Jan 23 2009
Phoenix Suns out of the playoffs?
If you look at the Western Conference standings on this date you might not notice it but there is a new kid in town. That would be the Portland Trailblazers who occupy the sixth spot at this moment. All other members of the top 8 are the same as last year.
That means the game of musical chairs has left out one of 2007’s playoff teams. As of today that team is the Dallas Mavericks who are 4-6 in their last ten games. But only one game above the Mavs are the Phoenix Suns.
They have had a roller coaster season and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get straightened out anytime soon. They struggled early in the season to find out how to score enough to win. They had a losing record and the grumbling got loud about new coach Terry Porter.
Then a big trade resulted in the exit of Raja Bell with the arrival of Jason Richardson. The team rallied and Porter started to use Shaq in a way that was realistic. He also made it public. He wouldn’t play in back-to-backs. And as if on cue Shaq got rocking and the Suns went on a nice run only to crash back down to earth.
This is an unhappy and uneven team that has its moments when it works as it should but then can’t sustain success. It’s loaded with talent and yet they seem to under achieve. Expect no coaching change from GM Steve Kerr. He installed Porter there for a reason. The athletes need to stop resisting.
