Not everybody in the Valley of the Sun is coyote-yodeling over the Diamondbacks' World Series victory. Suns GM Bryan Colangelo knows his father, Jerry, a managing partner of both franchises, has benefited greatly from the seamed-sphere success, but the fervor surrounding the city's baseball team contrasts sharply with the feeling around its NBA counterpart.

And it's Bryan's job, of course, to change that.

Credit him for attacking it full throttle. He has done everything from change the team's top star (Stephon Marbury for Jason Kidd) to hiring or acquiring old favorites (assistant GM Mark West and reserve guard Dan Majerle). He's remodeled part of America West Arena into a restaurant-bar overlooking the court. He also revamped a roster that, inadvertently or otherwise, now boasts a league-high seven white players in a state that was next-to-last to approve a holiday for Martin Luther King.

But so far, not so good. Marbury is pulling hamstrings and missing team buses while Kidd is ringing up triple-doubles in Jersey. The Suns have dropped three of four, while Cliff Robinson, banished to Detroit for Jud Buechler and John Wallace, is contributing to a Pistons resurgence. When Colangelo televised -- without sound -- Game 5 of the World Series on the America West big screens during the Suns season opener, he ticked off coach Scott Skiles and the players, who responded with a far-more-listless-than-it-sounds three-point loss to the Nuggets. When he limited Game 7 viewing to quarter breaks and timeouts, the fans booed.

"It's a no-win situation, but it's a high-class problem I'll take," Colangelo says.

The bigger problem is Phoenix's basketball fans. Weaned on Charles Barkley and perennial title contention, they're a fickle bunch that either embraces a player completely or never quite warms to him. The apathy around the Suns in general and Kidd in particular says a lot about how hard it is to capture local hearts and disposable cash.

The Suns have made the playoffs 13 years running and only two teams -- the Jazz and Lakers -- have won more games during that stretch. Kidd remains one of the most selflessly entertaining players in the game, and while many blamed both the disinterest and his trade on a domestic flap with his wife, Joumana, the trade talk and shrinking attendance began before that Jan. 18 incident.

Besides, the Suns' sellout streak of 390 ended during the lockout season and attendance continues to dwindle. Two years ago, 29 of 41 home dates sold out. Last year 10 did. Even with the World Series game being shown during the season opener, the arena was only two-thirds full.

"It was definitely time to make a change," Colangelo says.

He's right -- and while trading a player of Kidd's caliber is always dicey, Marbury, 24, fits the larger-than-life profile Phoenicians seem to prefer. His personality is closer to Sir Charles' brash bring-it-on approach than Kidd's, whose stock-in-trade is going 100 miles an hour but never looking, or sounding, out of control.

A decent nucleus remains. Marbury has as much raw talent as any point guard in the game. Shawn Marion is a third-year All-Star-caliber small forward. Tom Gugliotta has recovered nicely from a devastating knee injury and 7'3", 270-pound center Jake Tsakalidis still has promise.

That won't be enough to start another sellout streak. Someone reminded Colangelo that the Diamondbacks' run closely mirrors that of the 1969 Amazin' Mets, and that the Knicks followed suit by winning the '70 NBA title. "They've put the pressure on," Colangelo said, "and we certainly have a way to go."

AND ONES: So much for Mo Cheeks reining in Rasheed Wallace. On the first play of the Blazers' first intrasquad scrimmage of the year, a source says 'Sheed blistered a local high-school ref after being called for an offensive foul. On the next play at the other end he was called for another foul and tore into the official again before Cheeks pulled him aside ... The Lakers' re-signing Brian Shaw has closed the door, for the time being, on a return by Ron Harper, who was contacted by Lakers coach Phil Jackson when it looked as if Shaw might go elsewhere. The Pacers also contacted Harper a couple of weeks ago but don't have any openings, either ... Derek Strong being released was a stunning move by the Clippers and could signal a change in owner Donald Sterling's fiscal 'tude. The same Sterling who nixed various deals over the years rather than eat a couple hundred thousand dollars, apparently approved cutting Strong despite owing him $12 million over the next three years. It either indicates he could drop the necessary coin to keep the Clippers' current talent together, or nobody showed him Strong's deal.

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. His column appears each Tuesday. E-mail ric.bucher@espnmag.com.