2008 Phoenix Suns Season Preview & NBA Predictions

Written October 9, 2008 by Luke Knight

The Suns were knocked out in the first-round of the playoffs by the Spurs last season in 5 games. Afterwards Mike D’Antoni was sent packing and Terry Porter was brought in. Porter will presumably attempt to mold the Suns into a more defensive minded, half-court team. The two major factors affecting the Suns this season will be age and depth. Read on to find out whether we think the Suns will rise back up in the Western Conference and compete with the elite teams. Head over to BetUS where the Suns are +800 odds at winning the Western Conference.

Steve Nash has won three assists titles and two MVPs in 4 seasons as a Sun. In his first 8 seasons he made the All-Star game just twice, but now is considered a surefire future Hall of Famer. Nash averaged 16.9 points per game and 11.1 assists. No longer the best point guard in the league, he is still at the top of the list, but it will be interesting to see how he responds to the coaching change. Goran Dragic is considered to be the team’s point guard of the future and should pick up some minutes. When Nash is out Leandro Barbosa usually spelled him last year, and could slide over from the shooting guard position this year. On defense Grant Hill sometimes slid over since Nash can’t defend Tony Parker or Chris Paul.

Leandro Barbosa is slated as the starter at shooting guard, where is much better at finishing plays than initiating them. Barbosa does not pass nearly as well as Nash, but his speed and shooting ability make him extremely tough to cover. He also breaks down opposing defenses with his dribble penetration. Barbosa averaged 15.6 points per game last season. Raja Bell will see significant playing time and is listed as the number 2 guy on the depth chart. He averaged 11.9 points per game in 35.3 minutes. Bell is an excellent defender and a fine 3-point shooter and good free throw shooter.

Grant Hill played in 70 games last season, which is his highest total since 1999-2000, which was the last time he was an All-NBA player. It looks like Grant Hill will be the starter here with Matt Barnes providing the backup. Boris Diaw is a natural small forward and the Suns use him literally everywhere on the court so he should see time here also. Diaw’s production has dropped over the last several years so perhaps the Suns will decide to let Diaw master one position instead of being a jack of all trades.

Amare Stoudemire is a scoring machine who added a jumper and a good free throw shooting touch to his ability to drive and cut to the hoop. Stoudemire averaged 28.5 points per game after the All-Star break and 25.2 points over the entire season. Stoudemire also averaged 9.1 rebounds, although he doesn’t rebound as well as he should. Stoudemire is often lost on defense, but comes up with some sensational blocks so most don’t notice. Rookie Robin Lopez out of Stanford could see some time here. Boris Diaw may be the primary backup to Stoudemire here, although he is more of a natural small forward.

Shaquille O’Neal averaged 12.9 points and 10.6 rebounds in 28 games for the Suns last season. He may no longer be the unstoppable force or MVP-level player he once was, but he is still a very capable center. He was brought in to rebound, be a presence in the paint, and shoot at a high percentage when he catches the ball in the post. Most of what Shaq brought to the Suns was allowing Stoudemire to move to his natural power forward position. If Shaq is healthy and continue putting up a double-double average, the Suns will be in good shape. Lopez will be the slated backup to O’Neal, but the Suns could slide Stoudemire over when Shaq needs a break.

Final Analysis

The Suns have some question marks, mainly how they will adapt to a new coaching staff and whether they are mentally tough enough after crumbling against the Spurs after losing Game 1. Nash and Stoudemire are perennial All-Stars and Grant Hill and Shaq can still play, so the team is clearly talented. Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell, and Boris Diaw are also incredibly talented players to complement the studs. We have the Suns finishing 2nd in the Pacific behind the Lakers and ahead of the Clippers, Warriors, and Kings. They should make the playoffs but after last years collapse I don’t have a lot of faith in them going too deep. The Suns are +2000 odds at BetUS to win the NBA Championship this season.

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