This year has been crazy...Are the Spurs 61-19 and no one seems to be giving them a chance?  I feel like they are a 6th seed or something...Whatever, the lakers are back down to earth now and I would like to examine how streaky this season is for the following teams Orlando, Chicago, Miami, Denver, Lakers, Boston, OKC, and Spurs.

Its obvious to me, number one with the Spurs, they still can't play without the presence of Tim Duncan.  Yea, he's washed up I hear, but it must be a locker room thing because they win games knowing he's there.  They looked terrible when he was out.   Can he manage a level of play of 15 and 15 in the playoffs?  I think he can, Spurs in the finals this year.

Orlando....Easy.  Dwight Howard is still the only guy teams can't match up against...So what...They shoot themselves in their own foot and will give away atleast 1 game in a seven game series by not going to him enough and jacking up three's.  

Chicago....It's one guy folks....That's it.  Take away one guy.  Teams have tried it, but lets get a little physical will ya.  Test this guy's toughness.  Can Chicago survive without relying on Derrick Rose?  NO..Someone will test his will win it matters.

Miami........Take away Bosh....He's the weakest link of the three and with the softest heart.  Let him rely on jumpers, and you can basically play your game till the end.  The supporting players are just too weak.  But lets face it, they have star power.  Pretty prime at this point on coming out of the east and will I think.

L.A..............Starting to develop mental weaknesses and fatigue.  Run them up and down the court so it frusterates their bigs to be non existant.  Easier said then done?  Not lately, they are becoming dinosaurs out there.  No Laker team has ever made it to the Western Conference Finals and lost 10 games on their home court.   

Boston......Stick a fork in them.  Their done.  Counting on Shaq instead of Kendrick will cost them, maybe against the Knicks? Worst decision Ainge has made in the Garnett, Pierce, Allen era.   Please see Cleveland, Phoenix and Miami who relied on the big guy to be there for them.  Big mistake.  Second round and done.

OKC.............WOW...The trade is starting to pay off isn't it.  Perkins has provided a bit of interior for them.  Still I'm not really convinced and think their on just a major hot streak right now.  OKC has trouble beating teams that use 2-3 Zones against them.  Other teams who shoot the three well in transistion beat this team.  Someone will figure it out.  Zone up. 

Nuggets........Star power?? This is really the only team who has played as honest enough basketball down a stretch that I can see by simply taking away a star player, they have managed to develop a chemistry that NO team above has matched.  With that being said OKC was the only team from this stretch of games who explioted their depth.  If Denver wants to make a run ALL of their rotation must be healthy.  If they play the Mavericks, they get out of the first round.


Mavericks......Gimme a break.  I feel like I had to put them here.  They will out in the first round against Portland who is a poor man's version of your Denver Nugget's with probably the most underrated big man in the game right now.  If Greg Oden gave this Portland team ANYTHING playing along Aldridge they would be among the best teams in the league.  Mavericks done in the first round...Against anyone

So discuss.  Miami against the Spurs in the finals.  Not really too much of a shocker really.

I don't want to beat a dead horse and talk about how the Nuggets beat the Celtics, Hawks twice, Spurs, Suns, Hornets, Charlotte and Jazz.  These were lopsided victories mind you, still getting it together I'm sure.  Lets not go there and discuss how the Orlando Magic narrowly escaped or how the Miami Heat were biting their fingernails in the closing seconds of that game in Miami.  Wait....I guess we are talking about, sorry...

In comparing their schedule to L.A's, did anyone think the Lakers could go 11-4, playing these teams on their schedule?  They played like crap before the break, so I didn't.  10-6, 11-5 and I was giving them the benefit of the doubt because they were champions.   That's not at all knocking them short, but their schedule was tough.  The Lakers are a stellar 14-1 since the break with victories over Charlotte, Spurs, Portland twice, Phoenix, Orlando, Dallas and Oklahoma City.  If the Nuggets would have won those two close games at their opponent's buildings... I would say with out a doubt, because of their scheduled opponents, that the Nuggets were playing as good, if not better basketball then the Lakers since the break.....With no Melo Yellow.

Things I noticed last night.  I'm not getting to yuppity about a win versus a Spurs team with no Tim Duncan either, please don't accuse me of that.  Its basically the body language and the things they were doing to the Spurs that made me realize they reminded me of one old western conference championship team from years past that I'm quite familiar with.  Their defense last night held the Spurs to 3 point shooting the whole night, I couldn't believe a Greg Popavich coached team was shooting that many 3's and he wasn't killing anyone.   Playing them straight up without Duncan was pretty much a "wash" and the Spurs tried to challenge the Nuggets to their strengths which is up and down, speed for speed and 3 point shooting.  What they didn't figure was FRIGGING OLD SUPER SONIC TRAPPING!!!  

Somewhere I hope Gary Payton was watching that...Somewhere I hope Shawn Kemp, hopefully sitting on the couch with one of his 100 kids was watching that...I did, it brought a tear of joy to my eye seeing those old traps again.  It was the exact tool that gave positive meaning to the word "The Glove" to Gary Payton, instead of negatively being a term to describe O.J Simpson.  I was smiling.  You guys robbed the bank with that trade, won the lottery, sign Nene this summer and this team is good for the next 4 years.  This is basically the 2004 Detroit Pistons with the old Seatle Supersonic playbook.  It was a team built like this, that beat the Lakers.   Awesome job last night.

I wrote last week questioning about the departures of Anthony and Billups.  To my conclusion I have seen enough to think that this Denver team made the right trade even if Billups isn't welcomed back.  After winning in Atlanta and Houston these Nuggets are giving their city something to cheer for.  I would have to ask doesn't this team feel better without Anthony?

The Knicks are just overrated.  As I thought after the trade was made, bringing in another offensive weapon in a offensive system already thriving was like replacing your tires with nice rims....Yet the car isn't going any faster, any slower.  It's the same car, same engine, it sure looks better.  The Knicks look great, but has anything changed besides merchandise? Anthony got what he wanted but whats it proving?  Anthony trade so far in New York can't beat Indiana, but an Anthony less Nugget team can beat the Celtics.  Aren't the Knicks more talented?  Maybe not, maybe Carmelo has less Michael Jordan then everyone thought or he claims to have.  The overall game isn't matching the swag at this point.  Instead his career is looking sorta similiar to me, ala Tracy Mcgrady.  Just seems sorta similiar.

Unlike Phoenix when they refused to trade Amare, you guys offered him a fair deal, when he refused you got something in return.  It appears to be the right decision.  We would know by now if the trade sucked and it just seems to me Carmelo Anthony is probably a player most likely to resemble a Tracy Mcgrady then a Kobe Bryant's career.    George Karl is a genius...Not because I think he wanted this to happen, its because I know he IS and the Nuggets haven't really seen this man truely put HIS system into play until now.   I think now he can finally coach without having one player being stubborn.  Quit giving this guy a bunch of Iverson's and Anthony's and more Payton's, Hawkin's and Billup's and you will truely see a coach deserving of the highest accolades.   Since the trade these new group of players have enjoyed success early but be it from their head coach to find a way to start from scratch with a new group of guys and win. 

 I remember the old SuperSonic days and the Anthony led Nuggets, to me never resembled those SuperSonic teams, they were great teams but their best players played lights out defense.  This new Nugget team actually has a watered down resemblence of Karl's old masterful squad.  He finally has the peices to install the system that was being held back for years.  In no way am I comparing Lawson to Gary Payton in terms of defense but in terms of fundamentals I would and you have huge upside.  This new team is not fundamentally flawed like before.  9-2 since the trade?  With some pretty convincing victories along the way.  Good luck whomever faces this team in the first round.  A new team flying under the radar with very little video on their weaknesses as of yet.   This could be the making of a great team in Denver.

Hi guys I'm new here but I figured that why not ask some of the fans on this site what they actually thought about their team since the Anthony trade about a month ago or so.  Your team seems to doing quite well actually and I'm starting to take notice.  Right now your fifth in the western conference and if I'm correct 7-2 since the trade?  With wins over Boston, Phoenix and Atlanta.  Not bad for a team with some new rotations.  Here are my questions.

Do you think you guys are better now then when you had Anthony and if so which players right now do you think are filling that void?

Chauncy Billups..Was he a bigger "key" peice then what people thought?  What player at this time was a bigger player to lose Billups or Anthony?

After this season, Billups will probably be a free agent (I doubt the Knicks will re-sign him or extend), does he come back to his home city of Denver and more importantly do you want him back?  I felt when I saw a George Karl interview he was deeply concerned personally about Billups not on his roster anymore.

My opinion is, is you got some nice peices here.  Lawson really needed to play it seemed and I like the addition of some of the Knick players.  I don't think Billups was hurting your team so adding him back would only help things of course if the price is right, but if Lawson flourishes maybe you bypass that idea. 

Thank you for your time and good luck on the season

Hello guys, Jay 16 here chatting with ya.  I've been a native of saginaw michigan here all my life.  I have reletives who live in Phoenix and its one of the finest cities I've been to.  I've been a huge fan and believer of true pioneers of basketball(not Amare) like Steve Nash.  When you see other teams copy what you do on offense and mimic it your one of the best in history, you've done it.  Nash has been the greatest point guard from his era and the best player in the league to not win a championship yet from this era.  Its too bad Detroit sucks, I haven't heard one player coming to see Joe Dumars and wanting to join our ghetto ass city.  No Lebron, No Wade, No Bosh and not even sniff from Amare to come to Detroit and I don't blame them.  What can we offer?  Where's the market value here?  Section 8 Housing?  Lebron sponsered by HUD.....Yea that won't work.  Detroit is in for a horrible year next year.

Back to things that matter.  I felt the Suns did whats necessary and moved Amare.  I think its finally coming out that there really wasn't any value for him at the trading deadling last season and this is something I already new and won't rehash.  As far as his replacements go remember in 2006 the Suns played with Tim Thomas and Boris Diaw and they made the Western Conference Finals and lost in 6.  So I say whats the difference?  With him or without him?  The Suns have proved they can win without him, so I'm convinced with the peices in play the Suns can get back to atleast the Western Conference Finals.  They are on the UP and besides the Lakers, the rest of the western conference is on the down and I'll tell you more about this later but I don't see Dallas getting any better but older the same for the Spurs.  The Suns are the only team with a great bench and promising young players that can only get better.  So people if there is any shred of doubt just remember about the Suns bench that won many games this year sometimes and most of the time in the playoffs played better then the starting 5.  Gentry is a GREAT coach, had him here in Detroit it was hard to let him go.

It was reported today that Lebron to Miami....WOW!!!  If this is the case I don't want to see the Heat lose a game this year.  82-0.  It would be historical.  If they can't win the division its a disaster.  But taking 3 players and putting them on the same team is a bad idea from a NBA point of view.  This will water down the league even more after the Lakers have watered it down since they aquired Gasol. The simple conclusion for GM's after they panic and pull triggers they won't normally make as a countermove to combat the Lakers and then realize unless you have a Kobe, Lebron or Wade on your team to begin with it won't matter what you do, the Lakers are supreme.  This is the attitude.  Teams get worse if they don't get better and after this free agency I think the NBA will be worse off if things go down whats predicted.   Cleveland will suck, Boston will probably not get back to form next year, Toronto will be horrible, Chicago will be a playoff team at best, the Knicks will STILL suck.  All these teams did all this juggling and I think it will affect their status next year, you will again have Orlando as one of the better teams, the Hawks have gotten better by Boston getting older but after all that it still brings us to the Heat standing tall.  If it happens tonight your talking about the next 3-4 years of Miami dominating is that what you really want to see?  I think you need a little parity.  How veterens will play for the minimum just be on this touring rock show?  The Heat will be the most dominate team to walk the earth.  So while the other teams will play above 500 basketball you'll have the Lakers and Heat?  Since the Lakers made the "luckiest" deals in history the past 3 years the Western Conference has came back to earth a little bit.  They used to be by far the most talented conference with star players on different teams emerging. Case in point what happened to the Hornets?  They panicked because they couldn't get over the hump and after the Gasol trade they have stayed mediocre since.  They made their move to be competitive and then their attitude was....Why even bother?  Seriously, they were won of the best teams before the Gasol trade, if people don't want to think other teams react financially to what other teams do then your crazy.   I would rather see the Spurs winning the way did with defense rather then selling out and hire other former franchise players to win a championship.  Greg Popavich when the Gasol trade happened was furious.  The Suns jumped the gun and now admit trading for Shaq was a knee jerk reaction.  The Lakers have done the same thing the Heat are trying to do.  Lamar Odom is a great player on a number of teams and at one point considered a franchise player, Ron Artest is a top defender, Gasol could score 20 and 10 on a lesser team and was Memphis's frachise player, then you have Bryant who is the best closer in the game and obvious hall of famer, I don't know how the NBA lets teams get away with this much talent unless theirs a conspiracy involved.  Now you have players either jumping ship to join the eastern conference or joining the lakers.  Now you have the Lakers, then all the rest of the top 8 are the same in talent.  If this happens tonight get ready to snooze through the regular season and just catch the playoffs.  The best for the NBA is that Lebron either goes to New York or stays in Cleveland.  I've never really liked the fact that the 90's Bulls were never really challenged until they got to the finals or the 2000-2003 Lakers until they played the Kings (thanks Timmy).  The NBA was at its best recently between the 2004-2008 season.  Now its going right back to where it was in the 90's.  Lots of pressure on Lebron tonight.  Cleveland will have the FUMBLE, the DRIVE, SHOT ON EHLO BULLS WIN!, ART MODELL screws the Browns and then LEBRON.....I predict he stays in Cleveland too much pressure. 

Happy Memorial day to all that has served.  Before I dig in I took a couple of days before I wanted to just go off here.  I think we can all agree Sasha Kusi'mabitch is a dousher.  Wow, this guy is like the turd that doesn't flush down the toilet and keeps surfacing.  Totally got abused by Dragic, so what?  Dragic talked a little smack, it wasn't like Sasha wasn't spraying fertilizer all over the microphones of the media in the prior days off leading up to game 5 and 6.  What a pussywillow.   I'm hoping Garnett lays him out or Rasheed head butts him.  Anyways about the season and the Suns.  You know I predicted they would win game 6 and game 7 from the way they played game 5.  I realize it was more my heart talking.  I got totally wrapped up in the drama that the NBA likes to create on a daily basis and was sucked in that a total team effort will win over a couple guys doing it for you.  I was wrong.  Kobe Bryant did things in this series I never saw Jordan do.  Those were the toughest shots I have ever seen someone make on a consistant basis.  Most were from the perimeter.  I've seen Jordan hit shots like that when games were close but they were mainly by the baseling or outside of the freethrow line.  Kobe was playing friggin horse out there.  If it were anyother player, Wade, Nowitski, Lebron city of Phoenix hang your head up high, those guarded shots would have been bricks.  I give credit where credit is do.  Jordan is still on yet another level then Bryant I believe, my opinion especially defense, Jordan was superior at defense as was his offense, Kobe roams.  But as far as this playoffs go Kobe has been unguardable period we'll see how the Celtics play defense on him, I'm hoping its Pierce. 

I kind of lied about this being a "rant".  It sucks getting sucked in doesn't it.  I'm pretty proud of this Suns team.  They have much to look forward to even if they have to sign and trade Stoudemire or if Stoudemire can learn to average more rebounds then Jason Kidd and Antwaan Jamison in the playoffs next year then max him out maybe thats a route.  Stoudemire was kind of exposed making this far in the playoffs.  Its been all over the media about experts opinions whether or not he's a "max" guy or not and so far I'm hearing "no".  I think take the 17 million and take Barkley's advice and go average 10 rebounds a game next year.  I like Amare better when he's getting 17 and 17 versus 27 and 4 rebounds.  Maybe its me.  I want to say I apologize for all the horrible things I've called Steve Kerr.  This is the finest Suns team so far in his era and they have much upside.  Steve Nash FOR SURE could play another 5 years with the chemistry I saw out there in this playoff run, hell Stockton played for along time.  It was a pleasure watching the Suns this year.  Oh by the way.

CELTICS in 6 and its not my heart talking, they remind me of the old Houston Rockets from 95.

Awesome.  This is the 25 million dollar Amare Stoudemire that has been missing.  This is the championship effort from championship players that make 100 million for 4 years....Rashard Lewis are you listening?  Great Suns win, Amare was dominate.  The zone defense was effective enough to hold the Lakers to some stops.  Channing Frye still needs to take himself off the milk carton, Channing snap out of it and contribute.  Dragic played well by drawing Odom, Artest and Bynum into CHEAP fouls.   Ladies and Gentlemen this is how you beat the lakers.  Nash didn't have the 25 point performance I asked for but Amare stepped up to the plate so much that it takes pressure off everyone else....Thats what ELITE players do, FRANCHISE players do.   Richardson, how many times do I have to say that this guy has found a home.  He's playing the best basketball of his life right now.  Lopez....What can I say this guy is the toughness the team can rally around....AWESOME job!

Good coaching, but I thought the drought with Frye, leaving him in was a little much.  I'm all for having confindence in your players but their just comes a point where its painfully obvious that when a player is hurting your team you just have to take him out...Channing was that player tonight and has been the series.  I say play him still but he's on watch right now, his psyche is too fragile at this point.  Great Suns win, good chance the next game with the zone.

           Amare is an offensive talent period.  That will never be argued, but many seem to forget is that he chose this path for himself like many high schoolers not named Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Moses Malone and Lebron James that chose to go straight to the NBA and not learn the College game.  What they take for granted is the learning process one possesses learning under the guidance of a great college coach.  I'm sure Amare had his pick on what college to go to, like Dwight Howard, like Lebron James and Jermaine O'neal.  I exclude Kobe Bryant from that list because of his father being his life coach and being an ex NBA baller himself, Kobe had someone to constantly challenge him.  Withstanding Kobe Bryant  they all seem to have something in common and that's a lack of mental toughness that could have been fixed if they went to a top college like Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina or Kentucky.  Out of this group though Amare inparticular, could have benefited the most obviously from a defensive standpoint.  It's a fair asessment to say Amare Stoudemire has never learned fundamental defense.  From day one in highschool to day one in Phoenix.  This is the first year where the Suns are an actual presence on defense, the first year a coach has emphasized it, thus this is Amare's rookie year learning philosophy on defense.  Don't tell me that he can block shots at times or he stuffed Tim Duncan and put the ball back in his grill, yea we know, I've seen him do it myself and they are great highlights.  But when it comes to rolling, helping and commiting he just doesn't have the discipline.  He's flat footed, over fouls, and he's getting exploited in this series.
     

         I think its fair to blame him for not living up to his overyhyped expectations.  He put the onus on himself and really opened himself up to be ridiculed when he called out Odom, dumb move.  He has neither lived up to his own billing and now he's getting just downright outplayed by what we thought was lesser talented big men.  I really don't know at this point how good Amare really is, I hear he's good, but on a national stage against equal talent he's just another NBA scorer playing highschool like defense.  I thought Shawn Marion was good, Joe Johnson, Quentin Richardson, but as it turns out Joe Johnson was really the only one who lived up to expectations.  Amare could have used some college because his fundamentals on defense is just not there, he never learned or had to learn defense.  Good luck to him, I hope he gets all the money in the world, but we have two more games to go and the Lakers are not done torturing this guy.  As the series continues the GM's around the league will continue to turn their heads the other way when talking about a 25 million dollar contract for a "defensive liability"   Kevin Mchale's words.  His best bet is to just stay a Sun and take the 17 million.

Someone pointed out my flux capacitor was off and yes it certainly was with my predictions of box scores from a day ago.  I don't see how the Suns can even contend in this series if they can't play GOOD defense or GASP!!....Not allowed to play any.  The Suns were climbing an uphill battle last night.  I never heard of 7 days off only if the name Jordan or Bryant isn't attached to team, I mean both teams swept, why wasn't this game played on Saturday.  Ok, that's debatable.  Here's something we can all agree with, when Kobe drives he'll get fouled or there will be a delayed whistle to see if he actually makes his shot, if he misses its a sure foul, if he makes it, there's a chance nothing will be called but a good chance another foul is called......Sounds crazy, I hoped I explained that right, but thats what I saw and I can almost guarantee it will happen again...If not Jackson will "plant his seeds everywhere in the minds of the officials".  How do you play defense against this? Anyone know?  I thought Grant Hill played great defense but after 3 horrible fouls called on him, what can he do?...I can't think of a legitimate call on Grant Hill last night that jusifies a playoff foul.  Even the offensive foul he put on Fisher was horrible....Thats a foul in this series?  That was the game and if this is how its called the rest of the way the Suns have no chance.  Where were these refs in the Spurs series, was that the last time we'll see an actual basketball game this year?  I mean, I guess Grant Hill has regressed since playing awesome defense a week ago, now everythings a foul(being sarcastic).  The Lakers had force fields around them the entire game and if you touched them it was a foul.  I saw one sequence where Gasol and Bryant each went down to the floor and both either got bailed out with a timeout or a foul. Now, throughout this years playoffs that was just good defense or it was a traveling call, now its a foul?....Ok, then  I saw Nash hit the deck....NOTHING!!....Same situation, same refs.....Wow, something is wrong.   Kobe is a great player period.  But he doesn't need any help so I don't know why he gets it.  Before this series I had thought the calls were consistant throughout the playoffs....I was wrong....The memo is clear....Nba needs a classic old Skeltic -Faker rematch since Lebron was ousted out of the playoffs.  Too bad the NBA has to live on past glory or maybe a team like the 2007 Suns, 2002 Kings, this years Orlando and Atlanta Hawks of this world could get a snowballs chance in hell at a championship.  Lebron had it handed to him on a silver platter and him and his teamates gagged past the point of  help I guess.  You see if Lebron would have drove to the lane instead of shooting jumpers he WOULD have gotten the Kobe calls via lastnight, but you can't bailout a team who chooses to be lame ducks.  Unlike the Cavs, the Lakers know the opportunity too well and will take advantage of every situation.   It's coaching.  Jackson over the years has obviously figured out how to prejudge how a game is going to called and play to that flow....Its brilliant, thats why he's the modern day version of Red thus called "Zenmaster".  Last night was star treatment at its finest at a mainstage period.   When the Suns were ahead in the first quarter I saw a couple fouls on the Lakers end and said "what the hell, thats a foul"  Suns still ahead, then the Lakers call a timeout.....Boom for the rest of the game they had it figured out what they were going to do, how they were going to play, and dominated the rest of the game.  It is what it is. This is the NBA we love, where I can watch a game a pretty much tell after 5 minutes who's going to win by the way a game is called.  I could say everything cliche and say "Suns need to rebound from this" or " Suns need to rotate better" and just say oh shucks, "they just didn't match the Laker intensity that night".  Its pretty demoralizing when you meet a team that you can't touch.  I'm not starting a conspiracy.  I'm just saying these Lakers put on a good show themselves and don't need the props to make them godlyke. 

Solutions:

 4 years ago this same Laker team sucked ass and your telling me they flipped a switch adding Gasol now they own everyone? Take away Gasol and maybe they suck ass again is my solution.   Double Gasol.  Take him out of the game.  I'm saying let Bryant score 60 points but let Gasol have nothing, double, triple him, get him in foul trouble.  Basically this team without a Pau Gasol sucked.  So take away the key ingrediant to this Faker team and maybe they turn into the cry baby, Suns owned Lakers again and not the Fakers of today. 

Simple tonight.  I'll break it down for the Suns to win. 

1.  Amare......................25 and 9 rebounds

2.  Nash........................19 and 10assists

3.  Richardson...............20 points

4.  Grant hill.....................8 points and 7 rebounds, defensive presence must be felt

5.  Lopez.............................5 points and 3 blocks

6.  Barbosa..........................11 points.................(He needs to go off if Artest is on Dudley)

7.   Dudley.............................3, 3 pointers.....9 points

8.   Frye..................................2-4 made 3 pointers atleast,  12 points 7 boards(Needs to open floor)

9.   Dragic...............................7 points, 5 assists........(needs to stay consistant)

116 from the Suns tonight.  They need to open the floor with three's and get a big lift from the bench.  Grant Hill, Frye and Barbosa I beleive are the key factors.

Hi guys.  I haven't been on in awhile and I'm glad the Suns are doing great.  I'm also glad they didn't trade Amare.  Steve Kerr, if your listening give this guy a contract now please.  I think he's earned it.  I mean, he has proved the durability factor and he's been flat out posterizing people like the Amare of old. Now this is coming from a Suns fan from the days of Tom Chambers and Eddie Johnson... If your not even going to follow your word and keep Amare then blow up the whole team as sad as it may sound.  This guy has earned a new deal period...You questioned his durability now he has responded planting dunks off faces making posters for you to sell.  He's a freak, he's fully recovered obviously stick to your word...Pay him, nuff said...No sense on keeping Nash, Hill or Alvin Gentry who is by far coach of the year this year in my opinion, I always like him with the Pistons.

I was sorry to hear about the bulging discs in Robin's back.  Let me tell you guys something from experience.  I have this same issue in the same spot, same 2 discs.  It has been a year and a half later, now granted I don't have the physicians the Suns have, and I don't have the great health insurance policy that our politicians are protesting that perhaps would cover my physical therapy so I could of had a faster full recovery and I'm unemployed to boot(I live in Michigan).  I'm pretty close now though to a full recovery then I ever was, I have really good days and sub par days.  The worse are behind me.  Basically this is what Robin faces.  If the discs are bulging then in 2 weeks the doctors will see where he is at, but there is no way he will be fully recovered.  What he will be asked is if the risk is worth possibly his career, this injury is nagging if not fully healed.  This injury takes up to 6 months to fully heal and if he ruptures a disc, Robin will be bed stricken and the pain will be severe.  With all that aside in my opinion, it will take an absolute MIRACLE for Robin to come back for the first round of the playoffs and at the very latest the Suns would have to make the Western Conference Finals for there to be a chance.  The chances by then could be good if he hasn't ruptured it, considering the medical staff the Suns have.  There is just pain all the time, especially when you bounce.  Now, I know that he didn't at this time, rupture any discs yet but if they are bulging all it takes is ONE hard foul and this guy will have to be carried off.  That is why is recovery time is so up in the air.  It depends how his body responds to treatment.   

It will be interesting to see where the Suns place in the seeding.  I'm going to guess and say 3rd.  But with their luck and with Stern puppeteering refs they will more then likely get 2nd and face the Spurs in the first round...NBA....Where rigged games happen...Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Hi guys

I'm new here so I'm going to make it short.  I was happy to see a trade not fall through.  I actually think the Suns should keep their team intact and possibly add one or two more vets to the team.  I don't have any suggestions although I seriously think looking at their record at teams over .500 that this team has a serious advantage of mental toughness but sometimes lacks the depth.  It certainly seems that the elite teams are not beating the Suns but maybe the teams lack of legs is beating them in back to back games. 

I also noticed that the teams looks as if its rolling with Jason Richardson.  I'm also from Saginaw Mi, and I have met Jason Richardson at local gyms around here.  I have to admit that my first reaction was he was a pretty humble person considering not many people make it to that level from around here.  The Suns, I think should keep feeding him atleast 16 shots a game.  He's the reason it seems when the Suns win or lose and the difference is his output. 

Before the trading deadline the team lacked a little something, but more imporantly look at their record when not one person was talking about trades, they jumped out to 14-3, 15-5, then in December trade rumors started to swirl..  More than likey I also thought there were certain players perhaps going with other teams feeling distracted, thats gotta be a huge letdown not knowing what the unknown lies ahead for you.  I really think the Suns should try to keep the team intact, there is no future anyway without Steve Nash and if your gonna sign him to a couple more years then you should still add peices then.  If Dallas can keep all of those players within the salary cap then why can't the Suns?  That really makes me wonder.

So I would like some thoughts here.  Keep the team and add? Meaning sign Stat and keep Richardson and move on and add.  Barbosa?  I would try to keep him too.  Is it a meaning of "can't", "won't", "not worth it", or  "too cheap".  If they can win over 50 games this year is it " not worth it"?