What if the Phoenix Suns had drafted Luka Doncic?

What if the Phoenix Suns had drafted Luka Doncic?

And for the Suns they’ve chosen the Dallas Mavericks and and I mean honestly in some ways I I who do you think their rivalry should be I I was just going to say who else would I pick can’t pick the Lakers because the Lakers have the Clippers right the Nuggets I pick the

Nuggets as the sun’s rival I mean they met in the playoffs last year but I I I think a good one they’ve met in the playoffs twice in the last three years I think the Rivalry is about book versus Luca it’s not so much about these two

But what about history and past I mean this this history with Denver I mean the Antonio mcdice and Jake kid and Nash they were all there and they wouldn’t let him in it was snowing and was a long time ago that was a long time ago that

Was a long time I think it you know recent history I think matters a little bit more than something that happens 15 years ago in the Rival who’s the Nuggets rival um who would the Denver Nuggets rival be right now that’s a damn good

Question I have no idea I have it I mean based off the way is a nuggets fan he can’t even answer B the way they ran rough shots through the NBA’s Western Conference I don’t they have one who’s their rival I would as of right now I

Would probably say Suns but then close second SL third I would say Minnesota and OKC because they share a division so they play a lot okay okay that’s I don’t know that’s a good answer I I don’t I don’t know what the correct answer to that is anyway that the powers that be

Have chosen and look you get it that that that playoff series between the Suns and the Mavs still resonates two years later all right it really really it really does a lot happened in that series the meme the Luca special Luca Barkin when he came off the court after

Game five all of that stuff then the Christmas Day game and everything the maths I want to spend a couple minutes talking about the mths okay we’re almost coming up to the year anniversary of them acquiring Kyrie Irving and you and I both saw a story today on espn.com

Probably in part to create content around rivalry reek and promoting tonight’s game because it’s on ABC for goodness sakes about the sons of the Mavs and the whole slant of the story was Boy Kyrie Irving and Luca Don that has really worked for the Dallas Mavericks then you look at the record

Has it has it really worked I read the whole article and I know what how it was supposed to feel like I was supposed to feel man Kyrie going to the Mavericks was the best thing that could have happened to him and them and it left me

Wondering I don’t know if it really has I don’t know if it’s worked they’re 12 and 10 the gamble is paying off has it it took some some time for the combination to form clutch chemistry and injuries have interrupted their momentum but Dallas’s star Duo is the primary

Reason the Mavs are in sixth place in the Western Conference exactly like right that’s exactly it but Dallas’s star Duo is the primary reason the Mavs are in sixth place in the west Don one game away from a playing tournament the Maverick’s record with the duo this year

And the games they’ve played together is 12- 10 y 12 and 10 wow yeah it kind of now look we are we are how about this one the Mavericks are 12- n when the two of them play they’re 12- n when they don’t play well TW that’s where I got the 12

And 10 from oh cuz they didn’t this was written before they lost to Boston so I I did I added the boss game 12- 10 they’re 12 and 10 now look pot kettle black yes absolutely because you could look at the Suns and have the same conversation you could look at us and

Look at our basketball team and say well I mean has it worked I don’t know man there haven’t been a lot of games together and and they’re starting to have some success but there there’s just not a whole lot of games to point to and

Fair all of that is fair and you can point you can have you can hold the mirror up to the Phoenix Suns and have basically the same conversation I’ll tell you this right now a big three of Katie book and Beal versus a big two of

Luca and Kyrie I know who I’d take sure you know I I know who I’d rather be in a moment like that now you know is Luca the greatest of all those five players are on the when they’re on the floor together I don’t know we’ll find out

Tonight we’ll see I tend to think not but we’ll see there’s also the pressure of a playoff game and the situation and you know who does it affect more I mean a regular season game on Christmas day or on January 24th is a hell of a lot

Different than a playoff game in a seven game series you know you remember when they played the Mavericks and and lost them two years ago and the Suns went up two nothing we’re like this thing is like I don’t know if the Mavericks even win a game here and then they won the

Series and you’re like wow they made the adjustments they made the adjustments and they you know they they’ve had a good game plan against Booker a good game plan against Durant we’ll see now because I think the Suns you know everything’s clicking on all cylinders

With the big three so we’ll see but the Mavericks have always had a pretty good defensive game plan for those guys they have and the hope is that with Bradley Beal it’s just one too many guys for them to figure out to how to guard because that was always kind of the

Problem in the past was that their the matchups were there and that Suns just didn’t have any other options now I will say this in in credit to the Dallas Mavericks organization here’s where it has worked this time a year ago Kyrie Irving was toxic I mean like like you

Don’t want this guy man you don’t want this guy anywhere near your basketball program because remember at that time we’re coming off of trade demands from the Nets and he’s not going to play because of vaccination mandates and who’s going to want this guy on his team

And who’s going to want to pay him I’ll give the Mavs credit for this and Kyrie Irving credit for this you haven’t heard a peep out of Kyrie Irving in a year you know like in so in that regard of taking a chance on an Uber talented basketball

Player one of the most talented basketball players in the NBA and they needed to do that to keep Luca happy in that regard it has worked great it has worked great because he has not been a problem for them at all listen they were five- 11 in the games Irving and donic

Played together last season right you go look at Rudy goar with uh with Minnesota when he got there they didn’t and how about Kevin Durant with the Suns like they didn’t win anything last year like a lot of Kurt Schilling with the Diamondbacks the first year when he came

In and B it takes time time yeah like a lot of it does take time and you know we we you just automatically think it’s just going to work that donic and Kyrie didn’t work last year the Nuggets one of the things about the Nuggets man they’ve

Been together for a long time yeah like how many years ago was the Aaron Gordon trade like their key players have been together for a number of years it’s a big factor for them and even that didn’t work right away for the Denver Nuggets when the day they got Aaron Gordon I

Think the next day Jamal got hurt yeah right and that’s where there is a little bit of hypocrisy in you know in US calling out the Mavs when the truth of the matter is is is that it’s still really early in the process for Luca and

Kyrie just like it’s really early in the process for the Suns big three to pass any judgment on whether it’s going to work or not the the we’ll we’ll see later on in the season we’ll see as starting tonight and more into the season as they have more time together

Just do the Mavs morph into a real threat with those two guys or is it just not going to work and and so far it hasn’t worked great but you know the big three so far that’s been kind of hit and miss too for the Phoenix Suns we’ll see

It is interesting though that the whole thing was done basically to appease Luca because they don’t want to lose him in free they want to lose him in free they needed to another star yep to make sure he was happy and that he did not go

Anywhere that will be the big test to see whether that’s worked or not if because if they don’t win he might decide he won and they left they let Brunson go because they didn’t want to put have that contract and be tied to that money yep no doubt about it thanks

For watching Burns and gambo click to see more from the guys and hit the button in the middle to subscribe so you never miss a video from Arizona Sports

As the Phoenix Suns prepare to face the Mavericks in Dallas, Dave Burns and John Gambadoro dive into the rivalry, debate the Suns’ Big 3 versus the Mavs’ Dynamic Duo and ponder what could have been if Phoenix had drafted Luka Doncic.

Video: Felisa Cárdenas and Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports
Photo: Tim Heitman/Getty Images

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