Suns of Anarchy

The most depressing thing in sports right now is the plight of my beloved Phoenix Suns. They got into the news this week the only way they can, by firing their head coach Jeff Hornacek. The cute story of an old-time, classy, and quiet Suns player coming back post retirement to coach the team came to a sad and horrible end in the middle of his third season. There is a saying in business, "don't let your success kill you." To some extent, thats exactly what happened to Hornacek. He started his coaching career with a 48-34 record in 2013-14 when nobody expected anything out of the team. The Suns at that time were coming off a disastrous 25 win season and had a joke for a coach in Lindsey Hunter. They were barely one season into the post-Nash era which was one challenging and horrible season as expected and they had fired Alvin Gentry mid-season to replace him with Hunter. 

Horny was not expected to do much in year one, but he turned the team around overnight behind 2 exciting guards. Suns continued to play an entertaining brand of fast-ball similar to the previous regime and Horny was also surprisingly winning games. But unfortunately, 48 wins in the wild west gets you nothing except a few less ping-pongs in the draft lottery. In retrospect, this unexpected early success screwed everything up. Instead of debating Andrew Wiggins versus Jabari Parker in the summer of 2014, Suns fans and the front office was now dreaming about playoffs and free agents like LeBron James and championships. And then GM Ryan McDonough did something that to this day makes no sense to me. He went out and signed 5'9" point guard Isaiah Thomas to go with the other two PGs he already had on his roster - Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic, who were both actually good and were the engine behind the 48-win team. 

That was the beginning of the end. Why in the world did he need a 3rd small guard? There are a lot of legitimate rationalizations of this decision including the messy contract situation of Bledsoe and Goran, but the IT signing is the singular reason I believe McDonough will and should lose his job. I trace all of the current problems to that one decision. It went south fast from there and I hate Isaiah Thomas to this day for that. Poor guy, none of this was his fault and all he did for the Suns was play hard. But McDonough bringing him in was a big mistake. Not only did the Suns not have enough shots to go around, they didn't even have enough dribbles to go around with these 3 guards. This pissed Dragic off and he wanted out. They were not winning enough games either to even match the previous year's 48. They had to trade the Dragon and that was a bummer. Not only was the dragon a good baller, he also provided us an emotional connection to the Nash era of the Suns. 

McDonough also traded IT and brought in Brandon Knight. We were in the midst of another reload and all these moves were neither here nor there. The team was a mess. We can't blame owner Robert Sarver either because they have been willing to spend the last 2 season and have been chasing big name free agents. But stars like LaMarcus Aldridge are not biting. Signing the aging Tyson Chandler in the hopes of landing LaMarcus was another huge gamble that looks bad now. This season started with a lot of hope and went downhill in a hurry. We then had towel-gate-2 as another mediocre power forward threw a towel on the face of a Suns ex-player and current head coach in the midst of a horrible season. Unfortunately, Kieff is still with the team and it's the coach who is gone. Not quite the Anige-Horry ending yet. I hope they get rid off Kieff soon despite his great game under coach Watson tonight. 

Now we are in this mess with Earl Watson coaching the team. Part of me thinks he is Lindsey Hunter redux, but part of me also thinks he looks like a classy and smart man and hope he succeeds. There are rumors of the team wanting Nash coaching the team next year, but I think this idea is a non-starter. Nash doesn't look ready to tie himself down with a coaching gig. The Suns are 14-36 right now after starting the season 7-5. They may not win 25 games this year and this feels like the Suns' worst season in my memory. The 2012-13 disaster will always give a tough fight for the worst season award and the one silver lining we got this season is Devin Booker. This 19 year-old gives us some hope. The upcoming off-season will be very interesting - high draft pick and lots of cap money that stars may or may not take. McDonough is considered a smart, young GM, but I wouldn't be too sad if he loses his job. Much like Hornacek, McDonough has earned his firing with everything that has happened in the last year and a half. Bring on the off-season already!

The indecision is over.

The good news is, Dwight Howard takes Steve Nash closer than ever to a championship. The bad news is, another big market, high profile, large payroll team took a superstar away from the small market Orlando Magic. The worse news is, that rich team that just got richer is the dreaded LA Lakers. If Nash made them better, Howard definitely makes them a legitimate contender. Howard tried his best to help LeBron out by taking over the title of the "most hated player in the NBA". He has been a disaster the last 9 months or so with all the drama surrounding his on-again, off-again trade requests and his upcoming free agency. Everybody was tired of this garbage, but it is finally over now. On the court, Howard is a legitimate superstar, though the player he is replacing - Andrew Bynum, is not bad either. Bynum is actually better than Howard in terms of offensive post moves, but Howard is better in every other category. Dwight is more athletic, is a better rebounder, a better defender, and an awesome shot-blocker.

The biggest benefit for the Lakers that Dwight brings might actually be the intangibles - especially in 2012 when he is expected to miss some time and will hopefully and slowly get back to his original form coming back from that back surgery. As messy as Dwight's divorce from the Magic was, he is still much more mentally stable and mature than Bynum. Bynum comes off like a immature punk and doesn't inspire a whole lot of trust and confidence despite his immense physical gifts. Dwight also has the hype of a superstar and that raises the championship profile of the Lakers. This can translate into better focus and performance on the court since the players, along with the fans, now believe they are true contenders. Belief is a necessary, though not a sufficient condition for success and the Lakers, including Kobe Bryant, definitely believe they are better today than they were last week. Now it's up to Dwight and his teammates to make it happen.

The Laker fans better be happy they didn't have to give up Pau Gasol in this trade. I like a nucleus of Kobe, Nash, Gasol, and Bynum better than Kobe, Nash, and Howard. Of course Kobe, Nash, Gasol, and Howard is even better. Add Metta World Peace, Antawn Jamison, Jordan Hill, and Steve Blake to this mix, it's a pretty impressive roster. I think a healthy Dwight Howard makes them a contender and puts them on par with the Heat. The biggest loser in all this might be the Oklahoma City Thunder. They lost a golden oppurtunity to win a title when they lost to the Heat and LeBron, who was under so much pressure. They did have a good draft, but they have to rely on their youngsters maturing and getting better to compete with this super-team now in LA. The Lakers are old and aging, but it's definitely a super-team now. Nash has not lost a whole lot and Kobe is still very good. So both the Thunder and the Heat better be scared of them.

The other issue here is that the NBA spent a lot of energy this time last year trying to come up with a system that creates a level playing field and prevents these super-teams in big markets. LeBron's "decision" has really created this culture of stars trying to gang up with each other and hoping to win a championship while also making the big bucks. The problem with this is, these consolidations are usually posbbile only in the big markets due to both logistical and financial reasons. Also, it creates a bigger gulf between the haves and have-nots as talent accumulates in a few NBA cities. So this trade has fans questioning the NBA's new system. But to be fair to the NBA, the full effect of their new rules will take effect only in 2013-2014. In fact, the only saving grace here for the Laker haters like myself is, even the filthy rich Lakers may not be able to afford the luxury tax for this roster in 2013. This roster is purely a play for Kobe's 6-Th ring and they have to deal with the fiscal issues when they show up. My early guess is, they may try and get rid of Gasol when they have to eat the luxury tax poison pill, which is definitely coming. But for now, all is well in LaLa land. As for the rest of us, nobody cares!

Double Whammy

All good things in life must come to an end, but I didn't know some bad things begin at the same time. Thats what I call a double whammy. We all knew Steve Nash's time in the desert was winding down. The ownership group pretended like they wanted to extend him, but even as suns fans, we didn't know if we even wanted him to stay with the suns. It was a vexing issue as the cheap suns made sure that Nash won't be able to retire as a sun and a champion. We had to pick one or the other. We wanted Nash back with the suns because we love him. Also, who doesn't want a point guard who can dish out 10.5 assists a game to wannabe NBA starters? God only knows what he would have done last year with real NBA talent around him. 

The other part of me did not want Nash back because the suns ownership didn't deserve him. They have refused to build a talented roster the last couple of years despite several opportunities to do so and why waste more of Nash's time here? He is clearly chasing a championship - the only thing missing from his stellar resume, and the suns are just not in a position to help him with that. Also, even from the team's perspective, given where they have dragged the team to at this juncture, whats the point of having a 38 year old Nash in the roster? They are probably better off going on a full rebuilding mode like they are doing right now. Mediocrity is a bad place for NBA teams. You better be very good or horribly bad - win now or accumulate high draft picks. The suns ownership seemed to be committed to making the team horrible last year and Nash single handedly thwarted their plans with his brilliant play.

It turns out the suns didn't really want to keep Nash anyways. While Toronto offered him 36 million over 3 years, the suns offered him 12 million for 2 years. I thought thats what the suns Gorilla made! It's hard to call a 6 million dollar a year salary an insult, but this one truly was. So it was up to Nash to pick either money and nationalism in Toronto or settle for marginal and imaginary championship hopes in New York. Or thats what we thought until he dropped a bombshell out of nowhere. He decided to go to the lakers. How can that be? How can the sun's most revered star be playing for the lakers of all the teams, a team he himself said would be tough to suit up for. Nash's current stint with the suns was defined by a hot rivalry with the spurs and the mavs at times, but the lakers are the perennial villains. A powerful division rival like no other and Steve Nash ends up there. 

The trade itself is not bad for the suns and I guess thats why they agreed. 2 first and 2 second round picks are decent for an aging star, though the lakers picks are only going to be in the late 20's. Nash's age makes this easier for the suns because they are strengthening the lakers just for 2 or may be 3 years and not for the next 10 years and the suns will be rebuilding for the next couple of years anyways. It gives Nash a legitimate shot at the championship. Good for him, but I am not rooting for the lakers. May be this makes it easier for me to root for the lakers if they do end up meeting the heat in the finals, but I dont know what to do with Nash now. I will definitely be watching the lakers - they just became one of the most entertaining teams in the league. But I can't say I will be rooting for the lakers to win day in and day out. That just goes against my basketball DNA.

It's going to be weird seeing him in a lakers uniform and even weirder to see the suns without Nash. He defined the Phoenix suns for the last 8 years way more than any single player including Charles Barkley did during their time. He controlled the game on the court and was the face of the franchise off it. Something tells me Michael Beasley is not the replacement for Nash that the fans were looking for. Thank god at least Goran Dragic is back! A familiar face and a decent point guard who learned under Nash. I will be watching the suns with a detached attachement next season. I am sure I will come around soon, but it will be strange for the first few weeks. 

On the court, Nash's impact on the lakers will be huge. He will make life easier for everybody around him like he has always done in his career. Gasol and Bynum will be much better on offense. He will even make Kobe better if he lets him. Nash will definitely take some pressure off of Kobe and will help keep him fresh and even possibly help extend his career. Nash is not an asset on defense, but the lakers have 2 seven footers to protect the rim. He does not make them the favorites or put them ahead of the heat or the thunder, but I will pencil in the lakers and the thunder for the western conference finals next may. The NBA regular season is long, but Nash just made sure the other teams in the west don't have much to play for. We might as well start the thunder-lakers series tomorrow.

The shock of seeing Nash in a lakers uniform will take a while to wear off and I will never totally embrace it. I was going to root for him to win a championship if he ended up with the knicks or even the mavs and I was hoping the thunder will come after him for selfish reasons, but he is now with that one team I can't root for. I am not going to wish him good luck, but I will whole heartedly thank him for all those brilliant years with the suns. He will always be a Phoenix sun and one of the best ever.  We are all witnesses to the end of a glorious chapter in Phoenix and the beginning of another inglorious chapter in Los Angeles. They say it will get worse before it gets better. And it just did for us suns fans. Double whammy indeed.

Ceilin

Now that the Linsanity train is barging ahead at full speed, the real questions are about where this train is headed and how fast will it get there. What is Lin's ceiling? Will Linsanity ever end? If so, when? All fascinating questions. I am enjoying Linsanity and want him to succeed big, but I am also realistic. The guy is averaging 20+ points and 10+ assists in this stretch of 15 days. That's straight-up Steve Nash digits. I would call those MVP numbers and hall of fame lock if only he keeps it up for 15 more years! But that's not going to be easy for Linsanity. As much as he looks like Nash in that offense and pick-and-roll, he is far away from Nashty. Nash is a way better ball handler with much better court vision and shooting. Lin might be a slightly better defender and may be a better finisher around the rim because of his body type, but he is not close to becoming a Nash overall. It's almost unfair to compare the 2 at this point, though Lin's numbers over the last 15 days definitely push us towards that comparison. He can be a poor-man's Steve Nash if he keeps it up and that's a compliment.

Lin is also averaging more than 6 turnovers a game and that's the result of his suspect ball-handling. This is exactly why his career thus far has taken the route it has. Jason Terry spoke yesterday about how anybody who plays 45 minutes and gets 20 shots is going to put up some numbers. Well, it's not that simple and it sounds disrespectful of Lin - you need to be good and prove yourself a little bit before they give you 20 shots, but still Terry has a point. There are several guards buried on NBA benches that are probably quicker and more athletic than Lin and may even score 20 every night if given a chance. They may not be able to pass quite like Lin that makes him a little special, but they are at the end of the bench primarily because they will also turn the ball over 6 times a game - just like Lin. That's not acceptable nightly in the NBA. I am sure these were the concerns that kept Lin on the bench until a unique set of circumstances forced him on to the floor. Credit Lin for making the best of this opportunity. Winning solves a lot of problems including 6 turnovers per game and that's his biggest ally these days.

If you want a specific answer for when will Linsanity end, I would say it will slow down significantly if and when the Knicks go on a 5 game losing streak and if Lin is still averaging 6 turnovers over that stretch. That won't work well. Just to give you a reference, the Warrior fans are often upset with Stephen Curry for some careless turnovers and he averages about 3 per game. Lin is almost twice as bad. This is also why I wouldn't be too critical of the Warriors for letting him go, though they desperately tried to get him back after releasing him. They do owe us an explanation for drafting Charles Jenkins in the second round of last year's draft and keeping him over Lin. Of course nobody would have released him if they knew he could do all this, but you can't blame the Warriors entirely because they have Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry and Lin would have never got this opportunity with them. Even with Linsanity at it's peak, you have to say Curry is a better ball-handler and a more reliable shooter than Lin. This won't make sense now for a lot of fans, but it will when Lin cools off a little.

Lin is currently in one of those dream runs with his shooting and scoring which will eventually slow down. His vision and assists will probably stay, but one of my basketball savvy friends made a great point. Right now Linsanity is not just living a personal dream, but is also energizing the entire city of New York including his teammates. They are all enjoying this run and attention and who doesn't want to ball in front of Kevin Costner and Mark Zuckerberg? But once the hype dies down, his teammates won't cut as hard. They won't run and jump so well on fast-breaks and this could slow Linsanity. His assists numbers might go down too but the real danger is, his turnovers might stay right where they are or even get worse as teams throw better defenders on him. This is the short-term ceiling and challenge for Lin. If the Knicks keep doing well this year, Linsanity may very well take us all the way through this season. We may have to wait until next year for this to settle down. Or, it will slow down in a hurry if the Knicks go on a 0-5 stretch. In either case, it has been a lot of fun and the NBA has been a huge beneficiary here.

Long term, he can improve his shooting and ball-handling and sky could be the limit for this kid if he works hard. He has a shot at being a starting guard in this league as long as there are other number 1 options on the team. In the worst-case, he will be a great, change of pace guard off the bench who can impact games in a major way. Bill Simmons calls that role for Lin, J.J.Barea 2.0. Lin is still young and when he signs a decent contract, he will be able to afford the best trainers and coaches and will definitely get better. After all, even Nash was not born with all his skills. He has worked like a maniac to acquire them. If Lin has shown us anything over the last 15 days, it's definitely that he is hard-working, smart, tough, humble and has incredible heart. These are priceless intangibles that will serve him well in the tough, competitive world of the NBA. Lin will make something out of Linsanity. I wish him well and things will be fine as long as we don't expect him to be a career 20-10 guy winning 8 out of every 10 starts. Whether he gets there or not, his journey so far has been absolutely fascinating and fun. I am sure commish Stern is smiling on his way to the bank everyday the last 2 weeks.

Game of the season

The Suns and the Lakers played a game on Tuesday that should be on ESPN classic anytime now. The Suns were at the losing end of what should easily be the game of the season so far - a triple overtime, 139-137 thriller on national TV. The only thing that could have made this any better is a Suns victory. I am not saying this just as a Suns fan, but after trailing by 21 in the third quarter, that ending would have made this gem of a game even more improbable and dramatic. But the game was loaded with dramatic moments anyways. Between the brilliance of Kobe and Nash, Channing Frye and Kobe Bryant's clutch shots, ice-in-the-veins free throws by Pau Gasol and Channing Frye, this game had everything. The game started slow for the Lakers and they looked disinterested and looked like they were just waiting to turn it on in the second half and put the Suns away. And sure enough, they did seem to step it up a notch in the third quarter and they were up by 21 before the Suns knew what hit them. The Lakers were ready to call it a night, but the Suns had other ideas. They may not be the most talented bunch these days, but they showed they are resilient, well except for Vince Carter of course. Channing Frye is especially awesome and is fast becoming one of the best clutch players in the league. Before the Lakers knew it, the Suns were back powered by the Suns' 3 point shooting.

Nash ignited that 3-Rd quarter comeback as always. There are many things we could talk about when it comes to this game and there are several game reports on the web doing the same. But I wanted to focus a little bit on what Nash did late in that third quarter to turn this game completely around. It was an amazing and underrated stretch of the game where Nash showcased his under-appreciated leadership skills. Oftentimes, talent in sports is mistaken for leadership. Not every talented player is a leader capable of doing the right things to show his team direction. But Nash totally is. He is unselfish and has the ultimate sense for what his team needs and when. He can turn his scoring on and off anytime and does it so deftly at specific points in the game, you are sometimes left speechless. In this game, the Lakers were running away with it in the third quarter and it looked like the Suns offense was stuck in mud. He could sense that the Suns were getting close to giving up when he went down the floor and hit back-to-back 3's and another 3 a few possessions later. You could sense that this totally galvanized the team and they started playing with a different rhythm right after. Nash again went back into his usual role as the Suns woke up as a team and started scoring. Granted, he had the talent to hit those shots and without that, he is no leader. But the way he senses his team's needs and provides whatever is needed is just a true leadership trait. Hope people like Carmelo Anthony understand this.

Coming back to the game, even as I was watching it late in the OT, I thought it was one of those games which meant more than just one W or L in the standings. I think this loss pretty much takes the Suns out of the playoffs. This is the reality both literally and emotionally. The Memphis Grizzlies seem to be well entrenched at that 8-Th spot and if they keep winning tough games on the Road against teams like the Celtics, the Suns a'int got no chance. But, a triple overtime loss like this takes way more out of you. It was impressive that the old Suns team came right back on Wednesday and won a back-to-back against the Raptors. But they have to make-up 3 games in 12 tries and leaf-frog 2 teams in Houston and Memphis. Utah is done as expected, but Denver without Melo and the Grizz without Gay are surprising everybody. All that the Suns have to show for this season might be this classic game. I don't mind if they miss the playoffs. Thats a better reality for the front-office and the ownership to deal with instead of thinking we are good just because we made the playoffs. Also, it doesn't hurt to have a couple of balls in the lottery. Of course, I still wanted them to win this triple overtime thriller against the hated Lakers, but the Lakers got it done at the end. It should have been contagious because the Clippers and the Wizards played an entertaining double overtime game the very next day on the same court. And the Hornets today beat the Jazz 121-117 in another entertaining OT game.

500 and beyond

The new-look Suns are on a roll a little bit. They have now won 7 out of 10 and are just 2 games behind the 8-Th and final playoff spot in the west. They finally got past 500 and are now 27-26. They can still lose a winnable game anytime - like they did the other day against the Sacramento Kings at home, but they are playing much better overall. The new pieces are finally fitting in well, though the Suns are not getting a whole lot from Vince Carter, the biggest name in that trade. But Marcin Gortat has been great and Mickael Pietrus has fit in seamlessly. Both of these guys have significantly upgraded the shaky Suns defense. Nash is making the best use of Gortat’s size and abilities and Pietrus is never shy to take and often make those open 3’s. It’s a shame Vinsanity is not producing even close to what his talent-level demands, but what’s new? That has been his M.O forever and it seems to have only gotten worse as he has aged and moved through multiple stops.

The Suns have had some impressive wins off-late including 2 games against the Utah Jazz. The brutal schedule that we were talking about at the start of the season has eased a little and the results reflect that. The team’s chemistry and performance have also clearly gone up over the last couple of weeks. As always, Steve Nash has been a big reason for this. Nash is just amazing. He is still pouring in the assists and it has gotten better lately as Gortat and the gang has gotten comfortable around him. His numbers are as impressive as ever and he would be in the running for the MVP if the team was in the top 3 spots in the conference. He is averaging 11.3 assists per game without Amare and is averaging over 12 assists a game since Jan 1-St. He is just a freak and a treat to watch. He can score a lot more if he really wants to. I felt the same way when I watched John Stockton late in his career. Nash could easily average 5 more points per game if he was a little more selfish and took a few more shots. Rando’s assist numbers are falling while Nash’s numbers are increasing. It will be interesting to see where they both end up.

It does look more and more like the Suns are going to end up in the playoffs. They are only 2 games behind Utah and Memphis and just 3.5 games behind the 5-Th seeded Portland. There are a whole bunch of good teams in the mix, but no great team. So Suns should like their chances as much as anybody else in that mix and the Warriors are not too far behind either at 26-29 and playing well. I am not sure what making the playoffs really means if it’s just going to be about finishing 7-Th or 8-Th in the west and getting eliminated in the first round. But it’s still a prestige thing and I will take it and so will most people in the valley of the sun. The long-term plan for this team is still not clear because we need something big in the short-term here. Nash and Hill are two of the best players for the Suns and they are not getting any younger. Vince’s salary comes off the books next year, but I am not sure what’s the plan for that money. Hope it’s not just going straight to Robert Sarver’s bank account so he can buy another foam finger to wave at Suns games. He should never be allowed to wave the number 1 sign ever again because it’s his leadership that has basically taken a number 1 team and made it number 10 in the west (at the time of writing this article). But finishing 7-Th or 8-Th instead of 10-Th is a good first step in this road to redemption.

Suns win one

Tonight the Suns beat the Celtics 88-71. Suns don't win many games when they score only 88. Actually the suns don't win many games these days period! So it's a pleasant surprise for suns fans when they beat top-notch teams like the Celtics. Granted, the good old celtics were playing on back-to-back nights on the road, but these are still the eastern conference leading celtics with the big-3 or 4 or 5 or whatever number of great players on that roster you want to recognize. Thus the inconsistent and mediocre suns season continues. They lost by 34 points at Denver and then went on a nice 5 game winning streak against some bad teams (and the knicks). Then they lost 3 in a row to even worse teams. Now, they beat the celtics at home to get to 21-24. They supposedly had a team meeting recently with some front office suits in the room and this game is touted as a strong response coming out of that meeting. Whatever the cause was, this is a sold result, but they are still what their record indicates and it indicates nothing but mediocrity.

I am not sure how the suns owner Robert Sarver can show up in public after taking a team that went to the western conference finals just 8 months back and turning it into a 11-Th placed team with a 21-24 record. Most suns fans were not too disturbed when he let Amare walk. We were all caught up in what Amare can't do - namely defend well or rebound consistently, but what was lost was what he can do and what he did do for the suns. People forgot Amare was Blake Griffin before Blake Girffin and it was not going to be easy to replace his production. Poor guy never got his due in Phoenix and he never lost it and turned on the city like some knucklehead superstars do. Thats just amazing considering how rough a background he comes from. My respect for him constantly keeps going up looking at the way he plays and conducts himself. I am glad the Suns fans gave him a nice ovation when he visited. That was absolutely the appropriate response for Amare.

Without Amare, the season was meandering along when the front office pulled the Vince Carter - Hedo trade. Not a bad trade for the future in terms of cap room, but does nothing for this year. It took a already floundering team and added lack of chemistry to it's list of problems. Now, Steve Nash has to get used to 3 new players and try and incorporate them into his offense. Not the kind of rebuilding project he is looking for at 37. I love Grant Hill, but at 38, if he is Nash's best fast-break option and also the most reliable defender, the team is not being managed well. So what do you do with this team and the veterans, especially Steve Nash? I don't want him to be traded, but why waste his time and talent with this roster? Sarver and others keep talking about still making the playoffs. NBA teams constantly try to make the playoffs as if that means something. The truth is, making the playoffs means nothing except more money for the owners. It saves the coach's job and causes some momentary excitement, but if you are not contending, what's the point in just making the playoffs? It's a meaningful goal only for a young team on the rise. Making it to the playoffs as an eight seed only to lose to the Spurs or the Lakers in 5 games cannot be a goal for this Suns team led by a 37 year old superstar.

Nash is still playing at the high-level, but his assists that used to be slam dunks (and 1) when Amare was around are now a hit or miss layup attempts with Gortat and Lopez. I am amazed Nash is still averaging 11 assists per game. Marcin Gortat actually had a great 19-17 game tonight against the Celtics. May be this is the turning point we have all been waiting for. May be he cements his place at the center position and the Suns find some chemistry with this new group. May be the team meeting sparks a sustained run. The Celtics didn't play well today, but they did play tough and the game had a few tense moments and pushing and shoving followed by a few ejections. May be the team rallies around this and takes off. Remember how the Cleveland game ended up changing Miami's fortunes? I am searching for something here because I don't want to see Nash struggle for a mediocre team. Yes, a playoff berth is the best this team can do and it doesn't mean much. But it's still better than nothing and it will at least give Nash a shot. Plus it will put some money in the owner's pocket and might encourage him to be more aggressive next year. Nash and Hill might still have a year left in their young legs and I don't want that to go to waste.