Coach: Mike D'Antoni 2006-2007 Record: 62-20 06-07 Expected Record: 60-22 Offensive Rating: 113.9 (1st in NBA, league average 106.5) Defensive Rating: 106.4 (14th in NBA, league average 106.5) eFG%: 55.1% (1st in NBA) Possessions per 48: 95.6 (3rd in NBA)
Roster (You'll have to scroll to see it all. Red indicates new player, blue indicates rookie)
Everything to be said about Nash has already been said. He's having an incredible run and is the engine behind one of the top offenses in NBA history.
There are a lot of great things to say about Marion, but he is as dumb as a brick sometimes. He gets to play with the greatest point guard of the decade on a championship contender with a style meshes perfectly with his skillset, and he whines constantly about being underappreciated, up to the point where he asked for a trade. Underappreciated or not, the guy needs to realize how good he has it.
I love the Grant Hill acquisition. He's still a difference maker when he's healthy and he can be a point forward and take some stress off of Nash. If he avoids injury (I know, big if), he can be a big factor for 25 minutes a night.
The Brazilian Blur is a starter on almost every other team in the league. He's a top flight scorer who is lightning quick and can hit the jumper.
Diaw showed up out of shape last year, and he had a down year all around. This year he had the Euroleague tournament over the summer, and he's arrived slimmed down and in shape. All signs point to a return to 05-06 form for Diaw.
I like Bell, he gives this team attitude that they sorely need. He'll see his minutes cut a bit this year with Hill coming in, but he's a great fit for this team. He plays good defense and knocks down open jumpers, as well as bringing intensity to the team.
I like DJ Strawberry a lot more than I like Alando Tucker. Strawberry is an extremely athletic player (he graded out #1 at the combine) who was as good a perimeter defender as anyone in college basketball last year. He's also extremely good at getting out on the break and finishing. I think he'll get some burn this year backing up Nash.
X-Factor: Amare Stoudemire - Now, you know what you're getting from Amare offensively. He's a great post scorer and finisher who finishes with authority around at rim. He'll probably average around 25 a game next year in his second year back from surgery. The question with Amare is what you're going to get on the defensive end. The reason I thought they should've moved him for KG this offseason is because KG is a dominant defensive force and one of the few players who can really match up with Duncan. With Kurt Thomas gone this year, Stoudemire has to improve as a post defender, or the Suns will probably be going home earlier than they want again.
Overview
To put in perspective just how good the Phoenix offense was, the difference in offensive rating between the worst offensive team and the 3rd best offensive team was 7 points per hundred possessions. The difference between the Suns and the 3rd best team was 4.1 . The second best shooting team was the Spurs, who had a 52.1 eFG%, a full 3 percentage points lower than the Suns. This team doesn't just run in order to score a lot, they are incredibly efficient scorers. The 06-07 season is always going to be marked with an asterisk for the Suns, as they were victims of a foolish rule that took two of their best players out of a pivotal playoff game. Whatever you think about that series, the fact is that we'll never know what would've happened if Diaw and Stoudemire hadn't been out, and that makes it tough to predict this team. Can they beat the Spurs without a good post defender? Can their high-octane style succeed in the playoffs? We'll have to wait till this year to find out.
Prediction
I have a bad feeling about this year for the Suns, and I hate that because I really like this Suns team. I think they made a mistake by not bringing in KG, and I think they'll suffer from not having Marc Iavaroni, who is a great defensive mind and one of the best prepared coaches in the business. Bringing in Hill is a good move that should improve their rotation, but I don't know if it's going to be a huge difference, and you never know if Hill can stay healthy. They had a bunch of draft picks and basically gave them away, and they gave away Kurt Thomas in a salary dump. They're still an excellent team and, in my opinion, the biggest threat to San Antonio's upset bid. However, I just have a lot of lingering doubts about them. I think Phoenix had a chance to make moves and really separate themselves in the offseason, and they just didn't do it. They're a very dangerous team, but they make me nervous.
Mike is the coach, Marc is his assistant and brother.
Suns did what they said they would do by keeping the core together, reduce the cap and bring in some vets and new blood. They should scare you because they should win it all this year barring injury. Diaw is the key.
whoops, I was thinking about Marc Iavoroni for some reason. I'll fix that.
The problem for the Suns will be defense, and barring a big improvement in Stoudemire's D, they just didn't add anything defensively. That combined with the fact that we never know how long Nash can continue to perform at this level makes me nervous about the Suns this year.
Banks is showing improvement and the new kid Strawberry has game. Barbosa's game is more under controll also. Heck, all Nash needs is to be able to knock his playing time down to 30 minutes and he should stay fresh all season.
Amare made the commitment to improve his defense this off season. So far he's done what he said he was going to do. Like I said, Diaw is the key. He needs to "man-up" and play like one. Marion (if he's serious about moving) will have to show strong to get a trade or the contract he's looking for.
I do feel Marion has been slighted when you take into consideration all he does, but i've discussed that many times before, so I won't go into it now.
Hill was good pickup. He can help a lot even if he only plays 25 minutes per game. Losing Kurt Thomas definitely hurt, and Iavaroni's departure may have as well, as you mentioned. Time will tell. But when all is said and done, it comes down to same thing it has for the last few seasons-will D'Antoni use his bench enough? If he hasn't learned by now, he never will. Strawberry, Tucker, and even holdover Sean Marks can help, if they can get off the bench. This is D'Antoni's last chance in my book, barring some unusual circumstances.
Look, I love Nash, I really do. He's had an incredible run the last 3 years that is as good as that of any point guard in history. However, he's 33, has back problems, and has logged a ton of minutes over the last few seasons. At some point in the next few years, he's going to start breaking down as point guards in their mid-30s inevitably do, and we don't know when that's going to be. That makes me a little nervous about the Suns.
I'll believe Stat's defensive improvement when I see it. People toss around improvement and positive statements all the time in the offseason, I have to be REALLY convinced of someone's offseason improvement before I'll bank on it.
Once again, I expect the Suns to get off to a good start because they always do when they have fresh legs. Their style of play is perfect for the regular season because of this.
They will have a top-three record in the NBA, will lead the league in scoring, and will be a thrill to watch. Losing Iavaroni is HUGE.
The always game Grant Hill will average 15, 7, and 7 but Phoenix will get outrebounded and get outscored in the paint 80% of the time.
RICKO's comment about D'Antoni's use of the bench, or lack thereof, is a major concern. Another concern is whether or not they will run out of gas after 82+ games considering that they are slowly getting older. They are a major injury away from really blowing their chances.
Another major issue is how the SUNS plan to b@ng against much bigger teams like Houston, San Antonio, Utah, the Lakers, and Denver because we all know that the run-n-gun can only take you so far. Teams who can run-n-gun and can also play a half-court game (i.e. San Antonio, Utah) almost always comes out on top. Phoenix had a losing record against Utah and the Spurs last year.
The Suns need to wake up and stop thinking they are the next version of SHOWTIME because if they don't start playing defense they will waste the brilliance of Steve Nash, who also needs to learn to play defense after Tony Parker absolutely toyed with him during last year's second round series.
Here come the Suns... NOT. Their best chance was last year cuz had they beaten S.A., they would have probably swept the Cavs.
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on October 22nd at 12:18 PM.
oids injury (I know, big if), he can be a big factor for 25 minutes a night.
t #1 at the combine) who was as good a perimeter defender as anyone in college basketball last year. He's also extremely good at getting out on the break and finishing. I think he'll get some burn this year backing up Nash.
a pivotal playoff game. Whatever you think about that series, the fact is that we'll never know what would've happened if Diaw and Stoudemire hadn't been out, and that makes it tough to predict this team. Can they beat the Spurs without a good post defender? Can their high-octane style succeed in the playoffs? We'll have to wait till this year to find out.
