Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
New general manager Ryan McDonough has the Phoenix Suns mighty excited over some of the offseason moves he’s made to the team’s roster.
In fact, McDonough has made enough impressive moves that the Suns are thinking about contending for an NBA playoff spot.
That might be too premature, but McDonough has made the Suns a better team. If they aren’t a better team, it’s not going to be his fault.
Most observers say his best deal was getting Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler to come to Phoenix. Both are players that can carry the Suns on their backs, to some extent. He probably couldn’t have made a better deal for what the Suns had to offer.
If that was McDonough’s very best move, then the drafting of Alex Len had to be a close second. Securing the inside game is so critical in the NBA and Len seems to have the potential to get the job done. The Suns are excited with his potential to improve the Suns’ defense with his inside game. His presence could secure an additional five to seven wins for the Suns.
Some observers think that McDonough also struck gold with his selection of Archie Goodwin. Goodwin, only 18, showed tremendous potential at Kentucky but McDonough, by making this pick, gave his team a player who can compete for playing time in the backcourt and give the Suns a key weapon when they run open offensive sets.
Players win games in the NBA, not coaches. But general managers have to secure the players and come up with the right mix. It appears that McDonough has gotten the job done in that respect.
