The Phoenix Suns have fallen on hard times after being a perennial playoff team with Steve Nash running the point and now that they have pulled off a three team trade to acquire Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler, the franchise is excited for the future and what they can build.
The Suns have a new head coach in Jeff Hornacek and after acquiring Butler and Gordon the team feels it is ready for a fast turnaround after putting up the second worst record in team history. Butler has been an All-Star twice and will bring veteran experience to the roster, while third-year guard Eric Bledsoe is looked at as a future star for the team after coming over from the Clippers, who got themselves JJ Redick as part of the deal from the Bucks.
The Suns franchise feels ready to turn things around and general manager Ryan McDonough thinks the team has made the right moves to get it done, including in the draft when they selected Alex Len as well as Kentucky guard Archie Goodwin and Missouri power forward Alex Oriakhi. The roster now is much younger and after trading away Steve Nash to the Lakers, there is a vacuum for another star to step up as the face of the franchise, including someone like Len or Goodwin.
The Suns went just 25-57 last season and struggled with consistency on both sides of the court and with the additions of Bledsoe and Butler, their scoring is expected to improve drastically. Last season the team ranked 21st in the league in scoring and 26th in points allowed per game and Hornacek sees great improvement already on the roster and that should translate into more scoring.
McDonough spoke about Len as well as the rumors surrounding Marcin Gortat stating that he is not planning on trading the center, but that could change depending on what types of deals come the teams way. Bledsoe appears to be the most talented player the Suns acquired and after spending time behind Chris Paul with the Clippers, he will get the chance to start and be the leader on offense. The 29-year-old Gortat could be a trade chip come later in the season if McDonough wants to hang onto him and it would probably be smart, as Len is recovering from an ankle injury and will need time to get healthy.
Len had an excellent season last year with Maryland while averaging 11.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks and now that he has completed his surgery, he can work on recovering and getting back on the court. Len was the fifth pick in the draft after many speculated that he could be taken first overall and now the Suns will use him and Bledsoe as foundational players as they try to rebuild.
