[2-1] “A New Horizon” • S01E03 @ Magic

[kibaxx7]

[kibaxx7]

Yeah.

[kibaxx7]

Coming soon.

[kibaxx7]

Man we are going to struggle

[kibaxx7]

Hoping for a high pick

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Barkley as a GM? Nash, Johnson, Richardson, Marion and Amar'e all coming back?

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Haddadi as the first scoring option?

[kibaxx7]

Like, anything can happen

Go ahead.

[Hiteshom]

^lol

[SuperHueyNewton]

Hmm... hyphie go stupid lol

[Yeezy]

...Beasley for MVP. Good luck, man. Following.

[hova-]

Good to see you back. Tough team with a lot of space to rebuild! GL

[Leftos]

Always love to see small teams that you know will struggle before getting better. Can't wait to see what approach you'll take.

[Phil89]

Make Haddadi the superstar that everyone knows he can be.

[Valor]

Welcome back man, good luck with this!

[Lamrock]

Best of luck, man. Phoenix offers a very compelling challenge and a rich history of not winning titles.

[kibaxx7]

2012-13 Season Preview: PHOENIX SUNS
♦ The team is entering reboot mode ♦
♦ Without Steve Nash, is this team more talented? ♦
♦ Goran Dragic, Luis Scola and Michael Beasley must be competitive ♦
♦ With a big cap room in both '13 and '14, it's a win-win result for Phoenix ♦
James Wilshere, Arizona Republic | October 29, 2012
PHOENIX (Arizona) -- Just one year ago, Lon Babby let Steve Nash go. With no parting shots, he showed him the door with class and professionalism. Many Suns fans hated the move (that would have happened sooner or later), but now, it's just the past. With Suns owner Robert Sarver putting an end to Babby's three-year employment as president of basketball operations today, the Suns are officially on reboot mode. To give him credit, Babby's moves to give Phoenix the so craved “flexibility” have panned out successfully, with $5M in cap room today and close to $15M in July -- not to mention in 2014. The next two years will prove critical to the organization's success in the next decade, just to get that off the way.

You just wouldn't find the word “tanking” in Babby's dictionary. He didn't want to go to work every day and lead a group of people, both in an organization and players, when either the conscious or subliminal message was to lose. Instead of stinking, the Suns suffered through two seasons of contending for, but falling short of, the postseason. Phoenix would root for a team that played better in the second half than the first, showing they deserved to make the playoffs as much as any other bubble team. With Nash leaving, Grant Hill left to the same city. So, with the two players that gave the Suns any sort of leadership the past two seasons gone, is this team any better? They won't win the Pacific, but in terms of potential, yes. They are better.

Goran Dragic showed, both in Houston and his previous tenure in Phoenix, that he is no abberation and can make the jump to floor general right now. His game is in starting-quality status: he can push the pace, score in a variety of ways, find the open man and see the floor. Michael Beasley and Wesley Johnson have the talent to provide some good numbers for the team, but they will need black sorcery to stay for more than these two years; Beasley is a true question mark, while Minnesota had no problem trading Johnson and choosing the retired, injury-prone Brandon Roy over another year from him. Luis Scola and Jermaine O'Neal, while they have zero potential for the future, should be collectively more productive. Kendall Marshall's impact should give another threat.

But best of all, this is a transition year in which, no matter what happens, a win-win situation awaits at the end of the road. Once again, there's a boatload of cap space available (up to $15 million), while only sacrificing the services of Johnson for it. If it goes well, the Suns have two draft picks and the money to aid the core of Dragic, Scola, the Morris brothers, Shannon Brown and Marcin Gortat (this last two, if they re-sign in 2014). If it doesn't, new president of basketball operations Thierry Tirieux has all the ingredients to make it happen: the money and picks are still there, but the entire coaching staff and front office are on the last year of their contracts. Tirieux's first quote as a member of the Suns? “We have the potential to become that team with great chemistry that no one wants to play.”

[kibaxx7]

^lol

Hmm... hyphie go stupid lol

Haddadi is the next LBJ.

...Beasley for MVP. Good luck, man. Following.

I can see him averaging 20 points, but I do not see him in the long-term here.

Good to see you back. Tough team with a lot of space to rebuild! GL

This season will be tough, the real story will come in the offseason.

Always love to see small teams that you know will struggle before getting better. Can't wait to see what approach you'll take.

My longest associations came from teams that had the rosters to compete for the trophy, hopefully this one will break that scheme. We are out of the playoffs this year, maybe with a couple of additions in 2013 and a star in 2014 we can get to the elite.

Make Haddadi the superstar that everyone knows he can be.

He was, is and will be a trading chip for his entire career.

Welcome back man, good luck with this!

Thanks man!

Best of luck, man. Phoenix offers a very compelling challenge and a rich history of not winning titles.

Yep and this season is the anniversary for Barkley's Suns in 1993. Will be interesting.

[Mark.]

So are you starting from 2012-2013 or 2013-2014?

Good luck, #following #Thierry

[Hiteshom]

Haha, sorry, I put lol cause you posted like 20 different posts, but I'll be following. Good luck.

[SuperHueyNewton]

Good luck, kinda makes me want to go update my Suns no

[mp3]

Goodluck with this one man!

[Phil89]

Having cap space in 2014 could work out amazingly for you. LeBron moving to Arizona?

[Vespasian92]

Hmm, interesting challenge with Phoenix. You don't really have a young potential star on the roster like some other developing teams. I'm curious to see if Johnson or Marshall will surprise and be valuable. Looking forward to this one

[kibaxx7]

Warriors 108, Suns 104: Golden State holds Phoenix rally in 4th
♦ Game Preview | Starting Lineups /// Golden State | Phoenix | Team Stats ♦
James Wilshere, Arizona Republic | October 31, 2012
PHOENIX (Arizona) -- A new era of basketball in Phoenix began tonight -- Goran Dragic, one of Steve Nash's former protegés, had the chance to kick it off with a stunner, but it was the Golden State Warriors who left the US Airways Center with a smile. Dragic, who signed a four-year, $30 million dollar deal in the offseason to return to Arizona, shot only 6-of-18 for 14 points and four assists, as Jarrett Jack had 21 points to lead the Warriors to a 108-104 victory, in the season opener for both teams. Jack got plenty of help on offense, as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, with 20 points apiece, who provided the firepower for the win. Curry sealed the victory with a spectacular play on defense: with Golden State hanging on to a 105-102 lead, Thompson committed a turnover, but Curry came from behind to make Dragic miss a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left.

“If they make it, it's a tied game and probably going to overtime,” said Curry, who earlier today agreed to a four-year, $44 million extension with the Warriors. “I never give up.” The Warriors also received a boost with their inside scoring: 56 points in the paint, led by David Lee, who scored 15 to go with 14 rebounds (he even scored 50 points in two games against the Suns last season), while Andrew Bogut added 11 and nine. The Suns were never in front but showed a glimpse of hope for the future, despite its only their first game together, with four players over 18 points. Luis Scola posted 21 points and 12 boards to lead Phoenix, while Marcin Gortat and Shannon Brown notched in 18 each. “Each team made runs, but theirs were more powerful and we couldn't make a comeback,” said Brown. “They were up by sixteen and we got it back close, but it turned out to be too much to overcome.”

Scola's game impressed Warriors' coach Mark Jackson; the Suns were awarded the Argentinian after winning an amnesty auction following Houston's decision to release him. “He's started to grow and play the game with more confidence. He's become one of the best power forwards in the league.” Another player hoping to revive his career is Michael Beasley, who averaged a career-low 11.5 points with Minnesota last season. With 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists, he gained coach Alvin Gentry's praise. “This is the kind of effort we need from him every night,” said Gentry. “But in the end we couldn't win. We got back to playing defense for the last rally, but it wasn't enough. This is just the beginning.”