The 9.756097561% Report

by Mike Lisboa on Nov 10, 2009 3:55 PM MST in Commentary Comment 42 comments

(Photo by Max Simbron)

With the season now just under 10% of the way complete (stupid 82 getting in the way of my round numbers!), I figured it's as good a time as any for a little progress report. In a nutshell, I think it's pretty safe to say, "Progress has been made."

Coach Gentry has set the 25 game mark as a his point for when he'll know what he's really got with this squad and I think that's a pretty level-headed decision on his part. However, I'll be checking in every 8 games with and odd fraction in the title to let you know what I think of the team.

Now, please raise your hand if you thought the Suns were going to be 7-1 at this point in the season? You may notice my hand is down along with everyone praying to a portrait of Cotton Fitzsimmons above their mantle. This team exceeding expectations so far. But let's not get too crazy. Here's some fun fact bullet points to get you pumped/un-pumped as you see fit.

The Suns are 5-1 on the road so far! That's great! I thought this was totally awesome until I realized they haven't done that since... last season. Yup, last season's epic fail started off with the Suns winning 5 of their first 6 on the road before going 13-22 the rest of the way.
That said, I wrote back when the schedule came out that if the Suns were at or above .500 after Thursday night's game with the Lakers they should get a parade and an automatic playoff berth. Well, mission accomplished, regardless of how they do in that back-to-back.
At no point this season has any observer thought to themselves, "You know, the Suns could sure use Shaquille O'Neal right about now."
Brother, can you spare a dime? Steve Nash has a mind-boggling 103 assists over 8 games. 2 20-assist games will do that for ya. He also has a league-leading 37 turnovers, but that assist-to-turnover ratio ain't too shabby.
Between assists and scoring himself, Steve Nash has accounted for at least 352 of the Suns' 887 points. That's almost 40% of their offense. And that's assuming all those assists went for 2 instead of 3. Amazing.
The Suns are one Steve Nash injury away from the longest season in NBA history.
It's always somebody: In his first 3 games, Jason Richardson went 6-16 from 3-point range while Channing Frye when 16-20. In the last 3 games, Channing Frye has gone 7-21 from 3-point range while J-Rich has shot 16-22. Darwin likes offensive diversity.
Brother, can you spare some charity? Steve Nash cannot. He's carrying the Suns with his .926 free throw shooting percentage. Despite that, the Suns are shooting less than 70% on gimmes. And winning.
He still spooks under pressure defense, but Goran Dragic has been giving the Suns a not-embarrassing 14 minutes per game. I'd like to see him initiating more of the offense (use them hops, young man!), but I'll take it. How you feeling about your bet, Dog of Watt?
Speaking of Goran, how about that bench? With at least 4 players cracking the 14-minute mark, that's a lot of rest for our starters.
Except Amar'e. 36.9 minutes a game. Pretty good for a guy who wasn't allowed to move athletically until pretty much training camp.
Also, about Amar'e. I don't think we've even begun to see him yet this season. That 25 game mark Alvin was talking about? As smart as he's been playing, he could be downright scary by then.
Jared Dudley. Jared Freaking Dudley. If Barbosa provides a spark off the bench then Dudley provides the fire. He's like Dan Majerle before Dan Majerle discovered the 3-ball.
Which reminds me: Hustle Dan and 3-Ball Dan were never on the court at the same time. Let's hope the same doesn't hold true for 3-Ball Jared and Hustle Jared.
Again with the 25 game thing. That 25th game? San Antonio. In Phoenix. On 2 days rest. No excuses.
It totally sucks to be Robin Lopez right now. The team is deep and rolling without him. How exactly does Gentry work him into the line-up?
8 games in and the Suns and their opponents are both averaging exactly 41.8 rebounds a game. Whodathunk?
The Suns have yet to play a top 10 team from the Western Conference. There's a lot left to prove.
Best. Record. In. The. NBA. Enjoy it while you can.

So overall the Suns are doing what they're supposed to be doing: beating the teams they should beat and one or two that pose a bigger challenge. With their next two games on national television, they have an opportunity to make a big statement or alternately, get exposed as paper tigers. Here's to hoping they have a couple of big roars in them.

2 recs | Comment 42 comments | Add comment | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Nice summary! Some levity in this post. So long as there are no major injuries, this should at least be a very enjoyable season.

by jburning on Nov 10, 2009 4:07 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

The bet...

Look, I’m very happy to see Dragic producing and giving Nash some rest. My worry, what happens when teams start game planning specifically for when he’s in the game? He still struggles when the defense gets in his shorts and seeing as that is the time of the game when the Suns are most vulnerable I would suspect teams would start throwing their best defenders/traps/the kitchen sink at him when he’s running the show and try to force the Suns to decide whether to put Nash in, run LB at the point or struggle. As of right now, I’m feeling I’ll lose the bet (which is a good thing) but remember, there’s a reason we specifically set the bet for the end of the season and not the beginning.

All that being said, it sure is fun to be a Suns fan again! If Amare can keep up his defensive intensity as he improves the Suns are going to be a team nobody wants to face. I’m looking forward to see how Amare plays against the Lakers and Spurs…for now, I’ll enjoy watching the best team in the NBA.

by watdogg10 on Nov 10, 2009 4:08 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Which reminds me...

Two things I’d like to see Goran working on in practice: 1) bringing the ball up under pressure from Barbosa or J-Rich, 2) pick and roll with Amar’e. They seem to be leaving Amar’e in with the 2nd line as a go-to offensive weapon. If that’s going to be the case, then these two should get on the same page so the 2nd line has some bread and butter to go to each time down the court.

by Mike Lisboa on Nov 10, 2009 4:53 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

It's hard

b/c in practice they generally split the starters and reserves so Dragic doesn’t get a lot of court time w/ Amare but of course there’s no reason they can’t switch that up from time to time.

I will tell Coach Gentry to right on that (just before getting tossed out on my ass)

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Phoenix Stan on Nov 10, 2009 5:07 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks!

Way to take one for the team. I’m sure Coach will figure something out. He’s had a pretty keen eye for rotations so far this season. Don’t see why that should suddenly stop.

Twitter: Mike Lisboa

by Mike Lisboa on Nov 10, 2009 8:08 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Agree and Disagree

Agree that there is “alot left to prove” as you say.

But I wouldn’t be afraid to express even a little more optimism. I’ve always felt that the first 7-10 games of the season say alot about a team. Assuming that team is not racked by injuries or missing any key starters you should get a pretty good idea what a team is about after 7 or 8 games.

That being said, it is true that we haven’t faced top flight competition from the Western Conference. It really pisses me off that the NBA has screwed the Suns big time with the scheduling of the Lakers two consecutive times to start the season on the 2nd night of a back to back, while the Lakers go into that same contest very rested. Quite unfair. I hope it doesn’t cost the Suns the game on Thurs., but it is more than the time to rest that matters here — it is also the extra prep and practice time that Phil Jackson and his staff get for the game. This reeks of NBA favoritism towards the Lakers. I talk about this more in my post on Thursday’s game (See “Suns vs. Lakers 11/12: What I see”)…

In any case, if this team is lucky enough to stay relatively healthy and they continue to improve on defense and the bench continues to play well, I don’t see any reason they couldn’t beat the damn Lakers. Let’s not bow down to them! Attack them at their soft, white underbelly and drive our knives into their guts! Watch them squirm and die like animals in the desert sun! Graphic, I know. I wanted to portray my hate for the Hollywood Glamor Boys.

by Jack Frost on Nov 10, 2009 4:41 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Due to the rest issues

In order for us to have a good chance against LA, Goran Dragic needs to have a career game (with 23+ mins) against the Bobcats the night before, so Nash is well rested.

Similarly with Dudley, so Hill can keep some legs.

by Chucko on Nov 10, 2009 4:45 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

That would be sweet

but tomorrow we play the Hornets not the Bobcats :)

They say "don't swim with the sharks", but I'm faster than sharks so it's not a big deal...

by Eutychus on Nov 10, 2009 4:53 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

honestly...

i’d rather be playing the hornets than the bobcats.

the bobcats are gelling so far this season, and the hornets, when chris paul doesn’t go off for 30+ points and 15 assists, fail miserably.

the fact that the hornets are 3-5 is incredible to me. they should be 2-6, at best.

Headlights, deer, and the Suns this season, the Golan Heights from Slovenia, in their own time, affecting half of the court seized Dragic is expected to come a point guard. We will be displayed.

by iamtrevorpaxton on Nov 10, 2009 10:11 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree that we've been playing well

But we’re not really playing THAT well. The only good teams we’ve beaten so far are Miami and Boston. Everybody else has been cupcakes. Our offensive efficiency rating is hampered by our TOs, and Amare’s rebounding percentage is still low, as is his net PER production. I think everyone’s efficiency will go down a little as the season goes on.

Until we consistently beat playoff teams, I’m not going to get too excited, but I am very happy that we are 7-1

Steve Nash, the league's MVP, is a longhaired Canadian who spoke out against the war in Iraq and reads The Communist Manifesto. Quentin Richardson declared after a game-winning shot that it "was like Hamlet. It was a suspense thriller, and I killed them at the end." Amare Stoudemire, when asked to comment on a 22-point third quarter against the Kings, said, "I've got a tendency to jump over some guys' heads and throw it down."

by rsavaj on Nov 10, 2009 4:55 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Just some statistics that I think are interesting

We’re fourth in offensive efficiency. Over the past 5 years, we’ve generally been the runaway leader in that statistic.

We’re NINETEENTH in defensive efficiency. It feels like we’ve “improved” this season because last season we were in the twenties, but under D’Antoni(with Raja/Marion/KT), we were always around 15-17, and up until January 06(with everyone healthy), we were actually FIFTH that season. Then Kurt Thomas went out.

We have a long way to go and I hope we keep up the good work. I love seeing the team play with heart, but the real test will come when we match up against the other contenders. Boston, to me, was an aberration, because our offense was just INSANE that game. Unless we can consistently beat other playoff teams, then we’re in the same boat as we were for the past few years: rack up regular season wins against the poorer teams in the NBA, and then struggle against the elites.

by rsavaj on Nov 10, 2009 5:02 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Actually very good points here.... rsavaj

The shooting in the Boston game was unbelievable, and you are right that we would not get that kind of a shooting performance on most nights against top flight teams. Nonetheless, the Suns deserve credit for not folding in a tough building and answering back every time Boston made a run.

You also made a very good point about the difference between the regular season in the playoffs. I think this has been the main issue in the past. The playoffs is a slower game , and these good defensive teams like the Spurs just won’t let the Suns run up and down the court etc.. Maybe all the reps with Shaq and the alternate style of play under Porter will help this team down the road’ i.e. in their ability to play multiple styles.

Ultimately, the biggest question for me is can this team improve to the level of being a championship level defensive team? They don’t have to do it as individual’s, but can they play excellent team defense?

by Jack Frost on Nov 10, 2009 5:37 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

And this is why the Suns aren't a contender

these same deficiencies still exist BUT at least the team is playing hard and making up for size disadvantage on the glass with effort.

All you can ask for is that they live up to their potential. That’s all you can ask from from the team anyway. It’s up to the owner and GM to put more potential on the roster but that’s another matter…

I am sure the Suns are also going to say that they have a lot of room for improvement as most teams do and Robin might might be able to come in and help defensively.

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Phoenix Stan on Nov 10, 2009 6:03 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know why

But I’m really quite excited about what Robin Lopez can do. He was a mediocre rebounder in college, but I think his general length will help us protect the basket and cover the pick and roll….I hope.

by rsavaj on Nov 10, 2009 7:30 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

also, this is after eight games on the season.

i would bet that golden state is first in offensive efficiency. they had those two ridiculous blowouts, and with so little games to average those games out with, yeah…they’re going to look ridiculous.

the other teams will come back down to earth, and i think the suns will lead in offensive efficiency again. we’re playing a more complete game this year (with obvious flaws, but somehow we’ve managed to smooth those over, for the time being), and the best part is…we’re being consistent. minus that horrendous loss to the magic, we’ve been playing a pretty well rounded game, night in and night out.

Headlights, deer, and the Suns this season, the Golan Heights from Slovenia, in their own time, affecting half of the court seized Dragic is expected to come a point guard. We will be displayed.

by iamtrevorpaxton on Nov 10, 2009 10:17 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Coro on our defense

“* It’s hard to tell that the defense has been something to praise from the stats. Opponent shooting (47.5 percent) is still in the bottom 10 (23rd). On basketball-reference.com, the defensive efficiency ranks 21st. Those figures were in the top half of the NBA in the Mike D’Antoni years that were blasted. The difference has been the ability to get stops when it matters, something those old Suns teams frequently could not do. In the past four wins, the Suns have given up 20.8 points per fourth quarter. In their seven wins, opponents are shooting 40.3 percent in the fourth quarter. That includes Philadelphia’s 11-for-21 performance in the fourth Monday that really does show how the Suns got five consecutive misses from the 76ers to seal the win. It was enough to make up for a first half in which the 76ers seemingly got penetration anytime they wanted.”

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/67274

by rsavaj on Nov 11, 2009 12:30 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Stan

Is there a way we can do a first team vs second team rating. I am sure our 1st team offense is way up there as compared to our bench, but what is our benches defensive rating. Imagine what our overall ranking would be without them. In almost every game they have at least held their own on the +/- or even cut into it. That’s is not because of their offensive prowess, but because of great defense. The Dudley and Amndson contributions are obvious, but Dragic and Clarke seem to bring alot as well. Clarke looks lost alot on offense, but seems to have some good intincts on defense. Getting his hands and overall length in the way of people and balls. Dragic is sort of the same way. He does get burned but has quick hands and long arms.

by Suns Fan For Life on Nov 11, 2009 5:01 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

82games.com

has the best stats for this…not sure if I have the time to put together a decent in depth post on this though

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Phoenix Stan on Nov 11, 2009 5:08 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

NBA's "By The Numbers" article on us

http://my.nba.com/cms/2009/11/10/suns_by_the_numbers

by rsavaj on Nov 10, 2009 5:13 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

speaking of numbers

looking at 82games.com I noticed that Amare’s on court / off court is horrible. The team is +1.7 with him on and +15.6 with him off. That’s a net -14.1

Nash on the other hand is +24 on and +17 off for a net +7

If I had more time I might write an entire post on this and in the end conclude that stats can be dumb since clearly Amare is playing well and the Suns are a better team with him on the floor then not…

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Phoenix Stan on Nov 10, 2009 6:11 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Silver Screen and Roll has your back!

Great intro to what looks like a multi-piece article on how even advanced stats are unkind to Kobe Bryant.

http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2009/11/10/1124047/why-do-advanced-statistics-hate

by Mike Lisboa on Nov 10, 2009 6:41 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

ooh, good article.

Headlights, deer, and the Suns this season, the Golan Heights from Slovenia, in their own time, affecting half of the court seized Dragic is expected to come a point guard. We will be displayed.

by iamtrevorpaxton on Nov 10, 2009 10:24 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

i hate +/- comparisons.

Headlights, deer, and the Suns this season, the Golan Heights from Slovenia, in their own time, affecting half of the court seized Dragic is expected to come a point guard. We will be displayed.

by iamtrevorpaxton on Nov 10, 2009 10:13 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Advanced stats take a lot of fun out of the game.

by jburning on Nov 10, 2009 6:42 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

+1

I’m a stat geek too. However, I realized that no amount of paper and calculations of +/- , ratios, or any other produced numbers can give you what watching the team can give you. I feel like this team is different from yearst past. As Stan said before. Their is something about them.

TO THE NBA - " Yeah, you have created a rift within me ; Now there have been ; several complications ; that have left me feeling nothing ; I might say, you were ; wrong to take it from me ; Left me feeling nothing " - Disturbed, "Numb"

by antiw0rm on Nov 10, 2009 7:14 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

If it could

provide an accurate prediction on any given game… Well why wouldn’t we all be in Vegas right now? I’ll answer my own question. Because the betting floors wouldnt exist.

by antiw0rm on Nov 10, 2009 8:14 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

The Suns are one Steve Nash injury away from the longest season in NBA history.

Yes. I said this going into the season and continue to say it. This team can play. That’s not the issue. The issue is an 82 game season and the fact our best player is 36 years old. Now, Nash keeps himself in optimal condition, but he does have his back issue which will never go away and he takes some brutal charges. I wish he’d wear that under armor like STAT wears or something.

I think the key is Alvin Gentry in one regard. Knowing when to pull Nash-when a game is out of reach or in the “deep freeze.” Nash’s minutes must be managed effectively for him to last down the stretch and into the playoffs. Secondly is Dragic. I think the 76er game was just an off game. I’m in the camp that he can and will be sufficient off the bench to spell Nash. Obviously, the better he plays, the more time Nash can rest.

Great post, Mike!

by Wil Cantrell on Nov 11, 2009 8:01 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Good points

It is interesting to consider all of the times that Nash has been out for his back over the last few years. I think it was 07-08 that the Suns were picked to take it all had some impressive win streaks (15, 17). That was the year that no one was good except us and the Mavs and the Spurs. I remember Nash went out for 3-4 games and we lost ALL of them. At the time, it was a great excuse to give Nash his 3rd MVP. The Suns couldn’t function without him. Now? I think we would win some of those games. Goran is not Nash, but he has shown that he can manage the floor pretty well. We dont NEED Nash to score all the time, we have STAT and Rich to do that. MY point is, I am sure that Nash will go out at some point this season. When he does we will likely lose those games, but I am more intrigued about how we will come together rather than the W-L. To see the team work through that will be awesome because honestly, this team is not built for this year, its built for next year and the years after.

We went from being the oldest team in the league to middle of the pack. Go SunS!

Go read a book!

by N8lol on Nov 11, 2009 8:16 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

This sort of thing

Can be said about any team in the NBA. The Lakers would be screwed without Kobe, the Trailblazers without Roy, the Magic without Dwight Howard, the Cavs without LeBron, etc. Injuries can ruin any team, and they’re a freak thing, so you can’t really factor that into things too much.

by jburning on Nov 11, 2009 8:57 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

J you're partly right... it depends on the player

for example, the Suns did fine without Amare because his contributions were mostly points, yet he was one of our All-Stars.

But Nash is a different story. I was shooting when he went out for 7 games a few years back, and they had Leandro run the point. Worst. Idea. Evar. EVAR.

The players got lethargic quick because Leandro is a shoot first, pass later (maybe) player.

Steve is an excellent passer, and the system needs players to continuously move around screens and make cuts to get open looks and lanes to create those passing situations.

Bottom line: With Steve, if you made a good cut or ran a screen and worked the system, you got the ball. With Leandro, you didn’t. So why run so hard just to be his ballboy?

We lose Steve, and the wheels come off. Dragic simply isn’t at the caliber where you respect his offense enough to give him the space to work.

In your scenario above, I would say that those players offer more than just points. Howard’s points are actually somewhat negative since he takes too long with the ball and has no back to the basket moves. But his rebounding and blocks (just the intimidation factor) are what would be hard to replace. Points are easy… everyone on the team is happy to take more shots.

Kobe is points, excellent perimeter defense, and a killer. If you need one shot to win anything, you put it in his hands.

Roy is the heart of the Blazers. A feel good story coming out of college with a serious knee injury behind him, he was drafted late because of it and has a chip on his shoulder. A very complete player and has the strength to put the team on his back when they need him. That’s not just points.

Cavs – Lebron = 0. The Cavs ARE Lebron. Their coach is a joke, their team is a joke. They look straight D-League without him on the floor. Shaq is their only other big name but he looks like Stay-Puft out there.

Anyhow, you can lose a big scorer, cause points are easy to replace… but someone who runs the offense, or does all the dirty work on the boards and is your safety net when guards blow past you, those guys are hard to replace.

by Max Simbron on Nov 11, 2009 9:51 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Dragic

I don’t know if you all noticed the substitions in the Wizards game. I was there and noticed that Dragic did not come in to the Second quarter until there was less than 6 minutes left. If Dragic can play from about 2 minutes in the 1st and 3rd until 6 minutes in the 2nd and 4th that would give Nash only 32 minutes and Dragic 16. And that does not include games that are blowouts for either team. Sometimes I think Gentry pulls Dragic a little early in the 4th quarter stint, but hey I am not the coach. The second team seems to hold their own pretty well and I think they could handle a little more. Just my 2 cents (if it is even worth that).

by Suns Fan For Life on Nov 11, 2009 5:07 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

that's actually what happened with the hornets.

dragic went in with about 2 to go in the first, and left him in until about 6 left in the second.

and then the second half was almost all dragic.

Headlights, deer, and the Suns this season, the Golan Heights from Slovenia, in their own time, affecting half of the court seized Dragic is expected to come a point guard. We will be displayed.

by iamtrevorpaxton on Nov 12, 2009 12:08 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Ups and Downs

Funny how fast the conversation has turned from “hope this team is fun and can play hard and make the playoffs” to “this team might be a contender but they don’t do X well enough”.

I am not talking about around here so much as local radio.

This season is still going to be a roller coaster ride. This steep climb early is just going to make the come down that much more gut wrenching when it happens. And it will. At some point this team will lose to a bad team or go on a streak of L’s and will get beat in ways that are painful. It happens to every team.

This euphoria now is going to make that all the more painful when it happens. Just wait and see…

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Phoenix Stan on Nov 11, 2009 10:15 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

I was listening to that this morning on the radio...

I was on my way to work – and I couldn’t help but make a connection with what Memphis Tigers soon-to-be Ex-head coach Tommy West said yesterday about team support from the community (watch it here).

My favorite part (it’s kind of long sorry) of his moving speech was at the end when he said:

You’ve got to somehow take the negative out of it. You’ve got to find a way to get the negative surrounding this thing, out of it – I don’t know how you do it, I don’t know if you can do it. But you’ve got to do that. Because there is a group – a negative group… there is a negativity here that eats you up… it’s hard to win, in today’s game it’s harder to win than it’s ever been, and if you’ve got to fight battles around your own program and around your own campus and around your own city it’s hard… Don’t be negative… ask what you can do to help your football program… do that for the next guy, give him a fighting chance.. [then, talking about the local paper he says] In stead of writing the sarcastic smartalec remark articles, why not call me and ask me, “coach what can I do to help our football program, we love this city.. and we love this football program.. HOW CAN I HELP IT?” Instead of running it down all the time when it doesn’t go exactly right… give the next guy a fighting chance… to our fans, demand that he get a fighting chance or give it up.

Now I’m not comparing our amazing Phoenix Suns fan base to that of the horrible Memphis fan base (or lack thereof) – but I do think the principle of support, hope and opportunity he advocates here really is something all sports fans and sports writers/commentators alike need to embrace more (heck – the news industry in general needs to embrace it, and not just with meaningless verbiage of hope and change, because the negative news still spews today).

I hear some of that negativity when the talk radio guys go on like they did this morning. There is always something negative to pick at and it always comes up. The bar was set at the beginning of the season like you say Stan, “lets just have fun and hopefully we can make the playoffs” well the Suns are playing out of their minds and now instead of sticking to and measuring ourselves up against the original expectations people are trying to put us up at the top just to tear us down with negative issues that factored into our original expectations…

- I don’t know if people do it because they want to cover their rear with regards to their sports knowledge credibility (like they always want to be right, so they by default mention 10 negatives for each positive) or if here in Phoenix people do it because they only see a championship as a worthy expectation and don’t want to emotionally invest in a team that has never proven profitable with regards to the ultimate prize.

Our Suns have NEVER won an NBA championship. WE ALL KNOW THAT. Does that mean that they never will? Heck no. Will they do it this year? Maybe. Maybe will always be the answer, no matter what team you root for. Not even the Lakers are guaranteed a title, no matter what you say – that’s what competition is all about. Anybody can win. But is that why you’re a fan? Because the Suns win championships? That might be why 123242534546432 people are Lakers/Spurs/Yankees/Steelers/ fans, but that’s not why I love basketball and the Phoenix Suns.

Fanaticism is about supporting your team through the ups and downs, enjoying the successes and crying through the failures. It’s about loyalty and support. It’s about hope and confidence.

Band wagoners will come and go in a cloud of negativity and unfortunately a lot of them have radio shows

They say "don't swim with the sharks", but I'm faster than sharks so it's not a big deal...

by Eutychus on Nov 11, 2009 11:31 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

P.S.

I’m not a talk radio hater.. (completely)

I do understand that they are in a way forced to talk about the ‘trendy’ or ‘popular’ topics which would make the whole platform band wagonish.. This is evidenced by the lack of preseason Suns coverage on the radio/tv/or everywhere besides BSotS or other hard-core fan sites. And now the Suns are blowing up everywhere.

They say "don't swim with the sharks", but I'm faster than sharks so it's not a big deal...

by Eutychus on Nov 11, 2009 11:51 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

types of fans

we shouldn’t forget that pointing out negatives about a team doesn’t make someone less of a fan. Being critical is part of it all.

I just caution against extremes. When the team is 7-1 doesn’t mean a ring is in the sights. And losing a couple and playing bad (which WILL HAPPEN) won’t mean the sky is falling.

The team is pretty level-headed about all this.

It’s the media leading the fans and/or the fans leading the media that will create these extreme highs and lows.

So enjoy these rich times but wait and see how quick the mood is going to turn when things go bad (and they always do at some point).

The winning now is going to make that negativity all the worse when it happens b/c the expectations have been raised which is kind of a shame.

Enjoy it game by game.

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Phoenix Stan on Nov 11, 2009 12:04 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

major word stan

by rsavaj on Nov 11, 2009 12:23 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly...

Game by game I’ve been saying that all along. Enjoy it right now with the thought that there will be a let down at some point. You have to expect it. Especially with CP3 coming to town. Then us heading over to the Lake show the next day. Remember they will have been preparing for us for the past what? 3 or 4 days? They should be able to lock us down pretty well. So lets expect to drop a few here and there. And enjoy the ones we pull out. Can’t read much into anything.

by antiw0rm on Nov 11, 2009 1:00 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

agreed

I was on a rant-roll writing and naturally clarification is a good thing.

Moderation is good and applies to all things – especially being a fan.

They say "don't swim with the sharks", but I'm faster than sharks so it's not a big deal...

by Eutychus on Nov 11, 2009 1:20 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Nicely done Suns

So far no matter what anyone says regarding schedule, etc, they’ve easily exceeded expectations – even by many avid Sun’s fans. It’s incredible to think that the exec’s really believed this team should take a slower approach and bring in a guy like Shaq. Definitely not ready to hand them a championship (as offensively dependent teams struggle come playoff time), but it’s obvious the run and gun gives them the best chance to win ball games considering the makeup of the roster.

Also, have to point out to all those who had lost faith in Jrich prior to him coming back from suspension. Do all those Leandro Barbosa must start sayers finally get why they were wrong? (innocent face)

Hopefully, they avoid major injury but none more so than Nash. It’s fitting the guy is getting early MVP acclaim as I shudder to think where they’d be without him.

I'm no commie, but the Reds shall be the best again!

by RedHopeful on Nov 11, 2009 10:30 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Good comments.....

Agree that Shaq was an experiment that didn’t work. As was Porter — I think that whole time really made Steve Kerr look like an idiot. I mean, he really looked underqualified and overmatched as a new GM. But, we have to give credit to Kerr and the Suns as a franchise that they were not stubborn about the slow down approach — they didn’t continue to force sth. that wasn’t working.

In any case, the run and gun is the best way to win in the regular season, but perhaps (and this is what I’m hoping) the experiment with the half court game/defensive mentality will leave an imprint on the Suns’ collective psyche and they can then use that style more effectively come playoff time. That is the big question. Will they be able to adapt and play a predominantly half court defensive style in the playoffs?. We shall see.

by Jack Frost on Nov 11, 2009 2:28 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs