and the sooner the better. The problem with that is some of the best options - Brian Shaw (Indiana), Mike Budenholzer (Spurs), Lionel Hollins and Dave Joerger (Grizzlies) - are all coaching for at least 1-2 more weeks and possible right up until mere days before the draft.

An inquiry to Lon Babby about the timing of a hiring went unanswered, so we don't know if the Suns are willing to wait until mid-June to hire their next coach.

The hot assistants available at this moment include J.B. Bickerstaff and Kelvin Sampson (Rockets), Jeff Hornacek (Jazz), Quin Snyder (Russia/Lakers) and Steve Clifford (Lakers). Suns GM Ryan McDonough used to work with Rockets GM Daryl Morey, so you can expect some real talk between them about the two Rockets guys.

Will the Suns choose from that letter group, or wait patiently for the playoffs to end?

Will they surprise us with someone we haven't heard of?

Or will they keep Lindsey Hunter, who got an interview last week?

Stay tuned.

Draft

No word yet on the profile of pick the Suns want in June.

Smart money says that's because there's not a single untouchable position on the roster, leaving every prospect still on the Suns' board. And that likely won't change with the lottery on Tuesday night. The top picks are so interchangeable that we won't know who "won" the draft for at least a year, if not three.

If McDonough can pick out a future star like he did Rajon Rondo in 2006 (was drafted 21st but Celtics had him in the top 2), then we are in good shape. That's the real key to the draft. Have the draft position and player-evaluation talent to pick the best of the bunch.

No word of workouts in Phoenix, or even of favorites from the Combine last weekend. Heck, we don't even know who the Suns interviewed among the top talents.

Ok, I'm done rambling about absolutely nothing. No news is no news.

Your turn!

Back to the future game recap: 1993 Phoenix Suns drop Spurs in Game 5, 109-97

2013-05-18T13:15:10Z

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?

Suns Coaching Search Presses On: Coro with latest

2013-05-17T13:12:16Z

Suns Coaching Search Presses On: Coro with latest

A group of current assistant coaches the Suns are planning to interview includes former Suns player and Utah assistant Jeff Hornacek, Los Angeles Lakers assistant Steve Clifford and two Houston assistants — former Washington State, Oklahoma and Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson and J.B. Bickerstaff, the son of former NBA head-coaching veteran Bernie Bickerstaff.

CSKA Moscow assistant Quin Snyder, a former Missouri head coach and NBA assistant coach, is also in the mix and some here at the combine feel the Suns would be willing to look at collegiate head coaches such as Villanova’s Jay Wright, Butler’s Brad Stevens or Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg.

NBA Draft Combine Measurements: Oladipo, McLemore come up small, Porter big

2013-05-17T04:03:02Z

Our own contributor, Kris Habbas, is also a scout who runs NBADraftInsider.com, one of the best NBA draft and scouting websites in the country.

Tonight, Kris posted the raw measurements of all the top prospects for the draft (except Alex Len). Each year, there's a few guys who measure bigger than people thought they'd be, and a few who drop because of their alligator arms or lack of overall height.

For a shooting guard, it's tough to measure under 6'5" but it does help to have really long arms. Dwyane Wade is only 6'5" but his reach is almost 7'0" which always helped him overcome that deficiency.

The Phoenix Suns, who draft somewhere between #1 overall and #7 overall, must have come away with some new information to add to their databanks that just might shuffle their draft board. They have needed a top-end wing player for a long time, so let's look at how the top wings measured.

Victor Oladipo measured only 6'4.25" in shoes (which, after all, how they play the game). His reach is over 6'9" though, so that should help him at the next level. But still, 6'4" is short for a starting SG in the NBA.

Ben McLemore measured only 6'4.75" in shoes himself. He's been compared to Ray Allen, though, who's only 6'5", but his reach is only 6'7.5" which is barely longer than Kendall Marshall for example.

Otto Porter, on the other hand, measured bigger than many expected. He's 6'8.5" in shoes (comparing favorably to Nic Batum) with a reach of over 7'1"! Consider that's a longer reach than many center prospects.

One guy who some are calling this year's Dion Waiters or Damian Lillard, for possibly getting drafted early in the lottery despite being an undersized combo guard, is C.J. McCollum. McCollum is a combo guard who can shoot and handle the ball and pass it.

McCollum, who missed most of last season due to injury, measured at 6'3.25" in shoes with a 6'6" wingspan. His size pushes him to the combo guard, sometime point guard, sometime shooter role in the NBA. If he can run a team, he could be a star (Lillard). But if he can't, he would be more like Leandro Barbosa or Dion Waiters.

Either way, given the dearth of star power in this draft, it's possible that McCollum could shoot all the way into the Suns drafting range.

Check out the measurements on Kris' website right now. Kris will be providing his own (real-er) analysis soon.

Athletic testing comes tomorrow, which can help but it also doesn't say a whole lot either. I remember when D.J. Strawberry was the "best athlete at the combine" years ago. Meant nothing.

But all this is just a little more information to add to the databanks. There's a whole lot of analysis that goes on, and video watching, and interviews, and private workouts, and all that jazz.

At the least, we can hope is that this year the Suns don't (a) fall in love with a single player to the detriment of their scouting and (b) don't overdraft someone that could have been drafted later.

Solar Flares - Open NBA/Suns Thread - Combine, coaches, scouts and more!

2013-05-16T14:16:40Z

Reportedly, the Phoenix Suns will be scouting both players and coaches this weekend. The Chicago NBA Draft Combine pulls together all the who's who and who-wants-to-be's of the NBA into one place (unless you're a blogger who's working for free).

New Suns GM Ryan McDonough has brought an inherited Suns entourage to Chicago with him, not yet dotted with any of his own peeps. Judging by how the Suns have evaluated players the last few years, we can only hope that McDonough is the jack-of-all-trades he's reported to be.

Coaches

McDonough not only has to pick out two diamonds from the rough (a top-7 pick and a #30 overall) of these draft-eligible players, he has to find a new coach as well.

While McDonough will likely talk to several potential coaches this weekend, don't expect any hirings to happen until more teams are eliminated from the NBA playoffs. One of Mike Malone (Golden State) or Mike Budenholzer (San Antonio) will be busy for at least two more weeks. Brian Shaw (Indiana) could be busy for another month himself. The Suns coaching list could easily contain assistants on the HEAT or Grizzlies as well.

Other candidates, such as Jeff Hornacek and Nate McMillan and J.B. Bickerstaff, are already available and may have already gotten interviews with McDonough, but we have no idea. Nothing's leaked to the media yet.

Keep your ears open

Players

Measurements will tell us just how small Victor Oladipo and Trey Burke are, while athletic drills will tell just how un-athletic Shabazz Muhammad is. Those results are crtiical to the early draft evaluation process.

Other than that, NBA front offices get a chance to interview players for the first time. In these interviews, you get a feel for the kind of person they are. It's your first chance to glimpse their inner being, their true self.

McDonough and staff will be busy with all 61 players this weekend. They currently have picks at the top of round one, the bottom of round one and the last third of round two. That's the most picks the Suns have had in years. And that's only if they stay exactly where they are today. Remember in 2006, the Celtics loved Rajon Rondo so much they acquired the Suns #21 pick to take him after watching him drop.

Every single player here counts and might just be drafted by the Suns in June.

Keep your eyes open and ears tuned to the news.