A November to Dismember

The first month and first sixteen games of the season have come and gone, and the long and painful offseason is now a distant memory. Somewhat ironic is the fact that we were looking forward to the season starting just to get our Suns fix, while many fans seem to be ready to bypass the whole grind and get right back to the playoffs - where our misery as fans is usually rooted.

Too early in the season to make any "bold predictions," there are still a few answers to some burning questions that we faced coming into this marathon, as well as a few new questions to ponder.

Can't we all just get along?

Honestly, so far this has to be the most uncomfortable season I've experienced in my tenure as a Suns fan. A veteran of countless message board wars, I'm used to having my loyalties challenged by fans of other teams, as well as those of this team who have never experienced the brand of cynical wit I tend to bring to my observations. Usually the questions die quickly. Then the Suns launched their own fan network site. To make a long story short, the predominant fan type over there almost had me chucking the whole thing, just to avoid being associated with such rabble.

For reasons too complicated for the subject matter of this platform, I won't get into the motivations of people uninhibited by the absence of face-to-face communication. Just know that the lack of eye contact and visual cues (body language) tend to embolden a person to say and do things that would be inconceivable during interpersonal interactions. Internet message boards are the talk radio of the new millennium. A person can say whatever is on his mind, however petty, trivial, or immature, without regard to repercussions because it is so easy to hang up on the caller. People want to be "who they really are" and their opinions to be expressed, if not validated, regardless how little substance any person has to support their beliefs.

That's fine. As the saying goes, opinions are like assholes, and everyone else's stinks. All I ask is that those opinions be based on some semblance of reality and not mere wishful thinking and hope. Fans need to realize that there can be more to supporting a team than simply believing in your heart of hearts that they will overcome and win against all odds, and disagreeing about small aspects does not make one person any more or less a fan than another. Holy wars have been started over less. Don't believe me? Ask the Sunni and Shia Muslims.

Will Shawn Marion's trade request hurt team chemistry?

I can't believe this was ever a concern. Professional basketball players are not fans. They don't look at each other and think, "This is MY guy, he belongs to me and my team, and he'll never ever EVER leave me! If he wants to leave, then it must mean he hates being around me and doesn't love me and isn't loyal to me." Team mates are business associates that may or may not become friends in their employment environment. They are all on the same level relative to management and ownership, and they are all well aware of the implications of trade requests/demands.

Every single one of them wants what is best for themselves, and with that comes the understanding that all are in the same boat and would probably do the same thing if placed in Marion's shoes. As the saying goes, "basketball is a business, and this is just business." Considering that Marion's request had everything to do with management/ownership and nothing to do with his business associates, I don't see how anyone could have bought into the media hype that chemistry would be an issue.

Will the officiating improve?

Apparently not. In fact (read: my opinion), the "quality" of officiating seems to have declined to even darker depths. That game in Miami was a major contributor (along with fan issues) to my self-imposed hiatus, as I just couldn't fathom 1) Amare getting called for fouls when he was taking elbows to the grill all night and 2) Amare getting ejected for demonstrating the disbelief any human being on the planet would display at such an egregious breech of both common sense and common courtesy.



Though not the call in question, this is the same game. This is exactly what Amare had to deal with in that game, and for his trouble, Mark Wunderlich decided to send Amare to the training room involuntarily. And for reasons beyond my comprehension, this very same official worked the game last week when the Rockets came to town. Apparently, Wunderlich is a fan of the early-90s Knicks and Dick Butkus.

I'm not saying that the officials have targeted the Suns. All I'm saying is that the officiating is noticeably worse this year than previous years. I have seen it go bad both ways, including last night when Orlando came to town. Seriously ... JJ Redick gets a technical?

And forget about transparency. We still don't know which of Amare's technicals the league rescinded from the Miami game. Well, we KNOW, but Stern and Co. haven't confirmed. With something so simple and so obvious, why the secrecy? One small chance to show us that things are changing ("We've rescinded Amare's second technical and fined/suspended referee Mark Wunderlich for not maintaining the high level of officiating that we, the league, require going forward..."), and they blew it.

No. According to the league, sitting Bennett Salvatore down to be interviewed by a blogger with two league axemen in tow confirms transparency. As my friend, "Lou Reed" pointed out to Henry Abbott via e-mail, "this Salvatore interview reeks of a PR blitz by Stern & Company to try and deflect well deserved criticism." I won't get into the particulars of Abbott's belief that this was "an honest piece of journalism." Think about it - of all the NBA reporters, of all the legitimate sports media professionals, why was this interview thrown to a blogger? And why have two NBA representatives there to oversee the interview?

How will the new additions fit in?

I'll answer that with my own question - how many times have you lost track of whether it was Marion or Hill guarding the oppositions best perimeter player? Even Tom Leander gets confused at times, especially on offensive rebounds and put-backs. When Matrix missed a break away lay up against the Clippers, and Hill came flying in for the put-back dunk, I thought for a split-second that the action occurred the other way around.

After six games of around 37% shooting, Hill has taken off in the Suns' system. He seems to have found his groove, knowing when to play his midrange game and when to settle for the three (he really likes the corners, it seems). His shooting percentage has grown to a respectable 46.4%, and seems to be on its way to a hefty 48% for the season. And did anyone expect the defense? Going back to any chemistry questions, Hill and Marion seem to be long lost brothers. Their games are in no way similar, they look nothing alike, but they've become interchangeable early in the season. Forget Rashard Lewis. In the upcoming "first trimester reports" from reporters around the country, the free agent signing of the year will be Grant Hill, and that shouldn't change come season's end.

Brian Skinner has been another pleasant surprise. It only took him a few games of limited minutes (coming off a minor injury suffered during the preseason) to blend right in with D'Antoni's style. Why Coach is so hesitant to use him more is beyond even Marvin's vast comprehensive abilities.

Skinner averages 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, which seem marginal until we consider the 11.8 minutes of playing time he averages. To put that into perspective, Brian Skinner is 8th in the league in rebounds per 48 minutes at 15.7, which is the same as Tyson Chandler of the Hornets, and more than Carlos Boozer (Jazz), our own Shawn Marion, Kevin Garnett (Celtics), and Tim Duncan (Spurs).

His blocks? Compare them to the likes of Dirk, Rasheed, Al Jefferson, the aforementioned Chandler, Pau Gasol, and Chris Bosh. Now consider that he averages about the same as all of them in a third of the time. To be sure, Brian Skinner is third in the league in blocked shots per 48 minutes. Think a front line of Marion (22nd BPG), Stoudemire (15th BPG, 13th BP48), and Skinner could shore up the lane? Speaking of which . . .

Will D'Antoni use his bench, now that he has one?

It seems that the Laker game put a big scare in D'Antoni. It was only the second game of the season (with new parts and injured players, even), but it was enough to convince him to stick with his hard-to-crack circle of trust, regardless of the outcome. This despite the fact that his new bench played very well in that game, turning a 30+ point third quarter blowout into a more respectable 19 point loss.

Now we find out that Coach Mike would rather go with an injured Raja Bell than look one seat further down his bench to give Marcus Banks another shot - the same Banks whom Mike promised more playing time if he kept playing as well as he did against Sacramento. Well, he never got another chance to play (four minutes of a game that the entire team played like crap in the first half is not sufficient, Mike). It makes one wonder what is going on behind the scenes that has a guy, signed by D'Antoni the GM to a long term deal, relegated so deeply in the doghouse.

As a fan, I have to tell Coach to suck it up and play the guy. Whatever is happening beyond our view, YOU brought him here. Lie in the bed you made, and let the wins and losses come that way . . . not through your decisions to push an aging defensive specialist who has been feeling like he can't do the one job he was brought here to do. It's not fair to Bell, it's not fair to Banks, and it won't be fair to the fans once the playoffs roll around, and Raja goes down with another torn gastrocnemius.

No, I am not joining the troll bandwagon and calling for D'Antoni's head. Nor do I agree with the assessment that long minutes during the regular season are the cause of problems in the playoffs. I am saying that refusing to use the bench when a player is already injured is risking all of those players' careers, as well as our chance at a title. An injured Bell is not better than a healthy Banks or DJ Strawberry.

Every good amusement park ride has extreme highs, deep lows, and fast transitions in between. The excitement comes from not knowing what thrill lies behind the next corner and hilltop. The first time on any ride is the scariest and most gut-wrenching. It is only after we step out of the car and onto the platform that we can fully appreciate what we've just experienced. We've just gone over the first hill, which bottomed out against Golden State and Houston. Orlando proved to be a ride within the ride. There are still 66 more peaks to traverse and valleys to send our stomachs in three directions at once. There's no sense in riding on a broken wheel that could send us hurtling into the ground at 85 mph.

Hopefully, we'll have a safe go, and the next roller coaster, the playoffs, will be just as intriguing and fulfilling as the current one should prove to be. Let's just hope the park management feels the same way.