A little...No, very concerned

The Suns have faced several good teams lately and the tougher competition has given fans and NBA heads a better idea of how good this team actually is. Uneven efforts are going to be there early in the season and teams lose some games they shouldn't lose- that's acceptable. What becoming clearer, the more I listen to Jeff Van Gundy critique the team while they lose on national TV- this team is not as good as last year.

The same can be said for several teams who have awful records (Miami, Chicago) but the Suns' record is good but their play is frustratingly inconsistent. They beat Utah at home, then can't convert in the clutch against New Orleans. They play great defense and get clutch buckets against the Spurs and then spot Dallas 37 points in the 1st quarter of a game they lose by three. They get a balanced effort against Toronto then get worked by the Lakers, who are a better team at this point.

The team just isn't putting together a solid 48 minutes. A major reason (beside starters admittedly not playing hard, poor chemistry and injuries) is the awful bench play. Some games the bench is weakened by LB starting due to Raja's mounting injury issues. Overall though, the bench rarely builds a lead and often treads water until Nash returns to the game- especially against good teams. Similar to football, the formula for success isn't just star players it's an abundance of capable role players. When Coach D'Antoni turns to the bench he gets points from Barbosa, rebounds and blocks from SKinner and whatever from Diaw. In the West, all the teams are deep and right now it looks like the Suns don't have enough versatility for the tougher match-ups.

Watching the team play, it seems they are revealing who they really are after a East-heavy start. The team feasted on the East last year as well but their 12-2 record against the East is the bulk of the "elite" record at this point. In many games the team is playing to the level of the competition and failing to bring consistent energy on defense. Meanwhile, Golden State plays small ball better than PHX and with more athleticism. The Lakers have a stellar bench that scores and defends in relief of Kobe. Just looking at these teams within the division who've handled the Suns to this point is cause for concern. It's becoming obvious it's time for a trade.

They have to bolster their bench or at least give some guys minutes to earn their money. I too have begun to feel as dumbfounded as other fans who don't get how a team can make moves to save money yet play the shortest rotation in the league. Either stop wasting money on practice players or make a move to get some help. Marcus Banks either needs to play or be bought out. Watching Boris Diaw go through the motions makes me sick considering he makes more than players like Marcus Camby and Hedo Turkoglu and about the same as Tayshaun Prince. LB continues to be a great scorer but he isn't a point guard and the 2nd unit offense just stagnates when his shot is off.

Of course with a team over the luxury tax, it's easier said than done but it's obvious on the court that this team is missing something. The team only plays defense when they're down 10 or more. The Suns nastiness seems to primarily reside with Raja Bell. After watching the Lakers highlight reel on Christmas day- the team should be embarrassed with their defense. This is no longer the powerhouse team that came into your arena, lit you up and rolled out with a win. The Suns have a bulls-eye on their back but now they often fold after taking a team's best shot.

I think at this point a personnel move is the way to go. Their role players have bad contracts but they do have a bargaining chip in Atlanta's draft pick. Even if it's a backup point who can actually run an uptempo team and create shots or another shooter, something has to be done because the gap has been closed in the division and the conference. The Suns weaknesses will not go away without a roster move. I'm optimistic the team can improve internally but it will require a far more consistent effort than they've put forth in recent weeks. No matter how good Coach D'Antoni says they are- pathetic defensive efforts like the one against LA are fuel for his critics and proof this roster can't seriously challenge for a title.

1st Quarter

The 07-08 season is in full swing. Let's discuss...

Record
16-5 (6-2 Home, 10-3 Road)
The good start is welcome after slow starts the last two years. The team has also had a customary early season winning streaks with a 8 gamer and a 5 gamer that were both ended with sluggish road losses.

Starters
Steve Nash (17.9 PPG, 12.3 APG, 46% 3FG) remains a nightmare to guard and gameplan for. Raja Bell (12.0 PPG, 40% 3FG) has found his shot after some injury trouble. Shawn Marion (16.1 PPG, 11 RPG, 2.24 SPG, 1.62 BPG) has let his play silence his offseason trade demand. Grant Hill (15.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.8 APG) has reminded everyone how deadly this team is with a slasher who has midrange game. Amare Stoudemire (21.1 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.78 BPG, 58% FG) has been brilliant but his constant foul trouble translates into an average of 29 minutes a game.

The team boasts the best starting five in the league. With all the injury problems, Nash, Marion and Hill have been the rocks. Nash carried the team early on and as Grant Hill has gotten into 'Phoenix Suns shape' he's proven to be a valuable addition. Even though LB is a tremendous slasher, he a weapon when he comes off the bench. Grant gives the team what they had with Joe Johnson, another playmaker who can score and defend (he's better on D than JJ). Amare has had some monster games but he's a target for opposing defenses. He still picks up silly fouls and takes himself out of games and his rebounding numbers have to be much better. Marion remains one of the leagues best rebounders and glue guys. His shooting numbers haven't been as good and his scoring continues to decline but he is still has a major impact in every game.

Bench
Leandro Barbosa (17.8 PPG, 2.9 APG, 34% 3FG) has been great off the bench and in the starting lineup. Boris Diaw (7.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.8 APG) continues to be an enigma but does make plays. Brian Skinner (3.9 PPG, 4 RPG, 1.29 BPG) has been another solid addition with good defense and timely offense. Sean Marks, Eric Piatkowski, DJ Strawberry and Alando Tucker have mostly seen blowout minutes.

LB is again leading the team in shots attempted and his big scoring nights prompt people to say he should start. That's precisely the reason Manu Ginobili doesn't start. He brings a change-up and terrorizes other teams 2nd units. Boris is tough to figure out. There are some shots he takes without any hesitation but the creativity he used to show in the post has become a slew of unnecessary passes and turnovers. It shows in the stat sheet in a different way: the +/-. Boris has a +/- of +6 on the season. Compare that with playmakers Nash (+184) Hill (+161) and LB (+72). LB comes off the bench and has an impact, the same can't be said for Boris most nights. This ultimately keeps the rotation short because the team has had trouble stretching leads without Nash on the floor.

Thoughts
The good start is very welcome and we've grown accustomed to the Suns smacking teams once they get into shape. There are few teams with a solid game plans who can beat the Suns straight up without the assistance of injury or a grueling schedule. The upcoming schedule will get tougher and the boys will be rolling out to my backyard to visit the Spurs and Mavs. As Grant Hill has pointed out, the team isn't ultimately concerned about beating teams like New York- or even Atlanta or Minnesota for that matter. It's Dallas and San Antonio that are the real tests for the roster and coaches.

The team has won in different ways including clutch victories and scoring showcases. The blueprint to beating this team however remains to hold them under 100 and pound them inside. The story is there in their losses. The Lakers loss was a fluke. The Atlanta frontline controlled the game (shit the entire team is 6'7" or taller) with STAT out. Golden State relentlessly attacked the rim and outgunned the Suns. Yao finally controlled a game against PHX. Minnesota caught PHX on a back-to-back and got a monster game from Al Jefferson in the post and on the boards. (On a side note, why is Al Jefferson so hard to like as a player. He's destined to be a career loser, which doesn't make me sad.) While that loss was embarrassing the team still shutdown the T'pups in the 4th but couldn't shoot well enough to rally. The key component is the interior. The interior attack lead to easy buckets, offensive rebounds, fouls and free throws. When those numbers pile up, the Suns struggle.

The season long question will be how will the Suns address their weaknesses and cope with defenses that find a way to slow them down. Enter Grant Hill. It's evident at this point why the staff is so high on the guy. Grant is 6'8" and he provides a legit solution to both issues. I've already mentioned the offensive aspects but the defense is key. The Suns are running more double teams and traps at the post to force teams to shoot jump shots. They bank on guys taking the first open bad shot rather than making the extra pass. When doubling, Grant is similar to Marion in that he deflects a lot of balls plus he gives great help and takes charges. The team can switch almost every pick n roll and minimize the mismatches.

The team looks good but they have a long way to go as far as peaking as a unit. The team defense is by far the biggest concern because the team is more geared toward small ball than ever. We'll look at these subjects again in about 20 games.