The Cardinals could have been much higher on the list for years, but ownership squandered the fans' goodwill the same way Sarver is now. If we see an ownership change or Sarver corrects things, the Suns will pretty easily take top billing back with a deep playoff run, IMO.
I think the Diamondbacks are solid, actually. As an expansion team they unquestionably belong to Phoenix (like the Suns). In the end, though, the occasional throwbacks to the 2001 World Series remind me that the color change was a mistake. My guess is that sometime they'll change back to an updated look.
We'll check in with the Coyotes next year. Attendance spikes tend to happen the year after a successful season, not necessarily during. I don't have a ton of faith in the Coyotes because of the disarray in recent years, the arena location, and the competition in the market. But again, we'll see what happens next year with new ownership and a team with more hope.
