Halftime Hype

It was only a few years ago, when the Suns were seeded first in the West, held the best record in the league, and were victorious until the Conference Finals. In the same time period, Steve Nash was awarded two consecutive MVP awards - one for providing spectators with entertainment & Suns fans with victories, and the other for doing all of the above without Amare Stoudemire. And just when Joe Johnson's departure seemed like it would have its consequences, Boris Diaw won Most Improved Player honors. Until now, to put it symbolically, the sun hasn't been as bright.

You could say it all started when Shaquille O'Neal was acquired. Or when Steve Kerr tried to rearrange the pieces of the proverbial puzzle. The intial signs of downfall began when Shawn Marion was dealt to Miami. Marion was arguably the X-factor, capable of nailing jumpshots and was simply fit for the :07 or less offense. Despite the fact that the team desperately needed a legitimate center, dishing out the forward was not the right way to go. Shaq clearly would not be able to keep up with the fast-pace of the Suns and as history has proven, was a large factor in the lack of success in Phoenix. The Big Cactus didn't have enough juice.

Ultimately, though, it comes down to the coaching change. As has been said before, Mike D'Antoni had a special connection with his Suns players. We still see it today, as Steve Nash always greets his former coach with a smile when their respective teams play against each other. Even if D'Antoni could be somewhat replaced, Terry Porter obviously could not fill the void. Thankfully for Phoenix fans, Alvin Gentry was on the way. Gentry, an advocate of the Suns' up-tempo play, made a bold statement around the league by blowing out the Clippers 140-100 in his first game as head coach.

It bears mentioning that part of the newfound success Phoenix is enjoying is in large part due to the consistency of Nash. At thirty-five years of age, he is playing better than a majority of the guards in the league right now. I take that back. Right now, Steve Nash is the best point guard in the NBA. in this case, the stats say it all: about 17 points, 12 assists, and 2 threes per game. Although, he surely wouldn't be able to rack up as many assists if it weren't for the assistance of his teammates.



Some players come and go, but Grant Hill and Amare Stoudemire have remained for quite some time. Despite Hill's age, he's still burning teams with a variation of jumpers & drives, and has hustled on the glass, averagin 7.5 rebounds per game. After retina surgery caused him to miss the second half of the season last year, Amare has worked his way back to double figures and continues to be a threat in the post. Also, it would be irresponsible of me to leave out Jared Dudley, who has done an excellent job on the defensive end - a segment of the game that the Suns still strive to succeed in.

It's hard to predict how far the Suns will go this year. Once again, outside of the Lakers, the Pacific Division is a joke. The Clippers are faced with a list of injuries and have had trouble finding any rythm. The Warriors are looking to reorient their team and eliminate chemistry issues. With Kevin Martin gone for a few more weeks, the Suns should pull away from the Kings. After examining their record until this point, they look to be a lock for the second round and don't be surprised if you find them battling in the Conference finals.

All in all, the Suns franchise has almost made a complete 360, and look to be in good shape. With reliable coaching, a future Hall-of-Fame point guard, an All-Star in Amare, the extra piece in Hill, and a plethora of other attributes, the Suns are back.