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5 Teams In Need Of Major Changes Before Deadline

By Jon Shames

Nov 7, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) goes for a shot against Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Monroe scored 20 points to help the Bucks beat the Nets 94-86. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) goes for a shot against Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Monroe scored 20 points to help the Bucks beat the Nets 94-86. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Phoenix Suns center Alex Len (21), center Tyson Chandler (4), forward P.J. Tucker (17) and forward Markieff Morris (11) sit the bench at final seconds of their game losing 110-89 to the Utah Jazz at vivint.SmartHome Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Phoenix Suns center Alex Len (21), center Tyson Chandler (4), forward P.J. Tucker (17) and forward Markieff Morris (11) sit the bench at final seconds of their game losing 110-89 to the Utah Jazz at vivint.SmartHome Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /

5.) Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns were once considered the league’s youngest and most promising team. When rookie head coach Jeff Hornacek and Goran Dragic led Phoenix to a 48-34 record in what was supposed to be another lottery-bound 2013-14 season, most believed that the sky was the limit for this club.

When Eric Bledsoe was re-signed in the 2014 offseason, things looked even better. Isaiah Thomas was added to that mix, and the Suns were projected a near lock for the 2015 postseason.

Then there were talks of Goran Dragic being unhappy in Phoenix, and when the front office subsequently decided to trade him on last year’s deadline, things started to unravel. Thomas was shipped to Boston minutes before the deadline, and suddenly, the deepest guard rotation in the NBA was no more — gone with the Suns’ playoff hopes.

Phoenix’s failed push at superstar forward LaMarcus Aldridge last summer was another disappointment for the organization, especially since Tyson Chandler — an aging defensive big who really has no place on this current roster — was locked up for four years and $52 million under the assumption that his presence would encourage Aldridge to hop on board.

Now, Bledsoe is sidelined with a torn meniscus and it’s Brandon Knight (acquired in the Thomas deal) that’s headlining this Phoenix team that’s now 13-29 on the year.

Knight, who is just 24 years old, certainly has a future on this Phoenix team, but the same cannot be said about guys like Markieff Morris, P.J. Tucker, and Chandler. Morris will surely be dealt considering his ongoing feud with the team (details here), and Chandler, Tucker, and/or Mirza Teletovic could follow suit.

General consensus is that the Suns are going to be sellers on Feb. 18. All things considered, they really should be.

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