Center of the Sun, 10-19-15: Where the Phoenix Suns are still only playing preseason games

What a silly thing the preseason is.

Every year for nearly an entire calendar month, NBA teams play eachother and sometimes teams from other countries in games that count for nothing, and the ultimate goal across the board is for everyone to stay healthy. It's as if before the season starts, all 30 teams draw sticks and hope to avoid getting the short one.

This year is was Charlotte that drew the wrath of the preseason demons as Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be out for most of the 2015/16 season after suffering a separated shoulder.

There's always one.

The Suns so far have managed to stay healthy, aside from Mirza Teletovic coming down with the flu at the start of training camp, but there are still two more utterly pointless games to be played before things finally start to count. They have played four preseason games thus far, and the logical transition here would be to discuss what we have learned. Here goes.

• The rumors were true: Devin Booker can shoot
• T.J. Warren was not visited by a space alien over the summer that sapped his ability to put the ball through the cylinder in weird ways. However, the theory that he was inhabited by an alien clone an indeterminate amount of time ago can be neither proven nor disproven by these four preseason games
• Emmanuel Mudiay, at the ripe age of 19, needs his rest. He also wouldn't mind terribly if you removed yourself from his lawn, thank you
  
• Brandon Knight might be the reincarnation of Teddy DuChamp, last seen stubbornly refusing to move himself from the path of an oncoming train in the movie Stand By Me
• Jon Leuer possesses some basketball talent, but not as much as Alex Len
• Ronnie Price is happy to be here

Apparently they keep score for some reason during these games -- I suppose the scorekeepers need a practice round, too -- but forgive me for not looking up said scores and including them in this article. They don't matter.

Bright Side Night - sending 1,000 kids to a game

Donate Now to make this a reality

The Suns are being widely predicted to yet again fall just short of the playoffs and into their cozy spot at the end of the lottery, as covered here by Dave. Unfortunately, preseason isn't going to provide us with any hints.

The defense was improved on paper, but it still needs to be seen on the court under pertinent circumstances. Preseason does not count as a set of pertinent circumstances.

A lot of the Suns' chances this year will depend on the compatibility of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight in the backcourt. Unfortunately, preseason has offered zero insight on this.

The coaches don't want to reveal too much of their playbooks, there are probably very few meaningful roster positions that are won or lost this time of year, the players that know they'll be here aren't giving 100% because honestly why the hell should they, and to be completely honest the real point of these games is probably so the teams can charge [x] amount more to season ticket holders.

There are two more of these games to be played -- Tuesday at San Antonio and Wednesday at Dallas. After that there will be one more week before the season finally starts for real on Wednesday the 28th. By that time, you can count on Center of the Sun to be here every Monday, regaling you with every detail of the previous week and providing you with a preview of what's to come.

I guess I needed a practice week, too.

Stay healthy, my friends.