Lets Get Ready to Rumble

Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers on TNT 8:30pm Arizona time. Kobe Bryant is questionable to play due to arthroscopic knee surgery during the summer. Shawn Marion is also questionable to play from a tailbone injury picked up taking an offensive foul during preseason play. Marion will probably play. Amare will begin the season coming off the bench and will earn more playing time and a possible starting spot when his conditioning and knee-health has improved.

The projected starting lineup will be Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw and Kurt Thomas. Our projected second unit that will begin substituting midway through the first and third quarters, tentatively, will be Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa, Marcus Banks and James Jones. Jumaine Jones and Eric Piatkowski will likely have to get healthy before they can take any minutes after some ankle sprains. Piatkowski isn't likely to play very much anyways in addition to Sean Marks and Pat Burke.

Lets get it on!

NBA Previews for your Phoenix Suns

I have been asked to participate in the 30 teams in 30 days preseason blogger preview and I have teamed up with none other than te ever-witty Ms. Suns Gossip herself. We exchanged notes and came up with the following preview of your Phoenix Suns.

Team name: Phoenix Suns

Last year’s record: 54-28

1. What significant moves were made during the offseason?

Lucas: The Suns had quite an eventful summer in terms of upgrading the roster. First off, The Suns traded their draft picks to the Celtics in order to wash themselves of Brian Grant's large contract and to save money for free agent signings. At this point Mike D'Antoni doesn't want any project rookies on the roster and would rather get solid rotation role players with lig experience and loads of talent. They were saving money and cap space to re-sign Tim Thomas in the offseason but I don't think they were very content on having Thomas on the roster since they went through the motions, for the fans, and went at Tim with a low offer. The Clippers offered Tim a better deal and off he went. The Suns then courted John Salmons as a backup combo guard to be used as they did Joe Johnson, to handle the ball for short periods while Steve rested. Brian Colangelo soon moved on in, with more cap space, for the same reason, and eventually got burned by Salmons as well. I feel that they were really reaching at this point for such a unique role.

They eventually found Marcus Banks, who is a great talent and solid defender and signed him to be Steve Nash's backup. Banks really fits in for this team. We lacked a defensive threat at the point guard position and Banks is a major upgrade for this reason. He is also lightening quick for our break-game and, with his solid frame, he can drive the lane and put up shots, make contact, and draw fouls, something we needed sorely last season. We also grabbed Jumaine Jones as another swing who is an athletic shooter who plays defense and multiple positions. He can backup the four or three and will most likely have to fight for minutes with James Jones. We also have the Polish sniper, Eric Piatkowski, who will bring a good attitude and spot up shooting for maybe a few minutes per game.

SunsGossip: As Lucas described, the Suns had more moves than a bowl of jello this offseason. We at SunsGossip feel that LaMarcus (aka Marcus Banks) was the hottest addition – that brother is so fine we’d marry his sister just to get in his family! Of course we also have to give love to the two new white boys, Eric Piatkowski (who seems like a genuinely nice guy) and Sean Marks (who’s got that cute New Zealand accent). Jumaine Jones promises to add entertainment value – if for nothing else than our anticipation of Bill Walton sputtering over the fact there are two J. Jones’s on the team (see: James Jones)... It is also worth mentioning that both Raja Bell and Eric P. were busting their own moves this offseason – the wives of both are currently pregnant. Finally, shout out to Brittany and Whitney, two new additions to the Suns Dance Team who are holding it down for the brown girls in Phoenix. Heyyyy!


2. What are the team's biggest strengths?

Lucas: The greatest strengths of this team are speed, shooting, and ball movement. Last season we had the top fg%, ft% and top three point shooting. We were also the top average assist team. In addition the Suns are a nightmare for opposing coaches due to all of the match up problems the unorthodox style creates. They are also the best conditioned team and can easily wear out opposing teams who are not used to such a high pace of play. The quick pace is very contagious and many teams can't help but get sucked into running and by the end of the game they are outmatched. Large dominating centers absolutely cannot play at this pace and are rendered obsolete against our intense attack. Quick ball movement and floor spacing from shooters continually break down defenses from the slash and kick or drive and pass game. If this isn't working we have the best point guard in the world who is a master at the pick and roll and many athletes who want to get rewarded for their movement.

SunsGossip: Brother Lucas... how can you talk about the Suns’ strengths without mentioning Boris Diaw’s upper body strength? Have you seen this fool lately? Homeboy was working it over the summer! He looks like he’s gained a cool 15 pounds, and that’s all muscle weight, not just the $45 million in his pockets.


3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

SunsGossip: What? The Suns have no weaknesses. This question is like a broken pencil – there ain’t no point. Lucas?

Lucas: The biggest weakness for this team has to do with their size, SG. They are generally smaller than their competition and this is due to Coach Mike's preference on having the best athlete on the floor at all times. He would rather have a smaller, more talented player on the floor than a lumbering oaf with height. This also means that we are outmatched in size and give up more rebounds. Yet, our forwards are quicker, faster on the break and pose matchup problems for opposing teams whose big forwards and centers cannot stay with their man in the open floor. For this the system gives up second chances on the defensive end for offensive superiority and the plan is just to get more points and wear out the opponents.

4. How will the young guys develop?

Lucas: This team has many young players but not so young that they are a liability. Amare Stoudemire, Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa and Marcus Banks are all moderately young players who have played enough to have plenty of experience. Most of this Suns team is well post-seasoned, including the young coach (league-wise). They are all perfect fits in this uptempo unselfish system and they should thrive this upcoming season.

SunsGossip: We can only hope that they all age as gracefully as our 30-year-old Raja Bell. Or that once they reach age 32 they start Peter Panning back to adolescence like Steve Nash.

Lucas: That’s right SG, let’s hope he continues to sink his Hook (shot?).


5. What are the goals for this team?

Lucas: After two seasons making the Western Conference Finals the goals for this season include a trip to the Finals and hopefully a title. D'Antoni is adamant on improving on team defense enough to get us that extra edge to push our team over the top. We have all the talent and a deep bench to get us through the long marathon of a regular season and the playoffs. Depending on the condition of Amare Stoudemire and the health of the team we should have enough for a title.

SunsGossip: Eyes on the prize!

6. Predicted record?

SunsGossip: Good grief, Charlie Brown, we don’t know! How do people come up with these? We’ll put our money on something close to 82-0 and let you slice and dice it further, Lucas.

Lucas: Well SG, an 82-0 season has yet to be accomplished but I feel you. I mean we send rugged Pat Burke, the Kiwi Assassin (Sean Marks) and the Polish Sniper (Piatkowski) out there and they can give those hard fouls and take out kneecaps. This group alone can win you a good ten games but that sort of play is frowned upon by the lig. That takes us down ten games to 72 wins but with Amare working on getting back to optimal shape by the playoffs, he’ll have some struggles to work out. We will probably have some other minor injuries. Combined with Amare, these things will be another six games. I’d say we lose another six to brain lapses and complacency issues. The Suns should win 60 games this season.

Hoopsaddict Fantasy Ball

As I mentioned previously I am taking part in the large Hoopsaddict fantasy basketball league that features 24 armchair gm's. I ended up securing the third pick overall after a random draft order was set. I feel like I got a solid squad all the way through. I think several of my players are poised to have breakout seasons. This was a difficult draft because of the amount of competition. Every selection is going to matter in the end. I chose a couple Suns and went for other strong combo players who can play multiple positions. Here are the players. What do you think?

• Shawn Marion
• Boris Diaw
• Mehmet Okur
• Al Harrington
• Corey Maggette
• Bonzi Wells
• Shaun Livingston
• Jerry Stackhouse
• Marquis Daniels
• David Lee

Roundtable Finale

I am now presenting you with the final installment of our Pacific Division roundtable discussion. As I mentioned previously we have collected insight from the other bloggers in the division on the upcoming season. The crew consists of Tom from Sactown Royalty, Kevin from Clipperblog, Justin from Golden State of Mind, Kurt from Forum Blue and Gold and myself. You can check the other sections here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. We may just have the most stacked division of bloggers. What do you think?


Tom: Let's get down to the grit: How do things shake out in the Pacific division this season? How many teams get into the playoffs? Any surprises in the season results? Any award-winners coming out of these teams?

Kurt: I'll say this for every team in the division outside Phoenix — staying healthy is key. After the big three in the West, the difference between the five seed and the 11 spot (comfortably in the lottery) may be who keeps their key players healthy and on the court. Same goes for Utah, Houston and other teams. The West is deep and fairly even.

Kevin: I think the division shapes up as:

(1) PHX

(2) Clippers

(3) Sacramento

(4) Lakers

(5) Oh boy.

Why are the Lakers behind the Kings? Because it takes a certain brand of arrogance to think you can win in this league without a point guard or a competent post threat. I'm not a Laker-hater (and I think Kurt will attest to such), but I just can't imagine going into an offseason knowing, full well, what your deficiencies are and addressing them by adding...Vlad Radmanovic, Jordan Farmar and Maurice Evans???

Playoff berths: PHX, Clippers and Sacramento

Divisional MVP: Elton Brand

Divisional Most Improved: Kevin Martin, Mickael Pietrus

Divisional Defensive MVP: Ron Artest

Divisional Disappoitment: Mike Dunleavy, starting power forward for
your Golden State Warriors

Divisional COY: Eric Musselman

Divisional Guys Who Absolutely Must Produce: Chris Kaman, Lamar Odom,
Baron Davis

Lucas: I always thought Sacramento was a great team who was underachieving. Even after Artest I thought they underachieved. I don't understand why they can't play to their potential. Maybe this season they will. I would love to take Brad Miller off Sactown's hands, even at 30. The Clippers are scary this year with Brand's play leaking over from last season he is going to be one of the most dominant players in the league. I also agree with your division
breakdown.

The Lakers are not going to all that much better than last season unless Kobe really works to get more people involved like in the playoffs. I have this feeling that Kobe is going to sit much of the season out like the 04-05 season because he is a poor sport. Either that or he's going to drop 101 points against the Suns. I really don't know what Kobe does.

Tom: My mind on the 2007 Pacific has evolved all summer. I think Phoenix is a lock for the division crown, and I think a legit choice to win the title. After that, it's really fuzzy.

Ultimately, I think the Kings' talent level surpasses that of the Lakers and Clippers, but there's something about the Kobe-Phil-Odom triumverate that I can't discount. The Lakers will be an improved team - maybe a 50-win team. The Clippers, I think, could regress. Scream about "one game away from the conference finals" all you want, but what I saw was the Nuggets and the less-than-full-powered Suns. The Warriors are a novelty act in my mind. And the Kings, as I said, have a great talent base and a fresh coach. I'd pencil the Kings and Lakers battling for second, with the Clippers getting the eighth seed and the Warriors at about 32 wins. I think Kobe wins the MVP of the league (if LeBron doesn't invoke eminent domain), I think the Suns win the title, and I think the Kings start looking for a new point guard in May. I'd love to be wrong and see that happen in June, however.

Season Previews

I just wanted to take a second and give a big thanks to ESPN and Slamonline for choosing me to be included in features on the Suns season previews.

Big up to Marcel Mutoni for the tight interview on the Suns preseason that has been up over at Slamonline.

Big up to Henry Abbott at Truehooop for orchestrating the ESPN blogger feature.

If you haven't seen either yet, I highly reccomend that you do so now.

Respect.

Lebron James Just Punched Cleveland in the Mouth

Even my jaw smarts a little from Lebron James' blatant attack on the hearts, minds and mouths of Cleveland Cavalier fans. Not very long ago there was debate across the internet hotter than the fire that burned the Cuyahoga, twice, about whether Lebron would hold off on a Cavs extension to sign with a big market team. Analysts, bloggers, and fans alike were pitted on either side of this argument in a fierce debate that was seemingly endless, placing the poor and fragile Cleveland sports fan in the middle.

Now it seems that Lebron, or more specifically, Lebron's publicist/agent/media demon, has decided to take a cheap shot. In this picture you can see Lebron chillin' on a MTD Lawn Machine, which he is obviously endorsing. Of course he will be rewarded handsomely for such a move but that is not the real motive for this photo op. Lebron is seen here nonchalantely rockin' full-on New York Yankees gear. Where is the love for the Indians from this supposed C-Town homebody? It's all business baby. Just as David Stern changes the dress code and implements a new ball before the season starts to drum up media talk and interest into the NBA, Lebron punches Ohioans in the mouth.

Who needs to play on a big market team when you can just as easily manipulate the media into favorable attention that will pay large dividends? With the technology we have today and the vast influence of the internet, Lebron can be as big an icon as his PR team wants.

Talkin' Hoops

Over the past few weeks I have teamed up with bloggers from the other Pacific Division teams and held a roundtable-esque discussion. The chat was via email and featured Tom from Sactown Royalty, Kevin from Clipperblog, Justin from Golden State of Mind, Kurt from Forum Blue and Gold and myself. We discussed various important questions for this upcoming season, including D'Antoni's moustache, in a conversational manner and unearthed much insight into this division. Quite a great idea if you ask me, except for the part that included yours truly. We have broken up the discussion into five pieces and each blog will post a section each day this week. As always, I'm unfashionably late so I will get you up to speed. I will be posting my section on Friday.

Sactown Royalty gets the ball rolling with a discussion on the new faces in the division.

The next installment posted by Golden State of Mind looks at the most important addition to the division.

Shawn Marion Motivation

Through Shawn Marion's career he has often been overlooked and overshadowed as a player. In the most recent seasons he has let it be known that he feels slighted for his efforts on the court. This has usually been followed by extra-exceptional play as he tries to prove himself to the masses. Then there were other times where his talents have been praised either in print form or through awards. For example, after getting a nod on the all-star team this past season, Shawn went bonkers on the court for a period of games. One such game he tallied 44pts 15rbs 4st 3bk. The very next game he went off again for 31pts 24rbs! Then he goes and logs 29pts 18rbs. Seriously, through this stretch I was convinced he was "the one" from The Matrix and not a mere mortal. This is why the Marion trade rumors persist.

Shawn is one of the most talented, efficient, and consistant players in the league. USA Today has recently did some weird statistical analysis that I will never understand and it says that Marion is the best player in the league. It tallies up the good things a player does and subtracts the bad and comes to the conclusion that The Matrix is better than Lebron. I won't say that he is or isn't better than King James, but it is close.

For all his versatility and consistancy of all star caliber play, he should be a serious contender to be chosen first overall in fantasy basketball leagues in the coming weeks. Blasphemy you say? Well I may be embellishing a bit but I will keep on talking about it if he keeps carving up the competition afterwards. I might have to do a Shawn Marion sucks/ rules post before each game to get him all fired up this season.

If you didn't know, I am participating in the ginormous Hoopsaddict fantasy basketball league this season. This is by far the largest league I will have participated in with 24 blogger members. This is going to get interesting as the Raja Bell's and Nazr Mohammed's will become important pieces to fantasy teams. Somehow I managed to grab the third pick overall and you know I will be picking The Matrix if he is still available. I'll probably grab a bunch of other Suns players in the later rounds too. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Let me know if you have any suggestions for impact players in later rounds.

Preseason: Andrew Bynum, meet Shawn Marion.

Get On the Bandwagon

Through the magic of technology I have unearthed The Official Phoenix Suns Bandwagon. I'm not too sure about this Facebook business because it looks, sounds, and feels like Myspace. I keep to the opposite side of the street as Myspace which is probably why all my friends are unclean and homeless.

Suns Drop Final Preseason Game

The Suns came out with another poor third quarter and lost their final preseason soiree to the Supersonics from Washington. Kurt Thomas came out tonight with the fire and led the team in scoring for 20pts and nine rebounds. At least somebody was pumped because the rest of the team didn't fare so well. Steve did his thing and Shawn contributed like he should but the rest of the team didn't have enough to pull a W.

The team didn't get blown out; they kept it competitive and nobody had a horrible game besides Marcus Banks and his shooting troubles. As long as he takes this time to improve now and he isn't chucking up poor shots in the season, I can live with that. This team doesn't seem to win the games that don't matter. They had this problem last season where they would only win when they had to. I hope they can shed that mentality soon.

Preseason Woes

The Suns continue to work out their rotation kinks in the preseason with mixed results. First they whooped on the Sactown Kings a little and then came out of California with a loss. The Suns losttothelakers. There, as difficult as it was for me, I said it. It's preseason, but still. We lost to the team without Kobe. I hope this puts things into perspective for Mamba. I hope he's thinking: "the team... they... they don't really need... me?"

I wouldn't put much weight into this loss. D'Antoni is still trying to get a consistant and coherent rotation set for 10 players. A lot of the younger guys are getting heavy minutes, probably an attempt to get them warmed up for the season and to get the rust off. Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Boris Diaw are plenty ready for the regular season. The rest of the guys need to get more reps and that's what preseason is for. I have a feeling that we may start off the season slow, maybe dropping a couple that we shouldn't have. But, just like last season, we will easily right the ship. Steve Nash and company will not allow this team to slip very far.

The excuses are coming out and the new ball is a perfect scapegoat. I wish they would just suck it up and play. Get used to the damn ball. Stop making excuses. Everyone has bad nights. But maybe Barbosa's big toe sprain had more to do with his performance than the ball.

Ron Artest wants to fight Raja Bell.

When he (Bell) does stuff like that, I want to fight him... I can't do that, of course, but it makes me want to meet him off the floor for a nice little fight.

Raja was wise not to retort. Artest said this in regards to Bell's flagrant foul on Brad Miller. My sources say that Raja's flagrant was in retaliation to a Brad Miller hard shove of Steve Nash from behind that sent him to the floor. It's good to have someone like Raja whose got the team's back. I don't know who I like in that battle. Ron Ron may be crazy as hell but I could see Raja as a heady fighter. Let's compare:

Raja Bell: 6'5" 210lbs. Intelligent person... very competitive... lets emotions get the best of himself at times... Lots of heart... thick... broad shoulders.

Ron Artest: 6'7" 260lbs (reported weight). Weight greatly exaggerated... maniacal... impulsive... lets others get the best of himself... not a scholar... thick... strong... comparable size to Bell.

This would be a very even match. I don't think Raja would ever actually fight Artest though, he's too intelligent to get into anything like that. I wouldn't put any money down on this one because it's about a draw.

Suns to Sign Boris Diaw, Finally

Ok now I can sleep. For real, it's late and I'm tired but I'm really really, really glad that the team came to a deal with Boris. Not only that, but it is a fair deal, five years, $45 million. We got a great price for this one-of-a-kind player. I am glad he will be with us for many years to come. The dude does it all and now he is dunking with authority.

Would the Lakers Jump Ship?

It isn't everyday that the media who covers one of your division rivals fawns over your team and I don't know about you, but that makes me a little uncomfortable. Obviously the writers were just critically analyzing our team as a general would assess the enemy on the battlefield, but if I didn't know better, and really I don't, I'd say that these guys are starting to question their faith. I thought it was sacrilegious for a Laker fan to have any praise for a rival team, especially for one with whom you just came off an emotional playoff series with. I thought they were too proud for all that.

It seems like these Lakers fans are reaching for something greater than their perennial mediocrity. And there is a an oasis no further than four-hundred miles away across desert and some mountains.

The Lakers have yet to fill the crater that Shaq left in the entire culture. They continue to press along with limited talent, a moody superstar, and a bleak hope. The franchise is legendary, these teams (of the past few years) are not. They have accumulated a mix of underachieving characters in Lamar Odom and Vladimir Radmanovic and some intriguing young talent in Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, and Jordan Farmar. But they have yet to prove anything in using Kobe as the leader of the team and as despot gunner. That begs the question of what Kobe will we see this season?

Bryant had arthroscopic knee surgery this offseason after eighty-two plus games on a scoring tirade. Will he be able to come back the star he has built or will he pout on the sidelines claiming injury and feeling sorry for his plight of working with a team that is less than competant, like the 04-05 season. If Kobe can let others in he can be the leader that comes away with wins. Otherwise, the Phoenix Suns might start sounding like the Greater Los Angeles Suns, to some.

The Suns Aren't 11,000°F, But They're Close

The Suns are hot right now but since yesterday's defeat at the hands of our Pacific Division rival Clippers, they aren't that hot. It seems that D'Antoni is still working the kinks out of his substitutioning; trying to find what works, what doesn't work, who sucks, who balls...etc.

Most of the bench players played, many of whom saw significant minutes. This is good for Coach Mike because in the past he has been reluctant to play more than five or seven players and now, it seems, he is trying to change his habits for the long-term good. The bad news is we lost a game, albeit a preseason game. But still, losing sucks, especially to a sold-out crowd at home. It's pretty crazy to think that this preseason game was sold out but it is a testament to the direction basketball, and the Suns, are going. NBA interest, and Suns interest, is growing rapidly. People are jumping on the Suns bandwagon after two very successful, and entertaining seasons for good reason.

To me the most amusing part about this game is what happened with Nash. Evidently Steve didn't like a call and had some choice words for the ref who, under the new no tolerance for bitching policy, quickly slapped the hot-tempered (or Canadian mannered?) Nash with a technical foul. In addition to cutting his hair this summer I guess Steve also shed the Canadian 'easy going hippy' moniker for more of a 'cursing lumberjack' one. D'Antoni was also amused/impressed by Steve's display and quipped back at the ref with:

He’s Canadian.

As if that's an excuse. Hell, maybe it is and I'm just not 'in the know.' J.E. Skeets is also confused, and if he doesn't know, being Canadian himself, then we might never crack this case. Nonetheless, it is a hilarious line by D'Antoni who becomes more and more like Ron Burgundy everyday.

Fashionably Late Previews

I've been slacking on the NBA Previews updates so I'll knock some out here.

Minnesota preview via I Heart KG

Denver Nuggets Preview via The Nugg Doctor

Milwaukee (Milwaulkee?) Bucks Preview via 5 Point Bucks

Indiana Pacers Preview via Donning Craig Sager's Suit

Detroit Pistons Preview via Need4Sheed

Detroit Pistons squared via Detriot Bad Boys

Cleveland Cavaliers Preview via Yaysports!

Chicago Bulls Preview via Blog a Bull

San Antonio Spurs Preview via Pounding the Rock

And thats it. Man am I bad at keeping up on this.

In other news, the Arizona Cardinals have brought choke/suck/inept/cursed...etc to a whole new level. I cannot believe the events that unfolded in that stadium last night. Many Cardinals fans are already jumping ship on the season and looking forward to the start of the Suns run, with good reason. This is great for us. Come on in Cardinals fans, the water is fine.

Suns Preview Podcast

The Suns preview podcast is up at Hoopsaddict. You can listen to it here. It was my first try, don't make fun. I'm much better hiding behind the cloak of the internet.

STAT Dominates Lakers in Preseason

The Suns defeated the Lakers in a preseason match last night in Vegas 99 to 91 thanks to a strong effort by Amare. It seems that Amare is done making knee excuses, for now, and is trying to prove himself on the court. Since I didn't see or hear this game I did some research, watched the highlights, and the consensus is that Stoudemire was much more mobile, agressive, and dominant throughout this game. He was prowling the lane, blocking shots, rebounding, getting steals and forcing the Lakers to double and triple team him. Amare's stat line was nice, inking 15pts 9reb (4 offensive) 5st 2bl and 1 assist. He also had some power dunks and was taking some nice shots. He also played the most minutes for the Suns.

Shawn Marion continues to play well, he seems to be in mid-season form already. Boris and Steve are also playing very well and appear to be ready for the season to start. Raja had a good shooting night in contrast to our second unit guards who stunk up the joint. Leandro and Marcus played horribly. It seems to me that these two young players play hastily, at times, and need to calm down. Marcus needs to pass more and Leandro needs to play within the team's strategy instead of dominating the ball when it is in his possession.

It is nice to see Stoudemire producing for a significant period of time but will he be able to do this again tomorrow? He still has some conditioning to catch up on and his mental confidence needs consistancy so it will be interesting to see how well he can perform tomorrow. If he can continue to progress at this rate we are going to scare the crap out of the lig. He will probably have some setbacks eventually but with D'Antoni pushing him to get better at all times, he will get there as soon as possible. D'Antoni said:

I'm going to play him until his lungs blow up, because he has to play.

Prodding Robert Sarver

Ask and you shall receive. Yesterday I went on about how I needed to see that Diaw dunk from the Maccabi game after listening to everyone go crazy on the radio. Well a helpful little birdie, Chboddis, dropped the information into my lap. Of course, my search for "Boris Maccabi" and the like wasn't broad enough and here it was under "NBA Europe Live." Shame on me. Anyways, Boris is making a pretty strong case for 5 years, $50 million. I hope Sarver is listening.

The dude almost put up a triple double in the first preseason game and is coming with power moves like this in the second game. I've been sold on Diaw since last season because, you know, I actually watched all the games. But for those who are hesitant, this should be a pretty good sign that five years, $50 million, which is what he wants, could turn out to be a bargain. Especially because of the giant question mark sitting on Amare's head. Another young, uniquely talented stud couldn't hurt our chances in the long term now could it? Not only is he looking bigger and stronger, but he seems to be jumping higher too.

Dime Preview

Dime magazine had asked me to write a short Suns season preview and I made it happen. It is up online and it will be in their October issue. Go check it out.

Maccabi, Meet Amare

Well now what do we have here? Well, Amare Stoudemire doing what he does during the second game of a back to back. He was more mobile, more athletic and threw this vicious dunk down the throat of Maccabi Tel Aviv. Now if any of you Tivo'd this game, and I know there are a bunch of you out there, someone, anyone, please get that rumpin' thumpin' Diaw roughneck cram up on Youtube or in my possession SOON please. Thank you. I don't have NBATV or a Tivo box and I'm jonesin' to hear what all this hype is about. I would also like to say that Diaw has, in fact, been working out like I had previously mentioned and is lookin thick. If he keeps this up he will start looking look like an actual power forward. An all-star power forward, that is.

Suns vs. Maccabi Elite

Well I was holding off on doing a recap of this game until NBA.com fixed it's box score but I guess that was too much to ask as it is still busted this morning. This is quite rediculous actually, there are probably 10,000 people going to the site looking for box scores and they can't get it fixed in two days. I even send them a scathing email asking for some effort but to no avail.

Anyways, I again listened to this game on KTAR and it was pretty entertaining, for radio. The Suns had a hangover from the previous night's game and were stagnant throughout the first half and were down by 12 at one point. I was patient with the team and they rewarded me with an action packed second half led by our second unit guards who continually dominated the game. Just like against Philly, nobody from Maccabi could stay in front of Barbosa and this time his game was on. I am looking at his stats in amazement: 27 points on nine-of-12 shooting, five threes, six steals and six assists. This is one of the most impressive stat lines I have seen in a while but it is just preseason and it wasn't exactly against Detroit's defense. Marcus Banks also bounced back from a sub par game and attacked the cup relentlessly racking up 21 points with ten of ten free throws. Both players looked very comfortable out there on the floor.

Amare was also playing better than the previous game which is a fantastic sign because it was the second of a double header. He was much more mobile and active throughout but got frustrated because Maccabi kept hacking, holding, and pushing him because they had no answer. This is fine because Amare can hit free throws. Nash, Marion, and Diaw continued their stellar play and Boris had a ground thumping put back that made the entire place go bonkers. The second unit played most of the minutes and came away with a terrific high-octane win. This team is rounding into form and if this is any indication of team progress, this team is going to be more dangerous than dynamite at a candlelight vigil.

The Maccabi team was not even close to ready for this thriller as evident from the coaches statement:

Honestly, we couldn't walk

Preseason Recap; Suns vs. Philly

Well the Suns just played the 76ers earlier and I actually figured out how to listen to it while at work. Throughout the first half the team played great, eventually getting out to a 21 point lead. The second half, not so much. They then played miserable in the fourth quarter with Iverson on the bench and eventually lost. But who cares, it's preseason.

Since I didn't see it, I can only go by what it sounded like and it sounds like Shawn Marion is ready to win a championship. Marion was out in superstar form accompanied by great games by Steve and Boris, who nearly racked up a triple double. Leandro played a nice game but missed some easy layups at the rim like he is accustomed to. We need to get this kid a lesson on finishing because nobody on Philly could stay in front of him. Amare played a decent game, still a bit rusty but he had some vintage Amare dunks that got myself pumped and Al McCoy screaming. He had some bad turnovers but he was very active on the boards and it looks like he will be coming back to peak form this season.

Other than that I can't really say because hearing it on the radio doesn't tell you much. If anyone watched this thing feel free to leave comments.

Preseason Game Today

The Suns play Philly today on ESPN 2 at Noon. If anybody is watching it send me a recap, I'm stuck at work and won't be able to see it. This ought to be a massacre with Amare at 120%. I'm not even sure that's legal.

The Best of Training Camp

Training camp is now in full swing and the team is finally getting their collective game on. Well, collective minus a moody Amare Stoudemire who is still battling the microfracture demons. Coach Mike is managing the situation with tough love and forcing Stoudemire to practice with the team and to be as conditioned as everyone else before he will see playing time. To D'Antoni, no player is bigger than the team and Stoudemire will quickly learn that. I see it as a motivational tactic employed by coach to light a fire under Amare.

Regardless Stoudemire keeps pushing and he even says that he's about ready to go:

Today, I feel 110 percent... Yesterday, I felt 110 percent. So, if I can feel 120 percent tomorrow, then the 76ers are in for it.

So if he's 120% tomorrow then I feel bad for Iverson. His club already lost to a Euroleague team and now he is going to have a 6'10" phenom going 120%, which is theoretically impossible, on his ass. Then what? Does that mean he's going to be like 420% by Halloween when we face the Lakers? Oh well, I'm officially done with all these Amare rehab updates.

Meanwhile, James Jones has been improving his game in a multitude of ways. Junior has been hitting the weights hard this summer to shore up his inside game since he will likely see some time at the four when they go small. Hopefully James can find that consistancy that faded in and out during last season. He is already a quality defensive presence and if his finesse jumper is clicking he is a dangerous man. He says:

I feel a difference... Last year at training camp about right now, my entire body was sore. This year, I feel good. When I'm down there rebounding, I feel explosive and I'm able to guard (big men) a little bit better. It helps my versatility.

The Suns came out of their first preseason game with a win, which really isn't news unless they didn't win, which would be embarassing. Joking. Some of these Euroleague teams are of the highest quality and shouldn't be taken lightly.

Some training camp snaps:

NBA Blog Previews; Catching Up Pt. 2

The NBA Previews continue to post over at http://nbapreviews.wordpress.com/. Be sure to check out what to expect for the impending season. The next set of previews are:

The New Orleans Hornets preview by Ron Hitley of Hornets 247.

The Memphis Grizzlies preview by Thomas McKee of The Beale Street Beat.

The Houston Rockets preview by Kurt Nordquist of Rockets Blast.

The Dallas Mavericks preview by Wes Cox of Mavs Moneyball.

Toronto Raptors preview by Ryan McNeil of Hoopsaddict.

The Amare Stoudemire Quagmire

More distressing news has surfaced on the Amare Stoudemire situation from Italy and this time it has actual implications. Amare is basically saying that he is having pain, which is in conflict of the reports from the team trainer who has seen the MRI's. We now tread through murky water. D'Antoni now seems to have lost faith in Stoudemire being ready for the season. Coach Mike has said some things previously that alluded to him going with a starting lineup sans Amare but now I think it is certain.

Coach is frustrated that all the signs are pointing to Amare's knees being physically healed and ready to go with no problems, yet Amare is struggling to regain his form like everybody expects him to. I believe that much of Amare's roadblocks are self-imposed by his own pride; he can't stomach the reality that he may not be the player that he once was for some time. Amare doesn't want to half-step and I can commend his determination but sometimes an athlete has to suck up his ego and face his tribulations head on in order to progress and become who they are capable of.

At this point Coach Mike has decided to go with a lineup of Kurt, Boris, Shawn, Steve, and Raja. Amare will have to come off the bench until he proves that he can be consistant. I think this is a great move regardless of how Amare is progressing. It will force him to earn his spot like everyone else on the team. Amare has been the franchise player from the start but now he will have to prove it. I think this will alleviate some of the stress that weighs on Stoudemire's shoulders and let him come back gradually instead of binging and making a huge media splash with his long-awaited, "triumphant" return. This is the plan that any other player who had such a significant injury would have to accept and I see no reason why Amare shouldn't. I still think that once he starts playing in actual games he is going to really come alive in a short time, possibly a couple months.

We still shouldn't be hard on Amare since microfracture surgury typically takes 12-18 months to fully heal and Amare is just at the one year point. He may have some roadblocks ahead for him during the first leg of the regular season and I think that the decision to have him coming off the bench until he can play consistantly is the best option for Amare, and the team. Let's just hope he is ready for our title run come May and June. If not, we still have a deeper and more athletic group than last season's team that was on pace to win 60 games and came a couple plays from the Finals. Either way, we should win a title.

Training Camp Video

Here is a video I found of the Suns training in Italy. It's short but within it you will see some of the strength and conditioning workouts that they do. We see some clips of Amare running and shooting, Shawn dunking, Steve and Boris passing, Marcus learning, and Piatkowski shooting. Also there are a few clips of the team practicing some of their sets. Most of their sets rely on floor spacing and pushing the tempo and both can be seen in this video. The new guys obviously have to learn this style, which shouldn't be too difficult. At one point you can faintly hear Assistant coach Mark Iavaroni say "so we establish that people are not going to get to the rim on us." This really illustrates the commitment the team is making to be a defensive team. With all the running and defense they are working on I don't see why they won't be able to score 120ppg and allow 105ppg. But then what would the naysayers talk about? This team ain't half-steppin,' yo. Believe that.

The Suns are Training

While in Italy the Suns have been doing much sightseeing but they are also being diligent in their training camp workouts. Nobody worked harder than Pat Burke who got to practice signing his autograph, something that he definitely needed to work on for this season. Some highlights from the training camp is Nash's picture perfect shot, Marcus Banks' lovely lady friend, Amare dunking, and Barbosa finishing in traffic.

NBA Blog Previews; Catching Up

Jeff from Celticsblog.com came up with a great idea for previewing each NBA team in each day of October. I was so kindly asked to write up a Suns preview and it will debut on the 29th, I believe. Here are the previews for today and the ones I missed.

Loy's Place with a Celtics Preview.
Celtics 17 and Celticsstuff Live team up for a preview.
CelticsBlog also comes correct with a preview.

Nets Daily brings us some important Nets info.

Mutoni from Bench Renaldo brings us the skinny on the Knickerbockers.

30 teams in 30 days, there will be much more to come... Stay tuned.

Shawn Marion Goes For a Walk

The Matrix is touring the streets of Venice with a lovely young lady friend.

The Matrix surrounded by glorious architecture.

Training Camp WMD's

Training camp has decended upon us like a pigeon at a picnic; swiftly. I will continue the ongoing tradition of associating lists of links with tools of war such as bullets (Truehoop) and explosions (yaysports!). I will take it a step further and name my links after the much debated weapons of mass destruction, or WMD's. Since there such a plethora of coverage about our team's voyage to Italy, I had a sensory overload. I decided the only way of keeping you up to date on the important current events is to just link to stuff.

The Suns have a new blog team and I am unjustly not on the roster.

Steve Nash gives Marcus Banks a top secret lesson on what it really takes to be the best point guard in the world.


Mike D's wife, Laurel, gives us some insight into Italian Basketball culture in her diary and tells us how this trip is a bonding tool for the team.

Mike D'Antoni is playing with the lineup options. There are just so many options.

Mike D has a cure for jetlag: get them off the plane and running. Then get them in bed by 10 and they will be fine.

Laurel with another journal entry tells us about a Suns roast and how the players eat so much faster than Italians. I'm oddly interested in her reports.

Nash is attacked by insects. He could use a pet Mantis like mine. What was he doing, camping in the northern Canadian wilderness?

Nash raised a little stir when he showed up for his interviews with his hand wrapped in ice and bandages — and then declined to talk about it.

Turns out, Nash was the victim of an insect bite Thursday and the bite had swelled by Friday morning. The Suns wanted him to ice it down before the long flight.

The team will have a more relaxed training camp than other clubs with four extra days.

Running, spacing, shooting.

The Suns will work to blend the differing styles of play between the 04-05 and the 05-06 campaign. The previous being a two man show between Nash and Stoudemire along with complementing pieces and the former more of a balanced team effort. Stoudemire is almost ready to go full bore:

I'm going all out I"m doing moves that I've been doing pre-injury. The strength is getting back and the agility is definitely coming back.

Media Day Exchange

Since I'm late always fashionably late to the party, you probably already know about the Suns little media day podcast thing that went down this past Friday. Well I was a little excited, to say the least, since the offseason is almost officially over and we get down to talking some serious basketball. Media day was held in the U.S. Airways Center and most Suns players were in attendance to chat with the media and do some interviews. Tom Leander and Ced Ceballos were the main personalities for this but before the 'cast was in swing I emailed my main Suns associate from Suns Gossip to see if she was ready for this epic broadcast. Here is how it went down, I will add comments in italics.

Rising Suns (RS): Are you going to watch the Media Day video on Suns.com today, in a half hour? I'm on it like a fat kid in the buffet line.

Suns Gossip (SG): helllz yes! I'm on it like black on beans.

SG: awww we love D'Antoni. I think I'll change my profile pic to show my D'Antoni tattoo.

SG: Raja's hair is *perfect.*

RS: Haha, Raja must have got his fade on this morning. How about Barbosa? I bet all the ladies are all *aww how cute* right about now.

SG: Yeah, Barbosa's a cutie, but you know my heart belongs to Boris. If I had to pick a second place it would definitely be Raja.

RS: James Jones has been working out. Raja was pretty hilarious.

SG: Oh my gosh I know I've been staring at those arms.

RS: This is awesome, I think we need to team up for a Suns podcast in the future.

SG: Hahahahaha that would be bananas.

RS: Tom Leander is long winded.

SG: Yeah, I wish Quiet Storm would take over the interviews instead. Quiet storm = Ced Ceballos

SG: Awwww loving the accent. this chick annoys me though. Sean Marks' accent that is.

SG: Oh my word, no on cares how many bags they packed!

RS: Yeah she is annoying, what do you think the odds are that we can get Marks to link to us from his blog? What do the Suns pick up a big white dude just to write blogs every year? They need to get me on board. I'm not big but I am pasty.

SG: There are a bunch of people on the blog, including one of the dancers. Sean Marks actually is a good writer, I was just reading his post this morning. no links thus far...

RS: Pat Burke doesn't like the new ball, Ced thinks its a girls ball. Pat Burke would DOMINATE Leander.

SG: The women's ball comment made me laugh out loud.

RS: Marcus Banks is harrassing Nash in the locker room for tips. This is a good sign.

RS: Pat Burke is the "bond" guy. He is also Barbosa's big buddy.

SG: Awww really? how cute!

RS: Casino Arizona is a new sponsor. That place is cool, during the 04-05 playoffs after a big Dallas game I went there to gamble and they were replaying the game all night on all the big screens. It was bliss. I made $100.

SG: ha, that's fantastic. that's enough to buy you, what, a single-game ticket? did you end up getting any kind of season package?

RS: No season package for me this season. My lucrative blog career isn't paying too many bills. Jumaine Jones really reminds me of Charles Barkley.

RS: "As long as it's round it can go in the basket." Jumaine on the new ball - Priceless!

SG: Hahahaha I was just thinking the same thing. and he just spat a quality Barkleyism, regarding the new ball: "as long as it's round, it go in the basket." Preach, Jumaine!

SG: jinx!

RS: Vinny Del Negro won an Italian championship too. This organization is a modern day mafia. How long until Bryan Colangelo gets the hit?

SG: I'm not going to comment in writing. google is listening, fool!

RS: Kurt Thomas > Shaq

SG: Awww do you see Eric P. has a little boo-boo on his arm?

RS: Hah, he looks like Keith Van Horn. He's like the Public Relations guy on the bench. Marks is the blogger and Piatkowski "polish hammer" or whatever is the Public Relations man.

RS: Piatkowski does yoga, pilates, and he's a pool boy!

SG: Naw, Van Horn is fugly. We like the Polish Sniper.

RS: Ced: "bad meaning good, bad meaning good." He had to explain for us boring white folk.

SG: Hahahahaha yeah he knows what time it is. He really needs take that ball out of his lap though. It looks like he's trying to hide a stain on his pants or something.

RS: Griffin on the Suns and their fans: "It's a love affair, a love affair." Does that make Phoenix one big orgy now?

SG: If Eric starts teaching them pilates...

RS: Sarver's wife is a rabid shopper. He would rather have his credit cards stolen because whoever has them couldn't charge as much as his wife. Ahhh, the tough life of a billionaire.

SG: If I was his wife I would bitch slap him with the Amex when he got home for that comment.

RS: Where is Steve, Amare, Shawn, and Boris??? I have to go to lunch! Lets get this moving, chop chop.

SG: Boris is in Europe. here comes Amare!

RS: AMARE WITH A KNEE UPDATE! He's got it all back, he just has to maintain throughout the season. EXPLOSIVENESS!!! Don't let George Bush get ahold of this video.

SG: Fool is looking ripped. maybe he will move into my #2 spot.

RS: Amare on the long flight: "pop a dvd into your Ipod..." What kind of Ipods do these guys have?!? Mine don't play DVD's.

SG: Shawn rocking the ice!!!!!!!!!!

RS: The MATRIX IS IN THE HOOOOUUUUUUSSSSSEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

!!!

SG: Someobody needs to give him a seat.

RS: Shawn is my favorite Suns character "knowwhatimsayin?"

RS: Shawn an Ced got into a little scuffle in a pickup game!!!!!! The old guys won!

SG: well, my friend, it's been real.

RS: Ok im off to lunch now.... PEACEEEE



And there you have it. A "love affair?" Maybe, lord knows we love this team. Not literally, but from a platonic sort of way. That is for me at least, I can't speak for Ms. Suns Gossip. I can't wait to see the first game in Germany against Philadelphia on TV Tuesday, October 10th on ESPN. It's about time the season got underway. I apologize for the weak post but it's Monday morning and I haven't had a chance to dig through all the new Suns news since training camp began and there is a lot. I will report back soon.