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Gear Up For Suns Basketball

Suns: My 2nd Half Suggestions

 
By Adam Brennan
February 1st, 2009 at 7:29 am

I don’t profess to be qualified to tell any NBA GM how they should be running their team. However, as an outsider a person can sometimes see glaring weaknesses that insiders for some reason seem to miss. Here is my 2nd Half of the Season Suggestions to get the Phoenix Suns on track.

1. Get a solid backup Power Forward before the February 19th trade deadline.

It is clear that the Phoenix Suns need someone better than Lou Amundson being both the backup Center and Power Forward. Don’t get me wrong I love the guys intensity, but he looks like he is completely lost on the offensive side of the ball. The Suns need a strong defender with a defense first mentality, but an ability to knock down a jumper off the pick and roll.

2. Fire Terry Porter

I know there is a better chance of Amare blocking ten shots in a ballgame than this happening. However, Terry Porter needs to go and he needs to go now!!!! In the off-season he was referred to the anti-D’Antoni; defense minded and winning to play his bench. Now the team is giving up 120 points to sub .500 teams and whats worse he is only playing 7-8 players on a given night. If the Suns have a playoff run in them (a big if at this point) they will need some of their older players to get rest. Nash, Shaq and Hill are playing far too many minutes every night. Robin Lopez, Alando Tucker, Goran Dragic, Jared Dudley and Lou Amundson should all get 5-10 minutes a night. I have heard rumors of Reggie Theus to replace Terry Porter if he is in fact fired…would this be a good fit? I would say it couldn’t get worse than Terry Porter; he looks like a deer in the headlights whose only strategy is pass it to Shaq.

3. Trade Amare Stoudemire

No defense, no camaraderie with teammates, nights where he dissapears on offense and dissent for whoever is coaching = Cancer to the team. I like his upside, but at 26 he has proven defense won’t happen and they might as well get a defensive minded player in return and possibly a draft pick to start rebuilding this team.

4. Play Some Defense

Enough said here!

Comments
  • Adam
    Den,
    In regards to your draft pick comment, we have drafted good players (Nate Robinson, Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriguez and Rajon Rondo), the problem is the braintrust (I use that term very loosely) of Kerr and Sarver decide to trade them in lieu of veteran players. I think the 20 points won't be a problem, Richardson, Nash, Shaq and Barbosa are all capable scorers.

    Did you hear there was a late night meeting with Nash and Hill, (no Amare or Shaq)...got to believe they are on the block.
  • Den
    Adam,

    Enjoyed reading your assesment of the present Suns team. I still think that trading Stoudemire would be a mistake. This is a very bright guy who surely realizes that he is a big fish in a medium size pond. He has never really regained his explosivness since the micro fracture surgery but he is close. It is difficult to believe he is a caner on the team. He does disappear from time to time and he no longer runs the floor as he once did. He and Shaq often remain downcourt after a turnover which is pretty disappointing to me as a fan. Perhaps 40 pus min. a game is too much for Amare?
    Interestingly, it was evident Amare wasn't one of the better players on the Olympic team. He was more of a role player on that team. It surprised me.
    The Suns bench is pretty weak after Barbosa and Barnes or Hill. Dragic is just plain weak and doesn't play defense worth a hoot. There might be some hope for Tucker but the rest of the bunch are not NBA caliber players. Perhaps that is why Porter is not using them?
    Before you trade Stoudemire for a defensive minded player, who is going to pick up over 20 points a game?
    This team is simply not very good. The Suns have not drafted a good player since Stoudemire.
    This all lies with management or lack of same. Losing Brian Colangelo is coming back to haunt this time big time. Losing Porter couldn't hurt. Time to rebuild.
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