PHX SUNS? My thoughts...yours?
I was one of those people writing off the suns, I had them 9th in the west this year. But they look very legit. Getting rid of Shaq helps them so much. Nash is able to penetrate and guys are able to cut from the opposite side not worrying about running into Shaq. There are so mnay lanes for guys to get open and Nash is the best at finding them. Shaq blocked up a lot of those lanes. Hill still has it and JRich is playing well. They had no problems executing their offense against the celtics last night in Boston. I think a top 4 seed is very possible. Channing Frye is kinda the x-factor though.
b-ball fan, you must not have been paying close enough attention.They have had a vastly improved defense since last year and will be just about average in defense. The stats will show that their opponents will score but just because the tempo is up. They would have allowed Boston to score 120 last year and what they did against the Heat in the 4th the other night proved they can get stops when needed. The Heat only scored 15 in the quarter.
I think that the second unit is key to this season. If they can continue to hustle, play defense, and score points like they have, then this team will be hard to beat. They have already shown this year that they can get it done but what happens when LB and Lopez get healthy. Can the 2nd unit get even better?
another thing to consider is that this team is still trying to find out who they are, but they are still winning games anyways. This blog is probably biased but it has good quotes in it about the suns right now. Check it out.
I got so much hate for saying this team could be better than the one that almost made it to the finals. They look sound now and running well.
I am telling you this team is better defensively then the prime time suns and has alot better scorers.
So, I am a huge fan of the suns and I had no doubts that they'd be a lot better than expected this year(most people thought they'd be lottery bound). Now, I'm not ready to crown them just yet because I know its early but after 6 games, how far do you think this team can go?
I think they can be top 4 in the west for sure. I also think that Alvin Gentry has already became a better coach then Dantoni was for the Suns(I know, sounds crazy but keep reading). He holds the team accountable for defensive lapses and he uses his bench effectively, two things Mikie D. never did. He also lets them do their thing on offense. If they continue to win, I think Gentry could be a COY candidate.
Almost all of their wins this year were uncomfortable for me, mostly because they were the same type of games they would've lost last year. They lost 10-15 winable games last year just because the system didn't work.
I have also hated big time on Steve Kerr since he was hired but this summer has changed my opinion on him. He knew he messed up when he got Shaq and hired Porter. He could've went and hired another "defensive" coach but he went back to what works, the fun-n-gun, and he hired the best man for the job other than Dantoni. He also signed Channing Frye who fits in perfect.
Its early, I know. But things are looking bright in phx. I still think they need a defensive?rebounding Center off the bench other than R. Lopez before they can be contenders. What do you guys think of this team and how far do you think they can go?