Now that I have detailed how poorly the Suns have executed in the last 6 drafts, it is time to look at who the Phoenix Suns should draft in 2009. The Suns are in need at multiple positions, which may benefit them in the draft by being able to take the best player available rather than a flyer at the specific position they need. At point guard, The Suns have future hall of famer Steve Nash for at least one more season. The question truly is whether or not management is sold on Goran Dragic being the future at the position, Dragic showed flashes, but is no where near ready to handle a starting role. The center position is also in flux as well, Shaquille O’Neal will likely be moved this off-season and last year’s 1st round pick was Robin Lopez so it is unlikely another center will be drafted. Power forward is a major question mark; considering the fact that Stoudemire’s health (eye surgery) is still in question. Small forward is a position where the Suns currently do not have a starter on the roster. Grant Hill and Matt Barnes are both free-agents and the Suns could use the draft to plug this hole. However, it is likely that Grant Hill will be re-signed and he will take less money due to his relationship with Phoenix’s expert training staff. Finally, there is really no need at shooting guard with Jason Richardson, Leandro Barbosa and Alando Tucker entrenched at the position. Here is the breakdown of players that will likely be available to the Suns at the 14th pick and why or why not they will be a good fit.

The Candidates:

PG: Eric Maynor (VCU), Jonny Flynn (Syracuse), Ty Lawson (UNC)

This draft is truly loaded with point guards; beyond the players listed above Jrue Holiday (UCLA), Jeff Teague (Wake Forest), Patrick Mills (St. Marys) and of course high 1st rounders Ricky Rubio (Spain), Brandon Jennings (USA) and Stephen Curry (Davidson) will be taken in the 1st round. Eric Maynor is NBA ready right now and at 6′3″ he has the size for NBA passing lanes. Maynor averaged 22.4 ppg and 6.2 apg in his senior season at VCU. The main knock against him is his marginal athleticism may not translate well in the NBA. Jonny Flynn of Syracuse is almost the antithesis of Maynor at the PG position. Flynn is blessed with tremendous quickness and leaping ability; however at 6′0″ passing lanes are tough to come by. Flynn averaged 17.4 ppg and 6.7 apg in his sophomore season at Syracuse. Flynn’s jump shot is not NBA ready; only shooting 31.7% from the 3-point line making him a tough fit in the Suns system. Ty Lawson of UNC is another speedy point guard, but unlike Flynn is an adept shooter. Lawson shot 47.2% from 3-point land as a junior for the Tarheels. Lawson averaged 16.6 ppg and 6.6 apg last season but was hampered by a toe injury. The major concern about Lawson is that at 6′0″ and not having long arms finishing around the rim and finding passing lanes could be difficult.

Best Fit For Phoenix Suns: Ty Lawson, with Jonny Flynn a close 2nd due to his leaping ability.

SF: James Johnson (Wake Forest),  Earl Clark (Louisville)

James Johnson and Earl Clark both are similar to the Shawn Marion mold; in which they are extremely versatile but don’t fit well in any particular position. James Johnson of Wake Forest is 6′8″ 235 lbs and averaged 15.0 ppg and 8.6 rebounds during his sophomore season at Wake Forest. His perimeter skills are questionable; only shooting 31.9% for 3-point land. Here is a breakdown of his major weaknesses by Draft Express: Johnson’s biggest issue right now might be the lack of focus he shows at times—making some poor decisions at times with the ball, but also making costly fundamental mistakes as well. He tries to do too much from the perimeter on a few possessions every game, over-handling the ball, being somewhat turnover prone, and settling for bad shots. He isn’t as solid as you’d hope either, forgetting to box out his man in crucial moments, being late to rotate defensively, and generally being inconsistent from game to game and often possession to possession. Johnson seems like the kind of guy who needs special attention from the coaching staff to make sure they’re getting (and will get) 100% out of him at all times, although this could be something that improves with added maturity. This is reminiscent of another power forward that the Suns currently have on the roster (Amare Stoudemire). James Johnson’s main skill is that he is extremely athletic and can run the floor well with Steve Nash. Earl Clark of Louisville is 6′9″ 220 pounds and average 14.2 ppg and 8.7 rebounds. Similar to Johnson, Clark is a poor 3-point shooter at 32.6%. However, Clark’s upside is substantially higher due to his long arms and defensive ability. Clark could defend the 3 position as well as the 4 if he bulks up some. Clark like Johnson sometimes loses focus during games and can become a non-factor.

Best Fit For Phoenix Suns: Earl Clark

PF: DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh), Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech)

The Suns currently have Amare Stoudemire and Louis Amundson on their roster at PF. However, Amare can not guard or rebound with most power forwards and is almost better suited at the center position. If Shaq is indeed moved this off-season we may see a return of Amare to center and the drafting of a power forward. DeJuan Blair is an incredibly strong post player in the mold of Paul Milsap. Blair is listed at 6′7″ but is closer to 6″6″ but has a 7′3″ wingspan and 287 pound body that allows him to excel at rebounding from the power forward position. Blair averaged 12.3 rebounds per game and 15.7 ppg in only 27.3 minutes per game this season at Pittsburgh. Blair had an astonishing 25% of his teams offensive rebounds this season and could be a rebounder in the mold of Charles Barkley in the NBA. My major question mark with Blair on the Suns is his conditioning, with the Suns commitment to the run and gun style of play Blair would often be caught lumbering behind just as Shaquille O’Neal did this previous season. Gani Lawal is 6′8″ and 233 lbs and averaged 15.1 ppg and 9.5 rpg for Georgia Tech last season. It is clearly evident that Lawal would have to be a work in progress type of player. He is extremely athletic but lacks fundamentals in virtually every facet of his game. He is also a horrific free-throw shooter at this point in his career (55%) and may have been better served to stay in college one more year and develop post skills. I believe the Suns like his upside, but need someone who is NBA ready today.

Best Fit For Phoenix Suns: DeJaun Blair

I believe that the best overall player in this group that could come in and help the Suns right now is Ty Lawson. Ty Lawson is already superior to Goran Dragic and could provide the up-tempo pace as floor general that the Suns desire while resting Steve Nash. Here is my overall order:

1. Ty Lawson  2. Jonny Flynn 3. DeJuan Blair 4. Earl Clark 5. James Johnson 6. Eric Maynor 7. Gani Lawal