Dunleavy Returns Against Phoenix...So? posted by Cam W.

Wednesday will be a big day for the Pacers and guard Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy, after a 34 game absence, will be making his '08-'09 regular season debut against the Suns. After a 135-115 shelacking at the hands of the Nuggets, the Pacers are looking to Dunleavy to provide a spark against Shaq, J-Rich, and the rest of the Suns. Though he will be limited in minutes, his value to the team will be immense on the offensive end and can not hurt on the defensive end, which has been porous for the Pacers.

I will say that I am disappointed with the Pacers record. Yes, they've had a brutal schedule, sickness, and injuries, but nothing a team shouldn't be able to withstand if the talent is there. And it kind of is. Danny Granger is proving night after night that he is an all-star. A solid, more athletic version of Kevin Durant, who is also having a stellar year. Yet, it is clear that this team lacks a defensive mentallity and perhaps the addition of Dunleavy will aid in that area. Dunleavy's return makes this team deeper and more potent on offense, which in return takes more pressure off the defense. Dunleavy brings his 19 pts, 3 assists, and 5 boards to this team, making the bench stronger with Daniels returning to the wood.

This 5 game road trip means a lot. Actually the next 8 of 10 games they are facing playoff teams from last year, so the next 10 games are imperative to the Pacers' hopes of returning to the playoffs.

Suns 101, Grizzlies 89 posted by Brad Hurt

The Grizzlies got the break they needed when Amare Stoudemire was ejected from Tuesday's game late in the first half.  Unfortunately, Stoudemire's Phoenix teammates used his dismissal as motivation and rallied to beat the Grizzlies 101-89.

The Grizzlies ended the calendar year of 2008 by missing 15 of their final 18 shots, more evidence that they need to pick up a shooter.  Darius Miles is still sitting out his suspension and Steve Francis is still not in action, although he should play following the New Year break. 

The Suns took advantage of the Grizzlies' lack of a post presence by pounding the ball inside to Shaquille O'Neal, who looked a lot younger and more athletic than he has in a few years.  They outscored the Grizzlies 31-11 in the fourth quarter to erase the Grizzlies' 8-point lead.  The Grizzlies gave up 58 points in the paint, which was the most telling stat of the night.  The Suns made only 5-of-16 3-point attempts, but with such domination inside, they didn't need them.  O'Neal finished with 24 points, while third-year forward Louis Amundsen, a UNLV product, scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Hakim Warrick had a great night for the Grizzlies, scoring 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but he was pulled from the game with three minutes left and the Grizzlies within three at 92-89.  Why would you do that?  He was the hottest shooter the Grizzlies had last night, but coach Marc Iavaroni yanked him to get Quinton Ross into the game, evidently for defensive purposes.  This team needs to take offense wherever it can get it right now.  I know defense wins games, but this team doesn't have any consistent shooters, so they can't afford to take the ball out of anyone's hands when they are hot.

Timberwolves 108, Grizzlies 98 OT posted by Brad Hurt

Maybe it was the dizzying contrast in the grains of wood used to design the court at the Target Center, or possibly the psychological effect of knowing it was less than 20 degrees and snowing outside, but the Grizzlies' inability to come through on the road reared its ugly head yet again on Monday against Minnesota.

Playing their third period of overtime in two nights, the Grizzlies went cold from the floor and dropped what should have been a winnable game to the Timberwolves 108-98.

The Grizzlies (10-21) got off to a dreadful start offensively and closed the game by shooting an equally ugly 2-of-13 in overtime.  After pushing San Antonio to the limit, they continued their bad habit of following a good performance with a disappointing one.  It was easy to get caught up in the Wolves' terrible record and think you didn't have to give 100 percent for 48, or 53, minutes.  That is a very dangerous state of mind to adopt, as the Grizzlies found out against Oklahoma City.  The Wolves (6-24) had won only twice at home this season.  Why wouldn't they be motivated to give their fans something to cheer about?

Big Al Jefferson gave the thin Grizzlies lineup fits inside, going for a season-high 38 points and 16 rebounds, while O.J. Mayo scored 23 for the Grizzlies.  The Grizzlies held an 84-79 lead in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter but let it slip away.  After a 7-0 Wolves run, Mayo forced overtime with a shot in the lane.

Kyle Lowry recorded his second career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 12 assists.

Cowboy Up? posted by Master Wayne

When are the Suns going to get sick of being beat up by the Spurs, and moreover, beat up by the Spurs at the Spur's leisure? Phoenix had this game, until the Spurs decided to take it back, and with a willing team to hand it over once things got rough. The Spurs bully the Suns. Always have, even back in the late nineties with Chuck. And the Suns, just seem to be ok with that. I'm beginning to wonder if the Suns, in this current lineup, will ever be able to knock out the Spurs. I think the Suns are so used to being bested by San Antone that this is what they expect when they play them. Will the Suns ever get sick and tired of this? The same result, every time. How many more beat downs, busted noses, hip checks, and dagger three balls are we going to take? When will this Suns team actually play with some fire and not allow this Spurs team to push them around like a school yard bully taking lunch money? I don't know. But what troubles me even more is, I dont think the Suns know either! Seems as though the Suns have become creatures of habit, and unfortunately losing to Spurs is a habit as hard to break as quitting smoking for them. This team needs to get angry and play angry with the Spurs. They need intensity, which they are sorely lacking, and this shows up in their record so far. Otherwise we are all going fishing early again this summer. Cowboy up Suns!Continue reading "Cowboy Up?"

Dallas Mavericks still 1.5 games behind after 6 straight home games posted by Peter

Tonight, the Mavs will play their 7th and last home game in a row against the Denver Nuggets. The Mavs have been playing strong 5-1 so far in this homestand beating the Clippers, Suns, Hawks, Bobcats, and Thunder. Their only loss came against the San Antonis Spurs in a double overtime game. Despite the 5-1 run, they're still 1.5 games behind the Southwest leader, the same amount of games before they started this home stretch. And, they are still 4th in the division. Nothing has changed.

This is testament to how good the Southwest Division is, with 4 out of 5 teams having winning records. And with the Mavs at 13-9, they're only 4th in the division. If the Mavs where in the Pacific Division, they'd be 2nd there.

Northwest leading Denver is 16-7 coming off a 3-game win streak. With the addition of Chauncy Billups, they've been on fire. The Mavs will have their work cut out for them tonight.

Will Phoenix Rise with Jason Richardson? posted by Brian Yalung

By now, the headlines of the NBA are still reeling back from the trade that sent Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary to Charlotte for egotistical Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley plus a 2010 second rounder. Was this a good move?

Manpower wise, it adds deeper bench talent. But as far as team chemistry is concerned, it remains to be seen if two egos can stay in one team. Jason Richardson and Amare Stoudemire are known for their fired-up no nonsense approach and hopefully nothing explodes between them.

Steve Nash on his part has showed some remorse in parting with his best friend Raja Bell. All of this comes with the job but apparently he is having a hard time adjusting for now.

Further, the Suns transformation from the run and gun team towards a defense and deliberate offensive team continues to crawl despite having a modest record of 13-9. Nash and Stoudemire have shown some resistance to it and if it doesn’t prove to be beneficial soon, you may just see these players looking for a new team in the market once their contracts expire. That is unless they ask for a trade.

Dallas Mavericks on 3 game win streak with victory over the Phoenix Suns posted by Peter

Dirk and Barea lead the Mavs over the Suns last night. "Barea? Who?" That would be the response from any one that doesn't live in Dallas or follow the Mavs. He's so unknown that even Yahoo! doesn't have a link for him in their stories about last night's game.

Jose Juan Barea is 5'11" from Puerto Rico, and went to college at Northeastern. He came to the Mavs undrafted in 2006 and played 33 games that season. Last year, he played 44 games for the Mavs and averaged about 10 min per game with less than 5 points per game. He earned his first NBA start after a stellar performance and pivotal role in beating the Clippers in the Mav's last game before the Suns. Barea normally plays point guard in reserve of Jason Kidd. But, coach Carlisle decided either to reward Barea, or just to shake things up to counter Steve Nash's fast running offense, starting two point guards. Barea played for 30 minutes with 18 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. He may not be a household name, or be in the All-Star Game any time soon with those numbers. But, if he keeps developing the way he has this season, he'll be a vital cog in Dallas' playoffs and Championship chances.

Fantasy Basketball mangers, time to put J. J. Barea on your radar!

No Nash More Problems in Phoenix posted by Brian Yalung

The value of any NBA team depends on the presence of a good point guard. We have seen that through the years and that is why perhaps Steve Nash is one of the premier and most sought after point guards in the NBA today. But before he can weave his magic, he needs to get healthy as his absence is severely hurting the Suns’ cause, the last of which was a road loss to the New Jersey Nets, 104-91.

Prior to that, the Suns had also fallen to the Miam Heat, Shaquille O’ Neal’s former team. Nash is out with a thigh injury and it looks like it may take time to heal. He has been out of commission since their game at Miami. Sean Singletary replaced him for the meantime but the shoes are simply too big to fill.

Their next game is against the New Orleans Hornets. But reports have it that while Nash will continue to sit it out due to the flu while the Diesel, Shaquille O’ Neal will sit it out as well. Shaq has made a practice of sitting out a game in stretches when the Suns have two games in two nights.

Source

Amare Stoudemire Uneasy with New System posted by Brian Yalung

After suffering a loss to the Miami Heat, something was bound to give. Amare Stoudemire led the way by openly stating his frustrations on the new system being implemented by new Suns coach Terry Porter.

"Sorta, kinda. Consistency for me would be great. That way, I know what to look forward to and how to attack. That way, when I do get it, I'm not off-balance or surprised I have it."

The Suns have been barely like the Suns of old which was really expected even before the season started. With a new coach and a new system, it was not going to be easy to apply the transition from a run and gun team towards a defensive one.

Stoudemire has been known to play well on the open court together with Steve Nash and the gang. But just like when they first played under Mike D’ Antoni, the adoption of new team philosophies were not as instant.

It is still too early to evaluate. No one wants to lose. But come the mid-season, the fruits of Porter’s new system must show. If not, he better do something fast because Phoenix and its players have been used to winning and not adjusting or losing.

Thanksgiving Send Off Spectacular posted by David Trageser

(cue the Biggie...)  I'm going out of town for the long holiday weekend, so all of you out there (if there are any of you) are going to have to survive for a few days without my wonderful and insightful analysis about all things basketball for a few days.  (I'll pause for a moment to let you scream in anguish and control your sobbing...)  But fear not, I will be back with even more opinions and prognostications about the realm of professional sports on Tuesday, and by then I should have plenty to write about.

Also, I'm going to try and score some seats to the Blazers/Heat game going down tonight in Portland, which would be my first live NBA game of this young season.  I've never seen D-Wade or Oden (obviously) in person, so it will definitely be interesting to see those guys in action.  It may sound silly, but I firmly believe that television cameras distort the size and quickness of these guys.  You don't really get a feel for the speed of the game unless you're actually there to see it live.  It sounds odd, but I can tell you from personal experience that it's true.

I think that the issue is that on TV it is easy to lose perspective on just how big most of the guys on the court actually are.  Nobody (except maybe Shaq or Yao) look insanely huge relative to most NBA players, so it's often difficult to tell just how huge these guys really are and how amazingly fast they actually move. Sure, I know that Tracy McGrady is something close to 6'10" and moves with the freakish grace of a ballet dancer, but just knowing that without actually seeing it isn't enough to really be able to grasp the concept.  And yeah, I've watched Paul Pierce enough on TV to know that he's always probing for a weakness, and that even though he seems to be moving in slow motion he still manages to get to his spot or the rim at will time and again, but without seeing him do these things live (which I have done many times), would I really understand?

Suns release PG Dee Brown (AP)

The Phoenix Suns have released Dee Brown less than two weeks after signing him to fill the team's need for a backup point guard. Brown appeared in two games for Phoenix and averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 assists. Brown was signed by the Suns on Dec. 24 after appearing in 17 games with the Washington Wizards to begin the season. [read full article]

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Nash-less Suns get past Grizzlies 101-89 (AP)

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Shaq helps Suns overcome loss of Nash (AP)

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Felton, Okafor lead Bobcats over Nets (AP)

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Spurs beat Suns on Mason's 3 at buzzer (AP)

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