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Again, MY NEW URL IS: http://phoenix.fanster.com/benssunsblog/

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Ben

Barnes' play finally being recognized by people besides me

It's no secret that I love Matt Barnes. And I'm sure people are sick of me writing/tweeting about him but, oh well.


I have followed him since UCLA and his time in Golden State and thought he would be a perfect fit for the Suns when I wrote about him at the end of last season.


I even had the fortunate chance to meet him and talk about our tattoos.


I've written several times about his impact on the Suns this year and still I get people Tweeting me saying that Barnes is overrated and he was better in Golden State. I quickly correct them in a loving, defensive way like Barnes is a personal friend. Luckily, other people agree with me. : )


But who really cares what Ben of Ben's Suns Blog thinks? I could talk about him until I'm blue in the face to try and get people to see the value he brings to the Suns. To me, it's apparent and obvious in his play if people really watch.


Sometimes it takes the media to get people to see. Paul Coro wrote a column Friday about how big Barnes has been for the Suns this year. Coro writes, "Part of the reason the Suns signed Matt Barnes this summer was because he was a decent shooter. False advertising. He's been one of the NBA's top shooters so far."


That isn't an exaggeration. The article states that Barnes has already made almost as many three pointers (51) as he did all of last season (52). He's shooting close to 44% from the three point line and averaging a career high 13 points a game. Not to mention he is fourth in the league in three point consistency.


Perhaps more important, he can be placed in virtually any spot on the court. Last night, he was solid backing up Nash at PG and was phenomenal defending J.R. Smith in the 2nd half. He is the Suns version of James Posey, and is a great person to have in the locker room. He can rebound, pass the ball (love his full-court launches to Grant Hill), and defend virtually anyone.


Here is a good video that the Suns did for a pre-game feature a while back. Some great quotes from Matt and Grant Hill.




A great interview on Suns.com Nothin' But Net:




Last but not least, here are links to a few other Barnes related posts I've written:

http://benssunsblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/barnes-to-start-for-suns.html

http://benssunsblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/suns-add-matt-barnes.html

http://benssunsblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/suns-preview-part-1-coaches-and-players.htmlhttp://benssunsblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/impressive-win-over-blazers.html

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2008/11/26/673683/suns-fans-this-year-be-tha

Suns Captains lead team to huge win over the Nuggets

All is well in the world again, and it's thanks to the Suns captains. Grant Hill, Steve Nash, Shaquille O'Neal led the Suns to a fantastic victory over the Nuggets.

Here's why these three saved the game.

Grant Hill: He did an absolutely phenomenal job on Carmelo Anthony tonight, and was my MVP of the game. Though he didn't have a stellar game offensively, his play on the defensive end was so much more important. Did anyone remember that Carmelo was on the Nuggets in the 2nd half tonight? I completely forgot Anthony was on the Nuggets and that was due to Hill's defense. I was more worried about J.R. Smith or Chauncey Billups than Carmelo catching on fire. Grant Hill played his best defense of the year on Carmelo and held him to only 10 points on 3-13 shooting and a plus/minus of -26 with 4 turnovers. Conversely, Hill had 11 points and 4 rebounds and had a plus/minus of +29 (a team high).

Steve Nash: He single-handily won the game for the Suns in the 4th quarter tonight. When he was on the bench to start the 4th, the Suns and Nuggets were in a turnover battle with the Suns having difficulty even getting a shot off. When Nash came back in, the whole complexion of the game changed. Nash scored 8 straight points hitting three clutch shots in the last 2 minutes, including 2 three's, to put the Suns ahead. Unreal. He finished with a plus/minus of +22 along with 16 points, 11 assists, and only three turnovers. The turning point for Nash was a jumper he hit over Kenyon Martin. It was after a foul on the ground but Nash seemed to find his stroke. I said to my fiancee that the shot he hit would at least give him confidence (he passed up several shots tonight since he wasn't shooting well). He then hit a long two and nailed 2 three's to put the Suns up. His defense was also underrated on Billups.

Shaquille O'Neal: When the Suns weren't functioning on the break or started to miss shots, all we had to do was dump the ball into Shaq to get back on track. This is exactly what needs to happen when we hit a lull on the offensive end. The Nuggets continually double teamed Shaq and when that happened, he kicked it back out to our guards or into Amare (also a terrific game) who finished it off. He also came up huge for us tonight at the foul line hitting 5-8 and one big one at the end of the game.

Other Players: Jason Richardson hit some big shots, Amare Stoudemire had a fairly quiet 27-10, and Matt Barnes played his usual steady game. Robin Lopez even had some productive time on the court which I love.

This win, in my opinion, was the biggest of the year for the Suns. We just had a heartbreaking loss in Portland, where they hit some lucky shots in the last minute of the game to pull it out. We are now 3-1 since acquiring Jason Richardson and it is clearly visible in our play, the team's reactions, and the fans that the team has been rejuvenated.

Despite a rocky start to the season at 16-11, I'm having a damn good time watching this team evolve.

I don't think anyone can disagree that we could be something special if we play to our potential.

Links: Box Score - Nuggets Blogs - Suns.com

Career High Watch: Nuggets Edition

Brandon Roy = 52

Devin Harris = 47

Dwayne Wade = 43

Chauncey Billups = more than 37?

I really, really hope not. To be honest, I'm not too worried since that's really not Chauncey's role on the Nugs. Having said that, I'm lying.

I played against Chauncey Billups and his brother in high school in Colorado and he had his career high agaist our high school team then. Hopefully, lightning won't strike me twice.

Michael Schwartz, of Valley of the Suns, has a great write up about the game tonight. I'll be tweeting my thoughts so be sure to visit www.twitter.com/benssunsblog.

Another perspective on the recent Shaq article

I thought it would be beneficial to reference another perspective regarding the recent quotes from Shaq.

Brandon over at BallerBlogger wrote a great piece regarding Shaq's quotes to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. This was the same article I wrote about in my Dark Knight-ish post yesterday as well.

For the entire piece, click here.

He makes some great points, especially since he's followed Shaq much closer for far longer than I have.

Here are a couple quotes from the article.

"Even at 36 years of age, there isn’t a player in the NBA that can stop Shaq one-on-one. But it’s not a matter of touches, it’s a matter of minutes. O’Neal is no longer capable of playing the minutes required to reach such lofty plateaus."

"O’Neal’s whine is nothing new. Shaq’s complained about touches in Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami, and now Phoenix. His statement bears some truth."

"If O’Neal wants “Shaq touches,” he should devote himself to his offseason conditioning so he’s capable of playing Shaq minutes."

Suns biggest weakness not turnovers, it's team defense and weak-side help

Look, having 3 guards go completely off on the Suns doesn't bode well. But it proves my point that the Suns primary weakness is not turnovers.

Team defense and weak side help are, by FAR, our biggest weakness. And good guards like Wade, Harris, and Roy know exactly what to do to expose it.

In Playing basketball for over 20 years, if a team has poor rotation and doesn't help, that was my dream as a guard. In basketball, you can usually get by your man fairly easily if you have ability. It's the rotation of the other defenders that forces you to either pull up for a shot, pass, or bring it back out. If you're a shooter against a team like the Suns, it's like taking candy from a baby. They play up close on you? Drive right by them since there isn't going to be any help. They play off you? Nail a jumper right in their face. Pick your poison.

Jason Richardson and Matt Barnes played pretty good defense, 1 on 1, against Roy all night. But when Roy drove the lane or ran off a pick, our front court and weak side help were non-existent.

Look at this video below. The Celtics, the best defensive team in the league by far, show how to effectively play team defense and use proper rotation. In fact, coincidentally, the video is against the Blazers. Look at what happens when a guard penetrates. Every Boston player is aware of where that gap is on defense, rotates, and still is between their man and the ball. They are in the right place and it shows through the stops and turnovers they get. Check it out.



Furthermore, we can't place the blame on solely the back court. There are very few players in the league that can stop Brandon Roy. Stopping Roy is a team effort, especially when he's on. For those that are saying, "well, we traded away defense in Bell and Boris...", they didn't stop Wade. They didn't stop Kobe. They didn't stop Vujacic. They didn't stop Harris. They didn't stop Nowitzki.

Also, Nash had an off night, no doubt about it. But although he isn't the best defender, he does the right things on defense. He pushes his man to the middle where it is expected he'll have help. Last night, the Suns didn't rotate and cover any gaps.

Lastly, I thought long and hard the reasons why we went to a zone defense against a hot shooting team. At first, I was confused but it makes sense based on our rotations and team defense to this point. Playing zone is reserved for teams that really aren't shooting well since it forces them to shoot and cuts off scoring in the paint (well, that's the goal at least). Portland was on fire last night and for us to go to a zone shows how weary Porter is on our rotations and weak side help.

Suns lose, I'm not crying...really...I'm not

I'm not too manly to admit that I'm sad.

I really wanted to win tonight. Badly. We were on national television where we seemingly never play well. More controversy with Shaq comments. Coming off 2 big wins and have Denver and San Antonio (who have lost 2 in a row)next. Boy, a win would've been great.

Yes I know, I just posted telling Suns fans not to freak out and that things are going to be okay. But, as my family and friends can tell you, my mood is generally reflective of the state of the Suns. Thus, they won 2 in a row = Ben is happy. Tonight, Suns lost = Ben sad.

The Suns played very well, for the most part. Barnes had a phenomenal game so my man crush continues. The same things haunted us tonight that they did in every loss; turnovers, offensive rebounds, and defense. Why Terry Porter elected to go to a zone defense late in the game, virtually assuring an open shot, is beyond me.

So, as I watched Brandon Roy completely torch the Suns for 52 points and Lamarcus Aldridge nail a bank shot off the top left of the backboard to tie the game , my fiancee noticed a reflection off my face. Panicking, and trying to save my dignity, I sang her this song to clarify things.

Suns Fans: Why So Serious? It's All Part of the Plan...

Just as an FYI, anytime I can reference The Dark Knight...I will.

Suns beat writer, Paul Coro, came out with an article today where Shaq says the Suns are still developing their style.

I know for a fact that a quote from Shaq will make most fans lose their minds, freak out that the Suns aren't going to run, and look for a ledge to jump off of.

I'm not one of them.

Here are his quotes...

"I could average 27 and 10 in this league easily," O'Neal said. "Easily. In this conference, in this league, easily. Eyes closed. I can but I've got to get the opportunities. I'm not really the first option on this team but when I get it down there, I'll do what I do. Like I told everybody, 'You want me to be Shaq? Then I've got to get the Shaq touches and Shaq opportunities. I just can't be taking five shots . . . and then you look at me like I'm old. We've still got to develop our style. You look at the three elite teams. They've mastered their style, whatever that style is. Last couple games, especially last four home games, I think that's the way we want to play. You have to be able to play both. Guys talk about running so run, get out and run. But when it's a slowdown game, I would like to touch it so I can do what I do or get everybody involved or let STAT (Amaré Stoudemire) touch it and let him do what we do."

Looking at some of the comments at the bottom of the article only proved my point. Inevitably, the following statements will be swirling around the minds of Suns fans:

• Oh my God! We aren't going to run anymore!
• Holy Hell! Shaq is unhappy! The whole team will collapse! Jason Richardson will be under utilized!
• Oh my God! We aren't going to run anymore!
• There goes the season...
• Oh my God! We aren't going to run anymore!
• We need to blow this team up!

Suns fans - stop freaking out! It's all...part of the plan.



This is EXACTLY what needs to happen. Does anyone think that Jason Richardson is going to be (or should be) the leading scorer? He shouldn't be! We need him to do exactly what he's done his first two games - be source of energy, shoot well from beyond the arc, and force opponents to guard him at the 2 spot. We need to get Shaq touches, have to. Why would you not want to?

Touches don't mean he is going to shoot 25 times a game. Touches means that the ball gets fed to Shaq (hopefully with a good entry pass) and either he causes a double team, dominates his man, draws fouls, or he kicks it out to our shooters/scorers (which now are similar to our 04-05 team).

SHAQ NEEDS THE BALL. THE SUNS NEED SHAQ TO HAVE THE BALL.

Okay, fine. If you guys want to rely on Nash the entire season and through the playoffs...be my guest. Getting Shaq the ball doesn't mean Nash can't create...look at the past 6 games - Nash has logged 9 or more assists 5 times. In our 4 game losing streak, Shaq got double digits in points once.

Why would we not feed the ball to a guy who is shooting 60% from the floor and averaging only 10 shots a game??

Here is a stat for you: out of the 12 games that Shaq has scored 15 points or more, the Suns have won 10 of them. 2/3 of our games.

In the Suns case, correlations does mean causation.

Suns fans - lighten up - it's going to be fine and we can co-exist with Shaq.

Why So Serious?

What the Suns got in Jared Dudley

I posted my initial thoughts here via a roundtable podcast with Project Spurs and Michael De Leon regarding the Suns acquisition of Jared Dudley, as well as a video here, but Empty the Bench posted a much more thorough article here.

Dudley seems like a great pick-up for the Suns, even if he is a 6th or 7th rotation player.

Be sure to give Empty the Bench a bookmark too, great site.

Porter Deserves Some Respect

Phoenix Stan of Bright Side of the Sun says it perfectly here.