Whether the SUNS have solved the Wolves or it was simply a Wolves team that couldn't beat the Piston's B-squad, the game was about as boring as the score and our live blog of the game suggests.  

The Wolves never led this one and after falling 36-15 in the first quarter, they never got the scoring closer than to within 13.    

At this very moment, I struggle to even treat this game like the real bona fide NBA game it was.  I'm mean, who do you really give the game ball to when everyone on the SUNS just looked like Globetrotters beating up the Washington Generals?  Egad!  Even Sean Marks looked good going 2-2, 2 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in 5 minutes of starter-saving garbage time.

Some nice things were that Grant Hill (28 minutes, 16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 of 11 at the line) looked great tonight coming back from injury.  Also, Raja's hot shooting continues.  Our starting backcourt was 6-7 from 3 tonight.  Majerle made a good point about Steve Nash's shooting.  Although Kapono leads the league, Kapono has shot only 55 or so 3's compared to Nash's 150 3's.  Second, Kapono is a catch and shoot 3 point specialist, where we rely on Nash to often create his own 3 point shots, which necessarily involve a much higher degree of difficulty.  Seriously, is there any other shooter better in the NBA than Nash?

The SUNS were also a little sloppy, giving up 15 turnovers to the Twolves 5.  Nash was credited with 7 and Boris-Barbosa another 5.  

However, overall the game was the result we wanted and the SUNS share 5th place with the Rockets while the Spurs (lost) and the Lakers (won) remain a game ahead.  Being 3rd in the standings would be so, so much better than 5th...

Player of the Game: Brian Skinner (16 minutes, 4 points on 2-5 shooting, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 steal, 1 foul and no TOs).  Why?  For proving once again that he deserves minutes and for letting us rest starters without fear.  Supported by both Dan Majerle and more importantly our very own Phoenix Stan, I will go a step farther.  I think Brian Skinner may deserve to be ahead of Boris Diaw in the rotation.  (Diaw had 27 minutes and was 9 points on 3-4, 2 rebounds, 2 assists with 2 turnovers).  

Why?
Meow is valued for his versatility - his ability to defend bigger guys but also act as a playmaker.  Obviously, defensively, Skinner is clearly stronger and the better shot blocker.  He did really well against Al Jefferson.  Offensively, they both can make the same midrange shot.  Unlike Diaw, Skinner also has a hope of finishing at the rim.   The only area where Meow might be better is at playmaking.  Certainly, he does make some plays. But I argue to you that he actually not a as good a playmaker at all.  How often do you curse when he sails a cross-court pass to nowhere?  When a sure-fire assist for a pro-PG runs off-the-mark as a narrowly avoided turnover?  When Meow's under the hoop and throws a risky pass to the top of the circle, where someone could pick it off for a uncontested fastbreak dunk at the other end?  I even thought about giving the game ball to Meow today for simply not having committed a travel for the first time in the past 10 games.  Meow's not the playmaker we make him out to be.  He's a "playmaker" by necessity because he can't finish strong at the hoop.  

Even if you don't buy my argument about the poverty of Meow's playmaking, ask yourself, with Grant Hill and Barbosa (and possibly Shaq) on the court, do the SUNS really need another playmaker?  It is even possible that Skinner at PF alongside Shaq is a better lineup than Meow and Shaq.  Just a thought.    

Runner-Up:  Grant Hill for coming back in and looking damn good.  He's in the top 15 in the league for FT shooting.  Looking so good in fact that Dan Majerle has revealed that Grant is, indeed, the frontrunner in Dan's view for the Dan Majerle Hustle Award.