Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel joined Arizona Sports' morning drive radio show Bickley and Marotta on Wednesday morning as part of their annual "Newsmakers Week".
Vogel was pressed with a wide array of questions from the duo of hosts, and it certainly made for an informative 15 minutes.
A summary of what was said during the interview:
- Vogel said the All-Star break was much needed to "recharge the battery."
- The Suns felt like they had a roster that could compete for a championship as constructed but wanted to improve around the margins with the additions of Thaddeus Young and Royce O'Neale
- Vogel said Bradley Beal's hamstring is doing well and the Suns are waiting to see how his hamstring responds to practice and confirmed his nose did get reset over the break, but didn't appear to know too much about what the response from that has been.
- Brought up the 19-7 record since Christmas, believes Suns have as good of a chance of winning it all as anyone if healthy.
- Vogel said the growth after the tumultuous start happened organically.
- Vogel isn't concerned about the perceived weaknesses on the team currently - lack of a true point guard and lack of demonstrative on-court leadership. The benefits of the roster far outweigh whatever pressure the Suns may face down the stretch.
- Kevin Durant leads by example, but also speaks up when needed. Every player leads in their own way said Vogel when asked about Charles Barkley's comments on Durant during the All-Star game.
- Every game is going to feel like a playoff game. Last year, Dallas Mavericks that added Kyrie Irving didn't even make the play-in tournament. This stretch is only going to prepare us for the playoffs despite the high level of difficulty according to Vogel on the challenges with the remainder of the season.
The Suns are set to return from the All-Star game tomorrow night with a road date against the Dallas Mavericks.
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