azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 18, 2005 12:00 AM
The Suns have bent their truths and sold their tickets.
They've also killed the best buzz this town has had in years, and now, an embarrassed organization is scrambling to save face.
"We got a nice hangover today," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said after Thursday's practice, and, oh, it's a thumper.
The new-look Suns are 1-4 at home. They don't dunk. They don't play defense. They don't even play that hard. It must be a shock to the 3,000 additional season ticket holders that thought they were purchasing a championship contender.
"Our defense really is not very good at all," D'Antoni said. "We thought we'd be better defensively and we're not."
Next, we'll be hearing that Raja Bell is really just a complimentary player and not Kobe the Sequel.
Part of the problem here is that the Suns have been running their mouths and their counter plays for months. They sold season tickets based on a core group of players, many of whom no longer dress in Phoenix. But when it came time to cut the checks, they wouldn't even stretch to keep Steven Hunter, as if 7-foot-tall, super-athletic shot-blocking centers simply grow in the family garden.
The Suns also inflated expectations for this year's team. They boasted how Bell and Kurt Thomas would give them an unprecedented defensive presence. They whispered how James Jones was a steal. And at the apex of this hubris, D'Antoni said the Suns would be a 50-win team without Amaré Stoudemire and a broadcaster crowed how Boris Diaw and two first-round picks would be a coup in exchange for Joe Johnson.
D'Antoni was selling to his players. The broadcaster was shilling for the franchise. It was all done so the Suns wouldn't lose the buzz, so they wouldn't lose the momentum that prompted a whopping 97 percent of season ticket holders to renew. And guess what? They lost it anyway, on the court, where words count for nothing.
"No doubt about it," D'Antoni said. "And I'm worried. And I'm ticked off about it. We let the buzz go away."
D'Antoni was talking about his players, and no doubt, they've been less than advertised. Jones can't dribble or play defense. Thomas and Brian Grant don't have the legs for D'Antoni's high-octane system. Bell is a supplemental piece, not even Bobby Jackson, much less Kobe Lite.
But those were organizational decisions, too, and throw in the timing of Stoudemire's contract extension - a maximum deal that came just before his sore knee required microfracture surgery - and it's safe to assume that Bryan Colangelo will not repeat as Executive of the Year.
"There are a lot of people out there with little grins on their faces, saying, 'I told you so,' " D'Antoni said. "As a player, I would take offense to that."
Not sure who D'Antoni is talking about, other than members of Johnson's posse down in Atlanta, because no one around here is digging this show. After all, how can a team so improved defensively allow the Grizzlies to drop 115 points on them? How can a team go from sizzle to fizzle in a matter of months? And how can a postseason favorite like Jimmy Jackson, so stellar in subbing for Johnson in the Western Conference semifinals, get chained to the bench?
"I've been through a lot, and I've never been through this before," Jackson said. "But this is a coaches and management decision, to see what they've got. It's out of my control. There's nothing I can do."
For now, D'Antoni is imploring his team to get mad, to get motivated, to play with a heightened sense of urgency. But these new faces don't know what's on the line. They weren't here last year. And unlike last year's team, this new group is far too professional, with far too little street swagger.
Granted, it's early. But the warning signs and the empty seats are not encouraging.
"We're taking it on the chin a little bit," Suns President Rick Welts said. "We have something that cures that, but right now, he's in rehabilitation."
Alas, let's all wish Stoudemire a speedy return, and that he really makes that much of a difference.
Reach Bickley at [email protected] or (602) 444-8253.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/1118bickley1118.html
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 18, 2005 12:00 AM
The Suns have bent their truths and sold their tickets.
They've also killed the best buzz this town has had in years, and now, an embarrassed organization is scrambling to save face.
"We got a nice hangover today," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said after Thursday's practice, and, oh, it's a thumper.
The new-look Suns are 1-4 at home. They don't dunk. They don't play defense. They don't even play that hard. It must be a shock to the 3,000 additional season ticket holders that thought they were purchasing a championship contender.
"Our defense really is not very good at all," D'Antoni said. "We thought we'd be better defensively and we're not."
Next, we'll be hearing that Raja Bell is really just a complimentary player and not Kobe the Sequel.
Part of the problem here is that the Suns have been running their mouths and their counter plays for months. They sold season tickets based on a core group of players, many of whom no longer dress in Phoenix. But when it came time to cut the checks, they wouldn't even stretch to keep Steven Hunter, as if 7-foot-tall, super-athletic shot-blocking centers simply grow in the family garden.
The Suns also inflated expectations for this year's team. They boasted how Bell and Kurt Thomas would give them an unprecedented defensive presence. They whispered how James Jones was a steal. And at the apex of this hubris, D'Antoni said the Suns would be a 50-win team without Amaré Stoudemire and a broadcaster crowed how Boris Diaw and two first-round picks would be a coup in exchange for Joe Johnson.
D'Antoni was selling to his players. The broadcaster was shilling for the franchise. It was all done so the Suns wouldn't lose the buzz, so they wouldn't lose the momentum that prompted a whopping 97 percent of season ticket holders to renew. And guess what? They lost it anyway, on the court, where words count for nothing.
"No doubt about it," D'Antoni said. "And I'm worried. And I'm ticked off about it. We let the buzz go away."
D'Antoni was talking about his players, and no doubt, they've been less than advertised. Jones can't dribble or play defense. Thomas and Brian Grant don't have the legs for D'Antoni's high-octane system. Bell is a supplemental piece, not even Bobby Jackson, much less Kobe Lite.
But those were organizational decisions, too, and throw in the timing of Stoudemire's contract extension - a maximum deal that came just before his sore knee required microfracture surgery - and it's safe to assume that Bryan Colangelo will not repeat as Executive of the Year.
"There are a lot of people out there with little grins on their faces, saying, 'I told you so,' " D'Antoni said. "As a player, I would take offense to that."
Not sure who D'Antoni is talking about, other than members of Johnson's posse down in Atlanta, because no one around here is digging this show. After all, how can a team so improved defensively allow the Grizzlies to drop 115 points on them? How can a team go from sizzle to fizzle in a matter of months? And how can a postseason favorite like Jimmy Jackson, so stellar in subbing for Johnson in the Western Conference semifinals, get chained to the bench?
"I've been through a lot, and I've never been through this before," Jackson said. "But this is a coaches and management decision, to see what they've got. It's out of my control. There's nothing I can do."
For now, D'Antoni is imploring his team to get mad, to get motivated, to play with a heightened sense of urgency. But these new faces don't know what's on the line. They weren't here last year. And unlike last year's team, this new group is far too professional, with far too little street swagger.
Granted, it's early. But the warning signs and the empty seats are not encouraging.
"We're taking it on the chin a little bit," Suns President Rick Welts said. "We have something that cures that, but right now, he's in rehabilitation."
Alas, let's all wish Stoudemire a speedy return, and that he really makes that much of a difference.
Reach Bickley at [email protected] or (602) 444-8253.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/1118bickley1118.html
Yeah, the Suns killed the buzz in less than 10 games. Great.... 
