Are the Suns burned out?
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Thursday, December 11
Updated: December 11
10:14 AM ET
Chat with NBA Insider Chad Ford at 1 p.m. EDT today!
Tuesday morning in Miami, Suns president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo was not in a good mood.
"You caught me on a bad day," Colangelo said in a subdued voice. "A really bad day."
Colangelo was on the road with his struggling team and was still recovering from the Suns' Monday night debacle in Orlando. Phoenix blew a 22-point first quarter lead and became the first team in 19 games to lose to the Magic.
The loss would end up being a crushing blow to both Colangelo and head coach Frank Johnson. Twenty-four hours later, Johnson was unemployed, assistant Mike D'Antoni was the new head coach and a depressed Colangelo was sifting through the embers, trying to find the spark that made the Suns the most promising young team in the NBA last season.
What happened to the Suns? What will it take to turn the team around? There are still more questions than answers right now.
"A Jekyl and Hyde Team"
Tuesday, Dec. 9 Something is wrong with the Suns. Something's been wrong all season. I visited Phoenix during the preseason, and the lack of energy both on the practice court and in a preseason game vs. the Nuggets was palpable.
Stephon Marbury & Co. blew off their poor start, attributing it to rust and overconfidence after a stunning season last year. Frank Johnson knew better.
"We are struggling, when we should be flourishing," Johnson told Insider in October. "I told our guys, last year we were picked as the 28th-best team in the league. Now we're picked anywhere from seven to 15. Are we complacent? I don't know. Are we playing with a sense of urgency? No. Last year when we went to training camp, everyone had a chip on their shoulder, because it was embarrassing how low we were picked. Now we're picked a littler higher, and some guys think we've made it."
"We think we're good, and we're not that good," he said. "If you're good, you compete."
Prophetic words from a soon to be doomed coach.
ColangeloColangelo has known the issues all season. He just still can't put his finger on what's causing it. The Suns got their wake-up call in the preseason. Why are they still hitting the snooze button?
"At times we've played brilliant basketball," Colangelo tells Insider. "At other times we play with no passion. The effort just disappears. The inconsistency is mind boggling. It wasn't a problem last year. This season it's just so ... disappointing."
One night, the team was blown out by 30 in Denver. The next night, on a back-to-back, it destroyed the Mavs by 31. Friday, the Suns came back from a 29-point deficit (the fourth-largest comeback ever) to beat Boston at home, 110-106. On Monday, they blew a 22-point lead to give the Magic just their second win of the season.
"The highs and lows are too extreme," Colangelo says. "One night the effort and energy is there. The next night ..."
Colangelo is wrestling with demons that are difficult to understand. His attempts to diagnose what causes those extremes are often met with long pauses and measured words.
He likes the team he's put together. He believes the core of Marbury, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire has what it takes to be competing for a championship someday. He believes it's just a matter of time before several of his young players, like Joe Johnson and rookie Zarko Cabarkapa, are stars.
The initial response when things go wrong is to make a trade that improves team chemistry or plugs a hole that is killing the team. Colangelo doesn't see a chemistry imbalance or a hole worth plugging.
"It's a core that you keep together," Colangelo says. "It's just too early to give up on this group of young players. For the most part they've shown the ability to win in the past."
Stephon Marbury
Point Guard
Phoenix Suns
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
21 19.7 3.1 8.2 .430 .821
That feels right. Marbury is taking the brunt of the blame, like he always does. But through 21 games, Marbury is putting up numbers very similar to his all-star performance last season. With the exception of a small dip in scoring, Marbury is essentially duplicating last season's success. He even has cut his turnovers down to 2.76 per game.
Stoudemire actually has improved from last season. He's averaging more points, rebounds and blocks per game than he did as a rookie. A serious ankle sprain suffered in Boston will keep him out for four weeks, but no one is suggesting he's to blame. In many ways Stoudemire has been the hardest-working player on the team.
Marion has been struggling. His scoring and rebounding are down significantly, and he's been unable to connect from the 3-point line this season, shooting a career-low 29 percent from behind the arc. However, since Stoudemire went down, Marion has averaged 27 ppg, 14.7 rpg on 48 percent shooting from the field. The Suns were 0-3 during that stretch.
Johnson was been woefully inconsistent. Like the last two seasons, Johnson usually wraps one good game -- like his 17-point, four-rebound, four-assist game against Boston -- around stinkers like a three-point, 1-for-8 effort against the T-Wolves and a zero point, 0-for-4 night against the Nets. It should come as no surprise that Johnson averages 15.1 ppg on 47 percent shooting in wins and just 8.7 ppg on 31 percent shooting in losses.
The Suns' biggest perceived weakness -- at center -- hasn't really been a problem since the team traded for the bruising Jahidi White. If you look at what White and Jake Voskuhl are giving the Suns, it's more than they got last year from that position.
Is it the coach?
If the talent isn't the problem, but the effort is, the coach is usually the one to take the fall.
Frank Johnson couldn't find a way to save the Suns and his job.
On Tuesday, Colangelo wasn't ready to go that far. In fact, he offered his support to Johnson and the rest of the staff.
"Our staff is doing everything they can to prepare the team for their opponents," Colangelo said. "Any time a team is underachieving, the media likes to lay blame. With Doc Rivers and Bill Cartwright being fired, I think everyone assumes that the coach's head is on the chopping block. I'm not certain that blame for our start should fall on any one person. And that includes Frank."
Fair enough. But if the team is struggling and you can't or are unwilling to fire the players, as Colangelo seemed to be saying, something has to give. Right?
"It's up to all of us in the organization from the management, coaches and players to find our focus," Colangelo said. And if they don't, the coach gets fired. Right?
"Despite our frustration and disappointment, we're not going to make a change now," Colangelo reiterated on Tuesday. "This is not about throwing Frank under the truck. Frank deserves the opportunity to get this thing back on track ... but I reserve the right to change my mind."
Twenty four hours later -- after another devastating loss, this time to the lowly Heat -- Colangelo changes his mind and prepares to tell Johnson he's cutting the cord.
A change for change's sake?
Wednesday, Dec. 10. Colangelo obviously has warm feelings for Johnson. As a player and former director of community service for the Suns, Johnson has special place in Colangelo's heart. Had it been someone with fewer ties to the community and team, maybe it would've been easier. Had Johnson not worked so hard, had he alienated his players or made costly mistakes that cost his team games, maybe it would've been easier.
On the long plane ride home from Miami, after his team was outscored 67-37 after the first quarter, Colangelo decided he couldn't wait any longer for an answer to appear. The Suns were sinking in the West. He had to do something now before it was too late.
I got the phone call Wednesday afternoon. "Remember when I said I reserved the right to change my mind?" Colangelo began.
Johnson had been fired. What changed in 24 hours? Was one more road game really enough for Johnson to "get this thing back on track." Colangelo knows it wasn't. But seeing his team destroyed by another inferior opponent was more than he could take.
"I just took the time on the airplane back to look at everything," he told Insider. "The general inconsistency of the team weighed on me. It was a long flight back. I couldn't sleep. Some guys were laying down. Something had to give. Rather than let this thing continue on, I decided it was time for a change."
That change will come in the form of D'Antoni, a legend in Europe and one of the most respected coaches in the NBA, despite a lowly 13-46 stint as the head coach of the Nuggets during the 1998-99 lockout season.
What does D'Antoni bring that Johnson didn't? "A high level of respect from the players," Colangelo begins before stopping himself. "Not that Frank lacked the respect from the players. He just lacked the response."
Colangelo loves all things Italian and has had deep respect for D'Antoni for years. D'Antoni will do two things that Colangelo wants to see. One, he'll open up the throttle on offense and try to get the Suns averaging 100 points a game. With Stoudemire out, the team will go back to playing small ball, something D'Antoni loves to do. Two, once Carbarkapa returns from his injury, he'll have an offense in place that better utilizes the 7-foot rookie's perimeter skills. Whether he can get consistent play from his players ... that's a question only the players can answer.
If he can't, Colangelo will have even tougher decisions ahead of him. He may have no choice but to break up the core and try a different combination. For now, anyway, Colangelo is still just trying to live with what he's done.
"I still have high expectations," Colangelo said. "It's not too late to get this turned around. We have the talent. We have the coaching. The injuries to Amare and Zarko will set us back a few weeks, but I think we still have enough to get it done."
------------------------------
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Thursday, December 11
Updated: December 11
10:14 AM ET
Chat with NBA Insider Chad Ford at 1 p.m. EDT today!
Tuesday morning in Miami, Suns president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo was not in a good mood.
"You caught me on a bad day," Colangelo said in a subdued voice. "A really bad day."
Colangelo was on the road with his struggling team and was still recovering from the Suns' Monday night debacle in Orlando. Phoenix blew a 22-point first quarter lead and became the first team in 19 games to lose to the Magic.
The loss would end up being a crushing blow to both Colangelo and head coach Frank Johnson. Twenty-four hours later, Johnson was unemployed, assistant Mike D'Antoni was the new head coach and a depressed Colangelo was sifting through the embers, trying to find the spark that made the Suns the most promising young team in the NBA last season.
What happened to the Suns? What will it take to turn the team around? There are still more questions than answers right now.
"A Jekyl and Hyde Team"
Tuesday, Dec. 9 Something is wrong with the Suns. Something's been wrong all season. I visited Phoenix during the preseason, and the lack of energy both on the practice court and in a preseason game vs. the Nuggets was palpable.
Stephon Marbury & Co. blew off their poor start, attributing it to rust and overconfidence after a stunning season last year. Frank Johnson knew better.
"We are struggling, when we should be flourishing," Johnson told Insider in October. "I told our guys, last year we were picked as the 28th-best team in the league. Now we're picked anywhere from seven to 15. Are we complacent? I don't know. Are we playing with a sense of urgency? No. Last year when we went to training camp, everyone had a chip on their shoulder, because it was embarrassing how low we were picked. Now we're picked a littler higher, and some guys think we've made it."
"We think we're good, and we're not that good," he said. "If you're good, you compete."
Prophetic words from a soon to be doomed coach.
ColangeloColangelo has known the issues all season. He just still can't put his finger on what's causing it. The Suns got their wake-up call in the preseason. Why are they still hitting the snooze button?
"At times we've played brilliant basketball," Colangelo tells Insider. "At other times we play with no passion. The effort just disappears. The inconsistency is mind boggling. It wasn't a problem last year. This season it's just so ... disappointing."
One night, the team was blown out by 30 in Denver. The next night, on a back-to-back, it destroyed the Mavs by 31. Friday, the Suns came back from a 29-point deficit (the fourth-largest comeback ever) to beat Boston at home, 110-106. On Monday, they blew a 22-point lead to give the Magic just their second win of the season.
"The highs and lows are too extreme," Colangelo says. "One night the effort and energy is there. The next night ..."
Colangelo is wrestling with demons that are difficult to understand. His attempts to diagnose what causes those extremes are often met with long pauses and measured words.
He likes the team he's put together. He believes the core of Marbury, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire has what it takes to be competing for a championship someday. He believes it's just a matter of time before several of his young players, like Joe Johnson and rookie Zarko Cabarkapa, are stars.
The initial response when things go wrong is to make a trade that improves team chemistry or plugs a hole that is killing the team. Colangelo doesn't see a chemistry imbalance or a hole worth plugging.
"It's a core that you keep together," Colangelo says. "It's just too early to give up on this group of young players. For the most part they've shown the ability to win in the past."
Stephon Marbury
Point Guard
Phoenix Suns
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
21 19.7 3.1 8.2 .430 .821
That feels right. Marbury is taking the brunt of the blame, like he always does. But through 21 games, Marbury is putting up numbers very similar to his all-star performance last season. With the exception of a small dip in scoring, Marbury is essentially duplicating last season's success. He even has cut his turnovers down to 2.76 per game.
Stoudemire actually has improved from last season. He's averaging more points, rebounds and blocks per game than he did as a rookie. A serious ankle sprain suffered in Boston will keep him out for four weeks, but no one is suggesting he's to blame. In many ways Stoudemire has been the hardest-working player on the team.
Marion has been struggling. His scoring and rebounding are down significantly, and he's been unable to connect from the 3-point line this season, shooting a career-low 29 percent from behind the arc. However, since Stoudemire went down, Marion has averaged 27 ppg, 14.7 rpg on 48 percent shooting from the field. The Suns were 0-3 during that stretch.
Johnson was been woefully inconsistent. Like the last two seasons, Johnson usually wraps one good game -- like his 17-point, four-rebound, four-assist game against Boston -- around stinkers like a three-point, 1-for-8 effort against the T-Wolves and a zero point, 0-for-4 night against the Nets. It should come as no surprise that Johnson averages 15.1 ppg on 47 percent shooting in wins and just 8.7 ppg on 31 percent shooting in losses.
The Suns' biggest perceived weakness -- at center -- hasn't really been a problem since the team traded for the bruising Jahidi White. If you look at what White and Jake Voskuhl are giving the Suns, it's more than they got last year from that position.
Is it the coach?
If the talent isn't the problem, but the effort is, the coach is usually the one to take the fall.
Frank Johnson couldn't find a way to save the Suns and his job.
On Tuesday, Colangelo wasn't ready to go that far. In fact, he offered his support to Johnson and the rest of the staff.
"Our staff is doing everything they can to prepare the team for their opponents," Colangelo said. "Any time a team is underachieving, the media likes to lay blame. With Doc Rivers and Bill Cartwright being fired, I think everyone assumes that the coach's head is on the chopping block. I'm not certain that blame for our start should fall on any one person. And that includes Frank."
Fair enough. But if the team is struggling and you can't or are unwilling to fire the players, as Colangelo seemed to be saying, something has to give. Right?
"It's up to all of us in the organization from the management, coaches and players to find our focus," Colangelo said. And if they don't, the coach gets fired. Right?
"Despite our frustration and disappointment, we're not going to make a change now," Colangelo reiterated on Tuesday. "This is not about throwing Frank under the truck. Frank deserves the opportunity to get this thing back on track ... but I reserve the right to change my mind."
Twenty four hours later -- after another devastating loss, this time to the lowly Heat -- Colangelo changes his mind and prepares to tell Johnson he's cutting the cord.
A change for change's sake?
Wednesday, Dec. 10. Colangelo obviously has warm feelings for Johnson. As a player and former director of community service for the Suns, Johnson has special place in Colangelo's heart. Had it been someone with fewer ties to the community and team, maybe it would've been easier. Had Johnson not worked so hard, had he alienated his players or made costly mistakes that cost his team games, maybe it would've been easier.
On the long plane ride home from Miami, after his team was outscored 67-37 after the first quarter, Colangelo decided he couldn't wait any longer for an answer to appear. The Suns were sinking in the West. He had to do something now before it was too late.
I got the phone call Wednesday afternoon. "Remember when I said I reserved the right to change my mind?" Colangelo began.
Johnson had been fired. What changed in 24 hours? Was one more road game really enough for Johnson to "get this thing back on track." Colangelo knows it wasn't. But seeing his team destroyed by another inferior opponent was more than he could take.
"I just took the time on the airplane back to look at everything," he told Insider. "The general inconsistency of the team weighed on me. It was a long flight back. I couldn't sleep. Some guys were laying down. Something had to give. Rather than let this thing continue on, I decided it was time for a change."
That change will come in the form of D'Antoni, a legend in Europe and one of the most respected coaches in the NBA, despite a lowly 13-46 stint as the head coach of the Nuggets during the 1998-99 lockout season.
What does D'Antoni bring that Johnson didn't? "A high level of respect from the players," Colangelo begins before stopping himself. "Not that Frank lacked the respect from the players. He just lacked the response."
Colangelo loves all things Italian and has had deep respect for D'Antoni for years. D'Antoni will do two things that Colangelo wants to see. One, he'll open up the throttle on offense and try to get the Suns averaging 100 points a game. With Stoudemire out, the team will go back to playing small ball, something D'Antoni loves to do. Two, once Carbarkapa returns from his injury, he'll have an offense in place that better utilizes the 7-foot rookie's perimeter skills. Whether he can get consistent play from his players ... that's a question only the players can answer.
If he can't, Colangelo will have even tougher decisions ahead of him. He may have no choice but to break up the core and try a different combination. For now, anyway, Colangelo is still just trying to live with what he's done.
"I still have high expectations," Colangelo said. "It's not too late to get this turned around. We have the talent. We have the coaching. The injuries to Amare and Zarko will set us back a few weeks, but I think we still have enough to get it done."
------------------------------
