Suns GM

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held today at 5:30 PM Arizona time and will be televised on ESPN. I will be watching. I have not watched a draft lottery, since I first arrived in Chicago in 1995. The Suns' season had ended prematurely in the Western Conference Semifinals to the eventual champion Houston Rockets. I needed a fix.

The Suns had a late first round pick that year, so there was no real reason for me to watch that draft. I believe the Suns had the 21st pick, with which they chose Arizona State's Mario Bennett. A 6'9" flyswatter in the Shawn Marion mold, Bennett never really fulfilled what little potential he had. The Marion mold does not necessarily mean Marion talent or Marion's Wolverine-like health.

This year could be different, though. If the Atlanta Hawks don't strike gold, the Suns, coming off a league second best 61 win season, will end up with a pick no higher than four and no lower than seven. They also have Cleveland's 23rd pick and the Suns' own 29th pick in the first round. This is a loaded draft, full of athletic prospects with playoff experience and All Star potential. If the Hawks don't strike gold, the Suns will.

Everything that the Suns front office does this summer hinges on that draft. A number four pick could very well answer all of the Suns problems. The team needs to dump salary, fill a wing with scoring and rebounding, and find a player to give Nash a spell in big games.

Robert Sarver has made no secret that he likes the core of this team, and he wants to keep it together. That means that Marion, Amare Stoudemire, Nash, Leandro Barbosa, and Raja Bell are welcome next season. James Jones, although a decent defender with a nice three point stroke, is far too inconsistent to count on in the major moments as was, say, Joe Johnson. An unfair comparison, to be sure, it is still exactly what the Suns need. An aggressive three point threat with a strong handle to get off his own shot or open up a play for a teammate, and who can rebound a little as well. Boris Diaw with a jump shot and foot up his ass would be nice.

Robert Sarver has also made it known that he would certainly look into trading up in the draft to secure a top two seed, thus nabbing Texas' freshman sensation and NCAA Player of the Year Kevin Durant. That would easily solve all the Suns' problems in one fell swoop. It may be a pipe dream, though, as Boston is not likely to trade a top two pick (they've said so publicly). If the Celtics obtained the number two pick, then the Suns would be hard pressed to shoot for the number one pick. It would cost them Shawn Marion, that's for sure.

Anyone else gets the top two, and the door is open to trade all three Suns picks for that number two, along with a veteran player and possibly future cap relief. Boris Diaw would do well in Memphis or Milwaukee. It's a long shot, so I wouldn't count on that scenario taking place. More likely, the Suns will get the number four pick. Al Horford, though not a great offensive threat, is certainly big enough and strong enough to fill that rebounding void. His athleticism could be just the ticket to spell Marion a few extra minutes a game. Then maybe Shawn won't be so prone to take a few defensive possessions off in order to save some energy for later in the game.

I see Horford going number three, though, which leaves the Suns with a tough choice to make. Do they go for potential, and select North Carolina's 6'10" 215 pound freshman forward, Brandon Wright? Or do they go for more size and established game in the 7'1" Yi Jianlin of China? If I had to make a choice between those two, I would take the Chinaman. His size and athleticism, as well as his outside shot and willingness to run the floor, make him a perfect fit for Mike D'Antoni's system. He also offers the advantage that his weight will allow him to body Tim Duncan, if it came down to it.

If Atlanta gets lucky, then I would look for the Suns to make a deal with Toronto. I know that this may be WAY out there, but Bryan Colangelo is the one who put Boris Diaw in the Joe Johnson trade. Diaw might work better in a system without Amare Stoudemire, and the Suns could use an experienced back up point guard like Jose Calderon. I doubt that Colangelo would let a stud like Calderon go for Diaw, but he might for Diaw and one or two of those draft picks.

It all depends on what happens at 5:30 PM Tuesday May 22, 2007. I hope that the Suns secure that top four pick, then all our problems could be solved in one fell swoop. Good luck, Mike. May the balls bounce your way. Here's to Boston 3, Atlanta 4.

*Update:

A speculation on Amare's amazing 2007-08 season coming soon to A Clockwork Orange near you. Stay tuned.