STATlanta

The Suns really blew this draft.

The front office choked big time on this one. Steve Kerr's first draft as Sun GM resembled Mike D'Antoni's first draft as Suns GM the same way that New Coke was similar to Pepsi.

Here ya go, Portland. Here's Sergio Rodriguez -- I mean, Rudy Fernandez. Not enough for you? OK. Here's Petteri Koponen. We didn't need a big backup point guard who likes to pass and can hit the open three when need be. We have one of those already, and we don't have to season that one. We hope you enjoy the three players who would make perfect apprentices for Steve Nash.

And the Suns' inaction (or failure to recognize a West Coast Apocalypse when Seattle traded Ray Allen to Boston for the fifth pick in the draft, Jeff Green, someone Phoenix had high on its list), led to the even more predictable move of Golden State obtaining Brandan Wright for Jason Richardson. I couldn't figure out Charlotte's pick until the Warriors took Marco Belinelli at number 18. That's when I remembered a fun trade scenario that had Jason Richardson going to Minnesota and Shawn Marion going to Golden State in a fantasy Garnett deal. I thought that Jason Richardson was a great piece of trade bait that someone would key in on. Seems that he's a good replacement for Gerald Wallace, which is why I said "Shit!" when the Warriors ordered Italian.

Meanwhile, the Suns did nothing. Well, it's not so much nothing, as they...is it possible to do the opposite of something and not have it be nothing? Like Bizarro World where a negative is a positive and Boston gets the number one pick in the draft. Curiously, they are still one of the elite teams in the West, the Suns. But that won't be the case in two years when Marion walks away, Nash is getting worn out from climbing the same mountain only to come up just short of the summit, Boris Diaw still hasn't made good on his $45 million promise, and Amare Stoudemire is tired of being hidden in the Valley.

I have been keeping an eye on all of the creatively insane trade scenarios over the last week. I hadn't put much stock into them, and it was obvious that none of them would work, but it was still interesting to think of extreme ways to improve the team. The one that floored me was the Atlanta myth. Talk about a tragedy of comedic proportions, that one had no business seeing the light of day. But after watching Jim Gray (the espn reporter who broke the "news" of that trade scenario) interview Mitch Kupchak on draft night coverage, I understand how it happened.

When Mitch Kupchak, a guy whom I think is as managerially inept as David Stern is morally corrupt, caught Gray trying to goad him into tampering on live television, Gray antagonized the Lakers' GM with questions about a Kobe Bryant deal. This is a credible source, according to espn. Someone told this maroon that Atlanta and Minnesota were trying to work out a deal to present to Phoenix to get Garnett to the Suns. The problem is, this idiot forgot to mention that the deal had not yet been presented to the Suns front office, so espn ran with it.

Funny shit.

But it got me thinking.

The Suns need to recover from this draftaster in a big way, and a championship or two, as well as some hope for the future, is the only way that could happen. And there is only one way that it should happen. Suns fans will hate it, but it would prove to be good for the Suns and good for the league.

The Suns should trade Amare Stoudemire to the Atlanta Hawks in order to bring Kevin Garnett to town.

Ouch. I know. It felt weird typing it. Hear me out, though.

The funniest thing about the supposed deal that we all heard about was that, had it ever materialized, Minnesota would have picks 3, 7, and 11, Atlanta would have Amare Stoudemire, and we'd be left with Garnett. Think about it.

Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Acie Law IV in Minnesota.

Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Josh Smith in Atlanta.

Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion, and Steve Nash in Phoenix.

Billy Knight and Kevin McHale, two of the worst GMs in the league, wouldn't bite on that deal if they worked for Phoenix. Atlanta, Minnesota, Golden State, Portland, and Seattle all get in position to compete for a decade while the Suns get set to compete for two years? I don't think so.

But what if the Suns got some youth in return, just for insurance? What if the Suns get Josh Smith and Corey Brewer in return? That would certainly make a transition from a veteran to young team in the New Power West shorter and more bearable for fans, and it would keep the deliverance of Amare Stoudemire from biting the Suns in the ass because he'll be relegated to the Leastern Conference with Joe Johnson. That has to be good for the NBA, building a young power in the East with playoff veterans such as Stoudemire and Johnson.

Back home, the locker room would certainly lighten up. I doubt that Kevin Garnett, Josh Smith, and Corey Brewer bring the same "I'M NUMBER ONE!" attitude that Amare carries like a Versace bag. Josh Smith would be the only one in danger of doing that, but that's only because he's never had the veteran presence of guys like Shawn Marion, Garnett, and Steve Nash.

The Suns have to do something. This season has been a disappointment ever since the Timberwolves, coincidentally led by a mythical 44 point game from KG, ended the Suns franchise best 17 game win streak at the end of January. After that, nothing mattered but the championship. When that didn't happen, our only saving grace was the draft, and that dream was shattered when the balls bounced Atlanta's way. (Seriously...what's with the stockpiling of forwards? Quit sucking and let other teams have a few.)

Now we have another busted draft. Steve Kerr better do something damn brilliant real soon, or I'm sensing a fan rebellion. Well, if he had the man sack to make that trade happen, Sunsland would probably burn like Watts 1965. But it's better than the alternative - standing idly by while three teams along the pacific coast become frighteningly talented and inevitably dominant.

If nothing else, I hear that the world is ending in 2012. Amare will be gone by then, anyway.

*Update 6-30-07

Maybe I'm just a statistics freak on some level, but I can't help but dream about a front line of Garnett, Marion, and Smith. Imagine the block, steal, and rebound totals from that front line.