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I know this is sick & twisted, but, I need an injury there. & soon.
Phoenix forecast warming by the day
By Peter May
In more than a few NBA locales – we all know who they are – a 46-win season would be a cause for jubilation. In Phoenix, all that 46 wins brought last season was a lot of chaos, confusion, dissension, reflection, a coaching change and the first visit to the lottery in half a decade.
“An aberration,’’ in the words of Phoenix Suns general manager Steve Kerr.
“ A lot of soul searching,’’ said Grant Hill.
Only two teams – the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks – have had better records over the last five years than the Suns. But even in a 46-win season (which would have placed the Suns fifth in the East) there were signs, subtle and overt, that the run might be coming to an end.
Shaquille O’Neal, at first a welcome addition but gradually proven to be the proverbial 375-pound elephant in the room, was traded for two players whose contracts were bought out. There was talk of fiscal restraint. The halcyon days under Mike D’Antoni seemed like a distant era. Few talked of the Suns as a threat out West anymore.
None of this was lost on two thirty-something Suns, Hill and two-time Most Valuable Player Steve Nash, who came to big decisions last summer. In separate statements that spoke volumes about what is going in Phoenix – and what might be going on down the road in Phoenix – they each committed to their team.
“You can look at it two ways,’’ Nash said. “[Last season] could have been a reason to jump ship – or a reason to stay and fight. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to stick around and fight, to keep building on what we worked on, and try to get a nice team back on the floor for our city and make it enjoyable again.”
Nash, who had a year left on his contract, agreed to a two-year extension last summer, thus taking his name out of the promising 2010 free agent market. He’ll be 36 in February and 38 when the contract expires.
Kerr thinks Nash is still one of the top five point guards in the league and will be good for a year or two beyond even 2012, comparing Nash to John Stockton in terms of durability and commitment to health, diet and exercise. (Stockton played 82 games in his final NBA season, 2002-03, during which he turned 41. A couple years later, Danny Ainge called Stockton to see if he was interested in joining the Boston Celtics. Nash’s agent, meanwhile, said his client has talked about playing overseas when his NBA days are over).
Hill, entering free agency and turning 37 in training camp, was nonetheless a very attractive free agent to a number of teams. The New York Knicks made an offer. (Talk about your basic downgrade.) The Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat were interested. The Celtics, with Hill’s Orlando neighbor, Doc Rivers, leading the charge, wanted him as well, and could legitimately offer Hill a shot at a championship ring.
“I consider Doc to be a friend,’’ Hill said. “Certainly it was tempting. I talked to Ray [Allen]. I talked to Kevin [Garnett]. They’ve got a great bunch of guys who I’ve known for a long, long time. There was nothing bad about the situation there, but I like the situation where I’m at. I can’t put it any more simpler than that.
“This is my team. These are my teammates,’’ said Hill, who signed a two-year deal. “We went through a lot last year, a coaching change, season-ending injuries, not meeting expectations and just a lot of soul searching as a unit that I think brought us closer together and bonded us. I feel we were better than what we showed last season so that played a big part in my decision, sort of unfinished business. I enjoy my teammates, and being able to enjoy coming to work every day, especially for someone who has been hurt so much, is important to me.”
What does it say about the situation in the Valley of the Sun that the two eminence grises did what they did? (OK, other than they had to get rid of Shaq for it to happen.) Phoenix has always been a preferred NBA destination because of its climate, but, as Hill noted, “you can really live anywhere. And there’s nothing wrong with New York, Boston, Miami or Denver. Those are pretty good cities, too.”
What it says, Kerr believes, is that once the necessary changes were made, there was a general feeling that last season was not the beginning of the end.
“I think it says a lot about the organization, about [coach] Alvin Gentry, about the great situation we have always had in Phoenix,’’ Kerr said. “It says last year was an aberration. It says last year wasn’t such a disaster that everyone wanted to bail out. It was more, ‘hey that was a lousy season, let’s turn it around next year.’ And both of the guys [Hill and Nash] jumped on board.”
So far, the results have been nothing short of spectacular. Confronted with a brutal opening stretch (15 of their first 22 are on the road), the Suns took care of the Wizards on Sunday afternoon to improve to 6-1, matching the best seven-game start in franchise history. On a thus-far 3-1 Eastern swing, which concludes Monday night in Philadelphia, the Suns have knocked Miami and the Celtics from the ranks of the undefeated.
There has been the surprising contribution from newcomer Channing Frye, who leads the team with 20 3-pointers. Amar’e Stoudemire, rumored to be on the move when he’s not on the mend, is putting up nifty numbers. (His potential free agency is the next big move for the Suns.) Gentry has opened things up offensively and the Suns have scored at least 100 points in all seven games, including a stunning 110 against the defensively gifted Celtics, who have not allowed a team to score as many as 91 points in any other game.
Hill is healthy; he went wire-to-wire last season for just the second time in his career and first in an 82-game season. He hasn’t missed a game this season and already has posted four double-doubles, one less than he had all last season. He’s averaging 13.6 points and 8.7 rebounds a game.
Nash, meanwhile, has been, “phenomenal,” in the words of Kerr. He had 17 assists against the Wizards and is averaging 19.4 points and 11.9 assists a game. He appears to be enjoying himself on the floor again.
“First and foremost, I really like my teammates and my coaches,’’ Nash said. “And I wanted to continue to play together and work on what we started, which, for me, was five years ago. By the end of the year, if we have a great at ude and spirit, who knows how good we can be?”
It’s nowhere near the end of the year, but right now, the Suns have the at ude and spirit, not to mention the talent, to be pretty good. If they keep it up, that 46-win eyesore of a year ago will indeed be long forgotten.
I know this is sick & twisted, but, I need an injury there. & soon.
I can't even bring myself to listen.
Thursday on TNT; we'll see if the Sun is shining in Phoenix or LA.
I didn't expect the Suns to get this kind of attention from the national media so early in the season. I hope it doesn't go to their heads. This is a scrappy underdog team, and they need to keep playing like it.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/bal...urn=nba,201141
'll be the first to admit I wasn't all that excited for the Suns '09/10 campaign; not because I didn't think they could win a lot of games or make some noise in the West, but because of the sheer up-and-down drama of the past five years that saturated every game, every practice, every play. I was done. I had had enough. Mind you, I've been a die-hard for a couple decades now, and this was the first start to a season where seemingly all the passion and enthusiasm was missing.
Now, I won't go into a brief history of the 2004-2009 Suns. You know the story. They brought a unique and fun aspect to the NBA again and then, essentially, recanted their beliefs and successes and brought in Shaquille O'Neal(notes). Obviously, it didn't turn out like Suns fans (or NBA fans) wanted it to. The organization and fans moved on, shed some salary, re-signed a couple of thirty-somethings and went back to Mike D'Antoni-like basketball.
And it's working.
I'm not going to sit here and say that I predicted the Suns to start 6-1. Or that they would go into Miami and win. And then Boston. And then Washington. In fact, I remember looking at the schedule, seeing this brutal five-games-in-seven-nights road trip to start the season, then quickly curling up in the fetal position and crying for a good two hours.
I'm as surprised as all of you are.
But, the exciting and encouraging thing isn't that the Suns went back to the run-and-gun (they really aren't close to what they were in 2004-2007), it's that they are playing hard, gritty, tough basketball. Descriptors like that certainly haven't been used to describe the Suns in the past five years, even with Shaq. They've had the "soft" label, and rightfully so. This season, however, they've shown glimpses of hustle and for ude that should encourage any Suns fan. The way Jared Dudley(notes) brings intensity and intangibles, the way Goran Dragic's(notes) confidence has soared, the way Channing Flipping Frye is shooting the ball, the energy that Lou Amundson brings; all while being undersized and under appreciated.
I've been hard on Amar'e Stoudemire(notes) in the past, but I've been incredibly impressed with his play thus far as he is already making a strong case to get a max deal. He still has a way to go in terms of getting his explosiveness back, but he's (finally) making a conscious effort on the defensive end and playing smart basketball. He isn't close to where he could be defensively, but his awareness has undeniably increased. It matters not what his motivation for this is (money, wins, recognition, etc.), just that it's happening; quite simply, he's becoming a bona fide leader for the Suns. The television has even picked up some of what he says on the defensive end of the floor, which signifies that he's actually communicating with teammates on defense — a fantastic sign. Granted, I've heard him yell "Rebound!" several times to other teammates as he's standing in the lane somewhat aimlessly ... but at this point I'll take anything.
However, as always, the success of this team will ride on Steve Nash's(notes) shoulders — and he's fine with that. There is still a lot of talk about his age and how he's lost a step, but the way he keeps himself conditioned doesn't fit the mold of a typical 35-year-old. Sure, he's played a lot of minutes and a lot of games in the NBA, but he continues to display an innate ability to dominate and take over games at a moment's notice. He's averaging 18 points and 12 assists per game this season on 51% FG shooting and 51.5% 3PT FG shooting. Those numbers best any season he's had in a Suns uniform.
Perhaps what's most appealing is how hard this team is playing — something that was missing last year. Alvin Gentry has instilled a belief in this team that if they are going to win, they're going to need to play their butts off — and it's showing. There is a clear effort to box out opponents on a consistent basis, gang-rebound and help out on the weak side. Don't look now, but the Suns are right in the middle of the pack defensively; opposing team's offensive rebounds have declined, teams aren't shooting as high a percentage as they have against the Suns in the past, and Phoenix is actually 10th in the league in average rebounds per game. These principles may seem elementary to some, perhaps not warranting even being written about, but they're unquestionably what has doomed the Suns in previous years.
Yes, I know how early in the season it is. I know how quickly things can go wrong. I know that health will be a question mark as the season progresses. But, my goodness, one can't help but be impressed with not only their six wins thus far, but how they've got them.
The Suns are for real.
Maybe in the regular season.The Suns are for real.
NBA.COM Power Rankings
Suns #1
Phoenix 6-1 Pace: 100.6 (2), Off: 109.1 (5), Def: 103.8 (15)
Most impressive about the Suns' start is that five of their seven games have been on the road. In handing the Celtics their first loss on Friday, they made Boston look like a bad defensive team. Then the Suns got defensive themselves in Washington.
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/powerra...ek2/index.html
Phoenix Suns: Week of November 9-15th Power Ranking Champs.
Break out the funny hats and champagne, es!
I hope the Suns won't get too warm.
Because I really don't want to smell Amare's burn ass hair from Canada.
Side note, the Suns are probably going to lose tonight. Tired legs at the end of a road trip, 2nd of a back-to-back, and the 76ers are young and athletic.
Those two clowns never acted like they left in the first place.
There's reasons for short-term hope. Chemistry is is at a high level and with all the parts of the team now on the same page offensively, the ability to maximize their offensive potential is being reached. The Boston win shocked the out of me. How does a team with the size of Boston fail to out-rebound a team like Phoenix? Amare has looked more assertive on the boards. That's great to see. Everybody seems content for now. Gentry may not be the hands-off genius that D'Antoni was, but he's maximizing the bench and attempting to keep minutes down.
That said, nobody big on this team has the track record of being a good rebounder or on-ball defender. It's been great to see thus far, but it goes against logic to expect such to keep on at such a high level for much longer. I still don't expect the starting tandem of Amare/Channing to average even 15 rebounds twixt the pair. While Hill and Richardson are solid for their position, truth is if you're dependent upon your SF and SG to help carry your rebounding, you're really in trouble.
In preseason I said I expected this Suns team to compete from 47-to-51 wins, and I stand by that. This start speaks to their ability to beat who they should, home or road. They are 1-1 against teams considered better than them. I'd be shocked if they maintain that .500 win percentage vs. the Lakers, Spurs, Mavericks, Nuggets, Celtics, Cavs and Magic. If they play 30 games vs. these teams, I expect a 12-18 record max.
Frye, for all his faults, is a player I wish the Suns had under D'Antoni. I desperately wanted the Suns to trade up in the 2005 draft for Frye for the reasons he's showing now. He was never going to be the answer to the Suns needs, but his offensive game is the ideal for Nash/Amare pic-n-roll.
Fuuuuck, the 76ers are going to kill us tonight. Our offense is non-existant.
I'm watching that game...7 minutes without a bucket?
Seems like the Suns woke up, read the Power Rankings and forgot to come and play
Nash needs to step the up.
Channing Frye is garbage on the road.
So does everyone besides J-Rich. This game did have let-down game written all over it.
No-D-Steve and Amare need to quit having these games where they combine for 10+ turnovers.
That's been a scary trend this season. Nash and Stoudemire are both in the Top 10 for TO's per game this season.
Thursday man, can't wait.
I can. The Suns have to take care of Philly right now, and then New Orleans on Wednesday before they take the court in LA.
So I turn on the game ( I haven't seen the suns this year) thinking I will have to check them out and see if they have improved that much and what has changed...
... the very first play I see is Iggy throw the entry pass to the high post, cut to the basket around Amare, hammer home the missed high post shot, and Amare behind him with that beffudled look of "how did that happen?"
Nothing has changed!
It's true, the Suns are not playing any D this game. The Sixers are getting whatever they want.
Jrue Holliday must have come into this game thinking, "O wow, I play Steve Nash tonight, I can have a coming out party tonight!!!."
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