Pick&Roll “Brazilian” Edition: Suns need Barbosa back

Since tonight the “Brasilian Bash” will be held at the Maria Maria Restaurant,  Mark and I believed it was the perfect time to discuss about Leandro Barbosa recent injury, his season so far and what it means for the Suns. The “Brasilian Bash” event was created to support the Desert Mountain States Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on in loving memory of Leandro’s late mother Ivete. In case you wish to attend, check the event’s website.

Steve Fan: Under Coach Gentry, Barbosa was finally free to run again and we all hope he’ll be able to duplicate the great performance that allowed him to win the Sixth Man Award  only a couple of years ago. Barbosa had a positive year last season and I believe the only negative thing was actually his playing time (down by almost 5 minutes per game in 2008-09) .

Leandro is at his finest when is set free to run the floor and attack the basket, actually one of the best in the league at doing it. Unfortunately, as he was ready to explode again in 2009 he was hit first by a wrist injury and then by a sprained left ankle last Sunday that will keep him out of the lineup for 2-to-4 weeks.

Without Leandrinho, the Suns bench loses much of his scoring ability; the guards rotation is all of a sudden very thin and it means Nash will have to play 4-5 more minutes a night.

Barbosa was shooting a career best .485 from the field and an outstanding .405 from 3-point range. His per 48-minutes stats are almost back to his career year.

Barbosa, according to the 5-man unit analysis on 82games.com is a component of all the 3 most effective Suns quintets of the season. The best combination for the Suns is when Leandro and Nash share the backcourt.

What I also love about Barbosa is his attitude on the court. He’s hustling on offense, always trying to improve on defense and keeping his mouth shut. Did you know he never got a technical foul in his 7-year NBA career?

We seem to agree that the Suns need Barbosa back as soon as possible. It might be a chance that the Suns two worst losses of the year coincided with Leandro’s absence. It could be by chance, but I believe it’s a fact.

Mark: This young season is already full of ups and downs for LB.  An injured wrist has kept him at less than 100%.  He’s averaged the least amount of minutes per game of any season since his sophomore campaign.  His scoring output doesn’t seem to be what it once was.  Add it all up, and the casual observer would think his possibly missing four weeks with an ankle sprain doesn’t amount to much.

The truth is, LB can’t return soon enough.

Without Barbosa providing an instant scoring threat, Dudley and Co. are suddenly a very limited group of hustling bench players.  Defense, rebounding, and playing harder than the other guys only gets a group so far.  Points still need to be put on the board, and as we all know, LB has been doing just that for years.

Despite his limited time on the court and wrist injury, he’s managed to shoot 48% from the field and 40% from three point land to average 19.5 points per 36 minutes.  All numbers aren’t far off from his sixth man of the year award season.

Along with carrying the scoring load for the second unit, LB gives the Suns another player to handle the ball with Nash on the bench.  Dragic has noticeably gained in the confidence department but he’s continually finding his way out there.  LB helps to relieve Dragic’s still frequent yips, and equally importantly allows Nash a greater amount of rest.

No Barbosa gives Nash more minutes, Dragic less help, the bench less pop, and the Suns fewer wins.  Here’s to hoping Aaron Nelson has another trick up his sleeve.

Leandrinho was supposed to dance all night but I’m afraid his twisted ankle will limit him to some real Brazilian eating. We’re sure it’ll be a special night for him and above all, we wish Barbosa all the best.

Yours truly, Steve Fan

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