Comparing this team to 2004-2006

[Griffin]

So what is the problem this season? More importantly, what is the problem this season that hasn't been a problem in the past? Three issues generally had been pointed out before and during the season: age, defense, and rebounding.

Age

There is little evidence to support that the Suns are simply too old. We only have two "old" players in Nash and Hill, and they are both not showing signs of slowing down yet due to age. Statistically, both are still performing at a high level. I don't believe that age is a factor in our struggles.

Defense and Rebounding

Yes, we struggle in both areas. We are unable to maintain defensive intensity and are constantly giving up offensive rebounds. We know the team can play better in both areas, because they have shown that earlier in the season. Nevertheless, these are still our two most glaring weaknesses. But these were also our biggest weaknesses in previous seasons (prior to Shaq). Between 2004-2006, we struggled defensively and were constantly out-rebounded, but we were winning a lot more games.

		2009	2004	2005	2006

reb diff	-2.1	-2.0	-4.1	-2.3
opp off reb	13.7	15.0	12.5	12.3
opp fg%		45.8%	44.5%	45.4%	45.7%

So how did we manage to win so many games in the past despite being statistically as bad in those areas as we are now?

Personnel

2004 starters: Stoudemire, Nash, Marion, Joe Johnson, Quentin Richardson
2004 bench: Barbosa, Jim Jackson

2005 starters: Diaw, Nash, Marion, Bell, Kurt Thomas
2005 bench: Barbosa, James Jones, Tim Thomas, Eddie House

2006 starters: Amare, Nash, Marion, Bell, Diaw
2006 bench: Barbosa, James Jones, Kurt Thomas

From 2004 to 2009 we've replaced JJ, QRich and Marion with JRich, Grant Hill and Frye. JRich is no JJ, but JJ wasn't really playing yet at the level that he is with Atlanta, and was a third option on our team. Hill, even at his age, is an upgrade over QRich on both ends of the floor, imo. We have never been able to replace what Marion brought to the team though, but we have improved our bench with Dragic, Lopez (and now Frye as Lopez is starting), Dudley and Amundson. And unlike in the past seasons, we have a decent backup PG in Dragic and a serviceable big in Lopez (an upgrade over Steven Hunter). And we still have the two main pieces in Amare and Nash. So I don't believe that we simply don't have a roster good enough to be more competitive than they are currently. But whether some of our players are playing up to their capability or are under-performing is another question.

Style of play

Gentry returned the team to playing the style they wanted to play, the style at which they excelled the most. It worked for us in the past, so why not now? One argument is that teams are simply getting too good at defending our pick-n-rolls and slowing us down. Perhaps, but then why did it take them so many years? If this is indeed a "gimmick" offense as some call it, why were we so successful at it for three seasons (2004-2006)? No, we didn't win any titles, but we certainly played a lot better than we are now. Whether our style is capable of winning a title is an open question. But we are not talking about titles here, we're talking about winning 50+ games and making the playoffs, which right now seems doubtful the way we've been playing for the last two months or so.

Team chemistry

Can never be really sure about this one, but so far the indications had been that the team has good chemistry, everyone likes each other, etc. But losing tends to mess up team chemistry, so I wonder if everyone is still getting along as well as they did at the start of the season. Nevertheless, I don't think that this is a big problem yet.

Coaching

This is a tough one. Gentry does a lot of things right. He lets the players play to their strengths, goes deep with the bench, tries to rest Nash regularly, stresses defense. But like his predecessors, getting players to execute on defense has been a challenge. But what I don't see is adjustments to what other teams are doing defensively. Not in-game, not between games. We fall for the same traps over and over. We don't get easy hoops out of timeouts anymore. How much of that is lack of preparation and how much lack of execution?

Offense

I believe that our offense is actually a big problem right now. We are playing as badly defensively and rebounding-wise as we had in the past. But our offense is nowhere near as potent or efficient as it has been, therefore we are unable to simply outscore teams to victory. We are unable to demoralize the opponent, to take their will away but constantly pushing the ball and getting layups on the other end. This is also why our defensive and rebounding deficiencies are all the more apparent. When we can't rely on our offense to get key hoops down the stretch, then defensive stops are all the more important, and giving up second chance opportunities all the more costly.

Intangibles (mental strength, heart, desire, etc.)

We have good enough of a team to play a lot better, but the team has no confidence right now, and neither the coaching staff nor the team captains have been able to restore it. Our style of play demands high energy, intensity and focus. Our players, while physically able, don't seem mentally prepared to perform at the level necessary to win anymore. They let leads slip away because they get down on themselves and stop playing hard. They make stupid mistakes (how many inbound turnovers in the backcourt can a team have?) They fold under the pressure. As for heart and desire, who knows? Seems like some players don't really care that much about winning anymore. Perhaps, with a championship being assumed to be out of reach this season, they see little to play for.

 

[cly2tw]

Nash has been figured out over these years. The only chance for the current Suns to have a shot would be for Nash to change his style into Stockton like, ever since the 1st round loss with Spurs. The rest is history.

 

[elindholm]

Did you look at the turnover statistics? The last time I checked, the Suns were somewhere around -3 in turnover differential, among the worst in the league. During 2004-06, they forced a lot of steals and had a turnover advantage, I think. Marion, Johnson, and even Quentin Richardson were better at creating deflections and getting into passing lanes than the current Suns wings.

 

[Griffin]

Did you look at the turnover statistics? The last time I checked, the Suns were somewhere around -3 in turnover differential, among the worst in the league. During 2004-06, they forced a lot of steals and had a turnover advantage, I think. Marion, Johnson, and even Quentin Richardson were better at creating deflections and getting into passing lanes than the current Suns wings.

	[B]2009[/B]	2004	2005	2006

TO	[B]14.5[/B]	13.4	12.8	14.0
opp TO	[B]12.7[/B]	13.2	14.3	14.6
	[B]+1.8[/B]	+0.2	-1.5	-0.6

Yes, our turnover differential has gotten progressively worse since we traded away Marion. But that's not just on the defensive end. Especially this season, we commit a lot more careless turnovers that could have and should have been easily avoided such as the inbound ones or players simply not expecting the ball.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

Gentry is a terrible coach. When your team is consistently blowing big leads, it means the coach is not doing a good job with in-game adjustments. I am also baffled by his play of Frye over Lopez late in close games when we need defensive stops and rebounding.

 

[green machine]

When this Suns team first got going they had superior athletes all over the court. They'd run around you or by you. Now they don't have that advantage.k

 

[jagu]

Gentry is a terrible coach. When your team is consistently blowing big leads, it means the coach is not doing a good job with in-game adjustments. I am also baffled by his play of Frye over Lopez late in close games when we need defensive stops and rebounding.

No question, the guy is clueless and he has never adjusted in any game.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

No question, the guy is clueless and he has never adjusted in any game.

To top it off, he never gets on anybody. Ever. His response to when one of our players makes a bonehead play? "ookaaaayyyyy"

Dude is just too nice to be an effective Head Coach.

 

[cly2tw]

Gentry is a terrible coach. When your team is consistently blowing big leads, it means the coach is not doing a good job with in-game adjustments. I am also baffled by his play of Frye over Lopez late in close games when we need defensive stops and rebounding.

Why baffled? If you trust in Nash as Gentry does, you need to make it as comfortable for him as possible with the supporting cast. Frye spreads the floor to make Nash's dribble more effective, though meanwhile no longer effective at all. That's kind of the dilemma of a Nash led team. It's not so easy to just change one piece and say you'd have about the same offense but better defense. There is some reason why DA refused to play KT regularly back then, despite what we witnessed in the series with Spurs what a mistake that was. It's a gambling kind of thing that works in regular season with good success.

 

[nashman]

I love how you always twist it to be a Nash issure Cly, how ridiculous Nash is the best player on the team is the leader, has more heart than Amare and most of our squad could ever hope to have. The Nash days will be missed when he is gone!

 

[SactownSunsFan]

Why baffled? If you trust in Nash as Gentry does, you need to make it as comfortable for him as possible with the supporting cast. Frye spreads the floor to make Nash's dribble more effective, though meanwhile no longer effective at all. That's kind of the dilemma of a Nash led team. It's not so easy to just change one piece and say you'd have about the same offense but better defense. There is some reason why DA refused to play KT regularly back then, despite what we witnessed in the series with Spurs what a mistake that was. It's a gambling kind of thing that works in regular season with good success.

It's not a Nash issue - Nash has had no problems feeding Robin Lopez the ball. Having RoLo in doesn't spread the floor like it does when Frye is in, but he isn't exactly hogging the interior and disrupting Nash's dribble penetration the way Shaq was either.

 

[Cheesewater]

Hasn't the rest of the Western Conference also gotten BETTER over the last few seasons?

 

[SactownSunsFan]

Well, yeah.... There's that too.

 

[DeAnna]

I love how you always twist it to be a Nash issure Cly, how ridiculous

What's even funnier is that he always manages to get Stockton's name in there as well.

 

[Mainstreet]

The Suns are doing much better than I expected at this stage in the season. The Suns have a doughnut whole in the middle especially on defense but also offensively as well. This is a player personnel matter that has not been properly addressed. I had expected opposing teams to expose the Suns lack of presence in the middle more than what has transpired. So I have to give Gentry some credit for having a winning record.

However, if Gentry is a "terrible coach" as said by SactownSunsFan (and Porter was worse) why no love for DA?

I supported the Suns keeping DA for one primary reason. If the Suns didn't have a suitable replacement in the wings, why opt for worse coaches. Unless the Suns decide they are finally going for a championship, they might as well keep Gentry as HC.