Phoenix? Or Icarus...

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Written by Don

Saturday, 06 December 2008 00:00

Is the sun setting in Phoenix?

It's absolutely amazing to watch Steve Nash looked befuddled. Dazed and confused. Shell-shocked. Amare Stoudemire pouting, sulking. Petulant. But they are becoming all-too-regular sights these days with the Phoenix Suns.

After the 2003-04 season, Steve Nash became a free agent, and Mark Cuban let Steve Nash escape, preferring to build his team around Dirk Nowitzki. Nash returned to Phoenix (where he was initially drafted), and the franchise took off under the fast-paced attack of Mike D'Antoni. They were fast, focused, and formidable.

Fast forward to the '08/09 season, with roster changes and a new coach, and the Suns look lost.

There are those that point to Terry Porter, and the inevitable differences between he and departing coach, Mike D'Antoni. And that's understandable - Porter's system is a slow bump and grind - far, far removed from the tempo of D'Antoni. Porter has the Suns plodding through a half-court offense, set it up, work for a shot.

This, for the team that once played to an ethos of "7 seconds or less"...

It would be easy to point at Terry Porter for the team's questionable start to the season, to look at Mike D'Antoni's departure as the reason for the Phoenix Suns' somnolency. But that would be perpetuating a lie. The malaise that grips the Suns started well before the appointing of a new coach.

June 6th 2007, Steve Kerr was promoted to the position of President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. Kerr had been partner in Robert Sarver's takeover of Phoenix, and served Sarver in an advisory capacity for the duration of Sarver's ownership. Under a year later, Kerr told Mike D'Antoni that he was "...free to talk to speak with other franchises about coaching jobs." Less than a week later, D'Antoni joined the Knicks.

Mike D'Antoni, who coached the Suns to an average of over 55 wins per season for four seasons, basically dismissed.

Still, the writing was on the wall with the procurement of Shaquille O'Neal. Is there another center in the league that fits the 7 seconds credo worse than Shaq? Maybe Zydrunus Ilgauskas... but point made.

For all Shaq's protesting that he can run - and he made it obvious he thought he was up to the task in recent comments made to the press...

"If we're going to run, we should stop talking about it and just do it," O'Neal said. "We don't need coach's permission to get a rebound and run. I'm going to be the one igniting the break because I'm getting most of the rebounds. It doesn't matter to me. I can play any style."

- The Arizona Republic, Dec 3rd 08

There's just no way that Shaq hustles like Nash & Co. did prior to the arrival of the Big Cactus.

We were told by Steve Kerr, and to a lesser extent D'Antoni that it was initially D'Antoni's idea to bring O'Neal on to the team - specifically to combat the Tim Duncan lead Spurs (a plan which failed miserably). We're expected to swallow that? Please...

Mike D'Antoni throwing out the offensive scheme that he swears by to fit in an aging, overweight once-was-a-superstar player? Don't believe it for a second.

All Kerr. And Terry Porter better get his game together, otherwise the Suns GM will start looking at other options. If it doesn't begin to work soon, then the franchise will have to look at their options regarding making a competitive unit for the future.

Last words on this, and they were made back before they sacked (and regardless of what the official terminology used, D'Antoni was "sacked") D'Antoni, said by me to Steve Kerr (well... figuratively so):

"...as a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, for this… from the bottom of my heart, I thank you."