Since the Phoenix Suns are running out of reasons to consistently perform well on the court, an inside issue must be the cause of their on-court collapse. The failure to muster the courage and leadership to come back from a 20-point hole with five minutes left in a game, or the lack of effort, has to start in the locker room.
A lazy defense and a lack of focus on getting the Suns back into the game against an Oklahoma City Thunder club without Shai-Gilgeous Alexander allowed guard Devin Booker to pick up his fourth and fifth fouls midway through the third quarter on Friday night.
Ultimately, the Suns must give up on head coach Frank Vogel.
With the quality on this Suns team so abundant and eight games remaining against playoff opponents, there is still time to gain some momentum. It is the last thing you want to hear or believe. The Suns have demonstrated that they could not care less about making the playoffs this year, both on the court and in post-game interviews.
After the game on Friday night, Kevin Durant sent Duane Rankin of AZ Central a message that didn’t sit well. Eight games remain, according to KD. “Hopefully we’ll have a chance to participate in postseason play.”
It’s hard to believe that maybe this team is looking forward to next year, but if the stars on the team see differently than the coach, the first one to go is the coach.
“We got 8 more games left. Hopefully we get an opportunity to play in the postseason. Take it a game at a time.” Kevin Durant.
If playoffs started today, Suns host Sacramento in 7-8 game for 7th seed in West. Loser plays 9-10 Lakers-Warriors winner at home for 8th seed. #Suns pic.twitter.com/LQdJVUSPim
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 30, 2024
These guys should already think that they are in the playoffs since, as of Sunday morning, the Suns are ranked seventh in the Western Conference. The Houston Rockets, who are presently ranked eleventh and have won eleven straight games, are behind them by 4.5 games.
Though they will probably pass the Golden State Warriors for the 10th spot, the Rockets can still catch up to the Suns with eight games remaining. The Suns’ chances of qualifying for the postseason will mostly depend on the Warriors, who have won three straight games yet have demonstrated their bipolarity just like the Suns do.
Entering the playoffs with a backwards mindset can only indicate that the Suns will most certainly lose in one or more play-in games, or possibly in the opening round.
In their eyes, playing a complete season under Vogel might be something they want to avoid, even though a club like this might need to return next year to make corrections. Stars often fire their coach, even if that coach has a few championships under their belt.
One of Durant’s great years or a Jusuf Nurkic season when he was healthy shouldn’t be wasted. In addition, you don’t want to blow one of Devin Booker’s best seasons and Grayson Allen’s best three-point shooting year of his career, but if the players don’t see this, we’ll have to wait another season to win a championship.
Do you think this franchise wants to let go of Vogel, or do they realize that their present roster makes it impossible for them to compete with other teams in the West?
