Time to continue the My List special, and, in honor of the blazing heat that grips my neighborhood, we'll unveil team #12, the Phoenix Suns. Here is the Suns' lineup.

Starters:

PG: Steve Nash: When Nash signed with Phoenix for his second tour of duty in 2004 (he also played for the team from 1996-98) after leaving Dallas, no one felt he would be the marquee signing of the year. But Nash sparked the team as the Suns improved from 29 wins the year before he arrived to 62after he came, as Nash won league MVP honors with averages of 15.5 PPG and 11.5 APG. Nash would repeat as MVP in 2005-06, raising his scoring to 18.8 PPG and still averaging 10.5 APG. Nash has led Phoenix to two Western Conference finals, and has made five All-Star teams.

SG: Paul Westphal: Before becoming Suns head coach, Westphal was a solid player for the team in the 1970s. Acquired in a trade from Boston for Charlie Scott in 1975, Westphal helped Phoenix reach the NBA Finals in his first season, and it was his knowledge of the rules (and ways to bend them) that allowed Gar Heard to hit his famous jumper in game 5 of that series to force triple overtime (the rule regarding timeouts called when none are available has since been changed). Westphal averaged better than 20 PPG in each of his five seasons in Phoenix, made five All-Star teams overall, and helped Phoenix to a conference finals berth in 1979 before being traded to Seattle for Dennis Johnson in 1980.

C: Amare Stoudemire: There just wasn't much to choose from here, so Stoudemire makes the cut. Drafted #9 overall in 2002, Stoudemire won ROY that season with averages of 13.5 PPG and 8.8 RPG, hepling Phoenix reach the playoffs. In year three, his averages went up to 26 PPG and 8.9 RPG, before he underwent microfracture surgery and missed most of the 2005-06 season. Some feared that he'd never recover, but Stoudemire proved them wrong, and had a 20.4 PPG, 9.6 RPG season. Just 26 years old, Stoudemire has at least 5-7 more great seasons ahead of him.

SF: Connie Hawkins: In his heyday, Hawkins was the Julius Erving of the day; he was graceful through the air and a class act to boot. However, Hawkins was denied entry into the NBA initially after his name was linked to a gambling scandal in college (for the record, Hawkins was exonorated). After flings in the short-lived ABL, the Globetrotters, and the ABA, Hawkins was allowed into the NBA with the Suns in 1969. Though he wasn't quite the same magnificent athlete, Hawkins made the All-Star team four times in his four full seasons in Phoenix, with his first year there being his best; he averaged 20.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG and 4.5 APG as he helped the Suns make the playoffs for the first time. Hawkins was eventually traded to the Lakers in 1974, and eighteen years later, he was inducted into the HOF.

PF: Charles Barkley: The "Round Mound of Rebound" was invigorated after being traded to Phoenix from the 76ers for three players (including Jeff Hornacek) in 1992. Barkley, freed from a no-win situation in Philly, had the best all-around season in his first year in the valley of the sun, averaging 25.6 PPG, 12.2 RPG and a career high 5.1 APG, as Phoenix finished with the best record in the NBA and made the Finals before losing to the Bulls. Barkley captured his only league MVP that season. Overall, he averaged a double-double each season in Phoenix (four years), made the All-Star team each year, was All-NBA first team in 1993, and led Phoenix to two division titles, before being traded to Houston in 1996.

Reserves:

PG: Kevin Johnson: "KJ" was the motor of the potent Suns teams of the late 80s and through the 90s. Acquired in a trade from Cleveland that sent Larry Nance to Richfield, Johnson exploded after being traded, averaging 20.4 PPG and 12.2 APG (the assists totals would remain his career high) in 1988-89 after averages of 9.2 and 5.5 his rookie year. It was the first of five straight double-double average years for Johnson, who would make three All-Star teams, would be named All-NBA second twice (1989-90), and start for the 1993 finalists.

SG: Walter Davis: The "Grayhound" was a player Michael Jordan looked up to (and why not, they're both former Tar Heels). And Davis had a spectacular career. As a rookie in 1977-78, Davis averaged 24.2 PPG and 6 RPG, winning ROY honors. Davis would average better than 20 PPG five times as a Sun (his rookie year average was his career high), and would make six All-Star teams. He'd also be named All-NBA second team twice (1978-79) and help Phoenix reach two Western finals (1979, 1984).

C: Alvan Adams: Again, not much to choose from, but Adams was a solid center for Phoenix. Adams would win ROY honors in 1975-76 with averages of 19 PPG and 9.1 RPG (ironically, both would be his career best averages) as Phoenix advanced to the Finals that year. Over his 13 year career, Adams made one All-Star team (1976), and would average 14.1 PPG and 7 RPG. And he would help Phoenix reach two more conference finals.

SF: Dan Majerle: Some may clamor for Shawn Marion, but how can you completely ignore "Thunder Dan"? Majerle, drafted #14 overall in 1988 (he wasn't the Suns' first choice; Tim Perry was), was a spark plug off the bench, and would play his best basketball in the mid-90s; he averaged at least 15.6 PPG each year from 1992-95, and would make three All-Star teams (1992-93, 1995). He also would tie a then-Finals record of six three pointers in game 3 of the 1993 Finals, as the Suns won in triple overtime. Majerle would finish his career with the Suns in 2004 and became a local basketball analyst.

PF: Tom Chambers: Chambers would have some of his best stats years after being traded to the Suns from Seattle in 1988. In his first year there, Chambers averaged 25.7 PPG and 8.4 RPG (the rebounds would be a career high) as Phoenix reahced the conference finals. The follwing year, he had a career high 27.2 PPG as the Suns once again reached the third round. Chambers made the All-Star team three times in Phoenix (1989-91), was All-NBA second team twice (1989-90) and was a reserve on the team that reached the 1993 Finals.

Coaches:

Head Coach: John MacLeod: MacLeod wasd an unknown coach when Phoenix tapped him to replace Jerry Colangelo in 1973, but within three years, MacLeod piloted the Suns to their first ever NBA Finals against the Celtics. MacLeod would help Phoenix reach the conference finals on two other occsions, and the team had seven winning seasons (and four with 50 or more) in his 13 full seasons there. For his career, he won 707 games.

Assistants: Cotton Fitzsimmons, Paul Westphal, Mike D'Antoni: Fitzsimmons coached the Suns on three seperate occasions (1970-72, 1988-92, and 1995-96), and in each full season he coached there, the team won at least 48 games. He also coached the team to two conference finals (1989-90). Westphal, the former star player, took over for Cotton in 1992, and in his first season, Westphal directed the team to the NBA Finals and won 62 games. Westphal won at least 56 games in each of his three full seasons, and won two Pacific division titles. D'Antoni, hired as an interim coach in 2003-04, was named COY in his first full season as the Suns went from 29 to 62 wins. The Suns won over 50 games each year he coached (over 60 twice) and made two Western Conference Finals.

Honorable Mentions:

SF: Shawn Marion: Great talent, but not a Suns lifer, and more of a product of the system (I know this will get complaints).

PF: Larry Nance: He had a great run in Phoenix (twice over 20 PPG) but he is much better known as a Cavalier.

C: James Edwards: Solid C, but is better known as a Piston.

SG: Dennis Johnson: Solid stats (18, 19 and 14 PPG in his three years) but too small a sample, and (continuing a theme) better known as a Sonic and Celtic.

SG: Jeff Hornacek: Made 1992 All-Star team in Phoenix, but (this is getting annoying) better in Utah.

PG: Jason Kidd: Great run in Phoenix, but Nash and Johnson were more responsible for better success in Phoenix than Kidd's teams were, and Kidd was better in Jersey (somebody stop me!).

C: Shaquille O'Neal: Just kidding; one half-season does not an all-time team make.

That's the Suns list. Next Monday, the countdown resumes with team #13 (unlucky!), the since-moved Supersonics. Until then, may Clay Bennett not own your team (lol!).

Yesterday saw the Suns, in their third game with Shaq, get blown away by 30 points to the Detroit Pistons. What does it say about the new look Suns? That the transition period for integrating Shaq into their scheme will take time. Heck, they've scored under 90 points in two of the three games (1-2), well below their season average (about 109 per). The focus of this post, however, is in reference to the Pistons, and the inevitable bandwagon jumping that will be done in the wake of this victory.

The Pistons represents the best of what the NBA strives to achieve; the team is (usually) put above individual glory. No one tries to stand out above the rest. The starting five is consistent throughout and they've improved their bench. On paper, they look like they could easily beat the more hyped Celtics in a playoff series. Alas, like an old saying, games aren't played on paper. And before I jump on the wagon, let's see them achieve this in the playoffs!

Anybody can tell you that regular season success means little without the ring to go with it. If it didn't, the Pistons would be a dynasty; no fewer than 50 wins since 2001-02, and five division titles to boot. Yet they have only one ring, and it came in a year where they didn't win the division (2003-04, when Indiana won). It's the last two years I'm focusing on, since the core of the team has been the same here; the Pistons blew two conference finals against the Heat (who were not as good as the team the Pistons beat in 2005) and the Cavaliers, perhaps the worst finalist of recent memory. Why is that?

Reasons can be debated; I feel they get happy when they feel like the series is over; take last year, when they stormed out of the playoff gate, winning their first seven games. All you heard was the analysts saying "Book it; Detroit's going to the Finals!". Then, when they had a chance to get rested for Cleveland, they allowed Chicago to #### a pair of wins before wrapping it up in six, the same amount the Cavs took, and get no advantage going into round three. Still, they win the first two games of that series, albeit by slim margins, and they got lazy again. This time, they didn't wake up in time; the Cavs won the next four to advance to the Finals. And the same cast is back together again? Whose to say that doesn't happen again?

Besides, the Pistons can be hair-yankingly inconsistent; before this game, their post-All-Star break was going like this; blowout loss to I think Orlando, loss to Milwaukee that wasn't as close as the final score, and win over Milwaukee. I just can't put any stock into their regular season until the fruits are bared in the playoffs.

So, for all you people who will use this Phoenix rout to say "See. Boston couldn't beat (the Suns), but Detroit crushed them. They're going to be in the Finals!", I say you shouldn't put money on them yet. The fat cat syndrome could return, and if it does, the Pistons' window of opportunity will, perhaps, shut, this time for good.

Looks like the deal is finally done: Jason Kidd is back in Dallas. The trade was approved by the NBA today, and suddenly Dallas is... getting completely ripped off. I said last week, when Devean George initially blocked the deal (he was taken out of this trade) that Dallas was getting fleeced by giving up five players and two draft picks for an aging player who may not lead you to the promised land. I stand by that today. But I am interested in whether George will be able to rest easy now that Kidd's in town. With all Dallas gave up, cutting him would be hard to do. But the question now becomes: Who is the favorite in the loaded West?

Take a quick glimpse of the standings, and you'll see that there are only 4 1/2 games between the top seed (New Orleans at the moment) and the #8 seed (a tie between Golden State and Denver). There's little room for error for any team. Is it obvious to us that all the major trades have occured among West teams? Here's how (today) I'm handicapping the race:

1. Spurs, 2. Lakers, 3. Suns, 4. Mavs, 5. Jazz, 6. Hornets, 7. Nuggets, 8. Warriors

Why do I still say the Spurs are the favorites? Simply put, you must beat the best to be the best. The Spurs aren't the defending champs for nothing. That said, you must wonder if this team is getting too old to compete, but all these big moves were made to counter Tim Duncan's excellence. You think Phoenix would trade for Shaq if they weren't thinking about how Duncan has torn them to shreds in the playoffs? Duncan makes the West revolve and do everything to counter him.

The Lakers are #2 in spite of Kobe's injury. My feeling is that he'll shoot the ball even if all his ligaments in his shooting hand were torn! There's no way he'll shut it down when he has easily his best team since Shaq left (by the way, the Lakers probably sent Byron Scott some cash for resting Kobe in the All-Star Game). Kobe will produce as well as he always does, and the Lakers pose the most serious threat to SA's title hopes.

What about Phoenix and the aforementioned Mavs? Both trades these teams made did the one thing neither could afford: deplete depth. The Suns usually only play seven guys, so can Shaq play over 30 minutes a night? And will he be a late-in-his-career Wilt Chamberlain (pass and defend willingly) or the Shaq who stunk it up earlier this year? One doesn't know. The Mavs now must worry that their C position can be manned almost exclusively by Erick Dampier, which is about as likely as Roger Clemens passing a lie-detector test. And who will spell Kidd? Jason Terry? Jerry Stackhouse? Neither one can run the show when Kidd sits, and the hoped for offensive revival will resemble what it did before the deal.

How about the current top seed? The Hornets have surprised almost everybody, but it's been four years since they last made the playoffs (they were still in the East!). And only Peja has experience in the postseason. They will do well if they win one round. And none of the other teams has a legit chance of making the Finals. So, in the end, there are four legit title contenders.

You know who the REAL winner in all this is? The Pistons and the Celtics! Their road to the title got much easier. There are no real threats in the Least (Lebron won't make magic happen twice, the Magic aren't ready), and whoever comes out of the West will take a major beating to win those series. So if I was a betting man, I'd bet on either of those teams. And for the NBA's sake, it better be the Lakers and Celtics, because a Detroit-SA rematch would be akin to putting George Bush on Jeopardy!! But that's another issue. Until next time, may Devean George rest much easier!

According to ESPN, the Phoenix Suns will try to acquire Shaquille O'Neal from the lowly Heat for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. The feeling in Suns land is that Shaq should provide interior defense and much needed size to counter the Duncans of the West come playoff time. Is that going to be fact or fiction? Only time will tell.

O'Neal has never been consistent as a defender; in his peak years on the Lakers, he was a solid interior defender and always tried to alter shots. In recent years, that effort seems to have waned, and it's probably due to his age and durability issues. The Suns must realize they aren't getting the old Shaq, but an old Shaq, and this Shaq isn't the most dominant force in the league. But my biggest concern is how having him lumber around will affect their high-octane offense, the primary reason the Suns are so good.

Admittedly, up-tempo attacks have gotten away with lack of speed at center; the Lakers' Showtime attacks weren't affected by Kareem usually coming up only after the break stopped. But Jabbar could still occasionally join his mates, and he had quicker backups like Mychal Thompson who could spell him. The Suns are notorious for having very little on the bench and for Mike D'Antoni using only seven players at best, so is Shaq up for over 35 minutes a night? That's doubtful; he's been hurt playing in Riley's slowball, and that could pop up again in Phoenix.

And don't forget Shaq's monster contract; if they fail to win the title, they'll be stuck with him for two additional years. They probably made this deal to avoid paying Marion the big bucks he was expecting to demand, but Shaq's contract is even worse. Now the pressure increases tenfold on Steve Nash and Co. to get the job done now. And moreover, you've got Shaq and Grant Hill needing to play major minutes; that's akin to fixing the breach in the Titanic with chewing gum! One breakdown will derail this team.

So, before people say the Suns are instant favorites, let's get real; the Suns still have the toughest conference to get through. The defending champion Spurs, Lakers, Jazz, and Mavs, among others, will give them challenges. And if Shaq doesn't embrace his new team role, the Suns will find themselves in a familiar place in late May and June; playing golf in the desert.

Let's do something I haven't done lately: rant! Another week is set to begin, and here we are still debating whether Kobe or Garnett is/will be traded. It speaks to a couple of things: (A) June is a boring month for sports action-wise, (B) Because of this, the rumor mill churns hotter than ever. Am I the only one annoyed with the "I want out, no, I want in, no.." of Kobe or Garnett's staying on a sinking ship in Minnesota simply to look like a nice guy? When does it end?

Let's get the Kobe deal off my chest; It's going to be very difficult to trade him. There's no way the Lakers can get anything close to his talent level via trade. And once/if they make the deal, Jerry Buss and company look like idiots for trading two dominant players (although in fairness, they already look like idiots). Maybe Buss is getting senile, but it looks like it's time to allow the younger Busses take over. Bottom line: Kobe probably will end up stuck in L.A. and will probably pout like a spoiled brat, so brace yourself for a rocky ride, L.A.

As for Garnett, no player I've seen play in any sport (from a limited span, since I'm only 23) has allowed himself to stay on a sinking ship more than he has. The Timberwolves' window slammed shut the day they lost the Western Conference Finals in 2004. Blame it on anything you want; GM Kevin McHale's bad player choices, ownership for sabotaging the team during the illegal Joe Smith deal in 2000, costing them four first round picks (the fatal blow), etc., Garnett doesn't want to come across as a douchebag. That's an admirable trait, but he wouldn't be the first athlete to chase a ring: Karl Malone did it by leaving Utah in 2004 for the Lakers, among others. His legacy won't be tarnished by leaving the 'Land of 10,000 Mistakes'.

Getting to Garnett's desire to play in a warm weather city (i.e. Phoenix); not happening (at least, if Minnesota doesn't live up to it's rep). Phoenix would be stupid to deal Amare and/or marion for him (although Marion sounds more feasible, given he's a free agent at season's end next year). The Suns would have to alter their style to fit Garnett's game, and that would ruin them. So, where would he go? I have no clue. I guess he's going to whoever has the pieces to give up for him.

In closing, we have a perennial crybaby and a perennial team suck-up who both want out of dodge. I can't stand hearing about the rumors every day, but with so little to talk about, that's all we have to look forward to. Maybe Mark Cuban and his other buddys forming that new football league should start it up in June. Then maybe we could have something different to talk about. Until then, at least the NBA Draft is coming up. Maybe a deal can get done by then!

Last night was an eventful one in the NBA. We saw players get suspended, teams slack away another game, and a team move on to round three. Let's get topic #1 out of the way first: the suspensions of Spurs F Robert Horry (2 games for his hockeyesque hip check of Steve Nash) and Suns Fs Boris Diaw and, more importantly, Amare Stoudemire for leaving the bench. The Horry suspension was justified simply because of who was involved. If he had hit Diaw instead, it would have been one game at most or even just a fine. As for Amare and Diaw, I guess David Stern and Stu Jackson really want to decide the best series in round two, because they really didn't need to suspend them. They barely went past the coaches line and didn't up the ante of the fight! Stern and Jackson let their pride get in the way here: they thought "We've been consistent so far; let's suspend the stars anyway!". They don't realize they just swung the balance of the series to the Spurs, not just tonight, but for six and (maybe) seven, because the Suns will wear themselves out tonight and be drained for later. Congrats to them! As for slackers, the Pistons sleepwalked through another blowout loss to the Bulls, this time at home, where they hadn't lost a closeout game in over a decade, and now face a 2006 moment again: another seven game series in round two. What makes this quagmire even more depressing is that Cleveland could finish off the Nets tonight (a likely possibility) and rest and wait for Detroit in round three. Last year, Miami had loits of rest and blew away the Pistons. The sad thing is that the Pistons have let the Bulls get huge leads early in each of the last three games, and had they not made that comeback in game three, they'd be down 3-2! Why are they so complacent? No one knows. They just are. Lastly, Utah became the first conference finalists after knocking off the Warriors, allowing the 'national nightmare', as Charles Barkley has called them, to end. Personally, the Warriors were a great story, and their elimination was not a good thing. However, Utah was simply too big, and Carlos Boozer, as I stated on a previous blog entry, was the key, dominating the paint and the smaller defenders all series. Kudos also for the embattled Andrei Kirilenko, who was huge throughout, as well. That said, the Spurs-Suns winner should win the West. But the Jazz are back as a top tier team again. And Jerry Sloan proved he can win without Stockton and Malone. Well, now I must get ready for tonight's slate. Hopefully Phoenix can survive. Maybe Stern and Jackson can play.

Well, the Spurs beat the Suns to take a two to one lead in their series. Tim Duncan was his usual self in this game, dominating the Suns smaller front line and showing why he was the two time former MVP. Amare Stoudemire, meanwhile, was shown what can happen when you open your big mouth. With the referees paying closer attention to the 'dirty play', Stoudemire was called for fouls in a hurry, piling up five in seemingly record time. His (lack of) presence was a key factor in the Suns' loss, along with a plethora of missed threes. After the game, however, the focus was on one of hte players Amare mentioned as 'dirty' and a play on offense, ironically enough, that could cost him. Bruce Bowen, the highest vote-getter on all-NBA defense, was handling the ball against Steve Nash when he raised his leg, catching Nash squarely in the jewels. The league is reviewing the play to see if it was intentional and to render a punishment against Bowen if it's warrented. From where I sat, it doesn't seem intentional. Bowen was simply making a move against his defender, raised his leg, and Nash, being close enough to smell his breath, got caught 'out of position'. There's nothing wrong with that. I think that Amare got what he wanted; the league, hypersensitive to critics, is taking a preemptive strike to prevent futher criticism of their refs (remember the Duncan-Crawford incident; they don't want another one of those). The most they should do is fine him a small amount, warn him if this stuff happens again, that he will be suspended, and let him play game 4 tonight. As for Phoenix as a team, get over it! This series could actually do you some good. It will definately make you tougher, and if you win the series, you should go all the way to the Finals. So get out there, and play the game the right way, as Larry Brown says. To quote Herm Edwards, "Play to win the game!". Quit crying! By the way, I say Spurs in six.