I'm Back

Okay so this doesn’t quite have the cache that Jordan had when he came back in ’95, but maybe the same as the 2001 comeback. Either way I’m back in the blog writing business…err pastime. Let’s begin right where we left off: the Suns.

(Editor’s note: these are original ideas that sprung up before the season started and in no way did the first game influence these opinions, but it would have been nice to write this before-hand.)

I’m sure you’ve heard all of the projections about this team. They range from less than 40 wins and missing the playoffs to another 50 plus win season and making another deep run in the playoffs like the Suns did last year. I can understand both sides, but personally I know which way I’m leaning.

I realize that this is how last season started, with a lot of uncertainty and change at key spots coming into the season. Last year was Alvin Gentry’s first full season as head coach. Amare Stoudemire was back for a full season after missing the stretch run the previous season with an eye injury. Other questions remained. How is the defense? Can Amare rebound? Is Steve Nash over-the-hill? And the answer was shown in a trip to the Western Conference Finals where they made a serious run at an NBA championship.

As great as that season was, and as much as I would like to be optimistic for another magical season like that, things are different this year, and the elephant in the room is on everyone’s mind. How is this team going to replace Amare Stoudemire’s production? Now, I’m sure the first thing that pops into everyone’s mind is the 23.1 points per game that he put up last year. Personally, I think the points can come from a variety of different sources. Of course I understand that it’s not going to be easy and anytime a player with Amare’s efficiency leaves, it will be difficult to make up. However, Robin Lopez and Hedo Turkoglu can both run the pick and roll with Stoudemire to some effect. Jason Richardson, Steve Nash and Grant Hill will all need to chip in as well to make up for some of those shots. The offensive production can be made up as long as it is done efficiently. The last thing this team needs is 8-10 clear-out plays a game for Jason Richardson or Hedo Turkoglu. Team basketball is what makes this team so special. The biggest question on offense will be who gets the ball when the jump shots aren’t falling. That has been one of the biggest knocks on the Suns, they are a jump shooting team. Well, if they were a jump shooting team last year then this year they will be even more so. Last year when the jumpers weren’t falling the Suns could pound the ball inside to Stoudemire, whether that was off the pick and roll with Nash or giving it off at the high post and letting him take his defender off the dribble. For as much flak as Amare got he was a great player and will be missed more than most fans realize.

The other side of that elephant is the rebounding. Again, Amare got a lot of flak from the media about his poor rebounding. And he should have, he rebounded much worse than his potential. But look who the front office is using as replacements: Robin Lopez and Hedo Turkoglu. Both of these two players are sub-par rebounders at best, and utterly hopeless at worst. Robin Lopez had 7.2 rebounds per 36 minutes last season versus Amare’s 9.4. Turkoglu’s best career average per 36 minutes was only 6.6 rebounds. If only I had posted this before Tuesday night’s opener against the Blazers. I would have looked prophetic. The Blazers shot 46% and missed 50 shots on the night. Of those 50 potential defensive rebounds the Suns only grabbed 23. TWENTY-THREE!!!!! That’s atrocious! That is less than a 50% defensive rebounding rate. Yuck. Grant Hill and Jason Richardson are both above-average rebounders for their position, but they need to be out on the break after the rebound to push the pace with Steve Nash. The Suns aren’t going to be able to push the ball and get nearly as many open threes as they have in seasons past if both Hill and Richardson need to help crash the boards. This almost makes me wonder if it wasn’t a better idea to keep Lou Amundson just for his rebounding. His 10.0 rebounds per 36 minutes were much better than the Suns’ current frontcourt. And for a measly $2.25 million it seems like a good fit to me.

I just wonder how difficult it would have been to acquire Josh Smith from Atlanta in the offseason. I never heard any rumors with life to them, but Valley of the Suns blogger Michael Schwartz wrote about the seemingly great match as well. His defense, athleticism and rebounding just seem like an absolutely perfect fit for this team right now. You can’t tell me that a Smith for Turkoglu, Earl Clark and 2nd round deal isn’t attractive right now. One can only hope that the Hawks implode this season after inking a soon-to-be lifeless Joe Johnson to a$100-and-something million deal and are ready to shake things up. Although, a trade for Smith would most likely need to include Jason Richardson’s expiring contract and not Turkoglu who is under contract until 2014.

I guess this is why I write on an unknown blog and don’t make the big decisions.