Suns Depth

This is how I see the Suns depth running for next season as the roster stands now. We have at least two players for each position and some interchangeable parts which can play multiple positions in the event of foul trouble, an injury, or for general rest. This will add longevity to our team during this battle for the Championship which has been lacking in the past couple years. We will have a bench of fresh legs to compliment the superstars who make this team flow. D'Antoni will be the rock who fills up the confidence in the locker room and conducts the team as an efficient machine. Hopefully we will see precise substitutions through the offseason. We will see all players struggle at times and others picking up the slack. We will see our team grow and adapt to the ever changing 82 game wave. Here is our roster.

C - Boris Diaw, Kurt Thomas, Pat Burke

PF - Amare Stoudemire, Sean Marks

SF - Shawn Marion, James Jones

SG - Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa

PG - Steve Nash, Marcus Banks

The great thing about this roster is the balance at each position. If someone isn't having a great game or stretch, someone else can come in and play. If Amare is having an off game, Boris can step it up offensively and Kurt Thomas can come in to bang for a bit. Or Shawn Marion can play PF while we play James Jones and add a shooter to the mix. There are just so many opportunities and so many players finding their stride to be relied on.

I can see Boris starting at the Center position, at least thats what I want to see. Boris is coming into his own and shedding any hesitance his game may have carried previously. I think his role as captain of the French team may teach him more skills than just basketball. He will learn about leading a team and about tenacity and winning which will serve him extremely well at point forward. On this Suns team he can be the polar to Magic. Kurt Thomas will be Boris' counterpart. Kurt will come in as a brick wall. Earning points off Kurt is akin to gambling in vegas. The house usually wins. This seems like the natural position for Kurt anyway. He should be playing limited minutes off the bench as he doesn't nearly move at the pace of the Suns and often finds foul trouble. This way we will get all we can out of the man.

I want it, you want it and everybody else wants it. Amare at full speed is a locomotive plowing through a herd of Bison on the great plains. A hobbled Amare is a franchise player with a gamut of basketball skills and athleticism. If Amare plays like his own self, he will want some major minutes. He hasn't played in over a year. He will be a monster while Boris plays showtime on the other side of the frontline. If Amare needs time to ramp up to his old self, Boris is more than capable of picking up slack. If Amare and Boris both average 20 pts and 9 reb, any team would be giddy. Otherwise I see Amare being a 25pt 10 reb guy and Boris doing it all with 17pts 8 reb 6 ast or better.

Shawn Marion is a stud in his prime who's finally getting rest for next season. Shawn will be ready to do his thing no matter what. He can slide over to PF when the team plays small or even shadow a tough guard on the other team if Raja gets suspended. Shawn is the glue to the team. Every general manager in the league wants a team player who does his thing no matter what develops in the play. James Jones can come in to play the position at times and add a deep jumper. He hustles, gets rebounds, blocks shots, takes charges, draws fouls and generally helps out no matter what.

Raja Bell will be the starting SG but will split minutes with Leandro Barbosa, who will also, at times, play the point. Barbosa's minutes generally depend on how he plays. While Raja is hardly ever a liability due to his defense, Barbosa is primarily known for his impressive offensive arsenal. If his shots go cold, he does't play the best defense and he needs to get out. Leandro has been stepping up his game in a major way this past season and now into the summer as he stars on the Brazilian National team. If he gets confident enough to play as himself consistantly, he may challenge Raja Bell or Marcus Banks for minutes. Raja can also play SF as he can track SF's fairly well and his three point shooting on the wing is a nice compliment to the offense.

Steve Nash is the general. He will want to play as many minutes as his body will allow. It is the coaching staff who needs to consciously monitor his minutes and pull him from games. Steve gives something to this team that that very few people have been able to accomplish. He is a complete anomaly and I am so glad he's on our team. 12 players may have career years this upcoming season. When Steve gets tired he can be spelled by Marcus Banks who will try to learn whatever he can from Nash throughout the season. Hopefully we can be confident enough in Banks' ability to play scrappy defense that he will not be a liability on the court. Barbosa was showing some decent playmaking abilities this season so he may steal some of Banks' minutes.

All in all I think we are in a better than good position to contend. With all the pieces on this team we should be considered a favorite even if someone goes down with injury, but lets just never say that again. Hopefully the coaching staff is confident enough in all the players to find room for them in the rotation throughout the regular season and into the playoffs.