Around the National Basketball Association, teams are beginning to have their opening media days for the 2015-16 season. One such team, of course, is the Western Conference’s Phoenix Suns, who will be one of the clubs to hold their first three-hour media session in the very beginning of the week. The event is set to feature head coach Jeff Hornacek, general manager Ryan McDonough, and a plethora of the team’s main contributors as they get set for the upcoming campaign.
Entering the new year, the main storyline will be simple: getting these Suns to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons and in Hornacek’s third year as the team’s head coach.
Additionally, a seemingly large issue that is developing for the Suns is the attitude of Markieff Morris. After the Suns traded Markieff’s twin brother Marcus to Detroit, Markieff was reportedly unhappy with the split and has made it known publicly, in fact. Markieff has had a few regrettable tweets in recent months, ones that made him seem like playing for the Suns was an afterthought. That situation is unlikely, but it’ll be informative to hear what the former Kansas swingman is thinking.
Free agent signing Tyson Chandler will be the main new face on the Suns roster, as Phoenix has benefitted from the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and DeAndre Jordan summer drama that left the Mavericks thinking they had signed the franchise center before a late spurning left them with little-to-nothing. Mirza Teletovic was also added during free agency, along with lottery draft pick Devin Booker.
With Phoenix having a full season of Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe playing a guard-heavy system, it’ll be interesting to see if the newly acquired pieces can take this Suns team to the next level. The potential is certainly there for an explosive offense, and now Chandler’s presence will upgrade the defense.
The basketball schedule begins sooner than people may realize, with the first NBA preseason Suns game taking place on October 7 at US Airways Center against the Sacramento Kings. According to TiqIQ.com, secondary market Suns tickets for the preseason opener have an average ticket price of $100.53 and a get-in price of $10. With such a low get-in price, it’s an opportune time to see the Suns in person before the games begin to count. Hipmunk.com has Phoenix flights and three hotels in Phoenix starting at less than $60 per night to complete the preseason trip.
