There’s a lot going on around here, so let’s play 21 questions for the second half of 2021 in Phoenix sports.
Cardinals: Contenders
1. Is Larry Fitzgerald coming back?
It could happen.
The Cardinals decisionmakers have said they’ll find a spot for him if he wants to play, and the NFL has retained a rule enacted last year that gives general managers more flexibility with their rosters.
Fitzgerald could be anywhere between Scottsdale and Sri Lanka, but this squad has to be tempting for a guy who might want one more shot at a Super Bowl ring.
2. Are the Cardinals really contenders?
Does a bird have a beak?
If everything works out for the best, the Cardinals could have nine guys who end up in the Hall of Fame. We’re projecting harder than a guy who owns a movie theater, but think about it.
On offense, Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, Rodney Hudson and Fitzgerald (if he comes back) all might as well have Canton programmed into their Google Maps.
On defense, Chandler Jones and JJ Watt are two of the best ever. Budda Baker is one of the game’s best safeties, and those young guys playing linebacker make you wonder what Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs were like in their early 20s.
If these guys aren’t thinking Super Bowl, then they aren’t setting their goals high enough.
3. What about the secondary?
Lemme guess, you think it’s going to be a problem that Patrick Peterson has moved on to purpler pastures in Minnesota?
Maybe. But it’s a lot easier to cover wider receivers when their quarterbacks are in fear of being drilled two steps into a three-step drop.
4. Is Murray really among the game’s elite?
During the first half of last season, he was simply unstoppable. If he can play like that for a full 16 games, this question will be downright silly.
5. But what about the rest of the NFC West?
What about it. The best teams focus on themselves, not their opponents.
Diamondbacks: A lost cause
6. So, how about those Diamondbacks?
Sorry, never heard of them.
7. C’mon, man, seriously. What can these guys do to start winning games?
They could start with keeping their best players. It’s mighty depressing to look around the big leagues and see incredible players like Paul Goldschmidt, Zack Greinke, JD Martinez, Taijuan Walker and Max Scherzer, who all used to play here.
General Manager Mike Hazen has stepped aside as his wife battles cancer, showing his priorities are in the right place. But the rest of the front-office staff has a lot of work to do.
8. Should Torey Lovullo lose his job?
There’s no way that’s a serious question. Buck O’Neil couldn’t find the optimism necessary to inspire this group to beat the Dodgers and Padres.
9. What happened to Ketel Marte? He’s supposed to be one of the best players in the National League.
Marte has been in and out of the lineup with leg injuries, but team doctors should check him for a broken back after trying to carry the team by himself for two years.
He plays every position in the middle of the infield and swings a bat like Paul Bunyan swings an ax.
The Diamondbacks have a lot of problems, but he isn’t one of them.
10. OK, so what should they do?
They could start by getting an owner who treats his team like a team and not some sort of investment. Three cheap relief pitchers are never as good as one expensive starter.
Mercury: Time to rise
11. Mercury stars Brittney Griner, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Diana Taurasi all have shiny new gold medals, why are they scuffling around .500?
Good question. Expect them to pick it up in the second half of the season. There’s not a team in the league that wants any part of this group in the playoffs. Coach Sandy Brondello just has to figure a way to keep them in the mix.
12. How awkward must that locker room be?
On their way to a gold medal, Griner, Diggins-Smith and Taurasi beat Brondello, who coached the Australian national team. If the Mercury Big Three have any sense of humor at all, it will lead to endless ribbing during film study.
Brondello: “C’mon, DT, you’ve got to make the extra pass there.”
Taurasi: “Hey, Coach, I have a gold medal that says you don’t know what you’re talking about!”
13. Does Taurasi have enough left at this stage of her career to lead a playoff push?
Probably not, but that shouldn’t matter. This team will go as far as Griner can carry it.
Taurasi is in her 17th year, so it’s silly to expect her to tear up the league every night. Plus, she’s been up and down with injuries all season.
But they call her GOAT for a reason. She played 19 minutes a game in winning her fifth Olympic gold medal. So if anybody can get it done, it’s the White Mamba, which was her character in “Space Jam 2.”
14. What about Diggins-Smith?
She’s all right. She didn’t play much in the gold medal game, but the squad was loaded with guards including veterans Taurasi and Sue Bird, who have 10 gold medals between them.
Diggins-Smith already is among the WNBA leaders in scoring and assists.
Just imagine if she has a chip on her shoulder about not playing more in the Olympics.
15. So can we count on Griner?
If she’s locked in, mark her down for 20 and 10 before tipoff. But the Mercury star can be, well, mercurial.
She left the WNBA bubble last year to protect her sanity. It worked, apparently, because this season, Griner is among the WNBA’s top five in scoring and rebounding — plus she put 30 on Japan in the gold medal game.
Suns: Run it back
16. Did the Suns do the right thing by bringing back Chris Paul?
Paul took the Suns to the NBA Finals two years after they won 19 games. Forget $40 million a season, they should have given him an equity stake in the team.
17. But there’s no way the Suns championship window is still open, did you see what the Lakers did?
The Lakers added Russell Westbrook, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony, and we can smell the Ben-Gay from here.
LA has four of the NBA’s top-five active leaders in all-time games played.
But if you’ve ever seen five 40-somethings bust up a group of teenagers in an open run at the rec center, you know not to take the Lakers lightly.
Still, Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker are in their primes. Phoenix fans have to like their chances against their archrivals.
18. Is Ayton worth a rookie max?
It’s not my money, but I’d sign him.
Ayton just turned 23. He averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds in the playoffs. The Suns were 7-1 in playoff games where he grabbed 14 or more rebounds. And he’s still learning how to play in the post.
19. Is Landry Shamet a good addition?
Absolutely. You hate to lose a guy like Jevon Carter, a team-first defensive reserve. But Shamet can play. The Suns have had their eye on him since the 2018 draft.
20. And JaVale McGee?
Listen, if the Suns had McGee in the finals, there’s no way Giannis Antetokounmpo would have scored 50 in the close-out game.
One more thing …
21. Why didn’t you address ASU football?
Uggh. That’s 21 questions all by itself.
Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @SayingMoore.
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