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The Phoenix Suns 2009 A.D. Hit A New Low

By: Adam Brennan
February 6th, 2009 at 12:10 pm

The Phoenix Suns A.D. (After D’Antoni) have achieved a new low; if the season ended today they would not be in the playoffs! This is pretty amazing considering the names of the players on this team.

The focus once again is on the possible trade of Amare Stoudemire (which I have been calling for in previous blogs). We all know the knocks against Amare Stoudemire: no defense, unwillingness to rebound on nights where he is not involved offensively and a huge ego in the locker room. However, I am going to take more of an objective approach to determine whether Amare is truly the problem.

Amare Stoudemire himself estimated that he only played in 150-200 games of organized basketball in his entire life leading up to his career in the NBA. His instant success by winning Rookie of the Year, likely led him to believe that coaching and fundamentals were not necessary for success in the NBA. I completely understand Amare skipping on College to go to the NBA right away because he had a difficult upbringing and wanted to provide for his family. However, it terms of Basketball I.Q. and gaining a knowledge of defensive rotations he is still to this day completely and utterly deficient. The funny thing about this is that most true star athletes would respond to this criticism with work hard on their deficiencies. Michael Jordan realized early as Lebron James is realizing this year that to be the best you have to play an all around game. Amare Stoudemire in my opinion does not have this desire. He spends more of his time developing his entertainment label “ Hypocalypto Entertainment” which has now merged with the Rapper TI under his “Grand Hustle” label. You would think that in the middle of a team crisis Amare would be focused on Basketball….not the case here though.

The statistics for Stoudemire also show a lapse in overall play this season. He complains that he is less involved this season which is partially true considering he is shooting 1.4 times less per game. However, Amare is averaging 2.9 turnovers a game this season as opposed to last year with 2.2 turnovers per game. This leads me to believe he is touching the ball just as much but he is either getting in stolen or making bad decisions with the ball. His rebounding is down a full 1 rebound a game and his blocked shots are down 1 block a game. Some would argue this is the effect of Shaquille O’Neal taking up space down low, however in my analysis I find this to be untrue.

Amare Stoudemire 2008 After Shaq Trade
Rebounds
DATE OPP RESULT MIN STL BLK TO PF OFF DEF TOT AST PTS
20-Feb Lal L 130-124 42 1 3 1 4 6 9 15 1 37
22-Feb Bos W 85-77 43 0 3 2 3 2 4 6 1 28
24-Feb Det L 116-86 36 0 1 2 1 0 3 3 4 31
26-Feb @Mem W 127-113 31 0 0 2 5 1 6 7 0 25
27-Feb @Nor L 120-103 37 1 4 3 4 3 11 14 4 32
1-Mar Phi L 119-114 40 0 1 1 2 5 6 11 1 26
4-Mar @Por W 97-92 34 4 1 3 4 1 6 7 1 22
5-Mar @Den L 126-113 29 1 1 5 6 1 5 6 1 22
7-Mar Uth L 126-118 39 1 3 6 4 1 7 8 2 37
9-Mar Sas W 94-87 32 1 3 1 5 4 7 11 3 16
11-Mar Mem W 132-111 31 1 0 2 3 1 12 13 4 29
13-Mar Gsw W 123-115 40 0 4 1 2 3 8 11 4 36
15-Mar Sac W 127-99 31 1 1 1 4 0 10 10 0 30
18-Mar @Por W 111-98 26 1 2 2 4 1 6 7 2 25
19-Mar @Sea W 110-98 41 0 1 9 5 2 4 6 4 26
22-Mar Hou W 122-113 39 0 4 2 5 2 11 13 0 38
24-Mar @Det L 110-105 41 1 1 2 2 1 4 5 4 33
26-Mar @Bos L 117-97 38 0 1 5 4 2 4 6 3 32
28-Mar @Phi W 107-93 31 0 5 2 5 3 4 7 2 22
29-Mar @Njn W 110-104 44 2 1 4 5 1 14 15 2 33
31-Mar Den W 132-117 42 2 0 1 4 8 6 14 2 41
1-Apr @Den L 126-120 41 2 0 6 3 0 10 10 1 25
4-Apr Min W 117-88 28 0 2 1 4 1 8 9 2 24
6-Apr Dal L 105-98 36 0 1 3 4 1 5 6 2 31
8-Apr @Mem W 127-113 36 1 0 2 1 4 7 11 5 28
9-Apr @Sas W 96-79 31 1 3 3 4 1 3 4 2 21
11-Apr @Hou L 101-90 42 2 2 1 3 4 7 11 1 37
14-Apr Gsw W 122-116 34 0 0 0 3 2 4 6 2 28
16-Apr Por W 100-91 18 0 0 1 2 0 2 2 1 12
Averages     35.62 0.79 1.66 2.55 3.62 2.10 6.66 8.76 2.10 28.52
2009     36.90 1.00 1.10 2.90 3.20 2.10 6.00 8.10 2.00 21.00
Variance     1.28 0.21 (0.56) 0.35 (0.42) (0.00) (0.66) (0.66) (0.10) (7.52)

Based on these figures above last year Amare was performing at a higher level with Shaq last season than this season in Rebounds, Blocks, and Points. A slower style of play does not affect defensive rebounding which not surprisingly is where the discrepancy comes from this year.

The point of all this is the fact that Amare does need to be traded, at age 26 he is regressing and that is not a good sign from a player who has a history of major knee problems.

Comments
  • Chris
    Interesting take, I agree with all the big names on that team they should clearly be a playoff bound team.
  • Den
    Hey Adam,
    Enjoy reading your analysis but how do you factor in the new coach and 'new' style of play (confused/defense)?
    Trading Stoudemire will go down in history with such trades as Babe Ruth to the Yankee for one hundred thousand dollars. Lou Brock to the Cards for Ernie Broglio and Dennis Johnson to the Celtics for a forgetable back up center named Joe Klein. Stoudemire is a unique talent. The Suns would never be able to get equal value in a Stoudemire trade. Would the Celts trade Kevin Garnett for Amare? Do you want Dirk from the Mavs? Dwight Howard?
    The guy that should be on the trade block is Shaq. Perhaps the Suns could get Marion back from the Heat? Talk about a white elephant; who would even take Shaq?
    I watch the play away from the ball constantly and Shaq runs for about three minutes. After that he is unable to keep up to the pace of the game. Perhaps he should only play for three minutes at a time?
    Another one that should go is Barnes. He doesn't bring much either on offense or defense and he is not an intelligent player.
    Looks like the Suns are going to get beat again by GS. It is about an even game at the half.
  • Den,
    The coaching impact is possible, Terry Porter is not a good coach thus far...he is the one confused. I do however think that defensive rebounding is technique and desire and Amare does not box out well and on various nights this season looks disinterested.

    If they get Tyrus Thomas or Ben Gordon out of a Bulls Trade would be worth it in the long run. Amare will go play well somewhere else because he will have a chip on his shoulder. But the fact is Amare's motivation is not that same has it has been in the past. He should play hard every game regardless if he is not heavily involved. If I did that at my job I would be fired.

    Luckily the Suns pulled it out last night (Nash 3-3) down the stretch...finally has decided to start shooting
  • Den
    Adam,
    You have hit upon an important fact, that of Nash not shooting enough. He is also not driving into the lane as he did several years ago (he was ofen out of control on those drives but he had a knack for making great shots/passes on many of those drives). The league has learned how to defend Nash by filling the passing lanes as they control the direction of his penetration. The Suns on the peremiter have not made themselves available for his passes as well as this team once did. Once again, we are talking about coaching.
    Is there really a coaching plan for this team or is this like my old hs gym class where the pe teacher threw the basketballs out on the floor and went for a coffee break? Honestly, some nights.....
    Nash needs to take at least 4 shots a quarter. The Suns were at their best when he was a significant offensive threat. Nash has slowed a bit and he is easy to defend when you are pretty sure he is passing. No knock on Steve, without him, the Suns are absolutely nothing.
    Concerning defensive rebounding, there are many factors involved. The primary factor involved is that you simply stay between your man and the basket. The Suns perfected the art of the runout in the past few years. As soon as the ball is shot, you have two or three Suns running to the offensive basket. Everyone above the free throw line simply took off thus the Suns were not in position to get any long rebounds. That was their style and it seems old habits are still in evidence. No matter what your attitude and how much you hustle you still have to have position to get rebounds.
    Offensive players like Amare and Shaq are outside their defensive counterparts. When Shaq misses another layup there is no one there to contest for the rebound. Look at the positioning of the players. The power forward is up top looking for a pass, the small forward is in the corner waiting for a pass and the guards cannot collapse because they have defensive obligations.
    I have seen most of the games this year either on TV or in person. There is no question that there are games when Amare looks like he is thinking about something else. Do you trade this kind of talent or do you bring in special coaching (perhaps someone like Bill Walton/Russell) to give him a little help?
    To trade Amare for BOTH Gordon and Thomas is a steal for the Bulls.
    Gordon is a good two guard where the Suns are loaded. Tyrus Thomas is another player who has not fullfilled his potential and gets limited playing time. I thought he was going to be a special player when he first came into the league. Thus far, he has made limited impact on a poor team.
    You and I have jobs where we are expected to perform to a standard every day. There are days when I do my job better than others and I think most of the workforce is in my boat. Especially talented employees are so good that they require individual handling. Amare is one of those players.
    Eventually he will mature and realize what it takes to win a championship. He has had to learn a lot of lessons the hard way but he is getting smarter. I don't think that he would leave the bench during an altercation this year but he is still having problems with the refs.
    It has been interesting watching his career and comparing his evolution to the progress of other great players who have come out of high school to the league.
    Two of the most sucessful have been Kevin Garnett and LaBron James but these guys are the exception. Most have a difficult time. There are far more like Kwamie than LaBron.
    It is far too early to give up on Amare and IMHO he should finish his career with the Suns.
  • Den,
    I agree with you wholeheartedly that Terry Porter is a bad coach. He simply lacks the experience and credibility to deal with so many stars.

    I watched the game against Detroit tonight...they are reminding me of the Suns a little bit...aging quickly. Nash didn't shoot well early but he turned it on down the stretch...21 assists is incredible!

    Either way I think Amare and Shaq can't play well together and one has to go for us to have a legit chance for a playoff run. Shaq's contract is simply too difficult to move!
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