The Suns Thread

[Colin]

Welcome to the Suns playoffs thread. First up, the first round matchup with the Lakers.

Here we have one of the best matchups in the first round. Two of the top MVP canidates going against each other. One team with amazing chemistry and a weapon that fires off ammunition in the form of former scrubs. One team with slightly more questionable chemistry and the grreatest one-on-one player in the NBA.

Of course I'm thinking Suns in 6. But anything could happen against freakin' Kobe.















The big problem with round 2 against the Clippers is going to be the inside game. If Kwame and Odom were killing them inside, I'm not looking forward to Elton Brand. I'm not going to put it out there that they have to stop Brand, I doubt that would happen, but they do need to get out on the Clippers perimeter players quickly. If they double down on Brand they need to get back out there instantly.
Another thing may be Nash keeping up with Sam Cassel. But when you factor in that he has to keep up with Nash it's a wash.

[Axel]

Nothing will happen.... Marion will own Lamar Odom once again, leaving Kobe with no options whatsoever.

Kobe scored 51 in one game and they still lost by double digits... I doubt things will change.

[peaches]

Any news on when Amares' back?

[rongotai]

Any news on when Amares' back?

Sarcasm or are you being serious ?

I think he's aiming to be back for the US traning Camp in July but Im not 100% sure

[Fenix]

I hope you're joking. I'll be happy if he's ready for the start of the next season. There's no fucking way he's going to play for USA team and risk that he hurts himself again.

[sucram]

Yeh i wouldnt think he would risk it, Although he is am amazing talent i think he could be replaced with the amount of talented ball players wanting to play this time round. I'd love to see the man child Dwight Howard representing his country. Not sure if i'm the only one thinking the Lakers will give it PHX, much so as in 6 games. Well, maybe its just what im hoping for

[Andrew]

Amare is on the playoff roster though, so perhaps the Suns are holding some hope that he can return at some point in the postseason, perhaps for short stretches here and there.

[Fenix]

I think that's more due to them showing respect to Amare. I think you, Andrew, are seriously underrating Amare's injury. Him returning to play this season was his first mistake and trying to make another comebact in the postseason or for the WC would be a mistake #2.

[Andrew]

I think you, VanK, are putting words in my mouth. At no point did I say I think he would return, I simply suggested that the Suns are perhaps hoping for an outside chance of that happening and therefore have him in the playoff roster just in case. Any team intending to make a serious run deciding to "show respect" by having an injured player on the playoff roster ahead of someone who is actually available to play is just wasting that inactive roster spot they now have in the postseason.

Also, I believe Amare's sitting out after having a procedure on his other knee, not the one he had surgery on in the offseason.

[Fenix]

His (really, really) injured knee clearly bothers him more than just with giving him pain. He looked like he lacked mobility even before his other knee began troubling him, so sitting out and trying to rehab his explosivness was the obvious choice, but some of the reporters, some of the people in the Suns' organisation and some of us (with that I mean you, among others) thought that the 'reward was far greater than the risk'. That is simply not true and I do believe that the Suns are smart enough that they wouldn't allow Amare to risk another injury. And given their possibilites when comes to their playoff roster, I really don't think there was a decent alternative rather than include Amare. Thing is, if a miracle happens and the Suns win a championship, then Amare will get a ring. If he wasn't included, he wouldn't get any and I believe that's the point is exactly what I said - paying respect. Wouldn't be an odd situation if the Suns won and some scrub got a ring and Amare didn't?

[Andrew]

His (really, really) injured knee clearly bothers him more than just with giving him pain.

I never denied there was a problem. He wouldn't be shut down if there wasn't.

He looked like he lacked mobility even before his other knee began troubling him, so sitting out and trying to rehab his explosivness was the obvious choice, but some of the reporters, some of the people in the Suns' organisation and some of us (with that I mean you, among others) thought that the 'reward was far greater than the risk'. That is simply not true and I do believe that the Suns are smart enough that they wouldn't allow Amare to risk another injury.

Nice spin-doctoring there. The reward/risk I was referring to was the Suns' chemistry and a statement I did qualify with "if he's healthy". I don't think Amare's brief return has completely ruined the Suns.

And given their possibilites when comes to their playoff roster, I really don't think there was a decent alternative rather than include Amare. Thing is, if a miracle happens and the Suns win a championship, then Amare will get a ring. If he wasn't included, he wouldn't get any and I believe that's the point is exactly what I said - paying respect. Wouldn't be an odd situation if the Suns won and some scrub got a ring and Amare didn't?

It would be an odd situation, if players not on the playoff roster didn't get a ring, but they do, making that argument completely incorrect and irrelevant.

Again, it's unlikely he'll return but since the Suns have that inactive roster spot, perhaps they're leaving the door open on the outside chance he can go.

[Fenix]

Considering the facts that Amare
a.) wouldn't come back 100%, especially not stamina and athleticism-wise;
b.) that there's less or no room for mistakes in the playoffs I think that the risk-reward ratio (chemistry-wise) is a bit different than if he returned to action in the regular season with 15, 20 games left. He wouldn't have time to adapt to his teammates, or vice versa. Is either you contribute or you don't and I think there's a far greater possibilty that Amare starting to play in 2nd or 3rd round (if they even get past Lakers) actually hurts the Suns. But then again, you're completely right - even a 1% chance of Amare returning in playoff shape always outduels having a scrub on the end of your bench.

[Andrew]

Yes, there's a risk with his health and might not work out as well as the Suns would hope. And yes, he probably won't return anyway. All I'm suggesting is the Suns are leaving the door open should that situation change. Otherwise there's no point in having him on the playoff roster, even ahead of Thompson who at least would be another healthy body to rotate in and out.

[Axel]

Well, his microfracture repaired knee was pretty close to 100% a month ago or so when he attempted a come back... it's not going to take him another year to come back... he was doing full practices; he said it was just tightness and swelling. Now he had arthroscopic surgery on the other.... I'm not sure how long he will be out for, but I'm pretty certain its a minor surgery (baseball players have it all the time).

I'm guessing by the time the arthroscopic surgery heals up, both knees will be fine, since he was nearly healed on the bad one to begin with.... who knows, maybe if they somehow make the finals, he can be thrown out there as a large body that can grab a rebound or two... like Andrew said, they are obviously not ruling it out.

[Andrew]

That's basically how I see it unfolding if he was to return this year, only being activated if the Suns go deep in the Playoffs, he's healthy enough to play anything up to half a game without much risk and the Suns need him to play in stretches here and there to try and get over the hump. Having him on the playoff roster allows that scenario to happen should it be feasible. It probably won't come to that but the 13 man roster affords them the luxury of having that opportunity if it presents itself. I'm sure the Suns aren't counting on him to be back and are only considering the outside chance of that happening.

[funk99]

still see kobe scoring big and owning nash in the process to make him MVP

[Matt]

Suns in 6.....sticking to that.

[Dean]

Ill take Suns in 6 too. Chemistry is far too good, and Nashty will run the Suns past the Kobe's.

[dada]

Lakers inn 4.

Anyways, seeing that winning the regular season series doesnt always equate to a postseason series victory, I like my chances with the Lakers on this series. Everybody believes Phoenix will blow them away but I think the opposite. Nobody really expects them to win so te pressure is more on Phoenix and that should play very well into LA's hands.

[nets4life]

Honestly i cannot see Kobe carrying the Lakers throught the playoffs. He may have done it in the regular season but now its the big time. If the Lakers have any chance of beating phoenix Steve Nash has to break his back or something. Im calling it Phoenix in 5

[DB]

Kobe scored 51 in one game and they still lost by double digits... I doubt things will change.

You know the lakers didn't lose because Kobe scored 51, They lost because they couldn't get any defensive stops against this great offensive team. I don't think it's a smart idea of the suns to let Kobe "get his", cause what do think would happen if Kobe "get's his" and the lakers play terrific defense...






Anyways...the suns are going down.

[Dro]

I don't think it's a smart idea of the suns to let Kobe "get his", cause what do think would happen if Kobe "get's his" and the lakers play terrific defense...

That's a HUGE if. The Suns scored 122, 106, and 107 points in the games they won against the Lakers this season. I don't see anything changing, especially since the Lakers are a young team.

Suns in 5

[J@3]

You know what changes? It's the play-offs. If the Lakers come out and play D this will be a very tight series.

[Dro]

You know what changes? It's the play-offs. If the Lakers come out and play D this will be a very tight series.

It seems like that's everybody's answer to everything.

Last year, people were saying the same thing about the Suns. "The change in tempo in the playoffs will do them in." Well, they swept the Grizz and took out a very tough Mavericks team in 6 games. True, this is a very different Suns team, but the Lakers aren't the type of team that can take the Suns out of their game.

[J@3]

It's got nothing to do with the change of tempo. The Suns aren't this invincable force people seem to think they are.