Tonight, the Suns visit Charlotte to take on Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and the Bobcats.

This game probably would’ve received more attention solely for the story lines, if the Suns had come in here playing well.  We all know that’s not the case.

Since the trade, Jason Richardson has fit in well with the Suns.  Boris Diaw and Raja Bell have fit in surprisingly well with the Bobcats.  This game should’ve featured more personal views between the players and friends.  Instead, tonight’s game is solely business; the Suns need a win…big time. 

They could still finish out this road trip with a good showing despite the losses in Boston and New York.  If they pull out a win tonight, they play Sunday in Atlanta and Monday in Washington – two very winnable games – before hosting the Spurs.  Cooincidentally, I’m looking into a co-live blog with a Spurs blogger…could be fun?

If for nothing else, the Suns need a win to bolster some confidence and silence some critics, even for just a day or so.  This can be extremely mentally fatigueing, not only for us fans, but for the players as well. 

But it won’t be easy.  Charlotte has won 4 of it’s last 5 games, beating teams like Detroit and Portland.  Needless to say, Suns just need to shut up and play.  There was even a column today how the Bobcats are benefiting from the “Diaw effect,”  Something the Suns benefited from in 2005.  However, it is widely apparent that Diaw is only effective when the offense/ball is running through him.  If he isn’t the focal point (or at least one of them) in a system, he’ll put up numbers like this and drive fans nuts.  Maybe he realized this in the off-season and tried to sabotage Amare?

Hey, and it would be nice if Amare could justify his starting spot in the All-Star game with an All-Star/Beast-like performance tonight.