Once upon a time, in a land not-so-far away, Mike D'Antoni systematically eradicated the average Suns fan's expectation of a rotation deeper than 7 players. Soon after, Coach D departed for "greener" pastures, wherein he was faced with a starting lineup so devoid of talent, he probably spent sleepless nights longing for the glory days of Marcus "Cap Killer" Banks.

Replacement head coach Terry Porter continued the tradition of subjugating and minimizing the contributions of his pine riders, reducing back-up point guard Goran Dragic to a quivering, frightened turnover machine and pigeon-holing now-starting-center Robin Lopez as 6 fouls wrapped up in a 7-foot, wild-haired package.

Before too long, Suns GM Steve Kerr realized the folly which was General Porter, gave him the old, "Thanks but no thanks," sent him on his way, then promoted assistant coach Alvin Gentry. This made the bench very happy. Goran was finally able to be his smiling, three-point-shooting, fast-break-leading, lane-crashing self; Robin was set free to swat shots, dunk balls, look angry, and smash skulls in the paint; and Jared Dudley morphed into the Suns' super-sub, pestering the opposition's star player defensively, hitting the occasional dagger three, and making the headband a locker room fashion staple.

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With Robin Lopez out with injury, Jarron Collins being the least productive starting center in the playoffs (or ever), and Amare Stoudemire averaging almost 3 fewer rebounds a game than his season average (Bully Ball, grrr!), the Suns are suffering from a glaring lack of inside size and toughness in this series. However, it turns out the Phoenix Suns are still winning the battle for rebounds and second-chance points, thanks to a somewhat unexpected source: their wings.

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I was reading an article comparing Portland's Greg Oden and Chicago's Joakim Noah, and I wondered how the Suns' newly-annointed starting center compared to the Trailblazer's #1 pick, supposed franchise-saving center. I grabbed their starting stats for this season (which is an interesting comparison, because they both started about the same amount of games and played very similar minutes in a starting role).

I find it encouraging that our blooming center matches up favorably with another young perceived "franchise" center, who was in the midst of showing his mettle and being fawned over by the media before going down with another knee injury.

Obviously, Lopez is not quite the defensive presence Oden is/was, being outdone in both individual defensive rebounds and blocks per game. I'm not statistics-saavy enough to find out how each center affected their team's collective rebounding effort when each was on the court, but I'd be interested in finding that one out if anyone wants to track it down.

They both have similar things to offer offensively, and I would even argue that Lopez has a bit more range, given that I've seen him hit a couple of jumpers within 10 feet or so. Robin also has the edge on potentially being able to stay on the court longer, keeping his personal fouls down. He's also less inclined to turn the ball over, with both taking approximately 7.5 field goal attempts a game.

This wasn't meant to be too in-depth of an analysis. I just thought the stats were a little mind-boggling, given that Oden is seen as the potential centerpiece to a championship franchise and Lopez was, before being moved to a starter, seen as maybe a backup center on a playoff team.

When Robin Lopez was taken with the fifteenth pick of the 2008 draft, many Suns fans felt disappointed. The "why" is two-fold: (1) Fans were still upset that the Atlanta Hawks won the ping-pong lottery in 2007 -- landing the third pick with a pick that was top-3 protected and traded to Phoenix as part of the Joe Johnson deal -- ripping away from the Suns what should have been a sweet lottery player. Phoenix was instead left with the Hawks' unprotected 2008 pick, which ended up being just outside the lottery. (2) Robin was the lesser-heralded of the two Stanford brothers, with his more offensively-polished sibling, Brook, going to the New Jersey Nets with the tenth pick.

Robin's extremely uneventful first season did nothing to calm fears that the Suns' front office had wasted their pick, particularly since a handful of players drafted later than Lopez had much more productive rookie seasons: Mareese Speights (16th), Courtney Lee (22nd), Nicholas Batum (25th), and George Hill (26th) to name a few. Additionally, Brook Lopez had an extremely impressive first year, averaging 13 points, 8 rebounds, and nearly 2 blocks a game. Robin barely saw the court and when he did, he appeared awkward, uncoordinated, and extremely foul-prone. He was essentially a total non-factor during the 2008-2009 season. As unfair as it may be, NBA rookies these days are generally expected to impact the game immediately or they're declared a bust, particularly if they're taken in the lottery or just outside of it, and it began to look like the Suns had a bust on their hands.

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Not sure how many of you listen to Doug & Wolf in the morning on Sports 620 KTAR, but I was listening this morning as I often do, and heard the segment with ESPN's John Clayton. I've heard it many times before and every time it bugs me: both Doug and Wolf kiss that guy's butt so much it's sickening. Yes, he's an ESPN analyst and he's been around for a while, but he generally says the must mundane things ever that are kind of common knowledge, and Doug and Wolf act like he just crapped gold. Today, Clayton was talking about how this is a strong draft for tackles, offensive and defensive, and Doug was like OMG WOW CLAYTON SAID IT, IT MUST BE TRUEZ!! CLAYTON JUST DROPPED A SHOCKER ON THE WORLD!! even though every NFL "expert" under the sun has already projected a number of OT and DTs going in the first round.

Clayton also talked about how the Cards re-upping Whisenhunt was a great move and D&W acted like God himself said, "Yes, the Cardinals are a real NFL team now." They neglect to recognize how obvious his statement was.

I wonder if Clayton's deal with KTAR specifies an a$$-kissing quota that must be met in order for their relationship to continue. Seriously, it's like D&W go out of their way to praise every little thing Clayton says. I didn't know where else to rant about this, but I needed to rant, so there ya go!

Does anyone have any theories on why Goran Dragic doesn't generate a lot of assists? It's not like he's a ball-hog always looking for his shot. Personally, I find it somewhat disappointing that he rarely gathers more than 2 assists in a game, but I think there are a couple of factors that could be at play:

1. He's mostly playing with the second unit, which is less offensively adept, converting fewer of his passes into actual made baskets. This could explain why, as a starter, he got 10 assists.

2. He's usually playing with another playmaker, such as Grant Hill or Jared Dudley, and as a result, Goran ends up getting more "hockey assists" (aka, "the pass that leads to the pass that leads to the bucket"), because of increased ball movement and less dribble-drive penetration with kick-outs to shooters.

Anyone have any thoughts? While I don't expect Dragic to get 10 assists a night, it would be nice if he accrued 3 or 4 assists regularly in his 20 minutes of play.

It's frustrating to me that all of the big wins the Cardinals got this season (the 5-1 Giants in Week 7, the 4-3 Bears in Week 9, the 10-1 Vikings in Week 13) are rendered less impressive because all three of those teams went on downward spirals immediately after they lost to the Cards. Or is it more impressive, because the loss to the Cardinals was so demoralizing that they just fell apart afterwards and could not go on?

To Miami Heat:

Amare Stoudemire
Jason Richardson

To Phoenix Suns:

Michael Beasley
Mario Chalmers
Jermaine O'Neal (expiring)

Why Miami does it:
They get their superstar sidekick to Dwyane Wade. Amare would be highly motivated to re-sign with Miami, given the locale and who he'd be playing with. They get a scoring punch with JRich, whose contract doesn't last forever. They seem to have kind of given up on Chalmers. While they like Beasley, they'd rather have Stoudemire, I'm sure. O'Neal wasn't a part of their long-term plans and they were only using his expiring deal to make room for a superstar sidekick anyway.

Why Phoenix does it:
They get really young, really promising young talent back in Beasley. While he's a bit of a headcase, the Suns' organization and coaching staff, as well as his potential teammates, are all very solid and would provide a nurturing environment for him to blossom and learn to be a character player. Chalmers is a solid point guard prospect. They can move him to back-up point, and play Dragic in more off-guard scenarios. While O'Neal doesn't fit their current plans, he's mainly in the deal for his huge expiring deal, which will provide the Suns with a lot of flexibility this summer to pursue free agents or otherwise just have some room under the cap and luxury tax thresholds. It also gets rid of JRich's contract.

I personally feel this deal makes the most sense for the Suns in obtaining top-notch young talent and gaining financial flexibility. It also makes a lot of sense for the Heat, given their stated goals for this off-season.

According to Yahoo's Adrian's Wojnarowski, Anthony Randolph is being shopped:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AmHaGlpJGPPAQT7gkZuQvyO8vLYF?slug=aw-maloofkings121409&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

"Warriors’ Randolph on block again

For two seasons, the Warriors have had an odd time with Anthony Randolph(notes). Sometimes, they’re in love with his sheer athletic ability in that 7-foot frame and considered him untouchable. As a rookie, they dangled him in deals, too. Well, it’s happening again. Several NBA teams say Golden State officials have offered Randolph in trade discussions, but as one Eastern Conference executive said: “I think all of their roster could be had.”

Says one Western official: “The Warriors are willing to do anything and everything.”

Randolph is 20 years old and blessed with terrific talent, but his staying power and maturity have frustrated Golden State officials. It appears they’re willing to cash his potential for more mature assets. After destroying the summer league in Vegas, Randolph has averaged 11.1 points in 21.8 minutes per night for the Warriors.

Even with his patriarch, Keith Smart, substituting for an ill Don Nelson, Randolph’s productivity hasn’t improved. Still, he’s so young, so gifted, it’s a move that would come with a great deal of long-term risk."

I personally hope Kerr has been on the phone today, trying to pry Randolph away from the Warriors now that he's no longer untouchable. Despite Kerr's earlier quote that he doesn't see any trades occurring before the deadline, I think this would be a nice move for the long-term future of the team. Perhaps Randolph/Ellis/another piece for Stoudemire?

Just a non-Amare-related observation.

Anyone listening to KTAR today, when Gambo & Ash were talking about a supposed trade floating around that would send Amare Stoudemire and perhaps Leandro Barbosa to the Celtics, and they would send back Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen? I've never heard a trade that made less sense. The Celtics give up possibly their MVP, certainly one of the best young point guards in the league, if not the best outside of Chris Paul, so that they can have two starting power forwards (albeit two of the best power forwards in the league), with only Stephon Marbury or Gabe Pruitt to give them the ball? Very, very odd if that's an actual trade being discussed, but it just sounds like they pulled it out of their asses.

Here's to hoping the Suns can trade up or Blair falls down to number 14. He's a perfect fit for the team. And here's also hoping the Clippers trade away the #1 pick, so that Griffin doesn't have to waste his career with that shithole team.

Now that the Suns are starting to face perhaps a very harsh financial reality -- given that Kerr seems to have decided to keep Stoudemire around -- management must find alternative ways to get under the luxury tax threshold. As much as Kerr would love to keep his talent in tact, I think most fans fear that Robert Sarver's (somewhat understandble) desire to avoid taking a tax hit on an underperforming team will trump any basketball sense. It has been suggested on this site that Leandro Barbosa may be shipped away for draft picks, for quick savings this season and next. However, there may be another option on the table, and it's starting to gain traction around the rumor mill.

Steve Nash's contract includes a team option for the 2009-2010 season. Is it perhaps feasible that, in cahoots with Nash, the team declines his option then persues re-signing him at a salary low enough to sneak under the tax threshold? Phoenix Stan did a little research and found that this is indeed allowed under the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Does this seem like a feasible option? While Steve Nash has expressed his uncertainty about his future with the franchise, it seems the team may again be heading the right direction. If Alvin Gentry helps this team regain some of its swagger and confidence, would Nash be willing to pull a Larry Fitzgerald and take a hit for the team?

I think so. Nash has never struck me as being concerned about money. I'm sure he would love to secure a long-term contract that brings in more than the veteran's minimum (which most teams would likely try to offer him once his contract with the Suns is up), that will allow him to retire as a Phoenix Sun. Of course, this would probably require some assurances from Steve Kerr that ownership and management has the best interests of the franchise in mind.

Sarver has never struck me as a being "cheap," despite his reputation. This move will keep some hefty talent around, but allow for the Suns to avoid any costs more than their payroll, which I'm sure Sarver would be fine with. This also keeps the Suns competing through the near-future, and then can begin the full rebuild when Shaq's massive contract comes off the books in the summer of 2010.

Something strikes me as funny about all this Stoudemire trade talk: his knees. Many fans of and journalists covering Amare's potential suitors make a big deal about his knee surgeries and how that should be a huge defining factor in whether or not you trade for him. I honestly don't see what the hubbub is about. Yes, he had microfracture knee surgery, and additional arthroscopic knee surgery a little while ago in the pre-season. However, discounting the year he HAD to miss just recovering from the microfracture surgery, Amare's been on the court more consistently than probably any other Suns player, and more than many players in the league. Most sports analysts cite Stoudemire as the most promising example of a player completely overcoming microfracture surgery, given the proper rehabilitation. He played all 82 games the year back from surgery, then 79 games last year, and all 51 so far. He's an extremely durable player. I'm kind of surprised people point to him as being injury prone. Just an observation.

Does anyone else notice that Arizona's Suns beat writers for the Arizona Republic and the East Valley Tribune (among other papers) rarely seem to have the scoop on the team? Almost every article is reactionary, and rarely insightful. I guess it could be a microcosmic indicator of the growth of blog popularity and credibility: they're mostly written by a bunch of young and inquisitive reporters who aren't on the team's payroll who have more of a vested interest in honest coverage. You tend to find the vast majority of breaking news on blogs these days. About the only exception I can think of is ESPN, who seem to be the first major source reporting breaking sports news a lot of the time.