Sunday, January 21, 2001 Go to: S M T W T F S E-mail the story | Plain-text for printing Stephen A. Smith Suddenly, it seems Suns are snakebit There are times in sports when players can justifiably shake their heads in disbelief, demoralized by bad luck and circumstances right up to the point of pondering the possibility that some of the finer things in life just might be intended for someone else. That sort of unpleasant reality has not generally been associated with the Phoenix Suns, but it could be now. Despite having headed into the weekend at 23-13, the Suns are not a huge factor in the race for the Western Conference crown, partly because of attrition and partly because they cannot escape the "doughnut" label, one that has been attached to them for more than three decades, ever since a coin flip left them with a hole in the middle. They have been to two NBA Finals, but despite having a first-class organization, one willing to spend whatever is necessary to acquire talent and one praised by players league-wide, they have yet to walk away with the ultimate prize. Even now, with all-star Jason Kidd, Penny Hardaway, Tom Gugliotta and Cliff Robinson, plus a future star in Shawn Marion and the winner of last season's Sixth Man Award, Rodney Rogers, the same old results are generally expected - a respectable season and an early playoff exit. The Suns had to play Friday night's game against Golden State without Kidd, arrested a day earlier on a misdemeanor domestic-violence charge and accused of hitting his wife, Joumana. As unfortunate and alarming as that situation is, the Suns will probably not be derailed by it. But Hardaway will probably miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, and his career is in jeopardy. Gugliotta hasn't been the same since last season, when he suffered a seizure related to ingesting a food supplement, then a season-ending knee injury. Despite their talent, the Suns are not as deep as the Portland Trail Blazers, are too small for the San Antonio Spurs, and have no one to offset the dominating presence of the Los Angeles Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. "Not unlike last year, there has been a lot of adversity," said Bryan Colangelo, the Suns' president and general manager. "Why it's all happening at once, you can only venture to guess. However, nobody is sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. "Because Penny goes down doesn't mean that we give up on the season. Quite frankly, we were pretty good without Penny, and we will continue to compete without Penny. "Whether or not we've got enough to complete the season and be successful in a playoff run, it really will be determined on whether or not we're able to come together as a team and do everything necessary to overcome the adversity." In Colangelo's eyes, the Suns have achieved some things. They did win 53 games last season. They did advance past the first round of the playoffs after four straight years of first-round exits. They have visited the postseason 13 straight seasons, they do have Kidd and Marion, and they are, arguably, one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Their primary problem? "Well, for 30 years, we have been looking for a big man," Colangelo said. They had a good shot at one in 1969. But after owner Jerry Colangelo, Bryan's father, lost a coin toss with Milwaukee for the No. 1 pick in the draft, the Suns stood helpless as the Bucks got the draft rights to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Phoenix's consolation prize? Neal Walk, who presently works in the team's community-relations department. Still, the Suns visited the NBA Finals in 1976 and 1993. Their other chance to get a star center in the draft occurred in 1987, but they lost out in the lottery to San Antonio, which selected David Robinson with the No. 1 pick. They had to settle for Armen Gilliam. To get a topflight center, such as Atlanta's Dikembe Mutombo, today, they would have to give up Kidd and Marion. Which is to say that Phoenix will have to continue on without a quality center. "I don't feel cursed by any stretch," Bryan Colangelo said. "Sometimes I feel like I wish the tide was turning another way. But you roll up the sleeves and it makes you work a little more. "Last year, we overcame Penny and Shawn Marion being out 25 games, Tom Gugliotta suffering a seizure and ultimately missing the season. But the bottom line is, we overcame a lot." They still must do so, which is the shame of it all. The task at hand, while understandable, still seems unfair. Houston is home. Despite Hakeem Olajuwon's desire to get out of Houston, the Rockets probably won't move him. He is making $16.6 million this season. What the Rockets would want in return for him is players in the last year of their contracts. The team is trying to obtain salary-cap space in order to re-sign guards Shandon Anderson and Moochie Norris and forward Maurice Taylor. The Miami Heat did call to inquire about Olajuwon, but Anthony Mason and Duane Causwell won't cut it. Despite some reports, a deal involving Tim Hardaway is not possible, either, because league rules governing the cap would prohibit it. From PROSPORTSPAGE.COM (I would actually like Mason, he is a really good player despite being a sub par person.) ------------------ "Kenny, The Basketball scientist, Whoo Hoo." Charley B, on TNT
