| Phoenix Suns Missing Golden Opportunity Authored by Gary D. Brown - July 20, 2006 - 12:43 am
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The Sun’s entered the NBA draft with two first round draft selections and had high hopes of finding a player capable of giving Nash fifteen quality minutes of rest per game. Unable to move up in the draft to obtain the player they wanted, they dealt the picks away.
Plan B was to sign 6’6” free agent guard John Salmons, who might have made this article a mute point, but Phoenix was outbid by Toronto and former Sun’s GM, Brian Colangelo.
Sure, they signed sharpshooter Eric Piatkowski to a two-year deal. With Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa, and Nash the Sun’s are not short of shooters, but Piatkowski is deadly from long range and should fit in nicely with whatever minutes he gets. That deal does little to protect the Sun’s most important player, however.
Plan C is guard Marcus Banks, not a bad pick up considering what is left on the free agent market. Some believe Banks’ tenacity and up tempo style will be perfect for Phoenix, though his size is not.
Their search, though frustrating at times, has been correct. The Sun’s indeed need a true backup point guard to give Nash time off. Due to the frenetic pace the Sun’s play the miles are quickly wearing the tread thin on the Sun’s most important player.
The Suns are a fun team to watch but the full throttle tempo is a vicious cycle for a thirty-two year-old body. In basketball years, he is slightly past his prime. Nash is in the beginning stages of a slow decline. As a fan, every game I watch Nash sprint is another game I wonder whether he will still play at a high level come playoff time. It is an issue Coach D’Antoni and management understand, as the window of opportunity for Stoudemire and Nash to play together at a high level may be only a couple more years.
They already missed one potential championship season by having Stoudemire shelved. The pace at which they play risks Nash to physical burnout or injury. Last years playoffs proved the point. How long can Nash play at the pace the Sun’s continue to ask of him?
Which brings me to strategy. The Suns have been intent on finding a point guard to rest Nash (Marcus Banks), so as to continue their running style. However, the Suns should also consider an alternative “strategy”.
What is the matter with taking 15 minutes a contest and working on your half court game? It is a fact that playoff basketball requires every team to play some half court ball, as the game flows and ebbs and momentum changes.
During the playoffs not even the fun and gun Suns get away with running constantly. So why not have a player, like Reggie Evans, who can bang away inside and basically create havoc by wearing down the other team on the boards? Phoenix also needs a player to draw the other teams’ best players in foul trouble. Shawn Marion only averages three (3) free throws a game. That is not good enough.
An inside presence has been a weakness for the Suns. Shawn Marion does adequately in the area of rebounding, but he does not bang inside, and the Sun’s could use a little more of that presence and intimidation. Next season against a healthy Spurs team, I bet Evans would be a welcome sight coming off the bench. And it is no guarantee Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas can avoid the injury bug.
Mike D’Antoni is a great coach for the Sun’s. But is he so one dimensional that he cannot “design” a half court approach for the equivalent of one quarter a game? I am sure he could. It solves the need to have Nash play too many minutes. Let him rest during that “alternative” quarter. I am not suggesting the Suns play an entire quarter using that strategy. Mix and match throughout the game.
It helps the Suns prepare for a half court battle they surely will experience in the playoffs, and helps them in the area of rebounding, a specialty of Reggie Evans. For one quarter a game, give me a combination of Stoudemire, Marion, Kurt Thomas and Evans down low and I will take my chances with that half court game any day, against any current team. |
