Do the Suns have a chance in the West?
By Eli Burk
Apr 14, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach
Jeff Hornacektalks with guard
Eric Bledsoe(2) against the Los Angeles Clippers at US Airways Center. The Clippers beat the Suns 112-101. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Starting with the top, Golden State is not going anywhere after an amazing season last year.
San Antonio won the NBA off-season by a landslide.
Houston will continue to make noise with the Harden-Howard duo.
The Clippers got a lot deeper at nearly every position.
Memphis always has a good team.
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New Orleans is on the rise and has new coach who will make them A LOT better.
Oklahoma City should be all healthy and Utah has the pieces to be a playoff team this season.
At the bottom half, both Dallas and Portland lost out by not being able to sign (or resign) those key big men they so desperately need.
The Suns were FINALLY able to get a big man that fits their playing style, but with not real wing threat on the team they will struggle against teams like Golden State, Houston, and Oklahoma City who have elite scoring wings.
Denver drafted well and have a good young core but they won’t win any matchups with almost any team in the west.
The Lakers, Kings and T-Wolves all have young core players, but they just can’t get over the hump and beat teams that have developed those core players already and have coaches who can lead them into the right direction.
Apr 14, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns forward
Markieff Morris(left) against Los Angeles Clippers forward
Blake Griffinat US Airways Center. The Clippers beat the Suns 112-101. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
So in my mind the Suns are going to struggle with making the playoffs again this season, which is bad because the fan base has become accustom to this cycle of barely missing the playoffs and ending up with picks 12-14 in the draft and fall into the cycle again until free agents decide they want to go to the East and compete against LeBron James’s Cavaliers.