Charles Barkley gives a scathing indictment on Phoenix Suns' current situation: "I don't think they like each other"
Phoenix Suns franchise legend Charles Barkley seemed quite disappointed with the team's current position in the league. WIth the Suns coming off another loss, Barkley gave a scathing indictment of the team's situation.
The Phoenix Suns have been a franchise in turmoil this season. While considering that they were runners-up two years ago and had the best record in the league last season, the Suns are practically unrecognizable this year.
Several factors could contribute to this situation. For starters, Phoenix faced a significant amount of internal strife during the offseason. With the Robert Sarver drama practically trickling down to the players, it is no surprise that matters in the locker room were unsavory.
Additionally, internal issues pertaining to contract negotiations also took their toll. This was particularly true in the cases of Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder.
Overall, the Suns have cut a sorry figure for themselves. After a rocky but still somewhat competitive start to the season, Phoenix has fallen off drastically. Coming off their third consecutive loss, the Suns are now unrecognizable.
Charles Barkley was particularly disturbed by the team's current state. He expressed his take on the Suns' poor performance as of late when speaking in the NBA on TNT. He said:
"My team is broken. First of all, I don't think they like each other. Once you lose that trust, I don't think you can get it back. To be on a winning team, y'all have to be connected."
"So I think they're in trouble. I think the things started before the season with Jae Crowder. Jae Crowder's too good a player to be sitting at home. I just think it's going to be a long road for my Suns. I feel bad for that because you know how much respect I got for Chris Paul. I love Devin Booker."
"But, like I said, I just think they've lost that connectivity. They had it a couple of years ago. It started waning last year. I think it's totally gone this year."
"My team is broken. First of all, I don't think they like each other. Once you lose that trust, I don't think you can get it back. To be on. winning team, y'all have to be connected... They've lost that connectivity."
Charles Barkley on the Phoenix Suns
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While contract negotiations and trade issues have been major, the Suns have also been rather unfortunate with injury management. With several key players out of the rotation, Phoenix is vulnerable, as it shows.
With barely any driving force behind them, the Suns do not look like a competitive unit at the moment. As they continue to spiral down the ranks of the West, it begs the question of whether Phoenix will be able to correct their course before the playoffs.
The Phoenix Suns are in free fall
The Phoenix Suns' core began to show cracks last season. So while it is clear that they are in free fall, the team has practically been imploding since before the season even started.
The contract negotiations with Deandre Ayton certainly did some damage internally. Meanwhile, the Robert Sarver situation did even more damage to the players on the roster.
Jae Crowder opted to sit out the season due to a looming reduction in usage rate as Cam Johnson developed over the last season. This backfired drastically as Johnson sustained an injury and Crowder remained sidelined without being traded.
While the Phoenix Suns' predicament could be temporary, the team is far from being a cohesive unit at the moment. Whether Booker's return could ail the situation is purely a matter of speculation. However, as it stands, the sun could be setting in Phoenix's title window.
Read: Chris Paul injury update: What happened to the Phoenix Suns star that caused him to leave Miami Heat game midway?