I’m back to feeling unexcited about the Suns and how this season will turn out. But things will change, right?
Where is my mind regarding the state of the Phoenix Suns? Honestly, I’m just glad we’re getting a five-day break. I’m not sure if another blowout loss would’ve led to another panicked weekend in Phoenix, with Suns fans ready to riot, but both the team and the fans needed some time to reset.
I can say I don’t believe in this team again like before the season when I placed them as the fifth seed in the Western Conference standings to end the year when doing my preseason rankings. I then thought this team would be in the top-3 to end the season after the start they had at going 8-1 and now sitting in the bottom part of the Western Conference standings, I say let’s just throw in the towel. It is early but let’s just do it.
After Wednesday’s loss to the New York Knicks, I overheard Beal mention to a friend as he left the game that he’ll “be ready to go” on Tuesday.
Beal just said he “will be there Tuesday for sure”
— Suns JAM Session Podcast (@SunsJAM) November 21, 2024
Naturally, I assumed this meant he’d be back, and maybe Durant too. But did it excite me? Not really. The reason is simple: injuries will likely continue to plague this Suns roster, including Beal. It’s not his fault, but it’s hard to keep getting your hopes up.
It’s like being in a relationship where you know your girlfriend will always comment on how good another guy looks in jeans. She’s hot, so you deal with it. You keep going out in public knowing she’s noticing other men. Similarly, this roster will get healthy again, only to falter to injuries once more. It’s exhausting and, frankly, discouraging.
At this point, do I think you could just go find another girlfriend as hot as the one you’ve got? No. And do the Suns have any option other than sticking with this roster until the end? No. The answer is simply no.
So, can I just be okay with this season and accept that we likely won’t be contenders due to the inconsistency of staying healthy? I think I’m okay with that. Like last year, we just had to accept that we were an average team—that we didn’t really have a “big three” and that the Suns’ depth was lacking. Right now, I’ll admit that I just don’t care. I love the Suns and will always support them, but trying to convince myself that this team can win a championship takes too much energy. And sifting through tweets insisting that “this team will be okay” feels redundant.
After 16 games, I’m not in the mood to search for reasons why this team will come out on top, because it’s likely they won’t. The Western Conference is too tough and too young for this team to compete, especially with all the nagging injuries and the lack of accountability, as evidenced by the 1-6 record without Durant. If we rely this heavily on Durant, we’re doomed.
Now that my little pity party is over, it would be nice to hear how you think the Suns will fair for the remainder of the season.