The Phoenix Suns are unanimously considered one of the best up-and-coming teams in not only the Western Conference, but the entire CSL. With a fantastic mix of youth and some veteran leadership, we here at DC Weekly sat down with GM GreenBear to get a better look at the mindset going into creating this contender.
So GM GreenBear, coming off a season where your franchise took a big step, how is the vibe from the Suns? What are some goals you have for this upcoming season?
Optimistic vibes coming out of Phoenix right now. We’re coming off a year in which our young roster took a huge leap forward to make the second round of the playoffs. With a starting unit that included 2 rookies, a second year player, and a third year player, I certainly wasn’t expecting to make that jump just yet. I thought it would take another year or two to reach that level, so I’m pleased with my guys. We still have a long way to go before reaching our ultimate goal, but I love the core that we have in place, and I’m patient enough to let them develop. As for goals, I’m just looking for improvement. Making some noise in the second round (i.e. not being swept…) against an elite West team would be a successful season. Our upper limit is probably knocking on the door of the conference finals, but that is likely still a year away.
Dekker, Wiggins, and Wright are all entering their 2nd season in the league. Which of those players do you see having the biggest improvement?
All three are talented players that are going to contribute to our team going forward in a multitude of roles. Sam Dekker is Mr. Versatility. He’s very smart and doesn’t have a weakness to his game. He can play multiple positions for us, which gives our team a lot of flexibility. The best of the trio right now is Delon Wright. He takes great care of the ball, plays solid defense and shoots over 50%. He’s already one of the best jump shooters in the league, and he’s a perfect complement to Bledsoe in the back court. He’s going to be a great player on this team for years to come, but the future franchise player is no doubt Andrew Wiggins. He played pretty well for us as a rookie last year, and with a full offseason to work on his game, we’re expecting a big step forward in his game. He’s still a few years away from reaching his full potential, but I think we’ll see Wiggins make the biggest improvement from last year.
Suns F Andrew Wiggins is expected to have a breakout year
Hollis Thompson was a heavily contested SG that you've acquired through free-agency. What's going to be different this time around as Hollis has been a Sun in the past?
Two years ago, we were the only team to offer Hollis Thompson a contract in free agency. No one else even bothered making a call to his agent. We gave him a place to showcase his skills when no one else would. Obviously, he flourished while he was here and other teams took notice. Our franchise was in a very different spot when he last played for us, and since Thompson was signed to a short contract, we couldn’t pass up an offer from the Bulls to help our team in the future. We were very upfront and honest with Thompson, and I think he appreciated that. We parted on good terms, and we continued to admire his game from afar. It’s no secret that our 3-point shooting was one of our biggest weaknesses last year. We addressed it a bit with our first round pick of Darrun Hilliard, but he’s just a rookie that will need some time to develop, so we wanted to bring in another sniper. And who better than Hollis Thompson? He’ll give great minutes off the bench and make it rain. He’s not the most stout defender, but we will surround him with enough other good defenders to help him out. I’m really excited to have him back in Phoenix with our current roster.
Predict the champion favorite in your opinion this CSL season. Which two teams are going to the CSL Finals?
Hahaha, I hate making these predictions before training camp has even started… But I suppose I’ll play your game. I don’t see how any other team comes out of the West besides New Orleans (barring a serious injury). Cotton is about to get even better, which is very scary. And they have some of the best depth in the league with Beverley, Thomas and Faverani all coming off the bench. Houston will challenge as they always do, and I could easily see Sacramento making it to the conference finals. But all signs point to New Orleans. As for the East, I think Chicago is probably the most talented team, so you know they’ll be right there. Boston isn’t far behind. I know that a lot of teams are predicting a drop-off for the Pistons this year, but don’t count me among them. That front court of Tristan and Drummond is going to destroy every team on the offensive glass. Meanwhile you have Teague, KCP, Jennings and Waiters coming at you from the back court, and Hollis-Jefferson to lock up any offensive wing players they come across. Don’t sleep on Jon, as I think they take East and win a re-match against the Pelicans.
Thank you for taking the time to join us and we look forward to seeing all the action this Phoenix Suns season.
Year 1: 47-35 [[Washington Wizards]] Year 2: 45-37 [[Washington Wizards]] Year 3: Fired [[Portland Trailblazers]]
Appreciate you remembering me among the East's top dogs but we have to make this team work first.
Amazing team, amazing youth, one of the very few teams in the league that can sit back and enjoy it's guys develop and become monsters. When you can rely on internal improvement is great because you don't feel the pressure to make any moves. When you're already good and about to improve even more, however, it starts to get a little bit scarier than initially thought!
Better make my runs right now cause in the future I have no business messing with those Suns!
18-19 Chicago Bulls: CSL Champions
#1 D.Rose #11 J.Holiday #21 J.Butler #42 A.Horford #13 J.Noah
29-30 Philadelphia 76ers: CSL Champions #1 L.Ball #15 M.Beasley #23 B.Bowen #21 M.Wagner #51 K.Towns
I'm so glad you got Austin and am even more thrilled you stuck with him. Truly a unique player.
You know that I love your team. 3pt shooting is a problem we're trying to address also, it's harder than it sounds, imho. You guys are a playoff lock, but I'm thinking your a better Center away from contention - I say that only because I don't see any other reason why you're not deeper into the playoffs otherwise.
Sun Scorched wrote:I'm so glad you got Austin and am even more thrilled you stuck with him. Truly a unique player.
You know that I love your team. 3pt shooting is a problem we're trying to address also, it's harder than it sounds, imho. You guys are a playoff lock, but I'm thinking your a better Center away from contention - I say that only because I don't see any other reason why you're not deeper into the playoffs otherwise.
Great job Sir! And good luck!
Haha don't I know it... I've attempted a couple moves, but to no avail yet.
Yeah, Austin is a favorite of mine. He's been exactly what you predicted he would be coming out of the draft 2 years ago. I think he's going to have a coming out party this year if he gets his endurance boost. Enough talk though, I'm just excited the new season is finally upon us!
Your team is going to be a top team in the West for many years with the blend of youth and veterans you have. Its going to be fun to watch you and Sacramento battle it out again to see who is top in the Pacific. And I agree that its going to be tough for any team to dethrone the Pelicans, but the season is very unpredictable so who knows.
Appreciate the high hopes for us too man. We'll have to see how it plays out once the season starts though, but good luck this year!
bt wrote:Always interested in how Austin turns out as we could have taken him but went for Payton instead.
Both are awesome players. Payton definitely flies under the radar a bit though, which is interesting to me. Kind of that blue collar defensive floor general, you know? Not flashy, but supremely talented.
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