The most surprising team of the young season has to be the Phoenix Suns. Left for dead by almost every NBA pundit, the Suns have jumped out of the gate with a 4-1 record. Sure, the HEAT are the only playoff team they've beaten and the Magic blew them out last night, but the fact that the Suns won their first four games is surprising, nonetheless.
"I didn't know what our record would be, but I knew we'd compete and I knew we had guys who fit together and liked playing together," suns GM Steve Kerr tells HOOPSWORLD. "That's usually worth something. I know in my experience that usually translates well, but I didn't know what to expect, frankly. I'm pleasantly surprised."
Part of the Suns' early success can be attributed to continuity. Alvin Gentry is much more familiar with and to his personnel now, and the core group that was in place is still basically in place. If you look at which teams are doing well early, it's the teams that made few changes to their core group.
"We developed some continuity last year under Alvin and we had some guys who really came on under him, with Goran (Dragic) and Robin Lopez, Lou Amundson, Jarrod Dudley, they developed a lot of confidence last year," says Kerr. "We knew our vets could play. Steve, Grant, Amar'e . . .a lot of people left us for dead, but we knew we had a lot of talent, we knew we had a coach who everybody believed in, and we knew we had a lot to be positive about. To be honest, the low expectations are kind of nice after the last five years when it was the exact opposite. It's been nice to be below the radar and to come out and start well."
The Suns' bench players may have played well early, but Kerr is quick to caution that they still have a lot of room to improve.
"I think our bench has been great and it's been a key to our start, but that doesn't mean they're there yet. Goran Dragic has played pretty well to start the year and he's going to be a big role this season. We've got to be able to count on him for 15 good minutes a night in order to give Steve a rest. Steve's averaging 37 minutes a game, which is a concern. So Goran needs to continue to improve, and I think we need the entire bench to continue to grow and give us consistent minutes. I think the biggest area of improvement, though, is going to come from Amar'e because he's going at about 60% right now and he has the ability to make a breakthrough for us. I think he's headed towards it with the way he's working and as focused as he is. If those two things come together, if Amar'e continues to progress and our young guys really establish themselves off the bench, I think we'll be really tough to beat."
A key issue is limiting Steve Nash's minutes. Goran Dragic wasn't a factor last season, but the Suns feel his development, in particular, will help keep their star point guard fresh in the event of a postseason run.
"Ideally, the last three years he's been at 33, 34 minutes per game and we probably need to get it down to that," says Kerr. "On the one hand, you start asking yourself if those extra three or four minutes are really that important, but on the other hand, it's kind of wishful thinking. You try to think it's not that big of a deal. It may be that he needs to play fewer games. Maybe he needs to play 75 games instead of 82. Now, I'm not going to hold him out, but usually that kind of happens normally. You sprain an ankle, you miss a couple of games, there's kind of a natural order of things. We just have to take it game by game, but that's why I mentioned Dragic's development and why that's so important to us. It fits right in with what Nash is doing."
In the past, Kerr has given definite answers to questions that don't really have easy answers. He didn't want to lose Raja Bell and Boris Diaw. He liked what Shaquille O'Neal brought to the table. He repeatedly said they were looking at deals for those players, who are all now playing elsewhere. When it comes to Amar'e Stoudemire, Kerr takes a much more cautious approach.
"I would love for Amar'e to be a long-term part of this team. He's talented, we have a great relationship, he has a great relationship with Alvin. I've seen him grow and mature this year. He's taken on more of a leadership role and become an integral part of our team, so he's been great. With that said, you always have to wait and see, and there are all kinds of issues beyond whether we like Amar'e or not. We like him, but there are budget issues, concerns about what you cap's going to look like, what your talent base looks like, who's developing on your bench and what position they play . . .it's a chess game. It's a chess board and you have to make sure all the pieces are in the right place. We'll evaluate everything as we go forward, but he's done a great job."
Gasol Not Ready To Return
There have been conflicting reports out of Los Angeles regarding the possible return of All-Star forward Pau Gasol. The most recent report we received said he could return as early as Friday night, when the Lakers take on the Memphis Grizzlies. According to Gasol, that's an overly optimistic appraisal. Broderick Turner of the LA Times reports:
"The results of the MRI were promising and positive," Gasol said Wednesday night. "So that gives me a little bit of hope that I'll be back soon. I just hope that I can increase the level of work that I'm doing right now until I feel good about it and my hamstring responds well."
Gasol said he hopes to practice today.
But as far as playing Friday night when the Lakers host the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center, Gasol shot that down.
"I'm far from playing on Friday," he said.
The Lakers play again Sunday night, but Gasol wasn't "sure about that either."
For more on Gasol's condition, and for some insight from Trevor Ariza on his first game against the Lakers, link here!
First Look At Tonight's Action
Chicago Bulls @ Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavaliers may have lost their first two games of the season, but it didn't take them long to right the ship. Now winners of three straight, the Cavs will look to make up for lost time. Meanwhile, the Bulls have been very inconsistent. An impressive opening night win over the Spurs led to losses in Boston and Miami before they beat up on the battered Milwaukee Bucks. No new injuries to report, but Tyrus Thomas is listed as "doubtful" due to the flu.
San Antonio Spurs @ Utah Jazz: The Spurs are still trying to find the right chemistry with the new faces they added over the summer, and the Jazz will no doubt be happy to see the last of the Texas teams for a while. They lost a home game to the Houston Rockets, then thought they had a win in Dallas only to have Dirk Nowitzki score 29 points in the fourth quarter and rescue the Mavericks . . and the Spurs are the best of the three. Should be interesting to see what Pop's boys have in store. No new injuries to report, though Antonio McDyess has the flu and will be a game time decision for the Spurs.
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