Phoenix Suns

Last Year's Record: 61-21 (2nd in Western Conference)

Key Losses: Kurt Thomas, Kurt Thomas, Kurt Thomas, James Jones, Pat Burke

Key Additions: Grant Freaking Hill, Brian Skinner, Alando Tucker, DJ Strawberry

1. What significant moves were made during the offseason?

"Huh. Well, really our only weakness during the season was the inability to play defense down low and to get offensive rebounds. You know what we should do? We should trade our only productive low-post player. That's what!"

Nice.

All in all, though, it was a pretty low-key offseason for the Suns. They pulled in Grant Hill, who provides more leadership and experience, as well as a still accurate shot and great basketball IQ. If he can stay healthy, he could be the piece to get this team over the hump. Unfortunately, "if he stays healthy" is akin to "if Ron Artest doesn't get ejected" or "if Stephen Jackson isn't completely batshit" or "if the Spurs don't single handedly push people away from the sport of basketball out of boredom."

Alando Tucker and DJ Strawberry are both great grabs, especially for their position. Unfortunately, they will never feel the warm light of day until 2009.

I think pretty much every Suns fan was distraught when they got rid of Thomas, but half of us expected it was some sort of set-up move for a Garnett deal. No dice. It may work out best in the end, though.

2. What are the team's biggest strengths?
Hmmm... Nash's passion for soccer? Amare's new website? Marion's ego?

No. As a wise man once said (or at least some guy that gets to sleep with Gwen Stefani),

"Speed Kills."

This team has redefined offensive strategy in the NBA. Their biggest strength is their offensive versatility and incomparable motor. Their time of possession lengthened somewhat last season, but they were still third. With Nash at the helm, defenses get overrun with the constant rush of big athletic players rushing downcourt at breakneck speed. Amare Stoudemire returned last season to even better form than before his micro-fracture surgery. Shawn Marion continued to put up huge numbers and operates as a pivotal cog in the offense. Raja Bell and Barbosa both stepped up their games, becoming even more weapons that opponents have to be wary of. This season, the strategy seems to be "better, faster, harder, stronger."

3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

Hmmm...

Inability to not get screwed by the league office? Inability to not defend teammates from blatant flagrant fouls in irrelevant situations? Inability to keep from bleeding?

Okay, okay, fine.

It's obviously defensive ability down-low. While Raja Bell can hang with the best guards, even the Black Mamba, and Marion can handle any small forward capably, the Suns cannot bang down low. They have no offensive rebounder to speak of, they give up too many offensive boards on the flip side. Boris Diaw took a huge step back last season and has to come back hard this season if the Suns are going to matchup with the bigs in the West.

If the plan is, as D'Antoni says, to go smaller and faster, they've got to be ready to do anything for every possession. They've got to do better on the offensive glass, and Amare in particular is going to have to play better defense. The Suns can succeed in the big dance with one of their stars playing horrible defense, not both.

4. What are goals for this team?
A Championship.

D'Antoni can talk about not concentrating on that, and that's a good mindset, but in reality, that's the only thing left for this team. When this team's at it's best, it is the best overall team in basketball. It has matchup problems with the Spurs, obviously, but it is still one of the great basketball teams of its time. They have to win a championship to validate that. How to get there? Focus in the regular season. The Suns need to get to the no.1 seed. They need to make San Antonio and Dallas go through each other again. If Dallas hadn't played well above it's own limitations last year, the Suns would have played the Warriors and Jazz last year, way better matchups than the Spurs. The Suns are not a deep team, so they need the rest of a sweep in the 2nd round to prepare for whoever comes out on top. This is easier said than done with the revamped Rockets, but still possible. From there, they need to focus on ways to play ball down low, even if it means slowing things down randomly to confuse the defense.

This team can achieve it's goal. It just needs some breaks to go their way. Lord knows they've earned a few.

5. What is the best case/worst case scenario for the Marion situation?

The best case if he isn't traded is just that he maintains the level of professionalism he's been at, continues to play hard, and play well, contributes, stays as a leader, and helps the Suns to the Western Conference Finals. The best case if he is traded is that the Suns get back a package of young players and an established veteran low-post player that can play defense and rebound offensively. There has to be a combination of both for it to be worth trading him. No one player is going to replace Matrix, so it has to be a combination of value pieces, and one of them must come with shot-blocking ability.

The worst case if he isn't traded is that he finally blows up, goes total primadonna, and causes malcontent in the locker room. This team needs leaders and strength, and discontent can lead to losses which and lead to discontent which can lead to losses which perpetuates itself. I don't think D'Antoni, Nash, and Kerr would allow this to happen, nor do I think Matrix would actually go that route, but that is the worst case. The worst case scenario if he is traded is that the Suns get back a big man that isn't dominant offensively, has little upside, a history of injuries that is added to in Phoenix, no draft picks, no young players, and the Suns basically get a salary dump and a spot on IR.

So basically, if the Suns trade for Lamar Odom.

I think this could be a great year for the Phoenix Suns. They're almost a lock to win their division, and to finish in the top 3 teams. The question becomes how they will react to the adversity of last season's frustrating playoffs loss, and the offseason turmoil. It could be sour, but it could be very, very sweet. *Predicted Record: 63-19*