Phoenix Suns 09-10 Season Preview

Additions:
Earl Clark (via. draft), Channing Frye (via. free agency) and Taylor Griffin (via. draft).

Loses:
Matt Barnes (via. free agency) and Shaquille O’Neal (via. trade)

PROJECTED LINE-UP
PG – Steve Nash/Goran Dragic/Leandro Barbosa
SG – Jason Richardson/Leandro Barbosa/Alando Tucker
SF – Grant Hill/Earl Clark/Jared Dudley
PF – Amar’e Stoudemire/Louis Amundson/Taylor Griffin
C – Channing Frye/Robin Lopez/Amar’e Stoudemire

Despite the Suns missing out on the playoffs last season I think they still have a chance this season to just pull into the top 8, most likely taking the 8th spot. That’s not the best for us though because if we manage to get the 8th spot we will surely get a first round exit against the Lakers. But all our playoff hopes relies on Amar’e Stoudemire and whether he will come back strong and healthy or not.

Kerr pretty much stuffed the team up but we have to put that aside and focus on what we can do with our current roster, not what we should have done. There hasn’t been so many moves for the Suns this off-season but there were a few minor moves like the signing of Frye.

The Suns will need all the help they can get. They need Amar’e to step up and become an all-star caliber player along with Steve Nash who needs to get into shape and show the world that a 36 year old can still dish the ball as if he was still in his prime.

The Rookies will need to get their names in the spotlight as well. Earl Clark hasn’t been so hyped up but he can change that very soon. He needs to do his job on the court and prove that he should be their back up SF in front of Dudley, who played well in the last few games last season and Alando Tucker, the man who has been inactive for a while.

Robin Lopez and Goran Dragic are the two of many who need to prove many wrong. Prove to the people out there that they aren’t you everyday scrubs. They have been doubted for so long and I think it’s time that they should let out their true potential and play the game.

But nonetheless the re-signing of Grant Hill was a good move. I don’t know what the Suns did but they did a good job getting him back. He was looking for a championship contender to go to but instead stayed with the Suns and they didn’t even offer him that much before he accepted.

The Suns don’t only lack defense but they also lack scorers. Amar’e and Jason Richardson could be the only two main scoring options they will have. But that doesn’t mean anything right now because there still is a fair bit of time left in the off-season for them to make moves.

Lately, there has been talks about the Suns and Allen Iverson or something or rather. If this could happen then the Suns could possibly be a really structured team if Allen Iverson can ball like in his 20’s. But right now, AI doesn’t seem like an option for the Suns.

With Alvin Gentry, Amar’e could be happy playing in a similar to the same system as he once did under Mike D’Antoni. A system most of the team are familiar with and comfortable with playing. They just all got to get the feel of the breeze in the closed-surface courts whilst running up and down the court.

Suns On the Lost Path

To be honest, I don’t think anyone can predict what the Suns next move will be. Did anyone even expect them to trade Marion away two seasons ago? Did anyone predict Shaq being traded before the season ended seeing as how well he played with the Suns. The Suns have changed paths so many times in the last few years, first when Marion was traded for Shaq, then the firing of D’Antoni and then the Jason Richardson trade earlier on in the season and then finally the Shaq trade recently.

But that’s not what we are concerned about right now. All the trades are all said and done and cannot be reversed. The Suns are now in a position where they cannot do much. They have no goals for the future, no objective, no plans. They Suns are stuck in between a playoff-bound team and a low-tier team.

All of the Suns’ fate rests upon Amar’e Stoudemire. Steve Nash just isn’t himself unless there is an all-star caliber player alongside him, someone he can rely on to score. Amar’e is the only one on the team who can provide them with an inside presence on the offense right now.

Moves need to be made and the Suns need to stick on one path, whether they want to focus on the future or whether they want to win now. But right now, they seem to be wanting to win seeing as they just extended Steve Nash’s contract for another two seasons. But there’s no doubt they wouldn’t have done it, Steve Nash fits in the Sun’s system and the Suns will need Steve Nash.

Whether they want to trade Amar’e or keep him will possibly change the path of the Suns, whether they do it or not will also change the path of the Suns.

The Battle to the Gold

All teams contending for the title have made moves this off-season, whether it was a signing or a trade. Teams have looked long and hard for ways to improve the team finding weaknesses in their line up and filling it up. It’s a battle to the end, there will not be a single team that is contending for the gold that will give up half way. This off-season may have to go into the books as one of the most exciting off-seasons this decade, surely it wasn’t even a good free angecy pool but yet it has been an exciting one. One that I have to check at least five times a day to find out whether a player has been traded or signed by a team yet.

Starting off, the defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers have made a move by signing defensive beast, Ron Artest. They may have lost Ariza but in return they got Ron Artest who is surely a much better player than Ariza. Artest will definitely help take pressure off of Kobe by guarding the teams best perimeter player which gives Kobe some saved energy for his explosive offense. Secondly, Bynum gets a whole summer working on his game at 100%. If he can work on his game a bit more and get into shape I think the Lakers will definitely benefit from him. Plus Brown and Farmar will only want to push themselves to a limit to prove who deserves that back up point-guard position the most. The Lakers are one of my favorites to win the gold.

Next, the champions two seasons ago. They, like the Lakers, have only made one move in the off-season and that was by signing Rasheed Wallace. There previous line up was already good enough to contend but now they add a missing piece to the puzzle which can make them favorites to win the title again. It’s only a matter of time before they get the feeling again, but all of that relies in the hands of Kevin Garnett’s health. As long as Garnett can stay healthy the Celtics will be on their merry way to the grandest stages, the NBA Finals.

The runners up in last seasons NBA Finals, the Orlando Magic. They lost a big piece to their puzzle in Hedo Turkoglu, a young prospect in Courtney Lee and one of the best sixth men in the league in Rafer Alston. But not everything went bad for them this off-season, they got Vince Carter and added a few bigs in Bass and Anderson. Right now their line up doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses. They a beast of a line up entering this season, if they can work together like a puzzle then they will be fine and able to cause trouble for the other teams trying to get contend in the Eastern Conference.

One of the best franchise this decade, the San Antonio Spurs. How could any one deny that this team could go from a first round exit team to a contender? Part of the reason of them getting an early exit was because of injuries but this season they are back and healthy. They will be ready for anything coming their way with the addition of a few free-agents that they signed this off-season in Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff. Then they got that blockbuster trade earlier in the off-season recieving Richard Jefferson. That pretty much covers the open spot that they had last season where they had a weakness at the SF position. If they hadn’t made the trade the Spurs would definitely have struggled against SF-strong teams like the Cavaliers (LeBron) , Magic (Rashard Lewis), Lakers (Ron Artest) and Celtics (Paul Pierce), all who are considered as superstars.

Last but not least the Cleveland Cavaliers, many say that these guys are ready to win one with LeBron but I just don’t see it happening. Out of the five teams I have listed, the Cavs are probably my least favorite to win. Not that I hate them or anything, but I think they have the least chance of getting into the finals, let alone win the gold. Sure they have LeBron and have made a few signings but they haven’t done anything marvelous like the other teams have like the Magic, Lakers, Celtics and Spurs. But lets see if they can prove me wrong with Shaq.

That’s pretty much it. Hope you enjoyed reading it.

Note: The list isn’t in order.

Shaquille O’Neal Sent To Cleveland

I guess all the rumours were true. Shaq was going to be dealt to the Cleveland after all. It has been confirmed already, that Shaquille O’Neal will be sent to Cleveland for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, 2009 1st round pick and some cash.

Honestly, this trade shocked me. I didn’t personally think it would happen so soon, but I guess we should have gotten it over and done with to get that 1st pick, I guess. That pick will definitely come in handy tomorrow, when the draft is on.

Lets just hope Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic can play better this season, than they did last. Ben Wallace needs to get back into form which is unlikely but to be half as a defender he onces was would be great for the Suns seeing as they are lacking a lot of defense. We also get Sasha Pavlovic who is a decent player overall. Hopefully he does get minutes on the court playing off the bench but I wouldn’t assume that he would get much at all. But my main concern is Ben Wallace. He is getting older and older, and obviously, declining. I would like to see him step up this season and even if it is for a while it will be better than him being asleep on the bench every game.

On the Cavs behalf it was not a bad trade at all. First of all the Suns lost their starting center, whereas the Cavaliers lost a in doubt player who would have probably played off the bench this season. There’s also Sasha Pavlovic who hasn’t really been getting as much minutes as he should have been this season. Also, this trade should make LeBron happy, bringing in another all-star, I guess.

I was hoping for Shaquille O’Neal to retire in Phoenix, but I guess that isn’t going to happen anymore. Best wishes to Shaquille O’Neal and lets see whether Shaq and LeBron can create some magic, just like Kobe and Shaq did in their championship reign.

Will the Suns ever feel the same?

This decade has been a good one for the Phoenix Suns. But recently they have entered a slump ever since Mike D’Antoni was fired and left Phoenix. Then Terry Porter was hired as our head coach and all went bad, Steve Kerr chose Terry Porter over the other great coaches who had applied for the head coach position in Phoenix. What disappointed me was, that clearly we should have hired Avery Johnson who obviously was a better coach than Terry Porter was.

But that’s not the point, the point was that Kerr thought we needed a change when obviously, we didn’t. We were perfectly fine with D’Antoni and to be honest, at first we looked bad with him but after a while it was obviously a bad move on behalf of Steve Kerr.

Will the Phoenix Suns ever feel the same as they felt a few years ago when they were actual contenders for the championship and when Nash won the two back to back Most Valuable Player awards? I don’t think so. With the aging Shaq, the unhappy Amar’e and the declining Nash. The Sun looks like it’ll be setting and will not set for a long time unless this off-season we are able to make a huge trade.

Could Kerr Pull A Trade To Earn Some Respect?

There has been a lot going on in the Phoenix Suns front office. Mostly about dealing with trade offers. Kerr must have a lot going on with the draft and also rumours and offers getting sent to him.

Kerr doesn’t have a very respected past but he still has time to change and earn the respect he once had as a basketball player.

Right now Kerr has a few options, he has three of the best players on the team which teams want.

Despite Shaq’s age, there are a few teams who want to add Shaq to spice up their roster. Shaq proved that he still can play basketball even though his almost at his peak and definitely showed improvement since two seasons ago when he was with the Miami Heat.

Then there’s Amar’e who is still pretty young and in his prime. Though he has suffered serious injuries recently and is in doubt, there are a lot of teams think that he can still contribute. Out of all the players on the team that are on the trade block, Amar’e has the most value.

Steve Nash has shown interest by many teams as well. Apparently there were a couple of teams interested, I’m sure that any team that needs a starting point-guard is going after the two-time MVP.

These are possibly the only moves that I see Steve Kerr making this off-season.

Bulls-Celtics: A Rivalry in The Making?

Time and time again this series has got to be the best of the 2009 playoffs.

Almost every game has gone to OT, and one even went to double OT.

The games always seems to be close, and the winner can never be decided during the game.

Game winners are made game after game, clutch plays are made, whether it would be a steal, a block or a crucial rebound just less than 24 seconds in the clock. Both teams would just about do anything to win the game and make the last shot of the game.

Every game is about the last few minutes, that’s when the action starts. Even though there is a lot of action during the game, whether it’s the first or third quarter, there’s as much action as you can get in the last minutes of fourth quarter or overtime as you would get in a Finals match.

Both teams have had their ups and downs but after today the Celtics lead 3-2 over the Bulls. Now that the Bulls have been placed in this situation they will have a do-or-die game in two days to decide their fate for the 2009 playoffs. If they can survive the Celtics’ brutality then they will live another day, but if they fall short in two days then they will be eliminated.

Even though this rivalry doesn’t get as intense as the Lakers and Celtics rivalry or the Suns and Spurs rivalry, this rivalry could be in the making. The Celtics don’t look like they will be going to the Finals to defend their championship, so the Lakers and Celtics rivalry is pretty much done.

In a few years time, you’ll see how bloody this rivalry can get.

Rajon Rondo: The Stud To Be

After checking up on the box scores between the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics over the last two games, I have been extremely amazed at Rajon Rondo’s stats. Even though I’d expect the Celtics to destroy the Bulls with Rondo’s stats, they don’t seem to be doing that.

I haven’t seen much of the Bulls-Celtics playoff matches, but the series does seem like a tight one with the series tied at two games each after the Bulls win today. To be honest, Rondo is the only Celtic who has stepped up in the playoffs. Ray Allen has had his ups and downs, Pierce doesn’t seem that enthusiastic as he was last season, and Perkins hasn’t done too much.

Kevin Garnett’s absence on the court is missed by fans, but Rondo would be glad. Rondo gets more shots and also without Garnett means less rebounds for the Celtics. That’s where Rondo has really helped the Celtics in getting easy rebounds.

Rondo and Derrick Rose seem to be on a stat battle right now, with Rondo wining it. It seems Rondo has reclaimed his title as the better point guard between the two after Rose’s magnificent performance in his playoff debut.

As of now, Rondo is the main focal point for the Celtics and will be the player who needs to make sure he plays 110 percent every single game for the rest of the series to ensure their advancement into the second round of the playoffs.

I honestly can’t imagine how good he will be in the future if he does stay with the Celtics, which I think will be likely. I remember when he was in his younger years people criticized him because of how weak his jump shot is. But now these people look back and think about how ridiculous they sounded.

People seriously have to give Rondo some credit. I hope that I can watch him further in the series because, unless others step up, Rondo will have to be doing a lot more work on the court, which means he will be more entertaining to watch.

2008-2009 NBA Playoffs

With only a few games left till the regular season ends, that means that the playoffs is near. The best part of the season in my opinion, every team works for one of the 8 spots in their conference for the playoffs. Teams prove how good they are and how well they perform together. Personally, I can’t wait for it and I’m sure hundreds of thousands of people cannot wait to see the outcome either. Underdogs can prove themselves and win the championship, players can step up and lead their team to the finals, anything can happen.

Right now, my predictions are pretty much as most people see it as, hopefully. In the West:

1. Lakers

2. Nuggets

3. TrailBlazers

4. Rockets

5. Spurs

6. Hornets

7.  Jazz

8. Mavericks

I really don’t want to see the Jazz play the Lakers in the first round, the Jazz are the team I see being the underdogs of the playoffs this year. I just see it in them, and if they play the Lakers they obviously won’t stand a chance and won’t get their chance to be the underdogs and proceed to the second round. The Hornets haven’t looked too well this week but I’m sure they will pick it up. I put the Spurs at #5 because I personally feel that the Spurs can’t win without Manu, they will be up against the Rockets most likely in the first round and without Ginobili they won’t be able to take it to 7 games. Also without Manu there’s one player less to watch out for for the Rockets. The Nuggets at #2 is self explanatory, they have been playing really well after that Billups trade earlier this season and defense has definitely improved. I don’t see them losing to neither the Jazz, Hornets or Mavericks, whoever they face in the first round.

I’m probably going to go with Lakers and Rockets for the first second round matchs and Nuggets and TrailBlazers for the other second round match. Then I’m going for the Lakers and Nuggets as the WCF match because in my opinion the Blazers lack playoff experience and even though the Nuggets do they have an upperhand with Billups who has really done well in the playoffs in recent years. The Lakers are surely going to be able to handle the Rockets as long as Bynum prevents Yao from getting the ball close to the rim or taking a jumpshot. His just got to keep Yao close to him.

My east playoff predictions would be like the standings look right now, with Cavs at first, Celtics at 2nd, Magic at 3rd, Hawks at 4th, Heat at 5th, 76ers at 6th, Bulls at 7th and Pistons at 8th. The East looks tight but I think the Celtics and Cavs are locks to go to the second round. The Heat are going to have trouble with the Hawks, in the end I think the Hawks might be able to win after the 7th game. The Magic surely will be able to handle the 76ers with ease as I’m sure Dwight Howard would destroy Dalmebert and the Magic team will drain shot after shot in the 76ers get lazy on defense.

For the second round in the East I’m going with Cavs against Hawks, with Cavs winning in 5 games and Celtics and Magic with Celtics winning in 7 games. The Magic seem to be a tought side but the Celtics will pull through in the end. Then in the WCF game the Cavs will take it to 7 games against the 07-08 champions and eventually win to go to the finals.

I’m really not sure about the finals right now but I’m sure it will be between the Cavs and Lakers. The Lakers have a tough side but they have to keep LeBron guarded at all times, his their most important player and the last thing they would want is LeBron taking it to the rim as his almost impossible to stop once entering the paint. The player for the Lakers who will need to step up no matter, Celtics or Cavs, which team they play is Fisher. He really needs to play defense. So right now my bets going to the Lakers in 7.

LeBron On 60 Minutes

I uploaded it myself. I don’t have a download link yet, but hopefully I will have one on here soon.