Reality Check?

[Muggum]

I've watched a lot of football of the years, and the Cardinals are invariably great in the preseason. Don't put too much emphasis on it. The Warriors and the Raptors undefeated? The Spurs 1-3?

Relax, we'll be fine.

 

[Dapper Dal]

We are plenty deep, obviously there are a couple guys that are going to rarely see playing time, however the real certainty in our depth will come with how well Amare reacts to his minutes. If Amare eats the humble pie and slowly earns the teams confidence in his play, the bench will seem much much deeper.

 

[Chaplin]

Didn't we go undefeated in the preseason before we went 0-13 years ago?

 

[nowagimp]

I like your assessment, however, I still wish the Suns had one more big body inside and I'm not taking about Marks or Burke. I still see Brand, Odom and even Dirk working the Suns over inside last season... and then there is always Tim Duncan as well. Maybe this will not be a problem if the Suns manage to stay healthy, but I still worry.

The suns ability to defend the low post in the half court depends on KT alleviating some the the pressure on the double teaming and on the suns depth, defensively. I am pleased with the way KT has been moving around this year. With KT defending the post up player and diaw, marion or amare(or JR or JuJ) coming from the weak side, I think the suns will be OK. KT played very well against opposing post players last year. As far as Dirk, the suns got into foul trouble in the WCF last year because they had only Marion and TT to guard him. After these guys were saddled with a few quick fouls, they just had to let him shoot. This year, Amare, KT, Marion, and maybe JuJ can do it, it'll be tough to get the suns into foul trouble.

Oh and Brand, I hear you, but he'll be a problem for everyone. Its the other guys on the clips that the suns need to handle, like Magette, Ross, Mobley and now TT. I think the clips will be tougher than the Mavs and maybe even the spurs for the suns this year.

 

[playstation]

A slippery(when wet) ball is not a headgame, just try to catch a wet rubber ball passed at speed through the air or a bounce pass and shoot it quickly(sound familiar?). Or maybe a wet ball could be difficult to handle when performing or recieving one handed wrap around passes or on fast breaks where the ball changes hands alot. But your quick thought was accurate, Kobe will find the hole, and he wont be worrying too much about passing the ball. He'll wind the clock down get a good grip on the ball and shoot it.

from today's tribune:
SHOOTING WOES CONTINUE
The Suns averaged 102.2 points during the preseason — well below teams like Golden State (118.6), Denver (115.8), Toronto (107.0) and New York (104.5), who are admittedly emulating Phoenix’s up-tempo style. They ranked a pedestrian 14th in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage (31.7 percent) and backed up a 4-for-23 effort in San Diego Sunday with another dismal effort (8-for-29) against the Sonics.
----------------------------------

unless those other guys were using a different ball, you're going to find it hard to convince me that the problem is not between the ears.

 

[elindholm]

The Suns' offense begins and ends with Nash. He isn't playing as much in the preseason, so scoring is down. I've seen only one game, but the stagnation when he was off the floor was profound, and others have made the same observation during other games.

 

[Ballamania]

i am definitely one who respects everyone's opinion and i feel as though everyone has been right in their perception of this years sun to some point. mine is that everybody will not be happy about the first quarter of games played. you cant ignore the chemistry issues, back up point issues, and what the hell, the "new ball" issues. whether its in their head or not about the ball is irrelevant......its still another problem for now. this IS a little different preseason than the past few because the cohesiveness is just not there. they usually dont even have to work extremely hard and will still get 110 points and that isnt happening. i agree with whomever said that D'antoni will STILL lean heavily on nash, especially early on. lastly i think that amare should come off the bench for sure. the coach needs to have enough creativity to make amare focal in that second unit to help get him into his mental groove. so far coach D has done a poor job of that. its his responsibility to get that monster to return but he cant do it if banks and barbosa are taking the majority of the cuts.

 

[Dr. Dumas]

I share your concern. My first thought was that a team can always utilize the skills of a great player. However, this is not always the case with team chemistry. This is probably a bad analogy but Marbury used to need to have the ball in his hands to be effective. This is my concern as well with Amare.

Overall I guess it's a good problem to have considering the Suns did not even have Amare last season. I guess only time will tell. It's almost like the Suns may have to choose between two styles of play right now... play like last season or feed the ball down low to Amare. Here's hoping these two styles merge seamlessly.

I think that Amare should definately be starting, regardless if he's ready or not. This team will not be winning any chamionships without Amare at full speed. The sooner he gets his legs underneath him and starts to gel with the team, the better. Besides, who really gives a crap if the team is losing in the beginning of the year; the playoffs are the only thing that truely matters.

As far as picking a style to play, why can't the team refer to Amare in half court situations and just run like wild dogs on rebounds.

 

[Errntknght]

Mainstreet, "It's almost like the Suns may have to choose between two styles of play right now... play like last season or feed the ball down low to Amare."

What, is Amare setting up down low? He hasn't done that for three years. I suppose if he's leery of driving from the elbow he might revert to it, or it could be D'Antoni's decision. In the Philly game, the only one I've seen, he didn't set up down there. In that game he didn't play at the same time as Nash so there was no chance to see what their P&R is like now. He did try it with Banks but didn't get the return pass - he wasn't well open when he rolled though Nash might have gotten him the ball.

It occurs to me that D'Antoni might be messing with Amare's head by playing him as little as possible alongside Nash. That would make him have to work harder for his shots and guarantee few successful pick and rolls.

 

[BuddyFranklin]

It seems some here think we'll merely show up and win 60 games. This team is alot different to last year and I'm worried because we aren't gelling at all. The bench on this squad has ALOT to prove before it can be even talked about as being deep and after all this time we still struggle mightily when Steve Nash isn't on the court. Sure, it illustrates how great a player he is, and that probably over time, our bench has had substantial facelifts each season so its hard to build much chemistry. No doubt we'll eventually click, but there still no escaping the fact, regardless of what San Antonio or Cleveland or the freakn Toyko Steamrollers are doing, it would be nice to see the Suns some what meshing.

As i said the preseason excuse is over. Now lets get the real stuff going!

 

[Mainstreet]

I just do not feel this team has any spark coming out of the gate. I'm not sure why. The only real thing missing starting this season is Eddie House. No matter what anyone thinks about Eddie's lack of playing time in the playoffs, he got this team off to a fast start last season. He seemed to energize the crowd and the team with his enthusiasm and his 3-point shooting. He was a sparkplug, so to speak, early in the season.

I believe the Suns are going to need someone to supply a spark for this team until it reforms it's identity. I'm hoping someone on this team steps up. Otherwise I fear the Suns may lose more games than they would like early on. Yes, I know the regular season has not started, but I just do not feel the chemistry is here yet. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Espo]

I just do not feel this team has any spark coming out of the gate. I'm not sure why. The only real thing missing starting this season is Eddie House. No matter what anyone thinks about Eddie's lack of playing time in the playoffs, he got this team off to a fast start last season. He seemed to energize the crowd and the team with his enthusiasm and his 3-point shooting. He was a sparkplug, so to speak, early in the season.

I believe the Suns are going to need someone to supply a spark for this team until it reforms it's identity. I'm hoping someone on this team steps up. Otherwise I fear the Suns may lose more games than they would like early on. Yes, I know the regular season has not started, but I just do not feel the chemistry is here yet. I hope I'm wrong.

No offense but I couldn't care less how this team starts as long as it finishes extremely strong. As long as this team is .500 through the first month they will be just fine. Especially in their division. No team got that much stronger and the suns added to their mix a former All star and some role players.

 

[elindholm]

Right now this team is not as good as last year's, but that doesn't bother me. Either they'll get better or they won't, but what they're doing right now isn't much of an indicator one way or the other.

I really have only three questions about this team:

1. Can they be competitive on the boards?
2. Can Diaw serve as the primary playmaker when Nash is off the court?
3. Can Stoudemire contribute?

I've had low expectations for Banks all along -- I kept telling this board he was a shooting guard, until everyone else got tired of listening -- so I'm really not all that concerned about whether he ends up being effective.

(2) and (3) are related. If Stoudemire can be effective, Diaw can spend some time on the bench while Nash and Stoudemire make the offense work. Then Diaw can run the offense while Nash sits. (He wouldn't have to be the "point guard" for this; the Suns have, at least, enough ball handlers.) But if Stoudemire is useless, as he has been so far, then Diaw will have to log big minutes with the rest of the first unit, and we can expect the same struggles that we've seen in the preseason while Nash is resting.

The Joneses are competing for the same spot in the rotation and the team needs only one of them. Right now James has the job, but if he falters, Jumaine may come in handy as insurance. It won't ever be necessary to use both of them at the same time, or even in the same game except under extraordinary circumstances.

 

[Mainstreet]

No offense but I couldn't care less how this team starts as long as it finishes extremely strong. As long as this team is .500 through the first month they will be just fine. Especially in their division. No team got that much stronger and the suns added to their mix a former All star and some role players.

Their record is going to matter in the Western Conference seedings if the Suns plan to advance in the playoffs all the way to the WCF's and hopefully a shot at a Championship.

 

[elindholm]

They'll have to beat both the Mavericks and Spurs no matter what (well, unless they get the #1 seed, which they won't). So the only thing that will depend on the regular-season record is home-court advantage in Game 7, which is nice to have but not a huge deal.

 

[Mainstreet]

They'll have to beat both the Mavericks and Spurs no matter what (well, unless they get the #1 seed, which they won't). So the only thing that will depend on the regular-season record is home-court advantage in Game 7, which is nice to have but not a huge deal.

But game #7 is the most important of any playoff series.

It seems like the Suns were in this situation last season and it helped.

 

[elindholm]

It seems like the Suns were in this situation last season and it helped.

If the Suns are weak enough to get extended to seven games by teams like the Lakers and Clippers, they aren't really contenders for the title.

Dallas won Game 7 in San Antonio last season. You do what you have to do.

 

[Mainstreet]

It seems like the Suns were in this situation last season and it helped.

If the Suns are weak enough to get extended to seven games by teams like the Lakers and Clippers, they aren't really contenders for the title.

Dallas won Game 7 in San Antonio last season. You do what you have to do.

Yes, but there is an easier way to do it and a harder way to do it. Personally, I like to have a little edge.

 

[Espo]

They'll have to beat both the Mavericks and Spurs no matter what (well, unless they get the #1 seed, which they won't). So the only thing that will depend on the regular-season record is home-court advantage in Game 7, which is nice to have but not a huge deal.

Exactly. I totally agree and the western conference seeding won't be determined in the first month of the season. This team will be alright and probably really get it going in late December if not earlier.

 

[sunsfn]

There will not be any chemistry problems with this team.
This years suns team will have the same staring line-up as last years.
(Most of the last year)

Nash, Bell, Diaw, Marion, & Thomas.

They will be fine starting out and Barbosa and/or Amare will probably be the first off the bench.

This is my guess how the subbing will go?
6th Amare, 7th Barbosa, 8th Banks, 9th James Jones.
When Amare starts to play with Nash he will eventually get his game back.

Last year Kurt Thomas and Raja Bell took a month+ to get going with this team. they will start out better this year. Nash & Marion have played together forever, so that is not a problem. Diaw can play with anybody.

The problems of rebounding hopefully will be better to start with because of Kurt Thomas playing here a year, and supposedly in better condition than the start last year.
But the team rebounds will not get a lot better until Amare plays more minutes.

I think to start the year their biggest problem is going to be the back up point guard. Banks is a shoot first combo guard that reminds some of Marbury. Hopefully he does the team thing and goes for the assists, but if he does not Nash will again play lots of minutes.

It is my hope that Banks improves and after a month? he becomes a good backup to Nash. This will be very important later in the year to keep Nash from playing lots of minutes. But do not be surprised to see Nash playing big minutes to start the year.

By the way, a win now is as important as a win later in the year and D'Antoni is going to try to win every game including the first one, even if it means playing 7-8 players! He says he is going with a 9 man rotation and he probably will, but we play the Lakers the first game and everybody wants a win there!

 

[elindholm]

Personally, I like to have a little edge.

Me too, but it's not worth fretting a whole season over.

 

[Errntknght]

Last years team was shaky early on but they had one advantage - low expectations. I don't mean the fans, I mean the other teams. To a considerable extent in the NBA, you don't have to be better than another team to beat them, you just have to be better than they think you are. This year we are saddled with high expectations and tough early schedule.

It is beginning to look like Eric was right about Banks - painful as it is to say. He looked like a passable PG the little I've seen him play but the other game reports are that the team falters without Nash and Banks stats sure don't look like a PG's should.

I think its possible Banks will turn it around but I'm less hopeful than before. If he doesn't then he is going to have to play with Diaw and once Amare gets untracked we could afford to bring Boris off the bench. In essence, Amare gains more by playing with Nash than Boris does in addition to Boris being needed by the second unit. I don't think its what D'Antoni would like to do but he will probably be forced into it if Banks doesn't get a handle on running the team.

Its all D'Antoni's fault. I really don't think Eric is right - Banks did okay as a PG in Minny and he wanted to come to Phoenix and backup Steve Nash but Mike doesn't know how to make an offense that anyone but Steve can operate. So Banks is being set up for failure.

Of course, if Amare comes around and KT stays healthy using Boris with the 2nd unit will be good enough but if any glitch occurs in the frontcourt, Diaw starts and we could see a downward spiral in the second unit like we did last year. Nash's minutes then will stay too high.

I really wish that D'Antoni knew he had to play Banks as the backup PG the whole year so he'd have to make it work. If it meant retooling the second unit offense he'd have to bite the bullet and do it. Maybe turn it over to Gentry or one of the other assistants.

 

[Mainstreet]

Its all D'Antoni's fault. I really don't think Eric is right - Banks did okay as a PG in Minny and he wanted to come to Phoenix and backup Steve Nash but Mike doesn't know how to make an offense that anyone but Steve can operate. So Banks is being set up for failure...

IMO, one could almost plug-in Marbury's name for Banks (less some talent), when talking about previous Minnesota Point Guards. I haven't watched much of Banks, but he seems like he has a lot of the physical build, skill and game Marbury possesses. I wouldn't mind a Marbury clone as a backup PG, but your right, D'Antoni would have to play him differently.

However, if my perception is correct, Eric would be right. I basically view Marbury as a SG trapped in a PG's body. But Marbury can play PG if one utilizes his skills correctly. Minnesota seems to have been the only team that did this well.

 

[Mainstreet]

Also just a thought, plug-in a passing PG that can shoot (like a Ridnour) and the Suns second unit purrs. I'm just using Ridnour as an example as he is starter material. Maybe a Diener might work... but I have never seen him play.

 

[nowagimp]

There will not be any chemistry problems with this team.
This years suns team will have the same staring line-up as last years.
(Most of the last year)

Nash, Bell, Diaw, Marion, & Thomas.

They will be fine starting out and Barbosa and/or Amare will probably be the first off the bench.

This is my guess how the subbing will go?
6th Amare, 7th Barbosa, 8th Banks, 9th James Jones.
When Amare starts to play with Nash he will eventually get his game back.

Last year Kurt Thomas and Raja Bell took a month+ to get going with this team. they will start out better this year. Nash & Marion have played together forever, so that is not a problem. Diaw can play with anybody.

The problems of rebounding hopefully will be better to start with because of Kurt Thomas playing here a year, and supposedly in better condition than the start last year.
But the team rebounds will not get a lot better until Amare plays more minutes.

I think to start the year their biggest problem is going to be the back up point guard. Banks is a shoot first combo guard that reminds some of Marbury. Hopefully he does the team thing and goes for the assists, but if he does not Nash will again play lots of minutes.

It is my hope that Banks improves and after a month? he becomes a good backup to Nash. This will be very important later in the year to keep Nash from playing lots of minutes. But do not be surprised to see Nash playing big minutes to start the year.

By the way, a win now is as important as a win later in the year and D'Antoni is going to try to win every game including the first one, even if it means playing 7-8 players! He says he is going with a 9 man rotation and he probably will, but we play the Lakers the first game and everybody wants a win there!

Other teams coaches will(or already are) use a strategy that forces Banks to shoot, as opposed to allowing him to dish. With the suns, if you force them to go one-on-one or dribble alot, you have the best chance to win, it slows down the game and limits the spot up open perimeter shots. I'm sure Banks will be shadowed and forced to dribble as much as possible. Barbosa will have to move alot without the ball and make them pay for shadowing banks.