Bright Side Of The Sun

This won't end well

2008-12-02T21:31:28Z

This won't end well

I don't know what the Suns were thinking w/ the scissors, paste and scrapbook approach to team building but the result is global ridicule.

"I must tear you down to build you up!" - Drill Sergeant Porter

Amare denies intent to leave Phoenix

2008-12-02T20:24:45Z

Phoenix Suns star forward Amare Stoudemire, responding to repeated rumors and mischaracterizations of his previous statements, denies that he is leaving Phoenix.

Asked after practice on Monday about the repeated rumors that he might leave the Suns when his contract expires in 2010, Amare explained that his focus is to improve as a player and as a team. "We are going to continue to grow and continue to get better."

Pushed to clarify his previous remarks in which he refused to rule out the remote possibility that he might perhaps follow in the foot steps of 90% of NBA players who don't play their entire career in one city, Stoudemire paused to chew his gum a few times and explained to the media members present that he was not Nostradamus and that he lacks the power to predict the future.

This shocking lack of foresight prompted the media to report that Amare once again refused to pledge to remain in Phoenix beyond the term of his current contract or his natural life span (which ever comes first).

Breaking further news, Amare while claiming that he loves his team mates states that things have in fact been "kind of difficult". It is not clear if he was referring to on the court troubles such as the high turnover rate or perhaps he was signaling deeper locker room strife.

There have been unconfirmed reports by anonymous sources that Steve Nash repeatedly has been seen tying together the shoelaces on Amare's wingtips and that Grant Hill once spiked Amare's warm foot bath with ice.

ed note - I never fail to be surprised with how the media can twist a simple answer into something else. Fortunately for you dear readers of this blog you can listen for yourself to how Amare is asked these questions and how he responds.

Bright Side of the Sun - breaking through the mainstream media filter.

Tell me media consumers, who displays more editorial integrity: the journalist that turns nothing into a headline and story or the blogger who hears the same words and recognizes the lack of news and doesn't report anything.

Amare interview - full audio

Audio provided by Sports 620 KTAR

Are we having fun yet?

2008-12-02T17:32:14Z

Are we having fun yet?

Suns go to New Orleans to play Suns

2008-12-02T00:05:09Z

The team is struggling with turnovers
The all star power forward is giving questionable effort and not rebounding the ball
Back up point guard is a huge hole
Fans are even considering a bought out Marbury!
Defense at crucial moments is questionable
Rotations are...curious
The coach, a former player spanning the Showtime / MJ era, is being called out
Solid vets are not performing
Media is questioning team's chemistry and viability
Lost to the Lakers
Lost to the Rockets
Lost to sub .500 teams
Lost most recent game to a young team
Needs a win to raise confidence and silence critics
Plays next game Wednesday against the Suns

Let's regroup, come out and play better. Play with more energy. Have more fun.

2008-12-01T18:48:13Z

Let's regroup, come out and play better. Play with more energy. Have more fun.

Suns determined to make Mike D'Antoni look like a genius

Blogger Power Rankings - Week 5

2008-12-01T16:51:55Z

Blogger Power Rankings - Week 5

Empty the Bench has this weeks Blogger Power Rankings. The collective has deemed our Phoenix Suns to be #9 in the league. I am thinking most votes were cast before last night's meltdown.

Suns talk after loss to Nets

2008-12-01T14:06:52Z

Suns talk after loss to Nets

Amare talks about getting tossed. Blames refs. Nash talks about frustration. Bell blames everyone else for turning the ball over. Porter talks happy.

Amare today refuses to predict the future.

Audio provided by Sports 620 KTAR

Nets win in Phoenix as Suns self destruct

2008-12-01T04:08:39Z

This one hurts. I am going to have to go deep into my well of patience and chill tonight.

After coming out with a great first quarter where Amare was super aggressive on both ends and the Suns only had a couple of turnovers the game went down hill from there. I am not sure if it was the 21 total turnovers and the something like 31 points they turned into or Amare's disappearing act in the second quarter followed by his boneheaded move to get himself tossed after complaining what was clearly (another) legit traveling call.

Amare listen. When you jump stop after catching a pass you have established a pivot foot. You can not then move both feet before bouncing the ball. That's traveling. You might get away with it sometimes but if they call you for it (twice) and you already have one T you really need to keep your mouth shut. You need to not take a quarter off and you need to play like the superstar you want to be (paid as).

But really the turnovers are just baffeling. Barnes and Amare with 4. Hill, Diaw and Nash with 3. Come on. And it wasn't any one thing. Sure, the post passes against the fronting D was a few. But Boris making lazy passes. Hill making boneheaded plays.

Its like when you are trying not to think of an elephant and all you can see in your mind is an elephant.

At least Bell didn't have a bad game. Other then trying a couple shots that clearly are not in his skill set, he at least played harder on D and made his open looks.

But while Bell was playing well, Diaw reverted back to Doris and Grant was a non-factor.

Ugh...this one just hurts. 21 turnovers!

But hey, the Nets played well and Devin Harris is making Mark Cuban the king of betting on the wrong point guards.

Best news of the night. The last time the Nets won in Phoenix the Suns went to the Finals.

Chew on that and try not to think about elephants. Or turnovers.

Open Gameday Thread - Suns vs Nets

2008-11-30T20:36:56Z

Phoenix Suns	vs.	New Jersey Nets
11-6		8-7
6:00PM Mountain / 8:00 PM Eastern
TV: FSNAZ HD
Probable starters:
Steve Nash	PG	Devin Harris
Raja Bell	SG	Bobby Simmons
Matt Barnes	SF	Vince Carter
Amare Stoudemire	PF	Yi Jianlian
The Big Tweet	C	Brother Lopez

Official Suns Game Notes
Friday night a mediocre eastern conference squad rolled into Phoenix fresh off an embarrassing loss to Northwest division team. That didn't work out so well for us as Wade lead his mates to a thrashing of our boys who appeared to be suffering from the dreaded post Thanksgiving Turkcoma.
Tonight the Nets are in town coming off an embarrassing blowout win over the Jazz and hopefully will be suffering a bit of a hangover themselves.
But the story of the day isn't the Nets who haven't won in Phoenix since Benard King laced 'em up. Today's story is yesterday's story.
Are we having fun yet?
Word out of Suns camp is that the boys are as grumpy as you all and once again talking about the F word.
What is it about this team that they can't seem to find any chemistry or manage to enjoy what they are doing? Is it Amare's ego? Nash's intensity? Shaq's tweets?
My vote is for Raja Bell's complaining. Time for him to knock the crap off and remember that he's a role player and his role is to play defense. Not to get blown by Dwayne Wade as if his Nike's were glued to the floor. Not to pretend that he can dribble and shoot in the same 2 second span of time. And not to pretend that he can run the fast break and finish on anything higher then my kid's nerf hoop. Play defense. Hit open three's. Shut mouth. Rinse. Repeat.

Super duper magical keys to cutting down the Nets:

Have Fun. And the Nets are just the team to provide the spark. They don't like to play defense and they should be tired on the last night of a road trip. Just what the Suns need to feast on.
Rest Amare. Word is that Amare missed (skipped?) practice on Saturday with a strained calf and is questionable for tonight's game. It probably would be a good thing for the team to play without him. Boris can certainly handle Ji at the PF and frankly, I think the team is so worried about getting Amare the ball and working with Amare and keeping Amare happy and watching Amare be Amare that Amare on the bench might help things gel a little bit
Let Vince shoot. Don't let Vince drive.
Curious to see how many minutes LB get's tonight. I am betting he's going to see more of the floor then Raja. There's no way I am the only one noticing how craptastic he's been. We finally will get to see what some depth behind him might do. Unless Nash doesn't play again or Porter decides that LB should run the point with Bell instead of Rookie A or Rookie B.
Lopez v. Lopez. I hope we get to see the brotherly love again because it will mean the game is well in hand. As much as I like what Robin brings he's a disruption on both ends of the floor. And I don't mean to the other team. He has the team's worst +/- because no one, himself included, know what he's going to do when he's out there. The kid will learn to play under a bit more control and understand the game better with time. But meanwhile, this is not the time to be developing the rookie. That will come in a month or two once the A Team has got its act together.
I love Devin Harris. Every time I see him play in a Nets uniform it makes me pity Mark Cuban just a little bit more. Speaking of Devin, check out this awesome video of him getting smoked by the geeky white guy. Go geeky white guys!

and finally...have fun! It's a game! No one will get dropped into the moat and feed to the sharks with fricken laser beams if we lose.
Stop trying to play not to lose and play to have fun. Or to win. Play to win. But have fun with it. Win first. Then have fun. Play to have fun winning.
[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/30/08 3:15 PM PST ]

This just in. Audio from after the Heat game.Amare, Shaq and LB.
Best line 'They prepared for us. They watched film. They had a plan." Gee Amare. Do you think so?

From today's shoot around, Coach Porter responds to fans and Amare.

Audio provided by Sports 620 KTAR

Suns fans giving up already?

2008-11-30T02:56:41Z

Wow Suns fans. Reading the comments and listening to the local sports talk radio one would think our team started the season as favorites to win it all and suddenly and unexpectedly fell apart. All the negativity has me confused.

Where exactly do fans think this team should be by now? We are a 6 or 7 seed in the West and that's exactly how we look. I am sorry if your hopes are being dashed but that's where this team ended last year and that's where this team started this year.

There's a good chance we will improve as the season progresses and if we get lucky on the injury front we might not get bounced in the first round. Until then, I find it much more enjoyable to watch for signs of improvement as the season progresses then dwell on the mistakes of the past. Especially as long as The Big Mistake is playing so well.

Shaq isn't going anywhere and if he wasn't playing better then Amare then this wouldn't be "his team" right now. Nash is not going to get younger and suddenly be able to play like it's 2006 again. Boris Diaw is not going to be an all-star. But together this group has a lot of talent and with enough time might just be decent. Or, they may never figure it out and ego's and dissent might tear the team apart before they ever get a chance. I am a homer and will at least give them time to fail before calling it quits and calling for a coaching change or a trade or a new GM.

Yes, it blows getting smoked by a Heat team that was on fire after getting embarrassed by the Blazers. Having our MVP wannabe go MIA isn't much fun to watch. Seeing former all NBA defensive player get abused like a school yard nerd calling for less recess is disheartening to say the least.

But did you really think this team with a new coach preaching defense for the first time in years and trying to deepen the rotation beyond seven would be better by now?

There's no question that the Suns need to improve. They know it. We know it. If the playoff's started in December we would be through.

Fortunately, the playoffs don't start in December. The plan for this year has ALWAYS been to learn on the fly how to play team defense and at least two styles of offense all the while incorporating rookies and new players into a deeper rotation. There is no way that it was going to look great by December.

Let's not forget that the player who's individually stunk the worst night in and night out is one-trick Raja who unless he's spotting up for a three is useless on both ends of the floor. It doesn't help that we've been the thinnest at this position with Tucker still on the shelf and LB barely having a chance to play at all. Having no depth behind our worst starter is not something you can exactly coach around with an adjustment.

Speaking of adjustments, I've noticed some critique of Porter on this front.

Did anyone else notice that after three blown entry passes against the Heat's fronting defense Porter called a time out and low and behold there was adjustments. The ball rotated strong to weak or strong to the high arc where Shaq sealed his man for an entry pass. Those passes that no longer were attempted by Sean the Rookie but instead were coming in from Grant Hill, the team's second best distributor. This reminds me of a few years ago when the zone would stifle D'Antoni's vaunted offense. It took a bit of time but the Suns learned how to play through that and they will learn how to play against this type of defense as well.

Other adjustments:

Instead of leaving Raja (our alleged defensive stopper) to continue to get thrashed by Wade, Porter "hide him" on Marion and let Hill or Barnes try and slow Flash.

Has anyone else noticed Shaq coming out of the lane to trap ball handlers for this first time ever in a Suns uniform?

Are you seeing Amare get the ball in the low post or Shaq clearing out so LB can drive?

I don't agree with every move Porter makes but I do think his honeymoon period should probably extend beyond one month of play and a .647 record.

Sure, the Suns have only beaten one good team but I seem to recall the same thing in previous years. Remember going 0-4 against the Hornets and 1-3 against the Lakers last year? Of course, I also remember going 3-1 against the Spurs during the regular season that didn't matter much come spring time either.

I am getting tired of preaching patience (get it?) but that's exactly what's needed. Even after an poor showing at home on national TV. We got beat by a Heat time that was seriously pissed and a couple of our guys didn't show up ready to play.

We've seen this before from Amare and we've also see him get his act together and go on an extended tear. I hope we see that soon. There's not much this team is going to do without him but in the mean time there's a lot the team can do to get better.

Poll

Are you giving up on the Suns already?

Where's the Love?

2008-11-29T16:54:57Z

I was reviewing some of the articles today and had some thoughts about a Suns' former great and a current great that may become a former one. Is it a problem with primadonna athletes, a problme with the current management/coaching/staff or some combination of both?

Players used to come to the Suns because of the good reputation of the management. Are the Suns losing that? Was JC's "coddling" part of the problem?

I'm still peeved at the lack of a warm reception for Matrix at the game (see my post-game thread for some of that). The fans tried to give Matrix the respect and love he deserved. His introduction kind of snuck up on us in that it occurred much the same way as the other team is always introduced, and he was also announced first without much ado. He deserved more recognition from the arean, the PA guy and the organization in general. The fans all stood up as quickly and loudly as possible, but the next Heat player was announced all too quickly.

As I complained earlier, there was no tribute or anything for his return. Bush League. I'm sort of thinking that if this was any indication, he was not getting any love/respect from the front office. At least he knows what the fans think. From the second link below, he said:

Miami forward Shawn Marion said of his Phoenix return's ovation, "It was mixed. I gave my heart and soul to this city and that team over there. I think they knew that and felt that and they gave me a standing ovation. I love Phoenix."

Then, there's this story (from yesterday) with Amare complaining. Here's Coro's regurgitation of the report. Actually, this is really tame compared to all the Raja Bell displeasure he's been reporting on. Did Coro get caught off-guard with the comments? Has he decided not to report on the divisive stuff all of the sudden? To me, the answer as to why he has not reported on this like he did with Bell may shed a lot of light on the situation.

On to Amare, he needs help to become "the man" on any team. Bigs cannot bring the ball up the court and set themselves up. There's just a fundamental difference in getting big men going than getting the smalls into the game on offense. There is some truth to the sentiment that he needs to get himself going, but there is more truth to the sentiment that he needs his team to set the table for him. One of the most painful things I saw last night was Amare at the top of the arc trying to create off the dribble. Against Marion. That cannot end well.

Interestingly, Bell seems to be fueling some of the fire by saying this is Shaq's Team. I think the team is too Shaq-centric, but it's not his team. Only a cynic or a rabble-rouser would make that statement. Bell made it to the national press, so guess which camp I'm going to put him in.

He's probably not going to New York, having pretty well burned his bridge with Mike Antoni, but he's told Screamin' A. Smith he's keeping his options open. This from a guy who has fired 4 publicity teams already in his pro career. Perhaps the best way to keep Amare is to convince him that Phoenix is the best way to maximize his profile for his off-the-court ventures.

I'm not hearing the Marion "woe is me" stuff but I am hearing a little bit of Marion's complaints about getting the rock. What are they going to do -- willing to do -- to keep him around?

Here's where I get back to management. Colangelo worked hard to keep quality guys around. I'm not getting that sense from Kerr, e.g., "Anyone can be traded." The question really is, though, "Is that a bad thing?" I don't know. Colangelo's attitude got us overpaid and past-their-prime Tom Gugliotta, Penny Hardaway and Danny Manning (he wasn't too far past his prime, but he didn't give us very many good season). When Colangelo was taking care of his guys in the 70s and 80s, the game was different. Do you realize that Diaw's $9M a year contract is higher than the Chuckster ever made in a single year as a pro?

My point (or, really, a question) is whether "taking care of" your players is destructive. Do they need more "tough love"? How much "tough love" chases away quality players?

Why are so many star players (seemingly) upset about their situations? I'm pretty convinced it's not about being in a position to win a championship (except for Kobe) because they're wasting a ton of energy talking about possibilities (LeBron, Amare, Barkley back in the day) instead of working on the present.

At least Marion was honest about PT, being the star, and his desire (or lack thereof) for a tile as the ultimate goal.

Matrix Re

2008-11-29T05:27:55Z

I couldn't think of a better title. Ever since Point Break I've refused all Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze movies. So, I've got no clever titles.

My main hope for tonight was to see the Nowitzki-dunking Trix and not The Dirty Trix. After the jump, compare and contrast.

Before that, though, I'm still waiting. The closest we got to a Shawn Marion Video Tribute was when one guy on Pumpkin Cam (where they show bald dudes with hugely elongated heads) held up a #31 sweatband. Really?

Fortunately, everyone who was there when Shawn was introduced, stood up and cheered. Funny thing about game times. 8:30 TNT starts always start around 8:50. 7 o'clock starts tip off around 7:07. 6:00 starts start at 5:59. The PA guy quickly announced Marion, all 10,000 fans stood up and cheered, he waved and the PA guy skipped ahead to the next dude.

The worst part about that whole intro sequence was that when Shawn was announced, my wife said, "Hey, he's not in purple." I therefore spent the better part of the first period explaining why he no longer did Room Store commericals and the KG-STAT-Shaq circle and wondering why Nash wasn't playing.

Now, compare and contrast.

I was at that Dallas game, and it was in the new season shortly after they had eliminated the Suns in the WCF. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

Then, there was this (pic came out post-trade):

Dirty Quota met, ZF?

Here's the thing with Raja: If he can't hold D-Wade to under 30, why is he in there? Barbosa can be just as ineffectual as a defender but still be of value to the team. Bell is not valuable because he doesn't know his role. He shot 50% from downtown tonight but decided to jack up 5 other shots, missing 4 of them. As I was telling ZF earlier, the guy shoots 45% from the arc but 42% overall. That means he shouldn't be doing anything other than waiting for a pass to spot-up for a jumper.

Here's the thing with the rotation: If this was an important game, Steve Nash would've played. I don't mind growing pains if I can see the point -- the light at the end of the tunnel. I fear this light is just the train. I could stand losing this game with Singletary and/or Dragic playing 30 minutes. However, they combined for about 17 minutes. Why? Why have two defenseless guards in the game when neither of them can run the point? At least let Dragic or Singletary get some burn and learn some lessons.

Here's the thing about Shawn Marion: perhaps the most interesting matchup was Marion guarding Stoudemire. For most of the night, Marion didn't seem to mind playing hte 4-spot. Marion did a pretty good job on Stoudemire.

Here's the thing about Stoudemire: He needs to assert himself more in games like this. He does. I'm not basketball-genius-guy, but I'm pretty sure that Stoudemire with the ball at the arc working his dribble penetration against Matrix is not the best use of his offensive skills. Just sayin'.

Here's the thing about Diaw: He needs more PT. He also needs more touches on offense -- not as the playmaker, but as the finisher. He can pass, but he's not a passer. His passing works when teams are worried about him scoring. He's playing well this year. On defense, he seemed to be the only guy who realized that he man might try to make a run off the ball. He therefore stuck with his cutter and his mark rarely scored in that fashion.

Here's the thing about being aggressive: Sweet Lou took as many free throw attempts as STAT, and Sweet Lou took two more than I did.

I don't mind losing a game. I don't mind losing a bad game. All I'm saying is that Singletary and/or Dragic should have been allowed to lose this game. We already know that LB at the point is a bad thing. We also know that the veterans cannot carry this team with Nash out. Let's see what those kids can do. That's where the Suns need the depth. That's the position we need to develop for 2010 when Nash joins LeBron on Antoni's Knicks.

Open Gameday Thread #17: Heat @ Suns!

2008-11-28T18:00:07Z

The Miami Heat	@	Your Phoenix Suns
7-8		11-5
6:00 PM Mountain / 8:00 PM Eastern Temperature: 67F, Partly Cloudy
TV: ESPN, FSAZ
Probable starters:
Mario Chalmers	PG	Steve Nash
Dwayne Wade (EC POW)	SG	Raja Bell
Shawn Marion	SF	Matt Barnes
Michael Beasely	PF	Amar'e Stoudemire
Udonis Haslem	C	A Big Turkey

For whatever reason, and despite all the kinks, the Suns sit securely 2nd in the West, a full game ahead of the Hornets, Rockets and Jazz, who each have beat the Suns this year in their only matches played. The Blazers and Nuggs are right there with the rest of the pack and the Spurs are, against all odds, only a game behind. The Suns have a chance to gain ground today against the Miami Heat.

As the Heat come to town, they come in as a far better team than in the disastrous past two years. This should be a good game and a real challenge to come away with the George W.

Dwayne Wade, East Coast NBA player of the week this week, has added an outside jumpshot to his repertoire. The outside shot forces defenders to gaurd him closer and gives him even more driving options. He is averaging 27 points on 48% shooting and is nearly leading the league in free throw attempts, going to the line 10 times per game. D-Wade looks to be handful for Bell and it should be a matchup. I'm curious to see how much time Barbosa, Barnes and Hill spend trying to cover Wade. Also, will we see TP work Wade on the defensive end?

Michael Beasley is a ROY candidate and second leading scorer on the Heat at 15 ppg on 45% shooting. Although OJ Mayo and Russell Westbrook are legit ROY candidates, it's hard to argue with Beasley's contributions to Miami success. Typically records do not matter in the ROY race, but why not? Despite obviously talent, Mayo and Westbrook are playing on teams with crappy records. Only Derrick Rose is contributing more on a team with a comparable record.

Before I get a ton of responses about considering records in the ROY rankings, let me say that I understand that it should be the improvement in records, rather than the actual record. After all it's the crappy teams (OKC, Griz), the lucky teams (Bullz) and the sandbaggers (Heatest) that get the best players. As such comparing records, or improvement in records may be difficult. Also, part of the improvement in the Heat's play should be credited to rookie Head Coach and Pat Riley protege, Erik Spoelstra, 38, youngest Coach in the League.

As you know, Marion should be back. He missed the last game due to a death in his family. Shawn Marion is and was awesome, but is pitching in only 12.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and shooting a miserable 25% from 3. Without the two or three alley-oops per game, Shawn's overall FG% has dropped from 52% to 47%. Part of this is sucking it up for the team and allowing Beasley to get his, but that cannot fully explain the shooting slump. Shawn is a scrapper and can perform in many systems, even in the pre-7SOL era, so it's is mystifying that the Heat cannot get more out of him in this critical contract year. Other than the coach being a video freak, I don't have a sense of how good he actually is.

Meanwhile, Shaq has held steady following the trade, his FG% is rock solid at 58% and his 3 point shooting % is more consistent than death and taxes holding at 0% like a flat line. Okay, it is a flat line. Overall, Shaq is pitching in 16/9 in 28 mpg, in line with what he did in Miami during their best years and better than half what he was doing in 40 minutes with the lakers on twice as many shots.

Overall, I sense to mood around Planet Orange about Marion is a positive one. Let's give Marion a break. Dish the blame to all the bad agents, and even the Colangelos who spoiled him mercilessly. Don't diss him for wanting it all. The guy doesn't deserve any boos at the game. Besides, who knows, he could be back next year. =)

A look back at the Shaq-Matrix trade.

A look from the Miami Sportsblog

JSun has the recap, so look for the Dirty!

Do the Hornets hate their coach?

2008-11-28T16:12:58Z

Do the Hornets hate their coach?

"Are we sure the Hornets like their coach?" After all, the Nets practically revolted against Byron Scott four years ago. So there is a precedent."

Pretty interesting theory here for the Hornets failure to meet expectations so far performance.

Nash ends road trip the way it starts - 20 pts FTW

2008-11-27T04:28:48Z

Here's the thing about teams like the Thunder and Timberwolves. If you are the Suns you are supposed to win these games and we fans don't want to hear about back to back or travel or any excuses. But even the worst teams in the NBA have world class talent and if you drop your guard the hungry youngsters will bite like rabid wolves. Fortunately, in both cases we had the Canadian dog catcher to restore order.

It wasn't pretty in either game but in the end the W's are all that matter. That and it was nice to see Nash put a couple solid games together despite the tired legs tonight.

Box Score * Recap * T Wolves Blog * Canis Hoopus * Game Quotes

This game opened strong with the Suns half court offense really looking smooth and confident for a change. I liked the early balance mixing up touches in the post to Shaq and Amare along with some early shot attempts from Nash. Bell shot well early and the ball moved freely.

But the real star of the first half was the defense. Despite getting killed on the glass by the fresher wolves, the Sun held the puppies at bay allowing only 15 points in the second quarter.

Barbosa and Singletary both played great defense causing turnovers and generally reeking havoc. Bell and Barnes never left Miller's side and he like most shooters of his ilk could not get going in the face of pressure.

Jefferson of course had is typically Suns feasting night with 28 and 17 but in the end it mattered little for the young big man or the 12 people in the arena.

In the 3rd the Suns let down and the ball stopped moving. The energy level dipped noticeably and Amare only had 6 attempts at the end of 3 quarters. That forced Nash and Shaq back into the game to close things out which they did despite a spate of no pressure 3's from McCants. Some guys are really great shooters when the game isn't on the line.

With Diaw so obviously tired, it would have been nice to see if AmundSun could have brought some of his energy during the 3rd quarter and at least helped on D.

Stat of the night was only 5 turnovers in the first half for the Suns and 13 total. I am willing to ignore getting killed on the glass by 13 and giving up 21 of the offensive variety. Yuck.

When you shoot 54% to your opponent's 43% you have some margin to play with.

I was most shocked to see that the Suns got to the line 40 times. There was a stretch there in the 3rd and early 4th where the Suns were getting absolutely mugged with no calls but I guess the numbers don't lie and perhaps the refs just didn't want a blowout.

Play of the Game

Late in the game when things looked well in hand Lopez finally got some floor time.

Nash calls Lopez out to the high post where they run a typical high pick and roll. Jefferson has to shade off Lopez to help on Nash so Miller cheats in to help guard Lopez. The problem for the Wolves was that Miller's man was Amare who had set up at the 3 point line and trailed Lopez down the lane and was wide open for a Nash pass and drove the lane and drew the foul and normally would have finished as well.

That was a pretty play and something you wouldn't see with Shaq since teams don't have to respect his rolling from that high. Lopez on the other hand is mobile enough and can catch and finish so when Amare's man has to help that leaves Stat wide open in the lane. You know what happens when you leave Amare wide open in the lane don't you?

Adjustments

I almost forgot to mention some adjustments I've seen the Suns make offensively to unclog the lane.

They are running a play again that I hadn't seen since last year where Amare and Shaq each set up on the free throw line extended and Nash dibbles at the top of the key and can go right or left depending on how the defense is playing him. It almost impossible to stop Nash coming off that kind of screen from getting a good shot.
They are also bringing Shaq out from the low block more to free up space in the lane and
are trying to get Amare touches in the low post with his back to the basket. That's not his favorite spot but he needs to work on it b/c teams are overplaying him in the high post and forcing the ball out of his hands
Now that I think about it do you think there's a connection between Shaq not being in the lane as much and the Suns only getting 3 offensive boards? Everything comes with a price

See you Friday for the Matrix' return to Phoenix. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Suns @ Timberwolves

2008-11-26T20:00:07Z

Your Phoenix Suns	at	Minnesota Timberwolves
10-5		3-9
6:00 PM Mountain / 8:00 PM Eastern Temperature: 22F
TV: My45, FSNO, NBA League Pass
Probable starters:
Steve Nash	PG	Randy Foye
Raja Bell	SG	Mike Miller
Matt Barnes	SF	Ryan Gomes
Amar'e Stoudemire	PF	Al Jefferson
Shaquille O'Neal	C	Jason Collins

The Suns are poised for an ambush and, fortunately, I think they know it.

The T-wolves just stunned the Detroit Pistons 106-80 and are playing with premium swagger, not that K-mart brand Old Spice swagger. Randy Foye had a breakthrough game with 23 points and 14 assists. Al Jefferson is a monster who likes the taste of Suns meat. While the Timberwolves are playing better than their record, the Suns are playing below their record with narrow wins against tanking teams. The Suns are rolling into the frozen town of Minneapolis on another back-to-back, having barely gotten by one of the weakest teams in the NBA. The good news is that Shaq is fresh and facing another Collins boy.

Wonder what happened last year? Here's Phoenix Stan's quick review:

The Suns in the back to back forgot to pack their "give a damn" in the gym bags and rolled out on the floor ready to stomp a JV team and instead got schooled by the cheerleaders in the powder puff game.

We hope the situation will be different this time. Or more like the other times we mercilessly schooled this team.

In other news, do you think the Twolves fans are rethinking that trade for Kevin Federline Love and Tasty OJ Mayo?

Ask 'em and catch the coverage at the TwolvesBlog and CanisHoopis.

Changing the tires on a moving bus

2008-11-26T23:32:28Z

I have been involved in a lot projects that have gone off track and looking back on those failures you can find a pattern of warning signs: Poor design. Inconsistent leadership. Lack of will.

But the biggest single factor to a project failing is over reaction when things aren't going well. I believe that trading Marion for Shaq was just such an overreaction and the wrong mid-season move. That's ancient history unless you can go back in time and un-do the deal (and while you are there make sure we keep Rudy Fernandez please).

Terry Porter was brought in to clean up the mess of a team that for four years could not rebound or defend and who's emotional former coach admittedly imploded after one heartbreaking loss to the Spurs. The team had lost confidence in him and he lost confidence in the team as evidenced by his wild flailing about for a solution in rest of that series.

The Suns were left with a legacy of a one-trick pony being lead by an elephant and are trying to do the hardest thing in sports. Rebuild while still winning. Fortunately, a lot of the right pieces are already here and just need a good plan and consistent leadership from the organization.

The reconstruction of the Phoenix Suns (while still winning) has certain strategic imperatives that we should try and keep in mind as we travel the bumpy road:

1) Regular season record isn't a priority. As long as the Suns make the playoffs, winning the western conference let alone the division isn't important. We knew this going in and yet many Suns fans and various media observers are stressing over a record that's second only to the second coming.

If the Suns were .500 right now I would be saying the same thing. They are not and yet the hens are clucking harder then a turkey's momma at a Sarah Palin press conference.

2) Defense and rebounding. When was the last time a team ran at a high pace and defended well? That's right. Never. Now that Shaq is here, the plan is simple: Defend the paint. Rebound the ball.

With Shaq on the floor the Suns are an excellent rebounding team and with Shaq on the floor teams are no longer penetrating the lane at will. With Shaq on the floor we cannot be a running team.

Unless Shaq is going to retire early or try and beat LeBron to the Knicks, the Suns have to be a defensive team and control tempo. You go to war with the Shaq you have not the Shaq you wish you had 7 years ago.

3) Offensive efficiency. To win at a slower pace the Suns have to learn the half court game.

Yes, it is different. It looks ugly at times. Watching Shaq in the post can make your eyes bleed. And mostly it is just sad to see Steve Nash not being Steve Nash. But there is no choice.

If you have two big men on the floor that can shoot at 55% in paint surrounded by shooters that hit three's at a 40% clip and you can hold teams to 45% you are going to win. It is just that simple. It's a proven fact of NBA physics.

4) Balanced attack. But because Shaq is old and can't play 82 games dominating the post you need another option. We have two. Amare and Nash. I bet LeBron wishes he had those kinds of options with him. And maybe in two years he will.

But all those options do make it difficult to learn to play three different styles of ball especially when the pieces are not interchangeable.

When Shaq is off the court it is a totally different team. When Nash is off the court it is a totally different team. When Amare is off the court it is a totally different team. When they are all on the court they need to be able to play at least two out the three ways together.

How many teams do you think Terry Porter can get operating at peak efficiency in 15 games and a pre-season? And that's just the three primary options and doesn't consider how to work in Grant, Boris or Barbosa.

All together you've got about twelve different things all trying to happen at once.

Balance is great. Balance is hard.

Seek balance and you shall find glory.

5) Saving the (Canadian) silver bullet. After seeing Nash take over and win a game like he did last night against the Thunder it is tempting to say we should run more and let the hummingbird out of the sandwich bag.

This is not a good plan.

Remember that Nash himself said he was tired last year going into the playoffs having run pick and rolls all season. And that was a year in which he was already leading a team less dependent on him. Now people want to go back to that just because after 15 games the half court offense doesn't look smooth? We've seen that movie already and know how it ends.

6) Developing the bench. While trying to learn three new systems simultaneously the Suns also have one eye on the future and are trying to develop some young players.

Fortunately, the bench is a mix of rookies and vets and given enough time in a system that doesn't require them to over perform their abilities this unit has the makings of being decent this year and very good next year.

Do you think there are a few teams that would kill to have Grant Hill, Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa and Robin Lopez coming off their bench?

There are holes. The Suns are still struggling to find a back up point guard and neither rookie has blown the doors off. Both have been serviceable at times and combined with other ball handlers we should be ok.

The biggest personnel problem so far has been the lack of depth behind Raja Bell who's play has noticeably declined. We have yet to see what the full Bell, Barbosa, Tucker rotation can deliver but you have to think that it will be a big improvement over what we've seen so far.

What about the turnovers? The high turnover rate is a symptom of the development going on. It's dropping a wrench while balancing the spare tire and holding the jack. I don't think the turnovers are caused by the system or by the players. They will improve or the team will fail.

This is not going to be easy. There's a reason the Suns went into this season as underdogs and the consensus pick for the 6 or 7th seed.

It is a bold and difficult plan but it is the best use of the pieces available. It might not work. Even if it does there's very little chance it will work well enough to beat an LA team that's years ahead of us in their rebuilding. None of that that matters because we cannot go back now and it's far too soon to pull the plug.

There is no perfect team. The Hornets lost to the Bobcats. The Pistons lost to the TimberWolves. The Lakers fans can gather together in a mutual love fest and gloat to each other.

I am happy with our season so far and encouraged by how much better this team can get.

Suns fans: This year, be thankful for Matt Barnes

2008-11-26T20:42:43Z

I've been a huge Matt Barnes fan and apologist for quite a while now. Many years ago I read about his struggles with racism in high school, his collegiate career at UCLA, and always thought he'd be a perfect fit with the Suns when he was at Golden State. Needless to say I put him in my off-season wish list for the Suns last year. And when I read he was officially signed, I was through-the-roof ecstatic.

A column today by Paul Coro on Matt Barnes affirmed how thankful I am that he is a member of the Phoenix Suns.

No, it wasn't the clutch shot he hit last night that propelled us to a win. It wasn't the energy and defense he's brought to the Suns this year. And it wasn't his myriad of tattoos (which I'm jealous of by the way).

It's the way he has taken Barbosa under his wing during an extremely difficult time not only in Leandro's life, but Matt's as well.

As a cancer survivor, that is something I respect even more so than his play.

A few of us on the Bright Side talked about how fortunate Suns fans are to have always had a great core group of character players. The list can go on and on in each decade the Suns have been a franchise. Not every team can say that.

But Matt Barnes strikes a cord with me personally due to my own history with cancer. I won't go into any details on this post but I came close to losing my leg and not being able to play walk again, much less play basketball. My fiancee is also a survivor of non-hodgkins lymphoma. We've all known someone afflicted with the disease and it's something that takes time to get over (if at all). And it's certainly not easy to think about or deal with during the holidays. I've been around the game for quite a while and playing consistent, smart, and tough basketball is not easy when these things are happening in a person's life. Especially at such a high level.

That's why I respect Barnes so much. Barnes mother passed away only a year ago from cancer. However, recognizing how close Leandro is to his family, Barnes displayed great kindness in mentoring and becoming close with LB during the past few months. As Suns fans know, Leandro is a soft-spoken and sensitive guy who just wants to make the fans, coaches, and players happy. As evidenced by his time away this season, this has been one of the most difficult periods of LB's life. But Barnes has been there for him every step of the way.

Putting his own feelings and memories aside during the one-year anniversary of his mother's passing, Barnes has continued supporting LB and is helping him cope with his loss. He even ordered wrist bands with LB's mother's name, Ivete, which the entire team can wear; the same kind of wrist bands he wore to honor his mother, Ann, just over a year ago.

Seeing that type of kindness from a member of the greatest team on Earth should make fans beam with pride.

So this year, Suns fans, amongst all of your other reasons to be thankful, make sure Matt Barnes is on that list.

Thunder Thoughts

2008-11-26T16:04:22Z

Good morning sports fans. I managed to watch 3 quarters of this game on Tivo before work today (1st, 2nd and 4th) and wanted to drop some quick thunder thoughts while fresh in the mind:

The Suns really didn't play that bad and I am less worried after having watched the game then after seeing the score on my Black Berry
The 2nd quarter was obviously key. Suns could not get a basket. Wonder why? Look at the line up for most of the Thunder Run: Nash, Diaw, Bell, Barnes and Lopez.. Amare only played 1:15 during the 2nd quarter and that was early in the period.
During this period the Suns offense was totally stagnant with the wing players missing (1-8 shooting) and no inside presence. Diaw was the brightest spot (2-4) but the Thunder front line are long and athletic and over played him. There was no other go to guy on the floor and this unit doesn't have enough experience working together in the half court.
Bell having his break away layup blocked (which was pathetic btw) really sparked the Thunder and ignited their offensive run. As Zona Flash said in his great recap - the kids played hard but so did our guys.
12 turnovers in the 1st half. 5 in the second.
It felt like the 1st half was pre-season as Porter used the time to try and get some different line-ups floor time together
Lopez did look good on D and active but 5 rebounds isn't going to cut it and the Suns offense with him on the floor sucked. I think he just needs more time and the team needs more time with him. He's SO DIFFERENT than Shaq.
Nash is like that super bomb in a Nintendo game. You have this super special weapon but can only use it so many times per season.
My new theory for Nash's 1st half suckiness is this: He's trying to learn to play less hard. His mental focus is off when he's not going full bore. Keep at it Steve. We need to be able to play w/ 60% Nash for 70% of the season and save Mega Nash Bombs for key stretches.
As great as Steve was on O during the 4th - Amare was better on D. He shut down the Thunder single handedly.
Good for Amare knowing what's needed and when.
Shaq in pin stripes. Not very thinning on him for some reason

Suns barely survive Thunder 99-98

2008-11-26T06:29:39Z

Watching the replay of a game like this, it's amazing that every exchange matters. For example, closing the third quarter, da Thunda have the last shot, a kick out to Durant at the arc. Durant makes the shot, but his toe is on the line so it's a two instead of a three. There's a few seconds remaining and Amar'e races the ball down Amar'e has only attempted two other three's this season, both way back on November 5th and missed both. He gets to the 3-point line, shoots at the buzzer and makes the 3.

The Suns close out the quarter down 81-70. Now if Durant gets credited with the 3, or Amar'e doesn't make the 3, all bets on the outcome of the game are off.

The Suns go on to win in the 4th with a combination of strong offense (29 points) and strong defense (allowed only 17 points).

With 2:02 minutes to go, Durant hits another 3, assist Westbrook, the score was 95-89. Announcers say,

"If that's wasn't the dagger, I think the blacksmith is sharpening it.... The Thunder, serving notice tonight."

Nash scores 2.

Amar'e impersonates Marion by making a critical non-scoring play in the clutch - he blocks a drive. The block induces a 24-second shot clock violation, Scotty Brooks argues the timekeeper was slow and 1 second remains. You don't get those calls when it's the home timekeeper at fault.

Nash hits a 3. Timeout. 95-94. Bud Light gives the player of the game to the whole Thunda team, excluding Johan Petro.

Wilcox defended by Amare. Wilcox misses but Westbrook gets the rebound and the foul. Misses 1. Makes the second.

Nash with the ball. Shoots and makes the mid-range jumper.

Watson to Wilcox in the paint for two.

Nash draws the defense and then dishes to wide-open Barnes for 3.

99-98 Thunder with the ball and 21 seconds to go. Durant shanks it with 17 to go, Westbrook rebounds, misses, out-of-bounds to Phoenix. Thunda foul Nash but had one to give. The Suns are, implausibly, able to run out the last 8.3 seconds by passing the ball around. Chalk that up to inexperience on the Thunda's parts.

It was vintage Nash in the clutch, down 6 and two minutes to go against an inexperienced team, scoring 7 quick points and assisting on the other 3. Of course, without all the stops, those points would not have mattered.

Nash Scoring:

Quarter	Points
1	0
2	2
3	8
4	10

It's hard not to believe the Suns didn't come ready to play and the boxscore shows that the Suns clearly got shocked in the second quarter and then had to waste precious energy to comeback from 16 down. The must have took my "college team" reference too seriously. I'm going to have to give a lot of credit to the Thunder team, if only because I don't have enough vitrolic bile in my belly to roundly criticize the Suns team for making their opponents look like the Lakers.

The Thunder look like an enthusiastic team, energized by the coaching change just two games ago. The played open, selfless basketball. Earl Watson did a partial impression of Steve Nash, penetrating and dishing to 13 assists without the turnovers or the scoring. The whole team accrued 28 assists to just 13 turnovers, or better than 2 ATO. In contrast, your sloppy Suns only earned 21 assists to go with 17 turnovers, painfully close to one turnover per assist.

The Thunder really got great contributions from Watson, Durant, Westbrook and Wilcox. The team even out-rebounded the Suns 40-34. They will be a nice team down the road and the management should be commended.

A few quick notes:

Steve Nash, with 43 minutes this game, is playing as many minutes as during 7SOL.
When Shaq is not playing, the Suns are effectively minus one All-star from last year.
Kevin Durant is the Chocolate Dirk Nowitzi.
Johan Petro has not played in the Scotty Brooks regime. Stan, he may be available for you!
Bell, channeling his training in the Sloan regime, took home his first F1 of the season.
Barnes & Bell need a co-nickname.
Wonder what's fueling Bad-Ass Boris' offensive aggression? Thunder Dan has made Boris' offense his personal project.
AdmundSun makes me happy. He wasn't in long (3:33), but got a steal, dunked and had the chance to convert on the And-1. Shanked it badly, but he's always doing something good.
Lopez got three blocks and a steal he took in for a dunk.
Does it hurt you as much as it does me to see Joe Johnson in the MVP rankings?

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