Sunday's news: Suns need rhythm, Nash has played hurt for a month.....

[SwingMan]

Suns seeking offensive rhythm (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1201suns1202.html)

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/pics/1202sunsnash.jpg
Suns guard Steve Nash revealed Saturday that he hyperextended his right elbow a month ago.

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 1, 2007 08:55 PM

For the past few years, the Suns have run a two-minute practice drill in which trios of players scurry up and down the court, running something similar to a weave, and shoot a layup and two wing jumpers at each end.

This season's team began surpassing the drill's scoring record during training camp and did so again last week when it tallied 130 points without a miss.

The offensive firepower appears to be there. But the Suns are waiting for their rhythm, health and energy to come together, hoping that leads to more than the 108 points they have averaged per game.

The Suns were well on their way to a big output against the Orlando Magic (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1201suns1202.html#) on Friday night when they had 104 points with 5:15 to go. But they made one basket the rest of the game - an open layup - and had to sweat a potential game-winning Rashard Lewis shot after leading by eight with 2:30 to go.

"Being more productive and executing a little bit better offensively and defensively (in crunch time), that's a theme we need to get on the next three to four months," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said.

He said the five consecutive perimeter shots that Raja Bell and Steve Nash (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1201suns1202.html#) missed late in the game were good shots.

It was revealed Saturday that Nash hyperextended his right elbow a month ago and has aggravated it a few times. Nash said he "aggravated it really badly" in Friday's game, forcing him to take fewer shots. He was 2 for 8 from the field but has shot 54 percent for the season.
Swing's note: Why do our players tend to be dumb fucks like this? Yeah Steve, hold out for a month until it gets even worse, THEN say something..... :roll:

"It's not that bad most of the time," said Nash, who also has had right shoulder and neck issues recently but is averaging 19.6 points and 10.9 assists per game. "Just a little sore, but last night was a lot worse. It's not great today, but it'll be fine."

Nash did not blame it for his first missed free throw of the season, which left the margin at three in the final minute. It ended his consecutive made free-throw streak at 74, 23 shy of Micheal Williams' NBA record. Nash's career percentage of 89.9 is creeping toward Mark Price's NBA record (90.4).

"I thought I shot it well," Nash said. "I thought it was going in. I was surprised. I was in my home run trot.

"I felt bad, because I made the hard one. . . . The second one's gravy. I thought it was in."

Nash will play in the opener of a five-game Eastern swing tonight at New York, as the Suns start to get their full arsenal with Bell's return Friday. Bell scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half and was back playing his usual bothersome defense after battling ankle and back injuries for three weeks.

"The biggest thing of the night was getting Raja back," D'Antoni said. "He makes a big difference in our team."

• Suns center Sean Marks (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1201suns1202.html#), a New Zealand native, became a U.S. citizen Friday. He has lived in America for 14 years and married his University of California sweetheart, Jennifer. They have two sons.

"It's a little bit emotional, but it's great to finally belong here and not worry, 'How long can I stay in the country?' " he said.

Sunday's game

Suns at Knicks

When: 5 p.m.
Where: Madison Square Garden.
TV/radio: My45/KTAR-AM (620).

New York update: The Knicks (5-10) may have saved coach Isiah Thomas' job by rallying from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Milwaukee 91-88 at home Friday. After Stephon Marbury left with a right shoulder spasm, guards Jamal Crawford and Fred Jones led the comeback a night after a horrific 104-59 loss at Boston. Center Eddy Curry averaged 18.8 points in the season's first 12 games but 6.3 in the past three.

[SwingMan]

(The latest from Paul Coro's blog - a piece on Mark Iavaroni)

Iavaroni sticks with old ways (http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/11715)


During his five years as a Suns assistant coach, Marc Iavaroni never was the type to sleep in. No one really knew what time he would arrive for work at US Airways Center, because it was hard to beat him there.

That was when Suns losses were rarer than Valley rain and the blame for them fell on head coach Mike D'Antoni.

Now, after a decade as an assistant, Iavaroni is in the initial year of his first head-coaching job, with the Memphis Grizzlies. Having experienced more losses in his first month (10) than the Suns had in last season's first three months, sleep is harder to come by.
"There's always something that keeps you up and you can't figure out," Iavaroni said. "You sleep out of exhaustion.

"The responsibility is much greater. The decisions are more numerous. You really have to decide what you're about, take input and decide what's to be done."

With a 5-10 record entering Saturday night's game, Iavaroni has not won a lot of games, but he is winning over players, fans and employees with a refreshing mix of positive energy and work ethic.

Iavaroni is trying to change the culture and identity of the Grizzlies. He is infusing the Suns' quick-attacking system with familiar in-game pleas of, "Go, go, go," which D'Antoni seldom needs to utter now but barked constantly from the sideline three years ago.

"It's a habit," Iavaroni said. "People will fall back into what they know best. We're an evolving team with a mix of veterans and young people. The youngs are pretty young. The vets have got to help them contribute and then commit to the idea of running."

Iavaroni has not been afraid to mention Suns examples as means of encouragement and teaching tools. He brought a lot of Phoenix with him, including bringing in former Suns swingman Casey Jacobsen back to the NBA after two years in Europe and adding former Suns employees Jason March (assistant video coordinator), Dustin Krugel (director of basketball media relations) and Ron Dubois (assistant coach), a former Arizona State walk-on player.

Iavaroni and new General Manager Chris Wallace have been handed brushes and a blank canvas and found that, "It's amazing how much we think alike," Iavaroni said.

Hired in May, Iavaroni's first move was to fly to Spain to meet with Pau Gasol, who had demanded a trade in January. He saw Iavaroni's commitment and since has raved about his communication.

Gasol takes two fewer shots per game this season and plays slightly fewer minutes, as Iavaroni has gone 10 deep as he searches for his eight- or nine-man rotation. He is pinning hopes on running with two big men and counting on the return of Darko Milicic from an injury so he can capitalize on both players' versatility and high-post abilities.

In the meantime, Iavaroni tries to show his team how to handle losses after the Grizzlies were picked by some as a dark-horse contender in the competitive Western Conference.

"Frustration is giving in," Iavaroni said. "Frustration is, 'I give up. I'm, not satisfied. I'm unfulfilled.' It's a way to cop out. We've got to fight through those things. They like each other and what we're trying to do. They may not like what we've got to do to get better."

[ShelC]

For the past few years, the Suns have run a two-minute practice drill in which trios of players scurry up and down the court, running something similar to a weave, and shoot a layup and two wing jumpers at each end.

Great drill. If there are any coaches out there, run this one in practice everyday to start things off.

As much as i love Stevie, i think he tends to overdo it when it comes to injuries. Instead of missing 2-3 games to get right, he plays through these things that linger for months. Maybe he doesnt want to miss games to prove to people hes not injury prone or breaking down? Maybe he doesnt want to prove Cuban right that his "kamikaze" style leads to injuries? But whos he punishing by playing hurt? Same thing with Raja. Yea coach, the biggest thing was having Raja back for the Magic game, but what about the next 3? Is his back going to hold up?

[Ring_Wanted]

In Europe, that drill is called 'braid', and it's one of the fist exercises we learn when we start to play.

[Nate]

Mike Monroe's NBA Beat: Elite teams want to win now, but not at any cost

Web Posted: 12/01/2007 07:54 PM CST
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA120207.NBABeat.en.1e9e243.html

Mike Monroe
San Antonio Express-News

I phoned Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni on Friday and asked him when he planned to bring Mick Jagger to town to give his players a pregame pep talk.
"I think I'll bring Keith Richards, instead," D'Antoni said. "Now there's a guy that can inspire you just by the fact he's still alive."

What do the Rolling Stones have to do with basketball?

D'Antoni, old enough to have heard the Stones while Jagger and Richards were still 20-something, responded to his team's first losing streak of the season by suggesting it lacked the requisite professionalism to avoid indifference.

Discussing this concern with an Arizona Republic columnist, D'Antoni dropped this gem: "If you watch Mick Jagger, he doesn't go out and say, 'You know, I've done this for 10 years. Today, I'm giving a bad concert.' He has the same enthusiasm probably he had 20 years ago. That's what makes him great."

And how does that apply to the Suns?

"This should be happening now," D'Antoni said. "Live in the moment. It's a great team."

What D'Antoni is discovering is what Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has known for most of the past decade: When you are an annual NBA title contender, you try to complete the first few months of the season with minimum damage to limbs and egos.

How do you get motivated for a game on a numbingly cold night in Minnesota when all you really want to do is get to April with a decent playoff seed and a healthy roster?

Teams like the Spurs beat teams like the Timberwolves because they know that a professional approach doesn't require pregame foaming at the mouth. Attention to detail and a helping of Manu Ginobili's energy usually is enough.

Since winning their first title, the Spurs have gone 91-39 in the first full month of each season (plus eight games in October in nine seasons). That's a winning percentage of 70 percent. Their worst regular-season record over those nine seasons was 53-29 in 1999-2000.

The core is back from the Spurs' 2007 title run. The players understand how to pace themselves through the grind of the season. Popovich is the master of monitoring minutes.

The Suns have not won a championship, but they have won 177 games in the first three full seasons they have played under D'Antoni, whose approach to offense is to get up a shot in the first seven seconds of every possession. They're off to a pretty good start this season, too. They went to 12-4 after a Friday night victory over Orlando, one of the Eastern Conference's best teams. It was their second victory over the Magic in three weeks.

The Suns' coach, though, occasionally wonders why they don't find as much joy in the process as they should.

"I'm not really worried about our motivation," D'Antoni said a few hours before his team's victory over a team that seems to have enough talent to come out of the East in June. "We just have to turn it up that extra notch, and sometimes it's hard to do that. We can't play slow, and it's never easy to play as fast as we like to play."

The Dallas Mavericks also have been in a funk. A team that won 67 games last season before the Golden State Warriors shocked them in the first round of the playoffs, the Mavs were feeling good about themselves after they thumped the Spurs on Nov. 15. But a three-game losing streak, including defeats against three sub-500 teams, rattled them last week.

"We see that we're not good enough to coast," Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki told Dallas reporters.

Sustaining consistent effort isn't easy for any team over 82 games. D'Antoni knows there was something magical about his team's 62-20 run in 2004-05. His system was perfect for Steve Nash, and vice versa. He knows it is unrealistic to expect the same kind of early-season feeling from his core players three years later.

He also knows it is more important to have his team playing its best in April. Popovich always aims his team toward optimal playoff performance. Now the Mavs' Avery Johnson has eased back his team's workload, understanding that 67 regular-season victories mean nothing when you lose in the first playoff round.

D'Antoni has an eye on April, too.

"The only thing we've done differently is take a few more extra days off and cut back on practice early," he said. "So right now, we're not quite physically there and not quite sharp. We are conscious of the long grind."

Aren't rolling stones often used in grinders?

[JediSkywalker]

For the past few years, the Suns have run a two-minute practice drill in which trios of players scurry up and down the court, running something similar to a weave, and shoot a layup and two wing jumpers at each end.

Great drill. If there are any coaches out there, run this one in practice everyday to start things off.

As much as i love Stevie, i think he tends to overdo it when it comes to injuries. Instead of missing 2-3 games to get right, he plays through these things that linger for months. Maybe he doesnt want to miss games to prove to people hes not injury prone or breaking down? Maybe he doesnt want to prove Cuban right that his "kamikaze" style leads to injuries? But whos he punishing by playing hurt? Same thing with Raja. Yea coach, the biggest thing was having Raja back for the Magic game, but what about the next 3? Is his back going to hold up?

I am concerned that Steve's injuries are going to catch up with him at the most inopportune time. I wish he would just rest and leave it up to his teammates to win or lose. He is such a competitor that he must feel he must be in a game, unless he is absolutely cannot handle the ball. He and Dantoni need to reassess and decide on how the team could win when he is not playing. In the long run, no Nash means no title and possibly no playoffs for the Suns. They are a different team when he is on the court, so the temptation to play him hurt is there.

[Dammit]

Taking a couple games off to rest a hyper extended elbow probably wouldn't help him at all. That's a very slow healing injury. I had the same thing and I felt it every time I completely straightened my right arm for an entire year. There was zero pain in it until I reached full extension, then there was a sharp pain. As soon as I bent my elbow again the pain would be completely gone. I'd say I had 95% range of motion without pain for that whole year. Then it just kinda disappeared.

I injured my elbow on an ATV though so it was probably a little more severe.

Edit: That's odd. I never entered that text for my sig down there. ?

[JediSkywalker]

Taking a couple games off to rest a hyper extended elbow probably wouldn't help him at all. That's a very slow healing injury. I had the same thing and I felt it every time I completely straightened my right arm for an entire year. There was zero pain in it until I reached full extension, then there was a sharp pain. As soon as I bent my elbow again the pain would be completely gone. I'd say I had 95% range of motion without pain for that whole year. Then it just kinda disappeared.

I injured my elbow on an ATV though so it was probably a little more severe.

Edit: That's odd. I never entered that text for my sig down there. ?

Blame it on the new server:???: When I checked my profile, it showed a text in my signature that was completely different from what I had been using. I deleted it so now I have no siggy (just to avoid confusion).

[Steveskg]

Well Tim Duncan went down with a knee injury today in game against Blazers. He hasn't come back into the game. Wondering if it's serious.

Nba.com has a clip of the play. Doesn't look too bad. Anyway, nba.com needs to get rid of their logo at the end of the clip that says "where amazing happens."

THat's just dumb.

[Dammit]

Blame it on the new server:???: When I checked my profile, it showed a text in my signature that was completely different from what I had been using. I deleted it so now I have no siggy (just to avoid confusion).

I edited the last two words. :D

[AlanS]

I've been traveling the past week, so i haven't been able to post lately. Here are some comments, several of which are johnny-come-lately:

[1] I have said several times that I thought that Alando should be sent to the D-League, and so I was happy that this actually went down. Tucker's play in his first D-League game show his promise and problems: 26 pts, 11/25 FGs, 1/7 3PT, 12 rebs (6 off), 2 asst, 1 steal, just 1 TO.

As D'Antoni said, Tucker needs to shot better, at least to be a part of D'Antoni's offense. I wish Tuck the best.

[2] I did not see the Houston game, but something did catch my eye on the boxscore: Barbosa, 2/11 FGs, and 3 TOs, in a game the Suns lost by 6 pts. It brings to mind, again, why I've been saying that LB's production is essential to the Suns' success.

A lot of people refer to the Suns' big 3 as being Nash, Stat, and Trix. But last season, Barbosa was 3rd in scoring (after Amare and Steve), and also, was 2nd on the team in points per minute (Stat 29.8 per48; LB 26.5; Steve 25.2; Shawn 22.3).

To me, it comes down to this: for the Suns to be effective, LB must dominate coming off the bench with his scoring, period. It's really the only way the Suns can consistently survive scoring lulls while Nash sits. The Rockets game was just one game, but it underscores how vulnerable the Suns are when Leandro is not scoring well.

[3] I just don't know what to say about Boris. I was in favor of him getting a $9M per year deal, but right now, it looks like a mistake. After shooting 50% the past two seasons, he's down to just 44% this season. He's not hitting the outside shot consistently - and he's always left open to take that shot; he doesn't seem to finish well; and his deliberative, let-me-see -who-I-can -pass-to approach enables defenses to have a split second or two to defend his moves or get ready to pick off passes.

My main peeve is, he is no better today than he was at the end of 04/05. Nothing about his game has improved since then. To me, he needs to spend all of next summer forgetting about French basketball, and work on his shooting and scoring game.

Of course, he could improve as the season wears on... maybe.

[4] WTF? Shawn... 63.0% from the foul line. Barbosa... 65.8% from the foul line. Unacceptable. I have noticed that for the pat 3 seasons or so, Shawn has gotten off to a slow start with his foul shooting, but he's picked it up by January or so. I can only assume he doesn't work on that part of his game during the summer. Too bad. I don't know what LB's excuse is.

Overall, Suns are 8th in FT% (77.5%), but they could be much higher if not for those two firing bricks form the line. Last season, the Suns led the NBA in FT% at 80.8%.

[5] Myself, I like the way Amare is coming along. He's averaging 27.9 minutes, 18.6 pts, and 8.4 rebs. On a 48 minutes basis, he is averaging the same amount of rebounds as Shawn (Shawn 14.5 rebs per 48, Amare 14.4; Skinner 15.7). If he can get up to 34-35 minutes per game, that's be a great help. There are worse ways for guys to perform coming off knee surgery. He still doesn't impress me as being in tip-top shape.

The big red flag I see are his PFs. He's averaging 4.0 PFs. On a 48 minute basis, that 6.9 PFs per game. That's a long-term problem that needs to be fixed... and I fear that no solution is ever gonna come.

[6] The Suns have stumbled this past week, but that was to be expected. They're starting to face better competition, so it should be harder to win now. The question, can they use these games to see what they need to improve, and make those improvements? We'll see.

[7] I can only speak for myself, but I personally am enjoying the season. The way I see it, some guys aren't playing great, but they have 4 and a half months to get better... and I do think they can get better. And in the meantime, they are 13-4. I've seen a lot worse.

[INFORMER]

I just don't know what to say about Boris.

I do: He's done.

[JediSkywalker]

I think Boris is a good bench player. What hurts him (and us) is the money he gets paid. Had he signed a 24M contract like Raja, we might have tapered our expectations of him. I think he is a good back up to Amare, and a good distributor of the ball. He is not a real F/C, so perhaps we need to change our expectations of him. One of these days he might surprise us.

[INFORMER]

Had he signed a 24M contract like Raja, we might have tapered our expectations of him.

No, because he isn't even giving us what Raja gives.


He is not a real F/C, so perhaps we need to change our expectations of him.

I don't see your point. I don't expect Boris to lock down the paint, or dominate the boards. I do expect production. I expect him to produce like he's getting paid to produce. I expect him double figure scoring on a consistent basis. I expect rebounds and assists. I expect the 13/6/6 he put up the season he "earned" the fat contract. What he's giving the Suns right now can be gained from any number of minimum salaried journeymen. He's giving the Suns next to nothing.

Am I being unreasonable?

[desertcoast]

Before Hill arrived, Boris's court vision/IQ/playmaking ability kept his value high to this team even when he struggled in other areas.
Hill has somewhat moved past Boris in this area, so now his greatest attribute is the multi position thing...which even then comes with a boatload of pre-conditions.

I think we're starting to find he's a player that can perform at a high level, but only within a fairly "narrow" range of circumstances.

I think part of the "odd vibe" that has been discussed this year has something to do with the big two elephants in the room....Amare's knees & Diaw's contract vs performance.
Some might argue that Marion's contract and Nash's Window are the elephants waiting just outside the door, but I really feel the Amare and Boris situation weighs more heavily on this ballclub than anyone really wishes to discuss.

Any team that is built somewhat like the 05-06 Suns should be a potential trade partner for the Suns. Boris needs to be marketed to that type of team.

[v9]

It was revealed Saturday that Nash hyperextended his right elbow a month ago and has aggravated it a few times. Nash said he "aggravated it really badly" in Friday's game, forcing him to take fewer shots. He was 2 for 8 from the field but has shot 54 percent for the season.


Have seen it in his game for the past few weeks. Too many unforced turnovers.

[Ring_Wanted]

Nobody in his right mind would trade for Diaw unless we take bigger trash. Four years and a half at 9M? For someone with a precedent for being out of shape and who lacks the aggressiveness to score 10ppg in a Suns system? I don't think we could trade him for an expiring contract even if we add the Atl pick.

[ShelC]

I dont think Boris can play with Stouds or come off the bench. If Stouds was out for an extended period of time and Boris was starting at teh 5 spot, we'd see those all around numbers again.

[Mori_Chu]

I look at Diaw as injury insurance. If Amare or Marion goes down, he suddenly becomes more important (and probably more productive).