At 37 years and 65 days, Steve Nash is the oldest assists leader ever.

However, it also looks like he's the oldest leader for *any* of the major statistical categories.  I know Rodman, for example, was slightly younger than Steve when he last led the league in rebounding (during his last year in Chicago), but I'm stumped at finding any other geezerly players who might also have led the league in other categories.

Just wondering if y'all could confirm this, or help find the counterexamples.

Forbes has a series of articles outlining the financial state of all 30 NBA teams including our very own Phoenix Suns, over the last ten seasons.

In short, the Suns are the 8th most valuable team in the league, right now, are decently profitable, and are in a pretty stable financial position.  What should be noted is that non-player expenses (eg maintenance, staff salaries, etc...) were $58M, vs. $69M on player expenses. 

Also, you should pay attention to the fact that the team has been consistently profitable over the last 10 years, although in percentage terms profit has fallen.  Two things stand out: growth in player expenses since the annus mirabilis of 2005, and the Nash effect on this team's fortunes.

So it looks like Tom Thibodeau is going to be the new coach of the Bulls.  Congratulations and good luck to him.. he'll need it in Chi-town.

However, I can't help but wonder how this is affecting his current job on the Celtics, who trail the Lakers in the finals, partially due to some substandard defense.  Clearly, there was some stress caused by the Hornets organization, who basically gave Tom an ultimatum to accept their offer or walk away.  If the Hornets can negotiate with Tom, why not the Lakers?  And what's to stop the Lakers from interviewing him, just to mess with the Celtics?

Here's the point: David Stern has been swift and almost medieval in his punishment of anything resembling the tampering of players during the regular season, to the point where it's almost impossible for a coach to say he'd like to coach a specific player, in case that statement of admiration gets misinterpreted as a future offer of employment.

But Stern does *nothing* to stop organizations from interviewing coaches and assistant coaches, during a time of the season when they are needed the most, when they have to work the hardest.  A question we have to ask here is how was Dan Majerle affected by his interviews with the Sixers organization, and did we lose any games because of it?

Members of the coaching staff on teams still in the playoffs are stuck with a serious dilemma: on the one hand they want to help their team go as far as possible, but on the other they have to look out for their own futures and careers, competing for those jobs with people who have already been eliminated.  It's a high pressure situation, no doubt.

There's a simple solution: put in place a moratorium for organizations to contact any member of a team's coaching staff from the end of the regular season until the last finals game has been played, and treat any such contact as tampering.  Certainly he must not allow any job interviews or other personal meetings that could be interpreted as such.

The 2010 draft is going to happen on June 24th, which would probably be at least a week from the end of the playoffs.  Given that GM can negotiate complex player trades in a few hours, or over a couple of days, that time should be sufficient for a team to negotiate terms with a coach they want to hire.  If need be, the draft and the summer league could always be pushed back one or even two weeks.

It's hard to come to terms with defeat when you came so close to victory...  certainly we had the tools, and the desire, and the determination to beat the Lakers, only to fall short.

Still, despite the Lakers play in this series, and the bad luck, I felt that we lost the series, rather than being beaten. At some points in this series we played without focus, with some confusion and without the spite needed to put an opponent down.  Fundamentally, the reasons we lost are the same reasons it took Jordan 2 seasons to reach the finals vs an aging but cagey Pistons team, and why it took those very same Pistons 2 seasons to overcome an aging but defiant Celtics team: immaturity.

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Some of us, a while back on this board, at the start of the season, threw up the idea of having an entire self-contained second unit, that could play together and have it's own look.  But that's kind of like saying that it would be a great idea to date a Victoria Secrets model: big gap between talking about it, hoping it might happen and actually doing it.

So while we've seen this bench do those things, and go out and raise the energy level give the opposition a different look, it wasn't until last night that we truly saw what that approach could actually achieve.  Oh sure, the bench had great games before vs the Spurs, but the breakout performance there was Goran playing the game of his life, with the bench on the floor with him.

Last night was different...

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O.k, we haven't won the series yet.  But after all the years of coming short against the Spurs, and having to put up with their mostly ignorant and obnoxious fans, I figured it was about time we sent a message back: we don't forget, and we don't forgive.

Premature?  yes, a little, but I have a little more class than to kick a man when he's completely down and out. 

On the other hand, poking him when there's still a pulse, stoking the flames of that fading piece of hope, so that it burns a little brighter and hotter, will make it all the sweeter when that light finally extinguishes itself, and the Spurs fade back into the darkness.

It is important to let the Spurs fan know that not only did they have no chance, whatsoever, but the fight they did put up, feeble as it was, gave us as much concern as a bug impacting against the windshield of a speeding truck.

Just two last words:  *suffer bitches*.

Now that we have overcome a feisty, and worthy opponent, we face the object of our fear: the Spurs.

If we wish to become champions, or even aspire to further success, this is an obstacle we must and have always needed to overcome.  Not just because of the obvious and prosaic "we've got to beat them to win this series, and advance to the next round" motive, but because the Spurs have been our bogeyman...  an adversary seemingly allied to dark forces, conjuring bolts of outrageous misfortune against us.

Moreover, they are in our minds, and in being there, have caused us to beat ourselves, just as much as they have beaten us directly.

This series is about us, about our determination, our character, our tenacity and our toughness.  It's about staring Fate in the face, and poking her eye out with a fully extended middle finger.

Consequently, as important as winning this series is, what is more important is how we win.  If we can achieve victory with a statement of strength and resolve, with fortune on our side, we can figuratively bury this demon, and then whatever lies beyond that will hold no fear for us.

This is no time for timidity or apprehension.  This is the time to leap into the crucible where heroes are born and cowards wither away.

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As we prepare to face the Blazers, it seems appropriate to reflect a little on the past season. 

Some of you might remember this fanpost I wrote back in November, when the team was in the middle of it's 14-3 start: a statement of the expectations some of us had for this team back at the start of the season.

With the exception of the 12-18, 30 game lull, and the associated drama, during the winter months, Planet Orange has met, and sometimes exceeded those expectations.  It has countered its weaknesses in size and defense, by playing team ball and by executing with precision and grace, picking up some needed grit along the way.

Even though it required the threat of exile, every player on this team finally understood what it means to be part of a team, to give up some part of yourself, so that you can belong to the whole, and in so doing reach greater heights than is possible alone.

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Now, I'm not normally one to pay attention to box scores or stats, basically because I don't believe they tell anything except a crude indication of how someone played, and sometimes they don't do even that.   But, on occasion, I get sentimental, and these stats are useful to mark career milestones of interest, and even importance. 

So, with that said, it should be noted (courtesy of ESPN.com) that Steve Nash, with 750 assists this season, has blown past John Stockton's record of 713 assists in a season (2000-2001), for a player over the age of 35. And he still has 14 games to go until the end of the season. 

Of course, it goes without saying that Steve is leading the league in assists, and more importantly he's leading the most efficient offense in the NBA, as he has for the last 10 or so years, by some margin (the difference in offensive efficiency, according to Hollinger, is greater between the Suns, and the #2 team Nuggets, than it is between the Nuggets and the #10 Spurs)

If Steve has a lasting legacy, it might be the inspiration to players like Kobe and LeBron, that if they take care of themselves, and adopt a more skillful and cerebral game, they can have a long career, playing at the highest level.

This was posted by G.O.A.T on the insidehoops.com forum, and was originally published in Sport Illustrated in 1969.

It's worthwhile reading, because it explains exactly what basketball is all about, at the highest level.  The paragraph on basketball stats is particularly enlightening..

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There's a very cool piece about our favorite Canadian point guard, in this month's issue of Fast Company.

FC is a business mag, so the article is pretty much a non-basketball piece, focusing instead on Nash's charities, his businesses, and what his post-NBA career might look like.  It also examines Steve's unique approach to marketing himself, and how he's been able to maintain control of his own image.

Not gonna spoil it for y'all, but it's a fascinating read, and I think you'll enjoy it.

There are some of us here who remember the 05-06 team with fond memories.  Not because they won a championship, which they didn't, and not because they played flawless ball, which they didn't either. 

But because a team consisting of maybe two legitimate NBA starters, and a collection of anonymous and otherwise underachieving players won 54 games and got to the WCF.  And not smoothly either: They lost their all-star center for the whole year, before the season started, and his backup/replacement for a third of a season, just after the all-star break. And sometimes that team was beaten like a red-headed stepchild caught with cigarettes.

But that group had heart, grit, tenacity, fearlessness, self-belief and unity.  Some players, like Boris and Raja, stepped up from nowhere to show how good they really were.  Others like Trix, wallowed in their new found respect and status.  All of them, though, played the season of their careers, because of their trust in each other and their leader.  That team, ultimately failed, but not for reasons of it's own doing or control.  They went down fighting and with defiance.

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There's been a lot of talk about trading various players, and there's a meme surrounding the Shaq to Cleveland trade rumors that Shaq didn't really do anything playing with Steve Nash.

But people have short memories, and if anything is true it's that the Gentry era started with a bang. As Hollinger's article in March points out, this teams' offense during the time before Barbosa got injured was *historically good*, even without Amare.  Shaq shot 68.4% during that time, and it was the kind of offense some of us expected to see all year.

Going forward to the upcoming season, we have to put away what happened this year, with the trades and changes in the head coach, and just forget it as an aberration.  Those early games under Alvin showed what this team is capable of doing, and I'd love to see what level they can reach with a pre-season under their belts.

That's not to suggest that the team doesn't have some serious issues, particularly surrounding it's defense, but it's not clear to me that those defensive woes weren't caused mostly by bad coaching by Terry Porter.  Certainly the inability of the defense to communicate on the court has less to do with individuals, and more to do with making sure everyone on the floor is on the same page.  Team defense is vastly more important than man defense.

IMHO, if Kerr and Sarver decide to trade Shaq, then they should just go ahead and start the rebuilding.

So LeBron is awarded, imho,  a well deserved MVP.   And though his team does have a few other players of all-star or near all-star caliber (Ilgauskas, Mo Williams, D. West, Ben Wallace...) it's clear that he's done the most with less since Nash's 2nd MVP.

In some senses I like the fact that the award is a Most Valuable Player, rather than a best player, because it's so hard to define the best player in any meaningful sense. 

In fact, we have a point guard who has just has one of the best all round shooting seasons ever, and a few turnovers not withstanding, might be one of the 5 best passers ever, the best off-hand (i.e left hand, if you're a righty) passer of all time, and one of the best dribblers to ever play. His floor vision is pretty spectacular too.

So clearly, it's not enough to be the most skillful player, there's more.

We have Shaq, who on a good day is still the most imposing physical force in the NBA.   Absolutely dominant.

In terms of the psychology of running a team, Chauncey Billups has performed miracles in getting the Nuggets to where they are.  It's amazing how much difference a single player can make.  I'd point out, though, how much worse the Pistons have gotten without him, and with the addition of Iverson.

Then you look at defense, and the play of Battier & Artest, and see just how much of a difference they make.   It's telling, though, that while some great defensive players have won the trophy, no *predominantly defensive* player has won the MVP since Russell.

What I love about LeBron winning, is that for the first time in a long time, the MVP is someone who figures in the conversation in all these aspects of the NBA game.  He's not the best at any single thing, but he's legitimately, and without too much hype, top-10 in each of those categories.  You can't say the same about any MVP winner, probably since Jordan.

The thing is.. he could be better, and that's simultaneously an exciting and scary thought.

The NBA store announced it's list of this year's top selling jerseys, with Kobe back at #1.

Steve Nash is at #13, and Shaq is at #14.   Amazingly enough, Allen Iverson's Pistons jersey is at #5, and Nate Robinson's is #8.

It's a reminder, btw, that the NBA is at its core, a business, and one that relies primarily on it's superstars, who fill seats, help sell TV time, and in this case shift merchandise.  Despite the shared revenue from the NBA's TV partnership, gate receipts are still the lifeblood of most franchises, representing 33% of the leagues revenue.  On top of that, there are concession sales at US Airways.

Forbes has a breakdown of the 2007 financial picture, and the 2008 numbers. Two things are clear from those:

1. The Suns are still decently profitable, with revenue in 2008 of $148M, and income (i.e gross profit) of $28.9M (down from $145M/$37.3M in 2007).
2. The Suns spend their player money effectively, getting a 122 wins-to-player ratio (essentially normalized wins/dollar. 100 is league average).

What does this all mean for the franchise?

Firstly, it's clear that Steve Nash and Shaq are the team's franchise players, as measured by jersey sales.  Keeping them will likely result in continued attendance, season-ticket and regular ticket sales, despite the economy.

Secondly, despite the luxury tax, the team is actually in a good financial position, and that they can afford to pay players at the current level, and still make money.  In fact, all the noise regarding the luxury tax (which we were told was *vital* to reduce), actually seems to be primarily a desire on the part of Robert Sarver, rather than a true financial imperative.

From my perspective this changes my point of view slightly.  While it would be unfair to suggest that the franchise should run at a loss, so long as it *is profitable*, the Suns should do as much as they can financially to win a title, or come close to winning.   And they should do this because they'll make money from merchandising and other sales, when the economy starts to recover.

From the Onion..

Shaq looked great as one of the JabberwokkeeZ, but now it's time for him to bring the law, as one of Stu Jackson's finest. 

Black and White is an elegant look, with the white symbolizing the good and justice the refs are supposed to mete, and the black reminding us that deep down the refs are soulless evil trolls, bent on denying Steve Nash his rightful title.

Actually, having Shaq as a guest ref isn't such a bad idea.  Since David Stern seems intent on transforming the NBA from a noble sporting challenge, into the WWE, with heels and babyfaces, he might as well go the whole way, with guest refs, folding chairs and steel cages. 

I got one more thing to say..   

Nash 3:16, bitches.

Whoooooooo.......

There are few people in the NBA I dislike enough to hate, but the Van Gundy brothers are amongst that select group.   Why?  Just because..   Actually, mostly because of Jeff, but Stan has had his moments too.

Still, every once in a while, the Universe aligns itself to act upon the lives of men, to guide us to distinguish wrong from right, the light from the dark, and evil from good.

So, I'd like to show reverence to those arcane mystical forces of light that deigned to give Iggy a clutch jumpshot, in his moment of need, and to say to SVG: "Suck it, Stan!"

To me, the Suns have to make changes at 3 roles, in order to be a contender next season:

1. Fix the interior/post man defense
2. Fix the exterior/guard position man defense
3. Fix the pick & roll defense.

I'm not sure it's possible to adjust this team, that much, and still retain it's offensive firepower.   Or stay within reach of the luxury tax threshold.  Moreover, I'm not sure whether the right players are out there, and available, that can come in and help, and fit in at the same time on both ends of the court.

I understand how difficult it is to build a team, and find talent in the draft, but this team has had it's day, and has pieces of some value that it can use in trades.

It's time to rebuild, or in the words...: