I'm one of those people who just have never liked sequels. Or remakes, for that matter. Once I've seen a movie, the sequel(s) usually turn out to be more of the same, and don't live up to the hype. Sure, there are a few exceptions: Back To The Future II was pretty good, but that was planned from the get-go. Although the third installment, true to form, left something to be desired. All three Final Destination flicks were pretty good, too, if you like that genre. There are a few others-very few. But I stopped after the second Rocky, the first Rambo, and the first Lethal Weapon. I guess I just didn't see the point. My kids did convince me to watch the remake of When A Stranger Calls about a year ago. Having seen the original, the second offering was a waste of time. Even they thought so, and they hadn't seen the first one. But want to.

As the Phoenix Suns are once again flying high, though the recent back to back losses have them sitting at 11-4, (yawn), I can't help but think that we've seen this all before. As usual, their big three of Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Amare Stoudemire will guarantee that they are one of the more formidable teams in the league, and a joy to watch. And again, their top seven players-add in Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Leandro Barbosa, and Boris Diaw-are probably as good as anybody's. Throw in Brian Skinner, who has been a pleasant surprise in the middle with his athleticism, shot blocking, and ability to connect from mid-range AND the free throw line, and you have an eight man squad that I'd put money on against anyone. Just as I would have on last year's eight. Problem is, NBA teams are allowed to dress 12. Which most nights are wasted wages to those who collect a paycheck for laundering the Suns' jerseys.

 That wasn't the case in the preseason or the first couple weeks of the season. As head coach Mike D'Antoni does every year, he gave decent minutes to backup point guard Marcus Banks, frontliner Sean Marks, and sniper Eric Piatkowski. And the team's two rookies, D.J. Strawberry and Alando Tucker, saw significant time in the preseason, adding an energy on both ends of the court that stuck out like a sore thumb. Tucker was recently sent to the developmental league, and Strawberry may be headed there too in the not-to-distant future. I have a hard time believing that another team as much in need of young, quick guard play as the Suns are wouldn't be able to find a spot for these guys in the rotation.

It appears that D'Antoni's main problem with Marcus Banks is that he's not Steve Nash. But nobody is. And after some steady performances and a solid game against the Kings just over a week ago, in which he was leading the break, throwing some no-look passes, and playing solid defense, Banks hasn't seen the floor. In the same time, Nash's average minutes per game have risen slightly, from around 33 prior to just under 36 since. And while Nash is playing at an unbelievable level right now, there are still 60-plus games to go. This is not an indictment of Nash, but everyone knows that, while in excellent condition, he would be best served by scaling back on the playing time a bit. Common sense would say that an average of around 30-32 minutes per game, and 16-18 for Banks, would serve both players much better come May. But unfortunately, I've seen this before. It won't happen.

Grant Hill was immediately anointed a starter upon his inking the contract, and I'm not sure why. Not that he doesn't have a starter's ability, but his current average of 35 minutes per game-we're still in November-doesn't bode well for the spring. The optimum situation would have been bringing Hill off the bench for 20-25 minutes, to keep him and everyone else relatively fresh throughout the season. But as we have seen, a definite pattern has been established. A prequel, if you will.

Today, D'Antoni lamented in the East Valley Tribune (www.eastvalleytribune.com) that his team doesn't seem to be enjoying themselves much these days. While they're still winning, they don't have the enthusiasm of the team from three years ago. Which is somewhat understandable, since the pressure then was almost non-existent compared to now. But at the same time, a deeper rotation and an infusion from the bench, including the afore-mentioned rookies, could do nothing but help the overall attitude. He went on to say that his team was playing uptight and without the free flowing energy of years past. Hey coach, you think it's bad now? Wait until the end of the season, when those top seven or eight guys on your roster have the off-season in the back of their mind so they can get some rest. You no longer have to defend yourself when it comes to your style of play. We saw last year you have no qualms about going head to head with Dallas or San Antonio. Nor do you have to explain your team's lack of consistent defense. It has shown that, in a big game, it can play it when it has to-provided you have all yours weapons at your disposal. More on that to follow. But, as has been written by yours truly in this space in the past, you have yet to answer the shallow bench criticism. And therein lies the problem.

Three years ago, the revamped Suns sprinted to the best record in the league, but lost to the Spurs in the conference finals, even though Stoudemire was a beast, averaging 37 points per game. A healthy Joe Johnson, who broke his face against Dallas in the previous round, may have helped. But not to worry. This was a team on the rise. Two years ago, Stoudemire was on the shelf and two new starters were replacing Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson. But despite all the doom and gloom predictions, and thanks to Nash's second MVP season and a season for the ages from Shawn Marion, the overachieving Suns once again slipped into the conference finals, where they lost to the Mavericks in six games. We could've done without Raja Bell pulling a calf muscle, though. Especially since the rotation was already stretched about as thin as could be. Last season, I was convinced that the Suns were getting over the hump. Their two long winning streaks, their late season erasure of a 15 point fourth quarter deficit at Dallas to win in overtime, and their victory at San Antonio in game four of their series after trailing by 11 midway through the fourth told me the Suns were tough, hungry, and ready. Well, at least eight of them were. But when the eight became six, they came up short yet again. Even in game five, without Stoudemire and Diaw, the Suns led throughout until late in the fourth. Then they ran out of gas. Kind of like a sequel that tries to thrive off the previous edition. It just never seems to work.

Perhaps next off-season, the trade rumors regarding Shawn Marion will be replaced by the search for a new coach. Which would make a lot more sense. Without Marion, the Suns are no better than a five seed. After all, the Suns have won with a banged-up-Nash. They've won without Stoudemire. But without the ever-durable and supremely consistent Marion, they would be at a loss. And without D'Antoni? Who knows. But his window, if not the Suns', is about to be closed for maintenance.  I know. I've already seen this movie.

Thanks for taking the time to read.