The Phoenix Suns are 1-0 to begin the season and a familiar face to the Valley is keeping his faith in the franchise reaching a higher standard.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Former Suns forward Charles Barkley went on the mightily popular show “NBA on TNT” to discuss the teams he thinks will be better in the Western Conference and others who may take a step back.
When talking about the Dallas Mavericks who went all the way to this past NBA Finals, Barkley thought they had favorable matchups that helped them go as far as they did last season, but won’t do the same this year since teams like the Suns improved.
“I think they are a middle-of-the-road team in the Western Conference. I think they got lucky last year because of matchups, everything worked out perfectly. This year, I think Phoenix is better, New Orleans gonna be better, the Lakers are going to be solid, Memphis is gonna be good. I think Dallas is a bottom of the West sixth, seventh or eighth seed,” Barkley said on Friday night.
Chuck on the Mavs: “I think they got lucky last year because of matchups… I think Dallas is a bottom of the West 6, 7 or 8 seed." ???? pic.twitter.com/Bo5KyigOLN
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 25, 2024
He was then asked about the Denver Nuggets after they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 102-87 and he admitted they may also be in danger of falling down the standings.
“The team that might be in trouble might be the Nuggets because they were pretty much last on the bench last year and I saw nothing on that bench tonight to be like, ‘uh oh.’ The West is better. My Suns are better, New Orleans is better, Memphis is gonna be better,” Barkley said. “The only team in the West that is not any good is Portland. Sacramento is going to be solid.”
“The Nuggets, they’re going to have to find a bench. They’re going to have to do something because it’s such a major drop-off on their bench, man. It’s not fair to the Joker (Nikola Jokić), Jamal (Murray), Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr.”
"The team that might be in trouble might be the Nuggets" ????
Charles is worried about Denver's depth pic.twitter.com/CMfsBJuCeD
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 25, 2024
The Suns signed Tyus Jones and hired five-time NBA champion Mike Budenholzer as head coach, raising the level of expectations going into another year with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Playing in the Valley for four seasons (1992-96), Barkley has been outspoken on numerous occasions about his appreciation for his time in Phoenix and what the city means to him.
Having the belief that his former team can achieve something special this season, time will tell if the Suns will indeed be better.
Phoenix completes its two-game road trip in Los Angeles when they go up against LeBron James and the Lakers on Friday at 7 p.m. AZT. The Suns beat the Clippers on Wednesday 116-113 in overtime.
Preview: Can Suns leave Los Angeles with 2-0 record to start season?
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
