The Suns have been an elite team since 2005 but they suffered disappointment this season by losing the 1st round. However they didn't get a good draw as they played their nemesis in the 1st round.
With that said, will Terry Porter's coaching and style make the Suns into an elite team once more? Will they be better than they have previously been the past few years?
Lineup more than likely
PG Nash/Barbosa
SG Bell
SF Hill (not sure if he stays)/Diaw
PF Amare
C Shaq
Will the Phoenix Suns be a Legit Championship Contender.....
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Will the Phoenix Suns be a Legit Championship Contender.....
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JordansBulls
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Will the Phoenix Suns be a Legit Championship Contender.....
"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."
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cdubbz
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I think so. If they can get a solid first round pick they'll be good. Since theyre going away from small ball, I can see them picking up one of the young centers, Javale, robin lopez, speights they would have atleast a good backup for shaq instead of making amare play center. I think a big man rookie would benefit playing on this team and the team can benefit from having another big man body that can either play defense or score buckets. I actually think ANY draft pick they get will make an impact on this veteran aging team if its a big man, wing man or point gaurd...they can use help at any position.
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thamadkant
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Theoritically... yes.
They have playoff experience, still have a "good" solid core.
Yes, age is a factor, and so is health.
The keys are.
- O'Neal playing enough games to be in shape come playoff time. And avoiding injuries in general.
- Kerr and Porter have stated that Stoudemire will be the focal point of the offense, I assume Nash will still have "freedom" to create but when the game comes to a half court crawl, it will strictly be Stoudemire as the focus and the ball goes to him. Now, 2 things, Stoudemire will need to improve his passing off double teams, not just the skill but the KNOWLEDGE of when and who to pass to. Decision making skills basically, this is a big "If" because Stoudemire in his 6 seasons has not really been given a lot of "experience" with such plays.
- Nash still having a big impact in getting everyone involve. Kerr has stated they will still push the ball, but with emphasis on defense and a strict half court set for Stoudemire (as stated above). I expect Nash's stats to go down slightly, but also expect him to have reduced minutes and load in the offensive end. It can only help him towards the end of the season.
- The Bench, Suns have been a 6-7 men rotation with D'Antoni. And everyone pretty much has seen how stagnant they are without the majority of the core on the court at the same time. Kerr made an emphasis that the draftees from last season and this season will be much bigger factors, so Tucker, Strawberry and whom ever they draft will play minutes.
- Barbosa and Diaw... Diaw has shown glimpse that he can be a reliable go to guy in spurts, especially when he is used to post smaller forwards down the block. Barbosa has only shown he can play in the uptempo game, although a deadly shooter, has struggled when the defense has put focus on stopping him. Barbosa might be moved for a another shooter or a draft pick, depends on who is left on the board come draft day.
- Motivation.... Suns have lost motivation and its pretty obvious. The hunger has dwindled down. If Porter can get the team motivated, I think they have enough talent and experience to beat any team on any given night...
They have playoff experience, still have a "good" solid core.
Yes, age is a factor, and so is health.
The keys are.
- O'Neal playing enough games to be in shape come playoff time. And avoiding injuries in general.
- Kerr and Porter have stated that Stoudemire will be the focal point of the offense, I assume Nash will still have "freedom" to create but when the game comes to a half court crawl, it will strictly be Stoudemire as the focus and the ball goes to him. Now, 2 things, Stoudemire will need to improve his passing off double teams, not just the skill but the KNOWLEDGE of when and who to pass to. Decision making skills basically, this is a big "If" because Stoudemire in his 6 seasons has not really been given a lot of "experience" with such plays.
- Nash still having a big impact in getting everyone involve. Kerr has stated they will still push the ball, but with emphasis on defense and a strict half court set for Stoudemire (as stated above). I expect Nash's stats to go down slightly, but also expect him to have reduced minutes and load in the offensive end. It can only help him towards the end of the season.
- The Bench, Suns have been a 6-7 men rotation with D'Antoni. And everyone pretty much has seen how stagnant they are without the majority of the core on the court at the same time. Kerr made an emphasis that the draftees from last season and this season will be much bigger factors, so Tucker, Strawberry and whom ever they draft will play minutes.
- Barbosa and Diaw... Diaw has shown glimpse that he can be a reliable go to guy in spurts, especially when he is used to post smaller forwards down the block. Barbosa has only shown he can play in the uptempo game, although a deadly shooter, has struggled when the defense has put focus on stopping him. Barbosa might be moved for a another shooter or a draft pick, depends on who is left on the board come draft day.
- Motivation.... Suns have lost motivation and its pretty obvious. The hunger has dwindled down. If Porter can get the team motivated, I think they have enough talent and experience to beat any team on any given night...
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The Main Event
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To you pessimists, what does age have to do with it? Has it not clearly been stated that the suns are moving away from small ball age becomes less of an issue. There draft pick will be very big for them and like any other team, injuries will become a critical factor. If they can stay healthy, i see the Suns making a hard push next season for the championship.
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Milan24
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The Main Event wrote:To you pessimists, what does age have to do with it? Has it not clearly been stated that the suns are moving away from small ball age becomes less of an issue. There draft pick will be very big for them and like any other team, injuries will become a critical factor. If they can stay healthy, i see the Suns making a hard push next season for the championship.
You are kidding yourself if you think the 15th pick is going to make an immeadiate enough impact to push the Suns to challenge for a championship.
Moving away from small ball to what? I don't know how many times Suns fans have been told this but defense is the key to a championship challenge and Amare, Shaq and Nash can't defend for their lifes and don't expect that to change after all these years in the league.
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HarlemHeat37
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LOL @ the Suns..what an embarrassing franchise..they're always mentioned as a contender, but they'll never actually win anything..they always find a way to **** up their chances..
they couldn't beat an old Spurs team this year..and now the Spurs are adding young players in the off-season..
they aren't beating the Lakers..they aren't beating the Hornets or Jazz..
they couldn't beat an old Spurs team this year..and now the Spurs are adding young players in the off-season..
they aren't beating the Lakers..they aren't beating the Hornets or Jazz..
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keepthenetsinnj
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I don't think they can be a legit championship contender anymore. Their window closed after this year. They specifically acquired Shaq to beat Tim Duncan and the Spurs in the playoffs, and I think we all know what happened. Unless they go out and get some type of huge player, the team they have now won't get it done.
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TommyPoints
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hermes
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rsavaj
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Probably not. I put them in the "respectable team but not title contenders" group along with DAL/HOU/GS/DEN etc...each one of those teams has a puncher's chance to win if everything goes their way, but the probability is awfully small.
I disagree in saying that they never were title contenders though...going to two WCF in 4 years plus all the crap that's happened to them(injuries, suspensions) has to count for something.
I disagree in saying that they never were title contenders though...going to two WCF in 4 years plus all the crap that's happened to them(injuries, suspensions) has to count for something.
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The Diesel
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If everyone is healthy next year, they have a good shot.
Who wants to face a starting line-up of Nash/Bell/Hill/Amare/Shaq?
Plus, Barbosa and Diaw are two good players coming off the bench.
As someone else mentioned, they've just been really unlucky in recent years.
- Joe Johnson's injury in 2005
- Amare's injury in 2006
- The suspensions last year
- The heart-breaking loss this year in Game 1 and Grant Hill's injury.
Who wants to face a starting line-up of Nash/Bell/Hill/Amare/Shaq?
Plus, Barbosa and Diaw are two good players coming off the bench.
As someone else mentioned, they've just been really unlucky in recent years.
- Joe Johnson's injury in 2005
- Amare's injury in 2006
- The suspensions last year
- The heart-breaking loss this year in Game 1 and Grant Hill's injury.
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druggas
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If they're going to transform into a halfcourt team, then Nash is a liability.
If they're going to run again, then Shaq is a liability.
Either way, their time has come and gone. They'll have to scrap everyone except Amare and start over. Otherwise, they will be the same team that got booted in the first round.
If they're going to run again, then Shaq is a liability.
Either way, their time has come and gone. They'll have to scrap everyone except Amare and start over. Otherwise, they will be the same team that got booted in the first round.
Nobody is afraid of that line up. -
The Diesel
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Did you forget that they won 15 of their last 20 games in the regular season?
Everything was going well until Hill got injured during the last game of the season.
When he went down, I knew Phoenix had no chance against the Spurs.
D'Antoni's risk of playing the starters at the end of the regular season backfired when Hill got hurt.
Everything was going well until Hill got injured during the last game of the season.
When he went down, I knew Phoenix had no chance against the Spurs.
D'Antoni's risk of playing the starters at the end of the regular season backfired when Hill got hurt.