The Suns acquired Shaq from the Heat to put them over the top for a title.
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The Phoenix Suns are a team headed in the wrong direction, or the more political correct phrase “a team in transition”. The Suns are about one or two injuries away from being in serious trouble in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. . They are going from the fast-paced offense to more of a defensive mentality with Kerr/Porter at the helm. Steve Nash has been branded as bad defensively for years, even though he has shown signs of improvement over the last couple of seasons.
A perennial elite team for the last 3-4 years but unable to get over the hump and reach the promised land, fingers were pointed on all directions to zero in the problem. When the smoke cleared the suns' management where just staring at one figure - Mike D'Antonio.
D’Antonio turned the Suns into the best running team in the league but never believed that "defense" is what separates the boys from the men in the playoffs. Yes, they were fun to watch but certainly, they never improved some facet of the game that could have spelled greater success for them.
With Terry Porter as their new head coach, the team now has a definite change of identity. Talent-wise, the Suns are as good as any team or even better. Steve Nash, now nearing retirement, still has a good year or two, Shaquille O’Neil may not be the player of 10 years ago, but his presence still can bring many positives on the court. Amare Stoudamire is in peak form and considered one of the best power forwards today. Veteran Grant Hill only needs to be healthy to play competitively for 20-25 minutes a game. Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw, and Raja Bell are all seasoned veterans that add spunk to this team. New recruits Robin Lopez and Matt Barnes should be excellent with limited 8-12 minutes a game exposure.
The Suns will bounce back and be a force to reckon with. As they will unveil a new identity, team chemistry will be improved in every game. Pride of veterans Nash, O’Neil, HilI and Bell will keep this team on their toes and competitive. It will be interesting to see how this team will unfold in the playoffs this season.
PREDICTION: Second in the weak Pacific
Mike Zink has been a part time sports reporter for nearly 15 years, covering all of the major circuits plus most college and high school sports. Fantasy Sports is relatively new to him but plans to treat it like everything else he has covered. Being the new kid on the block, with just a little under five years as a Fantasy Sports contributor Mike plans to go all out as basketball is his number one passion and his goal is to keep you up to speed in your respective leagues. In his spare time Mike works for several local papers, and has interviewed many of the top players in the game, so he feels qualified in bringing the very best that he can give.