Suns in best position ever to give Colangelo a ring
John Gambadoro
Special for azcentral.com
Apr. 19, 2004 10:50 AM
Now that the sale of the Phoenix Suns has been announced and the reality of a Jerry Colangelo-less team has set in, it's time for the organization to get back to the drawing board and attempt to give both Colangelo and the fans the one thing they have been missing, an NBA Championship. The clock is ticking and it's now at three years and counting to send the longtime owner out with a ticker-tape parade in downtown Phoenix. While a championship at any time after 2006-2007 season will still feel special to Colangelo, the truth is, when full ownership has transferred over to Robert Sarver and his group, it will no longer be Colangelo's team, even if he has a token title of chairman.
And perhaps in the history of the organization, no off-season has had as much potential to upgrade as this one. With names like Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady possibly there for the taking and the Suns about to be in one of the league's best possible salary-cap situations, there is no reason not to believe a big splash is coming.
This past week word out of Orlando was that if McGrady wouldn't agree to stay past next season - when he becomes a free agent - then he will be traded. McGrady has let those close to him know he is interested in playing for the Suns. The Suns know this and are ready to pounce should that opportunity present itself.
But first they have their sights set on Bryant, and they believe they can get him. In all likelihood Bryant will leave the Los Angeles Lakers and all of the problems that have arisen from his relationships with Phil Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal. Bryant is not liked by his teammates. It is not his team. He has not been given the same credit that Shaq has gotten for the Lakers' success. It is time to move on and establish a new identity. To lead a new team to championship and get the recognition and respect that should come with it.
Bryant is at the top of the Suns' wish list. There are about 50 scenarios the Suns are looking at but No. 1 is Bryant. He would give them the toughness they are looking for, he would become the leader of the team, and he would fill America West Arena on a regular basis. And with the right talent around him, he could lift the Suns to the top of the NBA.
While getting Bryant could be as easy as offering him the maximum amount available as a free agent should he opt out of his current contract, getting McGrady now will not be that easy. To get McGrady, the Suns would have to give up players and possibly draft picks. Which is why the Suns will be reluctant to get McGrady before knowing about Bryant. And having been burned by Antonio McDyess before entering a contract year, the Suns would want assurances that if they traded for McGrady he wouldn't bolt when he becomes a free agent after next season.
The Suns would not want to give up the farm to get McGrady and then somehow not get Bryant, leaving McGrady in a similar situation to what he went through in Orlando this year. Any deal involving McGrady would include former All-Star forward Shawn Marion, who like McGrady is a maximum contract player. Marion has tremendous value around the league. He is young, athletic, has been an All-Star, represented the United States at the World Championships and comes with no baggage. He is a good player, not a great player, but a good one. Any team would love to have him. Throw in the Suns' first-round pick, which will be somewhere in the top 7 and a serviceable role player, which the Suns have plenty of, and Orlando General Manager John Weisbrod may be hard pressed to find a better deal.
The Magic could start their rebuilding process on the right foot with a trade like that. What the Suns would like to avoid is having Joe Johnson in any deal involving McGrady. Johnson showed tremendous improvement this season and appears to have turned the corner. He is now looked upon as a big piece of the Suns' future rather than a player who hasn't found himself. After the trade of Stephon Marbury, and during the time that Amare Stoudemire was injured, Johnson became the leader of the team. He played the best basketball of his career in that stretch and made the trade of Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk for him and a first-round pick (that turned out to be Casey Jacobsen) look completely one-sided.
If the Suns are successful in luring Bryant to Phoenix, then they could very well make a full-court press to trade for McGrady. Knowing they have Bryant will make giving up Marion and other players a lot easier. Word around the league is that Bryant will either stay in LA or go to Phoenix, that the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks are not an option for him. So at worst the Suns have a 50-50 chance.
Getting either one of those players would make the Suns a serious contender in the West. Getting both would make them the odds on favorite to win the NBA championship for the next five years.
The problem would be, there is only one ball and with Bryant, McGrady and Stoudemire there are three egos. But that's a pretty nice problem to have if you are Mike D'Antoni. For the good of the team, all three would have to sacrifice numbers for the sake of wins. Bryant has had to do that with Shaq, McGrady should be dying to do that with what he has gone through. And Stoudemire, who is blossoming into a star, is more mature than one would think for someone only 20 years old. He is already a leader and he has a tremendous amount of respect for McGrady.
Getting Bryant and McGrady would almost assure Colangelo that he would leave on top. It sounds far-fetched but make no mistake that the Suns brass has talked about the possibility. The thought here is, Bryant is coming and that a whole lot would have to happen to get McGrady. But with cap money to burn, good players to trade and a high draft pick, the Suns have never been in a better position. And like Colangelo said, there are more days behind him then in front of him. Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock...
One can dream!! 
