If this is the roster where do we stand?

[boisesuns]

If this ends up being our roster, where do we finish in the west? Will the chemistry be fine? Will added experience or player improvement keep us in the hunt?

Many teams in the west have improved or have a chance to be good.

Who would you put in these categories below?

Teams better than us:
Warriors

Teams even with us:
Grizzlies
Mavs

Teams slightly below us:
Nuggets
Timberwolves

Teams not close:
Lakers
Spurs
Jazz
Kings
Rockets
Blazers
Thunder

Wildcards: (hard to place)
Pelicans (Zion)
Clippers (new guys, kawhi return)

 

[JCSunsfan]

This isn't the roster. So I will wait to comment until later.

 

[Cheesebeef]

If this ends up being our roster, where do we finish in the west? Will the chemistry be fine? Will added experience or player improvement keep us in the hunt?

Many teams in the west have improved or have a chance to be good.

Who would you put in these categories below?

Teams better than us:
Warriors

Teams even with us:
Grizzlies
Mavs

Teams slightly below us:
Nuggets
Timberwolves

Teams not close:
Lakers
Spurs
Jazz
Kings
Rockets
Blazers
Thunder

Wildcards: (hard to place)
Pelicans (Zion)
Clippers (new guys, kawhi return)

Warriors and Grizz are above us.

Depends… if Kawhi and Murray are back healthy for the Clippers and Denver, I think we’re battling it out with them for 3/4/5.

Dallas is worse than last year, IMO. Losing a very good secondary scorer/ball handler will make them easier to defend.

 

[Mainstreet]

If healthy, the Clippers could be really good. They have a lot of talent and a good coach. They could be right there with the Warriors at the top.

I'd rank the teams by tiers.

Tier 1:

Warriors
Clippers

Tier II:

Suns
Grizzlies
Mavericks
Nuggets
Timberwolves
Pelicans

Tier III:

Wildcards:

Kings
Trail Blazers

Tier IV:

Lakers
Spurs
Jazz
Rockets
Thunder

 

[Phrazbit]

Tier 1

Warriors

Tier 2

Grizz
Suns

Tier 3

Nuggets
Clippers
Wolves
Pelicans
Mavs


After that is a huge drop off. I suppose the battle for 9-10 will be between the Lakers, Kings, Jazz and Blazers but I think they will all be like 10 under .500.

But I think we're eventually going to get Durant and the Jazz will probably move Mitchell.

Edited for the Clippers not existing.

 

[Mainstreet]

Btw, here is the current Suns roster as of 7-16-2022 with 14 players. Position labels are flexible.

Point guard:

Chris Paul
Cam Payne
Landry Shamet (SG/PG)


Shooting guard:

Devin Booker
Damion Lee
Josh Okogie (SG/SF)


Small forward:

Mikal Bridges
Torrey Craig

Power forward:

Jae Crowder
Cam Johnson (SF/PF)
Dario Saric (FC)

Center:

Deandre Ayton
Bismack Biyombo
Jock Landale

 

[Proximo]

If this ends up being our roster, where do we finish in the west? Will the chemistry be fine? Will added experience or player improvement keep us in the hunt?

Many teams in the west have improved or have a chance to be good.

Who would you put in these categories below?

Teams better than us:
Warriors

Teams even with us:
Grizzlies
Mavs

Teams slightly below us:
Nuggets
Timberwolves

Teams not close:
Lakers
Spurs
Jazz
Kings
Rockets
Blazers
Thunder

Wildcards: (hard to place)
Pelicans (Zion)
Clippers (new guys, kawhi return)

I don't believe this is our roster, but if it was

Teams better than us
Warriors
Clippers

Teams we are roughly equal to
Grizz, Nuggets, Twolves, Pellicans

Slightly Below
Dallas

 

[Phrazbit]

I think the Clippers are getting way too much credit. I think they're still a 4-5 seed, just like they were last time the had Leonard and George. Even if they avoid injury they both still take a lot of games off for "management".

And Wall has played a grand total of 113 games over the last 5 seasons combined.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Tier 1

Warriors

Tier 2

Grizz
Suns

Tier 3

Nuggets
Wolves
Pelicans
Mavs
Jazz

After that is a huge drop off. I suppose the battle for 9-10 will be between the Lakers, Kings and Blazers but I think they will all be like 10 under .500.

But I think we're eventually going to get Durant and the Jazz will probably move Mitchell.

No Clippers?

 

[Phrazbit]

No Clippers?

Whoops, toss them in tier 3 just above the Wolves.

 

[Raindog]

I think we are on the top tier, probably with about three other teams all on about equal footing: Suns, Warriors, Clippers, Grizzlies. Maybe you can even argue for the Nuggets at full health. The next tier would be Nuggets (if not), Pelicans, Mavericks, Wolves. Then Jazz, Lakers, Blazers on the third tier.

That's pretty much your playoff picture and close also-rans. How it shakes out at the top depends on health, older guys slowing down, and younger guys taking the next step of developing.

 

[somethingshesaid]

The Suns need another power forward, and I thought of a former Suns forward who is still around--Alan Williams. Although a minor and international league player, he was a strong-on-the-boards energy guy and I always disagreed with letting him go. (Unless he just wanted to leave.) He's currently 29, and sort of in limbo, because he was playing for a Russian team and their season was disrupted by the war. Perhaps he's therefore free or could possibly get free. It never hurt that he's a Phoenician through and through: went to North High School; and his mother is the now-retired police chief, while his father is or was a justice of the peace.

 

[JerkFace]

The Suns need another power forward, and I thought of a former Suns forward who is still around--Alan Williams. Although a minor and international league player, he was a strong-on-the-boards energy guy and I always disagreed with letting him go. (Unless he just wanted to leave.) He's currently 29, and sort of in limbo, because he was playing for a Russian team and their season was disrupted by the war. Perhaps he's therefore free or could possibly get free. It never hurt that he's a Phoenician through and through: went to North High School; and his mother is the now-retired police chief, while his father is or was a justice of the peace.

I love Alan Williams. One of my all time favorite end of the bench guys. But with that being said, he doesn't have the skill set to play power forward in our offense/defense and we are already overloaded with end of the bench centers.

 

[Covert Rain]

As of now we are a worse team. This roster isn't as good as last years. If we get KD things change. If we don't get KD? This team has some work to do, or we are not getting back to the Finals.

 

[SunsFanFirst]

If Booker, Paul, Ayton are our “stars” for 22-23 and we do not add another star we will not win a championship. Plain and simple. Thats all that matters

 

[AzStevenCal]

I have no idea where we stand with our current roster. Are we the team that played so well throughout most of the season or the team that we saw in the postseason?

 

[Chaplin]

As of now we are a worse team. This roster isn't as good as last years. If we get KD things change. If we don't get KD? This team has some work to do, or we are not getting back to the Finals.

Considering we’ve only lost Javale, who was almost unplayable in the playoffs, we might be worse, but only marginally.

And does Dario make that up?

 

[JerkFace]

As of now we are a worse team. This roster isn't as good as last years. If we get KD things change. If we don't get KD? This team has some work to do, or we are not getting back to the Finals.

A lot will depend on how big of a forward step Bridges, Ayton, and Cam make, and how small of a backwards step Paul makes.

 

[Mainstreet]

Dario Saric hopes to test knee out in a couple of games with national team before Suns training camp.

Dario Saric wants to play 'couple games' for national team to test knee before training camp with Phoenix Suns

Dario Saric is working his way towards starting training camp with Phoenix Suns after missing all of last season with knee injury.

finance.yahoo.com

 

[Hoop Head]

Warriors and Grizz are above us.

Depends… if Kawhi and Murray are back healthy for the Clippers and Denver, I think we’re battling it out with them for 3/4/5.

Dallas is worse than last year, IMO. Losing a very good secondary scorer/ball handler will make them easier to defend.

I agree with most of what you say except for your take on Dallas. They lost Brunson, which will hurt some, but they will have a full season with Dinwiddie, who they added to their team almost seamlessly around the deadline last season.

They are adding Christian Woods who will provide them a legit big who can score and take minutes from Klieber and Powell.

They'll also be getting Tim Hardaway Jr back, which is big for them. He was their #2 behind Luka up until he went down with his injury last year and has proven to be a great microwave scorer for them. He'll mitigate a lot of what they lost in Brunson.

Brunson was good but didn't really break out until late last year so I don't think losing him will hurt them that much except for when they had him run the offense when Luka sat. I suspect Kidd will figure it out though and he'll probably have Dinwiddie doing that or have Hardaway out there scoring while Luka sits. There's a few ways to handle it.

 

[Hoop Head]

The Suns need another power forward, and I thought of a former Suns forward who is still around--Alan Williams. Although a minor and international league player, he was a strong-on-the-boards energy guy and I always disagreed with letting him go. (Unless he just wanted to leave.) He's currently 29, and sort of in limbo, because he was playing for a Russian team and their season was disrupted by the war. Perhaps he's therefore free or could possibly get free. It never hurt that he's a Phoenician through and through: went to North High School; and his mother is the now-retired police chief, while his father is or was a justice of the peace.

That's how you decide to contribute? "I don't like this thread so why I don't just try and derail it".

Not everyone is as nostalgic as you are. All of the teams past seasons have 1 thing in common, they didn't win a championship. Most of us want to see that change rather than pine over the team from almost a decade ago that failed to even secure a playoff berth.

 

[Sunburn]

As of now we are a worse team. This roster isn't as good as last years. If we get KD things change. If we don't get KD? This team has some work to do, or we are not getting back to the Finals.

The core of this team is still pretty young.

 

[Chaplin]

Disagree. Can't separate Chris Paul from the rest of the core, and he's practically wheezing.

He was probably talking about the rest of the core, which is still very young. On average, pretty young.

 

[Hoop Head]

Here's everyone's age that is under contract beyond this season...

Booker - 26 years old
Cam J - 26 years old
Mikal - 26 years old
Ayton - 24 years old
Cam Payne - 28 years old
Shamet - 25 years old

Ages of everyone else....

Saric is also only 28
Bismack is turning 30 in August.
Crowder just turned 32
Craig will be 32 in December
Lee will be turning 30 in October
Okogie will be turning 24 in September
Jock will be turning 27 in October

Paul is 37 and is the oldest guy on the team by 5 years. If Crowder and Craig are moved then that jumps to 7 years.

 

[Mainstreet]

I read the Pacers wouldn't part with two first round picks which belonged to Boston and Cleveland plus Myles Turner.

That's a very low asking price in a trade. They would have probably traded Turner straight up for Ayton but he was on an expiring contract. Ayton is worth much more than that.