At least Shawn Marion and Joe Johnson on getting plenty of time to work on their games. Until recently when he started opening up from beyond the arc again, Shawn Marion's game was starting to get better again. I still think the biggest difference between this year in years past is that he has absolutely no confidence in his midrange jumper. Last season on a break he could pull up and nail that little jumper almost every time. Now you can see the hesitation when he takes that shot, and it rarely goes in. I think he's better shooting when he is well guarded now.
JJ's game and confidence has obviously improved by leaps and bounds since the trade. I still would like him to play more soundly on his perimeter defense. Of course that really goes for almost all of the Phoenix Suns perimeter defenders. I would also like to see him take better care of the ball when he tried since the win. It would certainly help if the referees would just below the whistling he's getting his arms taken off by swiping defenders though.
Anyhow, here's the article.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/0401suns0401.html
No down time
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 1, 2004 12:00 AM
You cannot blame Joe Johnson and Shawn Marion for feeling like this dreadful Suns season has been a long one.
They have put in more than enough time. Johnson has played more minutes than anyone in the NBA, and Marion was behind only Johnson and Stephon Marbury entering Wednesday's games. Marion led the league in minutes per game.
Both players have proved that time is indeed as valuable as it is perishable. Johnson, who has not missed a game in his two full seasons with the Suns, has established himself as a young cornerstone for the franchise's rebuilding.
"I'm going to ride this thing until the wheels fall off," Johnson said.
Have a question for your favorite Suns player? Click here to submit the question for one of our reporters to take it to the source. Look for the answers on Page 2 of Saturday's Arizona Republic.
Marion is doing his mightiest to earn his maximum contract. In Friday's game at Memphis, he likely will become only the second Suns player, after Dan Majerle, to register three straight seasons of at least 3,000 minutes.
"Woooo, 3,000 is a lot of minutes," Marion said. "You've got to suck it up. I don't believe in sitting out. That's why you've got ibuprofens and all those pain-killers."
Neither player lacks productivity. Marion is the NBA total steals leader and is 10th in the league in efficiency rating. Johnson has averaged 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists since Marbury and Penny Hardaway were traded to New York in January.
"They don't seem to get tired or let the minutes bother them," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They're both durable and have great bodies. One's a diesel (Johnson) and one's a Ferrari (Marion)."
Past Phoenix coaches have driven their players this hard. Dick Van Arsdale was a 1969 Camaro in the Suns' 1968-69 inaugural season, a 16-66 campaign.
Van Arsdale played 3,388 minutes, a team single-season record. He set the mark without new shoes every other game, luxury charter flights or the level of weight training and medical staffing these Suns enjoy.
Then again, the game was not so fast and the bodies not so powerful.
"My attitude was I never wanted to come out of the game anyway," said Van Arsdale, the Suns senior vice president for player personnel. "Older people tend to look at it and say, 'How do they play that many minutes?' But when you're young, you recover.
"You want to help the team be successful. It hasn't been a great season by any means, but at least they are trying hard."
There are several reasons for Johnson's and Marion's heavy minutes, not the least of which is the Suns' youth. In recent games, D'Antoni has had only nine available players. If the score is close, Marion and Johnson will be tapped to play to the horn.
"I'm just thankful to be able to play all 82 games and go out and enjoy this life we've been blessed with," Johnson said. "I've got to thank God for letting me go through these seasons without injuries. A lot of opportunities have opened up for me."
Van Arsdale's record may not have been safe had Marbury and Hardaway been dealt earlier. Johnson has played 40 or more minutes in 28 straight games. It's the longest streak by an NBA player since the 1996-97 season, when Charlotte's Anthony Mason had 30 consecutive games of 40-plus minutes.
All that and Johnson does not even ice down after games.
"When I used to look at Steph, he was playing 43, 45, 48 minutes a night," he said. "I used to tell him all the time, 'I don't think I could do it.' I think it's more of a mental thing. If you don't worry about it, it's not going to give you any problems. . . . If you have a strong mind, you can go a long way."
JJ's game and confidence has obviously improved by leaps and bounds since the trade. I still would like him to play more soundly on his perimeter defense. Of course that really goes for almost all of the Phoenix Suns perimeter defenders. I would also like to see him take better care of the ball when he tried since the win. It would certainly help if the referees would just below the whistling he's getting his arms taken off by swiping defenders though.
Anyhow, here's the article.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/0401suns0401.html
No down time
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 1, 2004 12:00 AM
You cannot blame Joe Johnson and Shawn Marion for feeling like this dreadful Suns season has been a long one.
They have put in more than enough time. Johnson has played more minutes than anyone in the NBA, and Marion was behind only Johnson and Stephon Marbury entering Wednesday's games. Marion led the league in minutes per game.
Both players have proved that time is indeed as valuable as it is perishable. Johnson, who has not missed a game in his two full seasons with the Suns, has established himself as a young cornerstone for the franchise's rebuilding.
"I'm going to ride this thing until the wheels fall off," Johnson said.
Have a question for your favorite Suns player? Click here to submit the question for one of our reporters to take it to the source. Look for the answers on Page 2 of Saturday's Arizona Republic.
Marion is doing his mightiest to earn his maximum contract. In Friday's game at Memphis, he likely will become only the second Suns player, after Dan Majerle, to register three straight seasons of at least 3,000 minutes.
"Woooo, 3,000 is a lot of minutes," Marion said. "You've got to suck it up. I don't believe in sitting out. That's why you've got ibuprofens and all those pain-killers."
Neither player lacks productivity. Marion is the NBA total steals leader and is 10th in the league in efficiency rating. Johnson has averaged 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists since Marbury and Penny Hardaway were traded to New York in January.
"They don't seem to get tired or let the minutes bother them," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They're both durable and have great bodies. One's a diesel (Johnson) and one's a Ferrari (Marion)."
Past Phoenix coaches have driven their players this hard. Dick Van Arsdale was a 1969 Camaro in the Suns' 1968-69 inaugural season, a 16-66 campaign.
Van Arsdale played 3,388 minutes, a team single-season record. He set the mark without new shoes every other game, luxury charter flights or the level of weight training and medical staffing these Suns enjoy.
Then again, the game was not so fast and the bodies not so powerful.
"My attitude was I never wanted to come out of the game anyway," said Van Arsdale, the Suns senior vice president for player personnel. "Older people tend to look at it and say, 'How do they play that many minutes?' But when you're young, you recover.
"You want to help the team be successful. It hasn't been a great season by any means, but at least they are trying hard."
There are several reasons for Johnson's and Marion's heavy minutes, not the least of which is the Suns' youth. In recent games, D'Antoni has had only nine available players. If the score is close, Marion and Johnson will be tapped to play to the horn.
"I'm just thankful to be able to play all 82 games and go out and enjoy this life we've been blessed with," Johnson said. "I've got to thank God for letting me go through these seasons without injuries. A lot of opportunities have opened up for me."
Van Arsdale's record may not have been safe had Marbury and Hardaway been dealt earlier. Johnson has played 40 or more minutes in 28 straight games. It's the longest streak by an NBA player since the 1996-97 season, when Charlotte's Anthony Mason had 30 consecutive games of 40-plus minutes.
All that and Johnson does not even ice down after games.
"When I used to look at Steph, he was playing 43, 45, 48 minutes a night," he said. "I used to tell him all the time, 'I don't think I could do it.' I think it's more of a mental thing. If you don't worry about it, it's not going to give you any problems. . . . If you have a strong mind, you can go a long way."
