duncan228
09-30-2008, 05:39 PM
5 things the Suns need to stay relevant in the West (http://azsportshub.com/2008/09/30/5-things-the-suns-need-to-stay-relevant-in-the-west/)
Greg Esposito
On a day when the stock market and the Cardinals are trying to recover from a complete and utter collapse there is some light at the end of the tunnel. That light is the start of Phoenix Suns training camp.
During the off season the Suns added new head coach Terry Porter, European back up point guard Goran Dragic, energetic swing man Matt Barnes and rookie center Robin Lopez. The Suns will return the top 7 players from their 2007-2008 campaign to go along with the new acquisitions and hit the court today to start putting it all together.
As practice tips off optimism is at its peak but in order for that optimism to turn into real success there are five things that must happen for the Suns in order to avoid becoming irrelevant in the loaded Western Conference.
5) Goran Dragic will have to live up to the hype
This one is quite simple. We’ve heard from the Suns front office that Dragic had the talent to be a lottery pick and that he is the heir apparent to the Steve Nash throne. In order for the Suns to be successful he has to prove this early and often this season. Without a veteran back up he is the only chance the Suns have of limiting Nash’s minutes and keeping Nash fresh for the playoffs. It’s a huge gamble that Kerr, Sarver and Porter are taking but it could pay major dividends now and in the future.
4) Terry Porter’s system and rotation has to be deeper than Mike D’Antoni’s
Albert Einstein once said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
That also seems to be the definition of the last four years under Mike D’Antoni for the Suns. Every season it seemed like D’Antoni and the Suns expected a different end result to their season even though they made little to no change in their plan.
Well that is over now and with a new season comes a new plan, coach and style. By changing things Suns are hoping they will get a different result than last years first round exit. To make sure it’s a positive result Porter’s system and rotation are key.
Unlike the “Run and Gun Suns” of the past 4 years Porter looks to install a deeper and fuller offense that is predicated on more than shooting fast and out scoring opponents.
At media day Porter spoke about the importance of winning to fans versus scoring at a high volume .
“So winnings not good enough, you’ve got to have excitement?” he mused. “You’d rather lose with 110 than win with 80 points? Fans don’t like that?”
That in a nut shell is what Porter will have to implement for the Suns to be successful. He will have to win games and fans with his teams ability to slow things down, run a structured offense and grind out victories.
He will also have to expand the rotation beyond that which Mike D’Antoni implemented. D’Antoni was notorious for having a very small core of players he trusted to play meaningful minutes and come playoff time his “guys” were exhausted or injured.
If Porter wants to have success in the playoffs he will have to keep Raja Bell, Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Nash and Grant Hill fresh by going deeper than 7 players. Finding minutes for guys like Dragic, Alando Tucker and Robin Lopez will give the Suns the opportunity to avoid late season injuries that have seemed to plague their veterans.
3) The Suns need the 2006-2007 version of Matt Barnes to show up
At $1.2 Million any production from Matt Barnes will make him valuable but if the Suns want to be NBA champions they will need Barnes to play like he did during the 2006-2007 season.
In 2006-2007 as a member of the Warriors Barnes set career highs in all major categories by averaging 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1 steal and 2.1 assists. During the playoffs he posted even higher numbers and helped lead the Warriors to the upset of the Dallas Mavericks.
Last season Barnes regressed due to personal issues including the death of his mother and lack of a long term contract from the Warriors.
This season he will need to combine his energy and defensive toughness with production close to his 2006-2007 level. If he can do that the Suns will have a player that can fill the void left by Shawn Marion and that can be a key piece to their championship run. If they get the Barnes from last season the Suns will have a serviceable role player.
2) Amare Stoudemire to show up defensively
Some will argue that the overall team defense is the main key to the Suns success this year but the team defense starts with Amare. Steve Nash is who he is on the defensive end of the court and you know what you will get from Shaq and Raja. Stoudemire is the only true defensive wild card.
When he wants to play defense there are few better at blocking shots and slowing down opponents in the lane. The problem is during the D’Antoni era there were times when his motivation disappeared. That could easily be attributed to the fact that Amare played in a system where defense was never a focal point let alone emphasized.
Enter Terry Porter.
Under Porter defense is key. So much so that he added former Chicago Bull Center Bill Cartwright to the staff for the sole purpose of working with Amare, Shaq and Robin Lopez. Amare and he Suns didn’t have a coach dedicated to working with the Forwards and Centers last season.
If Amare can show a new found dedication to defense and learn from Porter and Cartwright he could blossom into one of the leagues most complete players and a perennial MVP candidate.
1) Someone needs to make a sacrifice to the basketball gods :lol
Has there been any team in the NBA with worse luck than the Suns over the past 4 years? Heck the past 40?
Whether it was losing the coin toss to draft Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, losing Cedric Ceballos prior to the 1993 finals, trading for Stephan Marbury, Joe Johnson’s face plant, Amare’s micro-fracture surgery, Boris and Amare’s stroll from the Bench, Grant Hill’s appendix re-aggravating his sports hernia or Tim Duncan hitting a 3-pointer the Suns have just had plain old bad luck.
If they want any chance at hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy this season than lady luck will have to firmly sit herself at the end of the Suns bench.
With an interesting mix of aging super stars, players yet to reach their potential (I’m looking at you Boris and Leandro) and young unproven rookies the Suns will need the perfect storm to find success in the talent laden West.
If these 5 things come to fruition the Suns will be able to remain as a relevant NBA franchise. If not the slow dark descent into rebuilding will have begun. Here’s to hoping the Suns rise and stave off the darkness for at least one more season.
Greg Esposito
On a day when the stock market and the Cardinals are trying to recover from a complete and utter collapse there is some light at the end of the tunnel. That light is the start of Phoenix Suns training camp.
During the off season the Suns added new head coach Terry Porter, European back up point guard Goran Dragic, energetic swing man Matt Barnes and rookie center Robin Lopez. The Suns will return the top 7 players from their 2007-2008 campaign to go along with the new acquisitions and hit the court today to start putting it all together.
As practice tips off optimism is at its peak but in order for that optimism to turn into real success there are five things that must happen for the Suns in order to avoid becoming irrelevant in the loaded Western Conference.
5) Goran Dragic will have to live up to the hype
This one is quite simple. We’ve heard from the Suns front office that Dragic had the talent to be a lottery pick and that he is the heir apparent to the Steve Nash throne. In order for the Suns to be successful he has to prove this early and often this season. Without a veteran back up he is the only chance the Suns have of limiting Nash’s minutes and keeping Nash fresh for the playoffs. It’s a huge gamble that Kerr, Sarver and Porter are taking but it could pay major dividends now and in the future.
4) Terry Porter’s system and rotation has to be deeper than Mike D’Antoni’s
Albert Einstein once said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
That also seems to be the definition of the last four years under Mike D’Antoni for the Suns. Every season it seemed like D’Antoni and the Suns expected a different end result to their season even though they made little to no change in their plan.
Well that is over now and with a new season comes a new plan, coach and style. By changing things Suns are hoping they will get a different result than last years first round exit. To make sure it’s a positive result Porter’s system and rotation are key.
Unlike the “Run and Gun Suns” of the past 4 years Porter looks to install a deeper and fuller offense that is predicated on more than shooting fast and out scoring opponents.
At media day Porter spoke about the importance of winning to fans versus scoring at a high volume .
“So winnings not good enough, you’ve got to have excitement?” he mused. “You’d rather lose with 110 than win with 80 points? Fans don’t like that?”
That in a nut shell is what Porter will have to implement for the Suns to be successful. He will have to win games and fans with his teams ability to slow things down, run a structured offense and grind out victories.
He will also have to expand the rotation beyond that which Mike D’Antoni implemented. D’Antoni was notorious for having a very small core of players he trusted to play meaningful minutes and come playoff time his “guys” were exhausted or injured.
If Porter wants to have success in the playoffs he will have to keep Raja Bell, Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Nash and Grant Hill fresh by going deeper than 7 players. Finding minutes for guys like Dragic, Alando Tucker and Robin Lopez will give the Suns the opportunity to avoid late season injuries that have seemed to plague their veterans.
3) The Suns need the 2006-2007 version of Matt Barnes to show up
At $1.2 Million any production from Matt Barnes will make him valuable but if the Suns want to be NBA champions they will need Barnes to play like he did during the 2006-2007 season.
In 2006-2007 as a member of the Warriors Barnes set career highs in all major categories by averaging 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1 steal and 2.1 assists. During the playoffs he posted even higher numbers and helped lead the Warriors to the upset of the Dallas Mavericks.
Last season Barnes regressed due to personal issues including the death of his mother and lack of a long term contract from the Warriors.
This season he will need to combine his energy and defensive toughness with production close to his 2006-2007 level. If he can do that the Suns will have a player that can fill the void left by Shawn Marion and that can be a key piece to their championship run. If they get the Barnes from last season the Suns will have a serviceable role player.
2) Amare Stoudemire to show up defensively
Some will argue that the overall team defense is the main key to the Suns success this year but the team defense starts with Amare. Steve Nash is who he is on the defensive end of the court and you know what you will get from Shaq and Raja. Stoudemire is the only true defensive wild card.
When he wants to play defense there are few better at blocking shots and slowing down opponents in the lane. The problem is during the D’Antoni era there were times when his motivation disappeared. That could easily be attributed to the fact that Amare played in a system where defense was never a focal point let alone emphasized.
Enter Terry Porter.
Under Porter defense is key. So much so that he added former Chicago Bull Center Bill Cartwright to the staff for the sole purpose of working with Amare, Shaq and Robin Lopez. Amare and he Suns didn’t have a coach dedicated to working with the Forwards and Centers last season.
If Amare can show a new found dedication to defense and learn from Porter and Cartwright he could blossom into one of the leagues most complete players and a perennial MVP candidate.
1) Someone needs to make a sacrifice to the basketball gods :lol
Has there been any team in the NBA with worse luck than the Suns over the past 4 years? Heck the past 40?
Whether it was losing the coin toss to draft Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, losing Cedric Ceballos prior to the 1993 finals, trading for Stephan Marbury, Joe Johnson’s face plant, Amare’s micro-fracture surgery, Boris and Amare’s stroll from the Bench, Grant Hill’s appendix re-aggravating his sports hernia or Tim Duncan hitting a 3-pointer the Suns have just had plain old bad luck.
If they want any chance at hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy this season than lady luck will have to firmly sit herself at the end of the Suns bench.
With an interesting mix of aging super stars, players yet to reach their potential (I’m looking at you Boris and Leandro) and young unproven rookies the Suns will need the perfect storm to find success in the talent laden West.
If these 5 things come to fruition the Suns will be able to remain as a relevant NBA franchise. If not the slow dark descent into rebuilding will have begun. Here’s to hoping the Suns rise and stave off the darkness for at least one more season.