Is your sports team really bad?
Mine is, and has been for a while now.
For those of you that do not follow NBA basketball, yesterday marked the end of a very long season for my Phoenix Suns.
Last night they finished with a loss, which was right in line with how most of the season went. That loss gave them a 24-58 record and put them squarely in last place in the Western Conference.
What's more, that record also gives them the second worst record in the entire NBA.
Some context on how historically bad this team has been...
This is now the 7 straight season the Suns have finished outside the playoff picture, the longest stretch in Franchise history.
This season's record in particular is the 3rd worst single season record in Franchise history, which was only 1 game better than last season's second worst record in Franchise history.
That might not sound all that bad, but the suns have been around for 50 years! We are witnessing a historically bad suns team on many levels.
To put it mildly, this has been a very dark time to be a suns fan!
Through all of that though, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and a pretty bright one at that.
The suns seem to finally have done things the right way these past few seasons. Knowing they were not going to be very good half way through the season they finally committed to the youth movement. They gave the young guys all the minutes while the vets sat.
Not only did they give the young guys the most minutes but they went a step above in putting out the youngest starting lineup in NBA history, a record which they broke again a few days later as their lineup got even younger with a new addition.
Committing to the youth like this might sound counter intuitive at first, but really it does two things:
1. For one it gets the young guys experience, which they need because they are being counted on as major pieces of the future going foreard.
2. Secondly, it guarantees a lot of losses which guarantees a high draft pick.
Why is a high draft pick so important?
More so than other professional leagues, the NBA is a star's league. Football and baseball games can be won without one player deciding the outcome nearly as often as they do in the NBA.
It is darn near impossible to win in the NBA without a superstar and it is darn near impossible to get a superstar unless you draft one. It is much harder to draft a superstar around the 12-15 pick range then it is in the 1-3 pick range.
Therefore, in order to change your course and get out of the losing rut you need to get a draft pick in the 1-3 range. As of right now the Suns are projected to get the second pick in this year's draft. Who knows, they may even end up with the first pick depending on how those ping pong balls fall.
I will be happy with any pick in the top 3, however, which is a very likely possibility considering the suns record.
What does the future hold?
When you combine this years high draft pick with the other young pieces they have been developing these past few years (ie "Mr. 70" Devin Booker), and factor in a couple draft picks they own from other teams in the future. There is a very real chance that the suns become good again as soon as next year, and possibly really really good in the next couple of years.
That would put the suns timeline for contention right about the time the Warriors and Cavs are winding down and hopefully closing their championship windows...
Conclusion
These past few years have been very frustrating for myself and most die-hard suns fans, but I think the suns organization finally did things the right way that will give us the best chance of being relevant again in the next couple of years.
Unfortunately, it has just been a long slow process and one that has been hard to stomach for the NBA's 4th most winning-est franchise. Especially since they really only committed to rebuilding "the right way" the past few years.
Nothing is ever guaranteed in professional sports, or really in life for that matter, but I feel like the suns have finally positioned themselves to pull themselves out of this losing death spiral they have found themselves in the past 7 years.
If you are a betting man, might be a good time to place some bets on the suns for the next couple of years while the odds are great. :)
Here's to hoping!
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I am trying to upvote this post but I can't. For some reason it doesn't allow me to..I can upvote all other posts but not this one...just plain weird.
That is very weird.. I wonder what is up. Did you try logging out and logging back in? I know the site has been undergoing maintenance this morning...
Finally it worked...struggled now for ten minutes. I was able to upvote other posts underneath and above but not this one....lol!
Strange... perhaps steemit does not like this post lol. Hopefully others weren't encountering the same problems...
Who cares...perhaps they tried to stop me but they couldn't! Perseverance paid off! LOL!
Haha the persistent bird (or bear) gets the vote! ;)
As a Patriots fan during the at times abysmal 80s and 90s, I feel your pain and am here to tell you that you are correct... One good draft can change history.
That and one well timed knee injury ;) Congrats on keeping the faith and coming out on the other side! I'm hoping to emulate your experience!
It seems my Lakers and your Suns are doing their best (or worst) to earn a top 3 pick. It is rough going through a long losing streak. The draft this year looks promising!
Yes it does. The lakers are in a tight spot here. If their pick falls outside the top 3 it goes to Philly. Plus I believe they would have to give the Magic their first from next year as well if that happens (as opposed to 2 second rounders)?!
Haha, it is a tight one. Hoping we have the Cavaliers good fortune in the Lebron draft years.
Haha well the NBA does seem to love the Lakers and Celtics in general so I would not be surprised if somehow LA snags that number one pick this year... there is no way it goes outside the top 3 if things are rigged in any way. If it goes outside the top 3 somehow we will know that the NBA draft is legit... :)
Lol. I cannot argue with that. Lonzo sure seems like the "Chosen One" for the next couple of years.
Yep. I think he would fit perfectly with the suns, (probably with the lakers as well). If you put him on a team that already has scorers, he will make them all better. He is a traditional pass first point guard. In a similar mold to Steve Nash (although Ball's shot is pretty terrible right now). I am not sure if he is the "best player available" at 1 or 2, but I think he is the kind of player that makes your team win. I want him.
Some good analysis there. I heard someone compare him to Jason Kidd and thought that was accurate. Nash could certainly score more efficiently than Ball or Kidd.
Kidd is a great comparison. He is big as well. I believe 6'5-6'6 range, just like Kidd.
I feel for you man. I've followed the NHL Leafs my whole life and it has seldom been a pretty picture!
Maybe someday while we are alive they both will be winners! That is my hope at least... :)
I share your sadness. We have a popular saying in MN, "there's always next year." Our t'pups are stacked with young talent and at one point we had three 1st overall picks on our team, albeit one of them was Anthony Bennett. But still, Towns, Wiggins, Lavine, Dunn, and to some extent Rubio, we still suck. Besides the KG years, its been abysmal to watch.
You guys have one of the best collections of young talent out there. Eventually they will put it all together and figure out how to win. I think the T-wolves are a team to watch next year and the next couple of years.