Charles Barkley: Suns Are in Trouble
The Phoenix Suns missed an opportunity to add talent, according to their former legend.
PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are in trouble, according to Charles Barkley.
“My Suns are in trouble. They never addressed the point guard situation - they definitely needed a point, and they needed another big body,” Barkley said on the NBA on TNT set.
“That’s one of things we talked about at the trade deadline. They need to have those three guys finishing instead of initiating their offense and they can play at a faster pace. Minnesota is such a big team, it’s tough to score on them in the halfcourt. You got two seven-foot guys out there, so it’s really difficult. So the only way is to speed the tempo up.
"They don't even need a great point guard, they just need a serviceable point guard, and I thought they needed a bigger body. They went out and got Royce O'Neale - who is more of a shooter. But when you're playing against some of the bigger teams in this league, you need more than one big guy - that's all they got."
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Phoenix finds themselves down 2-0 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the size advantage down low has been notable through the first two games. The Timberwolves have been able to control the paint and limit Phoenix's opportunities on the glass while forcing other small adjustments like tough shots on Kevin Durant/Devin Booker's mid-range attempts and practically making it impossible for Bradley Beal to drive to the hoop.
Many believe the Suns should shoot more three-point attempts moving forward, as their 28 and 22 attempts from downtown thus far in the series simply hasn't been enough to take advantage of the size differential.
Phoenix could also potentially use more small-ball looks and hope to stretch Minnesota's defense out of the paint.
With a championship coach in Frank Vogel coaching stars such as Booker, Beal and Durant, it seemed impossible for the Suns to not make some noise in the postseason.
Now, they're facing a tough reality.
