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AP: 73a0b916-d651-4cd1-b8c5-15eb5e6095db
Phoenix Suns' Marcin Gortat (4), of Poland, and teammates celebrate a basket by Wesley Johnson at the buzzer to send the game into overtime during an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in San Antonio. The Suns won 105-101 in overtime.(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

If you're wondering whether the Phoenix Suns franchise has a viable game plan going forward, you're going to need to get in line behind former point guard Sebastian Telfair.

"I think last year we competed a lot better," Telfair told Arizona Sports 620's Craig Grialou while in town with the Toronto Raptors.

"I understand they're going in a new direction, but I wished we would've known that this summer. I really can't understand it. I'm not mad at nobody, but I don't understand it."

Can we get a show of hands here? Who else doesn't quite get it? #NoComprendo.

From here, we see a front office that has cornered the market on mediocrity. Planet Orange is more like Planet Ordinary.

Between players and picks, if the name of the game is amassing non-star talent that would never start a game for a contending team? #Ding. Or if the plan is to accumulate all the mid-first round and/or second round picks possible, then somebody please cue Al McCoy because "Suns Win! Suns Win!"

Thing is, when it comes to box scores and turnstiles, the NBA is a star-driven league. Get a superstar to drive your team into the passing lane or you're marooned in the bike lane with your blinker on desperately trying to merge into traffic.

Right now, the Suns are the snowbird in the Buick sporting Wisconsin plates. Their only hope appears to be hitting the lottery before the lottery hits back. Meaning the Suns better pray those ping-pong ball bounce their way or virtually every draft pick they possess will net a mid-round rookie. And how has that worked out recently (Robin Lopez, Earl Clark, Markieff Morris, Kendall Marshall)?

Once upon a time, when the Suns stank out loud, Jerry Colangelo would take a big chance. BIG, BIG chance. Trade All-Star Larry Nance for a young Kevin Johnson. What? My team still stinks? Let's make history with the blockbuster free agent signing of Tom Chambers.

Hey, that still doesn't put us over the top? Move the meter and trade for Charles Barkley. Heck, you ain't trying if you ain't trading. Tom Gugliotta. Penny Hardaway. Jason Kidd. Stephon Marbury.

None of that works? Let's call Knicks GM Isiah Thomas. Still not championship caliber? Hey Bryan Colangelo, please make a midnight recruiting visit to bring back Steve Nash. The Big Cactus.

Bold attempts for legit star power; that's what's missing with the current iteration of the Phoenix Suns. Anybody ever see pawns moved around a chess board, only to be followed by the word "checkmate" shouted out? Yeah, me neither.

Paul Calvisi, Morning Sports Anchor - 92.3 KTAR/Arizona Sports 620

10 Comments   |   Join the conversation »
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  • Abuse
    sundevil7901 wrote...
    Next season
    Suns have the cap space to make a move for a star in the offseason. They also have tradable assests (Gortat, Scola, Dudley, draft picks). Expect a star to land on Planet Orange this offseason. If nothing else, the FO wants to sell tickets and they need a player who can do that for them.
  • Abuse
    Whatashame wrote...
    Never gonna happen
    Not with Blanks and the rest of the fools in the present FO. All Blanks did in Cleveland was chase out James by never being a party to getting him any help on that team. What would make you think he will find any help for this team? The writers on this website need to get truthful about this team and put the "Flagship" bucks at risk.
  • Abuse
    movingaz wrote...
    Management
    Blame the Owner, Babby and Blanks. Period its all on them.
  • Abuse
    Sect113rw10 wrote...
    Boring...
    To bad too... I loved being a fan of the Suns. It was great to see competitors on the court. This whole thing stinks. It makes me think of that movie Moneyball but without ever getting any where close to anything ever happening, ever.
  • Abuse
    Michael D. wrote...
    Rebuilding
    It would be a huge mistake to sign a "star" in free agency. Far far better to draft a young and then use free agency or trades. We have some potentially good pieces - Goran, perhaps Wes Johnson, Marcus Morris. Beasley looks like a talented bust but in fairness to him they should be playing him inside at the 4 not outside at the 3. We need to find out - can Beasley be an effective 4 or not because that is clearly his best position. Beasley and Markeef should get the playing time at power forward and let's find out what we have or don't have at that position moving forward.
  • Abuse
    SunsDeuce wrote...
    Thank you Paul
    Finally a reporter not scared to say (or type) exactly how it is. The FO is terrible.
  • Abuse
    Screen Name wrote...
    Bold Attempts...
    My concern is they'll make a bold attempt (i.e. blow cap space) by acquiring a mediocre player that they view as a star. We've already seen evidence of this by their attempt to sign Eric Gordon (undersized and injury prone) to max money, and by their reported interest in Rudy Gay (solid #2 guy at best). Neither of those guys are true "franchise" guys and aren't worth max money. Their best shot to get a star is to trade for one, but the Suns already missed out on a huge opportunity (James Harden) at the beginning of this season.
  • Abuse
    Whatashame wrote...
    They would have come out ahead
    if they had traded their entire roster for Harden. Very short-sighted on their part. Indicative of their ineptitude.
  • Abuse
    mesa mad man wrote...
    Bad Comparison
    You can not compare the current NBA landscape to that of the early 90s. Its just not equal. The suns do not stand a chance to sign a big ticket name. There is such thing as a "MAX" contract. We can not go over that max. As long as teams in bigger markets are willing to offer the true superstars the max, why would they settle for a lesser team? The only max players we can go for are the fringe ones (Gordon, Smith, Ellis, etc) that in all likliehood arent worth it. You want to trade for a star? Trade who!? We dont have the young talent or the old talent to get anyone.
  • Abuse
    mesa mad man wrote...
    Position
    We are in this position not for the short sited thinking of Babby/Blanks, but the short sited win now thinking of Dantoni and Kerr. We dont have a single player left on the roster that the suns drafted before last year (Kieff). No i dont count Dragic or Gortat who we sent packing and got back. Dont you think thats a problem?! How can a team have sustainable success when they are not building a bench of players to step in and contribute as others move on.
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