For Suns' Archie Goodwin, ample talent but dwindling patience
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — It was a good weekend for Suns guard Archie Goodwin, who spent five days playing with Phoenix's D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam. Goodwin averaged 23.3 points in three games as the Jam won the first Showcase Cup on Monday, defeating the Grand Rapids Drive.
The problem is that the 70 points Goodwin scored were 23 more than he has scored in the 12 games he has played with Phoenix at the NBA level. Goodwin, in his second season, understands that he is only 20 years old. But he was also the best player on the floor at the Showcase, and waiting for his turn in Phoenix has not been easy.
“Of course it is going to be frustrating for me, because I am a competitor,” Goodwin told Sporting News. “I have enough confidence in myself to believe I can play right now. A lot of guys, once they get here, they sort of feel like, ‘Well, it’s OK, I will get my opportunity eventually.’ That’s not me. I feel like I could be playing right now. In that sense, it is very frustrating.”
The Suns have a logjam at the guard position that isn't making anyone happy. Phoenix got Isaiah Thomas in a sign-and-trade with the Kings last summer, adding him to a group that already included Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Gerald Green. It drafted Tyler Ennis, signed guard Zoran Dragic (Goran's brother) and recently added another wing, Reggie Bullock, in a trade with the Clippers.
The moves puzzled Goodwin.
“I don’t know what they’re doing,” he said. “Honestly, I really don’t. I guess they know what they’re doing — I can just play ball and let them make the decisions. I don’t know what the purpose is for it, but there is nothing I can do about it.”
Goodwin said he understands that those are all NBA-quality players, and he does not want to create the impression that he thinks he should be ahead of them.
I still want to stay professional,” Goodwin said. “We have a great team in Phoenix and we’re making a playoff push with those guys. With that being said, I am not going to dwell on it, I am going to be a positive guy. I don’t want those guys thinking I don’t want them to succeed — I do, with all my heart. From the standpoint of me being a competitor, yeah, it is frustrating, but I still understand what’s going on.”
The glut of guards puts the Suns in position to make a deal, which might be necessary to firm up the team’s tenuous playoff position. And while Goodwin has been the odd man out, he is not the only one unhappy with the situation. Thomas has taken shots away from both Bledsoe and Goran Dragic, who was the league’s Most Improved Player last year.
Green, while happy that the team is winning, has not been pleased with a reduced role. He can become a free agent in the summer, which makes him an obvious trade target. But sources told Sporting News that there is “no way” the Suns will move Green this year.
In the meantime, Goodwin continues working and waiting. He has added strength — he said he has gained 12 pounds and is looking to add another five or 10 this summer. And he knows what he needs to do in order to get more time with the Suns.
“I’ve got to get better defensively,” Goodwin said. “That is what it comes down to for me, because we have so many great scorers on our team. The only way I can get minutes is to make an impact defensively. They want me to come down here for that purpose, to stay in game shape, to keep getting game minutes.”
The season is half over and he knows he probably won’t be getting his chance in Phoenix this year, that winning the D-League Showcase MVP trophy could well be the 2014-15 highlight for him. His first two NBA seasons have been exercises in patience, but he makes no bones about low his reservoir of patience has gotten.
He expects his chance to come next year. If not, he might not be in Phoenix much longer.
“If it don’t come next year, I’m not going to take it,” Goodwin said. “That’s basically what it’s going to come down to. But that’s not for me to worry about, that’s for my agent to talk to those guys about.”
Can't say this comes as much of a surprise. The tidbit about Suns not trading Green this season and willing to let him walk instead is a bit more puzzling.
With the last remark, I'm gonna assume that Goodwin, like Plumlee, will demand a trade out if he still doesn't crack the rotation by next season.
