This Post Will Be Continuously Updated To Reflect My Thoughts On The Team And The Direction It Takes!
Ishbia and the fanbase need to be ready to endure mediocrity. We used everything during the KD/Beal era, and now we have to recover. There are no quick, easy fixes.
Book is my favorite player, and his time with the Suns so far shouldn't go unappreciated. But the wear of Book's 11 years here is starting to show. Younger stars join the league every year, and each year someone new is reaching Book's level. Book's decline will start sooner than later. With each passing season, the dream of a championship with Booker looks less and less attainable.
Not to be a downer, but I have to be realistic with what we have. Even if we somehow add a star, the rest of the team needs to develop. Compared to our recent Finals team, Fleming and Dunn aren't on the level of Mikal Bridges or Cam Johnson yet. Neither ManMan nor Mark Williams is as productive as 2021 Deandre Ayton. Using what little we have to make small upgrades now won't change the outlook for this team in the next half-decade.
I believe the goal of this team should be like what it was when we brought in CP3. At the time, nobody thought we would be contenders that season. They had missed the 2020 NBA Bubble playoffs, and the prior 2019 season the team had 19 wins. Book hadn't made the playoffs in his career. The goal was to get playoff experience for Book and the promising young guys we now had to hasten their development.
Current Book can be our 2020 CP3. With him, this team can stay in the playoff hunt each year. We likely won't win any rings, but our young guys can grow in a culture that values competitiveness over tanking. When Fleming, Maluach, etc. can take on bigger roles, we can trade away vets like Royce, Allen, and Brooks for more young guys, picks, and salary flexibility. When we have our picks and a good cap sheet in the 2030s, we will have a foundation built for contending again.
Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts, and read more of my musings.