Eighth seed. Out of the playoffs. A breath away from rebuilding.
That's what all the "experts" were saying about the Phoenix Suns before this season. Certainly they didn't expect the Suns to be a game and a half out south of second place in the mighty Western Conference.
While this author had a hunch this would be the case, he was wrong about why. Sure, Phoenix is back to running, but it's not the frenetic chaos of half a decade ago. instead, it's opportunistic fast breaks, with half-court offense now a viable option instead of a last resort.
But the Suns were falling fast in December and January, going 7-9 both months and compelling fans and management to make calls regarding personnel.
Amare Stoudemire was a breath away from an address change due to his aversion to defense and rebounding. Channing Frye, a scalding hot new weapon from the outside, was the coldest thing in Arizona. Super-sub Leandro Barbosa was shelved with an injury after laboring to underproduction, and Jason Richardson was an overpriced but under-wanted asset.
All that added up to the Suns being out of the playoff picture at one point, behind star-less Houston and upstart Memphis.
What changed?
A lot.Be ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Matt Petersen
Phoenix Suns: Five Reasons They’re Shining Better Than Expected
March 31st, 2010 by Matt Petersen Leave a reply »
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