Stoudemire Stays, Now What?
Amar’e Stoudemire had one foot out the door to either the Cleveland Cavaliers to team up with LeBron James or the Miami Heat, to complete alley-oops with Dwayne Wade.
Only problem is, that didn’t happen. Amar’e Stoudemire remained a Phoenix Sun.
The only justifiable reason why Stoudemire wasn’t traded was because the Suns General Manager Steve Kerr didn’t believe he got enough in return for an All-Star talent (reported deal from the Cavaliers of J.J. Hickson, the Cavaliers 1st round pick in 2010, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas)
Now with Stoudemire staying, where does this leave a team in the Western Conference, like many, who are vying to knock off the defending NBA Champions Los Angeles Lakers?
The Suns are currently nestled in the 5th seed in the Western Conference, and the common consensus among ESPN experts is that the Lakers are going to cakewalk through the Western Conference playoffs and defend their title again in the NBA Finals.
How can a team that hasn’t come up clutch previously in the playoffs actually have a legitimate shot this time around? Simply put, the West isn’t that good.
Lakers excluded, the playing field for the Suns couldn’t be any better to take advantage of.
The old Suns nemesis has always been the San Antonio Spurs, who previously behind Tim Duncan’s key play (with a mixture of Amar’e Stoudemires inability to play defense on him) and nobody being able to guard the speedy Tony Parker, it was a match-up nightmare for the ol’ “7 Seconds or Less” Phoenix Suns.
Now? Not so much. Tony Parker is suffering from plantar fasciitis and a hip injury, which cancels out Parkers’ elusive speed. Tim Duncan is getting older by the minute and Manu Ginobli is suffering one of his worst statistical seasons in his career. When you now look out on the court and see a match-up of Steve Nash, Jason Richardson, Amar’e Stoudemire vs. Tony Parker, Manu Ginboli, Tim Duncan, it’s not as one-sided as it once was.
The inexperienced playoff contenders of the Western Conference shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to the Suns.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are having a very impressive run thanks to Kevin Durant playing out of this world, and winning eight of their last 10 games, but do you trust a team with an average of 25 in the playoffs? Add to the fact, that the main players on the Thunder roster: Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden have a total of zero games played in the playoffs.
The Trailblazers, beyond being cursed by picking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan and Greg Oden over previously mentioned Kevin Durant, are being held together with duck tape. Joel Przybilla? Out for the year. Greg Oden? Making the case for one of the biggest injury busts in NBA history. Newly acquired Marcus Camby? A recently sprained ankle, that has him out for a week. Add the injuries to the Blazers post players, All-Star shooting guard Brandon Roy nagging hamstring problems; this team is just hoping it can field a team by the end of this season.
Now things get a tad hazier for the Phoenix Suns, outside of themselves, the only legitimate threats to the Lakers are: Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, and Denver Nuggets.
The Utah Jazz seem to suffer from the same playoff nightmares as the Phoenix Suns have in the past, the simple inability to “get over the hump” to the NBA Finals. After an impressive run in the ’07 playoffs all the way to the Western Conference Finals, the past two playoff runs have been duds for the Jazz, both times being eliminated in the opening round by the Los Angeles Lakers.
This poses an interesting match-up for the Suns, with a point-guard battle between Deron Williams and Steven Nash, but the Jazz win by beating teams down-low in the paint. The Suns have the ability to throw Lou Amundson, Robin Lopez, and Amar’e Stoudemire at Carlos Boozer, which would seriously limit the Jazz’s opportunities for second chance points.
Steve Nash’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks, are riding a hot-streak after beating the Los Angeles Lakers at home last Wednesday night. Watching the game, you could see the Lakers just didn’t have the ability to match the firepower of Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, and Jason Kidd. A team that can match the firepower shot for shot? These Phoenix Suns.
The ultimate X-factor that gives the Mavericks a shot at the title is Dirk Nowitzki, and his ability to play the power forward and center position, and stretch his defender out to the 3-point line. This is what gave Pau Gasol fits, and many other seven-footers in this league, the inability to match Dirk’s agility. You need a quick, athletic, post-player to defend Nowitzki, and on the offensive end be able to score on him in the paint, that player? Amar’e Stoudemire.
The only team truly given the chance to unseat the Lakers from Western Conference supremacy is the Denver Nuggets.
Surprisingly, this is the one match-up the Suns have to be favored.
The Denver Nuggets caught lightning in a bottle last season, and pushed the Lakers to the brink. With the playoff presence of Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony growing into an elite player, and J.R. Smith who can by himself win or lose the Nuggets a game; the Nuggets are an interesting match-up for any team.
The Nuggets can put Carmelo at the power forward position, rookie Ty Lawson at the point, Billups at the shooting guard position, J.R. Smith at small forward, and center Chris “Birdman” Andersen, no team can match-up with this offensive explosion.
That squad can give many other teams problems, but so far this season, that hasn’t been a problem for the Phoenix Suns. The season series is split one-one, with both games being played in Denver. The second game, the Suns won by 12 due to the pick and roll by Steve Nash (scoring 38 of his 45 points this season from the pick and roll, per ESPN).
When the Nuggets try and play small, and push the tempo, very rarely a team can pit someone against Billups at shooting guard. The Suns have this flexibility, Goran Dragic at point guard, slide Nash to the two, Jason Richardson at small forward, Grant Hill can match-up with ‘Melo, and Stoudemire can go block for block with the Birdman.
In the February 3 victory in Denver, Stoudemire scored 20 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocks. Joey Graham (Guard from the Denver Nuggets) was asked his opinion of Stoudemire after the game,
"He's a beast,” Joey Graham said.
Now comes the real test for the Suns, do they have enough to take down the defending champion Lakers?
That’s what it all comes down to, because this is the one team that all other teams in the Western Conference look up at saying “We have to angle our defensive and offensives schemes around this team.”
When facing the Lakers it's not game-planning against each player, because of the Triangle offensive system the Lakers run, it doesn't matter who's on the court. The main focus for this Suns team is trying to stop the 7-foot tandem of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. What led to the Cavaliers dismantling of the Lakers on Christmas Day, was the fact that the Cavaliers had the ability to throw Big Z and Shaquille O' Neal at the dual seven footers.
At any point in the game the Lakers can put a rebounding machine of a line-up on the floor. With Fisher and Kobe Bryant, handling the backcourt, Lamar Odom (6'11), Pau Gasol (7-foot), and Andrew Bynum (7-foot) it's difficult for teams to match-up with this because the Lakers are playing their own personal volleyball game out there.
Instead of trying to go small, and simply out-gun the Lakers, the Suns only shot is to try and do what the Cavaliers did, match the Lakers inch by inch. The point guard battle of Fisher vs. Steve Nash gives the Suns a huge advantage both offensively and defensively (Fishers total lack of speed).
Kobe Bryant, 6'6, is arguably one of the best players in the game, there is really no one way to stop him, but the best way is to try and limit his damage. Bryant has every offensive tool in the game, a picture-perfect jump shot, his height gives him the ability to post up his defender, and he can slice through a defense and glide to the rim for a lay-up. The Suns do have a chance is when Bryant has an off-game shooting wise, this gets Bryant into a "gunner-mode" trying to shoot himself out of his slump. If Bryant is missing his jumpers, he'll try and attack the rim and get fouled so he can at least be a damage on the free-throw line. The best game plan the Suns can use is to lay off Bryant and force him into shooting jump shots and dishing to the wing to Sasha Vujacic or Shannon Brown.
Best defender on Bryant for the Suns? 6'8 Grant Hill.
Lamar Odom is one of the most intriguing players in the Association, he's a lefty, who can drive to the basket with ease and can give an offensive player troubles with his length. The only thing separating Odom from being an All-Star is his mentality. He rarely has his head in the game, and for his whole career the only problem has been, will he show up mentally?
Best defender on Odom for the Suns? 6'10 Amar'e Stoudemire.
What gives the Lakers an advantage over any team in the league is Gasol/Bynum and no team in the NBA has enough talent and height to match-up. Where you have to expose their weakness is with Gasol's inability to defend a quicker power forward, who can take him outside of the paint (ie; Nowitzki).
Best defender on Gasol for the Suns? 6'11 Channing Frye.
Andrew Bynum is still very raw offensively, and still only has a baby jump shot within the paint. Being young and not succeeding in past playoff appearances, you have to have a young defender on Bynum who can draw charges and get Bynum out of the game fast.
Best defender on Bynum for the Suns? 7-foot Robin Lopez.
With Nash (6'3), Hill (6'8), Stoudemire (6'10), Frye (6'11), and Lopez (7-foot) this gives the Suns a chance to match the Lakers biggest advantage, height.
Is it going to be easy knocking off the defending NBA champions? No.
But, at least it's better than seeing Duncan make another miracle three pointer.
TYS Creative