I have been trying to think of stories to write, but finding subject matter in the apocalyptic wasteland that is the beginning of the offseason can be like searching for water in the Sonoran desert in July when all the cactuses (28 years in Arizona, and I still don't know if it's "cacti") are on fire. Suns articles are sparse.
Times like these, I find myself allowing my imagination to wander. Keep in mind the vastness of that imagination. It is one that has successfully envisioned the entire universe in one shot. Reality is determined, but fantasy's options are infinite.
I have such complex ideas and the memory to retain them that I have, in my head, an entire science fiction miniseries complete with detailed descriptions of faster than light travel and the engines with which the feat is possible. I have technology, worlds, conflict, multiple story lines, and back story on every character, and there are thirteen so far.
One cannot rightfully accuse me of myopic thinking.
The lack of information to write about has left my imagination to ponder what has been said behind the locked glass doors at U.S. Airways Center. I think about what it would be like to have a position that allows me to speak to the players and interested parties face to face. I've let my mind wander to the point that I have a story about an amateur blogger working his talents into legitimate writing jobs, that eventually led him to coaching and ultimately an NBA championship. Oh, I've been thinking a lot lately.
Like my dinner with Shawn Marion the other night.
I wrote earlier in the season about my belief that Shawn and I would get along nicely, being that we have so many psychological similarities. And now, more than ever, I wish I were in a position to talk to him over a nice filet Mignon, my treat. (Shawn's a notorious cheapskate, but that happens when you grow up poor and learn the true value of a dollar in the United States.)
We were sitting in this nice, upscale north Scottsdale restaurant talking about the future of the club. What do the Suns need to do to win a title next year?
"We just gotta do what we do," Shawn insisted.
"You've been doing what you do, though. The team needs to do something more," I replied, shoveling the medium well steak into my mouth, giving him the opportunity to answer, and myself the opportunity not to have to expound.
"I do everything I can to help the team win," he explains. "The team just needs to step up on defense. I'm guarding the best players in the league every night, and I need some help behind me."
"Fair enough. But what can YOU do?"
"I don't know, man. What more can I do?" We've heard that question from Shawn before, and it is at this point that I take over the conversation, turning it into my own basketball version of a Shakespearean monologue.
Shawn, you need to focus on defense. The best thing that you can do for this team is to concentrate all your efforts on winning that Defensive Player of the Year award, and the only way to do that is to sacrifice your offensive numbers. Your goal should be to make the All Defensive first team. You've been saying it for years, so now it's time to prove it. Make the commitment.
Let Amare have his numbers. We all know that he's the key to a title, and his production will offset any that Tim Duncan or Dirk Nowitzki put up. But the team needs to stop the other teams' second men. That's where you come in, Shawn. Your job is to lock that guy down and allow your team to take care of the rest.
You should still get your points. There is nothing wrong with scoring 15 a game, especially when you're pulling down 12 rebounds and sending two shots back per game and picking the opponent's pocket three times. Those plays lead to fast break basketball, which is where your offensive talents lie, anyway. Score your points on the break, or the occasional screen and roll when Amare is sitting, or on those nifty in bound alley oops from Boris Diaw.
It's all about being a great defensive player who is a scoring threat. So far in your career, you've been a scoring threat who is a great defender. Being known as a scorer, though, won't get you the accolades you need to justify your career. You have an ugly (albeit it mostly effective) jump shot, and that's just not marketable. You're a good passer, but creating off the dribble isn't your strong suit. You have to do something that is unmistakeably amazing, and that is defend the opposition's best player, and shut his lights out.
Just make sure that you play 100% on defense. Shawn, my friend, it's time to go Scottie Pippen on the league. You'll get your thirty point games, just as he did. But you will also gain the respect of the league as one of its best all around defenders. Remember, Pippen made the top 50 all time players list by doing that. There is room in the next 50 for you.
By the time the dessert tray made its way by, Shawn had barely touched his plate. It wasn't that he was stunned or upset at everything I was telling him. He was simply that deep in thought at the prospect of being remembered as one of the greatest all around players of all time.
More than the gratifying ego boost he received, Shawn seemed intrigued with the idea of being known for something specific and spectacular. The Glove, the Dream, the Sidekick. They were great defenders who did what they do.
I guess that Shawn's biggest fear is ending his career as a Bruce Bowen or Dikembe Mutombo. He's already established himself as a posterizer, so he probably shouldn't be thinking that an all out defensive season would put him in those offensively challenged ranks.
So finally, over coffee and cheesecake, Shawn said to me, "Well, if that's what I do, then I'll be doing what I do, ya know what I'm sayin'?"
Classic Shawn.
I got this check, big fella. You pick up the championship check for us.
May 26, 2007
May 24, 2007
Crazy Train Aside
Wow. I'm sitting here watching VH-1 Classic, waiting for my dinner of bangers and mash to finish cooking. It's a recipe I picked up in Australia, and it's great game food. So I'm watching the VH-1 Rock Honors special, and they have the classic Black Sabbath lineup (Randy Wilde on guitar) with Ozzy wailing "Crazy Train".
This is the late 80s lineup that brought us such instant classics as "Bark at the Moon" and "No More Tears". I remember this because "No More Tears was the first Ozzy Osbourne single that I truly loved. The video was dark and sinister, with a woman drowning in her own tears. It was a beautiful site at midnight on Friday for a late-teenaged young man without a date and with an extraordinary sense of the artistic.
The most striking image from the video was a shot from below hip level showing Randy Wilde treating his guitar like a summer lover. She was a black and white target paint job on a flying V six-string (not Target as in cheap Chinese merchandise, target as in bulls eye), and she danced like a rabid wolf under the trance of the syncopated strobe. It's the same guitar he is playing right now on VH-1 Classic Rock Honors, and it's Ozzy singing "Crazy Train".
And now dinner is done, the Simpsons is on, and all I have my trusty Red Rider BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing, which tells time.
*Update:
I'd like to thank JK-1 for correcting my misinformation on the Oz. I like learning, so that was really cool of him. Thanks, mate.
This is the late 80s lineup that brought us such instant classics as "Bark at the Moon" and "No More Tears". I remember this because "No More Tears was the first Ozzy Osbourne single that I truly loved. The video was dark and sinister, with a woman drowning in her own tears. It was a beautiful site at midnight on Friday for a late-teenaged young man without a date and with an extraordinary sense of the artistic.
The most striking image from the video was a shot from below hip level showing Randy Wilde treating his guitar like a summer lover. She was a black and white target paint job on a flying V six-string (not Target as in cheap Chinese merchandise, target as in bulls eye), and she danced like a rabid wolf under the trance of the syncopated strobe. It's the same guitar he is playing right now on VH-1 Classic Rock Honors, and it's Ozzy singing "Crazy Train".
And now dinner is done, the Simpsons is on, and all I have my trusty Red Rider BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing, which tells time.
*Update:
I'd like to thank JK-1 for correcting my misinformation on the Oz. I like learning, so that was really cool of him. Thanks, mate.
May 23, 2007
Oh, Those Cursed Suns
So the Hawks struck gold. So what? It's not the end of the world. It just makes the Suns' offseason a little more trying. The front office is going to have to make some tough decisions without a superstar draft pick to work into the mix. That's OK. Maybe we'll get lucky, and Griffin and D'Antoni will be able to swing Diaw plus two first rounders for Andre Iguodala. Maybe I'll wake up one morning with the sad realization that I am, indeed, awake, and that deal will never happen.
C'est la vie.
Whether we've wanted to admit it or not the last two years, I think that we have all had the sense that Atlanta got the better part of the Joe Johnson deal all along. We tried to put on our brave faces, and we were justified for a time as Boris Diaw made a name for himself in the league while garnering the Most Improved Player award last season. But the truth is that he is no Joe Johnson. For some reason, all that basketball skill and basketball IQ just don't seem to add up to a basketball player.
Who cares? What's done is done, and we knew that losing this year's pick was a major possibility. They had a 1 in 4 chance, after all, which is pretty good poker odds.
The Suns still have Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa, and Raja Bell. This is still a 60 win team, remember? So why are we so down? We're not cursed. The Suns are NOT the Chicago Cubs of the NBA. Yes, we've had a run of "bad luck", but Phoenix is still a title contender. If you want bad luck, just pop on over to Boston with Bill Simmons, and you'll know the misery of terminal misfortune. This whole draft thing is a minor set back. The draft offered the possibility of flexibility in the offseason. The Suns still have assets, but they will probably have to bite the bullet on the luxury tax next season. May as well.
Robert Sarver wants a title as badly as the rest of us to justify his investment in the Suns. He came into this league in the same vein as Mark Cuban, but quickly learned that the Maverick owner path would lead to self destruction. So to distance himself, he has remained behind the scenes letting nature take its course with these Suns. A championship will go a long way into securing his legacy with the team, simultaneously overpowering the long Colangelo shadow and removing himself from the Cuban pack. I think that Sarver will pay $12 million for one year if it means retaining the core of a title contender.
Consider the center of that Suns core.
Robert Sarver loves Amare Stoudemire. Stat's his guy. Sarver knows very well that Stoudemire is the key to a Suns championship, as not since the Bulls has an NBA not featured a dominant big man. The thing about Stoudemire, though, is that he is weak defensively. When he's paying attention, he's an excellent weak side shot blocker. And when he displays the energy and passion for statistics, he's a monster rebounder. But he doesn't do it consistently, and he seems to feel that he has to compete with someone for the stats. Enter Shawn Marion.
Shawn keeps Amare honest on defense. Without Marion directing traffic and plugging holes, Amare is exposed for his defensive lapses. And Amare really seems to love fighting Shawn for rebounds. Amare is even starting to steal the ball more. It is an on-court relationship that needs to stay in tact for one more year. If Shawn decided that, for one year, he would concentrate solely on defense and getting that defensive player of the year award, and not even think about offensive numbers (no more threes, only back door cuts and alley oops), Amare Stoudemire could explode next season.
I have a feeling that he will, too.
Amare had a great season coming off microfracture surgery, but it was average for him. He only scored 20.6 points and grabbed 9.6 rebounds a game this season. Those numbers jumped to 25 and 12 in the post season. Amare wasn't as explosive this year as he was in 2005, so he relied more on finesse moves under the basket.
Two seasons ago, a classic Amare move was his one handed dunk from three feet to the left of the basket. The defender would think that he's blocked the attempt or altered the shot, but Amare's arm seemed to reach another five feet as he threw it down with force. This year, that became a lay up (he had the opportunity in the March 14 game at Dallas, when Eric Dampier came between him and the basket - Amare dropped the shot in for the and-one instead of dunking it).
Jason Kidd came back six months after having the procedure. Two years later, he averaged a triple double in the first round of the playoffs. Amare Stoudemire is coming up on the two year anniversary of having his procedure. Add to that Amare's desire to "be the man", and you have the makings of an MVP caliber season. I fully expect Amare Stoudemire to post 27 points and 12 rebounds next season, challenging his own teammate and two time MVP Steve Nash for the award in 2008.
The kid could average 40 and 15 through a round in the playoffs. Why not? He averaged 37 and 9.8 in the 2005 Western Conference Finals against the Spurs. He averaged 26.4 and 10.6 this season. In a first round match up against a team like Golden State, Amare could do an amazing impression of Wilt Chamberlain.
A lot of those points are going to come from Steve Nash assists, of course, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Steve average 16 points and 14 assists next season. After getting jobbed by the media this season, Steve might very well be the sentimental favorite to win the MVP next year. As Steve goes, so go the Suns.
All this talk about the lottery and the suspensions and whatever voodoo, Babe Ruth, Billy Goat curse is grossly misplaced. The lottery is just the basketball gods' way of telling us that we are just fine. Karma will prevail, and the Suns will stun the league. The Hawks have their lottery gold, we'll have our championship gold. Big deal.
*Update:
Dan Bickley wrote a very good article about the state of blame.
C'est la vie.
Whether we've wanted to admit it or not the last two years, I think that we have all had the sense that Atlanta got the better part of the Joe Johnson deal all along. We tried to put on our brave faces, and we were justified for a time as Boris Diaw made a name for himself in the league while garnering the Most Improved Player award last season. But the truth is that he is no Joe Johnson. For some reason, all that basketball skill and basketball IQ just don't seem to add up to a basketball player.
Who cares? What's done is done, and we knew that losing this year's pick was a major possibility. They had a 1 in 4 chance, after all, which is pretty good poker odds.
The Suns still have Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa, and Raja Bell. This is still a 60 win team, remember? So why are we so down? We're not cursed. The Suns are NOT the Chicago Cubs of the NBA. Yes, we've had a run of "bad luck", but Phoenix is still a title contender. If you want bad luck, just pop on over to Boston with Bill Simmons, and you'll know the misery of terminal misfortune. This whole draft thing is a minor set back. The draft offered the possibility of flexibility in the offseason. The Suns still have assets, but they will probably have to bite the bullet on the luxury tax next season. May as well.
Robert Sarver wants a title as badly as the rest of us to justify his investment in the Suns. He came into this league in the same vein as Mark Cuban, but quickly learned that the Maverick owner path would lead to self destruction. So to distance himself, he has remained behind the scenes letting nature take its course with these Suns. A championship will go a long way into securing his legacy with the team, simultaneously overpowering the long Colangelo shadow and removing himself from the Cuban pack. I think that Sarver will pay $12 million for one year if it means retaining the core of a title contender.
Consider the center of that Suns core.
Robert Sarver loves Amare Stoudemire. Stat's his guy. Sarver knows very well that Stoudemire is the key to a Suns championship, as not since the Bulls has an NBA not featured a dominant big man. The thing about Stoudemire, though, is that he is weak defensively. When he's paying attention, he's an excellent weak side shot blocker. And when he displays the energy and passion for statistics, he's a monster rebounder. But he doesn't do it consistently, and he seems to feel that he has to compete with someone for the stats. Enter Shawn Marion.
Shawn keeps Amare honest on defense. Without Marion directing traffic and plugging holes, Amare is exposed for his defensive lapses. And Amare really seems to love fighting Shawn for rebounds. Amare is even starting to steal the ball more. It is an on-court relationship that needs to stay in tact for one more year. If Shawn decided that, for one year, he would concentrate solely on defense and getting that defensive player of the year award, and not even think about offensive numbers (no more threes, only back door cuts and alley oops), Amare Stoudemire could explode next season.
I have a feeling that he will, too.
Amare had a great season coming off microfracture surgery, but it was average for him. He only scored 20.6 points and grabbed 9.6 rebounds a game this season. Those numbers jumped to 25 and 12 in the post season. Amare wasn't as explosive this year as he was in 2005, so he relied more on finesse moves under the basket.
Two seasons ago, a classic Amare move was his one handed dunk from three feet to the left of the basket. The defender would think that he's blocked the attempt or altered the shot, but Amare's arm seemed to reach another five feet as he threw it down with force. This year, that became a lay up (he had the opportunity in the March 14 game at Dallas, when Eric Dampier came between him and the basket - Amare dropped the shot in for the and-one instead of dunking it).
Jason Kidd came back six months after having the procedure. Two years later, he averaged a triple double in the first round of the playoffs. Amare Stoudemire is coming up on the two year anniversary of having his procedure. Add to that Amare's desire to "be the man", and you have the makings of an MVP caliber season. I fully expect Amare Stoudemire to post 27 points and 12 rebounds next season, challenging his own teammate and two time MVP Steve Nash for the award in 2008.
The kid could average 40 and 15 through a round in the playoffs. Why not? He averaged 37 and 9.8 in the 2005 Western Conference Finals against the Spurs. He averaged 26.4 and 10.6 this season. In a first round match up against a team like Golden State, Amare could do an amazing impression of Wilt Chamberlain.
A lot of those points are going to come from Steve Nash assists, of course, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Steve average 16 points and 14 assists next season. After getting jobbed by the media this season, Steve might very well be the sentimental favorite to win the MVP next year. As Steve goes, so go the Suns.
All this talk about the lottery and the suspensions and whatever voodoo, Babe Ruth, Billy Goat curse is grossly misplaced. The lottery is just the basketball gods' way of telling us that we are just fine. Karma will prevail, and the Suns will stun the league. The Hawks have their lottery gold, we'll have our championship gold. Big deal.
*Update:
Dan Bickley wrote a very good article about the state of blame.
May 21, 2007
Suns GM
The NBA Draft Lottery will be held today at 5:30 PM Arizona time and will be televised on ESPN. I will be watching. I have not watched a draft lottery, since I first arrived in Chicago in 1995. The Suns' season had ended prematurely in the Western Conference Semifinals to the eventual champion Houston Rockets. I needed a fix.
The Suns had a late first round pick that year, so there was no real reason for me to watch that draft. I believe the Suns had the 21st pick, with which they chose Arizona State's Mario Bennett. A 6'9" flyswatter in the Shawn Marion mold, Bennett never really fulfilled what little potential he had. The Marion mold does not necessarily mean Marion talent or Marion's Wolverine-like health.
This year could be different, though. If the Atlanta Hawks don't strike gold, the Suns, coming off a league second best 61 win season, will end up with a pick no higher than four and no lower than seven. They also have Cleveland's 23rd pick and the Suns' own 29th pick in the first round. This is a loaded draft, full of athletic prospects with playoff experience and All Star potential. If the Hawks don't strike gold, the Suns will.
Everything that the Suns front office does this summer hinges on that draft. A number four pick could very well answer all of the Suns problems. The team needs to dump salary, fill a wing with scoring and rebounding, and find a player to give Nash a spell in big games.
Robert Sarver has made no secret that he likes the core of this team, and he wants to keep it together. That means that Marion, Amare Stoudemire, Nash, Leandro Barbosa, and Raja Bell are welcome next season. James Jones, although a decent defender with a nice three point stroke, is far too inconsistent to count on in the major moments as was, say, Joe Johnson. An unfair comparison, to be sure, it is still exactly what the Suns need. An aggressive three point threat with a strong handle to get off his own shot or open up a play for a teammate, and who can rebound a little as well. Boris Diaw with a jump shot and foot up his ass would be nice.
Robert Sarver has also made it known that he would certainly look into trading up in the draft to secure a top two seed, thus nabbing Texas' freshman sensation and NCAA Player of the Year Kevin Durant. That would easily solve all the Suns' problems in one fell swoop. It may be a pipe dream, though, as Boston is not likely to trade a top two pick (they've said so publicly). If the Celtics obtained the number two pick, then the Suns would be hard pressed to shoot for the number one pick. It would cost them Shawn Marion, that's for sure.
Anyone else gets the top two, and the door is open to trade all three Suns picks for that number two, along with a veteran player and possibly future cap relief. Boris Diaw would do well in Memphis or Milwaukee. It's a long shot, so I wouldn't count on that scenario taking place. More likely, the Suns will get the number four pick. Al Horford, though not a great offensive threat, is certainly big enough and strong enough to fill that rebounding void. His athleticism could be just the ticket to spell Marion a few extra minutes a game. Then maybe Shawn won't be so prone to take a few defensive possessions off in order to save some energy for later in the game.
I see Horford going number three, though, which leaves the Suns with a tough choice to make. Do they go for potential, and select North Carolina's 6'10" 215 pound freshman forward, Brandon Wright? Or do they go for more size and established game in the 7'1" Yi Jianlin of China? If I had to make a choice between those two, I would take the Chinaman. His size and athleticism, as well as his outside shot and willingness to run the floor, make him a perfect fit for Mike D'Antoni's system. He also offers the advantage that his weight will allow him to body Tim Duncan, if it came down to it.
If Atlanta gets lucky, then I would look for the Suns to make a deal with Toronto. I know that this may be WAY out there, but Bryan Colangelo is the one who put Boris Diaw in the Joe Johnson trade. Diaw might work better in a system without Amare Stoudemire, and the Suns could use an experienced back up point guard like Jose Calderon. I doubt that Colangelo would let a stud like Calderon go for Diaw, but he might for Diaw and one or two of those draft picks.
It all depends on what happens at 5:30 PM Tuesday May 22, 2007. I hope that the Suns secure that top four pick, then all our problems could be solved in one fell swoop. Good luck, Mike. May the balls bounce your way. Here's to Boston 3, Atlanta 4.
*Update:
A speculation on Amare's amazing 2007-08 season coming soon to A Clockwork Orange near you. Stay tuned.
The Suns had a late first round pick that year, so there was no real reason for me to watch that draft. I believe the Suns had the 21st pick, with which they chose Arizona State's Mario Bennett. A 6'9" flyswatter in the Shawn Marion mold, Bennett never really fulfilled what little potential he had. The Marion mold does not necessarily mean Marion talent or Marion's Wolverine-like health.
This year could be different, though. If the Atlanta Hawks don't strike gold, the Suns, coming off a league second best 61 win season, will end up with a pick no higher than four and no lower than seven. They also have Cleveland's 23rd pick and the Suns' own 29th pick in the first round. This is a loaded draft, full of athletic prospects with playoff experience and All Star potential. If the Hawks don't strike gold, the Suns will.
Everything that the Suns front office does this summer hinges on that draft. A number four pick could very well answer all of the Suns problems. The team needs to dump salary, fill a wing with scoring and rebounding, and find a player to give Nash a spell in big games.
Robert Sarver has made no secret that he likes the core of this team, and he wants to keep it together. That means that Marion, Amare Stoudemire, Nash, Leandro Barbosa, and Raja Bell are welcome next season. James Jones, although a decent defender with a nice three point stroke, is far too inconsistent to count on in the major moments as was, say, Joe Johnson. An unfair comparison, to be sure, it is still exactly what the Suns need. An aggressive three point threat with a strong handle to get off his own shot or open up a play for a teammate, and who can rebound a little as well. Boris Diaw with a jump shot and foot up his ass would be nice.
Robert Sarver has also made it known that he would certainly look into trading up in the draft to secure a top two seed, thus nabbing Texas' freshman sensation and NCAA Player of the Year Kevin Durant. That would easily solve all the Suns' problems in one fell swoop. It may be a pipe dream, though, as Boston is not likely to trade a top two pick (they've said so publicly). If the Celtics obtained the number two pick, then the Suns would be hard pressed to shoot for the number one pick. It would cost them Shawn Marion, that's for sure.
Anyone else gets the top two, and the door is open to trade all three Suns picks for that number two, along with a veteran player and possibly future cap relief. Boris Diaw would do well in Memphis or Milwaukee. It's a long shot, so I wouldn't count on that scenario taking place. More likely, the Suns will get the number four pick. Al Horford, though not a great offensive threat, is certainly big enough and strong enough to fill that rebounding void. His athleticism could be just the ticket to spell Marion a few extra minutes a game. Then maybe Shawn won't be so prone to take a few defensive possessions off in order to save some energy for later in the game.
I see Horford going number three, though, which leaves the Suns with a tough choice to make. Do they go for potential, and select North Carolina's 6'10" 215 pound freshman forward, Brandon Wright? Or do they go for more size and established game in the 7'1" Yi Jianlin of China? If I had to make a choice between those two, I would take the Chinaman. His size and athleticism, as well as his outside shot and willingness to run the floor, make him a perfect fit for Mike D'Antoni's system. He also offers the advantage that his weight will allow him to body Tim Duncan, if it came down to it.
If Atlanta gets lucky, then I would look for the Suns to make a deal with Toronto. I know that this may be WAY out there, but Bryan Colangelo is the one who put Boris Diaw in the Joe Johnson trade. Diaw might work better in a system without Amare Stoudemire, and the Suns could use an experienced back up point guard like Jose Calderon. I doubt that Colangelo would let a stud like Calderon go for Diaw, but he might for Diaw and one or two of those draft picks.
It all depends on what happens at 5:30 PM Tuesday May 22, 2007. I hope that the Suns secure that top four pick, then all our problems could be solved in one fell swoop. Good luck, Mike. May the balls bounce your way. Here's to Boston 3, Atlanta 4.
*Update:
A speculation on Amare's amazing 2007-08 season coming soon to A Clockwork Orange near you. Stay tuned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
