| 10 October 2009
Years ago - when a guy named Dickens was still breathing - he wrote a book called "The Tale of Two Cities" and it is home to a line that goes, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." We know because, as the Suns were being defeated by the Golden State Warriors on national TV, our main form of exercise was pulling hairs out of our head - one strand at a time - occasional screaming, and hurling a copy of that Dickens' classic across the room with as much speed as we could muster. Not a major league fast ball by any means, but with enough mustard to shatter a little plaster.
Oh, what a memorable moment it was when our fancy reading material fell open to the pertinent page and we achieved enlightenment. For it was clear, dear Suns fans, that we are not alone. No - like us - Dickens had moments when he was not a particularly cheery guy. And after this disappointment - against Golden State of all teams - we won't be the life of the party for at least a couple of days.
Sure - there are some positives to take away from the unimpressive performance put on by our guys. The first string did take the Suns out to a 13-point lead before the first quarter was over. And Channing Frye proved that the upbeat comments we have sent his way are more than just the illusions of an unenlightened wanderer. Indeed, Frye's pair of early threes helped propel the Suns to a big lead during the opening minutes and his 19 points and 8 rebounds against the Warriors showed that he's the type of outside shooting big man who can bring a smile to even the most jaded coach's eye. Yes, a virtual wet dream in the making.
Lest we forget, Grant Hill's first-half performance reminded us that his being 37 years old isn't a terminal sentence in the NBA because he truly knows how to play the game.
Thus, the best of times.
But now it's time to say a little about the worst of times. You know the - ahem - festering sores.
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We can start with the Suns disasterous second quarter. You know, the one that saw them fail to hit a single shot from the field during the first seven minutes - a performance so bad it dragged their shooting percentage down to just 33% at the end of the first-half. During a mid-game interview Grant Hill laid it out there. "(We)... started slipping back to the old way in the second quarter," Hill said. And the cause is no secret - after three quarters of play - the Suns second unit had scored just 17 points. It was like adding tons of ballast to a speed boat. Truly ugly.
Overall the second string nailed just 16 of their 49 shots from the field - worse numbers than your average high school JV - and well below the nearly 50% shooting percentage hit from the field by the Suns first unit. The bench also fell behind in free throws, hitting 8 out of 13 compared to the 10 for 13 hit by the first string.
So now it is on Coach Alvin Gentry to use the next couple of weeks before the regular season begins to thin the herd a little bit. Bump-off a second string guard or two and make a move for a center who can be a strong presence on the boards and serve as the anchor of a second unit that has to be essentially rebuilt from scratch. Some have wanted Lou Amundson to be that center in-waiting and his seven rebounds against the Warriors was impressive. But the Suns would be best served by using him as more of a swingman and not restricting him to the middle. Combined with Earl Clark, a rookie from Louisville whose aim was atrocious until he finally started to hit from the field in the fourth quarter, Sweet Lou could be part of a rebounding pair that will help the Suns push the ball up the floor when the second unit is gracing the court. (Lou and Earl combined for 13 rebounds Saturday night.)
Yes, it's looking back in the rearview mirror, but this is when we're starting to miss Ben Wallace. His tough minded presence in the middle - despite having knees that would fill a medical textbook - would really have bolstered that wobbly second unit.
Oh shucks, another missed opportunity.
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