The Low Down: Hakim Warrick

    Three games into the season is a very small sample size, not really worth dissecting teams and the players that assemble them. So analyzing those players with observations and strange things called "stats" really have no merit right now. However this year like most others, the Phoenix suns have a few newcomers which we fans aren't familiar with. Since this season is so young, we might as well take a look at the new guys before we entrench ourselves with over analyzing every missed jumpshot. I present, Hakim Warrick.

    Mr. Hakim Hanif Warrick was drafted nineteenth over-all by the Memphis Grizzles in the 2005 NBA Draft at 6'9'', 6'10 according to some sources. He came out of Syracuse where he averaged 21 points and 9 rebounds his senior year. The forward also ranked second all-time at the school for free throws made and attempted which indicated he wasn’t afraid of the low-post game.

    His first year of NBA ball saw him play in 68 games behind Pau Gasol. He logged a respectable 10 minutes per game as a rookie, and put up very pedestrian numbers. His next year saw a dramatic improvement, mostly due to a Gasol injury, averaging over 13 PPG and upping his DRtg to 113. That year he pulled down a career high 16 rebounds against your Phoenix Suns. Over the next three seasons, it seems Warrick developed into more of a bench player as his games-started plummeted down to eight in the ‘08-’09 season. Warrick’s production did not suffer much at all, though. His pace continued on though his trade with the Bulls last season which ended in the first round against the Cavs.

    This off-season saw the acquisition of Warrick by the Phoenix Suns on his twenty-eighth birthday, July 8th. The very bright side of the signing was hoping he could become Amare-lite for the squad, an athletic “big man” who can finish off of Nash’s efficient pick-and-rolls. What ended up happening was a trade for Turkoglu which effectively ended Warrick’s brief starting position. Warning small sample size: Yet through these three games, Warrick has definitely outplayed Turkoglu, but Warrick lacks the 3-point capabilities. I digress. Warrick presents an inside presence for the Suns that isn't Robin Lopez. From these past three games, I would say he is up for the challenge. He has room for improvement off of the pick-and-roll, but plays like the hammer down on the Jazz and the shoe-string catch and lay-up against the Blazers certainly have potential to be seen more often.

It’s easy to root for any Suns player, sans short-lived Cassel, but the fandom comes easier when we know who the player is as a person. Like any good man, the first thing Warrick did with his paycheck is buy his mom a house. Though he also snagged up those game systems, he’s a big time gamer. Admittedly it’s a bit difficult and rather stalker-ish to find information on the life of a player, so I’ll leave you with some interviews and video of Suns Forward, Hakim Warrick.

A few minutes with Eddie Johnson

Suns Interview

Interview by Joshua Motenko