| 07 October 2009
We don't know anything about NASCAR and simple oil changes are virtual freaks of nature in our eyes but we can say one thing for sure - cars don't roll well when they're planted on a set of cinder blocks. And - pardon our quick flashback to an unhappy past - that was the fundamental reality Suns fanatics faced when Shaq was brought onboard last season. Combined with Amar'e Stoudemire sitting on the bench for 29 games with an ailing body, Phoenix went from being run-'n-fun to something akin to stop-drop-and-roll. So, despite the uplifting end of season play-off run, that fell short, the whole thing left a bad taste in our mouths. Kind of like eating out of a used ash tray.
But last night's 111 - 80 whipping of Partizan Belgrade gave us several reasons for hope. To start with, Channing Frye proved that he is more than a low-scoring benchwarming cast-off from the Portland Trailblazers. If you don't guard him well, the 6'11" veteran has a 3-point stroke that's better than most big men and he can spread the court if given half-a-chance. Yes, he wasn't a prize winning rebounder and snagged only three against the boys from Belgrade, but he showed real fast feet and a talent for offense that generated 10 points during 24 minutes on the court. His 43 percent from the field wasn't bad either.
Please click "Read More" to continue reading--
The return of Amar'e the Great was - mmmmm -a pleasure as well.
Not having graced the court since leaving us in February with sketchy health and capping off the summer with really testy eye surgery, Amar'e was a serious question mark - even for fans like us who are ready to build a big granite monument to the man known as STAT. Sure he hit 12 points in 17 minutes but Stoudemire's realmoment came with back-to-back slams in the third quarter that were GIGANTIC EXCLAMATION POINTS and sent fans hearts aflutter in the US Airways Center. His startling field goal percentage (71%) was enough to make a mark and Alvin Gentry also had a few positives to say about Amar'e when it comes to defense.
"He's still not close to where we feel he'll ultimately be in terms of conditioning, but he played hard tonight and defensively did a lot of good things," the coach said during post game inteviews. "He rotated over, put himself in position to draw charges and just appeared to be really engaged defensively and I liked the effort."
Then there is Goran Dragic - a man who played like a clogged drain early on - but ultimately pulled his game together and once again showed a talent for performing well during inconsequential games. He's no Steve Nash, but Goran did nail a team-leading 16 points. Now if only he can do it in a real game - even against Golden State.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
