2011-12 Phoenix Suns Outlook
The Phoenix Suns are clearly in transition mode now. They have seen different main players appear and vanish over the past several years. After letting go of Amare Stoudemire to free agency last offseason, the Suns are definitely having a tricky time making an attempt to copy his production.
Phoenix ended the year with a 40-42 mark, ok for second place in the Pacific division. The second place showing in their division failed to help much since they did not make the postseason and they look to be in rebuilding mode.
Steve Nash has been the sole staple in Phoenix, he is still to be the primary cog that keeps this team going and is the greatest difference between winning 20 wins and 40 wins. Despite his age, he is still to be one of the most inspiring players to observe in the league today. Nash averaged 14.7 points and led the league in assists once again with 11.4 even without Stoudemire.
The Suns got Ronnie Price, Shannon Brown and Sebastian Telfair in the offseason while re-signing veteran forward Grant Hill. They drafted Markieff Morris and he is going to be trusted to be a physical defender and a rebounder for the Suns. In Brown, they will have an offensive sparkplug of the bench, just as he did in L.A.
Phoenix did lose Vince Carter to free agency, who left to join the Dallas Mavericks. Aaron Brooks will also be missed as he went over to China during the lockout and can’t have an out till their season finishes in March. Zabian Dowdell and Gani Lawal were waived also. While their offseason moves made them a better squad, they still didn’t get enough to have significant improvement.
Hill played a massive role for the Suns last season. The vet put up 13.2 points and 4.2 boards while shooting 48.4% from the field. Frye had a breakout season of sorts after putting up 12.7 points and 6.7 boards per contest. He shot 39% from beyond the arc and provided clutch shots time and time again for Phoenix.
The starters will likely be Nash, Hill and Frye along with Jared Dudley and C Marcin Gortat. Jared Dudley provided great defense and offense off the bench for Phoenix last season, and he will be looked on to start for the Suns in place of Pietrus. Gortat had a breakout season last year putting up 10.2 points and 7.9 boards.
Other guys anticipated to play a lot of minutes are C Robin Lopez and PF Hakim Warrick. With the signings of Brown, Telfair, Price and Morris, Phoenix is going to have some nice depth this upcoming year. They should be ready to run teams like they used to, which is something they have to try and use to their advantage this season.
Western Conference Pick: 4th Pacific Division – The Suns will have a hard time attempting to keep abreast of its rivals in this improving division which is why their odds to win the NBA championship are so low. They may score in bunches but they’re going to be a soft team and will have a hard time in the defensive end. Morris will be in a position to give the team some much needed toughness, but not quite enough to triumph over their overall defensive deficiencies. They’re going to be a fun team to watch, but they won’t be well placed to come up with key defensive plays down the stretch of games. They are going to be times where they’re going to be competitive but that will not be adequate for them to make the playoffs.
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