SB Nation - Raja Bell

The Ghost of Bobcats Future Trades

David Arnott — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:24 -0000

More photos » by Noah Graham - NBAE/Getty Images

At this early stage of the season, there are only a couple teams that are completely and totally out of the playoff picture: the New Jersey Nets and Sacramento Kings. Every other team's fans can entertain wild-eyed dreams of playoff basketball. Can we benefit from their situations?

First, the Nets. The only player we have that makes sense for them is Raja Bell. He's got an expiring contract that fits in with their plan to clear cap space for this offseason and sign free agents to complement their interesting young players, like Courtney Lee, Yi Jianlian, and Brook Lopez. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the Nets have done too good a job of clearing cap space. The only players with guaranteed contracts for next season are guys they'll almost certainly want to keep, and it doesn't make any sense for them to swap out an expiring contract for an expiring contract. We probably won't be able to even start a conversation with them unless, improbably, they grow weary of Yi and figure they'd rather cut bait.

The Kings are a different story, though. They've got some messy contracts and fiscal pressure that we might be in position to massage with a calculated gamble. No one they'd be able to offer us is a game-changer who would guarantee us the playoffs, but if they want to get out from under a horrific contract, they can give us that contract and a very good player to fill out our rotation. I'd be most interested in Spencer Hawes or Jason Thompson to come off the bench and be a backup to both Diaw and Chandler. Unfortunately, it looks like we'd have to take back Beno Udrih in any deal, which makes no sense for the Cats, because Andres Nocioni's deal is only one year longer than Radmanovic's and Mohammed's (not worth it for Sacto), and Francisco Garcia's long deal is still subject to Base Year Compensation provisions, so we can't make that work.

Here's where I'm going with this: I don't see any trades that make sense for the Bobcats, even after other teams start dropping out of the playoff hunt. No, wait. I take that back. There's one. When the Warriors give up on this season, they might consider trying to clear out some space and trade Raja straight up for Ronny Turiaf. The big guy has an unwieldy contract, extending through 2012, but he would make the team better by being a defensive presence (and about the same scorer as Chandler, i.e. way better than Diop) off the bench at both the PF and C positions. Bell, as professional as he is, is primarily a contract figure at this point, and if we put Flip in at the two, we'd get better offense, probably making up for any drop in defense, and if we put Augustin or Henderson in at that spot, we'd be giving much needed playing time to a young player. I'd also argue that we probably wouldn't see much drop in production.

The biggest problem for the Cats is that every other team is either set for the 2010 offseason, set for the 2011 offseason, or will be looking for a player to help them this season, which Bell is not. Boris Diaw might be attractive to a contender, but his contract is extremely daunting. Gerald Wallace will be attractive to a contender, but I'm not sure it's such a good idea to trade away a guy who outproduces his pay scale. And Raymond Felton, of course, might be a bench upgrade for someone with the bonus that he's an expiring contract, but the contender that needs a point guard upgrade, either starter or bench, and sees Felton as said upgrade probably isn't a contender.

It's Rosterbation Monday! Are we stuck dreaming about John Wall? Or is there someone our there for the taking that we can steal? (See? I made it this far without mentioning Joe Alexander!)

Bobcats Handle Hawks 103-83

David Arnott — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:10:37 -0000

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Around 5pm, I stretched out for a nap and dreamed the Bobcats pulled away from the Hawks in the second quarter and never really got threatened again on their way to a 103-83 win.

I even dreamed the details, like the Cats' dominance on the boards and a wide spread of minutes across the roster on the first day of a back to back. Imagine my surprise as the game played out ~~just like~~ mostly like my dream. Highlights and lowlights after the jump:

BAD

-- It looks like Vladimir Radmanovic still hasn't gotten into the groove of things. We knew when we got him that dude's streaky, but this is bordering on absurd.

-- Stephen Graham got more than 13 minutes. Gerald Henderson got fewer than 4. I refuse to believe that even in Henderson's "raw" rookie state, he can't be as productive as Graham right now, and that's before considering the benefits of letting him work on his game for next season and beyond.

GOOD

-- Enjoy it while it lasts. Gerald Wallace is putting up Pistons-era Dennis Rodman numbers, from the small forward position. 11 points and 18 rebounds for Crash.

-- Raja Bell couldn't miss tonight, shooting 5-6 from three and ending up with 24 points.. That's good, but there's no way we can expect anything close to that kind of production from him going forward.

-- Same for Tyson Chandler, who was 5-5 from the field, with 10 rebounds. Unlike Bell, thought, I'm pretty sure Chandler has the capacity to repeat that over the course of the season.

-- Ronald Murray stepped in and was the Flip of old. The man took 12 shots in just under 18 minutes, including 5 three point attempts, making three. He is who he is, and changing his habits now is probably a losing proposition, so the most important thing is to see him actually on the floor.

-- Rebounding advantage for the Bobcats: 56-35.

-- Perhaps it was because the Hawks were coming back home off a west coast swing, but the Cats' defense still stifled them. Atlanta shot under 40% for the game and only 2-16 from three.

Celtics Crush Bobcats 92-59

David Arnott — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:11:51 -0000

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The Celtics absolutely smoked the Bobcats in the season opener at Boston's TD Garden. The final score was 92-59, which doesn't really do the beatdown justice. There were flickers of life throughout the first half, but in the third quarter, the Celtics manhandled the Cats, outscoring them 25-10 and pulling away for good.

Parsing the box score, there isn't much to be happy about; the game brought to life every fear the pessimists had for Charlotte before the season. They had near-zero offensive presence on the inside, which had a cascade effect. Gerald Wallace and others couldn't slash because defenders could help more readily, and the shooters, already a mediocre bunch (even more so without Raja Bell or Ronald Murray), couldn't shoot because there was no worry about anyone trying to score from inside ten feet.

Highlights (maybe) and Lowlights after the jump:

GOOD

-- Wallace had 10 points and 12 rebounds, by default the best performance of the night. Emphasis on "by default".

-- Nazr Mohammed very nearly earned that honor with 5 points and 8(!) rebounds in only 18 minutes. Seriously, he's probably the team's biggest inside threat on offense. That hurt to type.

-- Derrick Brown certainly looks like he belongs. Obviously, this is small sample size theater, but so be it.

-- It's fair to say Alexis Ajinca has two intriguing NBA skills: backdoor alley-oops and a nearly unblockable eighteen foot fadeaway jumper. Even his most ardent haters have to admit that his greatest shortcoming last season was his complete lack of basketball IQ even close to an NBA level.

-- The Cats outrebounded the Celtics, ~~44-41~~ 46-44.

BAD

-- 59 points.

-- Tyson Chandler: 0 points, 6 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 21 minutes. Ouch.

-- D.J. Augustin, Raymond Felton, and Stephen Graham combined: 5-27 from the field.

-- 59 points. If this is any indication, let's hope for a lot of 83-78 victories.

NBA Eastern Conference Predictions

tenaciousT — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:45:51 -0000

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I know this is late to be doing my predictions. I usually do them a bit earlier every year, but I had some last minute travel plans this month and just returned late Sunday. But I love doing them and then seeing how close I get each year. Feel free to disagree. Most are in line with conventional wisdom, with a few each year that depart from that, like Houston, Detroit, and maybe Minnesota. Anyway here they are with a few added comments…

First up are the Eastern Conference previews

Atlantic Division

1) Boston 63-19 - The Celtics’ adrenaline is up. Can they sustain it? The answer is yes, but… I expect the team to add to the roster again this season. Tyronn Lue is the obvious choice, but some teams may offer up good players by the half way point, and Danny will be watching.

2) Philadelphia 41-41 – Eddie Jordan has the same problem that DiLeo did – incorporating Elton Brand. But Jordan can offer his version of the Princeton offense as a remedy. The team is capable of better outside shooting than it has shown. Without an established point guard, Iguodala and Brand can be facilitators in the Princeton O. Jordan, not known for defense, must establish more team discipline than DiLeo did.

3) Toronto 35-47 – re-made roster. very skilled team. Let up on them and they will hurt you. Team reflects Chris Bosh. Strong wing and outside play without much inside. Bosh has bulked up to help out more in the post. Hedo helps. Bargnani continues to improve. DeRozen is a player to watch. Calderone is healthy and Jarrett Jack is a solid back up. Rasho is better than you think in this system. Lacking in toughness and defense, especially inside.

4) New York 31-51 – D’Antoni continues to coach a temporary line-up. With Curry still a mess,
David Lee will play center again. As expected the D’Antoni Knicks were 2nd in pace, terrible defensively, and 2nd only to Orlando in three point shooting as a part of their offense (32%). Unexpectedly, they were 21st in fast break points (behind the Celtics), and 8th best in ‘points in the paint’ (ahead of the Celtics). Go figure. Talented Wilson Chandler needs to be reigned in on shooting. Gallinari will be a good player with time.

5) New Jersey 26-56 – Devin Harris and Brook Lopez make a good axis to build from. Who replaces Vince Carter’s numbers? Courtney Lee and Yi Jianlian will get every opportunity to produce. Good cast of support players. Lawrence Frank’s job is on the line. Terrence Williams will impact this team this season.

The other two divisions are after the jump...

Central Division

1) Cleveland 58-24 – Like Boston, the Cavs improve with Parker, Moon, and Shaq. Offensively Shaq and LeBron attacking the rim is a scary thought. Defensively, Shaq can be had. The additions have, yet again, improved the level of role players around James. Have they finally reached the threshold to put them over the top? If not, it is time to scrap the role player thing and find a bona fide prime-of-career all star to play along side of LeBron.

2) Chicago 41-41 – they gained Boston’s respect. Can they build on it? Tyrus Thomas wants to go restricted next season. Rose and Noah will continue to get better. They must find a way to get a healthy Luol Deng involved more. Hinrich and Salmons will help make up for the loss of Ben Gordon. Talented club, but missing a true post presence. Johnson and Gibson solid draft choices.

3) Milwaukee 35-47 – Skiles will get the most from this club. Brandon Jennings will make you forget Sessions and is a future star. A healthy Bogut and Redd make this team dangerous. Some think Redd will be shopped before the year is out. Delfino is a Skiles type player and Warrick is a nice addition. OK. You know this is coming…they will be scrappy.

4) Detroit 36-46 – I don’t hold out the hope that some do about Dumars use of his freed up money. Even though I can root for three UConn alumni in Hamilton, Villanueva, and Gordon, I see this team having problems. Kwame Brown (or Ben Wallace) as your starting center is a warning sign. Chris Wilcox is a talented under achiever (i.e.- lazy). Villanueva needs to have a break out year, or Stuckey and Prince both need to have great years to change things.

5) Indiana 30-52 – T.J. Ford is finally supposed to take over, but I bet that Watson gets his share of minutes, as he always seems to do. Granger is a stud on a bad team. Murphy, and Dunleavy when he is healthy, flourish in this system. Hibbert will improve, but not enough to make a difference. Brandon Rush is solid and improving. Dahntay Jones replaces Marquis Daniels with less talent. Tyler Hansbrough will have to prove himself. We can use the term ‘scrappy’ again here.

Southeast Division

1) Orlando 60-22 – The Magic didn’t sign every available free agent. It just seemed that way. They are bent on winning a title as evidenced by matching for Marcin Gortat at a large expense. Hedo’s gone. Vince is in. Carter will be able to create his own shot in 4th quarter situations, something Turkuglu couldn’t. Brandon Bass, and Matt Barnes are solid pick ups. Pietrus surprised me in the playoffs with his clutch shooting and solid play. Poodles or pit bulls? Some see them as worse with Carter. I see them as more dangerous in 4th quarters.

2) Atlanta 48-34 – This is a very interesting situation. The time for talk is over. Joe Johnson would not go for an extension. Woodson gets no respect and this is the season he must earn his new contract. I see his future largely tied to Josh Smith’s ability to fit into the team concept. The Hawks also are committed to making that next jump and it won’t be easy. Getting Crawford and Joe Smith helps this team. Jeff Teague has talent. Will he play? This could be a 50 win team.

3) Washington 41-41 – everyone’s favorite ‘move up’ team. Flip Saunders will have a lot of talent to work with and a ‘mini big three’ in Arenas, Jamison, and Butler. Lots of good supporting players here and Haywood is healthy, too. Jamison’s out for a few weeks, and Blatchely will start in his place. Miller, Foye, McGuire, McGee, Oberto, James, Young make a talented bench.

4) Miami 38-44 – I became a believer in Dwyane Wade last season. Huge player. Unfortunately, the Heat only added Quentin Richardson. There is talent here but keeping Jermaine O’Neal healthy is a problem. Micheal Beasley should improve and Haslem is solid, but he shouldn’t have to play center. The three teams picked ahead of them all added pieces.

5) Charlotte 33-49 – hard to mark down this team after Larry Brown got them to finally play to their abilities. But Tyson Chandler in for Okafor and Raja Bell out with injury makes it hard to give them more wins. Felton is in a contract year and Augustin is a player. Gerald Henderson should play well for them. Well coached, solid starting five, little depth.

I should add that the win and loss total for both conferences total up correctly for the season =1230 of each.

NBA Blogger Preview: Charlotte Bobcats

David Arnott — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:07:25 -0000

This post is a part of the NBA Blogger Previews being spearheaded by the good people at Celtics Blog and designed to educate other fanbases about our teams. Read the other Bobcats preview from Queen City Hoops, and be sure to check out all the other bloggers' previews.

===

Team Name: Charlotte Bobcats

Last Year’s Record: 35-47

Key Losses: Emeka Okafor

Key Additions: Tyson Chandler, Ronald Murray, Gerald Henderson

1. What significant moves were made during the off-season?

The Bobcats traded away their first draft pick, and arguably their best player, Emeka Okafor, receiving Tyson Chandler in return. The front office described the trade as a basketball decision, but Chandler's recent injury history and lesser offensive skills cast doubt on that claim. More likely, the trade was prompted by owner Robert Johnson's attempts to sell the team combined with Larry Brown's notorious fickleness.

Okafor's contract runs through 2014, while Chandler's runs through 2011. A prospective owner might see Okafor as a valuable asset, probably well worth the investment in him, but others might see a long term contract as an unwelcome commitment, no matter how advisable the investment actually is. The move added financial flexibility starting with the 2011 offseason, but at the cost of a franchise cornerstone.

The only other new player who looks to see significant minutes is Flip Murray, most recently the Atlanta Hawks' spark off the bench. The Cats signed him to a ridiculously inexpensive $1.9 million, using their biannual exception, and he'll see plenty of time at both guard spots, splitting time with Raymond Felton, D.J. Augustin, and Raja Bell.

2. What are the team's biggest strengths?

In a word: defense. Larry Brown's major contribution to the organization has been a clear focus on defense. It doesn't hurt that Chandler, Bell, Felton, and Gerald Wallace all relish playing defense and attack the challenge with as much vigor as they do playing offense.

Boris Diaw is no slouch on D, but he's there to affect the offense. Even though, in sum, the Bobcats have trouble scoring -- even on a per-possession basis and not just their pace-depressed per-game basis -- Diaw's presence gives the team a unique look. Wallace has always been a big man trapped in an uber-athletic swingman's body, and Diaw is a point guard trapped in a big man's body, so when the two of them are in the game together, they complement each other perfectly. Add in Augustin's and Felton's shooting dispositions, and suddenly it's clear why he's been called a "transformational" presence.

In most contexts, Diaw's skills are either redundant or esoteric, but for this team, with the combination of players already in place, Diaw's particular set of skills fit perfectly. Some teams simply won't be able to deal with the odd lineup the Bobcats throw out every night and will get flustered, an advantage Charlotte has to exploit whenever it presents itself.

3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

Larry Brown represents the Bobcats' biggest strength, but he also causes their most important weakness. The roster seems designed to play a free-flowing, fast-paced, gunner-ific, and ally-oop-ish, game, but instead plays with agonizing deliberation and very little improvisation.

On defense, Brown has instilled strong principles and a foundation upon which the players can produce without constant guidance. However, on offense, Brown can't leave it at that. Possession after possession, he insists on calling out the play to run, even if it's the same damn mirrored screens at the elbows again and again.

Personnel-wise, the Bobcats don't have any kind of post scorer. Gerald Wallace thrives when he can slash from the perimeter or get out on the break. Boris Diaw looks to pass first out of the post and has been rejuvenated as a scorer by a newfound three point shooting touch. Tyson Chandler has never been a skilled scorer, mostly getting his points on putbacks and alley-oops from Chris Paul. Nazr Mohammed has looked fresher this preseason than he has in years, but are you really going to ask him to for significant production at this point in his career? Don't ask about DeSagana Diop's offense, because he's never played offense and never will.

4. What are the goals for this team?

Every move the Bobcats have made in the past couple years, save the Chandler trade, has been designed to help make the playoffs. No more than that is expected. After Bell and Diaw came aboard last season, the team looked like the kind of squad that could top out at the six seed.

However, the team's also got to be concerned about building for 2011 and beyond, not just this season. To that end, it seems to make sense to give Augustin, Henderson, Alexis Ajinca, and Derrick Brown as much playing time as they can handle in order to figure out how much they'll contribute to the first truly successful Bobcats season. Unfortunately, Larry Brown's probably the last coach one would tap to give young players significant playing time.

Projected Finish: 37-45

Raja Bell Out for Up to Four Months; Bring On Gerald Henderson!

David Arnott — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:52:00 -0000

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Say Raja Bell really is out four months. That's not the worst thing in the world. I'm guessing a majority of the reputable stat-crunchers out there would say it won't have much of an impact on the Bobcats' results this season, simply because there's only a remote chance the Bobcats are a force this year.

However, the potentially good news is that we could get a better look at Gerald Henderson sooner rather than later. I've long been on record with the position that for where Charlotte is in their success cycle, if a rookie isn't totally embarrassing on the floor, he needs to play right away so we can get a fuller idea of his capabilities.

Let's read the tea leaves and see if that'll happen.

First, it's established that Larry Brown has an unhealthy predilection for rookie suppression. Even if a young player isn't quite as good as a veteran player, there are ample reasons to play the youngster over the vet in certain contexts. For instance, on a team with zero championship aspirations and another young piece of the core in the back court, it might be prudent to get those guys playing together as often as possible so that they are symbiotic when the team does make a charge through the playoffs. Brown will play rookies big minutes, but only, it seems, when there's no real choice to be made. That bodes ill for Henderson, since Ronald Murray is around, shin issues notwithstanding.

However -- and this is something a lot of coaches do, not just Brown -- it's possible Henderson will start games in Bell's absence so as not to disrupt the "roles" everyone else has been assigned. This is a real long shot, especially since it's the start of the season and "roles" haven't really been established, but bear with me. Say Brown has determined that D.J. Augustin is the PG off the bench and Flip is the first SG off the bench. Well, he might simply keep those guys in those "roles" and start Henderson at the SG spot. The start, itself, isn't really important, as much as the minutes Henderson might get, and with Murray's ability to play both guard spots and Brown's willingness to play Raymond Felton alongside Augustin last year, Henderson might still see only a few minutes per game, even if he gets to be put in the spotlight and high five everyone during pregame introductions.

If Murray's out for an extended period, that will force Brown's hand, since he can't play Augustin and Felton together the entire game, and Vladimir Radmanovic isn't a real SG.

The key, for at least this fan, is admitting that this season isn't about winning a championship; it's about building toward winning a championship, and the team should do what's best for that goal.

Daily Links 9/28

FLCeltsFan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:56:14 -0000

Herald     Media Day
Expectations hard to assess for Jazz
NBA veteran Sean May shoots for redemption with Kings
A look at the key issues facing the Celtics entering training camp
Globe    Southeast Asian basketball league set for launch
Khloe Kardashian, Lakers' Lamar Odom get married
Wade looking for basketball season to bring relief
Cleveland throws party to welcome Shaq
Patriot Ledger    Health, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant potential roadblocks for 2009-10 Celtics

CelticsBlog     The Incredible Shrinking Big Baby
KG + Sheed On Court: It's Going To Get Loud
LOY's Place     Random Thoughts on Media Day
In the Books - Let Me Tell You a Story Part 7
The Real 2K Insider    2K10 Ratings Analysis: Is Rajon Rondo overrated?
Inside Hoops    NBA rumors - daily nba rumors
Celtics 17     Sunday Notes: Lee, KryptoNate, Rejoin the Knicks
Red's Army     Our long national nightmare is finally over
Celtics Circuit    Five Questions (more like 15) for Media Day
Celtics Hub   Internet Notes: Lester Hudson and Len Bias
A Word on Raja Bell
Examiner    NBA Season Preview: Q&A with Oakland Sports Examiner, Ray Yocke
NBA Season Preview: Q&A with Royce from the Daily Thunder
NBA Season Preview: Q&A with Milwaukee Bucks Examiner, Kris Gilson
Fernsten's Follies    The Boston Celtics' Six-Year Championship Window
Lex Nihil Novi    McHale on the '95 Draft: No Magics or Larrys
Parish Could Holdout All Season (83-84)
Marquis and Eddie Can Play the Game
Media Day is Here: Will Anyone from the Media do their Job?
Artest and Klohe Only Part of the Side Show
Banner 18   Almost there..
Hoopsworld    Boston Celtics 2009-2010 Preview
USA Today   $300K for Odom-Kardashian wedding photos?
News Herald    10 questions for the Cavaliers: LeBron's contract, Shaq are key subplots as camp starts
Mihai's Sports Blog   Top 50: Rajon Rondo, no. 27
Dimemag    Lamar Odom jumps the broom; Is LeBron James out for Team USA?
NBC Connecticut    XL Center Gets Celtic Pride for One Night XL Center Gets Celtic Pride for One Night
NBA.com    Preseason, training camps display new faces in new places
Hoops Doctor    NBA to Announce ‘Social Media Policy’
E Online    Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom Are Married!
ESPN    Delonte West will report to Cleveland Cavaliers' camp despite charges
Sporting News    Less of Jefferson A Good Thing For T-wolves
Orlando Sentinel       Paul Pierce says Celtics Big Dogs of the East
Bucks Diary    Dissecting the "no-superstar" World Champion Pistons

Phoenix Suns Season Preview Series, Part 1: Looking Back

Wil Cantrell — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:05:12 -0000

The End of an Era

We were all there. We saw it coming from a mile away yet we could do nothing about it. It seemed like nearly a full minute had elapsed since Tim Duncan had received the ball. He stood, alone, sizing up the rim from way beyond his normal range . We watched in disbelief, there was no way this guy could down a three pointer, not with all the pressure, the clock running down, and too much time to think about the shot-but it was over. That moment, that shot, that game, and well, the Suns as we knew them. The lovable, bandwagon fan friendly, fast moving, high octane, Mike D'Antoni led Phoenix Suns.

The 2008 off season was long and tedious. Defeat to San Antonio lingers like a paper cut, or that ex who won't stop texting you. Mike D'Antoni was not quite fired, but he didn't really quit either. Steve Kerr demanded changes, D'Antoni balked. Then a coaching search was undertaken, which in my humble opinion, was not really a search, just a little due diligence before the inevitable hiring of Terry Porter. 2008-2009 was to be a year of transition for the Suns and their fans.

Of Porter, Steve Kerr stated: "He's got a great combination of leadership skills...He's a great communicator. And his coaching experience, two years as a head coach, is important to me. The fact that he's sat in that chair, that was a key factor. He's very tough-minded." Amare Stoudemie weighed in: "I couldn't be more ecstatic about the decision...He's very organized. He knows what it takes to win. He wants to be the champion. That falls into the category of the Stoudemire brand and also the Phoenix Suns brand. We want to be champions, whatever it takes to do it."

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

-Albert Einstein

The Suns set off into 2008 optimistically, or at least with some things to look forward to:

A hard nosed, defensive minded coach
A svelte, healthy Shaquille O'Neal
A pain free, defensively focused Amare Stoudemire: "I want to be Ron Artest...I want to be that guy you fear when you see him guarding you."
Some new depth on the pine in Robin Lopez, Matt Barnes, and Goran Dragic.

The Suns started the 2008 season with an impressive, nationally televised win against the San Antonio Spurs. If that victory didn't excite you, then you were dead or secretly a Warrior fan. Yes, things had changed. We had a healthy Shaq now to battle with Timmy D and a new defensive philosophy. We were ready to win the right way. Unfortunately, the next night, the Suns faced the Hornets and couldn't muster enough strength in the second half to come up with a W. The emotional roller coaster ride was on. One night joy and confidence, the next disappointment: the sign of things to come. This Suns team was in search of identity. It proved difficult with Shaq and Porter on the same page and virtually everyone else attempting to alter their games to fit the Porter mold. The result were unbalanced efforts like the following:

A hard fought win against the up and coming Portland squad was followed by a nail biter against the lowly OKC Thunder.
A solid win against Indiana was followed by an 83 point performance against Chicago.
A 48 point drubbing of the Kings was followed by a pathetic first period defensive performance against theWarriors (43 points) en route to a 12 point loss.
Shot 36% against the Bobcats, losing 98-76

Teams that should have been put away early were toyed with. When their feet were firmly planted on an opponent's throat, too often the Suns managed to let up, allow the dying back to life. Every team in the NBA understood that the game was never over when you were playing the Suns-that is, even if you were getting scorched in the first period, there was always time to get back in the game and steal a victory.

Change

"This is about being better, you can't be shy. Let's try to break through and really make a push here."

-Steve Kerr

Steve Kerr's plan, to mold his team to play a more traditional, defensive oriented system, like the Spurs, simply wasn't working. Not for the fans, not for the players. There were rumors that many Suns players were frustrated by the changes Terry Porter and Company had implemented. Gone was the run and gun as was the first option of Nash to Stoudamire pick 'n roll. In it's place was "toss the ball into the big guy." The resurgent Shaquille O'Neal bolstered the Suns front court. He was rebounding, he was scoring, he was playing two games in a row!There was no doubt that many players were miffed. Shaquille O'Neal appeared in Phoenix raving about Amare Stoudemire, saying all the right things as to not create waves in the locker room or upset the Suns established offensive player. But once Shaq realized he could dominate inside, once he felt like a younger version of his 37 year old self, the tune changed. Out was the "I'm just trying to h elp out the team Shaq" and in was the "feed the beast" talk. Meanwhile Amare spoke his typical confusing public chatter-a mix between saying what he thought he should say and speaking his mind. We fans waited for that run of 10 dominating wins in a row, the fun Suns, anything to establish some momentum, anything that would make us feel at ease. Instead of a run of wins, the Suns ended November with a four game stretch that only established the fact that the team could not heal itself. 4 losses, to Miami, New Jersey, New Orleans, and Dallas featured the following:

November 28, 2008-Dwayne Wade scores 43, the Heat win 107-92
November 30, 2008-Devin Harris scores 47, Vince Carter 28, Nets win 117-109
December 3, 2008-Chris Paul scores 24, dishes 15, David West scores 23, grabs 14 rebounds, Peja Stojakovic scores 24, shoots 5 of 9 threes, Hornets win 104-91.
December 4, 2008-Dirk Nowitzki scores 39, Mavs win 112-97

So much for defense.

It wasn't working. Tossing it in to Shaq wasn't working, loosening the reigns wasn't working, the DEFENSE wasn't working. Were you all calling for Porter's head yet? Were you caressing the panic button? Regardless, the player's frustration had reached new levels and after another up and down string of games, on December 10, 2008, Steve Kerr pulled the trigger on a trade that puzzled many-giving up fan favorite and the best defender on the team in RajaBell along with Boris Diaw, and Sean Singletary to the Bobcats for notorious non-defender Jason Richardson, a second round draft pick in 2010, and a throw in that many of us hadn't heard of before-Jared Dudley. After 22 games in the season, the Suns were 13-9, second of course to the Lakers, who at that point were 17-3. We can all argue as to what was wrong with the Suns at that point and what could have been done to improve the team. Clearly, the Suns had identity issues. Built to run and shoot, the team had been morphed into a kind of hybrid. Porter had begun to let the team do what it did best over the past several years. Against inferior competition, it worked. The Suns still had the fire power to run certain teams out of the gym. Yet stacked up against the elite of the league, the Suns shrank, giving up points at will and allowing embarrassing individual performances.

Of the trade, Raja Bell said: "The team was underachieving...They needed to make some changes. I guess they think it's their best chance to win, and I've got to respect that."
Said Boris Diaw: "It definitely wasn't as fun,...It wasn't as exciting for the fans. It's not as fun for everybody (on the team). I' ll always remember Phoenix with Mike (D'Antoni). We went from a winning team that was the most exciting team in the league to a half-winning team that wasn't exciting at all."

Of course Buddha the blowhard, AKA Phil Jackson smugly even weighed in: "They saw that, with this personnel, things weren't flowing really well... (Richardson) has reached his maturity. He's 27 years of age, and the next three, four years are going to be his best years." Yet the most telling quote came from two-time MVP and arguably the one man most responsible for the resurgent juggernaut that was the 7SOL Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash:

"I feel like I've been traded."

Still, there was some optimism left. Maybe Bell was getting older, maybe he was becoming too much of an injury risk, maybe he was losing his defensive prowess. Maybe Diaw was satisfied being great one night and mediocre the next. Maybe he loved crepes too much to keep himself in optimal physical condition. And while the locker room may have needed Prozac and most of the knowledgeable fans and pundits simply smirked at the deal, there was some serious kool-aid drinking going around:

Terry Porter (of Richardson): "I think it was an opportunity for us to get better, a guy who can get 20 points a night, adds athleticism for us."
Steve Kerr: "We felt like we needed to shake things up a little bit...We wanted to add a great scorer in the backcourt to give us better balance to take some of the pressure off of Steve [Nash]."

Still, the Suns trudged into the All-Star break after losing two in a row to Philadelphia and Cleveland. It was clear to many that something had to give. After finishing the first half of the season with a 28-23 record at the All-Star break, the Suns finally cut the cord with Terry Porter. It was awkward for the city of Phoenix. We were hosting the All Star game, Shaq was featured in the pre-game, dancing like a, well, a man who enjoys the spotlight. The focus was to be on the players, the the game, the NBA. Yet the media knew better. While David Stern most likely had a brief and to the point conversation with Sarver and Kerr about NOT canning Porter during All-Star weekend, everyone else knew better. Porter was dead in the water, and so were the Phoenix Spurs.

Rising From the Ashes, or Burrowing Beneath Them?

"What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise"

-Oscar Wilde

Alvin Gentry took over Porter's spot as interim coach. His mantra was simple-do what you know how to do. The team was built to run and score, and Gentry was bent on letting his team loose. The players wanted it, the fans wanted it, and he had nothing to lose. If Porter urged restraint and text book play, Gentry was his polar opposite. It was clear most if not all of the players really didn't like Porter by the time he was fired. Having Gentry take over was like escaping a morning school zone and entering the autobahn. In the first three games of Gentry's tenure, the Suns scored 140, 142 and 140 points respectively against the Clippers and the Thunder. Sure it wasn't the same as trouncing the Lakers or Celtics, but the team needed momentum, and they were beginning to find it. That is, until, the basketball gods decided to give the suns another punch to the stomach. On February 18, 2009, Amare Stoudemire was en route to a monster 42 point 11 rebound performance. That was until an errant Al Thornton finger managed to reach the perfect spot on the un-goggled eye of Stoudemire, thus displacing his retina and ending his season, and possibly his career. It is an understatement to call that a turning point in the Suns season.

At 30-23 in the Pacific Division, the Suns had no chance to catch the Lakers. And with Denver, Houston, San Antonio and the rest of the Western juggernaut all in line for playoff spots, the Suns were on the outside looking in. The Suns were chasing the Mavericks for the 8th spot on April 3, looking at an important head to head match up two days later. After an easy destruction of the Kings 139-111, Grant Hill, putting the Suns playoff chances into soccer terms, quipped: "We're Italy going to France playing on their home court for the World Cup, so no excuses." Nash chose against using an analogy and spoke in realistic, albeit vague terms: "If we can cut it to two and really put some pressure on them and see what happens down the stretch, it could be fun." But any hope of overtaking the Mavericks and sneaking into the playoffs through the back door were slammed shut two days later as the Mavericks dominated the Suns 140-116. The Suns were through. Although there were more games to play, the end of the tumultuous 2008-09 was finally here.

It is difficult to look back on the season which much optimism. The Suns began the year with question marks and ended it with even more. The bottom line was that the team did not make the playoffs. Our cornerstone was injured, Hill was to enter free agency, Kerr faced the moron meter, and Sarver spoke-too much, about economics, and less about his commitment to maintaining a winner in Phoenix. Still there was a bright side to look at:

Shaq played great for a 37 year old Center with a lot of miles on him.
Nash finished with a record 50/90/50
Grant Hill played 82 games and was arguably the most consistent Sun on both ends of the floor.
Jared Dudley got minutes and showed genuine promise as a young dirt worker with a nice outside jump shot
Pony Boy Amundson established himself as a solid role player, capable of picking up loose balls, treating Nene like the b$%#@ that he is, and showing some surprising athleticism for a guy with a pony tail
Robin Lopez and Goran Dragic put some decent performances at the end of the year that were cause for some mild encouragement
Alvin Gentry finished the year with a record of 18-13 thereby earning the title of Coach of the Suns for 2009.
Matt Barnes' contract expired!

Moving Forward

The Suns record of 46-36 was respectable considering all the team endured during the season. After going 18-13 under Alvin Gentry, there was room for a little optimism. Still, Amare was seriously injured, Grant Hill was a free agent, Steve Nash was approaching the last year in his contract, and most of us knew the Shaq era was over. If that wasn't enough to squash optimism, the heir apparrant to Nash, Goran Dragic, had not inspired a whole lot of trust from either the front office or fans alike. Robin Lopez had his moments, but like Dragic, needed time to improve at the NBA level. Further, Jason Richardson seemed like a bust, another move like the Marion trade that kept us all wondering whether Steve Kerr and Co. had what it took to competently run the team. Kerr had a lot to think about, and us fans faced a long, hot Summer without the slightest idea as what the future held in store for our beloved franchise.

Ed Note: This is the first of our annual five-part season preview series. Next up, The Off-Season.

Daily Links 9/27

FLCeltsFan — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:46:39 -0000

Herald    Michael Beasley apologizes
Fever top Shock, reach first WNBA finals
Cavaliers have two kings on the court
Globe    Rebirth in Twin Cities?
Pierce espouses healthy outlook
Enterprise    Ten questions to ponder as Celtics get ready for training camp
MetroWest Daily   Courtside View: Pierce wants title back home

CelticsBlog   Antonio Daniels, Raja Bell Available
Camp Questions: How Will Sheed Fit In?
LOY's Place    Player Profiles: Glen "Big Baby" Davis #11
Red's Army   Another has-been deciding between Boston & Phoenix
The Week in Review
Back to Work
Celtics Circuit    Training Camp Tips Off Tomorrow
NESN    Paul Pierce Aching to Bring Change -- On and Off the Court
North Station Sports    1988 NBA All-Star Sunday: A Game for the Ages
Lex Nihil Novi    Celtics Drop Exhibition Opener (83-84)
Buying or Selling: KG Plays More than 8 Minutes in Game 1 of NBAx?
Watching KG 3 Weeks before His Knee went Kerfluee
Bleacher Report    Bruce Bowen's Exit Leaves the NBA a Cleaner Place
Delonte's Problems Could Become Cleveland's.
ESPN    Los Angeles Sparks' Lisa Leslie retiring at the right time
SacBee   Redemption song extra: May talks weight, new team, new season
Dimemag    NBA training camps get started; all eyes on Bosh and Luol Deng
Slam Online    Jackson asked Vujacic to cut his hair
Washington Post     Former NBA Player Kenny Anderson Is Working Hard to Be a Good Husband and Father
Celtics Life    Reggie Miller or Mitch Richmond?
Last Year's Camp vs. This Year's Camp
Sports of Boston    Dickau Chooses Suns Camp, News Bodes Well for Hudson
WEEI    I don’t want to miss a thing
Chicago Tribune     Chicago Bulls, coach expect to grow together
Ohio.com    Tandem superstars: Can LeBron and Shaq coexist?
AJC    Five burning questions facing Hawks
Cleveland.com    Will Shaq's starpower brighten Cleveland Cavaliers' title plans? Or overload the system?
FanHouse    George Karl's Son, Coby, to Attend Cleveland's Training Camp
Gino's Jungle - Gino's Jungle Preseason Power Rankings

What Now For Gerald Henderson? Raja Bell? What Style Will the Bobcats Play?

David Arnott — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:40:11 -0000

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer is on the same page I am when thinking about what Larry Brown must have seen in Flip Murray, but I'll go even further than Bonnell. I think Brown is so rookie-phobic that he's willing to block Gerald Henderson and jettison Dontell Jefferson just to get a guy on the floor who's been in the league a while. I mean, Murray's no slouch. We know we're not getting an All Star, but we also know he's no scrub (and a scrub is a guy who can't get no love from me).

What I'm getting at is that It's a real possibility Gerald Henderson will only get 500 minutes this year.

Say the PG rotation is 55% Felton, 35% Augustin, 10% Murray.

The SG rotation could be 65% Bell, 10% Felton, 10% Murray, 10% Henderson, and 5% Radmanovic.

If Raja Bell goes down for an extended period of time, do you really think Brown's going to hand over starting minutes to Henderson if Murray and Felton are on hand? The frustrating part of it for me, personally, is that I think Brown is building a roster with potential to be one of the most exciting teams in the league, if not a playoff contender.

With the hand we've been dealt right now, the only thing missing from a clean-cut roster is a backup PF. However, if they go for another shakeup, trading Bell, for instance, there's an opportunity to be a specially exciting squad. I don't see a trade that makes sense for both teams, but let's say they trade Bell's expiring contract for someone with upside plus a guy with a poor, but workable, contract. Maybe Milwaukee and Scott Skiles don't want to wait on Joe Alexander anymore, and they'd be happy to give up Charlie Bell's contract in the process.

I'm not saying this is The Thing To Do, but that Raja Bell is the one major piece of the puzzle who is a traditional grind it out Brown type of player. If Brown and the Bobcats want to blow our minds, they could make that trade, or something like it, and roll out a three-point-bombing, alley-ooping, floor-running, lineup of Augustin/Felton, Murray, Wallace, Diaw, and Chandler, with Radmanovic, Alexander, Henderson, and Diop playing supporting roles, and cameos from Derrick Brown and Charlie Bell. Instead of playing one of the slowest paces in the league and scoring 71 points per game, that would be a pretty flashy roster with at least four guys who can jump out of the gym.

Sorry for the flight of fancy. I'm just not convinced that the marginal improvements the Bobcats keep making in the short term are worth the delay on finding out whether our young guys are any good or not.