First of all, I want to apologize to the two people that read my blog for the long delay. I've had a ton of things going on in everyday life but I am alive and kicking and have many things on my mind. It may be a little Suns-centric but you understand the bias.
Coach Mike
My first thoughts go back to Mike D'Antoni. While I have always respected his offensive vision and class, I have to say that many of his coaching tactics had worn thin. While I appreciate the beauty of what the Suns offense once was, I had to come to a hard realization that it was never going to get us the ring. While we were quick, we were small and couldn't board or contest shots on the interior. Even with the speed we had on the exterior, our man-to-man defense was poor and while Shawn and Raja have the ability, it wasn't there every night. It also didn't hurt that coach Mike stubbornly played a short bench and refused to acquiesce to another teams style. This became increasingly more apparent watching Greg Popovich pick us apart systematically again and then watch the Spurs play various styles. I wish coach Mike the best of luck but a lot of these issues will come to light soon enough under the spotlight that is New York media.
The Draft
I'm not one to bring up conspiracy theories, but how does Chicago get the first pick in the draft? I used to laugh at people when they would question this but with the smoke and illusion the NBA puts behind the lottery process, it's hard not to question this. A team with a 1% chance ends up with the top pick and they have a shot at a local stud in Derrick Rose. Of course it sounds like the Bulls may like Beasley but that could be tactics regardless. Speaking of all these players..
While everyone is familiar with Rose and Beasley, there are a few players that I am man crushing on right now that I feel would not only be good for the Suns but will become very good pros.
Joe Alexander
I was really impressed with Joe's game this year. His athleticism is off the charts but there are other aspects of his game that I really enjoy. First of all, he plays hard, all the time. I always respect players like this, especially the ones that have a bit of a chip on their shoulder. Secondly, being that he has only been playing for five years, his game has a ton of upside. I hate to sound cliché, but I could see his handle, mid-range jump shot and overall basketball sense growing game by game. I think he's going to be a gamer and I would be surprised if he wasn't in the long run.
Nicolas Batum
I've had my eye on Nicolas for a few years now. NBADRAFT.NET pointed him out and his dominating performance during the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in 2006 where he was the tournament MVP. I've heard comments about him drifting in games but I have a different perspective then others in this discussion. In the games that really counted, like the game against Maccabi this year, he stepped his game up. He is always big when he has to be and when you combine that with his athleticism and just overall skills at the tender age of 19, he has tremendous potential.
I'll have more on the draft as it approaches and I promise to post more often.
