The last week has been amazingly busy on Planet Orange. The Suns made some major strides this past week in defining what their team will look like next season. Grant Hill is back in the fold; signing a 2-year deal in which he has a player option for the 2010-2011 season. This season Hill will earn slightly more that $3 million. The Suns also signed free-agent Center Channing Frye to a 2-year deal worth approximately $1.9 million per year. Frye,  26was a stand out and the University of Arizona, has disappointed many thus far in his career; averaging only 4.2 ppglast year in 63 games with Portland. However that will likely skyrocket this season as Channing Frye will fit in well with the Suns run and gun offense. Frye is an adept shooter all the way out to 20 feet, which in turn will leave space for Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash to operate in. This is a drastic change from last season, when the lane was constantly clogged with Shaquille O’Neal andhis defender.  The Suns also signed first round pick Earl Clark to a 4-year deal, with team options for years 3 and 4.  Finally, it has been reported that the team is close to extending the contract of Steve Nash for 2 more years; possibly allowing him to retire as a Phoenix Sun.

The question now looms is this team a title contender or are they just doing enough to stay relevant? Most media pundits out there don’t give this team a chance at all next season. I on the other handthink this team is going to be in the thick of things in the Western Conference winding up with around 55 wins. This is of course based on the assumption Amare will come back healthy and with a vengeance to get a maximum contract in Free-Agency 2010. Granted the Suns may not be better than the Lakers or Spurs, but one injury of one trade deadline move could easily change that. What most people are not realizing is the Suns depth is simply awesome this season, their 2nd five could likely be a decent team on their own: PG: Goran Dragic,  SG: Leandro Barbosa/Alando Tucker, SF: Jared Dudley, PF: Lou Amundson/Earl Clark and C: Robin Lopez.

The Suns begin Summer League play in Las Vegas this evening. The Suns will play 6 games in this league and will hopefully get a gauge on how some of the younger players on the team will perform. For some players like Taylor Griffin who is the  brother of Blake Griffin, their spot of the team may be on the line. Some notable Suns to look for on this roster are: Goran Dragic, Alando Tucker, Robin Lopez, Earl Clark, and Taylor Griffin. The Suns also added Takuya Kawamura, who is looking to become the 2nd Japanese born player to play in the NBA.