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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...cials/preview/2003/phoenix.preview/index.html
By John Hollinger, SI.com
Suns at a Glance
Head coach:
Frank Johnson
2002-03: 44-38
2002-03 Stats
Key Additions
PF Zarko Cabarkapa(draft)
PG Leandrinho Barbosa (draft)
PG Brevin Knight (Grizzlies)
SG DerMarr Johnson (Hawks)
Key Losses
C Jake Tsakilidis (Grizzlies)
PF Bo Outlaw (Grizzlies)
Projected Lineup
Starters Reserves
PG S. Marbury B. Knight
SG A. Hardaway C. Jacobsen
SF S. Marion J. Johnson
PF A. Stoudemire Z. Cabarkapa
C J. Voskuhl S. Williams
The Suns have quickly turned into one of the league's most exciting teams. With a reborn Stephon Marbury running the point with aplomb, Shawn Marion helicoptering in from the wings and Amare Stoudemire providing tantalizing doses of his nearly limitless potential, they were a playoff team in 2002, and should be again this year.
Phoenix still has work to do, however. The salaries of the somewhat functional Anfernee Hardaway and the utterly useless Tom Gugliotta conspire to put the Suns at the luxury tax threshold, which is why they have been such a non-factor in free agency the past two seasons. With that in mind, they sent big men Jake Tsakilidis and Bo Outlaw to Memphis for reserve guard Brevin Knight prior to training camp. The salary dump should put the Suns in position to finally play the market next summer.
Whoever they add will join an already impressive base. Hardaway is the only key player older than 27, so this team's potential is alluring. For this year, the Suns are hoping one of several young players takes a step forward. The most promising is one of their two first-round draft choices, Zarko Cabarkapa, who had an outstanding summer league. Rookie guard Leandrinho Barbosa and young wing players Casey Jacobsen and Joe Johnson add to the Suns' talent pool.
Running the show is Frank Johnson, one of the league's brightest young coaches. He did an impressive job getting his charges to improve their defense last year, and did commendable work with a fresh-from-high school Stoudemire.
Athleticism. The Suns scare the crap out of teams because they can run past or jump over anybody. The linchpins are their two ridiculously gifted forwards, Marion and Stoudemire. Despite his unimposing 6-foot-7, 215-pound frame, Marion has averaged around 10 rebounds a game for each of the past three seasons because of his quick hops. An underrated defender with outstanding quickness, he also averaged 2.3 steals a game, the third-best total in the league, and blocked more than a shot a game. Offensively, he soared over opponents for a career-high 21 points a night, and added a 3-point shot to his arsenal. It was no surprise, then, that he finally made the All-Star team.
But Marion is only the team's second-best athlete. Stoudemire won Rookie of the Year honors with a series of earth-shattering slam dunks. At the tender age of 20, he averaged 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds, and shot 47 percent from the field, relying almost solely on his raw power. His first step is as quick as most guards', and at 6-foot-10, 245 pounds, he already can match muscles with NBA big men. The scary part is that he accomplished this with almost no jump shot to speak of and a still-limited understanding of how to use his considerable skills. That will change, since by all accounts he has a work ethic to match his talent.
Beyond those two, there's Marbury, who is so much stronger than other point guards that he shakes them off like flies on his way to the basket, and Johnson, who at 6-foot-8 handles and shoots like a point guard. Even at the Suns' weak spot, center, Jake Voskuhl's best asset is his athleticism.
Bench. Phoenix's inability to add talent through the free-agent market has resulted in a paper-thin bench, which was the reason it barely scraped into the postseason a year ago. The Suns are particularly thin up front, where Voskuhl is athletic but undersized and his backup, the geriatric Scott Williams, is more of a locker-room mascot than a viable NBA center.
Cabarkapa's unexpectedly strong summer league performance offers hope that the Suns can get more production from that unit this year. Additionally, they need the multitalented Johnson's puzzling ability to vanish from games to do a disappearing act of its own, and for Jacobsen to end the shooting struggles that marred his rookie year.
But any honest assessment of the Suns has to note that Marion, Marbury and Stoudemire combined to miss just two games in 2002-03, good fortune that is unlikely to repeat itself in the coming year. The Suns' second unit may be better, but chances are that it will be counted on to do much more than was asked of it a year ago.
Can the kids cut it? The Suns already have two All-Stars in their prime, and have a third one in the making In Stoudemire. The big question isn't whether the Suns will develop the stars needed to win a championship, it's whether they can develop the supporting cast.
Last year, the answer to that question was a solid no. The centers were largely ineffective, Hardaway and Joe Johnson took turns tossing turnovers at shooting guard, and Jacobsen struggled. The pressure is on for Voskuhl to get his defense up to snuff for an NBA center. It's on for Jacobsen -- who spent the summer rebuilding his jumper -- to start making shots. And most of all, it's on for Johnson to end his pattern of having one electric quarter a week and then disappearing faster than a North Korean dissident.
Cabarkapa -- who Phoenix area Star Wars fans will doubtless dub "Cabarkapa the Rookie" -- could be the one positive. Potentially, he can play power forward and move Stoudemire up to center, although right now Cabarkapa's too slightly built to handle the pounding full time.
The Suns only need one of these guys to turn the corner into a genuine star in order to have a devastating lineup capable of challenging the Western powers. But last year, none of the kids showed evidence of turning into that kind of player.
Team of the future. The Suns still have too many holes in the middle and on the bench to bring a serious challenge to the Western powers, unless the youngsters develop far more rapidly than anyone imagined. Phoenix's three stars will make them a playoff team, but it's hard to see them getting to the second round until the Suns can bring in more reinforcements next summer
By John Hollinger, SI.com
Suns at a Glance
Head coach:
Frank Johnson
2002-03: 44-38
2002-03 Stats
Key Additions
PF Zarko Cabarkapa(draft)
PG Leandrinho Barbosa (draft)
PG Brevin Knight (Grizzlies)
SG DerMarr Johnson (Hawks)
Key Losses
C Jake Tsakilidis (Grizzlies)
PF Bo Outlaw (Grizzlies)
Projected Lineup
Starters Reserves
PG S. Marbury B. Knight
SG A. Hardaway C. Jacobsen
SF S. Marion J. Johnson
PF A. Stoudemire Z. Cabarkapa
C J. Voskuhl S. Williams
The Suns have quickly turned into one of the league's most exciting teams. With a reborn Stephon Marbury running the point with aplomb, Shawn Marion helicoptering in from the wings and Amare Stoudemire providing tantalizing doses of his nearly limitless potential, they were a playoff team in 2002, and should be again this year.
Phoenix still has work to do, however. The salaries of the somewhat functional Anfernee Hardaway and the utterly useless Tom Gugliotta conspire to put the Suns at the luxury tax threshold, which is why they have been such a non-factor in free agency the past two seasons. With that in mind, they sent big men Jake Tsakilidis and Bo Outlaw to Memphis for reserve guard Brevin Knight prior to training camp. The salary dump should put the Suns in position to finally play the market next summer.
Whoever they add will join an already impressive base. Hardaway is the only key player older than 27, so this team's potential is alluring. For this year, the Suns are hoping one of several young players takes a step forward. The most promising is one of their two first-round draft choices, Zarko Cabarkapa, who had an outstanding summer league. Rookie guard Leandrinho Barbosa and young wing players Casey Jacobsen and Joe Johnson add to the Suns' talent pool.
Running the show is Frank Johnson, one of the league's brightest young coaches. He did an impressive job getting his charges to improve their defense last year, and did commendable work with a fresh-from-high school Stoudemire.
Athleticism. The Suns scare the crap out of teams because they can run past or jump over anybody. The linchpins are their two ridiculously gifted forwards, Marion and Stoudemire. Despite his unimposing 6-foot-7, 215-pound frame, Marion has averaged around 10 rebounds a game for each of the past three seasons because of his quick hops. An underrated defender with outstanding quickness, he also averaged 2.3 steals a game, the third-best total in the league, and blocked more than a shot a game. Offensively, he soared over opponents for a career-high 21 points a night, and added a 3-point shot to his arsenal. It was no surprise, then, that he finally made the All-Star team.
But Marion is only the team's second-best athlete. Stoudemire won Rookie of the Year honors with a series of earth-shattering slam dunks. At the tender age of 20, he averaged 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds, and shot 47 percent from the field, relying almost solely on his raw power. His first step is as quick as most guards', and at 6-foot-10, 245 pounds, he already can match muscles with NBA big men. The scary part is that he accomplished this with almost no jump shot to speak of and a still-limited understanding of how to use his considerable skills. That will change, since by all accounts he has a work ethic to match his talent.
Beyond those two, there's Marbury, who is so much stronger than other point guards that he shakes them off like flies on his way to the basket, and Johnson, who at 6-foot-8 handles and shoots like a point guard. Even at the Suns' weak spot, center, Jake Voskuhl's best asset is his athleticism.
Bench. Phoenix's inability to add talent through the free-agent market has resulted in a paper-thin bench, which was the reason it barely scraped into the postseason a year ago. The Suns are particularly thin up front, where Voskuhl is athletic but undersized and his backup, the geriatric Scott Williams, is more of a locker-room mascot than a viable NBA center.
Cabarkapa's unexpectedly strong summer league performance offers hope that the Suns can get more production from that unit this year. Additionally, they need the multitalented Johnson's puzzling ability to vanish from games to do a disappearing act of its own, and for Jacobsen to end the shooting struggles that marred his rookie year.
But any honest assessment of the Suns has to note that Marion, Marbury and Stoudemire combined to miss just two games in 2002-03, good fortune that is unlikely to repeat itself in the coming year. The Suns' second unit may be better, but chances are that it will be counted on to do much more than was asked of it a year ago.
Can the kids cut it? The Suns already have two All-Stars in their prime, and have a third one in the making In Stoudemire. The big question isn't whether the Suns will develop the stars needed to win a championship, it's whether they can develop the supporting cast.
Last year, the answer to that question was a solid no. The centers were largely ineffective, Hardaway and Joe Johnson took turns tossing turnovers at shooting guard, and Jacobsen struggled. The pressure is on for Voskuhl to get his defense up to snuff for an NBA center. It's on for Jacobsen -- who spent the summer rebuilding his jumper -- to start making shots. And most of all, it's on for Johnson to end his pattern of having one electric quarter a week and then disappearing faster than a North Korean dissident.
Cabarkapa -- who Phoenix area Star Wars fans will doubtless dub "Cabarkapa the Rookie" -- could be the one positive. Potentially, he can play power forward and move Stoudemire up to center, although right now Cabarkapa's too slightly built to handle the pounding full time.
The Suns only need one of these guys to turn the corner into a genuine star in order to have a devastating lineup capable of challenging the Western powers. But last year, none of the kids showed evidence of turning into that kind of player.
Team of the future. The Suns still have too many holes in the middle and on the bench to bring a serious challenge to the Western powers, unless the youngsters develop far more rapidly than anyone imagined. Phoenix's three stars will make them a playoff team, but it's hard to see them getting to the second round until the Suns can bring in more reinforcements next summer
