5 for us and 5 for the Suns

[elbamba]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/preview2006/news/story?page=Predictions0607&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos2

5 pick us and 5 pick the Suns to win the championship on ESPN.

[Kori Ellis]

The Suns are an odd pick to me. I'd pick the Mavs before the Suns. But hey, they are the experts!

[elbamba]

The Suns are an odd pick to me. I'd pick the Mavs before the Suns. But hey, they are the experts!

I agree, I think 3 picked the Mavs and 2 picked the Heat.
I am a little surprised that Barry would go against his own blood.

[Extra Stout]

Picking the Suns means people are assuming Amare is OK. If only. :(

[Mr. Body]

I don't understand it. Mavs before Suns. What have the Mavs shown that means they can get it done? Besides, Amare is down.

[Obstructed_View]

The Suns couldn't win even when Amare was healthy. Puzzling pick to me, but at least it means Nash won't be MVP.

[Nashfan]

We are a completely different team than when we played the Spurs with Amare dominating. You have to take into account the players we had last year and this year. I actually think the Spurs have taken a step back, more so than the Suns or Mavs. You have gotten older and we have a young core still and a very skilled point guard in Nash who is feeling the best he ever has. Amare is not doing as bad as you all seem to think. He has been throwing down dunks and elevating very close to what he did before and he has been working on his fundamentals while rehabbing very hard this summer. The media in Phoenix likes to dramatize things a bit about Amare. He will get there. It is a twelve to eighteen month recovery period for this type of surgery so I think he is doing well from the games I have seen him in. Don't under estimate him or the Sun's.

[elbamba]

We are a completely different team than when we played the Spurs with Amare dominating. You have to take into account the players we had last year and this year. I actually think the Spurs have taken a step back, more so than the Suns or Mavs. You have gotten older and we have a young core still and a very skilled point guard in Nash who is feeling the best he ever has. Amare is not doing as bad as you all seem to think. He has been throwing down dunks and elevating very close to what he did before and he has been working on his fundamentals while rehabbing very hard this summer. The media in Phoenix likes to dramatize things a bit about Amare. He will get there. It is a twelve to eighteen month recovery period for this type of surgery so I think he is doing well from the games I have seen him in. Don't under estimate him or the Sun's.

With respect to Amare's comeback, I'll believe it when I see it. Nash is getting older and can do nothing to contain Parker. The Suns don't look that impressive to me. I think it will be the same as before, the Suns were lucky that they had a cake walk to the Western Conference Finals. If they had had our lineup of SAC and Dallas I don't think they would have survived the first round.

[mavs>spurs2]

Suns ahead of mavs and tied with spurs? I call bullshit.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Lots of odd picks in there. As far as the Suns go it's been shown time and time again that that run and gun BS doesn't get you championships, or even to the finals. I'm surprised that no one has the Bulls coming out of the east. I figured someone would pick them as dark horse. But I'm even more shocked at how many have pegged the Heat to repeat.

And Louis now has a new best friend in Scoop Jackson.

[Jimcs50]

The Suns are an odd pick to me. I'd pick the Mavs before the Suns. But hey, they are the experts!


I picked the Suns in our predictions thread in here.

I picked Miami and Phoenix to make the Finals

[Jimcs50]

Jon Barry picked the Mavs over the Spurs to win the division???

If I were Brent, I would kick his ass.

[The_Game]

Suns ahead of mavs and tied with spurs? I call bullshit.

why? the only reason dallas beat the suns last year was down to the suns missing key guys due to injury

but anyway

think what we all can agree on is that dallas, spurs and the suns are the 3 contenders in the west and any of the 3 can win it all

[Jimcs50]

Here are the fans results...they like Phoenix too, I see.




1) Which team will win the Atlantic Division?


73.1% New Jersey Nets

10.3% Boston Celtics

8.4% Toronto Raptors

4.6% Philadelphia 76ers

3.6% New York Knicks


2) Which team will win the Central Division?


38.2% Cleveland Cavaliers

32.5% Chicago Bulls

26.3% Detroit Pistons

1.9% Indiana Pacers

1.1% Milwaukee Bucks


3) Which team will win the Southeast Division?


85.8% Miami Heat

8.1% Orlando Magic

4.5% Washington Wizards

1.0% Charlotte Bobcats

0.6% Atlanta Hawks


4) Which team will win the Southwest Division?


54.7% Dallas Mavericks

36.4% San Antonio Spurs

7.1% Houston Rockets

1.2% New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets

0.6% Memphis Grizzlies


5) Which team will win the Northwest Division?


65.3% Denver Nuggets

12.7% Utah Jazz

12.5% Minnesota Timberwolves

5.5% Seattle SuperSonics

4.0% Portland Trail Blazers


6) Which team will win the Pacific Division?


77.5% Phoenix Suns

10.1% Los Angeles Lakers

8.9% Los Angeles Clippers

1.8% Sacramento Kings

1.7% Golden State Warriors


7) Which team will win the Eastern Conference?


35.6% Miami Heat

21.3% Cleveland Cavaliers

15.7% Chicago Bulls

11.3% Detroit Pistons

3.6% New Jersey Nets

3.3% Orlando Magic

2.3% Boston Celtics

1.3% Indiana Pacers

1.3% Toronto Raptors

1.2% Washington Wizards

1.0% New York Knicks

0.9% Philadelphia 76ers

0.6% Milwaukee Bucks

0.4% Charlotte Bobcats

0.2% Atlanta Hawks


8) Which team will win the Western Conference?


27.0% Phoenix Suns

25.0% Dallas Mavericks

22.4% San Antonio Spurs

7.3% Los Angeles Lakers

4.4% Houston Rockets

2.9% Seattle SuperSonics

2.6% Los Angeles Clippers

2.3% Portland Trail Blazers

1.9% Denver Nuggets

1.1% Minnesota Timberwolves

0.9% Utah Jazz

0.7% Sacramento Kings

0.6% Golden State Warriors

0.4% New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets

0.2% Memphis Grizzlies


9) Which team will win the NBA Championship?


15.2% Phoenix Suns

14.7% Dallas Mavericks

12.9% San Antonio Spurs

10.5% Miami Heat

8.4% Cleveland Cavaliers

6.5% Los Angeles Lakers

5.9% Chicago Bulls

4.5% Detroit Pistons

3.1% Houston Rockets

2.9% Seattle SuperSonics

2.2% Portland Trail Blazers

2.0% Boston Celtics

1.2% New Jersey Nets

1.1% Los Angeles Clippers

0.9% Toronto Raptors

0.9% Denver Nuggets

0.9% New York Knicks

0.7% Washington Wizards

0.7% Indiana Pacers

0.7% Minnesota Timberwolves

0.7% Philadelphia 76ers

0.7% Utah Jazz

0.6% Orlando Magic

0.5% Golden State Warriors

0.4% Milwaukee Bucks

0.4% Sacramento Kings

0.3% Charlotte Bobcats

0.2% New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets

0.2% Atlanta Hawks

0.1% Memphis Grizzlies


10) Which of these players will win the Rookie of the Year award?


31.9% Brandon Roy, Trail Blazers

24.3% Adam Morrison, Bobcats

17.4% Randy Foye, Timberwolves

13.9% Rudy Gay, Grizzlies

12.6% Tyrus Thomas, Bulls


11) Which of these players will win the Defensive Player of the Year award?


38.4% Ben Wallace, Bulls

21.3% Ron Artest, Kings

16.4% Andrei Kirilenko, Jazz

16.2% Dwight Howard, Magic

7.7% Bruce Bowen, Spurs


12) Which of these players will win the scoring title?


51.1% Kobe Bryant, Lakers

23.4% LeBron James, Cavaliers

12.5% Allen Iverson, 76ers

9.4% Gilbert Arenas, Wizards

3.6% Dwyane Wade, Heat


13) Which of these players will win the MVP award?


46.0% LeBron James, Cavaliers

15.2% Kobe Bryant, Lakers

14.3% Dwyane Wade, Heat

12.2% Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

6.4% Tim Duncan, Spurs

5.9% Steve Nash, Suns


Total Votes: 7,237

[101A]

We are a completely different team than when we played the Spurs with Amare dominating. You have to take into account the players we had last year and this year. I actually think the Spurs have taken a step back, more so than the Suns or Mavs. You have gotten older and we have a young core still and a very skilled point guard in Nash who is feeling the best he ever has. Amare is not doing as bad as you all seem to think. He has been throwing down dunks and elevating very close to what he did before and he has been working on his fundamentals while rehabbing very hard this summer. The media in Phoenix likes to dramatize things a bit about Amare. He will get there. It is a twelve to eighteen month recovery period for this type of surgery so I think he is doing well from the games I have seen him in. Don't under estimate him or the Sun's.


Parker 06-07 >>>> Parker 04-05
Older but not old:
Tim = Tim
Manu = Manu
Bruce=Bruce (until proven otherwise, he is ageless)

All the older you talk about were bit pieces AND Finley is better than any other player the Spurs had when they took the Suns out in '05. Nash could be both "older" and "old", now - age is, IMO, going to be a bigger issue for the Suns this year than the Spurs.

[The_Game]

I fail to see how age would be a bigger problem for the suns considering only nash and thomas are really oldish.

spurs are more easily to struggle through a long season and playoffs due to the age factor and lack of depth.

of course it all depends on duncan's health. He could bounce back really well or continue to decline.

will be an interesting season.

[spurs_in_7]

With respect to Amare's comeback, I'll believe it when I see it. Nash is getting older and can do nothing to contain Parker. The Suns don't look that impressive to me. I think it will be the same as before, the Suns were lucky that they had a cake walk to the Western Conference Finals. If they had had our lineup of SAC and Dallas I don't think they would have survived the first round.

the mavs should not look that impressive for you.

dont overestimate the ponies.

[dirk4mvp]

These people have to be assuming that Amare is coming back just as strong. if he doesn't come back hard, the west is left to the Spurs or Mavs.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

It continues to amaze me how many so-called expert commentators do not understand regular season vs. playoff basketball. The Suns are greatly advantaged in the regular season, when a team sees them once a month maybe, and maybe in the middle of a bunch of other games, or on a back-to-back. Their run-and-gun style can overpower another team on a given night in the regular season.

Not so in the playoffs... a totally different beast. No back-to-backs. Intense focus on the details of how to stop the other team. Seeing them multiple times in a row and getting used to the pace.

The Suns, with or without Amare, have been handled in the playoffs during the Nash regime pretty well -- first by the Spurs in 2005, then by the Mavs in 2006. For crying out loud, the Lakers came that close to knocking them out in 2006. Until they get a new coach and a new approach to tooling the team for the playoffs, it's not gonna change.

[dirk4mvp]

It continues to amaze me how many so-called expert commentators do not understand regular season vs. playoff basketball. The Suns are greatly advantaged in the regular season, when a team sees them once a month maybe, and maybe in the middle of a bunch of other games, or on a back-to-back. Their run-and-gun style can overpower another team on a given night in the regular season.

Not so in the playoffs... a totally different beast. No back-to-backs. Intense focus on the details of how to stop the other team. Seeing them multiple times in a row and getting used to the pace.

The Suns, with or without Amare, have been handled in the playoffs during the Nash regime pretty well -- first by the Spurs in 2005, then by the Mavs in 2006. For crying out loud, the Lakers came that close to knocking them out in 2006. Until they get a new coach and a new approach to tooling the team for the playoffs, it's not gonna change.

Good post. :tu

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

I fail to see how age would be a bigger problem for the suns considering only nash and thomas are really oldish.

spurs are more easily to struggle through a long season and playoffs due to the age factor and lack of depth.

of course it all depends on duncan's health. He could bounce back really well or continue to decline.

will be an interesting season.

Age is a bigger factor for the Suns because the Spurs have shown they can limit Duncan and Ginobili's minutes and still find ways to win. The Suns have shown that without Nash on the floor they're a lottery team.

[The_Game]

It continues to amaze me how many so-called expert commentators do not understand regular season vs. playoff basketball. The Suns are greatly advantaged in the regular season, when a team sees them once a month maybe, and maybe in the middle of a bunch of other games, or on a back-to-back. Their run-and-gun style can overpower another team on a given night in the regular season.

Not so in the playoffs... a totally different beast. No back-to-backs. Intense focus on the details of how to stop the other team. Seeing them multiple times in a row and getting used to the pace.

The Suns, with or without Amare, have been handled in the playoffs during the Nash regime pretty well -- first by the Spurs in 2005, then by the Mavs in 2006. For crying out loud, the Lakers came that close to knocking them out in 2006. Until they get a new coach and a new approach to tooling the team for the playoffs, it's not gonna change.

to the suns defence they went deep into the playoffs last year without two starters. Not many..hell no other team could likely do that with key guys missing. The Suns were actually playing good defence before kurt thomas got hurt, the suns can certainly win a title as yes they aren't the best defensive team but they play it well enough to get stops. They were very unlucky last season. Had they been heathly they could of taken the chance with the spurs slipping up and winning the title..i don't think dallas would of beaten them had it not been for the injures.

who knows what may of happened had they got to the finals.

i don't see why they need to change their coach, Mike D'Antoni has helped turn them around. There's no point, there isn't a better coach out there available.

suns also re-tooled this year by bringing in some pretty good defenders so all in all i think they will be quite a decent defensive team this year which is what they need to be.

[ChumpDumper]

0.2% Atlanta HawksGood to know they counted my vote.

[spurs_in_7]

to the suns defence they went deep into the playoffs last year without two starters. Not many..hell no other team could likely do that with key guys missing. The Suns were actually playing good defence before kurt thomas got hurt, the suns can certainly win a title as yes they aren't the best defensive team but they play it well enough to get stops. They were very unlucky last season. Had they been heathly they could of taken the chance with the spurs slipping up and winning the title..i don't think dallas would of beaten them had it not been for the injures.

who knows what may of happened had they got to the finals.

i don't see why they need to change their coach, Mike D'Antoni has helped turn them around. There's no point, there isn't a better coach out there available.

suns also re-tooled this year by bringing in some pretty good defenders so all in all i think they will be quite a decent defensive team this year which is what they need to be.

Good post. :tu

[td4mvp3]

i always wish someone had kept the predications from last year at this time just to see how right they turned out. but hollinger picked all the playoffs right last year, if i remember correctly.

[Leetonidas]

We are a completely different team than when we played the Spurs with Amare dominating. You have to take into account the players we had last year and this year. I actually think the Spurs have taken a step back, more so than the Suns or Mavs. You have gotten older and we have a young core still and a very skilled point guard in Nash who is feeling the best he ever has. Amare is not doing as bad as you all seem to think. He has been throwing down dunks and elevating very close to what he did before and he has been working on his fundamentals while rehabbing very hard this summer. The media in Phoenix likes to dramatize things a bit about Amare. He will get there. It is a twelve to eighteen month recovery period for this type of surgery so I think he is doing well from the games I have seen him in. Don't under estimate him or the Sun's.

Um, older? I believe Jackie Butler and Francisco Elson are younger than Rasho and Nazr, and Vaughn is younger than Van Exel.

[ponky]

haha, espn, that's cute...the only guy i ever really listen to when it comes to espn is mark stein...funny that scoop jackson picked the spurs to win it all, same guy who said the heat got ridiculous calls in their favor during the finals and that the finals of last season were a joke (not verbatim but basically he said the officiating was absurd)...i'm not necessarily agreeing but if you wanna post espn *expert* crap then remember what they said in the past and then consider the value of their *expertise*...i'm sure all of those suns predictions would have a big fat asterisk next to them because of amare

[samikeyp]

.funny that scoop jackson picked the spurs to win it all,

actually....Scoop has the Suns winning...not the Spurs.

[ponky]

Here are the fans results...they like Phoenix too, I see.

OMG, stop already. 7000 fans? Wow, that's an accurate assessment. Besides, these are probably fans that tune in right around May and have no clue as to what goes on during the season except for the occasional news like when Kobe drops 81 or when Artest charges into the stands. These are the same lame fans who vote for injured stars and guys who haven't played much during the season when it comes time for All-Star voting. :rolleyes

[ponky]

actually....Scoop has the Suns winning...not the Spurs.


Then he's even dumber than I thought. If it had been the Spurs he'd have at least some credibility, picking the Suns is downright moronic.

[samikeyp]

He also has the Rockets winning the SW division.

[dirk4mvp]

He also has the Rockets winning the SW division.


:lmao

[ponky]

He also has the Rockets winning the SW division.

He should worry about two things: T-Mac's back and Nash's back...oh yeah, and of course, Amare. Dang, tomorrow can't come soon enoughm let the games begin!!!

[dirk4mvp]

Dang, tomorrow can't come soon enoughm let the games begin!!!

:tu

[Nashfan]

What I meant about the Spurs getting older is your core is older. Diaw is 23, Amare is 24,(he will start eventually), Marion 29, Nash 32, Bell 29, Thomas 33 (I think). Our bench is still young and athletic. Barbosa is 23, Banks 24 (I think), James Jones 25, Jumaine Jones 26 ( I think) and then we have veterans like Marks and EP. I hardly call Elson a quality player or Vaughn for that matter. Now Butler could be good eventually if he loses weight but he is also inexperienced. Bowen is slipping and I think a lot faster than Nash plus he is useless on offense for the most part. Parker cannot contain Nash either and Nash is a much better point guard all the way around so no comparison. Dallas would not have won if Raja had not been injured or if Amare and Thomas had not been injured. About the seeding, if you are the best you have to go through the best so our path to the Western Conference Finals was not any easier than yours. If you were that good you would have beat the Mavericks plain and simple.

[dirk4mvp]

Bowen is slipping and I think a lot faster than Nash


Like another poster here said, Bowen is ageless unless proven otherwise.


Nice post, btw

[RC's Boss]

What I meant about the Spurs getting older is your core is older. Diaw is 23, Amare is 24,(he will start eventually), Marion 29, Nash 32, Bell 29, Thomas 33 (I think). Our bench is still young and athletic. Barbosa is 23, Banks 24 (I think), James Jones 25, Jumaine Jones 26 ( I think) and then we have veterans like Marks and EP. I hardly call Elson a quality player or Vaughn for that matter. Now Butler could be good eventually if he loses weight but he is also inexperienced. Bowen is slipping and I think a lot faster than Nash plus he is useless on offense for the most part. Parker cannot contain Nash either and Nash is a much better point guard all the way around so no comparison. Dallas would not have won if Raja had not been injured or if Amare and Thomas had not been injured. About the seeding, if you are the best you have to go through the best so our path to the Western Conference Finals was not any easier than yours. If you were that good you would have beat the Mavericks plain and simple.The Mavs/Spurs series was an epic battle of titanic proportions. I don't mean to offend Mavs fans here, but some teams have other teams numbers, and until you get some sort of a defense out there in PHX we will ALWAYS own you jack! With or w/ out Amare, we own you. Get over it already... Calling us old. The only chance you had of making it out of the west was last year when the REAL WCF took place in the 2nd round. Pray you get a 1 or 2 seed, b/c if you don't.. you may have SA spanking your asses in the 2nd round! You guys kill me w/ this old shit. Hell Miami should be called the grey foxes and they have the trophy! I can go back and forth w/ a Mavs fan and argue about dominance til I'm blue in the face... But a Suns fan is not an argument, it's a freaking joke.... I'm looking for the punchline to this shit! :owned

[RC's Boss]

Marks sits on the pine in May And June

[Nashfan]

You are an idiot.

[5ToolMan]

I fail to see how age would be a bigger problem for the suns considering only nash and thomas are really oldish.

spurs are more easily to struggle through a long season and playoffs due to the age factor and lack of depth.

of course it all depends on duncan's health. He could bounce back really well or continue to decline.

will be an interesting season.

So the word is the Spurs "got old" and have "no depth" when they have essentially traded Rasho, Nazr, NVE and the Aussie for younger, faster and more athletic replacements. LOL!

Elson can run the floor better than any big in the league and has both a mean streak around the hoop and a better midrange shot than either Nazr or Rasho. Butler will be a much better post scorer once he is in gets in the shape the Spurs will demand and gets used to his role with this team. Williams is a much better defender than anything lost. And JV is bound to have more in the tank than the sputtering NVE managed to deliver last year.

If the big three stay healthy there is plenty of youth and plenty of hand selected pleyers with just the correct experiance to give Spurs fans a hell of a ride, and other teams fans plenty to cry about for the next few years.

[elbamba]

What I meant about the Spurs getting older is your core is older. Diaw is 23, Amare is 24,(he will start eventually), Marion 29, Nash 32, Bell 29, Thomas 33 (I think). Our bench is still young and athletic. Barbosa is 23, Banks 24 (I think), James Jones 25, Jumaine Jones 26 ( I think) and then we have veterans like Marks and EP. I hardly call Elson a quality player or Vaughn for that matter. Now Butler could be good eventually if he loses weight but he is also inexperienced. Bowen is slipping and I think a lot faster than Nash plus he is useless on offense for the most part. Parker cannot contain Nash either and Nash is a much better point guard all the way around so no comparison. Dallas would not have won if Raja had not been injured or if Amare and Thomas had not been injured. About the seeding, if you are the best you have to go through the best so our path to the Western Conference Finals was not any easier than yours. If you were that good you would have beat the Mavericks plain and simple.

I must take issue with a few things you said.
1. Parker cannot contain Nash? Parker has been kicking Nash's butt since his second year in the league. Parker is not as good a passer as Nash, but he blows by him every time and it becomes a liability to the Suns because Nash certainly can't gaurd Manu.

2. Common sense would show you that the two LA teams were nothing compared to Sac and Dallas. We took Dallas to 7 and lost by a few points in most of our games. How did the Suns do?
We lost to the Mavs and they beat us fair and square, but nobody with rational thinking would say the Suns had to play teams that were just as good as the Spurs.

[elbamba]

One last thing, how many times have Nash's teams beaten Parker's in the playoffs?

[YoMamaIsCallin]

You are an idiot.

No, anyone who says "us" and "our" when talking about an NBA team is an idiot. You are not a member of, or associated with, the Phoenix Suns. OK? Get over it.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

Nash certainly can't gaurd Manu

Nash can't guard the screen door on my porch.

[ploto]

If the Suns hadn't been so beaten down, they could have knocked out Dallas in the WC Finals.

[ploto]

Elson can run the floor better than any big in the league and has both a mean streak around the hoop and a better midrange shot than either Nazr or Rasho.

Williams is a much better defender than anything lost.
Someone's had one too many sips of the Kool-aid.

[Leetonidas]

Someone's had one too many sips of the Kool-aid.

Eh, but I do agree that Elson runs the floor very well for a big.

[Leetonidas]

You are an idiot.

So says the owned Suns fan. :dramaquee

[Zunni]

What I meant about the Spurs getting older is your core is older. Diaw is 23, Amare is 24,(he will start eventually), Marion 29, Nash 32, Bell 29, Thomas 33 (I think). Our bench is still young and athletic. Barbosa is 23, Banks 24 (I think), James Jones 25, Jumaine Jones 26 ( I think) and then we have veterans like Marks and EP. I hardly call Elson a quality player or Vaughn for that matter. Now Butler could be good eventually if he loses weight but he is also inexperienced. Bowen is slipping and I think a lot faster than Nash plus he is useless on offense for the most part. Parker cannot contain Nash either and Nash is a much better point guard all the way around so no comparison. Dallas would not have won if Raja had not been injured or if Amare and Thomas had not been injured. About the seeding, if you are the best you have to go through the best so our path to the Western Conference Finals was not any easier than yours. If you were that good you would have beat the Mavericks plain and simple.
ATL is young too. Doesn't mean much. PHO plays gimmick basketball, fun to watch, but they'll be golfing some time in May. It's like the Run 'n' shoot offense in the NFL 10 years ago. Teams were piling up shitloads of points...in the regular season. No run and shoot team ever made it to the SB. PHO also made it to the WCF because of a seeding anomaly the first year of 3 divisions per conference that matched the top 2 teams in the West in the second round. That glitch has been fixed.

[ploto]

Um, older? I believe Jackie Butler and Francisco Elson are younger than Rasho and Nazr, and Vaughn is younger than Van Exel.
Elson is older than both Rasho and Nazr.

[ploto]

Eh, but I do agree that Elson runs the floor very well for a big.
better than any big in the league??

[Nashfan]

Zunni,

If the Spurs were that good last year they would have beat the Mavericks, regardless of the seeding. Also the Suns were second in defense last year until Kurt Thomas went down. We were only able to play seven players in the playoffs last year due to injury, so they did not do too bad for all the injuries sustained last year. I don't think that the Suns are a gimmick type basketball team. We play the best five players and space the floor well. With Amare eventually playing better and better we will have an inside threat also. So don't go counting us out quite yet.

Ploto seems to have a grasp of the game of basketball also. He is not so blinded by what the Spurs have done in the past to not see the problems they have also. The Suns are not a perfect team by no means but we are still contenders in the West.

Elbamba,

Has Parker prevented Nash from scoring? Did not think so. Also Sacramento was not a better team than the Lakers last year. Their record was very similar. The Clippers seemed to give the Spurs trouble last year if I remember correctly so they were not the pushover team of the past. So your argument does not hold water to me. If you are the best you beat the best and you could not beat the Mavericks either. So don't go blowing your horn quite yet. This season will tell how well each team did in the offseason with new players added and how well they fit it. Just don't count the Suns out like some on here do. We are not as bad as some think.

[1Parker1]

:lmao Steven A Smith just said that if Amare is healthy, guaranteed Suns will not only win the championship this season...but they'll win 2 within the next 5 or so years.

[LilMissSPURfect]

If the Suns hadn't been so beaten down, they could have knocked out Dallas in the WC Finals.

IF...

IF...

IF.....

IF those predictions held true there wouldn't be any entertainment value to ESPN :spin :toast :greedy

[LilMissSPURfect]

:lmao Steven A Smith just said that if Amare is healthy, guaranteed Suns will not only win the championship this season...but they'll win 2 within the next 5 or so years.

has to be the even numbered years...WE got dibbs on the ODD ones!

[YoMamaIsCallin]

:lmao Steven A Smith just said that if Amare is healthy, guaranteed Suns will not only win the championship this season...but they'll win 2 within the next 5 or so years.

SAS doesn't know shit about shit. But he doesn't know that. He thinks he has some special connection to the "ballas". He will ALWAYS overrate a black urban player's capabilities and contributions, and ALWAYS underrate a white player or a non-urban black player or, especially, a non-American player. He is, to put it simply, biased, to the point where he has a big chip on his shoulder about it. He's also annoying, but that could be forgiven if he actually had something intelligent to contribute.

In this particular instance Amare is a perfect storm for SAS. Amare is a prototype of the kind of player SAS gets a hard-on for... comes from the hood, doesn't care about an all-around game, doesn't care about making his teammates better, over-inflated ego, self-centered, athletic, very stat-oriented, thinks he's doing great if he puts up a lot of points even if his team loses. Amare actually thinks that the Spurs couldn't stop him in the 2005 playoffs. He still doesn't get that the Spurs defensive scheme was designed to make the Suns make him the main offensive focus.

It makes me hope that Amare does come back and be the same player he was (although I am 90% sure that will not even come close to happening), because then I could watch SAS be humbled and ridiculed once again for his invalid prognostications.

[Jimcs50]

OMG, stop already. 7000 fans? Wow, that's an accurate assessment. Besides, these are probably fans that tune in right around May and have no clue as to what goes on during the season except for the occasional news like when Kobe drops 81 or when Artest charges into the stands. These are the same lame fans who vote for injured stars and guys who haven't played much during the season when it comes time for All-Star voting. :rolleyes

[Jimcs50]

OMG, stop already. 7000 fans? Wow, that's an accurate assessment. Besides, these are probably fans that tune in right around May and have no clue as to what goes on during the season except for the occasional news like when Kobe drops 81 or when Artest charges into the stands. These are the same lame fans who vote for injured stars and guys who haven't played much during the season when it comes time for All-Star voting. :rolleyes


What, you can not stand to have anyone picking someone other than your Spurs? Damn, grow up.