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Finley deal could prevent rump roast
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 19, 2005 12:00 AM
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...ckley0819.html
A guarantee from the Suns:
If the basketball doesn't make you dizzy, the off-season will. The only stable jobs belong to the Gorilla and the guy that makes locker room nameplates.
It would be nice if the latter could get to work on F-I-N-L-E-Y.
"Either way, I like the team we have," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We have a good chance to be as good or better as we were last year. You can hold me to that and fry my butt if we don't."
Deal.
Certainly, each of the primary additions in this tumultuous summer - Kurt Thomas, Raja Bell and Brian Grant - has filled an existing weakness.
All are high-character guys that work hard and play defense. Yet none of them can fill the hole in the boat when the Joe Johnson trade is finally consummated.
This is why the pursuit of Michael Finley is so important.
Not so much as a basketball player, because at age 32, his skills are clearly starting to slip.
This is more about symbolism, restoring hope and forgetting what has been lost along the way.
If Finley agrees to play for the Suns, it will be for the minimum salary, more playing time and the chance to be with a close friend, Steve Nash.
It will be for all the right reasons, and after the Johnson fiasco, he would come to Phoenix as a returning hero.
He would be painted as the perfect short-term subs ute, an ideal contrast to the greedy Johnson. His constant smile would instantly wash away any lingering doubt. The owner and the P.R. department have their fingers crossed.
"I think our management has done a really good job of dancing around some of these landmines, of reacting to some of the things that have come up in the off-season," D'Antoni said.
If it sounds like the coach is kissing some superior posterior, he is.
The entire organization is becoming as defensive off the court as they are on the court. The constant spin is galling.
What, do we just forget that there are four players left from a team that went 31-4 to start last season? Just brush off a team that was a broken orbital bone away from winning a le, a young group so exciting that it became the symbol for the new NBA?
Yet the new and older Suns will be as rugged as a flannel shirt. Opponents will no longer cruise untouched to the basket. They have raised their standard of defense and toughness to a level typically seen among NBA champions.
It won't be as fun to watch, but if Finley comes aboard, they might have enough offense to make it work the conventional way.
"We still have our three All-Stars," D'Antoni said. "We still have Amaré (Stoudemire) running the floor, Shawn Marion on the wing and Steve Nash pushing the ball. Those are the things that people have a hard time dealing with."
Still, if the lack of offense and general credibility weren't an issue, the Suns wouldn't be posting a page on their Web site asking fans to write Finley:
"Pour your heart out. Beg if you have to. All of your e-mails will be printed out and delivered to Michael's agent."
Something like this should work wonders:
In Miami, you would be just another guard in glam-town. In Phoenix, you'd be the guardian angel, floating in and making everything OK.
And remember, when the legs start to go, it's nice to have some wings.
).
are these necessary things to do for teams trying to lure players to your teams?
