They have always done well in the season with the run and gun offense led by MVP Steve Nash. But they haven't gotten past the WCF since Nash has been in Phoenix. Can they be considered a contender, with the lack of defense and the possibily unreliable big man Amare Stoudamire, who's coming back from the knee surgery that slowed Jamal Mashburn and Penny Hardaway's careers down?They have an emergence of young players in Marcus Banks, Leandro Barbosa, and Amare. They also have good individual defensive player in Kurt Thomas, Boris Diaw, and Shawn Marion. They are still considered a poor defensive team though. I don't think they can win the title this year, unless Amare returns and plays 110%, and this team finds it's defense.
Thats onyl basically bcuz they have no experience. They will go far this season. The team is open to improvement and i like that.
Their always going to be considered a contender with that lineup. Why wouldn't they? If your able to make the WCF, you have the best PG in the league and great pieces around, than your almost a lock to be a contender. They score, they win games and make the playoffs. Thus they are contenders.
I'm still skeptical about the offense they run and if they can run their way to championship. If they can tweak their defense up then maybe. Otherwise no.
:g: imo they're contenders especially the way they've been calling games today (too soft) ...........but i don't think they can win it all. Trying to outrun 4 teams in the playoffs, i don't know bout that.
They are contenders, yes, but until/unless they learn the concept of even "team defense" (let alone man-to-man) then they might not have enough juice in the tank to win the title. Having Amare back will definitely help a great deal, but he won't be the same as he was for a while (if ever), and Nash isn't getting any younger (as great as he is). They have an incredible amount of talent and offensive weapons, but without defense you can't win the title. My favorite basketball quote comes to mind:"Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships."EDIT: However, I do believe that Amare will be a good defensive player as he matures, and Diaw will improve on both ends. Not to mention Marcus Banks is a defensive harrasser and should be ready to take over the team once Nash doesn't have any juice left. I think they have worked hard to improve their defense by going out and getting Bell, Banks, and Thomas but I'm not sure if they can hold on through the entire playoffs. But even with all this said, I wouldn't be entirely suprised if a team consisting of Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Kurt Thomas, Marcus Banks, Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa, and Mike D'Antoni won a title. They have all the tools to do it, but they need to stress defense in practice every day.
They can be considered contenders, but they will never get a ring without team defense. They have some individual good defensive players in Bell, K. Thomas, and Marion. But players like Nash, Diaw, and Barbosa really hurt them. In regular season they may dominate, but come playoff time they'll probably fall to the Mavs or Spurs.
04/05- 7 man lineup basically, at least 2 of which weren't very good.05/06- No Amare.Next year- Should be the year fo sho.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Next year- Should be the year fo sho.</div> Care to explain why? I think their a contender, considering their were a contender this past season. What changes that for this upcoming season?
contender - teams that won't suprise u if they go all the way. Would it surprise me if the suns go and win the championship. NO (with a healthy Amare and some luck.......why not).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SunnyD @ Aug 26 2006, 11:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>It would absolutely surprise me.</div>suns was in the western conference finals for 2 straight years and they're not considered a contender...........i respect ur opinion, but one question do u consider detroit a contender ???
well duh, they're a contender. Getting to the conference finals two years in a row still makes them a contender for the title. plus, last year they were also missing they're second best player who is capable of about 30/10. I think this is their year. All the way..
With the Suns getting to the conference finals without Amare Stoudamire, with him I can see them easily getting to the finals, however winning them is going to be another story until they get some more defense which is greatly deficient on the team. Their defense nearly led them out of the playoffs by both L.A. teams. However with a lineup that has Nash, Stoudamire, Marion, Diaw, Barbosa, Bell, and more who couldn't see these guys as contenders?
Suns when healthy aren't that bad of a defensive team. They get labeled as a horrible defensive team because most people only look at points scored but do not consider the pace of the game. Their defense revolves around Kurt Thomas, with KT the Suns were a decent defensive team who were top 10 in opp FG%, middle of the pack in PPG and 2nd in the league in points per 100 possessions. They weren't as good as the Spurs or anything like that but they could get the key stops when needed (which is the only reason why the Spurs beat them in the WCF the year before). Once he was lost for the season the Suns gave up nearly 10 more points per game and an increase of 5-7% on opponent FG%.
Rebounding is a part of defense. What hurts the suns is their defensive rebounding. Allowing second chance shots allowed Dallas to beat them last year and the same with San Antonio the year before. The suns are contenders though and will be a tough out for any team.
A team that lost in the Western Conference Finals last year adds an all-star calibur player. Yeah, I think they're contenders. In the end it all begins and ends with Amare though. If he is back to his old self then they're my pick to win it all, but if he struggles so will the team.
Yes of curse. Next year they re-gain Amare, and they have great chemistry. They have made the WCF countless times, and you are definately a contender if you make the semi-finals imo,. They have the best offensive team in the league, so in my books of course they are contenders.
