Say It Ain't So Steve!

Big Steve Nash fans here. Love the way he plays and love the fact that he's trying to get a soccer franchise.

But the dirty reports he acts like just another idiot athlete.
Ugh!
Read HERE.

Suns: Crazy Like a Fox

Suns fans are furious about today's blockbuster trade between the Suns and the Miami heat for Shaq. Read about the trade on ESPN here.

I'm a long time Suns fan (and partial season ticket holder) and at first I hated this trade. I mean Shaq is going to KILL KILL KILL our cap room with his crazy contract and bad knees. But... As I thought about it I liked it more and more.

Factors:
1. Marion wants to be the Man. He and Amare don't get along and someone has to go.
2. Marion is an amazing athlete, but his skills don't help us much a playoff time. The Spurs just don't give up that many uncontested ally-oops. Marion too often disappears in the playoffs.
3. I was at our last games against Spurs and Hornets (two leaders in the West). In both games we couldn't hold off the other team in crunch time and Amare played the "Ole" defense at Center. Conclusion: WE ARE NOT going to win a championship with this lineup and fastpace offense.
4. Amare HATES playing center and shows it with his lack of effort on defense. A better coach could motivate him, but with what we have now, something has to change.
5. Banks is a good player but is NEVER going to get playing time w/ D'Antoni. We needed to move him and his cap space. I wish him the best in Miami.
6. Marion's cap room is huge (almost as big as shaq's). It would be a mistake to resign him for what he wants. I love watching the guy play but he isn't the difference maker he thinks he is. We'll miss his excellent defense much more than his exciting but inconsistent offense.
7. Shaq is a huge risk. But now we have a chance to win against Dallas/Lakers/Spurs. We are actually going to struggle more against Golden State, but I'm more worried about the teams that knock us out of the playoffs every year.

Conclusion: Take the risk, roll the dice, and do this trade. We aren't going to win with what we have now --our best chance to win it all was two years ago and we came just short. Last year, Stern knocked out our best players so who knows. Let's make this trade so that we have a chance to have the inside presence we need against the Lakers/Hornets/Spurs/Mavs. If it doesn't work we're screwed for years cap-wise. But I think its worth the risk. Amare will be much happier playing power forward and Diaw can play small forward. We still have outstanding guards and we'll still be a solid team. We can't run w/ Shaq so we'll look a bit like the '80s "showtime" Lakers -- four guys running and gunning w/ Kareem (now Shaq) trotting down the court to join the offense if the fast break doesn't work.

Kevin Durant v. Phoenix - Round 1

The Nuggets got the first dose of The Kevin Durant Experience, but kid will still be wet behind the ears for tonight's Suns-Sonics match-up

For basketball junkies, a contest between the best offensive team in the league and the most promising offensive phenom since LeBron qualifies as must see TV.

As a fan of the Suns and an owner of KD in my dynasty hoops league ... I'm full-on psyched.

You have to think Durant's looking forward to the game, too. In an interview last season on ESPN.com, KD gave props to the Suns --

Burt(Jonesboro, Ark): Hey Kevin, what is your favorite NBA team to watch?

Kevin Durant: I love the Suns. I love how they play. We try to run our offense [at the University of Texas] after them. I love watching the Suns.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatespn?event_id=14817

So what can we expect from Durant v. PHX? Last night's Nuggets-Sonics tilt provides a pretty good preview. Like DEN (only moreso), the Suns play a wide-open, run-and-gun style of basketball.

Versus Denver, KD put up what should be a typical line for him during his first season -- 7/22 FG, 2/4 FT, 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block, 3 treys. You'd like to see him get more efficient w/ his shots, but given the burden of carrying his team at age 18, that's quibbling. He's a fantasy basketball player's dream.

Durant should experience some growing pains in his rookie year, but by next season, I think you'll see him leapfrog the average draft position of at least one of the Suns -- Shawn Marion, Steve Nash and Amaré Stoudemire -- who are going in the Top 10 of most 2007 fantasy hoops drafts.

KD and the Suns have a lot in common. They can score on anyone. They fly up and down the court and finish in transition. They stroke the three. They're long and quick, but they don't like to bang on defense. Because they lack the girth to play physical basketball, they rely on guile and skill to beat their opponents.

At some point this season, that's going to be a problem for Durant and the Suns alike.

Although even as a rookie he'll put up gaudy numbers on regular basis, KD will get abused by some of the more man-sized swingmen in the NBA. Ron Artest will shut him down. Kobe will challenge him on every possession. The thought of Durant trying to defend LBJ in the post makes me cringe.

For Durant, whose real team is nowhere near playoff-caliber, that means a depressed score line for his fantasy hoops owners. For the Suns, the stakes are much higher -- the NBA championship hangs in the balance.

It seems likely that the Suns will again pay the price for their inability to go toe-to-toe w/ more physical clubs during the NBA playoffs. Phoenix forfeited perhaps their best shot at a title last season when they let the Spurs bully them in the semi-finals.

Once it became clear that the refs weren't going to call the game clean, Phoenix needed to sharpen their elbows and let the Spurs get on the receiving end of some very hard fouls. Instead, they filed their grievance w/ the NBA and settled for an early off-season. While I'd like to believe this season will be different, I can see the Suns beating their nemesis from San Antonio only if they learn to fight back.

Both Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns will give us plenty of pyrotechnics this NBA season. High scoring, high flying basketball is in the works. But the success of the 2007/08 campaign for both of tonight's combatants will depend on whether and how quickly they toughen up and take the battle to their opponents.

Let's get ready to rumble.

Is this the year for the Suns?

My father-in-law has part of a season ticket package for the Phoenix Suns, and so I get to join him for about 7-10 games a year. I know. I'm blessed. We have good seats and the games are a blast. For those who hate the NBA and prefer college hoops, I have no idea what you are talking about. Maybe its because I get to see the run-n-gun Suns, but NBA basketball is really fun to watch. [insert hilarious "It's FAN-Tastic!" joke here]
The Suns were crushed in the playoffs last year by the evil thuggish Spurs. Okay I actually like the Spurs, but there is no doubt that they were allowed to be way too physical with the Suns. Memo to Bob Horry: KMA!
Anyway, the Suns lost their one physical guy (Kurt Thomas) --but that is not all bad because he was slowing us down. The Suns will cruise to 60-65 wins again this year, but its the playoffs that matter. We've added a gimpy Grant Hill --which should help. I love the guy regardless. At Center we have Sean Marks and uh... Brian Skinner as stoppers (and when Amare wants to play forward) and we have the rookie Alando Tucker (from Wisconsin) as our defensive Forward. So, yeah, we aren't exactly going to match up well with the Spurs. But mebbe we won't face them in the playoffs (if we can get Dallas or Utah to do that for us). Shawn Marion is unhappy, but he is in a contract year and is 'top-effort all the time' guy anyway, so he'll be fine. Plus, we still have the amazing Steve Nash. He is the coolest. Despite our playoff woes, I still love the way the Suns play and I think they can stay healthy, this is the year they disprove all the haters who say all out basketball can't work in the playoffs. That said, I still pick the Spurs to win it, but I am hoping for the Suns.

My PIX:

EAST
1. Chicago (will they get Kobe?)
2. Boston (should be a blast to watch)
3. Detroit (they could crash and burn)
4. Miami (not that good)
5. New Jersey (Should be good)
6. Milwaukee (eh....)
7. Cleveland (no surprises this year)
8. Atlanta (Joe Johnson is a baby)

WEST (By far better)
1. Phoenix
2. San Antonio
3. Dallas
4. Denver
5. Utah
6. New Orleans
7. Houston
8. LA Clippers

PLAYOFFS
EAST FINALS: Chicago over Boston
WEST FINALS: San Antonio over Phoenix

NBA CHAMPS: San Antonio over Chicago