Suns Fans: Let's discuss the status of the team

I figured now would be a good time to bring up the Suns as they just finished going 2-2 against 4 of the better teams in the NBA: the Spurs, Mavericks, Hornets, and Jazz.

There were a few things about what I saw that I really liked. Grant Hill has been an absolute stud (his dunk vs. the Mavs was like going back in a time machine) and I couldn't be happier with the way he has played. His play against the Spurs was very promising, he did a lot of the little things that didn't get done in the past against them. Boris Diaw also showed some signs of life, making a couple big plays against the Spurs and Jazz in particular. Brian Skinner has been awesome for us, did anyone expect him to be playing this well? The athleticism he showed by stealing the ball and running it all the way down the court for a slam was unbelievable. As always, Nash and Marion have been playing fantastically.

Some causes for concern? Amare has, at times, seemed uninterested in the game and improving his defense. Duncan absolutely crushed him in the Spurs game and he was completely uninvolved in the 1st half of the Mavericks game. He came on late and was pretty much unstoppable on the offensive end in both games, but I'd like to see a little more effort out of him; he isn't good enough to take plays off yet (especially on defense). Also, Barbosa once again showed signs of struggling against the vaunted Spurs D, shooting a poor percentage and being somewhat unable to nail the three point shot when it counted. He did, however, play well at the end of the 3rd quarter and beginning of the 4th so that was a positive sign for the future.

Overall, I'm happier with the team after these 4 games than I was before, particularly with the play of Hill and Skinner.

Grant Hill has been amazing for us this year so far and has lived up to the hype, but i'm pretty disappointed with the others. Boris Diaw needs to get his crap together and start being more aggressive. Raja Bell seems to still be in a funk. I think his percentages are all down. Maybe he's still not 100% from a bit ago. Also, I've been pretty disappointed with Amare. There really is no improvement in his defense and he isn't as dominant in the offensive end as well. Barbosa is a streaky player. Some nights he'll erupt for 30 points and others he'll be 6/19 shooting. Nash either goes for 9 points and 18 assists or 30 points and 8 assists. I feel like he has to be dominating for the suns to win most of the time. Whether it's injuries or just being lethargic, I feel like the suns are just going to get killed by the spurs again in the west come playoff time.

After last abysmal playoff exit which followed an equally spectacular regular season, I don't think I can ever get excited about another extended win streak again. The lesson? Your regular season W-L is inconsequential and pushing yourself too hard before the playoffs can leave you burned out for the games that really matter. This is especially true when two of your key players are in their mid-thirties.

Did we learn our lesson? Nope. Nash continues to play around 34-35 minutes a game and Grant Hill, who has been rarely able to play an entire season even with diminished minutes, is playing a whopping 35 minutes a game. Once again, it seems likely that come playoff time, the soon-to-be 34 year old Nash will no longer have the physical ability to play at the level he's capable of, thanks to D'Antoni's decision to play him all but 14 minutes in every regular season contest.

It's time to take a page out of Greg Popovich's book and start saving our best players for the times when we need them most...

I agree completely.

In fact, I listened to a radio inteview with Kurt Thomas when he was traded to the Sonics and he was asked what he thought the primary thing D'Antoni did wrong was. Thomas said that he used too few players in the rotation. Charles Barkley has also been harping on it, and it is true. Having a high seed and homecourt advantage is great and all until your players burn out and get bounced in the 2nd round. We should be playing Strawberry, Tucker, Piatowski, Banks, etc. Limit Nash and Hill to ~ 25-30 minutes a night. Championships are not won in December.

The Suns are an amazing team. Offensively one of the best in league history.

However, it's still the regular season and we all know it means nothing. Regardless of all the referee scandals and big shot bob, the suns can't play defense.

I watched the Suns play the Utah Jazz a few weeks ago, and I saw Amare who's a freakish athlete let Mehmet Okur, an old man post him up and score many times. This can't stand in the playoffs with better post players like Timmy D or Andrew Bynum when he's back.

D'Antoni may be a good coach, but he needs to be less stubborn and teach his players some defense.