|
|
|
Tuesday, October 31, 2000
Suns: Talent's there, but center isn't
|
Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason / 1999 | Roster
Last year: 53-29, third in Pacific, fifth in conference
Coach/GM: Scott Skiles/Bryan Colangelo
Arena, first game: America West Arena (19,023); Nov. 7, 1992
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 1,422-1,170/0
Notable: Allowed 93.7 ppg, 2nd-lowest in team history
|
THE TOP EIGHT
|
|
Pos
|
Player
|
Key Stat
|
Skinny
|
|
PG
|
Jason Kidd
|
10.1 apg
|
Five triple-doubles, 7.2 rebs and points
|
|
SG
|
Penny Hardaway
|
16.9 ppg
|
Played 60 games, and shared ball well
|
|
SF
|
Clifford Robinson
|
18.5 ppg
|
Does yeoman's work manning middle also
|
|
PF
|
Rodney Rogers
|
5.5 rpg
|
Sixth-man of year starts with Googs out
|
|
C
|
Chris Dudley
|
.333 FG
|
Give him playing time, he'll get 9 rebs per
|
|
6th
|
Shawn Marion
|
10.2 ppg
|
High-flier could start, with Cliff at center
|
|
7th
|
Tony Delk
|
6.4 ppg
|
He, Mario Elie give great backcourt depth
|
|
8th
|
Jake Tsakalidis
|
--
|
Someday, could be Divac-like draft steal
|
|
 |
|
|
The Suns need to get something out of the center spot. They need to prove that they have a half-court, post-up scorer and a shot-blocker defensively. They have a number of candidates for the job but the reports have been underwhelming so far. Jason Kidd needs to take another step and be the scorer he can be. He needs to be the guy who knocks down the shot when they absolutely need it, because he's already the player who does the best job creating the shot. If the Suns could go seven games in the second round it will be a good year. They've proven they're a playoff team capable of winning the home court advantage, but nobody looks at them as a team that will be in the conference finals. So that is clearly the next step for them.
|
|
|
By Frank Hughes
Special to ESPN.com
The Good
This has to start with Jason Kidd, who may have had his moniker
as best point guard in the league usurped by Gary Payton last season, but
still remains just a step behind, and may get back that identity this season.
In addition, the Suns acquired Tony Delk to back up Kidd, and Delk probably
can play shooting guard behind Anfernee Hardaway, as well. The talent does
not stop there. The Suns have one of the most underrated players in the
league -- both offensively and defensively -- in Clifford Robinson, and Rodney
Rogers got his recognition when he was given the league's Sixth Man award
last season. With Hardaway still a serious threat, the Suns remain a potent
offense. They should get back Tom Gugliotta in mid-December from his knee
injury, and that is just one more weapon to make them dangerous.
The Bad
Where to start? First, in a move to save a bunch of money, the
Suns traded Luc Longley to the Knicks and picked up Chris Dudley.
Not that Longley ever will be confused with Wilt, but he still has a better
all-around game than Dudley -- whose free throw shooting is notoriously
horrible. The Suns did the move thinking that draft pick Jake Tsakalidis
would come in and replace Longley, but Tsakalidis has been a disappointment
in camp so far. He has not been able to pick up the NBA quickly, and he is
not very agile. In fact, Daniel Santiago was initially ahead of Tsakalidis on
the depth chart. Essentially, for now, the Suns do not have an interior
presence in a conference that is loaded with them. Gugliotta's injury can
only hamper this team, and Hardaway also had offseason knee surgery that has
slowed him down through the first part of the preseason. Throw in the fact
that Rex Chapman's career is over because of injuries, and the Suns seem to
be faltering even before the season begins. Shawn Marion was a bright spot
at the beginning of the season, but he faded after hitting the rookie wall.
|
THE BIG QUESTION |
|
Will the loss of Longley, while not overly talented but a
bona fide inside presence, mean the Suns will not be able to compete against
teams that have dominating centers, which is most of the West these days?
Will Marion be better in his second season than in the second half of his
first? And will the return of Gugliotta upset the team's chemistry after more
than a month without him?
|
Whose team is this?
As much as Hardaway wishes he could be the man someplace, this is Kidd's team. He earned that right by developing into a
complete player, including now owning a respectable jump shot and 3-pointer.
He also just returned from winning a gold medal at the Olympics. Kidd is not
the most demonstrative of leaders, but he is so smart and well-versed in the
game that he automatically commands respect.
| |  | |
| Kidd |
How they'll play
They'll have to play small and they'll have to play
fast. With Longley gone and Gugliotta out for at least a month, the Suns will
have to try and create mismatches by having their smaller centers and power
forwards, most of whom can shoot perimeter shots, take advantage of the
bigger post players in the conference. Kidd is masterful at running a fast
break, so he will be able to get this team into an uptempo game.
Projection
Even with all the injury problems and no real center, the
Suns still have enough talent to win at least 50 games. However, they
probably don't have enough talent to make it deep into the playoffs. This
year could be a step backward for Phoenix, which will try to retool some next
summer.
|
|
|
|
|
