Goran Dragic
Suns Spot | Farewell, Dragon
Posted on 2/25/11 by Chris Coffel » 4 Comments
Previous week’s games
02/23/2011 SUNS 105, Hawks 97
Upcoming week’s games
02/25/2011 SUNS @ Raptors, 5 p.m., My45
02/27/2011 SUNS @ Pacers, 10 a.m., My45
02/28/2011 SUNS @ Nets, 5 p.m., My45
03/02/2011 SUNS @ Celtics, 5:30 p.m., My45
Aaron Brooks (right) and Goran Dragic are switching team colors.
As this year’s NBA trade deadline approached yesterday afternoon, it appeared the Phoenix Suns would stand pat. The word from both the local and national media was that the Suns liked the direction the team is heading and felt they’ve finally started building chemistry and didn’t feel making a move was worth the risk.
This seemed very much true right up until the closing minutes of the deadline. That’s when The Arizona Republic‘s Paul Coro broke the news that the Suns were sending backup point guard Goran Dragic and a first-round pick in June’s draft to the Houston Rockets for point guard Aaron Brooks. Needless to say, this was quite the surprise.
It took me a while to fully digest the trade. Anyone that knows me knows that I’m a big Dragic fan. I like his potential and the talent he has shown. I think he will end up being very good in this league and he’s one of the nicest people I have ever met. So, it’s certainly sad to see him go.
But receiving Brooks in return could end up being very good.
Last season Brooks had a breakout season, winning the Most Improved Player award. This season has seen Brooks take a big step back, but an early season injury could be the cause of that. Brooks hurt his ankle in the fifth game of the season and by the time he recovered he had lost his starting spot. He has yet to regain his form.
A change in scenery may be just what Brooks needs. Based on his performances playing against the Suns, Brooks should excel in the uptempo offense the Suns run.
Overall, I like the trade. It gives the Suns an added spark off the bench that is sure to come in handy as the playoff race tightens up. This year, the bench has often given up leads, so something needed to be done. This move has the potential to fix that problem.
The Suns were worried about toying with the chemistry that they had recently started to build. This trade should have little impact on that. At worst, this would be a lateral move and the Suns would basically be in the same spot they’ve been in. At best, it could pay huge dividends, as Brooks has shown he can be an explosive scorer.
Dragic will be very much missed, as he was a crowd favorite, and it’s always hard to part ways with someone you’ve become such a fan of, but we’ll always have game three of the Western Conference semifinals against the Spurs.
Suns Spot | Showing Signs of Life
Posted on 1/21/11 by Chris Coffel » 1 Comment
Previous week’s games
01/14/2011 SUNS 115, Blazers 111
01/17/2011 SUNS 129, Knicks 121
01/19/2011 SUNS 106, Cavs 98
Upcoming week’s games
01/21/2011 SUNS @ Wizards, 5 p.m., My45
01/22/2011 SUNS @ Pistons, 5:30 p.m., My45
01/24/2011 SUNS @ 76ers, 5 p.m., My45
01/26/2011 SUNS vs Bobcats, 7 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
About a week-and-a-half ago, the Phoenix Suns appeared to be dead. They were coming off a blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets in which the team played with little or no effort and they were sitting six games below .500 with a 15-21 record. Today, the Suns find themselves in the middle of a five-game East Coast road trip and things are starting to look up.
The Suns, now winners of four straight, have moved up to the ninth seed in the West and are currently making a hard-fought push to get into the playoff picture. Their record has jumped to 19-21 and can continuing improving with a win tonight against a bad Wizards team.
Steve Nash and the Suns are suddenly riding a four-game winning streak. Photo by David Liam Kyle/Getty Images.
Looking ahead at the upcoming schedule, the Suns have the chance to run the table on this trip and earn to a winning record for the first time in a very long time. In fact, the rest of the month is pretty favorable for Phoenix. If the Suns can continue to beat the teams they should beat, the momentum they build could carry over and turn into wins against some tougher opponents.
Despite the horrible stretch of basketball this team recently had, the Suns may actually be in a pretty good spot. The three teams above Phoenix in the playoff race are such big question marks that the Suns could surpass them all before the 82-game regular season is through. This will require obvious improvements from Planet Orange, but it’s entirely possible.
Portland, as resilient as they are, could easily start to slide as their knee injuries continue to pile up. Denver remains sidetracked by Carmelo Anthony trade talk, and if they trade him, which I think they will, they’ll have a tough time recovering and finishing the season strong. Then there’s New Orleans, who I haven’t favored all year.
Sure, the Suns have still had their issues, like letting Cleveland back into the game Wednesday night, but overall this team is starting to come around. The guys are finally starting to mesh. Coach Gentry seems to have a solid rotation. Each guy knows his role.
Marcin Gortat is coming around. Vince Carter is giving max effort, picking up rebounds and dishing out assists even when he isn’t scoring. Goran Dragic is becoming more aggressive. Channing Frye has found his stroke and picked up his D. Jared Dudley continues to get better and better. And Steve Nash and Grant Hill still amaze us every night.
Planet Orange is starting to show signs of life. Basketball is fun again.
Suns Spot | Not Dead Yet
Posted on 1/14/11 by Chris Coffel » No Comments
Previous week’s games
01/07/2011 Knicks 121, SUNS 96
01/09/2011 SUNS 108, Cavs 100
01/11/2011 Nuggets 132, SUNS 98
01/12/2011 SUNS 118, Nets 109
Upcoming week’s games
01/14/2011 SUNS vs Trailblazers, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
01/17/2011 SUNS @ Knicks, 11 a.m., My45
01/19/2011 SUNS @ Cavs, 5 p.m., My45
To say the Phoenix Suns have struggled this season would be a huge understatement. They’ve been pretty awful, and the team’s play has looked very uninspired at many times, especially in the last month or so. The team has been on life support for quite some time. I think they were even in a brief coma (see losses to the Clippers, 76ers and Kings).
Going into tonight’s matchup with the visiting Portland Trailblazers, the Suns are five games below .500 with a 16-21 record, currently three games in back of Portland for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. When you consider their play, being just three games out isn’t too bad, and certainly puts them within striking range to make a push for that final playoff spot. If Phoenix is going to make that push, it needs to happen now.
Vince Carter had a breakout game against the Nets earlier this week. Photo by Barry Gossage/Getty Images.
The Suns have reached a point where they need to decide if they’re going to move forward with what they have or finally do the unthinkable and move two-time MVP Steve Nash. I’m in the boat that says they should still stick with Nash.
Can the Suns compete for a championship? Absolutely not, but they can certainly get back into the playoff picture while playing an exciting brand of basketball. If the Suns can put together a streak of five wins in a row or seven out of eight, things would start looking a lot better on Planet Orange.
I know I’m going to get blasted for this, but Wednesday’s overtime win against the Nets could turn out to be the type of win that sparks a team. In the fourth quarter and OT, we saw something we haven’t seen from the Suns in a while. They showed fight. They played with passion. They finally had a bounce in their step.
Fans in attendance Wednesday night saw a change in the players in the latter portion of the game. Everyone at US Airways Center rose to their feet and chanted “defense” without having a PA announcer or a jumbo-tron tell them to do so. That never happens in Phoenix.
Vince Carter showed signs of life, making some big plays down the stretch. Goran Dragic shared time in the backcourt with Nash and his confidence immediately jumped. Jared Dudley continued to be in baller mode. And Nash, was well, Nash.
I’m not trying to make a big deal out of an overtime win against the lowly Nets. I’m not saying people should get too excited with this win. I’m just saying the Suns aren’t dead yet. Lets leave the plug in a little longer and see if Nash and company can be revived.
Suns Spot | Making an Early Impact
Posted on 11/12/10 by Chris Coffel » 1 Comment
Previous week’s games
11/05/2010 SUNS 123, Grizzlies 118
11/07/2010 SUNS 118, Hawks 114
11/08/2010 Grizzlies 109, SUNS 99
Upcoming week’s games
11/12/2010 SUNS vs Kings, 7 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
11/14/2010 SUNS @ Lakers, 7:30 p.m., My45
11/15/2010 SUNS vs Nuggets, 7 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
11/17/2010 SUNS @ Heat, 5 p.m., My45
11/18/2010 SUNS @ Magic, 6 p.m., TNT
Could Hakim Warrick be the Suns' starting power forward soon? Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images.
Seven games into the 2010-11 season and the Phoenix Suns are a game below .500 with a record of 3-4. This has caused some people to overreact — so much that ridiculous trade speculation involving Steve Nash has even sprung up, granted none of that talk has come from the Suns (or any other NBA franchise for that matter), but it has come up regardless.
I’m not going to talk about any of that. The Suns are going to be fine. If you’ve watched any of the Suns’ first few games, the bright spots are there. This team has lots of potential. One of the brightest spots of this early season has been the impressive play of newcomer Hakim Warrick.
The season is very young, but it’s already clear to see that Warrick is the perfect fit for the Suns. He’s long, quick and extremely athletic. Plus, he loves to dunk — something all Suns fans love to see. His game is tailor-made for Alvin Gentry’s offense and Warrick is getting the chance to prove that.
The former Syracuse standout has been solid off the bench. Warrick is putting up 12 points a game on 62% shooting from the field while pulling down five boards a game. He leads the team in free throws, highlight reels and facial hair.
“Helicopter,” as he’s sometimes referred to as, is excellent in the pick-and-roll, which has been the Suns’ bread-and-butter play for years. The chemistry is already starting to develop between Warrick and Nash and fellow point guard Goran Dragic, and is sure to get better as the season progresses and the team continues to gel.
Early rumblings from fans have suggested that Warrick should be moved into the starting lineup to replace another newcomer, Hedo Turkoglu. This could be a good move, but I think it may be a little early in the season for a change like this. The bench is playing great and Warrick is a huge part of that success. Either way, I doubt this matters much to Warrick. The way he carries himself, you can tell he’s a great team player that is willing to do whatever it takes to help the Suns pick up some victories.
Warrick is quickly becoming a fan favorite with Suns fans not only because of all the posters he’s making out of defenders on the court, but also through his interaction with fans on Twitter. He’s not quite Jared Dudley (yet), but he’s quite interactive with fans and seems to be very down to earth. He’s even been known to discuss his frustration while playing Call of Duty: Black Ops with some of his followers.
Warrick will continue to win fans over with his impressive play the more they get to see him. He is a prime example of why Suns fans need not worry: He’s part of a core group of guys that are only going to get better the more than play with each other. I’m excited. All other Suns fans should be as well.
Be sure to follow Hakim Warrick on Twitter: @hdubb21.
Suns Spot | Rough Start, But Sunny Days Ahead
Posted on 11/05/10 by Chris Coffel » No Comments
Previous week’s games
10/29/2010 Lakers 114, SUNS 106
11/03/2010 Spurs 112, SUNS 110
Upcoming week’s games
11/05/2010 SUNS vs Grizzlies, 7 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
11/07/2010 SUNS @ Hawks, 3 p.m., My45
11/08/2010 SUNS @ Grizzlies, 6 p.m., My45
Hakim Warrick's play has been a bright spot thus far for the Suns. Photo by Barry Gossage/Getty Images.
At 1-3, the Phoenix Suns’ record certainly doesn’t look too good, however, when considering the four tough teams Phoenix has played so far, the record really isn’t all that bad. The Suns have had their problems, sure. The biggest question is how does Hedo Turkoglu fit in with the team, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Phoenix has also had some bright spots as well; the play of Goran Dragic and Hakim Warrick quickly come to mind.
I’ll start with Hedo. Coach Alvin Gentry must figure a way to get him going. Through through games, the “Turkish MJ” has been unimpressive to say the least. Turkoglu is averaging eight points, three rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes of play. That’s not going to cut it for a guy making eight figures.
It’s more then just Hedo’s numbers that are disturbing. It’s his effort — it doesn’t seem quite there. He’s slow on transition and way too hesitant to make a move with the ball. He has the ability to get to the rim against most guys defending him, but he hasn’t. He’s shown brief flashes of this, but not nearly enough. Against the Spurs on Wednesday, he had Dejuan Blair guarding him and took jump shots. That isn’t what Suns fan want to see.
I’m certainly not ready to give up on Hedo yet, and I think he’ll eventually come around, but a move to the bench may be in order. If anything, a move to the bench may motivate him. He’ll get to play with the ball a little more and be a leader of the second unit. In addition, Turkoglu on the bench means Nash gets a solid pick-and-roll option in the starting five in the form of Warrick.
Enough of the bad and on to the good. Dragic has been ridiculous so far this season. He’s putting up 10 points to go with just under five assists with about two turnovers (a turnover-to-assist ratio of 2.7!) in a mere 15 minutes per game. The only issue there is how few minutes he’s playing. Dragic has yet to log 20 minutes in a game, and that’s no good. Gentry must find more time for him.
I know Steve Nash is a two-time MVP, but at some point you may have to sit him more for the sake of getting Dragic more playing time. I know this may put Gentry in a tough spot, but when Goran is clicking, you have to stick with him. At the very least, the two should get some time together. Good things happened when they shared the floor together last season.
I doubt this will be a problem for long, as I fully expect Gentry to begin finding more time for El Dragon, especially with Nash’s recent comments on having tired legs at the end of the Spurs game. More playing time early in the game for Goran means a fresher Nash to end games. It’s a win-win for the Suns.
Finally, I have to mention the play of Warrick. Dude has been solid this year. He’s great in the pick-and-roll and fights for rebounds. He has crazy leaping ability and somehow seems to extend the length of his arms. I swear every time he takes off for a dunk he turns into Inspector Gadget. He appears to be too far from the rim but simply shouts, “Go-go gadget arms,” and extends his arms to complete the play. His contract is going to turn into a real steal.
I’m sure it’ll take a little more tinkering from Gentry, but eventually this team will figure things out. The talent is there. The Suns are in good shape. No worries, despite the rough start.
Extending Dudley
I just want to briefly comment on Jared Dudley’s contract extension. This was obviously the right move. Dudley clearly wanted to be here, and the Suns wanted to keep him. I’m very impressed with how the Suns front office was able to get this done. Hats off to Lon Babby, Lance Blanks and Robert Sarver — this is a solid move for the future.
Suns go green
Tonight the Suns will go green when they host the Memphis Grizzlies. US Airways Center will be powered by renewable energy courtesy of APS. The energy saved will equal the amount of energy required to power 3,000 Arizona homes for a week. Throughout the night, various videos will play during stops in play with the Gorilla giving tips to fans on how to go green.
