SB Nation User Blog: PanamaSun

Phoenix Suns Season Preview Series, Part 1: A look back

PanamaSun — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:24:08 -0000

In order for us to understand our present and to make better decisions in the future, we have to be honest with ourselves and accept the mistakes we have made in the past. The new season is almost here and its only fitting that we start our Preview Series looking back at the last year of the D'Antoni Era and his run n gun.

NBA Season 2007-2008

The Season started and we still could not get over what had taken place in the playoffs. All we could read, talk and think about was the fact that The Suns were screwed by David Stern. The wound had not healed at all and we were bitter fans, hungry for revenge.

Now, imagine for just a few minutes that you were part of what happened. No. Not as a fan. As a player...You train your ass off all year long, you go to practices, you watch tapes of your opponents for hours, you spend most of your time with your team and not with your family. Yes, you are a millionaire, you are famous and maybe you have a super model girlfriend waiting for you at home, but after growing up you realize that money is not a concern anymore and that your main goal is to be part of a selective group of winners, you want to see how it feels like to be a champion, to be on top. You are close to reaching the goal, almost there and then...you are screwed.

If we multiply what we felt as fans times ten, maybe we can get an idea of how The Suns players felt after the above mentioned event.

There are two different ways of reacting after the major disappointment of not reaching a personal goal: You keep trying and you want it even more because you were so close or you give up and don't give a damn anymore.

After watching some games, I realized that the Suns were not the same. They were inconsistent, they didn't seem to be enjoying the game like they used to, they just didn't seem to care anymore. The defense was inexistent (more than usual), no one wanted to rebound the ball (again, more than usual) and they seemed to be playing just because they had to.

We saw them lose against lousy teams and humiliated against not so lousy teams. But they managed to stay in the race and even though they were first in the west, there was a strange feeling that if they didn't start playing better, they were not going to make it. It was like having a playoff hangover, they wanted to Fast Forward the regular season just to get there.

After losing against Dallas (blowing a 20+ point lead), Dirk Nowitzki was asked how did The Mavericks managed to come back in the game and he said:

"Well, we always felt comfortable. Even when we were down by 20 points. You know that Phoenix is going to let you back in the game. So we were patient and waited for our time to rally back"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I had never heard a basketball player say that his team was comfortable playing with a 20 point deficit. I felt even more disgusted with the Suns performance after I heard these remarks, and its not like they were running n gunning...Shaq was already on the team. Which leads me to:

Matrix out - The Diesel in

I remember the day when I found out this rumor was not a joke. I was speechless. The first thought that went thru my head was that it was stupid. The Suns had finally given up on their style of play. And although I knew something drastic had to be done to jumpstart this team, I never could have imagined that The answer to the Suns problems was a 40 million dollar big mouth-washed up player.

A lot has been said about this trade, but the truth is that we still don't know if its going to work or not. We can't judge the results of the Shaq trade yet, it would not be objective and fair to do so.

D'Antoni and his crew had very little time to adjust the defense and offense, and doing it in the middle of a playoff race didn't make it any easier. But during the regular season many skeptics turned into believers once Shaq started to play better, dive into the stands for loose balls, block shots, get rebounds. He controlled our Nemesis Tim Duncan and we won the season series against the Spurs. Amare was playing great as a PF and oh boy that was fun to watch.

The Media experts were no longer doubting the Suns chances to make the playoffs, They were jumping on the Shaq Bandwagon. We were ready for the Spurs. D'Antoni was a the best coach ever. Steve Kerr was not a moron, but indeed a genius. Or so we thought...

The End of an Era

Run n Gun was fun and there are tons of articles and great posts about it. Even a book.

This style of play changed the way basketball is played right now, lets not diminish its greatness just because the Suns couldn't get a hold the Larry O'brien Trophy.

Back in 2004, run n gun was something new, exciting and unpredictable. Like a kid who is called up from Triple A to pitch in the majors. You know nothing about him and that's why you have trouble seeing his pitches. But after a while you get scouting reports and the kid (even if he is really good) is not as unpredictable as he was before. Every time you face him you learn something new, you get to see more pitches and eventually you will get to hit him if he doesn't make adjustments of his own.

D'Antoni's system was studied, dissected and deciphered and he didn't make adjustments. That's how stubborn he was. How long did he think it was going to take for the league to catch up?

Back in May I wrote this post about coach D. And I have to admit that, while writing it, I was feeling kind of down that he was leaving (although I was pointing out his mistakes as a coach).

Eventually his stubbornness is what caused his system to collapse and become predictable. And although run n gun was six feet under the ground by the time we lost to the Spurs this year, his stubbornness and reluctance to make adjustments and changes played a big part in last season's failure.

Time for a change

The Suns players needed to change their -the world is against us- mentality, but that's difficult to do when your coach is feeling the same way. As a player from any level, you look up to your coach and you expect him to be strong and encourage you to move on. Mike was not able to provide that anymore. He really had to go.

So after all these years of great basketball, exciting plays, bad decisions, close games and heartbreaks; I think we can welcome a change...we can welcome something new. After years of being predictable we are unpredictable again... if we as fans don't know what to expect, imagine the players and coaches from other teams...

So, fellow Suns' Fans from the BSotS Family: Basketball Season is right around the corner!!!

Fasten your seatbelts and let us welcome the change, let us welcome "the new". After all...it was something "New" that made us winners again.

editor's note: Panama Sun is a regular contributor to Bright Side of the Sun. He's a former point guard on the Panamanian National Team and has played the game at its highest international levels. Despite being a Yankee's fan, we are fortunate to have his perspective on our blog.

Basketball, a nice getaway

PanamaSun — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:19:02 -0000

Living in a country where 9 out of 10 kids prefer playing soccer or baseball before basketball, it was kind of difficult for me to agree with the fact that basketball was turning into a Global Sport. Although it’s all over the news: Argentina and Spain are basketball juggernauts, many Chinese play basketball, NBA players choosing to play in Europe. These are hard and proven facts that many people really like basketball around the Globe and, maybe soon, it will match the passion and hype that sports like soccer and baseball get around here. But I had never seen it with my own eyes…until now.

My wife and I decided to take a few days off work, maybe forget about traffic, the stress of the city, the slumping Yankees, and (I didn’t agree to this) basketball. She decided to go Bocas Del Toro, which is a place that tourists define as “heaven on earth” and “paradise”. I guess I have to agree with these remarks, the place is gorgeous. I had gone when I was 19 years old and had the time of my life, great surf, booze, girls, and reggae music. Obviously this time (6 years later) it was not going to be like that, I begged my wife so I could take my surf board with me but failed miserably (I know…I’m whipped), so I guessed that she really wanted to be with me, she even booked a room with no TV, and it’s not like we were going to get cable anyways!

When I got there, I was amazed by the beauty of the place, but also by its poverty. Most of the locals are fisher men and they can barely support their families. They also earn a living by providing tours to different islands close by, but with the gas prizes going up, it’s not really profitable.

So on my second day of being there, I was getting ready to take a walk up the beach and I heard a ball bounce, the unmistakable sound of a slightly deflated basketball bouncing against rough cement. I went out and saw a bunch of people walking behind the guy who had the ball and I asked a kid where they were going:

Kid: To the Basketball Court

Panama: Are you kidding? There’s a basketball court here?

Kid: Yeah, the guys play every weekend against teams from other Islands

Panama: Seriously? But is it like pick up games or an organized league?

Kid: Organized league, by the way, here they come!

The kid was pointing towards the dock and when I turned my head I saw a total of seven wood boats packed with people.

So I decided to drop by and watch the game. The kid said the basketball court was really close, but after walking 40 minutes without getting there, I understood that his perception of the word “close” was slightly different than mine.

We finally got there and I noticed that the court was in perfect conditions, net-less hoops, fiberglass boards and completely painted, slightly covered by white sand.

The game was awesome; people cheered their teams with chants and music. I saw barefooted dunks, blocks and great passes, excellent basketball level. They played with great intensity and it seemed no one wanted to give in. They really wanted to win.

After it ended, everyone shook hands and hung out talking about the game, Reggae music prevailed and I got to play some 3 on 3 with some of the guys who were not tired after playing under the sun for 45 minutes. After we finished playing I asked them about the B-court and if some politician had come to build it looking for some votes. He managed not to laugh in my face and said that they had gathered the money for 3 years, and by saying they, he meant everyone from other islands too. They thought that it would be a good idea to bring people together, forget about the problems and enjoy the games and the party that came afterwards. Apparently it turned out just like they planned.

So after taking the long walk back, I had to explain my wife where I spent most of the day, (Did I mention that I’m whipped? I did? Ok…) the cuts in my feet and my really sweaty T-shirt. After hearing me out she just rolled her eyes and told me to take a shower (Damn Spurs fan) I kid I kid!

So, most of us find peace in being with our relatives, going to beach resorts, reading a great book…But the people that I met in Bastimento’s Island find peace and happiness in playing basketball, the game is what brings them together and makes them forget about any problems that they surely have. That is something that I will never forget

Conversation with a Lakers Fan

PanamaSun — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:08:53 -0000

So while we were on our way to the basketball court, my best friend and I were talking about different things; work, wives, gas prices. Both of us are really passionate about basketball and the teams we root for, so we try to avoid the basketball topic unless it involves talking about a missed lay up or a crucial turnover in the pick up game we just played.

Since the Olympics spirit is in the air, (and because there was a lot of traffic) we started talking about Team USA. One thing led to another and found ourselves arguing about the Suns and Lakers.

This is a transcript of what I remember:

PanamaSun: You got lucky when you got Gasol. Otherwise your season would have ended in the exact same way that ours did. Or even worse, maybe you would have not made it to the playoffs.

Sergio: Man, you know, that’s exactly why we hate your guts so much. You think that everything has to do with luck, your team is full of excuses, and your coach was full of excuses. You think that getting Gasol was luck? You could have gotten him also; you would have had your precious and very much needed big man. Where was Steve Kerr? If you would have traded the Matrix for Gasol straight up, everyone would have been happy. But then you would have lost to the Spurs again! And the cycle would have started all over…excuses, excuses and more excuses.

PanamaSun: and you should know about excuses right? ‘Cause the best player in your team is full of it. He whined and whined because he couldn’t win with the Lakers roster. He said that Bynum needed to step up, and that he wanted to be traded if the front office didn’t get someone to help him, he is a Douche bag and you know it!

Sergio: He is a douche bag alright, but he is also a proven champion, he knows what it tastes to be on top. Can you blame him for wanting some help?.. Whining…HAHA, don’t even get me started on that, because you guys are know to be the biggest crybabies in the NBA. “Ohh we got screwed up by the refs, suspensions were unfair, Tim Donaghy was involved in game 3, David Stern hates the Suns and loves the Spurs, Amare was injured, Grant was injured, Bowen is dirty, and I can go on and on. You guys make fun of clipper fans and you are just the same. The truth is, your team has never been good enough, they are mentally weak and mental weakness is something that you can’t afford when competing at a high level. You know that better than me.

We went on and on, until we finally arrived and surprisingly, we played well together.

So, my fellow Sun’s Fans: Are we Crybabies? We can’t deny the fact that we have been labeled as “whiners” around the internet. Maybe we tend to blame (almost unconsciously) other circumstances instead of our own players and coaching staff. Could that be true?

Are the Basketball Gods against the Phoenix Suns?

Or is it simply that we are not good enough?

Social Issues and Basketball

PanamaSun — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:06:40 -0000

It’s really rare –and dangerous- when we get to talk about basketball and social problems in the same article. Part of me was telling me to leave this alone, but I just couldn’t. I want to share my thoughts on the latest news from Beijing, where the headline reads: Spanish Basketball Team poses for an offensive picture.

Apparently some genius decided that I would be cool and funny to have Spain’s Basketball Team pose for an ad picture where all of them are slanting their eyes. Cool? Funny? Far from it.

What’s even more surprising is that no one from the Spanish Team thinks that the ad is offensive.

José Calderón said the following: "We did it because we thought it was going to be something nice, something with no problem, But somebody wants to talk about it. It is too much of a big deal with you guys (the media) and everybody talking about that."

Wait a second… did he just say nice? NICE? Calderón has been in United States for 3 years now; I assume that he speaks fairly good English, therefore, I can also assume the he is just plain dumb. Well, you can’t expect elaborated and intelligent answers from players when their head coach Aíto García Reneses says something like this:

"If I go to play with a taller team and I put here (rising up on the tips of his toes) it is not an offense," "I can’t understand anything more."

Well, at least he is right about something! And by the way… when did being tall become a racial distinction? The comparison is stupid to say the least. Sure, Chinese people tend to be short of size, but it’s not something that applies to every Chinese men or women. Look at Yao for God sake!

People might say that the media is blowing things out of proportion, as usual, but I think that if someone mocks a whole Continent, they are going to have to live with it.

Spanish sports are no strangers to racial controversy. Heck, the country itself is not a stranger to racial controversy.

Luis Aragones, the head coach of Spain’s men’s soccer team, was overheard telling his player Jose Antonio Reyes to "tell that black (expletive) you are better than him" back in 2004. He was referring to Thierry Henry from France.

At an exhibition match in Madrid in 2004, several black members of the England men’s soccer team were subjected to monkey chants and whistles whenever they touched the ball.

The immigration rate in Spain is increasing by the minute, Rumanians, Africans, Latin Americans, and Gypsies are going to Spain, looking for a better life. They dislike Americans and ironically their situation is really close to what happens in United States (immigration wise). You will see in the news whenever an immigrant does something wrong, shoplifting, street fighting, domestic disputes. Everything is shown with extreme detail and even exaggeration. This creates a constant paranoia and prejudice that is really palpable.

I happen to know all this because I went to Spain last December and stayed there for a month. My wife and I experienced a bunch of things that are not even worth mentioning in detail. Things like being stared at in the Metro, mistreated at restaurants, being stopped on the streets several times by the Police. My wife was not enjoying this trip at all, and I was starting to get pissed. I decide to downplay everything and try to enjoy our stay. But on New Year’s Eve, we decided to go to a fancy restaurant, I ordered the Wine Menu and the waiter seemed to be really surprised by my request, eyes fixed on mine, tilting his head to one side like a dog who’s not understanding his master’s orders. He smiles and says he is going to bring it over. After a few minutes I overheard his conversation with another waiter, he was saying that he couldn’t understand how I was able to afford eating in a place like that and that he didn’t get how a "Sudaca" (which is a derogatory term for South American) would know about wines. After we finished eating, I called him over and said to him in, a really low voice, almost whispering, that the reason I knew about wines was because a Spaniard had come to my house when I was young, asking for a job and something to eat and we took him in and he taught me about wines.

Well, enough with my stories, The Chinese had the chance to beat Spain on the court, but failed to do so in overtime. But at least the crowd booed their asses off the place.

Spain is a beautiful country, I can’t say that all Spaniards are like that, I met wonderful people while I was there, they were the minority, but that makes them stand out even more.

Spain has been exposed in the most important sports event of the year, it’s a shame that they don’t recognize their mistake and apologize.

James Jones agrees to deal with Heat. Well it seems like the Heat are planning a former-Suns...

PanamaSun — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:15:58 -0000

James Jones agrees to deal with Heat.

Well it seems like the Heat are planning a former-Suns reunion.
Suddenly the Heat are getting sexy...

ESPN

The Hill Effect

PanamaSun — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:03:49 -0000

I remember when I first heard the news that Grant Hill was coming to play for the Suns. One of the first thoughts that crossed my mind was that he was going to help us, that he is a great player and a great guy, great competitor. In a matter of seconds, all of these thoughts went away with the ugly premonition that he was not going to help us at all. He most certainly was going to get injured and spend most of the games sitting in the bench. Well, I guess he proved me wrong, kind of.

The Suns had nothing to lose, or at least that’s what they thought at the time. They would get a versatile player, with the ability to create his own shot, good defender, great hustler and a veteran who would not panic at crunch time, not only that, they would get him for $1.8 million this season and almost $2 million in 2008-09 at the player's option.

His agent said at the time:

”Obviously money wasn't the biggest factor here, He had offers for a lot more money. Grant wants a chance to win a championship and he wanted to go to a place that would give him a chance to contribute. Phoenix was the perfect fit."

Oh and he was, maybe too perfect. Grant would become a starter, and many of us thought that it was a mistake, it’s still debatable. What we know, for sure, is how fast these opinions were silenced and how quickly these thoughts vanished from our heads once we saw him play.

Hill averaged 13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 2007-08 while shooting at least 50 percent from the field (.503) for the third time in the last four seasons and establishing a career-high in free-throw efficiency (.867). Both his rebound and assist averages were his highest in five seasons.

But it was not only his numbers, every time he stepped on the court we would see him making a great pass or an awesome drive or grab a critical rebound and maybe the eventual Slam Dunk.

Grant Hill was back, and God knows we needed him, with an inconsistent Diaw and a streaky Barbosa, he was bailing us out of a huge mess. Grant Hill was back, there was no doubt about it and we felt lucky, really lucky.

Ironically, having him around was like taking a breath of fresh air. He did not take things for granted, he was healthy, playing at a high level for a championship caliber team. He became the spark that the team needed, a team that was upset, hurt and stuck in time with a playoff hangover.

The horrible thought of Grant getting injured became even more scary, losing him would make Coach D make adjustments ----and we all knew that was not his forte---- we would jump out of our seats every time he fell on the floor, grab our heads and pray for the best…and then sigh in relief when we saw he was Ok.

The rest is history, Grant had an appendectomy done and was bothered by a pulled groin ever since (along with a bruised wrist). He was never the same. He morphed back into the Grant Hill of the Orlando Magic, the one that you couldn’t count on, the one sitting on the bench in a suit.

A lot have been said about his decision of not coming clean and just saying that he couldn’t play. So I will no get into that. What I know for sure is that this played a big part in the first round loss. It didn’t allow the coach to make adjustments before the series started, the game plan was the same, but we were missing an important piece, the problem was that we didn’t know…until it was too late.

I can understand why he stayed quiet, maybe he felt good before each game, maybe he was so happy to be there that he didn’t want to spoil the moment. Perhaps life couldn’t be so unfair to just lift him really high and then just…drop him. But here, in the valley of the Sun, we know unfair…we have managed to know her really well. And yet here we stand. Looking forward.

I still believe in this team, we have a lot of talent. If Grant stays, he has already proved that he can help us.

Grant said that he felt that playing here was like a reward, to be able to play with the good guys.

Regardless of what happened or happens…it has certainly felt that way from my end.

Sheriff asks Shaq to give back his badges due to the Kobe Rap. "I want his two badges back"...

PanamaSun — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:47:41 -0000

Sheriff asks Shaq to give back his badges due to the Kobe Rap.

"I want his two badges back" "Because if any one of my deputies did something like this, they're fired. I don't condone this type of racial conduct."

I guess he is done fighting crime.

Hack a Shaq reviewed...we are screwed: "We had a pretty spirited discussion on the subject and...

PanamaSun — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:34:10 -0000

Hack a Shaq reviewed...we are screwed:

"We had a pretty spirited discussion on the subject and we talked prospectively about how we might change it, But in the end, there wasn't enough support to change it. … There was a feeling that by changing the rule you would be essentially rewarding a player for a lack of skill by allowing him to stay in the game."

Flopping: The Art of Cheating

PanamaSun — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:55:04 -0000

Whether we like it or not, flopping has become part of the game. It has spread itself like a cancer all over the league. But, when did it start? Where does it come from? Should we do something about it? Do we love it or hate it?

Help me out answering these questions.

The purpose:

Because it is inherently designed to deceive the official, flopping is generally considered to be less than sportsman-like. There a plenty of reasons why players flop on a regular basis:

· To cause turnovers and get possession of the ball on critical or non-critical situations

· To try to foul out or decrease the amount playing time of an opposing player

· To get a basket and the foul (3 point play)

· (insert reason here)

The origins:

Flopping is not something new, this has been going on for decades in the NBA and other sports. As a matter of fact, the “flop” is used on a regular basis in Soccer. It is part of the game; referees, players, coaches and fans are used to it. Soccer is where flopping comes from but they handle it a little bit different. I’ll get to that in a sec.

How to flop:

Flopping effectively is not easy to do, primarily because drawing contact can sometimes result in the opposite effect, which would be a fouled called on the defensive player. This could happen if the player has not positioned himself perfectly. Besides that, if there are no fouls called on either player, by falling to the floor, the flopping defensive player will have taken himself out of position to provide any further defensive opposition, therefore, potentially allowing the offense to score easily.

As you can see, it takes great body control, intelligence and positioning to draw a charge and that’s why some people consider flopping an actual skill. There are certain techniques to enhance the flop such as:

1. The head snap: Kind of a whiplash motion, moving your head awkwardly from side to side. Works better if you have long hair.

2. The scream: Consists of screaming like you have just been shot in the kneecap, if the referee was in doubt of the foul, he will call it after he hears this.

3. The “playing dead” dog syndrome: Once you are laying on the floor, stay there for a while, don’t get up fast. Once you do, limp around, remember... you have just been shot.

Soccer Flopping vs. Basketball Flopping

Defensive Flopping

Although flopping is acquired from Soccer, there are a few differences that have to do with how both games are played. In Soccer, you will seldom see a defensive flop; the defensive soccer player will be focused on taking the ball away from you, if he dares to flop and the referee does not buy it, there’s a risk that the other team might score a goal, which is way more important that just allowing someone to score a basket. On the other hand, in basketball, you will see this on a constant basis because if you think about it, if they don’t call it…at least you tried.

Offensive flopping

It is used regularly in both sports. Even more in Soccer. They will take advantage of the physical play to put themselves in a position to score a goal. You will see them flying in the air, faking injuries and screaming in pain just to get that free kick or penalty or even just to manage the game clock. The difference is that in soccer, the referee can penalize the offensive flopper with a yellow card or even a red card and take him out of the game for trying to deceive him. They even receive training on how to tell if someone is acting or not.

Famous floppers

Some of the old school floppers were Bill Laimbeer, Reggie Miller, Dennis Rodman, Valde Divac and the new school is represented by Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto, Raja Bell, Bruce Bowen, Chris Paul.

Final Thoughts:

Flopping is more than just deceiving the refs, it’s a mind game, you get under the player’s skin, It's demoralizing. Distracting. On offense, it makes power players less aggressive; on defense, it makes shot blockers think twice. We can ask the league to assess technical’s on the floppers, but that will involve having to make a subjective call (yet another one) and maybe the use of replays on critical situations, perhaps the league is not willing to go thru all this trouble. So help me out to come up with ideas on how to put an end to this nonsense.

There is one thing I know for sure, we love Raja Bell for the same reasons that we hate Manu Gonibili, so I guess it’s always good to have a good flopper on your team.

There is a thin line between love and hate....when we are talking about floppers…it just depends on which jersey they are wearing….

Forget Kobe, Horry is the MVP

PanamaSun — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:36:13 -0000

I was ready to turn off the TV last night; after all, I was expecting the young Hornets to lose in San Antonio. And then Horry set the screen, West fell on the floor in pain and was taken to the locker room as the crowd in the AT&T Center chanted Horry, Horry, Horry!!

This is playoff basketball, I get that, but is this a coincidence? In another second round, in another potentially series-changing moment, Horry had bumped into another guy with a bad back. Again, the guy with the bad back was an All Star on the opposite team.

I was watching the game on ESPN Deportes and Carlos Morales said the following:

“Somewhere in the World, Steve Nash is watching this game and he’s shaking his head. I’ve seen enough basketball in my life to tell that this is a dirty play. Robert Horry knows that David West has back problems, it has been well documented by the media, and there was no reason for him to set that screen in that specific situation. He leaned forward hitting West in the back, with his head and forearms. I can bet my job that the league will not do anything about this”

And my question is…What if they do? It will not mean anything, Horry is done. This is the only way he can have an impact in the game, he is useless on the defensive and offensive end. If they suspend him, it will not make a difference.

Horry said last year that he is an Old School player, he takes pride in that, he said that in the playoffs, there will be hard fouls and people shouldn’t complain about this. I agree with him, but what happened last year and what happened last night were not hard fouls…they were dirty.