#celtic thunder tickle

[spacecadet-ticklesinspace]

Brotherly Love

Summary: Paul picks on Damian and George doesn't help.

Paul nudged Damian's legs. "Move your legs."

The teen pulled them closer to his body without looking up from his phone.

The older man plopped down next to him. "Whatcha watching?"

"A video."

Paul gave him a look. "What's in the video?"

"Stuff."

"Mh-hm? What kind of stuff?"

"Just stuff."

Paul leaned closer to the teen. "You don't talk much, do ya?"

George chuckled from his spot on the other side of the couch.

Meanwhile, Damian glanced up long enough to give the older man a glare before going back to his phone.

Paul then turned to George. "Only 16 and he has the glare down to a 't'."

George couldn't hide the smile on his face.

When Paul turned back to Damian, the teen was glaring at him again.

Paul leaned closer to him, and in a goofy voice said, "It's not a phase Mom."

Damian rolled his eyes before going back to his screen.

"Don't roll them back too far. They'll get stuck."

The teen huffed. "Stop!"

"Stop," Paul mimicked.

"Stop! Leave me alone!"

"Leave me alone."

"Paul!"

"Paul."

As the two went back and forth, George couldn't hide the chuckles escaping him.

"George, tell him to stop," Damian demanded.

"He's doing it to get a reaction out of you boyo," George told him. "Stop reacting, and he'll leave you alone."

"Yeah Damo." Paul poked the teen's side. "Stop reacting."

Damian squirmed to the side before kicking Paul's leg.

Paul grabbed his leg.

"Let go!" The teen exclaimed as he tried to pull his leg back.

The older man squeezed Damian's knee. "Let go."

Damian jumped with a strangled laugh while his phone tumbled to the floor. He then reached forward to grapple with Paul's hands.

"Careful you two," George warned with no move to stop them.

With one quick yank, Paul pulled the teen toward him.

Damian landed in an awkward heap in the older man's lap.

Before he had the chance to pull himself back up, Paul started attacking his upper body.

"Noho!" Damian squirmed as much as he could. "Ah! Geheorge, hehelp!"

"What do you expect me to do boyo?" George responded. "Ya gotta defend yourself."

Damian did try to get the older man back. Yet, each attempt was blocked and pushed away.

Paul then dug into the teen's armpits and his arms immediately dropped.

Damian squealed before breaking into cackles.

"Come on boyo, you've got to fight back," Paul teased as he kept up the attack.

The teen tried to, but each time, his arms glued back to his side.

Finally, Paul had some sympathy and pulled his hands away.

Damian caught his breath through his giggles.

The older man leaned forward to peek at the teen's face.

Damian shoved him. "Stohop."

Paul then grabbed the hand before squeezing his ribs next.

"Ah!" The teen curled onto his side to try to protect it. "No!"

The older man handed Damian's arm to George. "Hold that."

George smirked as he held carefully held on to the teen's wrist.

"Geohorge!" Damian exclaimed.

Paul then wrestled with the teen's other arm before finally pulling that one up too. He handed that one to George. "That one too."

The teen's squirming picked up as George took his other wrist. "No!"

Any other attempts at retorts were cut off when Paul went back to his tickle attack along his upperbody.

The teen fell back into laughter as he tried to pull his arms down to protect himself. However, George's firm yet gentle hold was unyielding.

Damian squirmed side to side, tried to roll over, and even tried to curl into a ball. Yet nothing he could do would help him escape the ticklish hold.

After a few more moments of ticklish torment, the two older men finally relented and let him go.

The teen's arms collapsed beside him. "Yohou guhys ahare jeherks."

"All you had to do was defend yourself," Paul teased with another poke to Damian's side.

The teen shoved him away before pulling himself up. "Stop!"

Just as Damian pulled himself up to a standing position, Paul yanked him back into a hug.

"Hey, you know I love you, right?" The older man asked him.

Damian arched up one eyebrow while he turned his head to Paul. "Debateable."

The older man chuckled while he squeezed the teen in a hug. "Love ya boyo."

"Love you tohoo," Damian responded with a small smile.

Paul then pushed him back up into a standing position. "Now get."

The teen bent to snag his phone then gave Paul's leg one more solid kick before leaving the living area.

[junker-town]

Lakers should tank to improve their Anthony Davis trade offer

We have that and more in Wednesday’s NBA newsletter.

Much has been made about the benefits the Pelicans would gain if they held Anthony Davis out of action (tanking, essentially) while waiting until the summer to have a full bidding war with the Celtics (barred from acquiring Davis in-season due to weird rules) involved. This would kill the Lakers’ perceived advantage created by Davis’ well-timed trade request.

The Lakers could get that advantage back. All it would cost is the rest of their season.

What if the Lakers tanked starting, like, right now? LeBron James has missed 17 straight games -- the longest injury stretch of his career -- and L.A. has gone 6-11 over that span. The Lakers have fallen to two games out of the No. 8 seed, and frankly the No. 8 seed is not a terribly enticing proposition to chase given how the Warriors have looked since DeMarcus Cousins debuted.

If LeBron sat for the rest of the season, L.A. could be as bad as, say, 35-47 on the season. Best case scenario (which means the worst they could get) would give them the eighth-worst record in the NBA. That comes with 6% odds of winning the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft lottery and 19% odds of ending up with a top-3 pick. Even if L.A. weren’t lucky in the lotto, they’d likely end up with the No. 8 or 9 pick. They’d also be giving Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma a few months to shine outside of LeBron’s considerable on-court shadow.

In this scenario, that pick would likely be better than any single pick Boston could offer. The Celtics have the Kings’ pick, but Sacramento won’t be tanking. The Celtics have the Grizzlies’ pick, but it’s protected enough that it won’t convey this year if it’s too high. (Of course, Boston could just offer both of those picks -- that package would outstrip a single pick from L.A. unless it was top-3. Don’t kill my vibe.)

The Lakers would never do this: this is a team that swore up and down they’d never tank as they were tanking in recent years. The risk of failure (of not being bad enough to capitalize) is too great. LeBron is supposedly close to returning, and if L.A. can grab the No. 6 or 7 seed, they could advance in the playoffs, which would be a huge selling point to all the damn free agents out there this summer.

But it’s an enticing thought. What Would Hinkie Do?

Scores

Wizards 113, Cavaliers 116 Bucks 115, Pistons 105 Thunder 126, Magic 117 Bulls 117, Nets 122 Pelicans 121, Rockets 116 Suns 124, Spurs 126 Sixers 121, Lakers 105

Schedule

All times Eastern. Games on League Pass unless otherwise noted.

Hornets at Celtics, 7:30 Bulls at Heat, 7:30 Mavericks at Knicks, 7:30 Pacers at Wizards, 8, ESPN Grizzlies at Timberwolves, 8 Nuggets at Pelicans, 8 Hawks at Kings, 10 Jazz at Blazers, 10:30, ESPN

Links

Paul Flannery goes deep on the Anthony Davis trade request, coming to the conclusion that there’s no reason for New Orleans to do it now.

Anthony Davis got fined $50,000 for the public trade demand. LeBron should post an Instagram video of him putting $50,000 cash in a briefcase with the Klutch Sports logo on it.

Chris Herring on how Davis would fit on the teams chasing him.

5 winners and 5 losers of the Davis saga.

Brian Windhorst on the weird management structure in New Orleans and how that impacts trade talks.

What needs to happen for the Knicks to dip their toes in the sweepstakes?

That still-unbelievable Kyle Anderson possession, explained.

BEEF HISTORY: SHAQ VS. DWIGHT HOWARD.

Rudy Gay game winner! He’s had a marvelous run with the Spurs and frankly he was pretty good with the Kings as well.

Jonathan Tjarks on Zion Williamson’s NBA potential as a point center.

Pouring cold water on the Bucks’ rumored Anthony Davis dreams.

It tickles me to no end that not only is this Davis trade talk flare-up stressing out the Celtics, but there’s collateral Kyrie Irving rumor damage coming with it.

Meanwhile in New Orleans, Jahlil Okafor is resurrecting his career.

Beautiful piece from Geoff Calkins on Marc Gasol’s embrace of Memphis and Memphis’ embrace of Marc Gasol, in case this is the end.

James Dator ate seven lunches on Tuesday to show us everything you can eat at the Super Bowl.

FRO ECLIPSE.

And finally: Grant Brisbee is leaving SB Nation after [absurdly long amount of time for digital media]. He is the reason I started blogging about the Kings years ago, and the reason I write about sports sometimes. His send-off package on the unwritten rules of being a baseball fan is so perfectly Grant Brisbee. Bye, Grant.

Be excellent to each other.

[flauntpage]

The Phoenix Suns Still Don't Know What They Are

The Phoenix Suns exist in a perpetual identity crisis. No team is more confused about what it is, or where it wants to go. At various times in recent years they've convinced themselves that they are an attractive free agency destination, one appealing enough to pull in an All-Star or two. In reality they're a jumbled mess of a team, a mix of bad contracts, promising prospects, a few intriguing assets, and maybe one or two pretty good players (if all breaks right) who aren't nearly good enough to lead a playoff run.

They want to win now and build for tomorrow—we can call this The Boston Celtics Model—but they don't have enough talent, foresight, patience, or coaching to make either objective feel possible. The Suns won 24 games last season, good for worst in the Western Conference. To be fair, several healthy veterans were intentionally put on ice at the end of the year to preserve a high draft pick. Then, in the lottery, Phoenix was leapt by two teams and fell from second to fourth, a devastating development that cost them a chance to pair Devin Booker with either Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball in the backcourt.

But even when Eric Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler, Brandon Knight, and the team's other veteran contributors were in the rotation, Phoenix was still a trainwreck on defense. Add it up, and they're still too young and antsy to string together anything close to a playoff-caliber team. That brings us to free agency, where Phoenix suddenly believes it can bag a prized asset like Blake Griffin.

The two sides will reportedly meet on Sunday, in an unexpected and strange development with echoes of a similar meeting two years ago, when the Suns believed LaMarcus Aldridge was on their doorstep. This situation is a little different, though. The meeting feels more like something Griffin is using to squeeze a fifth year—and maybe even a no-trade clause—out of the Los Angeles Clippers than an actual prelude to him taking his talents to Maricopa County. The same can probably be said for Paul Millsap, another Suns target, but the Atlanta Hawks would be fine to let their best player walk if Phoenix is serious about maxing a 32-year-old out.

Is there a reason for Griffin, and the rest of the NBA, to take the Suns seriously right now? Maybe. What if joining forces with former teammate and pseudo-All-Star Eric Bledsoe, a stable veteran like Tyson Chandler, and a bunch of blooming could-be-awesomes like Booker, Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender, and Marquese Chriss tickles his fancy?

More importantly, is Phoenix's justifiably hallowed medical staff by itself enough to convince Griffin that signing a four-year max with a player option in the final season is his smartest long-term play? That way he can opt out after three (potentially) healthy years and re-enter free agency with 10 seasons of experience under his belt, just in time for a massive payday at a higher scale down the line.

It's not that crazy, really, but to clear max space for Griffin, the Suns would first need to renounce Ronnie Price and Alex Len, waive Leandro Barbosa, and trade either Jared Dudley or Knight. Even though he just had toe surgery and is expected to miss 3-4 months, Dudley is the easiest contract to shed without attaching any valuable assets, but he's also the better player, another of Griffin's former teammates, and a complementary fit in lineups that pit Griffin at center and Dudley at the four.

Photo by Mark J. Rebilas - USA TODAY Sports

If the Suns are serious about cutting corners and solely focused on regaining relevance with a star-driven playoff appearance, they should have no problem handcuffing their most prized assets to their ugliest contracts and dumping them on teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, or Sacramento Kings.

With Griffin already in the fold, what's stopping them from making a trade for the next star who becomes available? The Suns have made some devastating mistakes over the past few seasons, but they still own two attractive chips from the Miami Heat: a top-seven protected selection in 2018 and an unprotected one in 2021. All their own picks are safe and sound, too.

Just thinking out loud, what if they sign Griffin, then, pending what happens with Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, strike a deal sending Chriss and/or Bender, salary filler, and a pair of first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan? Even with non-existent spacing, a capped ceiling, and defense that would give Phoenix's fans a permanent migraine, the lineup flexibility would be enticing. And with a proven coach—related: they'll need to hire a new coach—and system that preaches ball and man movement, at the very least they would be a fun group that's hard to stop.

Way too many things need to happen for that to become reality—it's just about impossible, honestly, and also not very smart—but the point is that if Phoenix can lure Griffin to the team, they can afford to get aggressive on the trade market. They have attractive young contributors and a solid stash of picks that would interest teams looking to time their rise with the eventual decline of the Golden State Warriors/Cleveland Cavaliers rivalry.

How about Carmelo Anthony? Or a Paul George overpay? Or maybe even an absurd offer to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook? The Suns usually come off as desperate, and with enough assets to spice up trade conversations they won't worry about destroying their future to maximize a free agent splash.

Even if they don't land another star, who knows how high Booker can climb next season, and the year after, in a competitive environment where he's the second or third option. A Bledsoe, Griffin, Booker, Jackson foursome on its own could be enough to make the playoffs in 2019, and by then they should have enough room to go spending in free agency once again.

All this sounds nice, but Griffin has more enticing offers and destinations to ponder. It doesn't hurt to get a meeting with someone that talented, but the Suns' priority should be to take things slow and grow organically with the pieces already in place. Even though they haven't made the playoffs in seven years, flexibility should still to be sexier to them than a postseason appearance. Even if they sign Griffin and trade for another star, a playoff spot is just about all they're promised to get.

The Phoenix Suns Still Don't Know What They Are published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[spacecadet-ticklesinspace]

NEW MASTERPOST!

DNI: Minors, Ageless, or NSFW

Prompts: OPEN!

Hello there! I decided to make a new Masterpost since my old one no longer worked ❤️ Hello, I am SpaceCadet or you can call me Sweet ❤️ :) I am 26 years old and I have been posting fanficition since 2020/2021 ❤️ I've been a part of the tickle community for a while, but never felt comfortable posting about it until later ❤️ For a while, I posted mostly Spiderman and Moonknight fics (hence why they have the most fics) but have started branching into other fandoms as well ❤️ Down below, you'll find the Fandoms I write for as well as a link to my AO3 account with more non-related tickle fics ❤️

And, if you have any questions, feel free to ask ❤️ :)

Fandoms I have written for: (some tickle and whumpee, but mostly tickle)

Spiderman

Peter 1

Peter 2

Peter 3

Harry Osborne

Norman Osborne

Otto Octavious (Octodad)

MJ

Gwen

Tobey Maguire

Andrew Garfield

Tom Holland

Moonknight

Marc Spector

Jake Lockley

Steven Grant

Layla

Marvel

Irondad

Peter Parker

Harvey

Morgan

Bucky Barnes

Sam Wilson

Sebastian Stan

Yondu

Peter Quill

The Greatest Showman

PT Barnum

Philip Caryle

Caroline Barnum

Helen Barnum

Celtic Thunder

Emmet Cahill

Colom Keegan

Keith Harkin

Damian McGinty

Paul Byrom

George Donaldson

Star Wars

Luke Skywalker

Leia Organa

Han Solo

Ahsoka Tano

Anakin Skywalker

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Finn

Poe Dameron

Rey Palpatine

Kanan Jarrus

Ezra Bridger

Star Trek

Captain Jim Kirk

Spock

Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Chekov

Montgomery "Scotty" Scott

NCIS

Tony Dinozzo

Tim McGee

9-1-1

Captain Bobby Nash

Evan "Buck" Buckley

Hen Wilson

Christopher Diaz

Eddie Diaz

Chimney Han

Maddie Buckley-Han

Jee-Yun Buckley-Han

Barbie

Allan

Ken (Ryan Gosling)

Lab Rats

Adam Davenport

Chase Davenport

Tasha Davenport

Merlin

Arthur Penadragon

Merlin

Gwaine

Encanto

Bruno Madrigal

Camillo Madrigal

Avatar the Last Airbender

Katara

Sokka

Zuko

Iroh

Spies in Disguise

Walter

Lance Streling

Wild Kratts

Martin Kratt

Chris Kratt

SpyxFamily

Loid Forger

Yor Forger

Anya Forger

Headcannons

Peter 1, 2, 3

Norman Osborne

Otto Octavius

MJ

Irondad

Harvey

Autistic Peter Parker

Marc Spector

Jake Lockley

Steven Grant

Star Trek

Y/N Fics

Andrew Garfield

Sebastian Stan

Irondad

Steven Grant

Marc Spector

Mando

OC's

Lily

Lila

Kirk

Mullach

If you want more non-tickle related content, down below is my AO3 account you can tour ❤️ :)

[spacecadet-ticklesinspace]

Tickletober Day 9: Wake Up

Fandom: Celtic Thunder

Pairing: Keith and Damian (platonic)

Summary: Damian hates mornings.

(Celtic Thunder is a music group I grew up listening to ❤️ :) They are the all male equivalent to Celtic Women created by Shannon Brown and David Munro ❤️ :) They do a mix of traditonal celtic songs, famous songs through the decades, and even some contemporary songs ❤️ :) Their music can be found on YouTube, Spotify, and other streaming platforms if interested ❤️ :))

Keith pulled back the curtain. "Rise and shine."

Damian groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.

"Come on." Keith shook the teen's leg. "Time to get up.

"Too early."

The older blond took a swig of his coffee. "That's your own fault for staying up until two in the morning."

"I had to finish a paper for school."

"Now we have to roll out by 8 am to make it to our next stop."

Damian groaned again.

To ensure he hadn't fallen back asleep, Keith gave the blanket a yank. "Come on. Up and at 'em."

The teen made no response, but he still held the blanket over his head.

In response, Keith lifted up one of his legs high up before letting it drop onto the bed. "Damian."

Damian still didn't respond.

So Keith repeated the leg drop once more. "Boyo."

Still nothing.

"If ya make me set down my coffee, you're going to be in big trouble."

Damian still wouldn't respond.

Keith set his coffee down on the TV stand behind him. The second tactic he tried to get the teen was kneeling on the edge of the bed near his feet and bouncing up and down to shake the bed. "Wake up laddie."

Damian still wouldn't come out from under the blanket, but the older blond could clearly see it shaking.

"Are you laughing at me?"

The blanket fell still.

"Are you laughing at me?" Keith started tickling him through the blanket. "Are you laughing at me?"

Damian tried to keep the blanket over his head while curling into a ball, but it was getting extremely difficult when he was laughing.

"Get out of there!" Keith tugged on to the blanket again.

"No!" Damian kept the blanket firmly over his head.

The older blonde dug into the blanket where his stomach was.

"Ah! Noho!"

"Either get up or I'm going for your feet next."

The teen squealed but still made no move to get out from under the blanket.

"Alright." Keith then lifted himself up and scooted down to the edge of the bed.

"Wait! Noho!"

When the older blonde tried to pull back the blanket, Damian responded by trying to keep it down with his feet. After that didn't work, he tried pulling his feet further up under the blanket.

However, the fight didn't last long before Keith finally yanked his feet back out from under the blanket. The older blonde quickly pinned his ankles with one arm while he brought over his other hand to scribble along Damian's feet.

The teen's laughter spiked in volume as he tugged on his trapped ankles. "Keith! Keheheith!"

In response, the older blonde scribbled up to the teen's toes.

Damian let out a squeal and threw the cover off of his head. "Keith!"

Keith playfully pushed the blanket back down over the teen's head before going back down.

"No!" Damian managed to get one foot back under the blanket before Keith was able to get it.

However, he wasn't quick enough to save both of his feet.

Immediately, Keith latched on to the one free foot and dug back in.

Damian broke back out into loud laughter. He used his one foot to kick at the older blonde's back.

When the blanket started coming back off of the teen's head a second time, Keith playfully shoved it back over.

"Keheith! Stop ihit!"

The older blonde went right back to tickling Damian's trapped foot. "Are ya going to get up?"

"Ah! Yehes!"

"Then get uhup."

The teen kicked his back once again with his free foot. "Get ohoff myhy foot fihirst!"

As the blanket moved off Damian's head once more, Keith let go of his foot to shove it back over once more.

"Oi!" The teen yanked it off to glare at the older blonde.

"Top of the morning to you lad." Keith patted the teen's leg before getting off of him. "Let's go."

Once the blonde's back was turned, Damian grabbed one of the pillows from his bed and chucked it at Keith.

"Oi!" The older blond whirled around as the pillow bounced off of his back.

The teen recognized that look. He immediately scrambled to his feet, grabbing one of the other pillows in the process.

Both of them then launched into a pillow fight with each other.

[flauntpage]

The Phoenix Suns Still Don't Know What They Are

The Phoenix Suns exist in a perpetual identity crisis. No team is more confused about what it is, or where it wants to go. At various times in recent years they've convinced themselves that they are an attractive free agency destination, one appealing enough to pull in an All-Star or two. In reality they're a jumbled mess of a team, a mix of bad contracts, promising prospects, a few intriguing assets, and maybe one or two pretty good players (if all breaks right) who aren't nearly good enough to lead a playoff run.

They want to win now and build for tomorrow—we can call this The Boston Celtics Model—but they don't have enough talent, foresight, patience, or coaching to make either objective feel possible. The Suns won 24 games last season, good for worst in the Western Conference. To be fair, several healthy veterans were intentionally put on ice at the end of the year to preserve a high draft pick. Then, in the lottery, Phoenix was leapt by two teams and fell from second to fourth, a devastating development that cost them a chance to pair Devin Booker with either Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball in the backcourt.

But even when Eric Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler, Brandon Knight, and the team's other veteran contributors were in the rotation, Phoenix was still a trainwreck on defense. Add it up, and they're still too young and antsy to string together anything close to a playoff-caliber team. That brings us to free agency, where Phoenix suddenly believes it can bag a prized asset like Blake Griffin.

The two sides will reportedly meet on Sunday, in an unexpected and strange development with echoes of a similar meeting two years ago, when the Suns believed LaMarcus Aldridge was on their doorstep. This situation is a little different, though. The meeting feels more like something Griffin is using to squeeze a fifth year—and maybe even a no-trade clause—out of the Los Angeles Clippers than an actual prelude to him taking his talents to Maricopa County. The same can probably be said for Paul Millsap, another Suns target, but the Atlanta Hawks would be fine to let their best player walk if Phoenix is serious about maxing a 32-year-old out.

Is there a reason for Griffin, and the rest of the NBA, to take the Suns seriously right now? Maybe. What if joining forces with former teammate and pseudo-All-Star Eric Bledsoe, a stable veteran like Tyson Chandler, and a bunch of blooming could-be-awesomes like Booker, Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender, and Marquese Chriss tickles his fancy?

More importantly, is Phoenix's justifiably hallowed medical staff by itself enough to convince Griffin that signing a four-year max with a player option in the final season is his smartest long-term play? That way he can opt out after three (potentially) healthy years and re-enter free agency with 10 seasons of experience under his belt, just in time for a massive payday at a higher scale down the line.

It's not that crazy, really, but to clear max space for Griffin, the Suns would first need to renounce Ronnie Price and Alex Len, waive Leandro Barbosa, and trade either Jared Dudley or Knight. Even though he just had toe surgery and is expected to miss 3-4 months, Dudley is the easiest contract to shed without attaching any valuable assets, but he's also the better player, another of Griffin's former teammates, and a complementary fit in lineups that pit Griffin at center and Dudley at the four.

Photo by Mark J. Rebilas - USA TODAY Sports

If the Suns are serious about cutting corners and solely focused on regaining relevance with a star-driven playoff appearance, they should have no problem handcuffing their most prized assets to their ugliest contracts and dumping them on teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, or Sacramento Kings.

With Griffin already in the fold, what's stopping them from making a trade for the next star who becomes available? The Suns have made some devastating mistakes over the past few seasons, but they still own two attractive chips from the Miami Heat: a top-seven protected selection in 2018 and an unprotected one in 2021. All their own picks are safe and sound, too.

Just thinking out loud, what if they sign Griffin, then, pending what happens with Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, strike a deal sending Chriss and/or Bender, salary filler, and a pair of first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan? Even with non-existent spacing, a capped ceiling, and defense that would give Phoenix's fans a permanent migraine, the lineup flexibility would be enticing. And with a proven coach—related: they'll need to hire a new coach—and system that preaches ball and man movement, at the very least they would be a fun group that's hard to stop.

Way too many things need to happen for that to become reality—it's just about impossible, honestly, and also not very smart—but the point is that if Phoenix can lure Griffin to the team, they can afford to get aggressive on the trade market. They have attractive young contributors and a solid stash of picks that would interest teams looking to time their rise with the eventual decline of the Golden State Warriors/Cleveland Cavaliers rivalry.

How about Carmelo Anthony? Or a Paul George overpay? Or maybe even an absurd offer to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook? The Suns usually come off as desperate, and with enough assets to spice up trade conversations they won't worry about destroying their future to maximize a free agent splash.

Even if they don't land another star, who knows how high Booker can climb next season, and the year after, in a competitive environment where he's the second or third option. A Bledsoe, Griffin, Booker, Jackson foursome on its own could be enough to make the playoffs in 2019, and by then they should have enough room to go spending in free agency once again.

All this sounds nice, but Griffin has more enticing offers and destinations to ponder. It doesn't hurt to get a meeting with someone that talented, but the Suns' priority should be to take things slow and grow organically with the pieces already in place. Even though they haven't made the playoffs in seven years, flexibility should still to be sexier to them than a postseason appearance. Even if they sign Griffin and trade for another star, a playoff spot is just about all they're promised to get.

The Phoenix Suns Still Don't Know What They Are published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[flauntpage]

The Phoenix Suns Still Don't Know What They Are

The Phoenix Suns exist in a perpetual identity crisis. No team is more confused about what it is, or where it wants to go. At various times in recent years they've convinced themselves that they are an attractive free agency destination, one appealing enough to pull in an All-Star or two. In reality they're a jumbled mess of a team, a mix of bad contracts, promising prospects, a few intriguing assets, and maybe one or two pretty good players (if all breaks right) who aren't nearly good enough to lead a playoff run.

They want to win now and build for tomorrow—we can call this The Boston Celtics Model—but they don't have enough talent, foresight, patience, or coaching to make either objective feel possible. The Suns won 24 games last season, good for worst in the Western Conference. To be fair, several healthy veterans were intentionally put on ice at the end of the year to preserve a high draft pick. Then, in the lottery, Phoenix was leapt by two teams and fell from second to fourth, a devastating development that cost them a chance to pair Devin Booker with either Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball in the backcourt.

But even when Eric Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler, Brandon Knight, and the team's other veteran contributors were in the rotation, Phoenix was still a trainwreck on defense. Add it up, and they're still too young and antsy to string together anything close to a playoff-caliber team. That brings us to free agency, where Phoenix suddenly believes it can bag a prized asset like Blake Griffin.

The two sides will reportedly meet on Sunday, in an unexpected and strange development with echoes of a similar meeting two years ago, when the Suns believed LaMarcus Aldridge was on their doorstep. This situation is a little different, though. The meeting feels more like something Griffin is using to squeeze a fifth year—and maybe even a no-trade clause—out of the Los Angeles Clippers than an actual prelude to him taking his talents to Maricopa County. The same can probably be said for Paul Millsap, another Suns target, but the Atlanta Hawks would be fine to let their best player walk if Phoenix is serious about maxing a 32-year-old out.

Is there a reason for Griffin, and the rest of the NBA, to take the Suns seriously right now? Maybe. What if joining forces with former teammate and pseudo-All-Star Eric Bledsoe, a stable veteran like Tyson Chandler, and a bunch of blooming could-be-awesomes like Booker, Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender, and Marquese Chriss tickles his fancy?

More importantly, is Phoenix's justifiably hallowed medical staff by itself enough to convince Griffin that signing a four-year max with a player option in the final season is his smartest long-term play? That way he can opt out after three (potentially) healthy years and re-enter free agency with 10 seasons of experience under his belt, just in time for a massive payday at a higher scale down the line.

It's not that crazy, really, but to clear max space for Griffin, the Suns would first need to renounce Ronnie Price and Alex Len, waive Leandro Barbosa, and trade either Jared Dudley or Knight. Even though he just had toe surgery and is expected to miss 3-4 months, Dudley is the easiest contract to shed without attaching any valuable assets, but he's also the better player, another of Griffin's former teammates, and a complementary fit in lineups that pit Griffin at center and Dudley at the four.

Photo by Mark J. Rebilas - USA TODAY Sports

If the Suns are serious about cutting corners and solely focused on regaining relevance with a star-driven playoff appearance, they should have no problem handcuffing their most prized assets to their ugliest contracts and dumping them on teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, or Sacramento Kings.

With Griffin already in the fold, what's stopping them from making a trade for the next star who becomes available? The Suns have made some devastating mistakes over the past few seasons, but they still own two attractive chips from the Miami Heat: a top-seven protected selection in 2018 and an unprotected one in 2021. All their own picks are safe and sound, too.

Just thinking out loud, what if they sign Griffin, then, pending what happens with Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, strike a deal sending Chriss and/or Bender, salary filler, and a pair of first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan? Even with non-existent spacing, a capped ceiling, and defense that would give Phoenix's fans a permanent migraine, the lineup flexibility would be enticing. And with a proven coach—related: they'll need to hire a new coach—and system that preaches ball and man movement, at the very least they would be a fun group that's hard to stop.

Way too many things need to happen for that to become reality—it's just about impossible, honestly, and also not very smart—but the point is that if Phoenix can lure Griffin to the team, they can afford to get aggressive on the trade market. They have attractive young contributors and a solid stash of picks that would interest teams looking to time their rise with the eventual decline of the Golden State Warriors/Cleveland Cavaliers rivalry.

How about Carmelo Anthony? Or a Paul George overpay? Or maybe even an absurd offer to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook? The Suns usually come off as desperate, and with enough assets to spice up trade conversations they won't worry about destroying their future to maximize a free agent splash.

Even if they don't land another star, who knows how high Booker can climb next season, and the year after, in a competitive environment where he's the second or third option. A Bledsoe, Griffin, Booker, Jackson foursome on its own could be enough to make the playoffs in 2019, and by then they should have enough room to go spending in free agency once again.

All this sounds nice, but Griffin has more enticing offers and destinations to ponder. It doesn't hurt to get a meeting with someone that talented, but the Suns' priority should be to take things slow and grow organically with the pieces already in place. Even though they haven't made the playoffs in seven years, flexibility should still to be sexier to them than a postseason appearance. Even if they sign Griffin and trade for another star, a playoff spot is just about all they're promised to get.

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