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No. 10: Phoenix Suns
Last Season: 39-43
10th place in West; missed playoffs
Once again the Phoenix Suns have overhauled their roster, leaving it on the fringes of the Western Conference playoff picture. They took a huge step backward from the feel-good 2013-14 season with a 2014-15 campaign that imploded, complete with infighting and displeasure with roles. The hope this season is having roles very clearly defined will lead to a postseason berth. They've already tied the franchise record for longest playoff drought. To avoid establishing a new infamous mark, as well as to clean up issues on and off the court, they'll have to turn to the oldest player on the roster -- their marquee free agent Tyson Chandler.
The moment the Suns came to terms with Eric Bledsoe on the eve of training camp, they created the NBA version of a quarterback controversy between him, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas. Despite Phoenix's claim of "we meant to do that," it was hard to believe that given Thomas' very public declaration in Sacramento that he desired to be a starting guard in the league. Predictably, all three guards were unhappy with the marginalization of their roles on the offensive end and ultimately led to the departures of Dragic and Thomas at the trade deadline.
In return, Phoenix acquired from Milwaukee Brandon Knight, who was enjoying a career-best start in a contract year. Unfortunately, Knight's tenure in Phoenix was marred with injury, robbing the Suns of the opportunity to get a good feel on his chemistry with Bledsoe.
Elsewhere, the lack of a strong locker room presence led to the rise in influence of the Morris twins, who, buoyed off their own offseason extensions, dominated the locker room with their personality, as well as on the court as the two often kept the ball between themselves and eschewed their teammates. Add a mercurial Gerald Green, also in a contract year, and the combination of unhappiness with roles, shots and minutes all led to an eventual implosion, as the Suns reverted to a sub-.500 team.