Upon Further Review or Hurting Myself again.

Instead of going out to dinner with friends I decided to spend last night at home, in front of the TV, hurting myself, watching the last two Suns games one more time. So I took the laptop on my knees and started re-watching the games in Detroit and Boston. Here’s what I think I saw in no particular order.

Wait a minute! Arron Afflalo (correct? Double R, Double F) is in the starting five for the Pistons. He was drafted a few picks later than Alando Tucker who as of today has played the grand total of FIVE games so far. Why can’t we ever play a rookie, why? Trade all draft picks from here to eternity, maybe the Mavs could give us Dirk Nowitzki if we just pack all first rounders until 2020.

D’Antoni is starting the game on a 2-3 zone defense. Am I watching the right game? I think I saw Amaré coming from the weak side to provide help on defense. Twice! He even seems to care a bit more about what’s going on.

Whit Shaq on the court the Suns are actually a better (forget our initial fears) fastbreak team since they can trust Shaq under the boards and the other four players can just fly quickly to the other side. Yet the Suns are a totally different team from the one that opened the season. Different players, different attitude, different plays, different everything and they’re depending more and more on Nash; without Steve at QB the Suns can’t play offense at all now.

Did you notice nobody seems to miss Marion or is it just me?

I had not realized how good a defender Grant Hill can be. With Nash, Shaq and Hill on the court the Suns have by far the highest basketball IQ on the planet. It should have happened 4 years ago.
Shaq can give the Suns 20 minutes (no more) of high quality basketball each night, despite being in the best shape of the last 2-3 years, another great job by the Suns training staff.

The Suns have completely stopped playing the pick and roll between Nash and Shaq which they tried often in the first four games of the Era of the Big Cactus. Wow, how about trying to defend a pick and roll between Diaw and Nash with Steve actually setting the pick and getting open for a three…lovely. (It happened with 5:50 left in the second of the Detroit game).

I don’t like Gordan Giricek.

Do you recall the last time the Suns had a little help from the officials? C’mon ref, that’s an offensive foul

Leandro Barbosa is definitely overrated, as much as I love the guy he’s still very far from being a complete basketball player, he’s the best at coming off the bench, shooting and running as fast as he can, but he’s far from getting the inner details of this game. Don’t get me wrong, I like Leandrinho, Beep Beep !

These days Stoudemire vs Garnett is the best match-up in the NBA to watch, possibly even better than Lebron vs Kobe. KG (I know we should have made that deal) can change a team like no other player in the NBA. I love that guy, he’s the best overall player in the game right now, no one can give you so much on BOTH sides of the court. Garnett has to be League’s MVP. Kobe, Lebron, Paul, are all great players, possibly with superior talent, but he’s the MVP. (all photos by AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

And finally, give us the playoffs, I am getting tired of the regular season.

Go Suns !

Would you trade Stoudemire for Garnett now?

During the offseason talks of the past Summer most of us discussed about a possible trade bringing Kevin Garnett to Phoenix.

Before KG being dealt to Boston on July 31st for a bunch of more or less promising young players - and a lifetime beer supply from Danny Ainge to old pal Kevin McHale - the Suns made a real attempt to bring him to the Valley.

More or less, from what we know now, the Suns were offering, in a three-team deal, Shawn Marion and some draft picks for Garnett while Minnesota was asking for Stoudemire.

Steve Kerr basically refused to include one of the best young center in the League, STAT, in any talk with the Timberwolves. Most of us, included myself on this same blog, agreed with Kerr's point of view.

Now, after two months of the season I am not so sure anymore.

Kevin Garnett (6-11, 31-year-old) 18.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, +26.56 EFF

KG has changed the face of the Celtics. Garnett plays all-out every night, he's shooting well (.545) and playing the best defense in the league. NBA MVP so far this season.

Amaré Stoudemire (6-10, 25-year-old) 21.5 PPG, 8.70 RPG, 1.2 APG, +24.89 EFF

STAT is playing one of the best, if not the best, season of his career on offense (shooting .584) while showing all his well-known limits on defense.

It all come down to this I believe: STAT means future (5-7 more years at this level) and offense while KG means present and a better overall game. Since Steve Nash is 33, Grant Hill is 35 , Shawn Marion is 29, the best chance the Suns have to win it all is NOW (this and possibly next season).

If I had a choice now I would trade STAT for KG. I feel Steve Kerr would do the same....now. But that's just speculation.

Go Suns !

So KG is a Celtic...Can we have our schedule now?

NBA 2007-08 schedule was supposed to be released today, but since David Stern knows when to "use a good news" - and he needs some "real" game news lately - the schedule will be relaesed later in the week. That's because there was a big news to report already. In a League where trade talks remain "just talks" most of the time an All-star going to one of the oldest and most prestigious franchise -not to mention one the country's biggest media market - is definetly a "Big Ticket" news.

As you all know by now, Kevin Garnett is a Celtic and a good guess is that his no. 5 jersey will be the top seller in the League comes November.
On the Celtics website you're greeted by a smiling KG under the words "Now we have the Big Ticket ... click here for Celtics tickets". They know their marketing up in the Northeast.

The move put Boston back on the basketball map: with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and KG they are possibly the, favourite to win the Atlantic with a real chance of fighting the Bulls, the Pistons and the Cavs for a place in the Finals.
Not to mention that basketball BUZZ is back in Beantown. I am sure the Commish loves this move.

The Timberwolves acquired forwards Al Jefferson, Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes, guard Sebastian Telfair and center Theo Ratliff, along with two first-round draft picks and cash considerations from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Garnett. They'll try to rebuild around Jefferson, Green, Foye and their top pick from this year's Draft, Corey Brewer. All things considered, I can't see how someone could even think this being an even trade. Minnesota got a couple of prospects and not much more for one of the best five players in the NBA. If I had just renewed my T-Wolves season ticket I think I'll ask for some money back!

Of all the comments I read over the last 24 hours, I think Marc Stein got it perfectly in his latest ESPN.com column blaming it on Minnesota owner Glen Taylor. Almost everyone (laugh with Bill Simmons about it "The tale of two Kevin" on ESPN Page two) agrees this was one of Kevin McHale greatest plays in an already great Celtics career!

To Suns fans this causes mixed feelings: we'll never see KG running the field along Steve Nash in a Suns uniform (that the bad part of it) nor we'll see him play with Kobe Bryant in a Lakers shirt (that's the good part). Above all I like the fact that he's going East.

In other Suns news, former Suns’ guard Jay Humphries has been named as an assistant coach and you can read his first one on one interview on Suns.com. He seems like a nice basketball man and I am sure he'll be of great help to Coach D'Antoni trying to replace Marc Iavaroni.

One last note...if you don't mind nice girls dancing on a basketball court yelling "Go Suns" you should check the official audition video for 2007-08 Suns Dancers.

All this said...Dear Mr. Stern, could we please have our 2007-08 schedule?

Go Suns !