2011-12 NBA Season: Why the Phoenix Suns Aren't Prepared for the Future

For the first time in eight seasons, the Suns started the season without Amar'e Stoudemire on the roster. They followed that up by missing the playoffs one year after they were a Ron Artest tip-in away from making the Finals.

Although the Suns finished 40 and 42, just barely missing the playoffs, there are several hidden problems that will soon surface in the coming seasons.

Age

Two keys to the Suns' success are Grant Hill and Steve Nash. However, age may soon catch up to them as Hill is now 39 and Nash is 37. Hill has consistently been one of the best defenders on the team, if not the best. Nash, meanwhile, is taking a team that could have easily been the worst in the league and transforming it into a fringe playoff team. 

Lack of Depth

The Suns can either be the worst team in the league or an astonishingly efficient offense based on Steve Nash's performance. If Nash breaks down or is traded, the Suns are very thin.

Should anything happen to Nash, the Suns could be caught in a situation much like the Jazz last year once Deron Williams was traded. The two are actually in shockingly similar positions. They both had big men with lots of promise (Al Jefferson for the Jazz, Marcin Gortat for the Suns), a good defender at small forward (Andrei Kirilenko for the Jazz, Grant Hill for the Suns), lots of unproven players, a skilled power forward that had recently left (Carlos Boozer for the Jazz, Amar'e Stoudemire for the Suns) and an elite point guard (Deron Williams for the Jazz, Steve Nash for the Suns). Once Deron Williams was traded, the Jazz struggled to find a new identity without him.

The Suns could be faced with a similar position if Nash breaks down or is traded.

Financial Position

Hakim Warrick, Josh Childress and Mickael Pietrus will earn about $15 million this coming season, not to mention Channing Frye is due to make over $5.5 million and Marcin Gortat will earn almost $7 million. Together, those five players will make almost $27.5 million next season.

Unless player salaries are dramatically reduced by a new CBA, the Suns would not be in a great position to sign several top free agents. Plus, Robert Sarver has invested in some pretty bad players over the years, including Boris Diaw and Marcus Banks. Who's to say he won't make the same mistake instead of gunning for a top free agent?

Little Appeal

Speaking of top free agents, another obstacle to signing big free agents is the appeal of Phoenix, in that there isn't much appeal. With a cheap owner who wasn't willing to make any moves to win Nash a championship, aside from the failed Shaq trade, most big free agents would not see Phoenix as a place where they could win a championship.

Add in a mediocre supporting cast with little chance of developing into a great one and Phoenix doesn't seem to be a top destination for free agents.

If Nash leaves, this team will be sorely lacking in star power. Granted, the Memphis Grizzlies did not have much star power before last season either, but at least they had a tough defensive mentality, something Phoenix lacks.