PHOENIX SUNS

Suns’ Lon Babby: Rebuilding never moves as quickly as you’d like

Dec 27, 2012, 1:23 AM | Updated: 1:23 am

As the Suns continue to rebuild during the post-Steve Nash Era in Phoenix, they are finding the process to be a long and arduous one.

With an 11-17 record, the Suns’ focus isn’t so much on contending for a title as it is getting back to the playoffs after a two-year absence.

“Our job is to get better every day and there are a number of ways to do that. The first and foremost is to develop the players that we have and now we’ve put a lot of time and energy into doing that and I think there are signs of progress,” Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby told Arizona Sports 620’s Doug & Wolf Wednesday. “You never move as quickly as you’d like, though.”

When Nash bolted for Los Angeles, he took the Suns’ remaining star power with him. Babby said that kind of top-tier talent is hard to come by.

“It’s challenging to find a player of that caliber and I think the vast majority of them actually come through the draft,” Babby said. “I think if you look team-by-team as to where those star players come from they often come through the draft and they don’t always have to be top five picks and quite often they aren’t top five picks.

“I think we have to continue to do a great job of drafting, scouting both pro players and college players and just be ready to jump and seize the opportunity and take a risk here and there and try to develop the guys that we have.”

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