Kenny Smith said that this year is going to be feast or famine for PHX--they will blow out a lot of teams by 20, and they'll lose a bunch of games by 20, because the Suns are now just a jump shooting team.  He also said something like expect Nash to get double teamed and a lot, and Lopez to get double teamed a lot, so I guess one guy is going to guard the other 3 Suns?  His point was that the other team's power forward would now double on Lopez and the paint would be clogged, since the Suns are sans Stoudemire.  He said the Suns were top 5 in points in the paint and that will drop drastically this year. 

(And if we never start hitting our threes, other teams can just pack the paint.  Hopefully the pick and Rolo will get clicking and JRich will concentrate more on slashing to the hole and we will have some inside-outside game.)

Anyway, both Kenny and Brett Barry picked the Suns to make the playoffs, but to be in the lower 4. HOWEVER they felt that PHX would be the second team (after the Lackers) that nobody wants to face in the playoffs.  Kinda interesting take.  I guess they assume we could get hot (ala, the Dragon vs. the Spurs last year) and scorch anyone in the playoffs.

They also said that Nash is going to have to average 18 ppg this year to for Suns success. 

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?  Is Nash going to have to pick up a lot of the scoring with Amar'e gone for PHX to win?  Will 18 ppg be enough?

[Oh, by the by, don't read anything over on AZ Central.  The guys posting comments over there are so negative that it should be called the Dark Side of the Sun, or Total Eclipse, or something.  I do believe they want the Suns to crash and burn so they can gloat about how right their dire predictions are.  Ugh.  I'll take my PHX sunnyside up, please, and stay right here on good ol' BSOTS.]