Suns Facing Tough Times After 4th Straight Loss
The Phoenix Suns entered rare territory Thursday night after their loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Sure, no records were set and there weren't any wild fights to talk about, but PHX did suffer their 4th straight loss - something they haven't done in over 2 yrs, dating back to November of 2006.
The Suns' troubles have been blamed on numerous events and even on some of the players - mostly forward Amare Stoudemire. Local radio hosts and other sports personalities are calling for the Suns to trade Amare now, while his value is still high. They feel that he is not going to get any better and that his trade value will decrease as the season goes on. Stoudemire has already made public comments regarding his (un)happiness here in Phoenix and that he's not sure where he'll end up after next season when his contract expires.
To all the people that are dogging on Amare for a few bad games... Look back just a few weeks ago when he racked up nearly 50 pts and dominated in a Suns victory. Were you saying the same thing on that night as you are now? No, you were saying that Amare had arrived and that he was showing just how dominant he could be. So lets all get off the ratings bandwagon here and quit bad mouthing the local team. The Suns, after losing to the Mavs, are still 11-8 on the season and doing well considering all of the events to-date, including:
- Steve Nash injury and flu.
- Shaquille O'Neal being held out of the 2nd of back-to-back games.
- Leandro Barbosa missing training camp and then a couple games after his mother passed away.
- Matt Barnes suspension for elbowing Rafer Alston.
- New head coach in Terry Porter.
- New half-court focused offense.
Face it guys... this team is facing some adversity and they're struggling. No doubt about it - when they don't have all the players on the court, they aren't the same team. Hell, they aren't even the same team on the nights Shaq sits out. But they are still scoring at a rapid pace. Everyone who said they would struggle w/ the half-court offense and wouldn't be able to "entertain" us as much were wrong... this team can still score.
The Suns faced a similar team on Thursday in the Dallas Mavericks - a team that also made a big trade in the middle of the season last year and has a new head coach. Their record is only 10-8 after their victory over the Suns and they have a good roster over there too. You don't hear anyone suggesting Dirk Nowitzki get traded because the team isn't winning. He doesn't play defense, rebound and sulks often... sounds kinda like Amare doesn't it.
Overall, I would just call on all Suns fans (& analysts) to support the team and wish them the best of luck this season. Don't be bashing them after a few bad games... the season is 82 games long and we're only 1/4 of the way in so far. There is plenty of time for the team to show that they are a legitimate contender for the NBA Championship THIS YEAR.
Go Suns!