Anthony Goegan is currently an employee at Fletcher Tire and Auto, where he mainly changes oil and busts tires. His plan is to learn as much about the automotive industry as possible, so that he can some day own his own independent full-service shop. Outside of that, his main hobby is sports. A few years ago he was an internet sports writer for several sites, incluindg e-Sports. After losing Steve Nash to injury, the Suns then went on a six game losing streak. Still, the Suns rank second only to the San Antonio Spurs and are looked at by scouts as a team capable of making a run at a title ? if Nash stays healthy.
Now, Nash is back and so are the Suns. Sure, they blew an 18 point lead to the Spurs in the fourth quarter in a game in which they dressed only nine players, but that was a true sign that this team is ready for a run. Heck, if they had dressed one or two more players they would have won the game.
The reason they dressed only nine players was because they made a trade earlier that day, sending Casey Jacobsen, Maciej Lampe and Jackson Vroman to New Orleans in exchange for Jim Jackson and a second round pick.
That trade gives the Suns a proven scorer off the bench, something they desperately need if they plan on making a run at a title this season.
The Suns may not have the proper pieces to overthrow a team like the San Antonio Spurs in a seven game series just yet, but this is a team that will be together for a while. A team that will dominate the Western Conference for years to come.
Sure, all it would take for this team to go from first to worst is a season ending injury to Nash, but isn?t that true for the majority of the teams in the league today? If Tim Duncan goes down, the Spurs will slip in the rankings just as quickly.
Whether the Suns need to seek a veteran backup point guard depends on the maturation of Leandro Barbosa, who is quick to the basket and knows how to finish his drives. But when Nash was down, Barbosa simply couldn?t get the job done.
Nash is clearly the MVP of the league this season. His ability to see the open guy and make that unbelievable pass goes unmatched by any point guard in the NBA. He makes everyone around him better. Just look at Amare Stoudemire?s numbers with and without Nash. Night and day.
One of the Suns weaknesses is points off the bench. The acquisition of Jackson should improve those numbers significantly.
As of right now, no one really knows if Phoenix can put together a championship this season. For all we know, Jackson can come off the bench and average 18 points a game, which would give the Suns six players averaging over 15 points a game and an extreme advantage over most other teams.
For the Suns, the key is to play their style of basketball. Make the opposition run. Countless times this year, the Suns opponents have been seen with their hands on their knees, catching their breathe. In fact, the Suns are so good when they are playing their style of basketball that they went four games without calling a timeout.
Another key will be to claim home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Going into San Antonio and beating the Spurs at the SBC Center will be nearly impossible, especially in a playoff atmosphere.
Whether this is the year of the Suns or not remains to be seen. One thing is for certain, though. Phoenix will be right there in the thick of things for the good part of the next six years.