[Dragic Watch 2015] Phoenix Pre-ASG Stretch of Destiny

So the Suns are 1-2 to start their Pre-ASG Stretch of Destiny..

But looking ahead to their schedule to end the season, it's even more brutal.. I don't think they will be able to handle the final stretch run, and OKC will probably catch them by season's end, if not earlier.

Thu, Mar 19 vs New Orleans
Sat, Mar 21 @ Houston
Sun, Mar 22 vs Dallas
Wed, Mar 25 vs Sacramento
Fri, Mar 27 vs Portland
Sun, Mar 29 vs Oklahoma City
Mon, Mar 30 @ Portland
Thu, Apr 2 @ Golden State
Sat, Apr 4 vs Utah
Tue, Apr 7 @ Atlanta
Wed, Apr 8 @ Dallas
Fri, Apr 10 @ New Orleans
Sun, Apr 12 @ San Antonio
Tue, Apr 14 vs Los Angeles Clippers

That's a rough 14 game finish to the season, including 4 straight road games against ATL, Dallas, NOP and SAS before finishing at home against the Clippers.

Every team will be fighting for seeding and home court, so there will be no resting starters for anybody more than likely.

I can't see them finishing the final 14 game stretch with more than 5 wins at best. A 5-9 finish to the season? No playoffs.

 

I caught the last quarter against Clippers. They closed the gap to just two points of difference purely on invididual heroics by Green and Thomas. Then a flurry of mental lapses, turnovers and bad plays (Plumlee post-up against DJ, wtf...) ensued. I don't think they put together one good possesion in that quarter.

Also Markieff has been one of the most clutch performers this season, saving them on numerous occasions. So when two of their top 3-4 scorers are not hot, they crumble.

I don't think they make the playoffs...

 

5-9 if I were being conservative.
I do think they can pull out some of those losses into wins though.

 

Wed, Jan 21 vs Portland W
Fri, Jan 23 vs Houston L
Sun, Jan 25 vs Los Angeles Clippers L
Wed, Jan 28 vs Washington W
Fri, Jan 30 vs Chicago W
Sat, Jan 31 @ Golden State L
Mon, Feb 2 vs Memphis L
Thu, Feb 5 @ Portland L
Fri, Feb 6 vs Utah W
Sun, Feb 8 @ Sacramento W
Tue, Feb 10 vs. Houston L
5-6

All star break

Thurs, Feb 19 - Trade Deadline @ 3PM ET

 

If the Suns management is going to determine the makeup of their squad based on a few games right before the ASG which determine whether they are the 8th seed or not, they need to determine the makeup of their own management. Especially considering that the only reason they are even competing with OKC for that spot is because of all the injuries OKC team has had.

The Suns already know what they are going to do.

 

It's very possible they lose the next 4 (WAS, CHI, GS, MEM).

 

Trade Bledsoe for a legit PF and give the keys of the team to Dragic = playoffs.

I don't know who that big would be though. It has to be a stretch PF and not someone like Faried. Ryan Anderson would fit in nicely.

G.Dragic/Thomas/Ennis
Green/G.Dragic/Archie
PJ Tucker/Marcus Morris/TJ Warren
Anderson/Markieff Morris
Len/Wright/Plumlee

They lose a bit of perimeter defense with Bledsoe gone, but they also get rid of tons of turnovers and disorganized play. Green gets a ton of confidence when starting like last season.

 

They aren't going to lose because they don't have enough scoring. They can't stop anyone, and Anderson certainly won't help with that.

They remind me a lot of Houston pre-Howard. Run/Shoot/Run. They WILL be a force within a few years, but I doubt Dragic will be a Sun when they are competing.

 

Well Dragic is the only one who can keep this talented, but disorganized bunch together. He showed that last year and he shows flashes of it this year, when they let him run the show - which is very rarely.
I think the management has to decide whether this is Bledsoe's or Dragic's team. I'm sure Dragic will flee if they let Bledsoe run the show.

 

Suns will not trade goran... they are on a win streak only way to get him now is during the summer.

 

so far you're right

 

How do you propose creating ~14 mil in cap space that you'll need to get him in the summer?

If he's not coming now, he's not coming.

 

Fear of Dragic trade is growing in Bright Side of the Sun. Of course it's only an opinion of some fans, but some of them are insightful. They also know Houston is trying hard to pry away Dragic, but they are questioning his fit with Harden (and Howard).

I tried to explain why Dragic would fit perfectly with Houston and before long I had multiple recs'. I really hope this sentiment proves true at the trade deadline!

Btw, this was my reply and that's how I envision Dragic's fit with Houston:

As a Slovenian I’m Dragic fan of course, but I’m also a Houston fan since Dragic’s days there. I know to an outsider, it seems unfathomable how Dragic could fit next to Harden since he handles the rock almost exclusively while on the floor. But have you asked yourself why is he de-facto the PG of Houston? Because Houston doesn’t have anyone else who can handle the ball and create for teammates.
When Harden sits, J.Terry, Corey Brewer and sometimes even Josh Smith handle the ball. Needless to say, the results of such offense are mediocre at best. This is the first potential fit for Goran: Run the bench. Goran, J.Terry, Kpap, JSmoove and TJones/Dmo? As a starting unit in the East, perennial playoff team year in and year out.
But Goran would start of course and handle the rock as much as he did last year with Bledsoe. It amuses me how a lot of people here dismiss the idea of Dragic next to a ball-dominant guard as Harden, yet he didn’t have any problems with it last year playing next to Bledsoe! Harden did play off the ball a bit last year when Parsons and Lin have been running the offense, so Dragic gets to run some offense even when sharing the court with Harden.
So if Dragic plays 15 minutes with Harden and 15 minutes without him, that’s at least 20 minutes of ball handling for him. How exactly is this situation worse than he is in now?

 

After tonight game it's 3-4

 

If Beverley hadn't taken such a big step back these past few weeks, I put out a possibility of letting Dragic come off the bench with the second unit if we could snag him. At the time Bev looked great; he was shooting lights out from 3 and playing great defense. And, Dragic would still play starter minutes (30 minutes) and get just as many opportunities but he would be our super-sub.

He would be our Manu to Bev's Danny Green, or the OKC-Harden to Bev's Sefolosha.

Dragic
Brewer / Terry
Pap
Jones (if not including in the package)
Smith

Best 2nd unit in the NBA, hands down. I'm drooling just thinking about how awesome this unit would be in transition. Can definitely see Dragic and Brewer connection happening often.

But with Bev becoming such a liability on both ends nowadays, anything is an upgrade at the starting unit right now.

Of course, getting Dragic is the first step. hahaha

 

What's going on w/ Gerald Green, though? DNP-CD two games ago, less than 15 minutes last game, 3 minutes tonight.

 

You need to delete that sig. Thats not true anymore.

 

He'a giving them 16-4, and awful defense, and it's not really his fault, he's a ball handling guard being asked to guard guys too big for him and not handle the ball, heck even their bench brings in someone to be the ball handler instead of him.

Heck if you asked anyone, would you give a 30% max contract to someone giving you 16-4 at average efficiency and awful defense, everyone would call you bat**** crazy, yet that seems to be the commonly believed outcome that phoenix is headed towards. Now if they let him go be 20-6 or even 18-6 with ok defense as their pg, whole different story, but a team doesn't bring in 3 other pgs (trade for one, free agent one and draft one) over 2 years when they feel set at pg.

 

Hornacek probably has him in the dog house for something or a possible trade, most likely the former knowing how quirky Hornacek is. He hasn't been too good when he has gotten time, either. ( 2-7) and (2-9) his last few games he got significant time.

I would take him for the Rockets. Dude is a microwave.

 

If OKC or New Orleans (preferably both) don't go on a tear and pass Phx before the trade deadline , Dragic probably isn't traded.