Why the Jarell Eddie 10-day signing makes sense for the Phoenix Suns

Before I say anything about Jarell Eddie, let's look at the Suns and where they are now first.

The Suns have officially shut down Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight for the rest of the season. Unofficially we can assume that Tyson Chandler has also been shut down for the season. He hasn't played since the All-Star break and although no one has actually announced that he has been shut down I think that is the case. Dragan Bender is still MIA after undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs and there has been no word on when of if he might return before the end of the season.

The Suns presently only have 14 players under contract which leaves them with just 10 guys available to play. With an open roster spot they needed to bring in someone on a 10-day contract to give them at least a little bit of end of the bench insurance in case someone gets injured, fouls out, gets tossed out, etc.

With just a 10 man team available for the foreseeable future, would you bring in a guard or a big? The small forward spot seems safe with T.J. Warren, Derrick Jones Jr. and Jared Dudley all able to play there. Even Devin Booker can play the 3 if need be so that's the one spot that the Suns didn't need to be concerned with.

Marquese Chriss, Duds and Warren can hold down the power forward spot. They aren't exactly interchangeable but they can all play the 4 and even DJJ can slip in there for a few minutes on occasion.

At center we have Alex Len, Alan Williams and Chriss who can all play the position.

But then we come to the guards where I think we could have a problem without adding some depth.

With both Bledsoe and Knight gone we have a guard rotation of Devin Booker, Tyler Ulis, Leandro Barbosa and Ronnie Price. DJJ has defended other team's guards on occasion but he's not a guard and couldn't be counted on to really fill in well if one of the four guards we have has to miss time on the court for whatever reason. Barbosa and Booker can both play PG in a pinch so adding another PG isn't really necessary. To me it seemed prudent that the Suns add a 10-day contract player who could fill in at shooting guard if needed... a "break glass in case of emergency" player.

That player has turned out to be Jarell Eddie. Here are some highlights from a recent D-League game where he scored 24 points against the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Eddie has been averaging 14.1 ppg and hitting 41.5% of his three point attempts with the Windy City Bulls this year. Although it's doubtful that level of production will translate to the NBA, Eddie at least gives the Suns another credible three point shooting threat if he's needed on the court. As you can see in the video, he’s also not a bad passer, can finish at the rim and fights for rebounds too.

Although the Suns aren't really concerned about winning for the rest of this season adding a player like Eddie still seems like a good idea... just in case.