PHOENIX — Let’s start with Jerry Colangelo. Because that’s always the best bet in situations like this.During his career, Colangelo has run both Phoenix Suns And USA Basketball. he’s seen it all.
ever since Kevin Durant first requested a trade from brooklyn nets With the Sands listed as a preferred destination in late June, the conversation reportedly hijacked the Arizona summer. Hope first. Then I doubt it.all now seems to be stucktire spins, engine backfires, madness… maybe?
Hmm.
Colangelo first met Durant in the winter of 2006. Durant’s Texas team faced Gonzaga in a non-conference pivotal contest in downtown Phoenix. A freshman en route to winning nearly every major individual award in college basketball, Durant tallied 29 points and nine rebounds while Gonzaga beat the Longhorns 87-77.
Four months later, Colangelo, then managing director of the men’s national team, ran into Durant in a hotel lobby during the Final Four in Atlanta. Said I want to Colangelo was struck by Durant’s excitement. He noticed how Durant looked him in the eye. This was something no one his age had seen.
“He was full of enthusiasm,” Colangelo recalled earlier this summer.
Durant didn’t make the Olympic team in 2008, but he flourished. NBA A star, one of the league’s purest scorers and a staple of USA Basketball. He won gold medals in his 2012, 2016 and 2021 years, making him the most scored American basketball player in his Olympic history. From his standpoint, Colangelo saw a different person, but his basketball prowess was the same.
“He’s not the enthusiastic, glowing kid he was when I met him in my freshman year of college, but no one is,” Colangelo said. athletic“Everybody changes. isn’t a real outspoken guy, so when you talk about the level of making a splash, he makes a splash on the court.
The Suns had the best NBA record last season, but they stalled in the playoffs, Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals. In July they Indiana Pacers stay centered Deandre Ayton placed with guards Devin Booker When Chris PaulAyton can’t trade until January 15th, so he can’t trade for a year without his consent. Suns face tough cap restrictions In a trade with Durant.
But nothing is impossible in the NBA. Disgruntled stars have a history of giving way. Durant, 33, who is under contract through the 2025-26 season, wasn’t the first to force his exit.
“Obviously if there was a way he could go to Phoenix and play with Booker and Paul,” Colangelo said, not having to finish the sentence. I’m not saying, but if[Durant]gets to spend a few years with these two guys, it could be a great year for the Suns.
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant congratulate each other after their Olympic victory. (Kyle Terrada/USA Today)
In fact, Colangelo has seen it.
Thirty years ago this summer, the Suns made the biggest trade in state history, selling Charles Barkley. Philadelphia 76ers In exchange for top scorer Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang.
There are similarities here. Like the Phoenix team last season, the 1992 Suns were considered a team on the rise. They finished the previous season 53-29, Portland in the Western Conference Semifinals. They had a new coach in Paul Westphal, a new home at America West Arena, and season ticket demand was high. they needed one more.
Future Hall of Famer 29-year-old Barkley offered all that and more.
From the moment he stepped off USAir Flight 353 from Philadelphia, in jeans, a short-sleeved shirt, and a Nike hat, he’s been elevating an entire franchise and a nation. A fan sitting in a restaurant reportedly shouted at him as Barkley walked through Sky Harbor International Airport.
“Let’s go, Charles!”
“Next year is the NBA champion!”
“Move to Chicago– References to Michael Jordan and World Champions bulls —”Phoenix is here!”
Barkley joined point guard Kevin Johnson, sly Dan Majere, and veterans Tom Chambers and Danny Ainge. The group took three weeks to jelly. On November 28, the Suns lost to Golden State in overtime, losing 7-4. They went undefeated again for his 36 days, completing a 14-game winning streak. The local heat exploded. Everything Berkley did made news.
“One day Charles said something[newsworthy]and we weren’t there,” said former TV sports reporter Bruce Cooper. Why didn’t this happen?’ Well, we weren’t out to practice that day.He called the whole sports team after the 6pm show and blamed us.He said told us never, so far Miss another practice. “If Sands is doing a car wash, you’re there.” ”
Phoenix finished with the best NBA record, two games ahead of Patrick Ewing. new york knicks Five better than Jordan’s Bulls.In the playoffs, the Suns lakers, spurs And the Sonics will advance to the NBA Finals to face Chicago. They recovered from an 0-2 series hole, but lost by 6. A week later, the city featured Sands in a downtown parade. This is an unusual step for the losing team. An estimated 300,000 people attended. in the heat of 100 degrees.
“A lot of positive things happened because[Barkley]was in Phoenix,” Colangelo said. “We didn’t finish it.”
Without a doubt, Durant and Barkley are different spirits. Durant didn’t have a weekly TV show like Berkeley, but his basketball skills would lift the franchise. produced. The atmosphere in this city is something I have never experienced before.
championship or bust.
Arizona Sports 98.7 FM’s radio segment last Thursday announced it was time for “KEVIN DURANT WATCH,” and for the next 10 minutes, hosts Dave Burns and John Gambadoro discussed the latest reports.
how Durant had, athletic Brooklyn owner Joe Tsai said: didn’t have faith It was the direction of the team and it was either him or the pair of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash. James Harden It may be active.How Brooklyn first asked Boston for Jaylen Brown When Jason Tatum.
No local topic has surpassed Larry Fitzgerald on radio broadcasts in the last few years. In a nutshell, it was almost impossible to go a day without discussing the former Cardinals receiver’s future. will he come back? It was an off-season tradition. (Fitzgerald last played in 2020.)
But Durant has achieved a remarkable stature in just a few short months. On Thursday, Barnes and Gambadoro moved to the Cardinals, where the stars tackled the task of keeping his players fresh. But it didn’t last long either. After returning from a commercial break, Gambadoro said, “Take it for what it’s worth,” but had just heard that Durant was due to arrive in the Valley that evening. . It’s against NBA rules. But maybe the 12-time All-Star was there to play pick-up or just hang out.
Alas, no photos surfaced over the weekend. A drive to the popular gym revealed nothing. A call to a basketball source went nowhere. Someone tweeted that Durant canceled. Another post indicates the former MVP was in Los Angeles. Anyway, speculation flew again. hope revived. A harsh desert summer followed.
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(Top photo: Brad Penner / USA Today)
