Middling musings from an old white guy nodding with approval at something good

Hi, friends. Remember me? I'm the aging white guy in a cheap t-shirt from the bad side of 51st Avenue. I used to run this joint but things are better here now that I've moved on to Chocolate City where the walls are fast and the heart is slim.

Paste his prime, rolling hard from the 602, balling like you used to

Remember me. I'm Phoenix Stan!

Yo.

I guess I'm feeling a bit nostalgic after seeing the Boyz in Purple for my one and only time this year. They didn't disappoint, although I think we all would have loved to see that 25-point lead hold on long enough to push a normally weak-willed Wizards squad over the edge into slumber. That would have allowed me to glimpse the Archie Goodwin Show™.

No worries. We'll all be seeing plenty of the AGS™ in the coming years as he picks up innumerable ASG MVPs and such.

Meanwhile, a kid they called "Tragic" (against my frequent protestations) has grown into a man. A MAN. A confident man and proud pappa who put together all those pieces of talent, skill, and athleticism with a nice blend of humility tempered by an inner steel that's always been part of his feisty play. Still super quick with a smile but more measured with the ball, he's every bit the player I imagined...and so much more.

Watching Goran's career develop and mature is just another reminder that young players are not finished products. If the right ingredients are there, be patient.

Eric is an interesting fellow. Supremely confident but still sparse and cautious with his words. His defensive instincts are impressive to watch. When people talk about having a "nose for the ball" the best example to give is Bledsoe's leather-sniffing proboscis. He's a work in progress running a team and seemed a bit shaky with his fitness -- understandably so on both counts -- but according to his former Kentucky running mate is finally getting to emerge from the shadows of Wall and Paul.

Folks, I know you know this, but the long Phoenix tradition of talented guards seems destined to continue for many more years with the Slobama Slash Brothers. I'm excited. You can build great things around these two with Archie Goodwin as a highly capable third wheel destined to be the league's first sixth man MVP winner.

It was fun to see a healthy and happy Channing Frye doing Channing Frye things on and off the court. Witty and kind and dropping S-bombs loud enough to be heard in the upper deck in between three bombs loud enough to silence all the decks of a partisan road crowd.

P.J. Tucker proved me wrong. The improvement in his offensive game and his value as the vocal personification of this team's never-say-die attitude makes him an offseason priority. Pay the man already.

Even the comedic duo of Ish Smith and Dionte Christmas seem to play an important role in the mysterious thing called "team chemistry". They aren't the volatile and explosive ingredients in the soup but they are the vital binding agents that help keep all the parts together. If you are looking for a team with talent that lacks the vital mix, look no further than the Washington Wizards.

Just don't look too long. Your eyes won't be happy.

I'm sorry I don't have anything more profound to add to the daily cacophony that is Bright Side of the Sun. I didn't bring any rosterbation fodder or even a sliver of vitriolic rant. Thank you for sharing this season with me and for keeping this old house humming. You guys rock.