duncan228
10-07-2009, 01:41 PM
Suns' goals different entering this season (http://www.mydesert.com/article/20091007/SPORTS02/910070330/-1/newsfront/Suns++goals+different+entering+this+season)
Leighton Ginn • The Desert Sun
SAN DIEGO — It's business as usual in the NBA's Western Conference as the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs will be the favorites after each made a big-name acquisition in the offseason.
Missing from the list of contenders is the Phoenix Suns.
While the defending champion Lakers signed Ron Artest for their repeat run and the Spurs picked up the versatile Richard Jefferson to add scoring punch, the Suns have lost Shaquille O'Neal and didn't make a major acquisition to a team that failed to reach the playoffs.
Yet the Suns remain upbeat about the upcoming season and don't mind being left out of the championship talk.
“I do. I like that we're not marching trophy boy around,” Gentry said. “I like that we can just go out and play basketball. I don't think anyone understands the pressure on you when they talk, ‘Yeah, they're going to win the championship, they're going to win the championship.' It's a lot of pressure for guys to have.
“I think we'll be able to play more relaxed basketball and not like every game is the seventh game. We just have to go out and play, execute and do what we have to do and see where it takes us. It's tough to think you're locked into the championships.”
However, two-time MVP Steve Nash is optimistic for the upcoming season as the Suns will return to their fast-break style which made them a regular title contender in the past five seasons.
However, Nash also understands it will be a work in progress. But without talks of winning a title, he feels the Suns can focus on what they need to focus on.
“You look at San Antonio, (coach Gregg) Popovich has that stupid quote about hitting the stone — tell him I said that,” Nash said. “But it makes a lot of sense. One hit might not break it, but each hit does its damage until 10,000 hits later, they break the stone. You can't have an attitude that worries about a championship. It's saying, let's build today and see how much we can build tomorrow. Then it's looking at all those todays and tomorrows to see what we have.”
The Suns won't make any predictions of how many games they can win, but feel they can make the playoffs. In returning to their fun-and-gun offense, they will have a core of players — Nash, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa — who understand the system.
They have also added supporting players, such as Channing Frye, who will replace O'Neal as the starting center. Phoenix will also have Jason Richardson, a midseason addition last year who it expects will get more comfortable with the system.
Frye, who was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 2005, will provide athleticism and outside shooting from the center position, which should open up the perimeter for Nash to drive and operate.
“I'm loving it and I'm loving this opportunity,” Frye said. “I know there are a lot of doubters, but I really don't give a rat's ass. I'm going to help this team out. We're going to do some things this year.”
The attitude is there as well. Many of the Suns stayed in Phoenix and worked out together before training camp.
“It's really tough to win a championship. Our goal right now is to get back to be a competitive team in the West, where we're a factor. That's what we have to worry about now,” Gentry said. “We've just talked about playing to our potential. If we play to our potential, and unselfishly and with the effort we can, then we'll see what it brings. We're not predicting any wins. Our goal is playing to the highest potential we can reach.”
Leighton Ginn • The Desert Sun
SAN DIEGO — It's business as usual in the NBA's Western Conference as the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs will be the favorites after each made a big-name acquisition in the offseason.
Missing from the list of contenders is the Phoenix Suns.
While the defending champion Lakers signed Ron Artest for their repeat run and the Spurs picked up the versatile Richard Jefferson to add scoring punch, the Suns have lost Shaquille O'Neal and didn't make a major acquisition to a team that failed to reach the playoffs.
Yet the Suns remain upbeat about the upcoming season and don't mind being left out of the championship talk.
“I do. I like that we're not marching trophy boy around,” Gentry said. “I like that we can just go out and play basketball. I don't think anyone understands the pressure on you when they talk, ‘Yeah, they're going to win the championship, they're going to win the championship.' It's a lot of pressure for guys to have.
“I think we'll be able to play more relaxed basketball and not like every game is the seventh game. We just have to go out and play, execute and do what we have to do and see where it takes us. It's tough to think you're locked into the championships.”
However, two-time MVP Steve Nash is optimistic for the upcoming season as the Suns will return to their fast-break style which made them a regular title contender in the past five seasons.
However, Nash also understands it will be a work in progress. But without talks of winning a title, he feels the Suns can focus on what they need to focus on.
“You look at San Antonio, (coach Gregg) Popovich has that stupid quote about hitting the stone — tell him I said that,” Nash said. “But it makes a lot of sense. One hit might not break it, but each hit does its damage until 10,000 hits later, they break the stone. You can't have an attitude that worries about a championship. It's saying, let's build today and see how much we can build tomorrow. Then it's looking at all those todays and tomorrows to see what we have.”
The Suns won't make any predictions of how many games they can win, but feel they can make the playoffs. In returning to their fun-and-gun offense, they will have a core of players — Nash, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa — who understand the system.
They have also added supporting players, such as Channing Frye, who will replace O'Neal as the starting center. Phoenix will also have Jason Richardson, a midseason addition last year who it expects will get more comfortable with the system.
Frye, who was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 2005, will provide athleticism and outside shooting from the center position, which should open up the perimeter for Nash to drive and operate.
“I'm loving it and I'm loving this opportunity,” Frye said. “I know there are a lot of doubters, but I really don't give a rat's ass. I'm going to help this team out. We're going to do some things this year.”
The attitude is there as well. Many of the Suns stayed in Phoenix and worked out together before training camp.
“It's really tough to win a championship. Our goal right now is to get back to be a competitive team in the West, where we're a factor. That's what we have to worry about now,” Gentry said. “We've just talked about playing to our potential. If we play to our potential, and unselfishly and with the effort we can, then we'll see what it brings. We're not predicting any wins. Our goal is playing to the highest potential we can reach.”