Phoenix Suns: Grading GM Ryan McDonough’s Offseason Moves
To say the new general manager of the Phoenix Suns has been busy in his first few months on the job would be a bit of an understatement. Like a “‘Breaking Bad’ is a decent show” kind of an understatement. After firing GM Lance Blanks in April, president of basketball operations Lon Babby named Ryan McDonough as his replacement a few weeks later. McDonough, the former assistant general manager of the Boston Celtics, was immediately heralded as an improvement over the long-incompetent Blanks, even if his scouting expertise was often tabbed solely as “the guy who realized Rajon Rondo would be good.”
Since his hiring, the Suns’ rebuilding process has started all over again for what seems like the millionth time. Except this time around, Suns fans have been somewhat surprised by their GM’s offseason moves, if only because they have actually been good ones (Cut to every Phoenix Suns fan saying, “You mean there are GMs out there that make trades that will help the team one day? I don’t believe you.”). For once in my long, miserable and championship-less life as a Suns fan, I back the team’s GM and believe the decisions being made will actually lead to a better rebuild this time around. With that in mind, here’s the report card for Ryan McDonough’s first few months as GM.
Is this the face of the GM that can finally get the Phoenix Suns back on track? (Photo Credit: NBA.com)
Hiring Jeff Hornacek as coach:
There was a lot of speculation about why the Suns hired Jeff Hornacek to replace coach Alvin Gentry and interim coach Lindsey Hunter when it was first announced. Since Hornacek played six seasons with the Suns and made his lone All-Star appearance in his last season in Phoenix, it seemed like a feel-good public relations move to get people more excited about watching a team that may not win 25 games next year. But McDonough said Hornacek was the best choice and embodied all the characteristics the team was looking for.
It’s kind of hard to give this one an accurate grade before Hornacek has even coached a single game (especially for a team that, again, is even money to win 25 games this year). It’s also important to point out that he has zero head coaching experience in the league, so he’s not guaranteed to succeed, assuming the Suns are able to rebuild in the loaded 2014 NBA Draft. But Hornacek was always an intelligent player and has built up his reputation around the league to the point that he got an interview for the Celtics’ head coaching position in 2004 and the Charlotte Bobcats’ head coaching job this year as well. He’s served as a shooting coach and a full-time assistant for the Utah Jazz in the past few years, so even though his experience is limited, I have faith in his basketball mind and skill as a talent evaluator.
Grade: B+
Drafting Alex Len:
With the fifth pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Suns were presented with a golden opportunity to build for the future. This draft was considered one of the weakest in recent memory, but the projected top six or seven picks were considered good enough to at least be solid contributors in the league for years to come. Nerlens Noel was predicted to be the No. 1 pick, but it was unclear who would be on the board by the time Phoenix’s turn rolled around. Would Noel somehow fall to them? What about Ben McLemore? Would the Suns trade up to try and get Victor Oladipo?
Unfortunately, the Orlando Magic took Oladipo, they player I believe has the most upside in this year’s draft, with the second overall pick. But Noel and McLemore were still on the board when pick No. 5 rolled around. And with that pick, McDonough took the player that some believed would be taken first overall: Alex Len, a center out of Maryland who had ankle surgeries that prevented him from participating in the Summer League.
Grade: C+
Drafting Archie Goodwin:
Despite my slight disappointment with the Suns’ first pick in the draft this year, McDonough quickly helped ease my doubt by taking Archie Goodwin with the 29th pick. Goodwin was projected to be a lottery pick before the season began for his athleticism, but he never quite lived up to the high expectations at Kentucky. According to ESPN’s Ryan Feldman, his skill set and potential is comparable to Russell Westbrook and Tyreke Evans.
In the Las Vegas Summer League, it was Goodwin’s time to shine and although he was somewhat inconsistent and tallied almost three turnovers per game, he also averaged 13.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He’s not a passing guard, as evidenced by his less-than-one assist per game average, but in a few years, this late first-rounder may bloom into something worth watching. Not a bad choice for the 29th pick in an historically weak draft.
Grade: A-
Drafting Alex Oriakhi:
Oriakhi is almost certainly fighting for a spot on the roster after doing next to nothing and getting next to zero minutes during the Summer League. He was a great team player at Missouri and a solid rebounder for the Tigers last season. The Suns didn’t have a lot to choose from with the 57th pick in a weaker draft, so taking Oriakhi certainly won’t doom Phoenix’s future like some of their picks have through these last few years. It’s not a great pick and there’s no guarantee Oriakhi will even be in uniform next season, but you can’t really fault McDonough too much based on what was available at the time.
Grade: B-
Trading Jared Dudley and a second-round pick for Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler:
And now we come to the proverbial gem of McDonough’s summer moves. In a deal that brought the Phoenix Suns positive press for the first time in ages, the Suns brought in a promising point guard and a proven small forward while only giving up a solid role player and a second-round draft pick. I think the Los Angeles Clippers got the best of this deal by bringing in terrific shooters and underrated defenders in J.J. Redick from the Milwaukee Bucks and Jared Dudley, but that’s because Lob City also has a solid starting five. The Suns don’t exactly have that luxury, so bringing in Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler was a deft move that shows this new GM will pull the trigger on a good deal when he sees one.
The only problem I really have with this trade is the backcourt problem it will more than likely create on the defensive end. I’ve written about this before, but the point guard position was really the only position that was set in stone on the Suns’ roster heading into the 2013-14 season. Goran Dragic was the lone bright spot in an otherwise dreary year and proved he was more than capable of taking over as Steve Nash‘s successor. At first I figured the move meant Dragic would become trade bait, but McDonough and Hornacek seem intent on pairing the Dragon and Bledsoe in the backcourt for the time being.
That leaves them a little bit undersized on the defensive end, as bigger point guards will be able to elevate over Bledsoe and stronger shooting guards will be able to barrel through Dragic. But on the offensive end, there’s always room for improvement with this team, so pairing up one of the most athletic guys in the league (pound for pound) with an intelligent and skilled passer isn’t the end of the world. The Suns aren’t going to be better this upcoming season by adding Bledsoe and Butler and tanking will still be a priority, but a few years down the road? This move could prove to be extremely helpful.
Grade: A-
Letting Jermaine O’Neal walk:
Despite being responsible for quite possibly the dumbest goaltend of the year with the Suns this past season, Jermaine O’Neal was a startlingly good defender off the bench for Phoenix in the paint and provided the kind of veteran leadership that, well, got the Suns to 25 wins. OK, so maybe the veteran leadership thing didn’t really make much of a difference in the win-loss column, but his defense on guys like Dwight Howard all season long was stunning.
O’Neal signed a one-year deal with the now-deadly Golden State Warriors, who may need him to step up should Andrew Bogut have problems staying healthy. I was a fan of O’Neal probably more so this season than I ever was of him during his prime with the Indiana Pacers, but it makes sense why McDonough chose to not to offer him a new deal. That decision makes a definitive statement that the Suns believe in Alex Len and Marcin Gortat for the near future, which is the kind of message you want to send to a rookie and a starter whose trade valued declined dramatically over the last season. If Len doesn’t pan out or can’t stay healthy, this could prove to be a mistake, but it’s not the kind that will cost the Suns a championship down the road either.
Grade: B-
Letting Wesley Johnson walk:
Like Jermaine O’Neal, Wesley Johnson was a decent prospect for the Suns who was up-and-down in his limited minutes. Johnson shot 40 percent from the field and averaged eight points in 19 minutes per game, while also providing Phoenix with one of the highlights of the season in a buzzer-beater to force overtime against the San Antonio Spurs (the pass was thrown by … you guessed it, Jermaine O’Neal).
However, even though Johnson showed flashes of potential and likely didn’t get enough minutes because Alvin Gentry was forced to play played Michael Beasley more often, there’s a reason he’ll be playing for his third team in four seasons next year with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s never lived up to being the No. 4 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and wasn’t worth spending much money on. In other words, his potential doesn’t outweigh the fact that he’s nowhere near vital to the rebuilding process.
Grade: A
Trading Luis Scola for Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee and a lottery-protected first round pick in 2014:
Finally, we come to the move that makes the Suns’ tanking intentions for the 2013-14 season clear. In a deal that may turn the Indiana Pacers into Eastern Conference champions one day soon, Phoenix shipped off Luis Scola in exchange for an athletic dunker (Gerald Green), a mediocre sophomore prospect (Miles Plumlee) and a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2014. That “lottery-protected” part is important, because it keeps this deal from being unbelievably good, but because the 2014 draft class is so loaded and so deep, stockpiling as many picks as possible is a smart strategy. The Suns, thanks to McDonough, will now have three first-round picks in 2014.
I can’t say I’m particularly sad to see Luis Scola, his broken jumper or his lackluster defense leave for Indiana. He had an up-and-down season and showed flashes of brilliance, but at this point in his career, looked old and slow for the most part. Not exactly the kind of guy you want to have around for a new rebuilding process. He may revitalize his career on a contender, but the Suns didn’t need him. By bringing in Green, Plumlee and a draft pick, McDonough is once again attempting to make the Suns younger and more exciting. This trade will probably result in more losses next season, but McDonough’s offseason moves are at least giving fans some reason to show up. Between Bledsoe and Green, this team will be athletic and there will be dunks aplenty to help ease the pain of (most likely) finishing last in the Western Conference again.
Plus, how can you NOT want to watch Michael Beasley and Gerald Green play together? It’s going to be the most glorious form of anarchy to the structure of basketball as we know it!
Grade: A