So far, my NBA predictions have been off the mark this season. Thats always going to happen once in a while and thats the beauty of sports, but you still like to think your expert opinions are correct more often than not! I buried the Heat after their shaky start and they seem to have totally turned it around after that trip to Cleveland. The Cavs might have blown it for the entire league with their ineptitude and lack of heart and pride in that game. I still think the Heat are not good enough to win it all or even win the L-East, but they do seem to have a better handle on playing together and might be good enough go really deep in the playoffs. I also thought the Fakers are looking good enough to may be threaten the 70 win plateau. I was wrong, though I was not entirely serious about the 70 win mark. Some years, teams do look like they are threatening 70 when they go on a long streak and it never really happens. But my point was, the Fakers looked really unbeatable and I think they still are very good. They are still everybody's pick to win it all, but they are nowhere near 70-win good. I am totally fine with it given I am no Faker-fan. I also thought the Warriors were going to be decent, but they seem to be back to where they always belong - the cellar. The suns looked good to me despite their early season record through a tough schedule.
The suns are hovering around 500 though their schedule has been rough. It's not as rough as it was to start the season as the schedule has evened out a little bit given that we have played 25 games, but they are looking more and more like a true .500 team. The loss of Amare has taken it's toll and it's kinda revealing how important he was and how good he is considering that the Knicks are rolling at 16-12 while the suns are 12-13. There is always this discussion about whether guys get over-valued because they look so good playing with Nash and if they will do well without Nash. Guys like Marion have proved that Nash adds more value to them than they ever did to Nash, but with Amare, it's not the case. Amare has proved that he is a true superstar by averaging 26-9 for the Knicks. Coincidentally, Nash's assist numbers are slightly down and his 3-point shooting is down to 33%. I don't think thats directly related to Amare's departure, but one has to wonder. He is still shooting a career high 51.4% and has more than 10 assists a game - both very impressive given his age and the state of this team. We all know the Suns were going to take a step back without Amare, because you need talent in this league and Nash can't compensate for everything. But the more surprising part has been how good Amare has looked in his new colors. Also, the new pieces for the Suns like Hedo have not really jelled and hence the tough predicament.
While I was sadly getting close to being resigned to a season of giving (away wins) and mediocrity, the suns have engineered a trade. It's very interesting in the sense that any change and shake-up is good and trades are great because it shakes up 2 teams. The Magic, for instance, have done exactly that with these trades. They get Hedo back and J-Rich and also Gilbert Arenas for Rashard Lewis from the Wizards. The Magic are making some desperate moves to win now and have given up some cap flexibility, but they have improved. They have gotten a little smaller and have some duplication at certain positions - JRich and Gilbert, but overall they are better. They had no business getting rid of Hedo in the first place. He was perfect for them. As for the suns, I am surprised a old team even got older at a key position, They now have a 33 year old shooting guard instead of a 31 year-old guy in J-Rich. They also hope that Vinsanity now replaces the productivity of J-Rich, who was the scoring leader for the suns. The suns also get some cash in return. With this stupid ownership group, the money part of it was probably the main motivation for the trade - they get some cash, flexibility plus they get out of Hedo's contract. This ownership group has constantly acted cheap and thrown away expensive assets. So I expect them to do the same with the first round pick they got.
However the official reason for the trade is defense. The suns are as usual leading the league in points scored, but they have the worst FG% against in the league and they give up the 2-Nd most points in the league and that explains the record. So they wanted size and defense and are hoping Marcin Gortat will give them both. Also, Pietrus should be a good defender as well. Thats the hope, but I am not entirely buying it. Vinsanity is old and flaky and I am not sure if he can even match J-Rich's consistency and scoring. The potential is there, but a whole lot of other things have been missing with this guy his entire career. I like his talent, but I don't trust him. As for the other pieces, they are nice, but I am not sure how much Gortat is going to provide over and above Lopez and how do those 2 play together? I like Pietrus as a piece around Nash and he can even defend some fools, but he needs to get healthy as well. As a fan, you always have hope, but I feel like this is a trade to nowhere or at best, a lateral move. They are hoping for better chemistry around Nash and I would definitely be curios to check it out. But I don't have much expectations and I still feel like this team is going nowhere. I sure hope my suns prove me wrong with this prediction as well. Speaking of predictions, the Magic just proved me right with 2 of my prior takes. I said the Rashard Lewis contract was stupid and they would do worse with Vince than with Hedo. Let me pat myself on the back for those on the way out.
On a totally unrelated note, fellow sun-devil James Harden is just awesome!
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