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Phoenix
Take A Look At The Frontcourt
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Jason Fleming
Basketball News Services
This entire offseason the big talk has been about the Phoenix Suns' backcourt. Sure, they added two new starters in Steve Nash and Quentin Richardson, plus they already had a pair of capable starters in Joe Johnson and Leandro Barbosa, so yes the backcourt could well be the key for this team. But, the frontcourt is not lagging as far behind their shorter brethren as people might be inclined to believe. Amare Stoudemire may be the only established star there, but he won't be the only to contribute.
The centers on the roster are Jake Voskuhl and Steven Hunter. The other power forwards are Maciej Lampe, Zarko Cabarkapa, and Jackson Vroman to go along with Amare - plus the team seems ready to add Scott Williams any day now. No, none of those players are making opponents lose sleep at night - not yet anyway. Let's take a look at what's expected of each of those guys, one at a time:
Voskuhl - He may or may not start like he did last year - that probably depends on how well Hunter players - but then the Suns put him into the game they know exactly what they get. Voskuhl has nice hands around the basket, hits the boards pretty hard, and plays decent physical defense. He's not a shotblocker, not a shooter, not a scorer, and that's okay. This team already has scorers.
Hunter - Like Voskuhl his minutes are kind of up in the air right now. In the end it probably doesn't matter if one starts or not because unless we start seeing great things they will pretty much split time. Hunter is a huge defensive presence - he blocks shots and hits the boards like a madman. Offensively he has a couple moves, but not much.
Lampe - Here is the darkhorse to watch for the center position. Lampe didn't do a whole lot in his rookie season, but played well towards the end of March and in April. He was the team's best post player in summer ball and he provides a very interesting contrast to Voskuhl and Hunter. He can shoot from anywhere on the floor, is a decent rebound, but he needs to work on his rebounding and defensive positioning. If he does that, he might sneak some more minutes.
Cabarkapa - Zarko (that's just fun to type) didn't show a heck of a lot when he did get on the court last year, but the team remains committed to watching him grow. He's had some injury issues and will likely begin the 2004-05 season where he ended 2003-04 - on the bench.
Vroman - Every team needs a guy like Vroman. He hustles, he dives for loose balls, he hits the boards like a hungry bear looking for meat - what's not to like? Vroman also has a decent shot out to about fifteen feet. But, his most minutes will also come in garbage time. Welcome to the league rookie...
Williams - Whether or not he does sign is still up in the air, but if he is Suns' fans better not expect much. Even in his prime when he was winning NBA titles in Chicago Williams wasn't much of a threat offensively or defensively. What he can do is be a solid leader in the lockerroom and teach all the young guys about the game of basketball. He was schooled under Dean Smith at North Carolina so he knows hoop - plus he played with Michael Jordan. If he does sign it will be with the hope he makes an impression.
Does it still not sound like a ton? Well, consider this: The 1, 2, and 3 spots will likely score over 70 points a game. Throw in 20 a night from Stoudemire and that puts the Suns at about 90 points a game. If the rest of the forwards and centers can put up 10-15 points a night the Suns will be in great shape, especially if they also clean the boards and play a little defense. I'll admit they could be better, but then, the team isn't asking for a lot.
Take A Look At The Frontcourt
____ ___
Jason Fleming
Basketball News Services
This entire offseason the big talk has been about the Phoenix Suns' backcourt. Sure, they added two new starters in Steve Nash and Quentin Richardson, plus they already had a pair of capable starters in Joe Johnson and Leandro Barbosa, so yes the backcourt could well be the key for this team. But, the frontcourt is not lagging as far behind their shorter brethren as people might be inclined to believe. Amare Stoudemire may be the only established star there, but he won't be the only to contribute.
The centers on the roster are Jake Voskuhl and Steven Hunter. The other power forwards are Maciej Lampe, Zarko Cabarkapa, and Jackson Vroman to go along with Amare - plus the team seems ready to add Scott Williams any day now. No, none of those players are making opponents lose sleep at night - not yet anyway. Let's take a look at what's expected of each of those guys, one at a time:
Voskuhl - He may or may not start like he did last year - that probably depends on how well Hunter players - but then the Suns put him into the game they know exactly what they get. Voskuhl has nice hands around the basket, hits the boards pretty hard, and plays decent physical defense. He's not a shotblocker, not a shooter, not a scorer, and that's okay. This team already has scorers.
Hunter - Like Voskuhl his minutes are kind of up in the air right now. In the end it probably doesn't matter if one starts or not because unless we start seeing great things they will pretty much split time. Hunter is a huge defensive presence - he blocks shots and hits the boards like a madman. Offensively he has a couple moves, but not much.
Lampe - Here is the darkhorse to watch for the center position. Lampe didn't do a whole lot in his rookie season, but played well towards the end of March and in April. He was the team's best post player in summer ball and he provides a very interesting contrast to Voskuhl and Hunter. He can shoot from anywhere on the floor, is a decent rebound, but he needs to work on his rebounding and defensive positioning. If he does that, he might sneak some more minutes.
Cabarkapa - Zarko (that's just fun to type) didn't show a heck of a lot when he did get on the court last year, but the team remains committed to watching him grow. He's had some injury issues and will likely begin the 2004-05 season where he ended 2003-04 - on the bench.
Vroman - Every team needs a guy like Vroman. He hustles, he dives for loose balls, he hits the boards like a hungry bear looking for meat - what's not to like? Vroman also has a decent shot out to about fifteen feet. But, his most minutes will also come in garbage time. Welcome to the league rookie...
Williams - Whether or not he does sign is still up in the air, but if he is Suns' fans better not expect much. Even in his prime when he was winning NBA titles in Chicago Williams wasn't much of a threat offensively or defensively. What he can do is be a solid leader in the lockerroom and teach all the young guys about the game of basketball. He was schooled under Dean Smith at North Carolina so he knows hoop - plus he played with Michael Jordan. If he does sign it will be with the hope he makes an impression.
Does it still not sound like a ton? Well, consider this: The 1, 2, and 3 spots will likely score over 70 points a game. Throw in 20 a night from Stoudemire and that puts the Suns at about 90 points a game. If the rest of the forwards and centers can put up 10-15 points a night the Suns will be in great shape, especially if they also clean the boards and play a little defense. I'll admit they could be better, but then, the team isn't asking for a lot.
