Thursday's News: Suns win while Boris looks for a skirt to blow smoke up and under

[SwingMan]

Suns score big win vs. Jazz (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1212suns1213.html)

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/pics/1212sunsgame.jpg
Suns forward Shawn Marion blocks a shot by the Utah Jazz's Ronnie Brewer during the first quarter Wednesday in Phoenix.

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 13, 2007 12:00 AM

The Suns immediately found the energy they wanted against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, as Steve Nash was high-fiving Amaré Stoudemire and rubbing Shawn Marion's head in appreciation of their efforts during the game's first few minutes.

The Suns also found the defense they believe they can play, limiting the efficient Jazz's NBA-best shooting offense to 23 or fewer points in the first three quarters.

Of all things that took the longest to find, it was the Suns' offense. Fortunately for them they located it in time to end a two-game losing streak with a 103-98 victory at US Airways Center.
http://www.azcentral.com/imgs/clear.gifhttp://www.azcentral.com/imgs/clear.gif

Other than their victories against Orlando, Wednesday's outcome gave the Suns their best quality win of the season, even with the Jazz playing the second game of a back-to-back set..

"We won it kind of defensively, and that has to be noted and underlined and our players have to pick up on this," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We have to bring a hard hat to work."

It might not have been the highest quality of performance, but the Suns scored 48 points in the game's final 18 minutes.

Phoenix kicked up the tempo at the end of the third quarter and got three big plays early in the fourth quarter from Boris Diaw that resulted in nine points.

That helped the Suns keep the lead, with Nash orchestrating a balanced attack. He made his final five shots from the field and final five free throws to help extend Utah's losing streak to five games.

Phoenix is one of three NBA teams with at least 17 victories and is one of four with a winning record (43-42) against Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.

Nash finished with 29 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.

Carlos Boozer led Utah with 24 points, only four of which came in the fourth quarter. The Suns secured the victory with a 96-93 lead when Deron Williams missed two free throws and Phoenix got a second-chance bucket when Marion got a layup off an ill-advised Boozer save.

Nash was on his way to triple-double after the first half but headed to the locker room at the break with a chipped front tooth and his team ahead 49-45.

Boozer knocked the piece of tooth from Nash's mouth on a rebound, but the Suns' point guard had to be more annoyed that his team did not make more of its first-half opportunities and take a bigger lead.

He had to look on as Phoenix could muster only six points in the six minutes he sat out of the first half. It was not a spectacular half offensively regardless, as the Suns shot only 43.2 percent, even with Nash going 6 of 8 from the field with three three-pointers.

At the half, he had 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Report

Cheers

Steve Nash and Amaré Stoudemire's defense. Deron Williams was 7 of 17 against Nash. Stoudemire had six blocked shots.

Jeers

Phoenix won even though Grant Hill and Raja Bell made 5 of 22 shots.

Players of the game

Shawn Marion had 26 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks and Nash had 29 points and 11 assists.

View from press row

Not counting preseason, this was Round 1 in the annual series of what-if-Shawn-Marion-were-traded matchups. This summer's main trade speculation included Utah's Andrei Kirilenko. On Wednesday, a Suns fan would have to be happy that trade talk hardly went anywhere. Marion was better, especially considering he was asked to guard Carlos Boozer and outran Kirilenko twice for dunks.

- Paul Coro

[SwingMan]

D'Antoni turns up heat on Diaw (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1212sunsnotes1213.html)

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/pics/1212diaw.jpg
Boris Diaw reacts during the Suns' game against the Chicago Bulls in Phoenix this season.

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 12, 2007 11:48 PM

The juncture at which Suns forward Boris Diaw entered Wednesday night's game was not different.

The comments he made in the morning were no different.

But Suns coach Mike D'Antoni called out Diaw more than he has at any point in Diaw's recent run of disengaged play.
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In the eight games preceding Wednesday's, Diaw had not posted more than three assists in a game, was averaging two rebounds during that stretch and took three shots or fewer in five of those games.

D'Antoni has sat Diaw more, giving the team's fourth-highest paid player ($9 million this season) 19 minutes per game in that eight-game stretch.

Diaw's first-half activity was better Wednesday.

"He's got to pick it up," D'Antoni said before Wednesday's game. "If he plays 15 minutes, he's got to play 15 productive minutes, and then it could stretch in something. It's hard to say, 'OK, if I play 30, it'll be productive,' when the first 15 aren't. At some point, you've got to pull the plug, and that's what I'm doing. And give Brian Skinner credit, he's earned minutes and has played well.

"The only thing (Diaw) can do is play hard, and it'll work itself out. Whether it's the greatest thing in the world, I don't know. We'll see.

"But he can still be good. He has to do that. He can't back down."

Diaw thrives when he has more touches and is a primary facilitator.

A common theory is that he struggles to play alongside Amaré Stoudemire, a commanding presence who also needs the ball and operates best in the same areas as Diaw.

"I just try to play as well as possible in whatever time I'm given," Diaw said before the game. "I'm still doing the same job. I'm still trying to make the right play. It's the same whether you play 20 minutes or 30.

"I can't shoot without the ball. Other than that, it's the same. I won't be able to score as much. I won't be able to make plays, but it's OK. Other people make plays on the court."

Diaw entered Wednesday as the only rotation player with a negative plus-minus ratio. Diaw said his enjoyment level is the same because "it's just about winning."

He said he is as aggressive as needed.
Swing's note: WTF??????????????????????????? :shock:

Diaw was at his best in the fourth quarter, driving for two three-point plays and finding Grant Hill for another.

Free throws

Suns guard Raja Bell is the first pro athlete to take fans' questions that are uploaded on youtube.com. It is titled "Ask Raja."

• D'Antoni and Stoudemire wore ESPN microphones for Wednesday's game.

[SwingMan]

(The latest from Paul Coro's blog)

More than a chipped tooth (http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/12556)

Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver offered to put a $20 bill under Steve Nash's pillow but that won't making spending his off-day Thursday at the dentist any better.

Nash had his front tooth chipped by a Carlos Boozer elbow just before halftime. It's the same tooth that has given him fits since it was bent backward on a hit from another Utah power forward years ago. He had just taken care of it with a veneer in the past year but the health update on Nash does not end there.

As usual, we learn more about Nash's ills once he is past them. Nash shot well Wednesday (10 of 12 from the field, 3 of 4 on three-pointers and 6 of 6 at the free throw line) because he was feeling well for a change.

"To be honest, I felt a little better physically," Nash said. "They were getting to the rim easily so I tried to be more aggressive once I felt my body could take it tonight."

The incredible run of assists games recently had a lot to do with his lingering ailments beyond a cold.

"I have a cold but I got some stuff going on with my back, neck, shoulder and stuff that's all spasmed up," Nash said. "Tonight, (Suns head athletic trainer) Aaron (Nelson) did an excellent job.

"I was trying my best not to shoot sometimes. Even if it doesn't feel great, I'm going to have to shoot the ball sometimes, especially in the fourth quarter. It hasn't been the best recently so I have been most nights trying to look for ways to draw defenders and pass to teammates."

And the elbow?

"The elbow's a little sore too. It's a bit of disaster."

[Coop]

It might be easier right now to ask Nash waht body parts DONT hurt.

[phnart]

Steve Nash is tougher than Rambo.

[AmareIsGod]

Marion shows different side (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1212sunssharing.html)



http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/pics/1213sunssharing.jpg
Bridget Pettis of the Mercury (left) and Suns players Leandro Barbosa, D.J. Strawberry, Shawn Marion and Sean Marks visit with 5-month-old Jesus Araujo at Banner Children's Hospital in Mesa on Dec. 11.



Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 12, 2007 01:20 PM

The public heard Shawn Marion on television before the season. It read about him in the newspaper. Seeking more credit. Requesting a trade. It's easy to form opinions around such things. It's easy to assume he doesn't understand. It's easy to judge.

It's easy to err.

On a recent rainy afternoon, the Suns forward entered Banner Children's Hospital at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa. He was there with teammates Leandro Barbosa, D.J. Strawberry, Sean Marks and other Suns and Mercury personnel to help spread holiday cheer. He wore jeans, a white sweatshirt and a quick smile that made awkward situations not so awkward.

For those who think Marion is at home on the court, you should see him around children. He loves them. "Too bad I don't have some of my own," he said, "but maybe that's in the future."

This was Marion's ninth hospital trip, and his experience showed. This was his show. His hospital trips usually coincide with the holidays, but truth is, Marion would visit anytime.

"Hey, what's your name, man?" he said, entering a first-floor room.

A 10-year-old with a collapsed lung sat up. His name was Donald. He has been in and out of hospitals for all but the first six months of his life with chronic asthma.

"I have a little something for you," Marion said, dropping a gift bag on the bed.

Donald grabbed a Spider-man game.

"Whoa," Marion said, "I want to keep this for myself. Can I have this back?"

Donald shook his head.

"Why? It's supposed to be the season of giving" - Marion peeked into the bag - "and you got two of them."

Donald wasn't falling for it. They're different, he said.

"Ah, that's not fair," Marion said. "But you know what? Since it's the holiday season, you can have both."

For all his talents - quickness, versatility, rebounding - Marion rarely gets recognized for perhaps what he does best: connecting with the public. You would know this if you've seen him mingle. If you haven't, you probably would think he's simply in this for the photo op.

That's not the case.

True, several television cameras followed him. True, a microphone was fastened to his sweatshirt. But the entourage seemed to embarrass Marion more than anything. He apologized several times for the intrusion. "Y'all," he said, "need to get out of the way."

He focused on the children, on young Kalub Koltin, who slept not far from a donations jar put on a shelf to help with the bone marrow transplant needed to save his life.

He focused on Autumn Cline, a 4-year-old who was willing to get her photo taken with the basketball stars, but only if her Mommy joined them. Meanwhile, her daddy, Jarrett, stood in the doorway, looking like a tired man who would like nothing more in this world than to just get assurance that his little girl was going to be OK.

If you've ever visited a children's hospital, you know that look. It's one of severe exhaustion and deep concern. Something has gone wrong for reasons that are hard to grasp, and although the care is top notch, that uneasy feeling never leaves, it can only be suspended for moments here and there.

Marion seemed to recognize this. Perhaps it stemmed from his childhood, when Christmas didn't always produce everything on his wish list. Or maybe after nine hospital visits, a person just begins to understand how much a break from the routine can mean. As one parent pointed out, when her child is released, she might not remember her treatment, but she'll definitely recall the day the friendly basketball players stopped by to visit.

"I never take this for granted," Marion said.

How could he when Katie Doty, a sweet 9-year-old with cancer, spent all day drawing a Suns picture in preparation for his arrival? Hanging on a wall, her art showed a Suns player scoring, while a Lakers defender screamed "No!" in the background. Marion and Strawberry signed the photo, and a basketball, too, which Katie cradled, studying No. 31's signature.

"She's been looking forward to this all morning," said her mother, Deanna, smiling at her daughter.

Outside, Marion walked to another room, continuing a goodwill tour that for one hour filled much of the hospital with laughter.

"That's how he acts all the time, no matter where he is," Strawberry said. "That's Shawn. That's what he does."

[INFORMER]

A common theory is that he struggles to play alongside Amaré Stoudemire, a commanding presence who also needs the ball and operates best in the same areas as Diaw.

This argument is growing weaker and weaker. Amare isn't a guard that dribbles and dribbles on the perimeter for 20 of the 24 second shot clock. Many times he's receiving the ball on the move from Nash as he's cutting to the basket to score. Yes, sometimes he isolates, but come on. Him and Diaw can work a two-man game. Plus, Diaw has shown an ability to make plays from high post, low post and wings. Amare can't be in all those places at one time. So wherever Amare isn't, that's where Diaw should be. Geez, this isn't freakin' rocket science.

[AmareIsGod]

This argument is growing weaker and weaker. Amare isn't a guard that dribbles and dribbles on the perimeter for 20 of the 24 second shot clock. Many times he's receiving the ball on the move from Nash as he's cutting to the basket to score. Yes, sometimes he isolates, but come on. Him and Diaw can work a two-man game. Plus, Diaw has shown an ability to make plays from high post, low post and wings. Amare can't be in all those places at one time. So wherever Amare isn't, that's where Diaw should be. Geez, this isn't freakin' rocket scientist.


Proper terminology use isn't rocket science.

:-o

Just Joshin' with ya!

[MTSunsFan]

Here's Nash's "chipped tooth" half-time interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALfv5LQtYso (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ALfv5LQtYso)

Steve's got a great sense of humor...

[DrSublime]

Nash has some pure hilarious moments on and off camera.

[Billyjoejimbob]

(The latest from Paul Coro's blog)

More than a chipped tooth (http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/12556)



Nash had his front tooth chipped by a Carlos Boozer elbow just before halftime. It's the same tooth that has given him fits since it was bent backward on a hit from another Utah power forward years ago.

I think we all know who this was.

[ShelC]

Any interest in Ruben Patterson? He was waived by the Clips today as they signed Richie Frahm. Its a bit of a head scratcher IMO, tho theres speculation his contract was about to enter guaranteed territory, so they waived him just before that kicked in. Ive always like the idea of Patterson, but he may not be the professional type we want to add, especially if there are some chemistry issues that need to be worked out. But as a toughnosed, 2/3/4 thta brings energy, athleticsm, defense, and inside-out play, he'd be a good fit here i think.

[DrSublime]

Patterson would be a PERFECT fit on this team

[muchmirth]

i love patterson's game. i have watched him in a couple of clippers game and thought he was terrific. he'd be even better with nash feeding him.

[IronMan]

Bring Patterson on board then threaten Diaw that Ruben will be allowed to sexually assault him if he doesn't start performing.

[y2jjedipimp]

Bring Patterson on board then threaten Diaw that Ruben will be allowed to sexually assault him if he doesn't start performing.

yeah i was just going to mention something about him being a registered sex offender. I'd rather have him than Marks or Pike though. I still think Tucker could be as big of a help off the bench. Who knows? He still might. I'd rather have Frahm though then Pike.

[scosuns]

I was watching Diaw move around last night, and he just looks lost. I mean, he needs to move a bit more. He had some nice plays, but he seems very content with how he's playing. That's the scary part.

I'm happy though, on a side note, because D'Antoni is realizing the Diaw problem. Whatever will wake Diaw up needs to happen. If Diaw would see that he's not playing great and that he needs to make changes, then he can help us.

We really haven't seen the Diaw of old(One year) since Amare was injured. Diaw needs to learn to hog the ball a bit. He has a sweet jumper. He also has some handles. I just wish he would put it all together and make a nice play. Forget the rest of your teammates. They take tons of shots anyways. The point I'm trying to make is, I think Diaw feels like on a team that shares the ball, he needs to consistently pass it. Unless there's a wide open shot, he wont take it. And if there isn't, he just passes.

[Shabazz]

I don't know if the new regime puts as much emphasis on not having anyone with criminal records on the team, but Kerr's a big fan of character and chemistry and for as hard as the Kobe Stopper plays, he's a guy who's been vocal in the past when he's not happy with his minutes. Between that and being on Megan's Law, I'm not too optimistic he ends up on the Suns.

The sad thing is that the Suns seem so dead-set on staying at 13 roster players, even if a really great fit was available I'm not sure they'd be willing to suck up that extra contract. I wonder how good the available player would have to be for the Suns to finally waive Pike or Marks.

[wpmiller42]

I'm really surprised the clips just waived patterson. The guy obviously has some character issues which probably would keep him off this team, but I'm surprised nobody would throw even a 2nd round pick to l.a. based on talent alone.

[BigLewy]

I suggested Patterson over the summer as a cheap pickup and was laughed at. I will stick to my guns and say he would really help this team.

[jkalldaway]

Please pick up Patterson. He and Skinner would be instant energy.

[SunsFan4Life]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=TradeWatch-071213&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba %2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dsherida n_chris%26page%3dTradeWatch-071213

TOP 10 Players most likely to be traded list on ESPN.COM

Hakim Warrick is on it, always liked his game and think he would be perfect for this system.
Wanted him the year he cameout in the draft(think it was the yr we took and traded nate rob to NYK) What would we offer for him? well that is another story, but hey maybe Iavorni thinks he can resurrect Diaw for Miller and Warrick.

[ShelC]

Skinners actually played with Patterson IINM. Theyve played for a lot of the same teams, just at different times but i think they may have been teammates in milwaukee.

Regarding Warrick, i was surprised by that as well and was gonig to post that same blurb. On paper, hes what we want: a super long, super athletic 3/4 with shotblocking and rebounding ability. But hes got very little range on his jumper, cant really bang at the 4 spot (but neither does Marion), and the fact that Iavoroni cant use him makes me cautious. At the very least, you hope MikeD has called MarcI about Warrick and gotten the lowdown on him.

[Spanky]

Pass on the rapist.

[Mori_Chu]

I like Ruben Patterson, but even ignoring his character issues, aren't we close enough to the luxury tax threshold that signing him would put us over? Therefore we'd actually lose millions of bucks signing a guy like him, wouldn't we? Can anybody tell me roughly how far under the LT we are right now?

[BigLewy]

Mori, I think I saw we were like 1 mill over. We are over the tax no matter what, but not by much. I think Sarver would bite the bullet for a prorated vet min deal a la Tim Thomas.

[lazyboy62]

Don't we still have a mid-level exemption? I thought that I read somewhere that we did that needed used before the trade deadline.

[ShelC]

I dont know about that...we have some trade exceptions from the JR and KT trades, but that means taking on more salary without giving any up. Either way, we're not making any moves.

[Superbone]

Nobody here's afraid of how he might affect team chemistry?

Edit: Sorry, hadn't see the second page.

I'll pass.

[Phoenix219]

6. Flip Murray, Pistons
The Denver Nuggets were among a handful of teams taking a hard look at the veteran earlier this season, and Murray helped his stock when he filled in for Chauncey Billups as the starter for two games and totaled 30 points and 18 assists.


Detroit still wants to clear a roster spot to sign Chris Webber, and Murray has more value than the two other players the Pistons are most willing to trade -- Ronald Dupree and Nazr Mohammed.



What is Nazr making? Banks for Nazr? Banks+Marks?

[Phoenix219]

Of course, by now, i really do think we need another 3 point shooter more than the big, because the shooting will make up for a lot... well thats the plan isn't it?

AHH.

We STILL need a shooter, backup pg and extra BIG.

What the f.......

Skinner is kind of that big, so i guess another 1-2 is really it?

Wait... don't we have DJ Strawberry?

This wasn't even a DJ rant. I've never done one. But logically going from one point to another as my slightly stoned mind (5:30am east coast here haha) ...

i just came to the conclusion that the solution to our problems is to play DJ Strawberry.

Damn.

[misteradiant]

Any interest in Ruben Patterson?

ruben patterson, the sex offender? for those who don't know, he must register himself as a sex offender in the state where he lives since he pled guilty in 2001 to attempted rape of his child's nanny. shit shel, why even mention a guy that the suns wouldn't poke with a stick if he was dead and the suns were pre-teen country boys? sometimes, man....

(shakes head and drinks his beer, mutters something about renaldo balkman, takes another drink)

and all of you who even entertain the idea ought to be fans of the pacers and knicks instead of here. root for sex offenders on someone else's team, not ours. i'm gonna just mention a ladmo rant right here instead of actually trying to pull my own version off in response to remarks about ruben patterson as a sun.


I think Diaw feels like on a team that shares the ball, he needs to consistently pass it. Unless there's a wide open shot, he wont take it.

oh no. he'll pass up wide open shots to pass the ball. wide open and alone under the basket. you must have missed that one. we had a secret board meeting due to boris' crap that game that turned into a mob that stormed to boris' house and broke down his gates where i had to be the voice of reason and say we wouldn't kill him and only burn his house down instead. then we went bowling and ate nachos. when you've been here long enough, you'll be invited to one of these soirees. damn, beer's empty (leaves room with empty beer bottle. returns with full bottle, grinning). until then, pay more attention and if anybody calls you asking about your affiliation to this message board, never come back. it will be your only hope of survival.

seriously, do you have a motorcycle? there aren't enough dudes with motorcycles here. only sose and myself. if we lived in SFO and this was a warriors board, we'd even have chicks with inline honda fours posting but we're in PHX and it seems bikers and basketball don't belong. we have enough musicians (swing, nodak, superbone, desertcoast and more), mathemetricians (yes i know how i spelled it wormwood, cap and somebody else i've forgotten for now), drunks (you who you are, all fifty one of you), but not enough mad poets and only one guy out of hundreds who posts and never capitalizes. he didn't know until now but he's like a guy i wrote about in a novel 11 years ago because they have the same name, this board member jack arse and my fictional character jack aspect. both make fun of the word jackass. so it's amusing that he of all phxuns.netters, he is the only one who never capitalizes sentences and nouns. it's even more amusing that the thing tying them together is the word jackass. i knew a guy who's nickname was time. his girlfriend was named destiny.

i'm so lonely.

(glug glug)

ha! just putting you on. if you didn't get it already. it's what i do to new guys sometimes. welcome to our humble message board, scosuns. now send me ten bucks. google misteradiant to find out how.

(yes you thought you knew what would be in these parentheses but no, now i'm just smirking)

thanks for the link to top 10 players most likely to be traded, sunsfan. i enjoyed the reading. but i bet we're going to stick with what we've got this year, no matter how boris or leandro or amare or anyone plays. championship teams are built upon a relative consistency of team members, steve kerr knows that by experience on the bulls and spurs. we've already got a new starter in grant hill and i don't think he wishes to tinker with our bench because even with boris playing like he has, we are considered contenders for the championship. boris playing like we know he can puts us over the top. i wish we would play deeper still, and let banks get 8-12 minutes a game. i think he and barbosa would be killer on the floor with grant, boris and skinner. i think they can hold or create a lead before the suns come back with the rest of the starters. why trade for more what-ifs when we already know what we've got and ought to fully utilize the talents on this team? we can make leandro pass the ball and create opportunities now. he did it a bit against utah and you notice that we took it to utah with playing skinner only 8 minutes? wonder if we could have gotten away with that if they had okur.

[JediSkywalker]

Character issues? No thanks. There are plenty of talented players that don't have problems with the law.

[misteradiant]

nashfan, your disembodied upper torso of steve nash on the color mauve reminds me of some sort of existentialist statement expressed in bad graphic design. it is definitely anti-masturbation. i bet george bush could use that. if it were literary, it would be like franz kafka and karl marx are walking in the park drinking beers and laughing just before a fight breaks out. guess which writer threw the first punch. it's like that but in sepia tones with old david bowie playing in the background. see the correlation? i didn't think so. nobody did. ha!

ouch. just poked my eye... knew i shoulda worn goggles tonight. just because you aren't futzing around on your mad scientist table with tools and microscopes doesn't mean you still won't find something to jab you in the eye, misteradiant.

;)

that wasn't what you think it was. or was it? we'll tell you after these messages.

[ShelC]

We have Boris signed to 9mil year a year and have to tolerate pictures of him with his shirt off. If thats not sexually offensive, i dont know what is. Why not bring on Ruben?

[AlanS]

i just came to the conclusion that the solution to our problems is to play DJ Strawberry.

DJ isn't playing because he's not yet ready to contribute.

[scosuns]

DJ isn't playing because he's not yet ready to contribute.

How do we know if we don't play him. I mean, he's with the team as much as the next guy on the team. Obviously he's not going to be like a Nash but, we should see how he does in limited minutes.

[AlanS]

Hmmm... everybody but me on this board thinks DJ should play, so I know I'm on my own. But this is from a pre-draft scouting report on DJ:

<< Weaknesses: Remains an inconsistent shooter from the perimeter … Can loose his confidence offensively if his shot isn’t falling early on … When this happens it’s uncommon for Strawberry to defer to teammates … Has the ability to create off the dribble but struggles to convert off the dribble … Tends to struggle when he has to play in a half court set as teams will often play him for his perimeter shot … Tends to force the action a bit as he will shoot difficult attempts … Must continue to improve his shooting off the dribble from mid-range … Must continue to improve upon protecting the ball when dribbling in traffic … Defensively Strawberry will at times overplay his man trying to gain easy steals … The result is that he often is out of position to effectively defend his assignment … Doesn’t finish at times after contact in the lane … Lacks the explosiveness to get his shot off over bigger opponents … Could be smaller than his listed 6-foot-5 .. >>

Those are weaknesses he had at the college level. Has he overcome them, such that he can be an effective offensive player on a team like the Suns? I doubt it. I would guess that D'Antoni sees DJ every day, and has concluded that Straw needs a lot more work.

[JediSkywalker]

Watching Golden state beat the Lakers tonight made me realize (once again) that we don't have a true 3-point shooter, especially in the closing minutes of a hard fought game. GS lucked out with Kobe getting injured, but the point is they made the plays and overcame an 8-point deficit, with 3 minutes left. The Suns used to be like that. Raja, Nash, Tim Thomas in 2006 and LB last year were players the Suns could always depend on. I don't know what happened to these players. Only Nash has made key 3-pointers (no surprise there), but even he has not shot well early in the games. J.Jones was a streaky shooter, so he could not be depended on (last year), so losing him was probably not a big loss. The Suns offense is not what it used to be. I still believe that the Suns need more defense than offense, but they are going to need some clutch shooters down the road. Utah is in a funk (they lost to Portland tonight- 6th loss in a row!) and that puts things in perspective. We have a lot to be grateful for.

[JackArse]

nash, raja and barbosa ar estill our main 3 pt shooters, but yes, other than htat, we're not the 3 pt shooting team we once were. so while we appear to run to others, we've really changed our style over the past couple of years.

raja has been injured, and is still finding his shot.
nash.. as we NOW know.. has been hurting a bit, and is just now feeling good
and barbosa just fell into a slump, he'll start hitting again.

[Mori_Chu]

nashfan, your disembodied upper torso of steve nash on the color mauve reminds me of some sort of existentialist statement expressed in bad graphic design. it is definitely anti-masturbation.

LMAO. Yeah, I have to admit it, I agree with this. Vash's avatar is pretty MS-Paint. Somebody should take it as a challenge and 'shop him a new one!

[JediSkywalker]

LMAO. Yeah, I have to admit it, I agree with this. Vash's avatar is pretty MS-Paint. Somebody should take it as a challenge and 'shop him a new one!

NO thanks. I like it the way it is.

[misteradiant]

i guess that you work for the government or you are really 12. if neither, you are missing your calling. anti-masturbation statements in avatars remind me of something my step-father once told me. he said, "mister, ninety-eight percent of all men masturbate and the other two percent are liars." now, i'm not calling you a liar by inference. i'm just saying wow...

okay! i know! you're a southern baptist who loves a canadian basketball player's hairy chest. it is hairy. grr!

[SpecialSauce]

lol. it is pretty ugly