Phoenix Suns 2012-13 NBA Preview

Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com

Phoenix Suns

2011-12 Vitals:

33-33, 3rd in Pacific Division, 10th in Western Conference
98.4 PPG/98.6 OPP PPG

2012-13 Roster:

Michael Beasley – SF
Shannon Brown – SG
Goran Dragic – PG
Jared Dudley – SF
Channing Frye – C
Marcin Gortat – C
Wesley Johnson – SG
Kendall Marshall – PG
Markieff Morris – F
Jermaine O’Neal – C
Luis Scola – PF
Sebastian Telfair – PG
P.J. Tucker – SG

Offseason Additions:

Goran Dragic, Luis Scola, Michael Beasley, Wesley Johnson, Kendall Marshall, P.J. Tucker, Jermaine O’Neal

Offseason Subtractions:

Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Robin Lopez, Hakim Warrick, Josh Childress, Ronnie Price

Projected Starters:

PG – Goran Dragic
SG – Wesley Johnson
SF – Michael Beasley
PF- Luis Scola
C – Marcin Gortat

Season Outlook:

The post-Steve Nash era begins in Phoenix, and it’s not going to be a quick transition. They did bring in some talent, but they’ve got the heavy weight of “potential” and “promising” tags along with them.

Michael Beasley could revert to his form that allowed him to average 19.2 points per game in 2010-11 and Goran Dragic could continue building on his excellent late-season performances with the Houston Rockets.

The problem is, even if this happens, the Suns are no better than ninth or tenth in the Western Conference. They’ll need a lot of luck to sneak into the playoffs.

Best-Case Scenario:

Other middle teams in the Western Conference falter in front of them and the Suns get career years from Beasley, Dragic and Wesley Johnson. They find a way to sneak into the No. 8 seed, but get ran out of the playoffs quickly.

Worst-Case Scenario:

Beasley appears just as uninterested as he did in his last days with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Dragic shows why he’s been primarily a backup, as he struggles with consistency. The Suns play next to no defense and can’t score enough to stay in games. They finish 13th in the West and look to 2013-14.

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