Bickley Blast: Suns’ superteam is failing ‘spectacularly’
With the Phoenix Suns in a 2-0 hole to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first round playoff series, Dan Bickley wonders if the team can even the series up and take it back to Minnesota.
Video: Jeremy Schnell and Ed Cole/Arizona Sports
Photo Credit: David Berding/Getty Images, Rob Loud/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival, Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
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29 Comments
It’s not a superteam it’s a team with two superstars and one has been all star who hasn’t reached anything near his Wizards status in Phoenix and a bunch of very bad role players. Suns needed their three top guys to play up to their status and haven’t come close. They don’t have the depth to mask the three guy’s underachieving.
If you lose in the first round, you have no choice but to ride it out until 2025-26 when KD is coming up due and the other signed players are easier to trade. Hire a GM and a coach who build a culture of accountability and make sure the reality check is heard loud and clear.
I love the Suns, but I fucking hate this team.
I think changes need to be made of the Suns get bumped in the 1st round however I wouldn't want to see Booker traded. He had been so loyal to this organization that I feel that the franchise should make trading him the last worst case option.
Yall have to do ANY and EVERYTHING you can to try to convince Beal to accept a trade somewhere for a good PG and good role players to fill out the roster, simple as that
KD got the right skillset, Beal got the right attitude, Booker got neither.
Booker is not a playoff superstar
I've been saying this for months. I imagine that they will go another year- but lets face it, there is LITTLE to hang you hat on and build with. You wait to blow it up till next year and KD's value will plumment. Not to mention the continued questioning by the national media of Book's superstar status, which can affect how much we can get for him. If they completely flame out and get swept, wipe it clean. We tried it with Book and a homegrown team twice- we tried with another Superstar and Book and failed. Now we have 3 and have actually done the worst of the BUNCH.
The Phoenix sports media that covers the Suns are a bit cancerous. Obviously no Suns fan is particularly happy with the way this team has played this year, but what is with all this negative coverage and outlook? Why are we acting like the sky is falling when we're down 0-2 to the #3 team in the west? We've come back from 0-2, and 3-1 before in years past to win or at least made it a series. Did we just forget the dark days from 2013-2020 when the Suns would win 20 games a year? Chill tf out, the series isn't over.
If I were booker I’d opt out to be traded to another team. It’s clear that his loyalty to this team is not appreciated. He has been the cornerstone of this teams national notoriety. And now he is being lampooned by everyone. WOW
Booker, Durant and Beal are going to go off and the tides will turn. Just wait
Well, the Suns are trying. MN is just a way better team. Its the GM who should be blamed.
At this point try anything Idgaf whether it makes since or not. Throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. Because hey if you lose in the 1st round ya fired anyway.
So we’re just gonna over look the facts🧏🏾♂️ refs were letting them play jungle ball
As a guy who has followed the Wolves all season, don’t be surprised if they let the Suns back into it. When things are going good they have a tendency to take their foot off the gas and coast. Right now they’re playing about as well as they can(especially defensively) and making the right play most of the time, but if they get down the ball stops moving and Ant tries to do everything himself.
Superteam ? KD is ringless without golden state. Booker has zero rings and beal is just a guy.
These guys are ridiculous. The Suns aren't a superteam, they are a Big3. And NO team put together with 98% new players and a new coaching staff at the beginning of the season, has the chemistry and time together to win a championship. Not to mention reshuffling your entire bench at the trade deadline. The Suns have gotten as far as they have off of superior offensive talent, but that talent alone will probably not be enough to go far in the playoffs. They need chemistry and time together to gel. I expect them to be a MUCH better team next year if they stay together. A serious championship contender.
I wouldn’t say the players are the problem, better coaching would make a big difference. We do need a PG, you can’t have your facilitator being doubled in a full court press almost every possession, you need to have your shot makers focused on shot making and not facilitating. They need to run plays for KD where he gets open without the ball in his hands, catch and shoot. We need to get Allen, Gordon or ONeale involved early getting shots up and run plays specifically for them every once in a while. We need to not devolve into iso ball with the big 3. We win when we have ball movement because defenses can’t keep up with who to cover. All of this has to do with coaching schemes and adjustments to what your opponent is throwing at you, something we criticized Monty for. Assuming this season ends in the first round I would be happy with seeing what happens next season with a different coach. The year that Vogel won with the lakers I remember thinking to myself “what does he even do? He just lets lebron run the show”
They are just not a smart team, simple as that. If gobert is gonna switch the screens why don’t they pass it to Nurk on the block? I know Nurk clearly can’t make layups 🙄 but still PASS him the ball. Let them collapse and just be ready smh.
I’m still here until the end but my expectations are gone.
You guys in these comments are all negative, weak fans who like to cry and suck your thumbs together while you act emo. The overreactions are insane. Quit letting these talking heads poison your minds with negativity and have common sense. If we go out in the first round, you fire the coach and do whatever else is needed and whatever else is possible to correct course.. because guess what? This team isn’t blowing it up.
We got spoiled with the 2021 team 😢 this team stinks
Bleak Bickley blithers before he should, no surprise. If the Suns turn this around I'm sure he'll act like he expected it all along.
As a Wolves fan, series is far from over. Wolves know that
We have a bad coach
What do you expect from Simmons? He's based out of LA, is a Lakers frontrunner and holds lebron's pocket while gargling his balls. He's just stirring the pot for ratings…
Can we stop this BS? It’s year one of a completely new core. Like give me a break
Booker is Traaaaaash!!!
The Suns problem is they are an Isolation and spot up team and nothing else. To easy to defend against. They need to get creative with their offense to have a chance and I don't know if Vogel can do that this late.
I don't mean this in a negative way but this team was never a super-team. Quit reacting to the media.
Important lesson: Train yourself to always think outside of their box. All forms of media prepackage little narratives for everyone to run with. Be aware of this and when you start to learn to avoid theese pre-scripted popular opinions you'll begin to think for yourself.
idk just trying to help a little. However the suns did have a very bad year. It sucks that Beal, Durant, and Booker were like a well oiled turnover machine. Im not dissing Grayson Allen but he is probably the best ball handler and possess the best ball security on the entire roster.