The Madhouse - 13 Days to the Phoenix Suns’ Preseason Countdown

Hey, y’all! Late Madhouse as I was traveling back from a wedding yesterday.

I’m pretty excited. We’re only 13 days away from the first Phoenix Suns pre-season game. THIRTEEN DAYS. That’s nothing.

So here’s 13 things I’m looking forward to seeing:

1. Dragan Bender getting serious minutes. I’m probably higher and Bender than most, but I’m more excited to see his skills on display than Marquese Chriss.
2. Marquese Chriss getting serious minutes. I’m not so excited for Bender that I’m not looking forward to the 8th pick doing work. They can both get some as far as I’m concerned.
3. Devin Booker vs. The Hype Machine. The bar keeps getting raised for the second year player with articles out there comparing him to Lebron James and Kevin Durant. Hopefully the kid comes into his own while tuning out the noise.
4. Purple courts. More purple and less black makes Mike a happy boy.
5. How the Bright Side handles a maybe less than Bright Side season. We’ve seen garbage seasons here before, but hopes are high and should any of the youngsters disappoint, I could see lots of calls to burn it all down.
6. Al McCoy, Ring of Honor. I’m going to bang this drum all season long until it happens. The time to induct Al is now. At the very least, it’s a bright spot for all Phoenix Suns fans in a season that may not promise many wins. At the very best, it is what is should be: the proper honor for the definitive Voice of the Phoenix Suns.
7. What other Ring of Honor inductions we might see? Shawn Marion? Amare Stoudemire? Or is it too soon?
8. A Morris-free roster for 82 games. Hallelujah.
9. Non-Suns division: how the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors follow up their respective Finals runs. GSW added Kevin Durant while the Cavs haven’t even re-signed J.R. Smith yet. Both teams enter the season as odds-on favorites to return to the Finals.
10. Social activism on the NBA floor. We saw Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Chris Paul stand up at the ESPYs. We saw #Icantbreathe warmups on NBA players last season and black warmups in the WNBA this season. And of course NFL players have been making their voices heard during the national anthem this season. The conversation — and backlash — will certainly continue when the NBA season starts up.
11. Earl Watson coachspeak. I love the love. And I was more than happy to give him a pass on instituting any kind of “system” last season (that just doesn’t happen during the 2nd half of an 82 game grind). But with a full offseason under his belt, he’s got a lot to prove in 2016-17.
12. Ryan McDonough’s plan. Will he do anything at all this season? Or just let the team run and see how the kids pan out?
13. The NBA Blogosphere and Twittersphere’s warming up and bringing out their A game. Please don’t let this list distract you from the fact the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

What about you Madhousers? What are you looking forward to this season?