Welcome to Ford’s Focus, a weekly column that I will use to cover my thoughts in basketball based off of the news and games that I consumed over the week. Now, I know, I know, this is coming out during the last week of the NBA regular season. What horrible timing, right? I would agree-except I don’t just take in NBA basketball. The WNBA season is right around the corner, the BIG3 is coming in hot as well, and that doesn’t include any circuit basketball or other games/leagues that I stay abreast of. I write all of that to say this: stay tuned, this should at best be a fun read and at worst; a highly readable one.

The Phoenix Suns-All Burnt Out

What a year for Phoenix..and I don’t mean that in a good way. After a disappointing season last year, the Suns front office blamed coaching and a lack of point guard play as the reasons for their failure, and the rectified both, firing embattled coach Frank Vogel (unfairly in my opinion) hiring Arizona native and former championship-winning coach Mike Budenholzer, and acquiring two rotation-level point guards in Tyus Jones and Monte Morris with surprising league minimum deals. With those deficiencies supposedly fixed and at least 60-65 games played from both Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, what could go wrong?

Well, glad you asked..One would say that with the Suns on the verge of not only missing the playoffs but also the play-in tournament by a comfortable margin, that the answer is obvious- everything. Let’s start with coaching. Budenholzer has been….fine I suppose? He has been willing to make the tough roster decisions without acquiescing to egos as Vogel had before him (such as benching Bradley Beal and former center Jusuf Nurkic when their production wasn’t up to snuff) but ultimately, with the Suns heading for a worst record with him than before his arrival, does that really mean a whole lot? Forget the news and clips of him having public disagreements with Booker and Durant throughout the season; the proof is in the numbers as well as on the court.

Phoenix ranks in the bottom 10 of the league in defensive as well as overall net rating; and watching them play only illustrates it more. Coach Bud’s voice seems to be lost on this particular unit; the “joy” isn’t there at all and when they do make surprising comebacks after large deficits, it seems as if it happens almost irrespective of whatever Budenholzer is attempting to do from the sidelines. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he is the problem, but he is most certainly *not* the solution.

The roster is the real-pardon the pun- “burning” issue for this Phoenix team. Sure, there were some bright spots. Free agent Collin Gillespie has performed admirably in an outsized role, and rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro showcased some real flashes over the course of the season. Booker and  Durant also had respectable seasons all things considered, even if both have slipped some consistency-wise from last year. The same can not be said for the third member of Phoenix’s talented trio-Bradley Beal. Across the board, his numbers (17-3-3 on 49/38/79 splits) aren’t necessarily egregious, but they are essentially empty calories, as it hasn’t helped drive winning basketball, to say nothing of his struggles accepting his role and being able to scale back up to his Washington days (which at this point are *long* gone).

Tyus Jones and Monte Morris for all intents and purposes, played to the level of their contracts, and almost certainly won’t be back next season. Free agent signing Mason Plumlee had his moments, but was mostly ineffective, and opening-night starter Nurkic was so bad that he got the boot mid-season. To steal a line from a famous children’s book, the collective talent of this team was Terrible, Horrible, No Good, and Very Bad.

The big question moving forward is: how does Phoenix move forward? The answers aren’t readily apparent. Sure, owner Mat Ishbia is ready to empty the clip in pursuit of a championship; the problem is the chamber is pretty much empty. The Suns are in second-apron hell, the draft pick situation is, in a word, ugly, and as far as young talent goes? Give me a break. This roster is old, injury prone, and has non-existent upside. Bradley Beal’s no-trade clause is an anvil around the front office, even if he is likely moved this offseason, and Devin Booker is as close to untouchable as any player this side of Luka Doncic.

That leaves one Kevin Durant. There have been conflicting reports about whether or not Phoenix wants to move on from the 36-year-old all-time great, but regardless of what they say, the writing is on the wall unless the goal is to run essentially the same squad back into 2025-2026. The thought exercise of where Durant goes is another piece for another time, but my only rumination on that is this: does trading Kevin Durant help the Suns’ chances of winning the championship more than keeping him would? I would argue, given where Durant is in his illustrious career, that the answer is no. Is it a worthwhile move regardless? That remains to be seen, and one way or another, we will get an answer to that and a host of other questions that cast a cloud over the valley of the Suns.

 Notable NBA/WNBABirthdays: April 1st-6th

• Mitchell Robinson: 27,
•  Brook/Robin Lopez: 37, 
• Mark Jackson: 60, 
• Tangela Smith: 48,
• Pascal Siakam: 31, 
• Larry Drew: 67, 
• Pervis Ellison: 58, 
• Ben Gordon: 42,
•  Frank Kaminsky 32, 
• AD Durr: 28,
•  Naz Hillmon: 25, 
• Stephen Jackson: 47, 
• Spencer Dinwiddie: 32  

Just wanted to throw out a few words on some of the above players, in no particular order or reason, just birthday love! Mark Jackson (“mama there goes that man”) is often remembered for his ESPN career and short stint as the coach of the Warriors, but was actually a productive point guard for 17 years with the Knicks, Nuggets, Pacers, Raptors, Jazz, and Rockets. In addition to his Andre Milleresque low post game for a guard, I was quite fond of his shimmy dance after big plays.

Tangela Smith was a 6’3″ big who played 15 years in the W, most notably for the Sacramento Monarchs, but also logged seasons with the Charlotte Sting, the Mercury, the Fever, and the Stars (shoutout to these retro teams!) Smith made history in 2007 when the Phoenix Mercury traded the #1 overall pick (who became Lindsey Harding) straight up to acquire her that offseason, where she would later play a key role in their two championships to come. With a sweet jumper that stretched to three, great defensive activity, and a solid low-post game, Smith is a player whose career is wrapped in the fabric of the WNBA. (Also, long live the Monarchs, Sting, and Stars!)

Larry Drew and Pervis Ellison were two veterans of the 80’s and 90’s that each played a decade in the league, but also carry their own fun nicknames. For Drew (who is a Clippers assistant coach and was formerly a head coach for the Hawks, Bucks, and Cavs) his nickname was The Landlord, which I personally find hilarious and am determined to figure out how he got this moniker. For Ellison, the nicknames aren’t as funny, as he was conversely called Never Nervous Pervis or Out of Service Pervis, depending on whether he was playing or in street clothes (think Day-to Day Davis for Anthony Davis) Also, it would be a crime not to shout out Frank The Tank Kaminsky, so here is where I give my flowers to the stretch big who plays with the Raptors 905 (and congrats on the newest addition to his family!)

Bison Dele was a productive big man and NBA champion who sadly has become a bit of a true crime story, as he’s been declared missing for over 22 years now after a trip out to sea with his girlfriend and brother. Its a strange story even now, and sadly, almost certainly tragic. Lastly, I want to shout out the Lopez brothers, who carved out their own lengthy careers in different ways, while still staying true to their own fun, unique selves. These are the players we love here on Ford’s Focus.

Speaking of Ford’s Focus, that is it for this inaugural edition! I definitely look forward to refining this and hopefully adding some fun features and mailbags in the future, so stay tuned and keep checking in! Until next time, I’m frosty, y’all stay frosty, and I’ll be back here with y’all again real real soon.