New York City. The Big Apple. The concrete jungle. Also, the place I finally got to tell one of the Suns’ greatest nemesis of the last two decades just how much he’s hurt me and the rest of the Phoenix faithful.

Let me take a step back though. This entire trip to New York City has become an exercise in luck (and also an exercise physically with all the walking you have to do). Since my arrival yesterday, I’ve wandered the city in hopes of finding signs that tonight could be a special night for the Suns franchise. Within minutes of walking into Times Square, mere feet from the studio the entire draft lottery will take place at, I found a pair of new purple-and-orange Charles Barkley shoes. And if they weren’t $235, I’d be wearing them with my suit as we speak. Coincidence? Quite possibly. But these were shoes that I hadn’t found in any Valley area store over the last week while actively looking for them.

If that wasn’t sign enough, when I looked up, the window of the ABC studio had lottery ball graphics in it. Staring me straight in the face, above the street entertainers dressed as Iron Man, Spider-man and Teletubbies, was the Suns’ logo. Okay, so that one is kind of a stretch seeing as every team, including ones not in the lottery, were represented in the graphic. But, I’ll take what I can get and it is not bad for my first hour in the city.

This morning, I decided it was time to have a little fun. So I packed up a stuffed Suns Gorilla doll in my jacket and went to the top of the Empire State Building. Outside of getting some very strange looks while posing the stuffed animal as if it were King Kong, the trip was a success. It was fun to get the pictures, but it was also fun to feel like the Suns, or at least a member of their staff, was on top of the world. With any luck, it’ll be the first of two times I get to have that feeling today.

While walking back to the hotel to get ready for the night’s big event, I noticed a crowd around a national book chain that will go unmentioned unless they would like to sponsor this column. (Then I’ll mention them as many times as they like.) It was an eclectic mix of older people with Knicks gear, middle age men in Michael Jordan red and black jerseys and young kids in sideways Lakers hats and Kobe Bryant purple and gold jerseys. Like any halfway tortured Suns fan would do, I of course walked right over to find out why this gathering of people wearing names, colors and numbers that from, time to time, have haunted the collective dreams of Valley fans were hanging out in the same city as me.

It turns out that legendary coach and part time Suns killer, Phil Jackson was signing his new book. I took it as a sign. A chance to exorcise a two-decade old grudge I had held inside that I had never let out, so I got in line. It’s not that I have anything against Phil. As a matter of fact, his outside the box leadership tactics have intrigued me for years the way you enjoy pop music that you’re not supposed to like. It’s just that his guidance has led to two of the more crushing playoff series defeats in the franchise’s history, the 1993 NBA Finals and the 2010 Western Conference Finals.

Like the path we’ve all walked as Suns fans, the journey was long — luckily not 45 years long but long enough. As I got up to the table I handed Phil the book he had recently written with a picture of the 11 championship rings — including the one from 1993 — adhered to the front. He took a look up and saw my polo with the Suns logo and cracked a smile. Almost as if he was acknowledging his success against the franchise and what I was there to say. As he looked up I smiled and said, “as a Suns fan you killed me in 1993, but thanks for signing the book anyways.”

Sure, it wasn’t a moment he’ll likely ever remember and it was far from the kind of speech we grew up seeing characters in John Hughes films give when they were in search of redemption or vindication, but somewhere deep inside, the 10-year-old version of me smiled and finally felt a sense of relief. Now if only I could get John Paxson to pay for all the therapy bills, I’d be all set.

As I walked back to the hotel, I saw hordes of graduates rushing towards Radio City Music Hall. I bet you can guess what color gowns they were wearing. That’s right, purple. Sorry to those of you who guessed orange. The easy explanation is New York University’s primary color is purple and they were holding department graduations ceremonies. I choose to believe it was something else though.

One of the biggest cities in the world opened its arms and welcomed this Suns fan. That or I’m just driving myself crazy with the thought of luck and signs. Either way, the waiting in my fan-chosen orange bow tie and black suit, is the hardest part.

Captain’s log, May 20th 7:17 a.m. Phoenix time…

Sorry about that, guess I still have Star Trek: Into Darkness still on my mind. And apparently so does the rest of North America, as the movie brought in more than $84 million over the weekend.

We’re not here to talk about movies, though. We’re here to talk about young men who could make box office millions themselves over the next several years in the NBA. During the next two days this will be your ticket to an inside look at what it’s like to travel to the NBA Draft Lottery in New York City. Call it a “humble brag,” if you must, but I am lucky enough to be one of the few members of the Phoenix Suns’ organization to make the trip. I thought it’d only be fair to share my journey with you. Here is the first installment.

Fate is a funny thing. That is, if you believe in it. It is an ideology that is based on the concept that you have little to no control over the outcome of your own life. For me, I don’t feel that any more than when I’m 30,000 feet above the ground in a metal tube like I am right now, as I head to the Big Apple.

It’s also an idea that is at the core of the NBA Draft Lottery — that is unless you’re like the guy on the street corner screaming about this or that and believe in league-wide conspiracy theories. The destiny of a group of franchises rests in the hands of a bunch of white plastic ping pong balls that provide a seemingly random four-digit number.

Get the right combination and your team’s fortunes can turn around faster than Robert Downey Jr.’s career. Come up short, and you could be left at the drawing board heading into the draft.

On this trip, however, I’ve decided not to leave things to fate. In an effort to stack the deck in the Suns’ favor, I brought along some lucky charms suggested by fans. Yes, I realize these items probably have about as much chance of working as the seat I’m sitting on in this plane does of acting as a flotation device in the case of an emergency water landing (which is just the nice way of saying a crash), but that won’t stop me from being optimistic.

With the percentages just as likely that the team moves down from its No. 4 pre-lottery slot as it does up, it can’t hurt to provide a little help regardless of how improbable it is. With me, I brought an autographed Cotton Fitzsimmons ticket stub I’ve had since I was a kid. If the Irish are lucky, why not have something that connects this draft lottery to the most famous Irishman in franchise history (sorry Shaquille O’Neal, you didn’t make the cut).

One item isn’t enough, though. We’re trying to combat a 44-year-old streak of no luck (I refuse to call it bad, because it’s been such a fun ride). With that in mind, I decided to go back to the source of the issue in many fans’ minds. The last time the Suns had a legitimate chance at the No. 1 pick: the 1969 coin toss. The fans told the team to call heads, and when that silver Kennedy half-dollar was flipped, it came up tails and Lew Alcindor went to Milwaukee. The Suns have never had the first pick since.

Thanks to a commenter on my blog post last week, I purchased a double-sided Kennedy half-dollar to bring with me. Both sides? Heads of course. If only it had been used on that fateful day in 1969, there might be a championship banner hanging from the rafters in Phoenix.

Both items will be tucked securely in my suit pocket as I sit in the ABC Times Square studios to watch the drama unfold Tuesday night. Maybe they won’t change whatever the fate of the Suns’ pick is; much like nothing myself or my fellow passengers do can change anything about our flight. But in either situation, it can’t hurt to have a little faith. Oh, and a little luck never hurt anyone either.

Regardless of wins and losses there is one thing that constantly puts the Suns at the of or near the top of the league. Something that has the passion and heart that very few NBA teams have. It’s the fans of course.

The true lifeblood of the organization, Suns fans continually support the team through thick and thin (and we’re not just talking about the different versions of Charles Barkley since he retired). No, they have found a passion for Arizona’s first professional sports franchise that has spanned 45 years. While the names on the roster have changed, their desire to don the purple and orange and cheer as loud as possible has never wavered.

This year their passion is being recognized on a national stage. Despite one of the tougher seasons in the franchise’s history, Emory Sports Marketing Analytics ranks Suns fans as one of the best in the NBA. In a study that included equations taking into account projected team revenue based on record compared to actual revenue, market size and other factors based on numbers we don’t understand (we’ll call in GM Ryan McDonough to explain it to us later), the group found the Phoenix faithful to be the sixth best in the game.

In our opinion — although we’d probably be found guilty of bias by a jury of our peers — we think our fans are the No. 1 group in the league and possibly all of sports. So take a bow and even pat yourselves on the back. We appreciate you and national outlets are recognizing what you’re doing.

Next Tuesday on ESPN, one of those rare moments where teams, coaches, athletes and general managers have no control over the outcome will unfold before our eyes. It’s the NBA’s Draft Lottery and it’s about as unpredictable as an Amanda Bynes tweet. It’s an event that, in the last 14 years, has only seen the team with the best odds get the No. 1 pick the same amount of times, twice, as the team with the fourth best odds.

Winning the draft lottery and getting the No. 1 overall pick is one of two things the storied Suns franchise has yet to conquer in its 45 years of existence. The other, obviously, being an NBA Championship. And if they can accomplish the former this year, maybe they can finally accomplish the latter in the near future.

But just how do you sway something completely random in your favor? With luck, of course.

Sure, luck is a concept that has evaded the team like a Shaq free throw used to evade the net, ever since the 1969 coin flip that sent the No. 1 pick (that became Kareem Abdul Jabbar) and a championship to Milwaukee. By calling heads, a choice fans were asked to make in a poll via the Arizona Republic, the team sealed its bad luck for the last 44 years. It’s time to end it once and for all.

How do I propose to do this? With your help.

Next Monday I embark for New York City and the NBA Draft Lottery. It’s an experience that I’m thrilled to take part in as a lifelong fan and one that I hope is historic for the franchise and a fan base sorely in need of a win.

Like most sports fans, I’m a bit superstitious. As a kid, I’m not ashamed to admit, I used to wear my hat in certain ways or not move for minutes at a time if it would lead to a great Suns run during a game. I had lucky shirts, lucky hats, lucky charms — not the cereal, but items — and lucky chairs throughout the years to watch the games in. Obviously, they never really worked all that well. Although, my 1992-93 purple Barkley jersey did have a pretty good run.

That’s where you come in. While in New York, I’m willing to try anything or bring anything with me to the Draft Lottery to turn around the franchise’s luck and bring the No. 1 pick back to the Valley with me. (Granted, President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby, and not me, will likely escort it home.)

Share your ideas and suggestions in the comments below and I’ll choose my favorites to try or bring with me.

You might think it’s crazy, but what does it hurt to try? As the Arizona Lottery says “you can’t win, if you don’t play.”

Suns One On One host Greg Esposito sat down for the first indepth interview with new Suns general manager Ryan McDonough. The two satdown in the war room on the fourth floor of the US Airways Center where in mere months McDonough and his staff will select the newest members of the franchise to get to know him on a person level, to find out how growing up in Massachusetts shaped him as a person, his family, his philosophies on basketball and asked if he is truly the world’s slowest eater. Find out that and much more in this edition.

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Don’t forget you can find a new episode of the show here every week, you can also subscribe to the show on iTunes and listen in the official Suns App. Also get in touch with the show by tweeting your host @Espo.

Are you ready for the Phoenix Suns youth movement?

I’m not talking about on the court, although that is well underway too. No, I’m talking about the Suns’ front office.

With the hiring of the 33-year-old Ryan McDonough as general manager, the Suns have proven they are willing to think fresh and add younger blood to the front office. From a selfish standpoint, I love the move for the pure fact that there is now a member of the basketball operations staff that will get my bad ‘80s and ‘90s pop-culture references. (Example: Goran Dragic is schooling the competition more than Mr. Feeny schooled Cory and Shawn.) Then again, maybe even he won’t get those obscure thoughts.

Like they say — not that I’m sure who “they” exactly are — age is just a number and McDonough is the prime example of that. While he is new age, carrying an iPad that includes analysis of hundreds of players around the globe at his fingertips at a moments notice, he’s also not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get dirty traveling to see as many players as he can. It’s part of his holistic approach to the job. An approach that was examined in depth a few months ago in a brilliant column on SB Nation entitled “The Next Generation GM.”

That next generation starts right now in Phoenix and that should excite Suns fans.

It’s a generation that combines the best of scouting with the best of analytics. It’s the Robocop of basketball operations. Combining the best of the human elements with the best of the computer elements to create a hybrid ready to take on the challenges of running an NBA team in an ever-changing landscape. Or fighting crime in the mean streets of new-age Detroit in Robocop’s case. See, the ‘80s references just keep on coming.

On top of a new way of thinking about evaluating basketball talent, his best quality may be his dedication and determination to working hard. He worked his way up from being a journalism major at the University of North Carolina, to the film room and working with editing VHS tapes for the Celtics to being an assistant general manager in under a decade. He’s determined to do whatever it takes to be a success. Something that may have come from former Sun and McDonough’s former boss, Danny Ainge.

“I told Ryan at that time there’s no substitute for work,” Ainge told SB Nation. “All the genius in the world, I don’t care who you are. If it’s a Red Auerbach, a Jerry West, it doesn’t matter. You can’t replace work.”

And there is a lot of it to be done in Phoenix. Rebuilding is a more tedious process than creating fuel for a Flux Capacitor in 1955. It’s one that will take a dedication and fresh perspective to complete. Two things McDonough has plenty of. Oh, and he has plenty of draft picks to get the job done too, with six first-round picks over the next three years, two of which are coming up quickly in next month’s draft.

The youth movement has begun in Phoenix and a wunderkind is leading the charge as the new general manager. And that’s reason to get excited.

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As a Phoenix Suns fan who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s there is one shot that has always stood out in my mind as the craziest shot ever made in Suns history. (Mind you, I didn’t say the best. That will be a title always held by the Shot Heard Round the World from the 1976 Finals.)

This shot came 20 years ago, April 22, in Portland. In a bizarre turn of events, with the Suns down one, Charles Barkley caught a ball at his ankles with .5 seconds on the clock and flipped it in for the Suns win. I had a chance to catch up with Charles Barkley recently and he broke down the play. Check it out in the video above.

Just because our Suns aren’t in the playoffs doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention. As a matter of fact, we should probably pick a team to support while you’re forced listen to Rihanna on loop during the 40 games in 40 nights. (Editor’s Note: Dear Turner, Please do not remove said reference even though you run our websites.)

Picking a team that isn’t your own to root for isn’t something you do at random though. There is a science to it. You have to consider a team’s history against the Suns, if there are former members of the Suns on the team, are there any enemies of the Suns state on the roster and would it hurt the Suns franchise in the future if this team won.

With that criteria in mind, let me help you navigate each of the first round match ups to figure out who we all should be rooting for in this Suns Fans Guide to the NBA Playoffs’ first round.

Let’s start in the East…

Miami Vs. Milwaukee

The obvious answer is “always root for the underdog.” That’s the attitude most non-Heat and non-Bucks fans will take to this match up. I mean honestly, who roots for Darth Vader and the Dark Side to beat Luke and the Force or for the Joker to outwit Batman? Suns fans will have to take the chance though, due to the first item on our list of criteria.

There is one simple reason as a card carrying member of the Purple Gang From Phoenix — I checked with Al McCoy, it is still OK to refer to ourselves as that — that you are allowed to root for Miami, at least in the first round. It comes down to four numbers 1-9-6-9.

That’s right, 1969 and the now infamous coin toss. The Bucks won, got Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) and hung a championship banner. Leaving the Suns destined to become the NBA’s version of Katherine Heigl in 27 Dress, always the bridesmaid never the bride, for the following 44 seasons.

Verdict: Darth Vader The Miami Heat

Indiana Vs. Atlanta

The history between these two teams and the Suns is at a minimal. Outside of a lop sided Joe Johnson trade that went in the Hawks favor and the fact that we have former Pacers, Ann Meyers Drysdale and Jermaine O’Neal in Phoenix, there isn’t much you can consider as a connection between the two. Neither team has a former Suns amongst their ranks, nor a hated player and it wouldn’t hurt if either team won.

In a case of a stalemate like this it comes down to a few tiebreakers. Does either team have an Arizona connection and are their any storylines involving either team that is similar to the Suns.

In that case, all signs point to Indiana. The Pacers have former Sun Devil Jeff Pendergraph on their roster. When you combine that with the fact that they have a set of brothers, Tyler and Ben Hansbrough, something the Suns have an affinity for, on their roster, they’re the clear cut favorite.

Verdict: Indiana

Brooklyn Vs. Chicago

Brooklyn does have former Sun Joe Johnson, who gets booed like the thought of 100 degree heat in February when he returns to the Valley and Kris Humphries who everyone who has ever watched E! boos for no real apparent reason, but other than that the things against them on the playoff checklist are a minimum.

Chicago, well, that’s a different story.

Sure, none of the culprits from the 1993 Finals are still on the Bulls’ roster or coaching staff but the fact that Scottie Pippen and John “If Only Danny Ainge Guarded Me” Paxson are in the front office is reason enough to root against them.

Verdict: Brooklyn

New York Vs. Boston

The Knicks have Amar’e Stoudemire on the roster but the real reason to root against New York is simple.

This week we are all Boston. Sorry, but it’s that simple New York.

Onto the West…

Oklahoma City vs. Houston

“The Beard” called Arizona and ASU home when he was simply known as James Harden, long before he was in Houston, and the Rockets have a player named Chandler like the Phoenix suburb. But the fact that the Rockets employ Aaron Brooks counteracts that for many Suns fans.

As for the Thunder, if you look at the team history and record books, they did previously compete with the Suns in the Pacific Division and battled Phoenix in numerous playoff series. Don’t you remember that epic 1993 seven game Western Conference Finals series versus the Thunder? That being said, the Suns usually got the better of them.

The deciding factor comes down to the Thunder’s style of play. OKC can put up points in bunches and has two of the more exciting players in the league (something Suns fans aren’t strangers cheering for). They also have fallen short in their quest for a championship despite having great talent (something else Suns fans aren’t strangers cheering for).

Verdict: Thunder

Denver vs. Golden State

In Phoenix we tend to hold grudges when you get in between us and players we feel could take us to the next level. Sorry Denver, but we’ll be sequestering our ability to root for you in the playoffs in a suite and we won’t be allowing you to speak to it or see it the way you did with Antonio McDyess back in the day. (If you have no clue what I’m talking about, A) you haven’t been a Suns fan very long and B) go check out McDyess’ Wikipedia page for an explanation).

Verdict: Golden State

Memphis vs. Los Angeles (the good version)

The Grizzlies versus the Clippers. This one is tougher than a 99-cent steak in Las Vegas. The history between these two and the Suns is simple. It’s been domination in favor of Phoenix. So the history is a draw. Memphis has a former Wildcat in Jerryd Bayless on the roster and former Suns assistant, Lionel Hollins, as its head coach. LA has former Suns forward Grant Hill on the team and former Suns broadcaster and front office member Vinny Del Negro calling the shots on the bench. Once again, it’s a wash. No players Suns fans love to hate on each roster either. Yet again another tie.

This comes down to the fact that, as a Pacific Division foe, the Clippers winning it all wouldn’t help the Suns. In fact, it could hinder the rebuilding process to have the champion in your division. Oh, that and, we’ll have to see Blake Griffin enough during the commercial breaks of the playoffs. So much so, that even his younger self will get tired of seeing him.

Verdict: Memphis

This matchup for Suns fans is like asking movie-goers to choose the lesser of two evils in the movie Alien vs. Predator. In the end, you really don’t want to root for either.

Since it’s “win or go home” in the playoffs and not just “go home,” I’ll help you figure out who to root for. Sure, their mere presence in the playoffs hurt the Suns’ draft status, but LA still has a Phoenix favorite on the roster in Steve Nash. When you couple that with the fact that we won’t be seeing Suns hater Kobe Bryant in any of the games, it makes it a little more palatable for fans to root for the purple and gold (although it’s against our better judgment).

When you look at the Spurs roster, you see a familiar face in Boris Diaw. Unfortunately, he’s surrounded by faces that are familiar in the same way chickenpox are: they still sting and make your skin crawl when you think about them. Despite a few years having passed since the last playoff matchup between the Suns and Spurs, the same cast of characters who haunted Suns fans dreams for years, Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, are all still a part of the franchise.

Sorry San Antonio, but the only thing we’ll be celebrating about your team is the 20th anniversary of Charles Barkley’s jumper over David Robinson in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Verdict: Los Angeles (if we have to)

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