WHAT'S GOING ON IN PHOENIX?

 The Phoenix Suns have 2 All-Stars on their roster.  One of them is one of this era of basketballs top 5 players.  They also have a championship winning head coach and on owner that is willing to do whatever it takes to win.  This was proven when just a few days after purchasing the team he pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade that brought Kevin Durant to Phoenix.

Yet the Phoenix Suns have a record of 26-27 as we head towards the All- Star break.  They are in 11th place in the Western Conference.  So what's going on in Phoenix?  On paper the Suns should be a top seed yet they seem to struggle to get to .500 basketball.

There are two problems with the Phoenix Suns that are keeping them from contending for a NBA tittle again.  The first problem is Bradley Beal and the second problem the Suns are missing that intimidating player.

Bradley Beal came to Phoenix to be part of the Big 3 along with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.  Beal's inability to stay healthy and contribute when he is healthy made this plan a failure from day one.  To make matter's worse Beals performance and the price tag his contract carries makes it impossible to move trade him.  Because no other team wanted him the Suns were unable to trade for Jimmy Butler, who ultimately ended up in Golden State, creating another problem for the Suns.

Most people say the Suns need a center and that this has always been a weakness of the Phoenix Suns.  This idea makes sense but the man there missing doesn't have to be a center.  The person just needs to be an intimidating player that won't back down from anyone.  The Suns recently had a Jae Crowder who fits this description well.  The fact that the Suns don't have anyone like this allows other teams to bully them.  The Suns aren't tough emough to hang with the top teams in the Western Conference.