http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0819suns0819.html Suns say they'll be even better Colangelo says team taking strides toward NBA title Paul Coro The Arizona Republic Aug. 19, 2005 12:00 AM Tougher, faster, better. The Suns' recent roster rearranging may go down some fans' throats like hot coals, but coach Mike D'Antoni and executive Bryan Colangelo pledge that the overhaul made the team better. The Suns introduced new players Brian Grant and Pat Burke on Thursday and will continue to overhaul the roster today, when Joe Johnson's trade to Atlanta is expected to be finalized. But D'Antoni and Colangelo said the Suns undoubtedly are improved, regardless of how pursuits of Michael Finley and James Jones end up. advertisement Colangelo said the staff "feels like we've dramatically improved our team. I know a lot of people don't think that's the case right now. We're taking a step forward. We're going to keep building this thing. We're definitely not only going to be just as competitive as last year but we're going to strive to win that championship these guys are talking about." He said the key to judging these Suns won't come in aspiring to last season's 62 wins. It will be how well prepared they are for the playoffs because they have become a deeper team. He alluded to how Johnson's facial fracture altered the team's approach during last season's playoffs. "A lot of the same stuff became very predictable," said Colangelo, the team's president and general manager. "It was a lack of depth that you could point to that perhaps was a part of that." This year's bench will include Grant, Burke, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa and Scott Padgett. Jones could be acquired in a sign and trade with Indiana and a Finley signing may make Jim Jackson a reserve. D'Antoni noted all of Phoenix's additions can shoot, run and pass to maintain the high-paced style while improving the defense. Colangelo said Phoenix could be faster because Amaré Stoudemire and Shawn Marion will run more with Kurt Thomas and Grant rebounding and inbounding. "If you line people up and say, 'Run as hard as you can,' they can run as fast as anybody," D'Antoni said. "I loved Q (Quentin Richardson) and what he did but if you put him in a foot race against one of these two guys (Grant and Burke), (it's) about the same. There's not any difference. "And even Joe, you're talking outrun him this quick," he added with his hands inches apart. The Suns feel that close to a title as well, something that compelled Grant to pick Phoenix. Grant, Bell and Thomas were added to address rebounding and defensive deficiencies. "We can safely put aside that soft label that has been associated with Suns basketball probably for the history of the Suns organization," Colangelo said. "We have certainly addressed a lot of the issues about what we're doing from a physical and mental toughness (standpoint)." ------------------------------------------------------------- honestly, IMO, the suns just had the absolute worst offseason possible. they lost qrich, joe johnson, and steven hunter. they overpaid for raja bell, hoping that he will take care of all their defensive problems, and they signed scott padgett and brian grant. in place of qrich is now kurt thomas. the suns succeeded last year because they could simply outrun and outgun their competition. so what do they do in the offseason? they revamp everything by losing the most accurate 3point shooter in the league and the player who made the most 3's. once again, i must say that i feel sorry for suns fans.
If you "dramatically" improve a 62 win team, that means the Bulls record of 70 wins is at stake. Q and JJ for Kurt Thomas, Brian Grant and Raja Bell. Oh yeah, that is "dramatic" improvement. If Nash falls off a lot (which I don't expect to happen this year), this team will nosedive. Come to think of it, if Nash misses a significant number of games during the year (which is quite possible) or declines during the playoffs, this team is done. No amount of spin can hide the fact they are worse than last year.
The suns lost their weapons of last year, who is gonna hit the thee pointers that Amare and nash give them?? Amare will not get an inch in the paint, because without good shooters their opponents can concentrate on the inside.
I know owners and GMs are suppose to prop up their team a little. But this amount of "optimism" is ridiculous. All they are doing is setting themselves up for disappointment. It would've been better if they had just stuck to cliches like "we'll take it one game at a time" and "we're just working towards our goal."
Despite what some believe, the Suns were never a threat to win a championship last season. They were the prototypical regular season team. They got a lot of victories, but a team like San Antonio, Detroit, or Miami would never feel threatened by them because they'd be able to stop them from playing for the highlights. They were just like those Mavs squads from a few seasons ago. So, it's quite possible they improved if you mean they improved their chances of actually winning a title. Richardson was not a particularly good player. He did little more than chuck up three pointers. He was such a promising player when he came into the league with the ability to be a beast in the post and then open things up outside, but now he's just outside. His loss means next to nothing. Johnson, obviously, is a better player, but he's been fairly overrated. He's above average, but he's not a premier player at his position. In return for losing those two and other flotsom they got Kurt Thomas (who fills a desperate need for a physical inside presence), Brian Grant (ditto, and with a decreased role he should be more effective), Pat Burke (again, he's physical and as the 4th or 5th big man that's perfect), Raja Bell (perimeter defense which was badly needed), and Boris Diaw (overlooked and overwhelmed in Atlanta, but he'll look quite good fitting in with actual talent instead). Will they win a championship? I don't know, probably not, but they were never going to before. They'll be less "pretty" to watch now, and I'm sure that upsets certain fans, but you have to make a choice there.
The Suns probably improved their defense some, but lost a TON offensively. The net gain is not improvement, but loss here. And Nash, Grant and Kurt Thomas will only get older each year. Diminishing returns. In "theory" I dont have a problem with them moving from a more fast paced offensive attack to a more balanced team with more defense. The problem is the WAY they made the moves. They made the Q trade because they knew they would get JJ back. And traded Voskuhl as well. Then they didnt get JJ back and thus had to scramble. If they wanted to move Q and JJ from the start, and that was their plan, they probably could have gotten MORE for them and better building pieces instead of the reactionary moves that they made. I would imagine if they wanted to move JJ from the start they could have gotten a better S&T package than they got. Perhaps it would have netted them a YOUNGER PF type player than they got in Kurt with the Q trade. Perhaps then they could have just kept Q. The Suns as they stand now have more vets, and a deeper bench. But they are not as lightening fast as they once were. What made them dangerous was their 3pt shooting, opening up the lane for the Nash/Amare pick and roll. That shooting is gone now. Can they grind it out with some of the other teams? I have my doubts. In addition to the losses of Q and JJ, dont forget they moved their 1st round pick last year which could have gotten them Luol Deng or Andre Igodala. (they never thought those guys would have been on the board when their pick came around). And this year they moved Nate Robinson, another player that has serious potential. More losses here, young players that could have grown with the team.
Very true in a literal sense. From no chance to very slight chance. I posted midseason last year in great detail why they were not a threat for the championship. But Colangelo said they were "dramatically improved". His exact words. If you dramatically improve your team, it's regular season record should improve also. Deuce, very well put. Another point is D'Antoni hasn't proven he can successfully coach a more conventional NBA team. His NBA coaching record prior to last year was 35-76. Without the "shock therapy" fast break that broke down inferior teams game after game during the regular season, let's see how well they can run 1/2 court sets on a consistent basis. We also will learn if he can coach NBA defense, which is a big question mark. Let it be on the record I am not a D'Antoni basher and actually like his story of playing in the ABA & Euro leagues and coaching in Europe before coming over here. I just think he is a coaching lightweight in the mold of Paul Westphal. Larry Bird and Byron Scott also come to mind, but there is no Rick Carlisle or Eddie Jordan on his bench.
The Suns might eke their way to about 55 wins this year. They did salvage their off-season somewhat, and will not regret over-paying JJ. Still, doesn't it suck when coaches/owners/etc get out there and present to the world their BS speeches, practiced for hours beforehand? "Team's dramatically improved (hic); can't imagine us getting any better, youknowwhatI'msayin'? (hic; Oh, Jesus, just let this press conference end...." Remember when the Bulls signed Ron Mercer? (Yep, long time ago) At least Krause could excuse himself with a lie after introducing the player: "I've got to go take a phone call." Of course, he didn't want to answer a barrage of questions at the time: "You recruited McGrady, Jermaine and such guys and you CAME UP WITH THIS?!?!" But I'll take it over some coach/owner/GM getting up there and farting sunshine: "Hey, Ron Mercer is gonna save this franchise!"
I didn't know they lost QRich too...and Joe Johnson. Their team is still all right..but definitely QRich and Joe Johnson scored like 40 a night. That's a big loss. They did a lot. Amare is still crazy though.
Gotta say something to get those season tickets renewed. If Finley signs, I'd consider them just as dangerous come April (but with a reg season drop to 50 or so wins). If he doesn't, they're first round and done. They need to hire out entire churches to hold vigils for Nash's hips-knees-ankles. Evan
If you "dramatically" improve a 62 win team, that means the Bulls record of 70 wins is at stake. Actually I thought they won 72?
Well, he's not gonna say they have gotten worst. Their success last season was based on blowing teams out and running/gunning. They didn't play a lick of defense and relied so much on hitting 3's. Replacing Q and JJ with Kurt Thomas and Raja Bell is just about the worst summer you could possibly have. Nash Bell Marion KT Amare It's not a bad lineup on paper, but they have zero depth. I don't see them getting up and down the court like last season, therefore, you can subtract a lot of the easy points they got from the fastbreaks. Good luck on trying to replace the 403 3-pointers made from JJ/Q last season.
