"The house is not on fire" - Mat Ishbia makes provocative claim amid Suns' roster catching flak after playoff elimination

Some problems need to be addressed for the Phoenix Suns as they exited the 2024 NBA playoffs in a first-round sweep. With the media pointing out what needs to be fixed for the franchise, team owner Mat Ishbia doesn't acknowledge any of it. During a news conference on Thursday, he expressed his support for the team and told the media that the team didn't have many problems.

Before the start of the 2023-24 season, there were expectations that the team would contend for the championship. The Suns had just made moves to acquire Bradley Beal at that time, giving them enough star power to be a title team.

However, injuries and their odd-looking roster didn't work out as they failed to win a single postseason game. Ishbia assured everyone that the team's problems are fixable and still sees the Suns as title contenders with the group that they have.

"Ask the other 29 GMs, 26 of them would trade their whole team for our whole team and our draft picks and everything as is. The house is not on fire," Ishbia said when asked if the team is fixable. "We’re in a great position.

"It’s not hard to fix. ... We have enough talent to win a championship. ... So, how fixable is it? If I read the media, I would think we have a lot of problems. But luckily, I get to spend time with the best players in the world, in my opinion, the best coaches, GMs."

The confidence that Ishbia has in his team is admirable. But there are obvious changes that need to be addressed in the offseason.

First, they now have to pay their Big Three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal at least $150.6 million. This restricts the team's ability to sign quality role players.

Second, the Suns need to address their need for a point guard. Throughout the season, the team struggled to be impactful in the fourth quarter as they often turned the ball over. Phoenix finished 25th in turnover percentage.

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Suns had a better season than the 2022-23 campaign, according to owner

Mat Ishbia has made many claims during his news conference. The Phoenix Suns owner claimed that they had a better postseason campaign than the previous year under Monty Williams.

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"It's not even close," Ishbia said.

Last year, Phoenix, 45-37 in the regular season, was eliminated by the eventual champions, the Denver Nuggets, in the second round. They also won their first-round series against the LA Clippers in five games. Also, the team finished fourth in the Western Conference standings.

This season, Phoenix had to battle hard late in the season to finish 49-33 and secure the sixth spot in the West before being swept in the first round.

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