Memphis vs Phoenix - 4.8.08

Memphis recovered from an off night against Golden St to get their 2nd win of the season at Minnesota on Sunday evening. Led by the resurgent Mike Miller who broke threw the 20 pt barrier for the first time in 9 games, the longest such drought of the season, Memphis pulled away in the 4th quarter to continue their .500 play over the last 12 games of the season. Rudy Gay continues his strong play that has him among the leading candidates for Most Improved Player in the league averaging over 20 ppg for the season. If he continues this pace he will be the 3rd player in Grizzlies history to pass that barrier.

Phoenix lost a tough game to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday to fall 2 games behind the Lakers for the Pacific Division lead. The Suns also dropped to 6th in the Western Conference race despite clinching a playoff birth. Shaquille O'Neal has regained some of the moxie that at one time made him the most feared player in the league averaging 12.6 ppg and 10.6 rpg as a Sun. Grant Hill has returned from injury to give Phoenix another experienced scorer to pair with 2 time MVP Steve Nash. Phoenix still has to take every game seriously despite clinching a playoff spot to prevent a 1st rd match up against one of the elite teams in the West.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Steve Nash
Phoenix has wanted to get 34 yr old Steve Nash more rest during the regular season for a long time. Once again they failed this year as he is averaging 34.6 mpg this season, less than one minute off his career high. Still Nash is a bit more rested this season as the Suns aren't running as hard as they used to do. Hash is still averaging 17.4 ppg and 11.2 apg but that is still below the pace he set the last few years. Mike Conley is young enough to play a lot more minutes but he isn't experienced enough and he has more than just a fill in behind him in Kyle Lowry. Still two heads aren't better than one in this instance.
Advantage: Phoenix

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Raja Bell
Mike busted out of a mini-eight game slump to explode for 34 points against Minnesota. Throw in 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Miller had one of his best games of the year. Raja Bell isn't likely to allow a repeat. The 31 yr old veteran is known as a defensive specialist with a long range shot of his own (39.8%). The difference is Bell has almost no shot inside the arc (41.9%). Miller's shooting is more well-rounded but can he get his shot off against the defensive minded Bell?
Advantage: Phoenix

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Grant Hill
Rudy Gay is having a breakout sophomore season. The 21 yr old has improved in almost every statistical category this year and has been getting better at the end of the year. Grant Hill has been healthy now for two straight seasons after battling numerous injuries previously. Hill is coming back from a slight injury however and isn't 100% right now. Hill hasn't been the force he was earlier in his career but is still a solid veteran who knows how to help his team win. He just doesn't have the skills capable of containing Rudy for a full game anymore to stay with a player like Rudy.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Amare Stoudamire
Stoudamire toiled for his first few years out of position in Phoenix. Finally Phoenix acquired a true center allowing Stoudamire to move to his more natural power forward position. If the last 10 games are any indication he likes the move as he is averaging over 30 ppg during that span. Warrick got his opportunity to play with the trade of Pau Gasol and has made the most of the chance by averaging 16.6 ppg and 7.0 rpg as the starter. Not quite Gasol numbers but not the drop off many expected either. Warrick is very thin for a PG however and Stoudamire might be the most physically intimidating PF in the league.
Advantage: Phoenix

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Shaquille O'Neal
Shaq is no longer the most feared center in the league but he isn't the overweight old man he was in Miami earlier this season either. Shaq has adapted to his diminished role offensively by focusing on rebounding raising his season average almost 3 boards a game since the trade. Darko has been inconsistent all season but his best games have come against the bigger slower centers. Shaq fits that description to a tee. Darko needs to step up again in this game but his play of late doesn't suggest he will.
Advantage: Phoenix

Benches: Memphis vs Phoenix
Phoenix' bench is led by the Brazilian lightning bolt, Leandro Barbosa. Barbosa is 3rd on the team in scoring averaging over 15 ppg and when he is on the court Phoenix can outrun anyone in the league. The Suns have never been big on using bench players, preferring to run their starters longer minutes but age has taken its toll. Boris Diaw, Gordon Giricek and even Brian Skinner have averaged serious minutes this season. Memphis' bench is spearheaded by 3 rookies and a big man. Kyle Lowry is the main spark off the bench but Javaris Crittenton and Juan Carlos Navarro are capable of putting on fireworks shows at any time as well. Unsung here Jason Collins allows the rookies to play more aggressively on the perimeter with his physical interior defense but offers little in the way of offense.
Advantage: Phoenix

INJURY UPDATE: Shaquille O'Neal is out for tonight's game with a bruised leg.

Javaris Crittenton, sprained right thumb, is expected to play tonight.

Relevant Blogs/Commentary:
Born and Raised
Brigth Side of the Sun
The Rising Suns

Memphis at Phoenix - 3.11.08

Memphis immediately returned to their struggling ways after getting a rare win over the Nets by looking completely lackluster and disinterested against the Boston Celtics. They shot less than 40% from the field and under 30% from 3-point range while tallying a meager 14 assists. We all recognize that the young Grizzlies have little to play for other than pride right now, but an effort like that is nothing to be proud of.

Phoenix is coming off an emotional win over their hated rivals from San Antonio on Sunday. There are many that believe that this victory is the turning point for a team that had suddenly become quite average after acquiring Shaquille O'Neal last month. If they can scrape together a few more wins to get themselves in position for a decent playoff seed, the rest of the West should be concerned, to be sure.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Steve Nash
Let's see if I can do this with a straight face. One is a struggling rookie, the other is a two-time MVP who is currently leading the league in assists per game. I could highlight more differences, but I think I've made my point.
Advantage: Phoenix

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Raja Bell
Raja Bell is having something of a down year, while Mike Miller is posting career highs in rebounding and FG%, as well as his second best PPG average. In their last meeting, Bell started the game 0-9 before closing out what had been a hotly contested match with 3 straight made 3-pointers. Bell's main objective will be to shut down Miller in this game, so it should be an intriguing battle all night long.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Grant Hill
Last time they met, Rudy Gay hung a career high 36 points on Grant Hill and the Suns. However, if you watched the game closely, you noticed that Hill played his newfound "crafty veteran" role to a "T" in putting up 23 points of his own. This matchup will come down to youthful exuberance and athleticism versus the sneaky tricks of the old guard and should provide some excitement along the way.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Amare Stoudemire
Here we have two players with offense to spare and an aversion to defense, it would seem. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, Stoudemire is an All-Star caliber player on offense and Hak is not. That, combined with the superior playmaking ability of Amare's teammates will make this an ugly comparison.
Advantage: Phoenix

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Shaquille O'Neal
Darko held his own in their last meeting, but anyone who saw Shaq throwing himself around with reckless abandon against the Spurs knows that this is a player who is beginning to embrace his role as the highest paid hustle guy in the NBA. Darko will need to keep the Big Cactus off the boards in order to keep this game close.
Advantage: Phoenix

Benches: Memphis vs Phoenix
Memphis brings Juan Carlos Navarro, Kyle Lowry, Javaris Crittenton and Jason Collins off the bench. The Suns counter with Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw and Brian Skinner. Which one would you rather go to war with? Barbosa and Diaw should feast on the the Grizzlies' lackadaisical defense, while getting several fastbreak opportunities.
Advantage: Phoenix


Enemy Blogs:
Born and Raised
Bright Side of the Sun
The Rising Suns

Postgame Thoughts: Memphis vs. Phoenix - 2.26.08

Hanging around, hanging around. Kid's got alligator blood. Can't get rid of him.

The Grizzlies just wouldn't go away quietly tonight. They hung with the Suns for 46 minutes before finally succumbing to superior talent and chemistry.

Rudy Gay posted a new career high in points, tallying 36 on the night, as Mike Conley set a career mark with 11 assists. Nice to see the young cornerstones developing despite being mired in the middle of a lost season.

Phoenix is one of those teams that has the kind of guys that you always see on championship contenders. Steve Nash is sneaky good, capable of putting up big scoring numbers when you least expect it. Grant Hill is the crafty veteran that everyone tends to overlook despite the fact that he still has plenty left in the tank. Raja Bell.....I hate Raja Bell. I mean seriously, the guy starts the game 0-9 and then late in the 4th quarter he hits three straight 3's?!?! Who does that? Then we come to Amare Stoudemire. STAT was his usual force of nature self without ever having to demand the ball. He dunked again and again, making the Grizzlies his own personal poster playground. The Suns just a little too much for the Grizzlies to overcome tonight.

But, there were flashes of light throughout the game. Through a great stretch in the first half, Memphis played solid defense that resulted in quite a few stops and transition opportunities. They weren't able to convert all of them, but you could see that they understood that defense led to the easy looks, not mindless running.

A few quick looks at the notebook:

I write down that Mike Conley needs to be more assertive on offense after he is passive early in the 3rd quarter. He then proceeds to score on 2 of the next 3 possessions.

Kyle Lowry looks to create for himself first, instead of facillitating for his teammates. That won't work in a Phoenix-style offensive system.

Juan Carlos Navarro and Darko Milicic seem to have developed some good chemistry, as JCN found the young Serbian with some nifty passes tonight. Too bad Darko is still a little awkward and uncoordinated, as he fumbled a couple of them. Still, a solid game by the Dark One as he matched Shaq's production on the night.

Hakim Warrick looks comfortable on the floor now. Perhaps that is all it took for him to become the productive player we have enjoyed for the past few weeks.

The Grizzlies have no bench right now. Cardinal is capable of filling in (and not screwing up) and Kyle is a solid backup for Conley, but the rest of them are borderline worthless......and I'd still take any of them over Suns' rookie D.J. Strawberry, who looked worse than a D-League call-up tonight.

There were several positives to take out of this game, which was nice for a change. It was an entertaining game, even though it resulted in a loss.

Grizzlies vs Phoenix - 2.26.08

Memphis again faces one of the elite teams in the West that were forced to make a deal after the Gasol trade to the Lakers. That is three consecutive teams that made big moves after the Gasol trade and one has to wonder how likely those moves would have been if the trade had not occured. Memphis is struggling mightily right now both with scoring (down to 92.2 ppg in February after averaging 102 in January) and defense (switching to zones constantly to cover for individual weaknesses). It makes one wish that ex-whipping boy Pau Gasol was still around. With Gasol the team lost close games. Without Gasol the games aren't close right now. The value in the trade hasn't kicked in yet but the kicks the team and its fans are feeling are still painful.

Phoenix has played well since acquiring Shaq and has looked more stronger defensively since activating him. The Lakers beat the Suns in the first game but Boston was unable to handle the pressure in the second game being held to 30 first half points. However Detroit on Sunday had no problems wiht Phoenix' new defense as they shredded the Suns 116-86. So the Suns come to town pissed about the embarrassing home loss, pissed because Memphis made their biggest rivals, the LA Lakers, stronger and pissed because they have now fallen behind those Lakers in the Western Conference standings. Not a good time to be playing the Suns.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Steve Nash
Steve Nash is one of the best point guards of all time. He is quick getting into the paint, has eyes in the back of his head and can make any pass at anytime. What's more he forces to teams to play him tight by having a dead eye from long distance which makes his first step that much more effective. Mike Conley has a lightning first step, great eyesight and can make any pass but he doesn't have a great or even decent outside shot and he hasn't got experience.
Advantage: Phoenix

Shooting Guards: Juan Carlos Navarro vs Raja Bell
Raja Bell and Juan Carlos Navarro play similiar roles on their teams. Bell is counted on for long range shooting and making sure the opposing teams best backcourt scorer doesn't go for huge numbers. Navarro is counted on for long range shooting and making sure the opposing team's backcourt non-scorer doesn't go for huge numbers. Very similiar but different just the same. Navarro is being allowed to shoot himself out of the slump he has been in while Miller has been out with back issues and that has been good for Navarro. Not good enough however.
Advantage: Phoenix

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Grant Hill
Rudy Gay is trying to become what Grant Hill used to be, a complete basketball player. Grant Hill was a 25 ppg scorer who also averaged 6 boards and 5 assists per game before injuries nearly ruined his career. Now back healthy Hill is more than a shadow of the player he used to be but not the same player either. Rudy Gay has the skill to be a very good player in the NBA but needs to involve his teammates more to be great. Rudy's 1.8 apg is not going to enable him to reach Superstar status. However Rudy has good speed, great leaping ability, a deadly outside shot and great defensive instincts. Grant won't be able to hang with him the entire game.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Amare Stoudamire
Ugh. That is the most descriptive way I can describe this matchup. It should be ugly for Grizzlies fans (hence the term 'ugh') and painful for Hakim (once again 'ugh'). Amare Stoudamire spent the first four years of his career swapping body slams with the biggest bigs in the league, surving by emphasizing speed over bulk. Now with Shaq in the middle Amare gets to use his speed and power against smaller players at the PF position and Hak is among the smallest PFs in the league. Hakim prospers by using his speed, leaping ability and surprising outside jump shots to get points. Perhaps Amare will struggle guarding Hak on the perimeter but not as much as Hak will struggle defending against Amare. The Zone defense the Grizzlies have used to cover Hak's defense won't work against Phoenix with their 3 pt shooting ability.
Advantage: Phoenix

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal was brought in to help Phoenix get over the hump of playoff failure. It is a good thing that he is going to be graded on the playoffs or people might be getting concerned about things so far. Phoenix is 1-2 in games Shaq has played in after going 3-2 without Shaq or Marion. Of course the teams aren't exactly pushovers the Suns have played. The Lakers, Celtics and Pistons would give any team a fight and the Suns haven't adjusted to Shaq fully yet. Darko has played well against solid big men this season but lately his game has suffered. The drop off cost him his starting role against Cleveland (although Kwame showed little reason to keep it). Darko's performance has declined dramatically this season despite the increased minutes. He will need to have another one of his big games against Shaq for the Grizzlies to stand a chance.
Advantage: Phoenix

Benches: Memphis vs Phoenix
Memphis' bench has suffered both from Miller's absence and from an overall lack of veteran talent. The Grizzlies have talent and they have veterans they just don't have much in the way of both in one player. Kyle Lowry has been a constant sparkplug off the bench and Javaris Crittenton has shown signs of putting it together but neither has played a full season in the NBA. Kwame Brown has washed out twice and is not showing any reason for the Grizzlies to stop him from finding team #4 this summer. Jason Collins is big and a defensive presence in the middle but offers little in the way of rebounds or points. Brian Cardinal is the oldest Grizz on the team currently and looks like he's been under the knife too many times. Phoenix has Leandrho Barbosa and Boris Diaw off the bench but really doesn't care about bench production. This team lets the starters do the talking.
Advantage: Phoenix

Contrary Opinions and Inteteresting Reading:
Bright Side of the Suns
Born and Raised
Remember the Barkely Years- I recently communicated with Josh who runs this site and he had some interesting comments about tonight's game. Josh says 'Don’t give [my sister] too much [excrement] when the Suns get beat by the Grizz…Shaq has destroyed our team.' I happen to know his sister by the way.

Trouble in the Desert

Wow!

The tensions between Shawn Marion and the Phoenix Suns have been simmering on the back burner for a few years now. Well, that unwatched pot finally started to boil today. In an Arizona paper, Matrix said this morning that it is "Time for me to move on".

Marion is fed up with another summer of the Suns considering to trade him. Marion is irked that the team is not willing to talk about a contract extension. After eight years in Phoenix, Marion wants to leave the Suns and has let the team know in recent weeks.

"I'm tired of hearing my name in trades," Marion said by phone from his Chicago home Tuesday night. "I love my fans in Phoenix but I think it's time for me to move on."

Marion holds a player option after this year where he can void his contract and become a free agent. Logic tells us that he would be stupid to walk away from 17 million next year since he probably couldn't get close to that much per season next year on the open market. Still, Marion was hoping the Suns would negotiate a contract extension with him this year where he was reportedly looking for 3 years at a astronomical total of 60 Million.

All those previous rumblings of disharmony in the Suns locker room and jealousy between Marion and Amare look very credible now.

What will happen next? Stay tuned. The same publication quoted above speculates on possibly trading Marion for AK47 or Lamar Odom. From a Grizzlies perspective, I'm hoping whatever happens of this weakens the Suns and doesn't improve another Western Conference team in the process. Though my money is on Nash smoothing things over. But one thing is clear. Steve Kerr now faces his first real test of being a NBA General Manager.

Update (9-27-07, 11am):

Here is some recommended reading on the Marion trade request...

First, TrueHoop's take which pulls together alot of the past events and important articles regarding Marion and the Suns.

Second, Bill Simmon's take, which not surprisingly includes him saying he say this coming last year.

And I'll add that it is looking like Marion will show up Monday and be the last Sun to arrive for camp.