SB Nation User Blog: Phoenix Stan

Why Losing to the Lakers is a Good Plan for the Suns (or at least isn't the end of the world)

Phoenix Stan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:12:02 -0000

With this scorching start the Phoenix Suns are on pace to win 73 games. That's not going to happen which means at some point the team is going to go on a slump and fans expectations are going to be crushed and the disappointment and anxiety level will rise.

Even more important than how fans and media react to the coming adversity is how the team prepares itself for the long haul.

Right now, from Coach Gentry on down we are hearing a story of humility and desire coming from the Suns. Gentry talks about waiting until 20 or 25 games in to assess the team and that Amare has another level to jump to in his game. Nash talks about how the team is still figuring itself out. Hill calls it a work in progress.

This team is playing with a fire and edge that comes from being a discounted underdog. That extra oomph has been the difference in at least two close games this season and is needed to overcome the size disadvantage the Suns face on a nightly basis. When your front line is over-matched physically it takes a special kind of energy to win the rebounding battle.

Beating the World Champion Lakers on their floor on the second night of back-to-back would raise fans expectations through the roof and risks taking away the team's edge that it needs to bring that effort every night. We've seen how the pressure of "eye on the prize" can sap the Suns energy. We've seen how the media and fans explode with angst at every set back once the bar has been raised to the championship level.

What this team needs more than a win tonight is to continue to believe that they are the underdog and that they must work hard to get better every day.

That's why a loss tonight to the Lakers isn't such a bad idea.

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/12/09 10:52 AM MST ]

To clarify my point that probably wasn't made clear enough in the original rushed draft this morning....

While I strongly feel that a loss tonight isn't a bad thing and in fact has an "upside" I also by no means think the Suns should (or will) lay down and not try and get the win.

BEAT LA!!

Poll

Do you think it's a bad thing if the Suns lose to the Lakers?

Daily Links: I Love the Smell of 8 and 1 in the Morning

Phoenix Stan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:24:45 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Slovenia tops Lithuania. As it should be.

Browse more photos »

New Orleans Hornets information, analysis and discussion - Hornets247.com
The Hornets got trounced tonight in Phoenix, 124-104 ( box | recap ). The Suns put up 40 points in the first quarter, 75 in the first half, and the Hornets never threatened. About what you'd expect when a bad defense meets a good offense. Some late-night bullets for this one...
The Official Phoenix Suns Blog " Blog Archive " Suns Opening Eyes Around the NBA
KTAR.com - Suns return home after impressive road trip
Suns 124 , Hornets 104 : No Test; Much Rest.| Valley of the Suns
Everyone was expecting a test against the Hornets in tonight's game. If it was a test, the Suns aced it, and got some extra credit. Absolutely ripping
SUNS: Suns Sting Hornets, Put Eight in Double Figures
azcentral.com - Coro Blog
While the rest of the basketball world waits to see if the Suns have truly arrived in tonight's how-good-does-it-get-this-early matchup at the Lakers, it sure looked like Wednesday's home win against New Orleans said plenty enough already.
New Orleans Hornets take huge step backward in loss to Phoenix Suns | New Orleans Hornets Central - - NOLA.com
Hornets Basketball News. Get New Orleans Hornets schedule, roster, pictures and more. Get New Orleans Hornets current roster.
Lakers will get a couple of early tests in Phoenix and Denver -- latimes.com
Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash continues to defy his age - Ian Thomsen - SI.com
Steve Nash is the grandfather who dances every dance at the family wedding. He is the millionaire who keeps showing up to work because he loves what he does. At 35, he continues to play like -- and get the best of -- the youngest point guards in the world's finest league.
Iowa Energy: Roster in the air as season looms | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register

SUNS: Postgame Quotes: Suns 124, Hornets 104
I think we can play even better – we did a lot of things right on both ends of the floor, but the funny thing is I don’t even think we’re running yet. So once we get to that where we’re just up and down and going like we normally do, we’ll be pretty good.

Suns Exterminate the Pests 124-104

Phoenix Stan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:41:43 -0000

The New Orleans Hornets look dejected before the game even started and it was downhill from there as the 8-1 Suns ran them out of the building 124-104. (Photo by Max Simbron)

View full size photo »

There really should be a like a book of cliche headlines for games like this.

How about this one? "Hornets Stung by Suns" or "Flaming Suns Devour Hornets in Blazing Ball of Death"

Good? No. I didn't think so but honestly there's not much more to say about a game like this. Tell you what, leave your cliche headline in the comments and we'll pick the best one and a prize will be awarded!

Hornets - Not Quite As Dysfunctional As the Warriors But Still Reeking With Dead Spirit

Hornets Coach Byron Scott after spending an awful long time in his visitor locker office emerged to provide this insight into his team's performance, "I thought we came in and took a major step backward in all areas; from the defensive end, from a physical standpoint, from a pick and roll defense and our blocking out out was just terrible. They took advantage of every opportunity."

As great as the Suns are playing right now - 50% from three are you kidding me? - the Hornets get to own this blowout loss. When you run a zone against the best outside shooting team in the game you deserve to take some flack.

Chris Paul said that it was just one of those games and didn't signify any deeper issues with his team but Steve Nash has a nose for smelly chemistry and he got a wiff of something nasty,

"I think contrary to what we're doing they don't seem like they have quite the same energy, spirit about them and belief that they had last year. I feel for them because I've been there but they're a capable bunch and they can turn it around."

Boom roasted!

When Steve Nash tells you your team is lacking in spirit it might be time to call the basketball equivalent of the Ghost Busters and find a way to rid your team of its demon(s).

On the court the dejection which was evident even before the game started lead to the Suns pounding the snot out of the Hornets in the paint. New Orleans isn't the biggest team in the league but for them to get out-rebounded by the Suns 23-9 in the first half is pretty disgraceful which Paul acknowledged, "Rebounding was an issue for us tonight."

I would say so.

Paul talked a lot about his team's inability to defend the ball screens the Suns were running and overall said that his team had a lot of work to do defensively.

I would say so. Again.

On the Phoenix side the tone was set when Nash was smiling and joking before the game and ran right through his ankle breaking cross-over on Paul to Lou's big blocks and more Dudley hustle plays. Even Jarron Collins had 2 points as 8 of his teammates scored in double figures in a balanced box score lead by Amare's 21 points on 8 of 10 attempts.

Amare was uber-efficient offensively against Okafor and tore David West apart on the glass. He might of only recorded 6 rebounds in 25 minutes but his activity was responsible for several extra possessions. He was virtually Dudley-esque in his effort level and even gave a salute to the crowd in honor of Veterans Day after throwing down a massive jam.

In the end the entire fourth quarter was garbage time and the Suns were able to limit Nash to only 22 minutes (during which time he was still able to record 12 points and 10 assists) which left 25 for Dragic. Goran did have 6 turnovers but he also had 7 assists and 7 rebounds along with 14 points. At one point before the game was in total joke mode he was 3 for 4 behind the line including a step back three in Chris Paul's face.

That extra rest should bode well for tomorrow's measuring stick game with the hated Los Angeles Lakers.

Leandro Barbosa Wrist Update

Barbosa said after the game that his wrist is stiff and swollen. It is still bothering him to catch the ball and he said it is impacting his shot. Friday the doctor is going to drain the fluid to reduce the swelling which hopefully will help.

Leandro is trying to stay positive in spite of the pain, "We're doing so good I just got to play with the flow and have a great time that we've been doing so far."

Leandro confirmed that he is doing a charity event in December to benefit the Desert Mountain States Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. His mother passed away last year from Leukemia.

Post Game Links:

Lou's Block on Hilton Armstrong. Denied!

Preview and Game Thread: Suns vs Hornets

Phoenix Stan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:05:49 -0000

Final - 11.11.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
New Orleans Hornets	29	27	21	27	104
Phoenix Suns	40	35	26	23	124

Complete Coverage >

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/11/09 7:47 PM MST ]

Coach Gentry Pregame Notes:

Asked about a match-up like Paul and Nash Gentry said it is fun for the fans but not so much for the coaches that have to figure out how to stop those guys
His biggest surprise so far is the rebounding. He credits Hill and Richardson for doing really well and Frye and Amare for "holding their own". Said that Suns are never going to be great OReb team but try and limit the other team's OReb's
Plan all along has been to have the defense tighten up in the last 5 or 6 minutes of games and Gentry is happy with that on the road trip
Being 7-1 is better than the other option but he once again said it's going to take 20 or 25 games to know where this team really is
Asked if the Suns can continue with such a high 3P% Coach said the Suns can be in the mid 40's if teams don't adjust and take away those open looks (which would create more space in the lane)
Amare is getting better and better each game but still has another level to go to. Gentry again praised his effort and stated that simplifying the defense has helped since there are fewer decisions to make
Richardson is much more comfortable and not deferring and not concerned if he puts up 20 shots
Coach pointed out that the Suns were a better free throw shooting team with Shaq. Go figure
Talking about Dudley's ability to play guys tight and defend smaller, quicker players Gentry joked that they don't know how he does it either. He said Dudley is very smart and gets more out of his abilities than pretty much anyone he (Coach) has seen
Dudley has figured out that if his man doesn't have the ball he can't hurt him so he does a great job on ball denial
Talking about the Suns' fast break, Gentry praised Nash and Hill's creativity and said that Nash has a way of making coaches look good

Sorry folks. Busy day so no preview and I can't make it to shoot around either. Life, etc....

Here's some links to tide you over and feel free to drop in some previews in the comments throughout the day and we can mash them up.

Besides, what else is there to say? Chris Paul has torches the Suns over the past two years. Of course he's torching everyone this season and the Hornets are still only 3-5 so stay home on their shooters and let CP3 score but not get everyone else involved.

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/11/09 1:58 PM MST ]

Shoot around interviews via Suns.com

(you will note that Coach Gentry's game plan against Paul is the same as mine above which was posted hours earlier proving without a doubt that the Phoenix Suns get all their basketball advise right here, from Bright Side of the Sun!)

Pregame Links

azcentral.com - Suns Hornets preview
New Orleans Hornets looking to keep newfound vibe against hot Phoenix Suns | New Orleans Hornets Central - - NOLA.com
Shaquille O'Neal, wife splitting up - USATODAY.com
Shaquille O'Neal's wife is splitting from the Cleveland Cavaliers center.
Nash keeps showing up skeptics as Suns win agaim - USATODAY.com
Steve Nash heard the whispers in the offseason. He chose to ignore them.
Phoenix Suns going back to the basics -- latimes.com
"We're back to basically doing what we did," said Gentry, referring to the seven seconds or less offense the Suns ran under former Phoenix Coach Mike D'Antoni. "We put in a couple of spins that I thought would help our team personally. But for the most part, we're doing what we did."
Green Street " House Stays Hot with the Suns
Notes: Suns' Kerr sees team bonding
Frye is going through a process that all new Suns shooters have battled - turning down shots the coaches want him to take. Is Frye OK with firing away after misses? "Heck, no," Frye said. "They have to yell at me about it. I was 2 for 6 (to start Sunday's game), and I felt like the whole Earth was crashing down. They were like, 'Channing, keep shooting.' "I'm still working through it. I think ahead of myself. When I drove and nobody collapsed, I was like, 'Dang, now I have to shoot it,' instead of being aggressive. That's something I'll get progressively better at."

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/11/09 11:37 AM MST ]

From our friends at Sports 620 KTAR we have four radio interviews from the last two days (funny what winning does to media coverage)..

Steve Kerr

Alvin Gentry

Radio Broadcaster Tim Kempton

Enjoy...

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/11/09 12:52 PM MST ]

More audio from Sports 620 KTAR from today's shoot around. Nash talking about chemistry and Gentry once again saying it's too soon to judge this team.

Shoot around audio (Nash and Gentry)

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/11/09 3:58 PM MST ]

Missed these links earlier...

Looking at Steve Nash (oh, and Chris Paul Obviously) - At The Hive
Chris Paul and the Hornets visit Steve Nash tomorrow. A look at why Nash has been so good.
Why do advanced statistics hate Kobe Bryant? Part 1 - Silver Screen and Roll
The ultimate discussion on Kobe Bryant and advanced statistics. (As someone just now trying to wrap his head around advanced statistics, I love this article on the apparent disconnect between Kobe's undeniable prowess and advanced stats' inability to convey this.... or something like that.)

Today @ 1pm I'm gonna be at the Boost Mobile Store @ 4031 N. 24th St. in Phoenix. Grab ur friends...

Phoenix Stan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:56:27 -0000

Today @ 1pm I'm gonna be at the Boost Mobile Store @ 4031 N. 24th St. in Phoenix. Grab ur friends and come by to say hi

Amare is going to be available for autographs etc at this store opening.

Post Game Interviews FROM Jared Dudley!

Phoenix Stan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:41:30 -0000

It just keeps getting better and better...

Post game interviews from within the Phoenix Suns bus brought to you exclusively from JMZ - The Jared Mile Zone

Game Thread: Suns @ 76ers

Phoenix Stan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:38:11 -0000

Final - 11.9.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Phoenix Suns	25	29	30	35	119
Philadelphia 76ers	27	39	20	29	115

Complete Coverage >

Preview: Suns @ 76ers (Better keep an eye on Speights)

Phoenix Stan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:37:01 -0000

More photos » by Ned Dishman - NBAE/Getty Images

Steve Nash is awesome. That is all.

Browse more photos »

Marreese Speights has played 4 games against the Phoenix Suns in his short NBA career. In two of those games he averaged 28 points. In the other two he averaged 7. The two good games happened to be the first time Phoenix saw the young power forward last season and this preseason. The two bad games were the second time the Suns saw Speights last season and this preseason.

The Suns defense might want to pay a little more attention to this big and talented forward when he's in the game. He can shoot the ball a little bit and he's fairly mobile as well despite looking huge when I saw him in October.

Beyond Marreese, the two 76ers that can ruin the Suns shot at a 4-1 road trip are Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2009 - Andre Iguodala	6	38.5	7.2	14.7	48.9	1.0	3.0	33.3	4.0	5.8	68.6	0.2	5.8	6.0	5.3	2.8	2.5	0.2	1.7	19.3

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2009 - Louis Williams	6	34.5	5.5	11.2	49.3	0.8	3.0	27.8	3.5	4.2	84.0	0.7	4.0	4.7	5.2	1.3	1.5	0.0	1.8	15.3

Williams is a small but speedy point guard in the mold of an Aaron Brooks. He can get pretty much anywhere on the court and has a knack for scoring the ball. He's not turning the ball over but in large part that's probably because he's not looking to pass it much which is probably why the 76ers are only 17th in the league in offensive efficiency despite their talent.

Dre' is going to present a much different match-up problem for Jason Richardson than the minuscule Randy Foye and the aging and undersized Ray Allen. JRich did a respectable job on Dwayne Wade and he's going to have his hands full once again tonight. I don't think we will be seeing a lot of Jason in the post against Iggy.

What we probably will see is a lot of that zone defense that frustrated the Heat. The 76ers only shoot about 29% from behind the line and they love to get to the rim with their attacking wings and speedy point.

On the defensive end the Liberty Baller Boys are struggling behind the struggles of second year ~~stud~~ struggler Thad Young.

Here's what the home town blog had to say about Young's play so far this season:

I don't know what Thad's deal is, but there isn't a single thing he's doing well right now. He's shooting 41% from the floor and 9% from three. He's not getting to the foul line. He's playing (or not playing) any sort of defense. He can't dribble. He can't pass. Whether we've grossly overrated him, he's off to a slow start, or he doesn't fit EJ's system remains to be seen, but something has to be done if the Sixers are going to be competitive against teams not named the Nets and Knicks.

With Young not playing well and Elton Brand still trying to find his way off a milk carton and back into the elite NBA forwards discussion the Suns should be able to get this win tonight and return home as the heroes who earned the #1 spot in the NBA.com power rankings.

Should win.

Lets not forget this is the last game of a long East Coast road trip, the second of a back-to-back and the 5th game in 7 nights.

I expect Nash to be tired and Hill is supposedly nursing a wrist sore after a fall in Orlando which explains his abysmal shooting over the past three games (9 for 27, 33%).

To get this win tonight is going to take a combination of Amare continuing his great play (he's averaging 20 points on 57% shooting and 11 rebounds on this road trip); Frye staying hot from long range and the bench doing the bench thing especially defensively against Speights!

Daily Links:

Suns vs 76ers coverage
Suns vs 76ers preview
Liberty Ballers
Suns Rise to the Top With Big Road Wins
Now that teams are six or seven games into their season, we can start to get a grasp of their identities. And this season, more than in recent years, we seem to have more teams with very distinct ways of playing.
azcentral.com - members
It is the end of the road (for now) when the Suns play at Philadelphia tonight. Regardless of outcome, this has been a successful road trip at 3-1 so far. But with a win tonight, the Suns would be alone at the top of the Western Conference with only 74 games left to hold on to the spot.
Nurse’s Notes: Draft Summary- Energy Hoopla – Iowa Energy Basketball Social Site
The D-League Draft is now in the books. Here is a look at what you can expect from the EIGHT Energy draftees.
Wizards attempted to acquire Suns' Stoudemire - washingtonpost.com
The proposed deal involved swapping the fifth pick and No. 14 pick, with Antawn Jamison and other conciliatory pieces also mentioned in the discussions. The deal reportedly collapsed when the Suns wanted Caron Butler included.(old news but still...)
Suns listen to Gentry's stern message
Suns coach Alvin Gentry ripped his team and brought clarity to their rebounding woes.

How about them Cards!

Arizona Cardinals Continue Road Dominance as they Beat the Bears 41-21 - Revenge Of The Birds
They are who we thought they were and we let them of the hook, oh sorry wrong game let me fix that. They are who we thought they were and we didn't let them off the hook...

Just How Good Are The 6-1 Suns?

Phoenix Stan — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:38:39 -0000

The Phoenix Suns are 6 and 1 to start the season and playing great team basketball. Can it continue? (Photo by Max Simbron)

View full size photo »

Nobody thought the Phoenix Suns would start the season 6 and 1 and tie the 2000/01 team for a franchise best start through seven games. Nobody.

With Amare working his way back into shape and a tough early season road schedule this team was expected to struggle to find it's footing and hopefully come on later in the season when things rounded into form and the schedule lightened up.

Given the great start is it too soon to rethink the preseason prognostications that almost universally predicted this team would win around 46 games and be happy to make it to the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed?

Yes. It is too soon but that's not to take credit away from what the Suns have accomplished so far in the early days of the season.

The Suns join only the Celtics, Heat, Lakers and Magic at the top of the league standings with one loss each and of course, Phoenix handed the only losses to the Heat and Celtics and suffered their only defeat from the Magic. Pretty good company to kick things off and clearly not a fluke that the first three wins over the Clippers, Warriors and Timberwolves might have indicated.

Offensively, Phoenix is right back at the top of the association with the best field goal percentage (50%) and one of the most balanced attacks anywhere. In seven games, five different players have lead the team in scoring (Barbosa, Frye, Stoudemire and twice each for Nash and Richardson).

Shaq is no longer clogging up the lane and the Suns back to their running ways although with a Pace factor of 100 possessions per game they aren't anywhere close to reckless abandon.

The team is shooting over 45% from three and while that number will likely come down that isn't a given since most of those shots are coming from excellent shooters getting wide open looks. Inside we've seen the return of Amare's power game and the emergence of Jason's back to the basket post moves.

The Suns are still deadly in transition and are executing the half court offense as well as they did last year and better then in the glory years of 2004-2007.

The only highly correctable flaw is the miserable 70% shooting from the free throw line.

Even more surprising is the defense and rebounding.

The Suns are out-rebounding opponents 301-295 without the presence of The Big Glass Cleaner and are holding teams to a respectable 18 points in the fourth quarter of the last three road wins.

The bench play has been fantastic even with Barbosa missing three games and the Suns no longer have to fear giving up big leads when Nash goes for a rest. Since Alvin Gentry has taken over as head coach the Suns reserves are averaging 33.5 points per game which is higher than at any point in the past five years.

Goran Dragic is looking like a stable backup point guard with a 2.33 assist to turnover ratio which is comparable to Steve Nash (2.44) and Jared Dudley and Louis Amundson are bringing the energy, hustle and toughness that you want from your reserves.

The Suns are getting stops, staying even on the glass, scoring efficiently, attacking from anywhere on the court and playing with depth. This record is legit. All that combined with a feisty team that has an underdog's edge and a toughness that's been missing in Phoenix for many years and you've got a Suns team that is a threat to continue winning at a very respectable pace.

Poll

Does the Suns 6-1 start change your thinking about what this team can accomplish?

Preview and Game Thread: Suns @ Wizards

Phoenix Stan — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:42:08 -0000

Final - 11.8.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Phoenix Suns	26	30	24	22	102
Washington Wizards	29	22	20	19	90

Complete Coverage >

This game worries me.

The Suns are coming off a big emotional win while the Wizards got their butts kicked by the Pacers 86-102 which lead to a team tirade with Agent Zero firing off this chemistry building barb, "We have a team where everybody thinks they should be playing," he said. "And when you have a team like that, you have bitter players on the sideline."

Just a shot in the dark here but I am guessing he's talking to Nick Young, Andray Blatche, DeShawn Stevenson and JaVale McGee and not to Fabricio Oberto who's started all six games.

Reading through these reports from the Wizards camp you see a team in early disarray that is struggling with more than injuries (Jamison, Miller and Crittenton).

With all this going on there's a good chance they will respond with fire in today's game and come out guns blazing. Or maybe they will continue their Iverson like pouting and continue to implode. Either way, it's a statement game from the Wiz and not so much for the Suns. That worries me. That and the early start which has long been a problem for the Suns.

Reading through various previews and reports the one note that caught me eye was the possibility that Randy Foye would start in the back court with Arenas. Foye is having a decent season so far and is a capable player but he's far too small to guard Richardson so look for the Suns to try and exploit that match-up.

On the front line Haywood and Blatche are not Howard and Gortat but those guys are still big and physical and are going to give Frye, Amare and Amundson fits on the glass.

A pissed off Gilbert. A big front line. An early start. This game worries me.

Be sure to go visit our friends at Bullets Forever