Rockets beat Suns 100-97 in Summer League opener

Donte Green scored 40 points on 12-of-20 shooting to lead the Rockets past the Summer Suns 100-97 last night in Las Vegas in the opening game of the 2008 Summer League for both teams.

Suns sophomores D.J. Strawberry and Alando Tucker - last year’s picks in case you forgot - each scored 22 points in the Suns 2008 Summer League debut.D.J. shot 7-for-15 from the field and missed on his only two 3-point attempts, including one in the closing seconds of the game that would have tied it at 100. Alando went 6-of-16 from the field and both grabbed 6 rebounds as well.

The biggest news of the day had to be Robin Lopez first game with the Suns. Robin had a solid game more or less confirming the scouting reports we saw immediately after the 2008 Draft: athletic player, solid rebounder, good defender, can run the floor but can’t shoot.Lopez scored a good 19 points (5-for-13 from the field but a very poisitve 9-of-11 from the free-throw line), grabbed 5 rebounds, had 7 fouls called on him in 27 minutes of play.

From what we’ve seen last night nobody else really emerged as a possible candidate for a spot on the 2008/09 Suns roster.

It was the usual Summer League game, a lot of young athletic players running and hustling on both sides of the court, up and down all night. At least it was a real game of basketball.

The Suns (0-1) will now face the Spurs (1-0) on Thursday afternoon (5:30 PM).

Go Suns !

The 2008 Suns...Summer version

Amid all the talks and the rumors at least we're about to see some basketball. It's once again Summer League Time. Not the best game on the planet I understand, but at least they're keeping scores and you can actually watch most of the games on TV....Oh, and a few of the guys will play in November.

The most interesting thing will be watching Robin Lopez make his pro debut and taking a look at Tucker and Strawberry to check if they are better then last summer. By the way, D.J. had a very good summer league last year and he's not guranteed a contract for nex year.

I am sure I would love the Summer League given a chance to spend a week in Vegas...not bad, a vacation in Vegas with some basketball as a throw in.

Anyway, the Summer Suns, 2008 version coached by Thunder Dan Majerle will begin play on July 14th at 5:30 against the Summer Rockets. The Schedule will run through Sunday July, 20th and the Suns will play the Spurs, Knicks (and have a look at Gallinari), the Blazers (Oden? Fernandez...who was a Sun for 15 minutes) and the Wizards.

Generally the Summer coach is one of the Suns assistants so Majerle is perfect, plus Dan is in great shape, sporting a great tan...or in other words just perfect for a Summer League in Vegas.

The Summer Suns Roster is made of group of young players (basically all rookies) most of whom - with the possible exception of F Rod Benson, PG Jared Jordan and G Marcus Vinicius - won't have a chance to make the roster but it's a great occasion to show the world how talented you are playing against high draft picks.

I know it's not the real thing, but I am looking forward to some basketball...it's been long since the Suns lost to the Spurs basically ending my basketball season.

Go Suns !

The Direction of the Suns !?

After watching his press conference (Check it on YouTube) I already love Robin Lopez! But...

Lopez is at best an NBA bench player, maybe a solid pro for years but will take time to develop since the guy, based on what I know is very limited with the basketball. Next year he could be more or less a Brian Skinner (no blonde beard...but that hairs rock), more athletic but a worse mid range shooter, even if Steve Kerr stated he has a good shooting touch.
He also has the perfect skills (solid defender, good rebounder) to play alongside Stoudemire (great offensive player, possibly the best in the NBA at his position). I would have loved the pick in the second round.

With second round pick Goran Dragic very unlikely to be in Phoenix next season. It means the Suns are still looking for the 2008/09 back up to Steve Nash. He has a nice upside, but he's at best a 2-3 year project. He'll be ready once Nash will be gone.

The direction of the Suns is quite unclear at the moment.

The Suns roster looks like this:

Guard: Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa, D.J. Strawberry and Goran Dragic, maybe.
Forwards: Grant Hill, Boris Diaw, Alando Tucker.
Center: Shaquille O'Neal, Amaré Stoudemire, Robin Lopez.

So far the Suns are the same as last year: very good, old at key positions, not enought depth, without a clear identity and overall not good enough for a Championship run.

Go Suns !

With the 15th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft the Suns pick Stanford Center Robin Lopez

So the Suns picked Stanford 7-foot center Robin Lopez with the 15th pick and drafted Oregon guard Malik Hairstom in the second round (48th overall) and sent him along with cash to the Spurs for the rights to Slovenian guard Goran Dragic who look very promising (I have seen him play a few times and he's a very good young player) but won't be available at least for another year or two.

Robin's brother Brook was drafted with the 10th overall pick by the Nets. I wonder if it has ever happened before.

The Suns need a point guard NOW and a small forward, unless Coach Porter think he can use Diaw at the 3 position.

Lopez is a solid player, a good defender and rebounder. I am just not sure what this pick means for the Suns. I expect a few additional moves in the offseason and above all I expect a very different Suns team next season, maybe not in the roster but for sure in the way they'll play.


Go Suns !

2008 NBA Blogger Mock Draft

Chirs from the What Would Oakley Do? blog (a nice Sports and NY Knicks blog) had a great idea: Put together a bunch of NBA bloggers and invite them to hold a 2008 mock draft.

Chris was also so kind to invite me to represent the Suns.

The result was a great post, a much better mock draft than the usual mainstream stuff.

In case you're intersted, the Phoenix Suns picked PG Mario Chalmers from Kansas with the 15th pick.

The Pick: Mario Chalmers, out of the University of Kansas

The Reason For: For once the Suns will draft a player they can use and not simply pick some talent and ship him somewhere else for future picks or cash considerations as they did with Loul Deng, Rajon Rondo, Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez. The Suns' biggest needs are (1) find a back up point guard to play at least 15 minutes a game; (2) add some defense to the team and (3) find someone who can play right now, as the Suns are looking at a 2-year window. Plus Chalmers reminds a bit of Terry Porter, solid defender, good shooter and ready to play with a 3-year experience at a top-level program like Kansas. So, Mario, welcome to the Valley!

Go Suns !

2008 NBA Draft. Suns need a guard, not cash

This year’s NBA Draft could be very important in shaping the future of the Phoenix Suns. Let’s just hope the ownership and the new coaching staff are willing to grab something other than cash.

The Suns will indeed pick 15th and hopefully, since they’ll make the Playoffs in the next couple of years this could be the best chance to grab some talent that could eventually make the difference.

Consider that the Suns biggest needs, not counting cash considerations, are more or less these:
1. Back up point guard
2. Athletic small forward
3. Shooting guard
4. Defense

The Suns draft history has ranged from bad to worse lately, even if the front office has been able to pick some good players.

There were some mistakes (Cabarkapa in 2004, Gortat in 2005) but over the last 4 years the Suns have drafted plenty of good players that eventually became good NBA players.
The kind of players the Suns are now in desperate need. A check of the Suns draft history is quite revealing in this sense.

Need a back up point guard?
The Suns drafted Nate Robinson (2005, later traded to NY for K. Thomas later traded to Seattle for cash); Rajon Rondo (2006, traded to Cleveland for draft picks); Sergio Rodriguez (2006, traded to Portland for cash).

How about a small forward?
The Suns picked Loul Deng in 2004 and traded him to Chicago for picks, the rights to Jackson Vroman (who?) and of course cash.

In other words, the Suns did well in spotting talent but made plenty of poor decisions either trading or simply in the way they used – or not used – those players. This eventually cost Mike D’Antoni his job.

Getting back to the Suns needs entering the 2008 Draft, last season the Suns drafted the best guard available in Europe in Rudy Fernandez, a defensive minded point guard in D.J. Strawberry and an athletic small forward in Alando Tucker. Then of course they traded away the right to Rudy (guess what…for cash !) and basically never gave a chance to D.J. and Doe.

So what to do with the 15th pick this year?

I believe the Suns should pick a guard in the first round hoping one between D.J. Augustin (Texas), Mario Chalmers (Kansas), Brandon Rush (Kansas) could be available. Just please, pick one, let him play and avoid trading the guy to Portland for cash an hour after the trade.

Go Suns !

Steve Kerr and Terry Porter. Notes form the Presser

Terry Porter was introduced yesterday as the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns during a well attended press conference at US Airways Center.
Among the usual array of common sense and typical “I’m glad to be here, it’s a great opportunity and so on” a few interesting notes emerged from the presser.

Porter and Kerr agreed that “it’s going to be a different team looking forward”. On Shaq, the new Coach stated “he has some game left” and that he’ll “sit down with Nash and Hill” to talk about the Suns.

The Suns will play a similar up-tempo game to the one we’re used to, but more attention will be given to pick and roll and of course, the great missing, defense.

Steve Kerr wanted Rick Adelman, whom he considers the best in the business and quoted the fact that Porter (himself and Mike D'Antoni) have had some experience under Coach Adelman as a reason why Terry was chosen as the new coach of the Suns.

Most of all, let’s just make it clear: Steve Kerr is the real head coach of the Suns while Terry Porter will be paid to be his man on the bench. At least that’s what I understood from watching an humble and shy Terry Porter saying very few words, while it was Steve Kerr giving the answers. I might be wrong, of course.

Go Suns !

The Search is over. Terry Porter to coach the Suns

After interviewing almost every available NBA assistant, broadcasters and former Suns, GM Steve Kerr signed the first guy he auditioned for the job.

The long wait was becoming a bit nerve wrecking and the fact that the GM was actually working out prospects for the Draft without an Head Coach in place was a bit disturbing.

As you all know by now, Terry Porter will replace Mike D’Antoni as the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns. He’s expected to sign a 3-year deal and could be introduced early next week.

Terry had an outstanding playing career that lasted 17 season and was one of the best guard in the league while playing with the great Blazers team of the late 80’s early 90’s. He’s always been known as a great competitor but a classy guy on and off the court.

His coaching experience is a bit limited, even if it was the longest among the possible candidates. Porter coached the Milwaukee Bucks for two seasons (2003-05 withe a record of 71-93 .433) and was currently an assistant with the Detroit Pistons.He made the Playoffs in his first year with the Bucks and he helped develop rookie PG T.J. Ford into an NBA player.

Porter is the man Steve Kerr wanted from the beginning. They played together with the Spurs for a few seasons at the end of their playing careers. He’s Steve’s choice 100 percent and I am sure during the last few weeks they discussed the Suns agenda, an agenda that I believe could look more or less like that:

1. Play Defense. It won’t be easy, but at least trying could help.
2. Develop a point guard one that could back up Nash and eventually take over in a couple of years.
3. Stay competitive while rebuilding, that’s the tough part…as it’s never been done in the NBA.

I think the 3-year deal is the key as Porter should be allowed to work with a long-term perspective of guiding the Suns transition from an aging but still very talented and competitive team to a new younger version. In a couple of years Steve Nash will be a full-time film producer or an amateur soccer player, Shaq will be a full-time Super Cop and STAT will still trying to become the Man in the Locker Room.

Kerr and Porter will now have a few weeks to evaluate the situation and get ready for the draft. It’ll be the first real test for the new coach. So, Welcome to the Valley, Coach Porter.

Go Suns !

Phoenix probe lands on Mars

According to CNN "Diesel-powered" Phoenix probe landed on Mars a few hours ago.

According to other unconfirmed sources, should any form of life be found on the planet, Steve Kerr will likely interview it for the head coach position with the Suns.

Suns.com reported earlier in the week that the Suns have begun an extensive search for the new head coach as more than a dozen candidate could be interviewed for the job.

Good luck, Captain Steve

Go Suns !

It looks so 80's

Update on the Suns coaching carousel. So far GM Steve Kerr has interviewed or planning to do so very soon:

Mark Jackson, Terry Porter, Elston Turner, Tyrone Corbin (looking good in a the Suns photo) and Paul Silas

Is Steve Kerr trying to put on an 80’s all star game?

With Del Negro and Kerr himself we could field a pretty good team.

Go Suns !

Searching for the Perfect New Suns Coach

Amid all the talks about possible candidates for the Suns head coach position (see the great short list compiled by Greg Esposito on AZ Sports Hub) I find it difficult to find a candidate I really like to coach the Suns next season.

The key is understanding what’s inside Steve Kerr mind:

Whether `tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of REBUILDING NOW or to take arms against a sea of troubles and GIVE THIS TEAM ONE MORE SHOT AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP.

In the former case the Suns need a teacher, a coach who can evaluate and develop talent, trade away all the big salaries and start rebuilding around Stoudemire; in the latter Suns need a manager and a leader one that can ask a bunch of aging offensive minded players to play defense and deal with the huge pressure of having to win it now. Avery Johnson would be a good fit I think.

I think it would make sense to start a rebuilding process now but I am not sure I’d enjoy it. It’ll mean at least two, maybe three, years of losing basketball and that IF you do a good job. As it happened in the past it’s possible that you choose a coach to start the process, grow talent and after a couple of losing season his successor will be the one getting the fame and the glory. Teachers often fail in this crazy NBA.

Ideally the Suns could follow the Blazers route to glory and avoid a Bulls like collapse of the post MJ era. Paul Silas could make it work.

I don’t know.

Go Suns !

Ciao Mike. D'Antoni signs with the Knicks

Mike D'Antoni (Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic) is officially the former coach of the Phoenix Suns after signing a 4-year 24 million deal with the New York Knicks.

I think it was the right decision for him, personally, and for the Suns. It was clear D'Antoni and the Suns front office could not work together anymore.

Thanks Mike, whatever it was four great years (253-136 .650 winning pct.), at least 3 were really great, and we saw the best basketball on the planet.

It's clear Steve Kerr wants someone who can actually coach defense but it's better not to forget the Suns players, more or less, simply can't play defense.

Now it's time to move on. List the candidates for the position, evaluate the situation, prepare for the draft, make some moves.

Grazie Mike e Buona Fortuna!

Go Suns !

D'Antoni won't coach the Suns next season

Clues are now adding up. Solid evidence is growing that Mike D'Antoni will not coach the Suns next season.

Clue no. 1
Suns denied reports of D'Antoni departure. In pro sport it generally means he's already gone.

Clue no. 2
The initial meeting between D'Antoni, Kerr and the Owner couldn't reach a decision. You don't need to postpone a decision another 10 days if you plan to retain the Coach.

Clue no. 3
ESPN.com is reporting D'Antoni will be allowed to talk to other teams with New York and Chicago the most likely destinations.

The Suns need a change. That's step 1.

Go Suns!