No Blood No Foul

Amare is going get moved this month – here’s why:

1. Phoenix can win almost as many games without Amare as they can with him. If you saw Phoenix and Dallas play last Thursday, you know that Phoenix has a bunch of scrappy young athletic bigs that can shoot and finish. I’m not saying they’re better without Amare – no chance – but they’re not much worse is he leaves town.
2. Phoenix could lose Amare this summer for nothing.
3. Phoenix can’t afford Amare if he decides not to opt out. Phoenix needs Amare off the books this summer if they want to make some moves and make their team better without going over the luxury cap.
4. Phoenix can still get under the luxury cap. If Phoenix can trade for a talented young PF while also reducing salary by about $3 million (possible), they might consider trading Channing Frye to a team with a trade exception (hello Nuggets!) to get under the cap. This would be HUGE financially.

Here’s the trick for Phoenix: whatever move Phoenix makes, it has to be viewed as part of a bigger plan to get better. If Steve Nash decides Phoenix is throwing in the towel and asks for a trade, Phoenix becomes a less talented version of the Golden State Warriors. Here are the possibilities: (more…)

A report on Yahoo Sports today says that the Phoenix Suns are considering moving Amar’e Stoudemire. Rumors abound that Amar’e is dissatisfied with his new coach, his reduced offensive role, and the fact that people keep asking him to play defense. This shouldn’t come as a surprise – the knock on Amar’e since he joined the NBA has been his attitude.

Still, it must be said that Amar’e can flat-out ball. The guy has moves, an excellent mid-range game, and he can finish. If the Suns really are interested in moving Amar’e for a combination of youth and expiring contracts (as the report on Yahoo suggested), there are only a handful of teams that have a legit opportunity to land Amar’e. (more…)

Phoenix keeps winning games, but something is different this year. Nash and Amare look great, and Grant Hill looks better than he has in 10 years, but something is still wrong. They’re not the team they were last year.

Part of the problem might be the “been there, done that” feel the regular season must have for the Suns. They have demolished teams in the regular season for the past 3 years, but they kept coming up short in the playoffs. Maybe they’re thinking the regular season isn’t too important. (more…)

OK – here’s where I put my money where my mouth is. My playoff predictions for the upcoming NBA season, in order of seed:

1) Phoenix Suns – With all the angst from last season, these guys have got a big chip on their shoulder that should translate to the best record in the league. (more…)

It seemed like every day the Phoenix Suns were popping up in the rumor mills. Shawn Marion’s name floated around most often even though Amare appeared to come the closest to actually being traded. In the end, the Suns managed to pick up Grant Hill and trade Kurt Thomas for a bag of balls.

Steve Nash can’t be too happy. (more…)

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