Published: November 11, 2009
Cue LL Cool J and be careful what you choose to call it, but it would appear based on the early exit polls that the Phoenix Suns are back.
Since being ushered out of the postseason by San Antonio (again) sixteen months ago, the Suns have been wandering the Arizona desert in search of a new identity. Whether it was Terry Porter’s attempt to refashion the team’s ideology, Steve Kerr’s indecision around the future of Amare Stoudemire, or the insistence of a certain future Hall-of-Fame Center to remain a focal point in the offense, the Suns were no longer…well, the Suns.
Gone was their care-free, aw-shucks nature. Gone was their ‘Seven-Seconds-or-Less’ philosophy that they could outscore anyone. And seemingly, gone was their competitive fire, evidenced by the manner in which they rolled over and lost crucial games down the stretch as they tried to scratch their way into the playoffs.
Were the Suns as we knew them finished? Was this really the end of the most fun team of the past decade?
Evidently not, it seems. As their ascension back to the top of the Western Conference ranks shows, all it took to get this team back to its old winning ways was a healthy, happy, engaged Steve Nash. The rest seems to take care of itself.
The first time I tried to write this story was about a month ago, its tone was understandably more desolate and forlorn. Nash, the icon of basketball in my country, had chosen to resign in Phoenix for a two-year extension in the neighbourhood of $20 million.
At the time of the signing, I was miserable: not only did it seem to guarantee that our Canuck hero would never sign with my beloved Raptors, but I also assumed it meant Nash was conceding the realistic pursuit of a championship for the remainder of his career.
After all, he is 35-years old and given the very public position Phoenix ownership has of its intention to reduce payroll, it was reasonable to assume he simply would not have the athletes surrounding him to make a title-run possible.
It was in that frame of mind that I had approached writing about Nash’s signing as both perfect and perfectly sad. I thought on the one hand it was wonderful to see that he had remained loyal to the franchise that drafted him and then later believed in him enough to build their team around him as a free-agent in 2004. How noble that he had not taken the path of so many stars before him (Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Charles Barkley) and joined a rival merely to chase a ring. On the other hand, however, I was crushed that he was effectively conceding that he would never lead another contender.
Oh, how little I understood and how glad I am that I put-off revisiting the issue until now.
Despite having a horrific schedule early on that has included a massive East coast road-trip and in general having 17 of their first 26 games on the road, the Suns are presently 7-1 and perched atop not just the Pacific division, or the Western Conference, but of the entire NBA. They are also primed to lead the league is scoring – again. For those keeping track, that would make it nine season in a row in which a Nash-lead team lead the league in scoring.
And while it is impossibly early in the season, so far this has been Nash’s best single year from an individual statistical standpoint. His 18.3 points per game is just a shade off his career high (18.8 in 2005-06) while his current pace of 12.9 assists per game would rank as the ninth best average of all-time. For perspective, in his star-making MVP season in 2004-05, Nash’s assists per game rate was 11.4. Like a fine wine from a vintage British Columbia vineyard, Nash continues to get better with age.
Certainly one could not be blamed for not seeing this coming. Porter’s unsuccessful reign as head coach last fall resulted in Nash’s stats falling off a cliff last season, with his assist rate dropping into the single digit per game for the first time since his days in Dallas. Nash was born to run the Mike D’Antoni-designed ‘Seven-Seconds-of-Less’ offenses: it is a system tailor made to his strengths that also hides his few offensive weaknesses.
That is precisely why things turned around as quickly as they did once the Suns made a coaching change after the All-Star break last year. Over the final two months of the season, Nash’s points, shooting and turnover rates elevated back to those seen throughout his second run in Phoenix.
What Phoenix has done so far through eight games makes sense when you consider that the Suns’ offensive-efficiency mark under new coach Alvin Gentry was an astounding 116.3, compared to 108.1 under Porter and the league average of 105.4.
By season’s end last year, Nash once again led all point guards in true shooting percentage as he hit for better than 50 percent from the floor, 40 on three’s and 90 percent from the foul line for the third time in four seasons.
As his torrid pace so far this season has reminded us, and with apologies to Deron Williams and Chris Paul, he is easily the most lethal pick-and-roll player in the league because of his combination of shooting ability and passing skill. So long as he is in the league, that won’t change, and it is precisely what makes the Suns a threat to team’s like the Lakers and Spurs who might be exposed by high screens that draw their bigs away from the hoop.
Tempting though it might be, we must be careful not to make the mistake of assuming their wave of good will and near-invincibility will stay with the Suns forever. They are a very old team, and will almost inevitably hit the wall injury-wise in the moths ahead. The Phoenix training staff, miracle workers that they are, can only keep 35-year old legs so fresh, which is why the coaches must be diligent in monitoring and reducing Nash’s minutes if he is to have enough left in his tank by spring.
As I mentioned, the topic of the Suns has long plagued my mind. As recently as the pre-season it did not seem that they knew whether they were coming or going, making one last push or packing it all in. Those questions still linger of course – after all it has been only two weeks – but from what they’ve shown those far fans have far less reason to worry than they might have thought.
As for what you call this restoration in Phoenix, call it whatever you like – a comeback, a rebirth, a return to normalcy – but just be sure to remember who we can thank for it: the incomparable Steve Nash.
One Comment on "Nash And The Suns Are Rising"
Hoops Addict Article – Nash and the Suns are Rising | The On Deck Circle on Fri, 11th Dec 2009 10:35 am
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