2023 NBA Playoffs Ruminations (6 May 2023)

ARE THE SUNS BETTER WITHOUT CP3?

There are reasons why I sometimes refer to people who are able to put together compatible, contender-level teams as "gurus" is because I fully understand that sh*t ain't easy.  NBA basketball is a 5-on-5 sport, and each team, under normal circumstances, has 12 players available each game.  That means, if I entered the calculation correctly, there are a whopping 792 different combinations that a coach can field.

And when I talk about being a guru, I don't necessarily mean what Pat Riley and them did when they put together Lebron + Wade + Bosh, a combination that was just like more talented than any other team.  I mean that type of sh*t like Ainge trading down to draft Tatum over Fultz, or the Spurs regularly making late draft picks, like Parker, Ginobli and Leonard, who turned out to be Hall of Fame players.

And my point is that as a guru, sometimes you have to make the hard decisions.  For example, Chris Paul turned the Suns around a couple of seasons ago.  He was exactly what the doctor ordered given their roster makeup, the type of PG who could a lead squad with a young superstar + various other diverse talents and who also, if need be, can shoot an opponent down himself.  But first all, he's aged since then.  Secondly, now the Suns got KD.  And whether it's Durant or Irving or Harden or King James himself, it's always the same with those types of players, that they tend to be better when they're allowed to dribble or even run point.

I believe that the Suns have the most talented starting five in the NBA, but there may be compatibility issues.  CP3 is a true, diehard PG if there ever was one in the 21st century.  He's not a combo guard, as is demanded of PGs who are on teams with aforementioned types of players.  So what the Suns' braintrust should have expected is that if KD came around, then Paul may have to make adjustments.  And if he can't, which I'm not so sure he can since CP3 + Harden never really panned out a full years back (tho they were quite formidable), then some of those hard decisions are gonna have to be made, because you can only ask KD to play off the ball so much.

And it's the same thing with Ja Morant and the Grizzlies.  Is Memphis more exciting with Morant?  No question, one of the utmost-exciting teams in the entire NBA.  Do they play better without him tho?  An argument can be made that yes, they do.  But instead of addressing that elephant in the room, instead they took out their frustrations on Dillon Brooks, which isn't the smartest thing to do considering their injury issues and the talent they've already been losing since last season.