| 20 October 2009
It wasn't quite like Hannibal leading those troops over the Alps to a clash - was it with the Romans? - but we have traveled many miles to be back here with everyone. And we are reconnecting in time to offer a few prayers in advance of tonight's game against those pesky Sacramento Kings.
It should be a straightforward contest with the 3 - 3 Suns walking over the 1 - 3 Kings to an easy victory but nothing has been that simple during this crew's 2009 pre-season. No - the Suns have been like salmon swimming uphill - just occasionally hitting on an egg. Sure, we've had our wonderful moments with a six point victory over the Portland Trailblazers and a two point squeaker against the Phildelphia Seventy-Sixers - but that's not the whole story.
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No this - Big Mama - is a two-headed coin. Like, for example, the 114 - 96 drubbing we took at the hands of that same Sixers team while sojourning in Mexico on Sunday. That game saw much of the worst from the promising rookie Earl Clark - who showed some real airball chucking skills. And we need to send a belated raspberry to good ol' Goran Dragic for hitting a notable 0-for-5 in the shooting department. To parrot a phrase from a day of airport hopping - "A floor leader, he ain't".
But - as we rev-up for tonight's tightrope act - there is a bright light. And his name is Leandro Barbosa.
With an average of 13.5 ppg during the six game pre-season stint the Suns have trod through so far, Barbosa has hit more than half his shots from the field. All this despite playing less than 21 minutes a game and not starting once. That's right - not once. Yes, he is a non-entity when it comes to rebounding averaging just 1.2 per game. But, if he combines his current scoring with a few extra assists, the backcourt speedster could light a flame under the Suns during their times of need.
So a note to Coach Alvin Gentry - reconsider your plans to prop-up Goran Dragic and Dan Dickau. They aren't really earning their minutes. With less than a week to go before the regular season tip-off, it's time to wipe the dust off Leandro's passing arms and look toward him as Steve Nash's back-up at point guard because the pre-season is another reminder that he has the skills.
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