Can Suns Trust Frank Vogel in Playoffs?
The Phoenix Suns are preparing for another run to the postseason.
PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are at worst set to host a play-in tournament game entering their final regular season matchup, as a win coupled with a New Orleans Pelicans loss would see the Suns jump into the West's six seed and avoid the play-in altogether.
Regardless of their finish, there's still plenty of expectations for Phoenix to make good on their star power (and money spent with it) to make a deep run in the postseason. The Suns pushed their chips to the middle of the table last offseason, and it's nearly time to reveal their hand.
Frank Vogel has received flack - plenty of it actually - during his first year in the desert after taking over in light of Monty Williams' dismissal following another shortcoming in the postseason.
Vogel has prior NBA Finals winning experience with the Los Angeles Lakers and coached tough playoff teams with the Indiana Pacers before arriving in Phoenix. With all of the problems the Suns have seen this season, is Vogel trustworthy in a postseason setting?
Bleacher Report made their case:
"On the one hand, the Phoenix Suns continue to stumble through extended stages of self-discovery that, some nights, verges on incoherence. On the other hand, how much steadier are they supposed to be when it took Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant so long to put together extended stretches of joint availability and the roster is both populated by fliers and was turned over, again, at the trade deadline?" wrote Dan Favale.
"Context is important and provides a level of excuse. The notion that Vogel must coach for his job during the postseason is uncomfortable, if not potentially stupid—less about the job he's doing and more about the Suns' heightened urgency and complete absence of other cards to shuffle."
The Suns mortgaged plenty of assets to acquire big names such as Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal since new governor Mat Ishbia came to power. They also convinced a handful of strong names to come to Phoenix on minimum deals while also shipping out the ever-polarizing Deandre Ayton for major contributors such as Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen.
Favale concluded with:
"Are the Suns' fourth-quarter (and crunch-time) woes entirely on him? Last I checked, he's not the one over-passing or committing turnovers against pressure. But could Phoenix's offensive approach include more creativity—more variance in how they get Durant the ball or two- and three-man sets between their stars? Without question.
"The Suns have hinted at more down-the-stretch innovation in recent weeks. That's great. It has not been consistent. And even relative to circumstances beyond their control, that has been their modus operandi all year: inconstance as their only constant."
Truthfully, nobody knows what to make of Phoenix come playoff time - an exciting yet simultaneously scary thought for Suns fans.
Vogel has the track record to suggest the postseason could bode well for his squad after a very up-and-down year, though it feels like Phoenix will either pleasantly surprise or massively disappoint with little middle ground possible.
