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 le contender in the past five seasons.
However, Nash also understands it will be a work in progress. But without talks of winning a le, 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 at ude 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 at ude 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 compe ive 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.”
[You can't have an at ude that worries about a championship.]
Must be nice, but, then what's the point?
[“You look at San Antonio, (coach Gregg) Popovich has that stupid quote about hitting the stone]
Looks like Mavs took that stone and beat Pop a good one.
tee, hee.
I doubt the Spurs are worried about the Mavericks. I doubt anyone is worried about the Mavericks.
Amare Loses 13 Pounds In Nine Days
Amaré Stoudemire played his first game since February and flashed his full-throttle self when he filled lanes for transition slams on successive third-quarter plays.
Stoudemire said he has lost 13 pounds in the past nine days, going from 264 to 251 and trimming his body fat percentage from 9.4 to 7.
"That was a long time coming," he said. "I never had doubts, but when I had the eye surgery, I was a long way off from playing basketball. There was a little 'worry-ation' there and a little fear. I don't fear too much at all. Finally being back out on the court and around my teammates, I feel phenomenal."
"Worry-ation", huh?
"Stoudemire said he has lost 13 pounds in the past nine days, going from 264 to 251 and trimming his body fat percentage from 9.4 to 7."
I got that mofo beat:
251...check
NBA Champion...check
3,000 posts...check
9.4 body fat % to 7...probably check
I'll settle for tolerable to watch this season. The shaq/porter gamble cost them dearly.
But, all horse aside, the only reason they didn't tear it down this past off season was so OKC didn't get a Lottery pick in broad daylight. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not the answer.
13 pounds in 9 days does not sound healthy. STAT's probably hooked on pep pills and headed for a Jessie Spano style breakdown.
I remember I listened to Porter speak to Rome on the radio a couple of days after he was hired and I wasn't too impressed or confident. I guess I was proven right.
Channing Frye will be the new Shaq/Paul Shirley humorous online personality. I don't know if Lou A. even owns a computer.
I'm so scared!
Really? You can't? I wonder what Jordan's mentality was.
Jordan didn't worry about winning a championship. He just did it.
And if he didn't, then he was going to insult you into oblivion.
Not really. The run and suck Suns were done well before the Shaq trade.
I'm 99.99% sure Michael Jordan wouldn't be caught dead saying, "You can't have a mentality that worries about championships."
He would simply stare at you and tell you to off for asking the question.
As a fan, I'm feel free now to watch the games since expectations are lowered. It's where amazing peace happens.
Because in his mind, you play to win, so asking whether or not he wants to win is a stupid question.
I'm not going to argue about MJ's personality. It's a simple question: Did MJ have the same "championships don't matter" mentality Steve Nash has? Yes or no.
Yep, the moment Horry put Nash into the cheap seats the dream died.
Exactly.
The window shut completely when KG was traded to Boston. Phoenix getting KG would have been the one move that off season that gave the Suns another shot.
But, you still didn't have a Pierce or Allen to carry KG's water.
& was that Marion OR Amare for KG? I don't recall this morning.
Either Marion OR Amare for KG would have been beneficial. I know we wouldn't have Pierce or Allen, but KG's defensive and winning at ude would rub off on Nash (at the time, the two were extremely close friends), he'd unify the locker room, and he'd push everyone on defense when D'antoni didn't feel like it.
It wouldn't have been a big shot by any stretch of the imagination, but they would have had a chance.
Well, I know that Nash previously stated that winning championships won't define his career. But in this case, he's saying that worrying about winning championships is counterproductive and I can agree with that.
Nash should keep those thoughts to himself. Then he's the only person impacted....to a point.
He's being paid an 8 figure salary to do everything he can to help the team he plays for win, he's not being paid 10+ million to "not worry about winning a championship." If the Suns aren't paying him to help make the Suns a better team and increase their chances at contending, what the are they paying him to do?
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