This may very well be old news for everyone save for me, but EA Sports is bringing back NBA Jam, this time exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. Happy New Year indeed, people.
I’m 30 years old. What does that mean besides suddenly having to trim previously nonexistent ear hair and realizing my 9 year old is arguably smarter than me? It means NBA Jam was right in the wheelhouse of my youth, that I spent untold amounts of time and money fine-tuning my game, entering cheat codes, and dropping high-voiced f-bombs as my friends and brothers and I did battle on an all too frequent basis.
NBA Jam! The greatest arcade game ever created, and arguably a top ten Super Nintendo/Sega Genesis game of any genre. And it’s coming back! Along with MarioKart 64 and GoldenEye, it still makes weirdos like myself (and the dude who created this quiz) reminisce a simpler time, when ear hair, mortgages, and beer bellies were foreign concepts.
An update has been a long time coming, and there’s a chance to see what I think would be the most formidable NBA Jam duo ever trotted out: Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire.
deadly 3-point accuracy? CHECK
unmatched dunking ability? CHECK
no semblance of defensive prowess whatsoever? CHECK
Steve Fan and I thought we’d reminisce a bit this week, taking a look back at our favorite personal Suns memory. Let’s get right to it:
Steve Fan
My special (and personal) Suns memory
It was a special moment and it was all about the Suns, my wife, Steve Nash and the tragic Spurs series in the 2007 Playoffs.
One special memory, sad but nonetheless special, has to be May 16th, 2007. If that date doesn’t mean much to you, think again; I’m sure the game does. It was Game 4 of the second round series against the Spurs during the 2007 playoffs. It was of course, the “Horry” game.
First, let me tell that each time my wife catches Nash on TV she start saying things like: “Hey look, there’s your friend!” or “How can someone have those kind of hairs?” not to mention the occasional “he sure is ugly”. My unproven theory is that she’s secretly jealous of Steve.
I was sitting on my sofa wearing my Nash jersey, with my wife who, despite being an avid sports fan, more or less hates the NBA. Watching the game, sitting there with the Suns heading for a sure win, getting ready for dinner and game 5 in a couple of days, and the brawl exploded.
It was late in the game and Nash was lying on the floor after hitting the scorer’s table and even she realized it was something serious, a special moment in sport history. It was a very emotional night and for the first time my wife actually cared about my Suns. For a moment it was perfect: it was just me, my wife and Steve Nash sharing the love and the pain in our collective basketball soul. I guess only tragedy can bring out those kind of emotions.
The rest is history. The Commissioner suspending Stoudemire and Diaw, the Spurs beating the Suns in game 5 and 6 and killing the best chance to win it all in almost 15 years, taking away the dreams of a generation of Suns fans. But that night I once again realized I was married to the right woman and the Suns become “our” team.
Mark McLane
Orange Aprons and Planet Orange
I wore an orange apron for many, many, MANY years. Homer D. Poe was part of my life for quite some time, including the Suns/Mavs 2005 playoff series where Steve Nash averaged 37.0 points, 11.5 assists and 7.0 rebounds over the last four games.
The series-clinching, overtime thriller that was Game 6 stands out in particular. Stuck at the Depot, I managed to convince management that a radio at the service desk wasn’t a horrible idea. The store was a ghost town anyway, and a little Al McCoy wouldn’t hurt.
To say the least, the game was incredibly exciting, and word quickly spread as to what was going on that day in Dallas. As Shawn Marion snagged rebound after rebound, more employees would huddle around the radio. A handful of customers would stop to listen with every Nash three pointer. By the time overtime began, the crowd around my little radio had swelled to well over a dozen coworkers and customers, our excitement barely contained.
Fearful of what we would miss, what sort of heroics would come next, we all stood rooted to the ground, waiting for the Suns to put away the Mavericks once and for all. When the final whistle sounded and the Suns punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals, I patched the radio into the store intercom and Al McCoy’s voice reached every aisle.
Our hooting and hollering, high fiving, and jumping up and down was stopped only when a customer approached for help with lawnmowers. Snapped back into reality but hazy with Suns-induced euphoria, we all went about our business working or shopping, our rather unique and memorable experience in tow.
I’ll be back in the swing of things with links to stories you’ve already read next week. Maybe. In the meantime, I’ve compiled some Suns hairstyles if the mood should ever strike the team to start a barber shop of fame or something or other. Looking only at recent history (maybe Vince can take the 70’s…HIYO!), the Suns have definitely had their share of interesting ‘dos.
Alando lost a bet and will apparently grow this little guy out to Eddie Murphy in Coming to America length. As you can, he has quite a ways to go and chances are his rat tail will never see the light of day in Phoenix. In spite of its dim future in the desert, I feel like Alando’s little friend needs a nickname. Stubby, Nubby, Button, Mushroom, Slippy, Slappy, Swammy…I’m way off I’m sure.
Lou is known for his hustle, shot blocking, poor free throw shooting, bike-riding, brains, D-League super stardom, and above all else, that wonderful, wonderful ponytail. The hair certainly casts a long shadow and helped make him an instant fan favorite, but his consistent play this season has begun to cast it aside. And how about this glamorous shot? Tough enough to trade elbows with Zach Randolph and Nene, AND own the red carpet? That’s what I call versatility. Long, golden, and shiny. It’s not the shoes, it’s the Pert Plus. Eat your heart out, Mr I Have Two MVPs Nash.
Word association:
spider web
hedge trimmer
Oscar Gamble
birds nest
weed whacker
steel wool
Hardly a hairstyle, but as there’s no actual hair on his head, I’d say Brian Skinner’s curly, blond goatee qualifies. It’s hideous yet strangely mesmerizing. I hate everything about it but wouldn’t mind walking around with one of my own for a few days. There’s an interesting duality to Skinner’s goatee, including the two color scheme. It’s the yin and yang of NBA facial hair.
Feathered and lethal, and thankfully not coaching the Suns, it’s Vinny Del Negro.
Despite playing what basically amounted to half a season for the Suns, Vinny’s hair cannot be kept off this list. Often imitated, never duplicated, we’ll never see another quite like Vinny Del Negro.
Somehow this picture, or really any I found for that matter, doesn’t do his hairstyle justice. Seeing Vinny run up and down the court, his hair flowing and bouncing with every step, photos can’t do it justice. Ah, memories.
Remember when blond tips were cool? Or the all blond look?
Ten years and twenty pounds ago I rocked one after the other as a freshman at Arizona State and I’m not boasting when I say I looked better than Jason Kidd. I looked pretty stupid, but there’s something about Kidd’s hair color choice that doesn’t work. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
I’m sure my parents had the exact same thoughts about their oldest son.
Everyone have a great weekend. Let’s hope that includes the Suns.
I’ve read through enough of “The Book of Basketball” from Bill Simmons to get to the good stuff, or what is better known as the :07 or Less era of Suns basketball. While I’m a bit disappointed there isn’t more about those teams in this incredibly verbose tome, there’s more than enough to look at in greater detail.
I briefly thought about breaking this post in half (or even quarters) but as the book I’m discussing seems to be devoted as much to writing excess as to basketball, what the hell. You’re going to need more than a few minutes…
First, one of Simmons’ favorite pastimes, the what-if game:
“What if the Suns didn’t screw up a potential Nash dynasty with some of the cheapest and most perplexing moves ever made?”
I can’t give Simmons’ exact words on the subject, for I’m pretty sure ESPN Special Forces would be kicking down my door in no time, so I’ll quickly summarize in my words each of his five points regarding the Suns numerous missteps, then delve into a few things, including his asking the wrong what if question:
sign Q > trade the #7 pick to Chicago for cash > trade Q and the #21 pick for Kurt Thomas > trade Kurt Thomas plus two first rounds picks for cap space > holy mother of suck.
lowball offer to Joe Johnson > trade Joe Johnson > never, ever, stand a chance of replacing Joe Johnson
pick Rajon Rondo with the 21st pick > trade his rights to Boston > open the vault for Marcus Banks > profit > see Rondo turn into the real deal and watch Marcus Banks ride off into the sunset of mediocrity…$24 million richer.
extend Diaw for five years
pass on Rudy Fernandez > sell 24th pick to Portland
As Suns fans, we’ve been over these moves ad nauseam. It hurts every time we think about it. The good ol’ game of what if is not fun to play with this particular era of Suns basketball.
The blame game, while less painful, is an equally silly exercise. For Simmons’ part, he places fault almost squarely on the shoulders of owner Robert Sarver, using the constant selling of draft picks and the insulting, pretty please with sugar on top take a hometown discount offer to Joe Johnson as evidence he didn’t want to pay for a great team.
I don’t know what Sarver and Co. were thinking, but I do know blame cannot be put on one person for a series of missteps. The signs certainly point to Sarver as the lone gunman, because after all, he was the only consistent piece of the puzzle throughout, but there are others to tag in the blame game.
Namely, Mike D’Antoni. If he was your answer to “who was the Suns coach and general manager to sign Boris Diaw and Marcus Banks, and trade Rajon Rondo because he didn’t want to be bothered to teach?” you would be correct. Coach D played more than a bit part in this era of issues, and Bryan Colangelo shouldn’t come out of things unscathed either. He couldn’t help but overpay for Q in his summer of free-spending, and was the one to trade the #7 pick in a healthy draft.
The point is this: yes, Robert Sarver definitely screwed the pooch, but don’t think for a second he didn’t have help holding it down.
As for the “cheap” label Sarver will never be able to escape, his teams have consistently been in the top half of league payrolls and he’s paid the luxury tax more than once. Sure, the signings of Q, Diaw, and Banks were dumb, but it took quite a bit of money from a certain San Diego banker to bring those guys into the fold.
I hate to defend the annual draft pick sale on the corner of Jefferson St. but books have to be balanced and people have to make money. In the end, everything is a business, even owning a professional basketball team.
Unfortunately, Joe Johnson was the first to feel the wrath of staying in the black. This is where the Suns train went off the tracks. Sure, the offer to Johnson was fair, but this is free agency. No one wants fair They want money and respect, and too much of it. We don’t need Paul Harvey to tell us Johnson didn’t get enough of either, or that he’s gone on to become a bona fide stud in Atlanta, while the Suns are still looking for that elusive player who can initiate the offense nearly as fluidly as Nash.
Where Simmons especially fails in his what if exercise is not by incorrectly outlining the stupid moves made by Sarver and Co (he did fail to mention making D’Antoni head coach/general manager…THAT was cheap,) but by asking the wrong what if question. How about this:
“What if Joe Johnson didn’t break his face on the floor after being fouled from behind by Jerry Stackhouse in the Western Conference Semi-Finals?”
THAT is the question to ask. Say Joe doesn’t take his nasty fall and the Suns go up against San Antonio with him 100%. Maybe they don’t win the series, but at the very least it goes another game, right? What if it goes the distance? What if (gasp!) the Suns somehow win the series? Something tells me Amar’e wouldn’t have been the only revelation.
All of a sudden you have a Suns team in the Finals and an owner with enough bonus money from a playoffs run to sign his stud of a 2 guard to an extension, solidifying a Suns a core that as Simmons puts it, wins 57 games a year until Nash breaks down. Boris Diaw is never traded for, Marcus Banks nevers sniffs the desert, and a draft pick or two stands a chance of warming the bench.
Now there’s a what if to make you wake up in a cold sweat.
Our next installment is the Most Valuable Player Award, a subject Simmons devotes 45 pages (no joke) to. According to Simmons, there are four questions to be answered when voting for an NBA MVP. Again, I’ll summarize these in my own words:
how would said MVP candidate’s team be affected if he were replaced with the status quo at his position?
who’s the alpha dog, your first pick in a pickup game?
if you were to compile an ownage video of the season, what MVP candidate would appear most?
can you argue for a candidate without sounding like a complete and utter buffoon?
Answering the above questions, Simmons breaks down the MVP award winners into a handful of categories, one being “outright travesties.” I’ll give you one guess as to where he slots Steve Nash’s back to back awards.
I won’t argue the 2006 MVP. My hatred for all things Kobe Bryant is well-documented but even I’ll admit, a guy who averaged 35.4 PPG and shot 45% from the field all while not cornering Kwame Brown and Smush Parker in a Colorado hotel room the locker room for daily beatings deserved the award over Steve Nash.
Save for being at the absolute apex of his douchetastic behavior and capping off his season with refusing to shoot in a pivotal Game 7 playoff game, he was the perfect player.
I will, however, disagree with Simmons’ assertion that Shaq was more deserving than Nash in 2005.
First, replacing Nash with a decent point guard. The Suns don’t win 62 games, that’s for damn sure. History is slowly but surely showing us Nash was the engine, conductor, and power behind the :07 or Less team to take the league by storm. He was the key to it all, the alpha and the omega. Slap Hinrich back there and the Suns are still successful but not wildly successful. Nash made the system work, it didn’t make him work.
Next, first pick in a pickup game, a player no one can touch, someone who cannot be reckoned with. Shaq, of course, but if you’re looking for an alpha dog on that year’s Suns team, it was Steve Nash. Again, engine and conductor, everyone knew it, even the up and coming Johnson, the young force Stoudemire, and the whiny Shawn Marion.
Now, who owned the season and had the most memorable moments? I mentioned a video compilation previously and actually think I’ve come up with a good argument (if you’re still reading, bravo. I’m nearly through.)
Put together a quick highlight reel in your head of Shaq when he was trim and could actually get around a bit. Dunk, dunk, missed free throws, dunk, talking sh*t, dunk. For a guy who calls The Dream his idol, he sure doesn’t emulate (or even try) his touch in the post very much. How about Nash? Amazing assist, silky touch from the outside, plethora of moves driving to the hole, amazing assist, incredible shooting. I’d watch the latter video over the former 9 times out of 10, but that’s me.
Last, arguing for Nash and walking away with your intelligence not being questioned. Nash absolutely had every right to be part of the conversation and arguing otherwise doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. This wasn’t a wholly undeserving candidate winning out of the blue. A good argument was made by many and he came out on top. It isn’t about looking at things just one way or sticking to certain numbers, everyone has different criteria and questions they need answered.
Simmons could move Nash’s 2005 award into his “Fishy and Ultimately Not Okay” category and a better case could be made. “Fishy and Ultimately Okay” is more than palatable. Honestly answering Simmons’ four questions as to what makes an MVP and still calling Nash’s award an “Outright Travesty” is insulting and stubborn.
That about does her, wraps her all up. Thanks for sticking with it. If you’re somehow in the mood for plenty more words, be sure and grab “The Book of Basketball” from Bill Simmons. It’s long, tedious at times, and shows less discipline than my kids at Toys R Us, but it’s definitely worth fighting through. It’s a good book, and there’s a great book in there somewhere.
The Suns got their butts handed to them in rebounding last night, to the tune of 56-38. It’s an obvious weakness and a problem, but they aren’t going to overcome their lack of size every night. Let’s leave it at that and hell, chalk up last night’s performance as an outlier. The team has consistently hit the glass up to this point and there’s no reason to think they won’t be right back to it come Saturday against Detroit.
Their free throw shooting is an entirely different story. Did you know the league average from the stripe is 75%? Well, the Suns are shooting a dismal 71% as a team. Remove Steve Nash from the equation and they’re sitting at a Shaquille O’Neal-esque 68%.
Puke.
For a team filled with shooters, they sure have a hell of a hard time hitting water falling out of a boat making their free throws. Perhaps Shaq poisoned the whirlpool (the Suns shot made 78% of their free throws the season before he arrived,) or maybe the team thinks Nash’s incredible performance from the line will magically rub off, but this is an issue that needs to be fixed and pronto.
Second chance points are hard enough to overcome. Not making the most of free points makes things even more difficult.
As we all know, next Thursday is Thanksgiving. From the looks of things, my schedule is pretty full of playing football, eating, watching football, napping, eating, drinking, napping, watching football, eating, drinking, eating, and well, eating. As such, Pick and Roll will not be appearing next week.
Steve Fan and I decided to take a gander at the Suns’ remaining schedule for this here month of November and make uneducated guesses as to how they’ll enter December. Red hot? Ice cold? Lukewarm?
Mark McLane:
Note: I wrote this before the Hornets game last night.
My unabashed cynicism was often pointed out during our podcasts last year with Michael Schwartz of Valley of the Suns. While I’d like to think it had a lot to do with the ups and downs of the season, I’ve never been nearly as hopeful as our very own Ben York (it’s an impossibility.) Sure, I pointed out the Suns had a very real chance to make some noise this year and win 50+ games, but my optimism was still very guarded.
The Suns hot start has been incredible and has brought plenty of excitement to the McLane house. However, I’ve found myself waiting for the other shoe to drop, a four or so game losing streak where our squad looks overmatched and lost.
The shoe isn’t dropping anytime soon.
With another grind it out comeback win over the Rockets on Tuesday night, the Suns have begun to chip away at my resolve to expect the worst. It’s been said again and again, and it’s worth saying one more time. From top to bottom, this team plays for each other and they’ve been a joy to watch.
Including tonight’s matchup with the Hornets in New Orleans, the Suns have five games remaining in the month of November. They return home to face Detroit and Memphis, and head back on the road to Minnesota and Toronto.
@ New Orleans - W
Detroit - W
Memphis - W
@ Minnesota - W
@ Toronto - L
That’s right, I’m looking for wins in four of their next five. The Hornets, Grizzlies, and Wolves are very winnable games, and with none of the five coming back to back, the Suns old bones will get plenty of rest.
Time for a Kool-Aid refill…
Steve Fan:
The Suns surprising start (10-3) despite the unexpected loss to the CP3-less Hornets has been the hot topic around the League, but as the weather gets colder and turkeys are roasted, it’s time for a reality check. If it’s a dream, like watching classic games on NBA TV, please don’t wake us. Will it last?
As we’re getting ready for the long Thanksgiving weekend, the Suns will play Detroit, Minnesota, Memphis and Toronto. A much tougher schedule awaits in the month of December (they play at least 10 potential playoff teams). Toronto will prove to be a difficult matchup but I fully expect the Suns to continue their hot streak and win each and every game to begin next month sitting on top of the Pac5 with a 14-3 record.
Phoenix is shooting very well. Steve Nash is leading the League in assists, Channing Frye is shooting .440 from 3-point range, Grant Hill keeps getting younger and for the first time in years the bench players are actually contributing to the Suns success. Additionally, there’s still room for improvement as Amar’e is slowly gets back to 100%. He could potentially add something special to the Suns down the stretch.
I like what I’m dreaming right now, just please don’t wake me up before December.
I don’t know what it is about these goofball pictures of Channing Frye and Steve Nash that make me laugh, but it never fails. Maybe it’s the s*#t-eating grins. Never not funny.
It’s been a pretty interesting season for the Suns thus far. We know they’re capable of running bad teams off the court, fighting to the bitter end with middle of the pack teams, and laying an egg against elite teams. Or at least teams with far more size.
Which is pretty much everyone.
Going into tonight’s game in Boston, the Suns are 4-1. It’s a solid and impressive start, and I say that knowing full well of the bloodbath that awaits in the Garden this evening. Now despite their obvious faults and issues, I’m sticking to my guns and saying this team wins 50 games. It’s the same old story, nothing changes.
Beat the teams you’re supposed to. Bring the effort every night. Stay far away from the groupies.
Onto the links, the first set in a very young, and very long season.
-something tells me this is the highest the Suns will be in any set of power rankings at any point in the season. It’s a damn shame the season can’t end right now so the Suns can go out on a high note.
-Arnovitz at TrueHoop weighs in on Nash’s “old white guy at the YMCA” shot. It’s a great quote from an always quotable player but I’ve never seen an old white guy at the YMCA do anything on the court remotely resembling Nash’s layup in traffic.
-a nice scouting report on the Suns from Charley Rosen after their beatdown of the hapless and dysfunctional Warriors. I’ve always enjoyed Rosen’s knack for mixing praise with criticism. You won’t find many glowing compliments in his writing, unless he’s waxing poetic on his good buddy Phil Jackson, or in the case of this article, Lou Amundson:
“His job is to rebound, defend, block shots and energize the team. And he does everything with a workmanlike diligence that’s easily as effective as the over-hyped antics of Chris Andersen. Indeed, his man-to-man defense is much better than the Birdman’s rather flighty efforts in this department.”
-I can’t have been the only one who had no idea the NBA updated their rims, right? Am I slipping in my old age?
Two quick observations regarding the rims. First, Jason Terry’s sour grapes taste pretty sweet. Next, of course Nash doesn’t see the difference. His shot is pure and he’s shooting 53% overall and 55% from downtown.
-video of Amare’s nasty dunk against the Heat, but as Skeets notes, it wasn’t his play of the night. His assist in traffic after rolling off the pick was a thing of beauty and made me jump off the couch in excitement. I realize Stoudemire has been around for quite a while now, but it’s fun to think back to when he had almost no control over his body.
-our old buddy Michael Schwartz at Valley of the Suns takes a quick look at one the Suns’ strengths: their bench.
“Granted Phoenix’s second unit found success against the opposing teams’ second units, but isn’t that what they’re supposed to do?”
Darn right, and thus far they’ve been up to the challenge. As noted above by Charley Rosen, Amundson does his job every night. Jared Dudley frequently makes it hard for Alvin Gentry to take him off the floor. Last but not least, Goran Dragic is showing glimpses into what could be a solid future. If there’s one thing Kerr has done well in his tenure it’s putting together a solid second unit.
-we’ve all heard Bill Walton will no longer be imploring big men across the league to throw it down, and it’s a damn shame. Basketball Reference has a great clip of him previewing the Suns/Clipper playoffs series from a couple years back.
-I always forget about Paul Shirley and that he’s still writing for ESPN. I caught his latest and it doesn’t disappoint. Good as always. I doubt anyone cares, but here’s a video from Dinosaur Jr, highlighting J. Mascis’ face rocking guitar work.
Speaking of getting your face rocked off, I almost forgot the video of the week that people will complain to me about. I saw The Lawrence Arms, Teenage Bottlerocket, Cobra Skulls, and Andrew Jackson Jihad last night. It was a whole lot of goodness for $12. Here’s Teenage Bottlerocket doing what they do:
Well, that about does it, wraps her all up. Everyone have a fantastic weekend and be sure in tune in for the Suns annual beatdown at the Garden this evening. If you’re drinking, don’t drive. And if you’re driving don’t drink.
In our first pick and roll of the regular season, Steve Fan and I take a look at the worst case scenario for the Suns this season, and wonder if it would still be better than rooting for say, the Grizzlies or Clippers.
Take it away Steve Fan:
The Suns season is ready to implode anytime now. Steve Nash, now that he has proved he can play MVP-type of basketball again, will retire to concentrate on his real passion: soccer. He will eventually make the Vancouver MLS roster and then be offered a one year loan deal to join AC Milan to play alongside David Beckham (in what will become known as the Nash and Becks experiment).
Losing their PG the Suns will more or less fall apart in a few weeks.
Amare’s stats will go south in a hurry and this being a contract year, he will go nuts and try to kill Dragic after the young Slovenian fails to dish him a single assist for the third consecutive game. Stoudemire will soon play with black sunglasses to avoid eye contact with his teammates.
Sadness will hit the team. Barbosa will not find the game fun anymore and move back to Copacabana. Grant Hill will see himself in the mirror and realize he’s become an old man who needs to spend more time at home with his family.
Steve Kerr will trade for a PG to sort things out, shipping J-Rich, Clark and a future first round pick to the Grizzlies for A. Iverson. In a related move, Memphis will trade Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol to the Lakers for a second round pick in 2014.
The Suns will end the season 20-62, but finish at least 20 million dollar under the luxury tax making Mr. Sarver a very happy owner.
Coach Gentry will sport a big smile at his season-ending press conference and tell the world the Suns might have had a tough year, but hey, at least they aren’t the Clippers.
Last week, as the Suns beat the Clippers in the opener I was wondering if there’s a worse team to root for in the sports. They of course, lost that game on a last second shot by Nash, the night after they lost to their cross town rivals who were getting their championship rings. To add insult to injury earlier in the week they had lost their hope for the immediate future, rookie Blake Griffin, for a couple of months. Blake was lost to a stress fracture, before playing a real game in the league.
It seems like they can’t get it right…they can’t hire a decent coach, they keep making mistakes in signing free agents, losing the talented players to injury…a mess. They’re such a mess, I think I love them.
Seriously, let’s just hope Steve Nash stays happy and healthy. If that doesn’t happen the chain reaction will start and the Suns really could implode. The key to the Suns system is Nash and only Nash. The Suns had proved in the past they could live without Stoudemire, they could replace shooting guards, they could live without decent rebounding, but without our QB it just doesn’t work.
Mark McLane:
“This just in…Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan are lost at sea…” Er, worst case scenario for the Suns? Right. My mistake.
I look at the worst case scenario as being out of the playoff race by the All-Star break. Maybe it’s an injury to Nash, perhaps LB’s wrist never heals and J-Rich goes down as well, or Nash and Hill suddenly get very old, very quickly.
Whatever the reason, if the Suns aren’t sniffing the playoffs come February, things will move to DEFCON 5 rather quickly in the desert, and Kerr will have an itchy doomsday trigger finger. Kiss Nash, Amar’e, and Hill goodbye, and say hello to an honest to goodness rebuilding effort, something I’m not so sure I’m ready for.
Let’s face it, Kerr’s track record and Sarver’s meddling do not instill confidence. Starting from scratch may very well have been the best idea for even this season, but the contractors in charge of building from the ground up sure look to be carrying faulty permits.
The last thing we want is to become the Memphis of the west. Forget worst case scenario, that would be more of a nightmare come true.
Well, I’m darn near positive as to where LeBron James will be playing next season.
Phoenix, with the Suns.
No, no, I’m not overreacting to the horrid start the Cavaliers are off to or paying too much attention to the giant Shaq-shaped anchor the Cavs have wrapped around their team.
Going to the desert to suit up for the Suns makes all the sense in the world for LeBron James.
I’ve heard this scenario from some NBA people, though I’ve heard numerous others as well: staying in Cleveland, moving to New York to a deluxe apartment in the sky, breaking legs for Vinnie in Newark, and running Berkshire Hathaway into the ground for his buddy Warren Buffett.
The truth is, word around the campfire has LeBron in Cleveland next season and beyond. He can still make a boatload of money and build his global empire by the fire of the Cuyahoga. Cleveland makes sense. Plenty of sense. Too much sense, in fact.
Think about Phoenix with Nash running the point, Amar’e Stoudemire finishing in the lane, and LeBron James taking care of everything in between and then some? It’s the perfect scenario for the Phoenix Suns, a team in transition, and LeBron James, a superstar in transition.
Now, the Suns have no chance of signing LeBron James to any kind of contract, they’re dealing with cap and financial issues. A max contract simply isn’t feasible, but that doesn’t mean it still can’t work. Don’t think for a second these facts diminish the chances of LeBron James suiting up in Phoenix purple and orange next season.
Two words: sign and trade. Package Richardson and Barbosa, maybe even throw in the old-timer Grant Hill if the numbers still don’t quite work. Include Aaron Nelson as a cherry on top and the Cavs would be certifiable to turn down such a deal (Nelson would have a trainer’s dream: Hill and his various ailments, O’Neal and his gluteus maximus, Ilgauskaus and his feet.) Cleveland would have more than enough to contend for a six or seven seed in the Eastern Conference, and quite the mismatched haul to show for their exiled superstar.
I don’t really think LeBron James has any idea as to what he will do next summer, but this can, should, and will work, folks. LeBron James wants to share the ball, he wants to share the glory, he wants to share the fame, he wants to check his massive ego, and most of all, he wants to share an NBA championship with the Valley of the Sun. He knows Suns fans are anxious, and he knows that with his help, Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire can bring the elusive Larry O’Brien trophy to downtown Phoenix.
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This may very well be old news for everyone save for me, but EA Sports is bringing back NBA Jam, this time exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. Happy New Year indeed, people.
Steve Fan
Mark McLane
Lou is known for his hustle, shot blocking, poor free throw shooting, bike-riding, brains, D-League super stardom, and above all else, that wonderful, wonderful ponytail. The hair certainly casts a long shadow and helped make him an instant fan favorite, but his consistent play this season has begun to cast it aside. And how about this glamorous shot? Tough enough to trade elbows with Zach Randolph and Nene, AND own the red carpet? That’s what I call versatility. Long, golden, and shiny. It’s not the shoes, it’s the Pert Plus. Eat your heart out, Mr I Have Two MVPs Nash.
Word association:
Hardly a hairstyle, but as there’s no actual hair on his head, I’d say Brian Skinner’s curly, blond goatee qualifies. It’s hideous yet strangely mesmerizing. I hate everything about it but wouldn’t mind walking around with one of my own for a few days. There’s an interesting duality to Skinner’s goatee, including the two color scheme. It’s the yin and yang of NBA facial hair.
Feathered and lethal, and thankfully not coaching the Suns, it’s Vinny Del Negro.
Remember when blond tips were cool? Or the all blond look?
I’ve read through enough of “
The blame game, while less painful, is an equally silly exercise. For Simmons’ part, he places fault almost squarely on the shoulders of owner Robert Sarver, using the constant selling of draft picks and the insulting, pretty please with sugar on top take a hometown discount offer to Joe Johnson as evidence he didn’t want to pay for a great team.
“What if Joe Johnson didn’t break his face on the floor after being fouled from behind by Jerry Stackhouse in the Western Conference Semi-Finals?”
Their free throw shooting is an entirely different story. Did you know the league average from the stripe is 75%? Well, the Suns are shooting a dismal 71% as a team. Remove 
I don’t know what it is about these goofball pictures of Channing Frye and 
-something tells me 
The Suns season is ready to implode anytime now. 
Whatever the reason, if the Suns aren’t sniffing the playoffs come February, things will move to DEFCON 5 rather quickly in the desert, and Kerr will have an itchy doomsday trigger finger. Kiss Nash, Amar’e, and Hill goodbye, and say hello to an honest to goodness rebuilding effort, something I’m not so sure I’m ready for.
Well, I’m darn near positive as to where LeBron James will be playing next season.
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