| 25 October 2009
The pre-season is supposed to be a time of experimentation - and we're not talking the ol' DNA samples here.
No, it's supposed to be an opportunity to see how the team chemistry mixes, fine tune the roster and maybe learn a little about where the players are on the skill ladder. It is also an opportunity to reward those who have proven that they deserve a shot at the big time by letting them take the court for an opening tip-off. On this score, we're a bit disappointed with Coach Alvin Gentry.
Is it tragic? No, but the hounds in the dog pound are grumbling today - you know just how testy they can get.
And all they want from Gentry is something simple that could have been done weeks ago - start Jared Dudley.
Please click "Read More" to continue reading--
Yes - starting Jared Dudley means benching Grant Hill or Amar'e Stoudemire for those first precious minutes of court time - but holding them back so they are rested for a strong fourth quarter finish makes sense considering Amar'e is still working off his eye injuries and Hill is one of the oldest players in the NBA. But starting Duds isn't just about preserving a couple of big names for an end of the night run.
No - the 24-year old Boston College product has earned it.
Look back at the Suns latest pre-season - ahem - loss to Portland and you'll see what we mean. While Hill was hitting 3 - 8 from the field and knocking down just one 3-pointer during 27 minutes, Dudley was going 4 - 5 and wracking up 9 points from beyond the arc during 22 minutes on the court. Dud's point production per minute was the best of the Suns that night and it's not the only time he's proven himself.
The pre-season stats show Duds with the Suns best shooting percentage (55.8%) and a 3.5 boards per game that is the best rebounding of any non-starter on the team. Also we can't forget how he came to life when Amar'e was on the bench with eye problems during the play-off run last year.
So now we're taking-up another cause - remember our brief Dump Dan Dickau campaign - and this time we're calling it simply Let's Start Duds Already.
Check our new poll and have your say.
Are we crazy or what?!?
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