NBA Playoffs 2014: Phoenix Suns' Eric Bledsoe To Return For Final Playoff Push! Can They Still Make It? Suns GM Pleased With Team’s Performance!
The Phoenix Suns are fighting for a playoff bid in the crazy-competitive Western Conference and they will get a much-needed boost with the return of Eric Bledsoe.
The return of the explosive point guard is already projected after scrimmages had good results. AZ Central.com reports:
"Bledsoe will return to game action for the Suns in the next week. The point guard will play no later than next Wednesday's home game against Cleveland and no earlier than Sunday at Golden State.
The Suns also play Monday at the Los Angeles Clippers, Bledsoe's former team, at the Staples Center, where he injured his knee in a Dec. 30 win. Bledsoe underwent arthroscopic surgery Jan. 10 and has been rehabilitating it with significant recent progress. On Wednesday, Bledsoe participated in full-court, five-on-five scrimmaging for the third time in five days.
Of the three return date options, a Sunday return is the least likely because the Suns play again a night later after a short flight."
Of course, the Suns are taking it slow with Bledsoe's playing time. While Bledsoe is definitely one big factor for the Suns' success, the team is not all about individual play.
Coach Jeff Hornacek shares: "You don't know how they'll come back. We might bring Eric in off the bench a little bit. We hope he's there at the end of game. If you throw him right into the starting lineup, it might screw you up for a few games.
It screws up guys' roles. Some of the other guys who had to step it up and take more shots are maybe deferring because a main guy comes back."
GM Ryan McDonough talked with Arizona Sports 98.7 FM about Bledsoe's return: "We could use him, but at the same time we don't want to do anything that would hurt the team. Guys like Ish Smith and Archie Goodwin have stepped up and played a nice role in Eric's absence."
Ryan McDonough was one of Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge's deputies, and both of them expected to be awful in this year's rebuilding. However, the Suns under Hornacek had other plans. The young, first time GM is very pleased, but also focused on the long-term goal. From the Boston Globe: "We're trying to be patient and not do anything to jeopardize our cap space for long-term planning. We feel like we're off to a good start. We have a good foundation to be successful with our financial flexibility, draft picks, and most importantly, with the ways our young guys have played and what they've shown. But we've still got a ways to go to get from pretty good to great - that championship level."
The Sun shines bright for Arizona basketball fans as their future success came early. With a sharp GM and a prodigious coach, sky's the limit for these young guys.