Suns Basketball » Boris Diaw

Sole survivor: Only Steve Nash remains from the Phoenix Suns of old

Tyler Lockman — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:23:57 +0000

Over the past six seasons, the Phoenix Suns have seen plenty of change. Two head coaches, a revolving door of general managers until Steve Kerr stuck for three years, draft picks coming and going,...

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Tyson Chandler Traded to Dallas

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:03:17 +0000

by Jordan Schultz

Filed under: Bobcats, Mavericks, Raptors, Suns, NBA Free Agents

After reportedly being hesitant to trade Tyson Chandler to the Toronto Raptors, Michael Jordan apparently found a deal he likes.

According to a report from Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, Chandler and fellow big man Alexis Ajinca have been dealt to the Dallas Mavericks for veteran center Erick Dampier, along with Eduardo Najera and sharpshooter Matt Carroll.

Chandler was originally slated to be traded to the Raptors in a three-team trade that would have also sent Boris Diaw to Toronto in exchange for point guard Jose Calderon. The other team involved was the Phoenix Suns, which did indeed still sent Leandro Barbosa to the Raptors for Hedo Turkoglu.

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Jordan ‘Having Second Thoughts’ About Dealing Chandler, Diaw

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:00:11 +0000

by Jordan Schultz

Filed under: Bobcats, Raptors, Suns, NBA Rumors, NBA Transactions

Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan has reportedly denied the proposed trade with the Toronto Raptors which would have sent center Tyson Chandler and forward Boris Diaw to the Raptors for point guard Jose Calderon and power forward Reggie Evans. Dealing Chandler and his $12.75 million salary would instantly give Jordan and the Bobcats a ton of cap space.

The proposed trade was first reported on Monday, but Yahoo! Sports now has a source quoted as saying, "Right now, Michael is having second thoughts."

Jordan was reportedly hesitant to deal Chandler, the talented albeit often enigmatic 7-footer with a propensity for both blocking shots and getting in foul trouble. They had been scheduled today to meet with the intention of completing the trade.

Even so, the Raptors are not finished making moves. The Toronto Star is reporting that their trade with the Phoenix Suns, which would send Hedo Turkoglu to the Suns and Leandro Barbosa to Toronto is still going to happen.

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Suns vs. Spurs Best Rivalry in the NBA?

Adam Brennan — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:42:57 +0000

The Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs are the antithesis of one other. Good vs. Evil, Light vs. Dark, David vs. Goliath, Fire vs. Ice, Ying vs. Yang basically any diametrically opposed statement out there has been used when referencing the match up of these two teams. The Suns play an uptempo game where the goal is to basically outscore their opponents through expert offensive efficiency. The Spurs on the other hand prefer to play a grind it out, bloody your nose style of basketball. When these opposing forces meet, expectedly drama typically ensues.

We all know the playoff history with these 2 teams in recent years. Starting in 2007, with possibly the most controversial series the league has seen in recent years. The images still come to mind of Nash’s bloody nose and having to sit out while they lost game 1 at home. Steve Nash getting kneed in the groin by Bruce Bowen in game 3 as well as Manu Ginobili getting a bloodied and bruised eye when he collided with Shawn Marion.Robert Horry shoving Nash into the press table in game 4. Amar’e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw taking one step on the court leading to their suspensions for game 5. Tim Donaghy refereeing these games. Then there was the 2008 playoffs, when Tim Duncan made a three pointer to force double overtime in game 1. The series was defined by the ugly but effective strategy of “Hack a Shaq” resulting in Shaquille O’Neal shooting 64 free throws in the 5 game series. Shaq of course only made 32 (50%) and the Spurs once again prevailed. This rivalry was so intense that it allegedly prevented Spurs coach Greg Popovich from coaching USA Basketball, because of Jerry Colangelo’s distaste for anything associated with the Spurs.

In the present, only 3 players are carry-overs from the wars in the playoffs with the Spurs (Nash, Stoudemire and Barbosa). The season series is split at one apiece. A Suns loss tonight could bring the Spurs within one game of Suns in the playoff standings. The possibility of a Suns vs. Spurs matchup is becoming more and more likely as the days progress…possibly a 3-6 match up. Per usual, the Spurs are peaking at the right time. However, this time so are the Suns. Tonight we will truly see if losing Robin Lopez kills any chances for a deep run by the Suns in the NBA playoffs this year. In my opinion, the playoffs start tonight. The Suns must show that they are an upper echelon team and dispatch the perennial thorn in their sides.

Suns get J-Rich in blockbuster trade

Hersey — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:24:00 +0000

The Phoenix Suns' transition from the Mike D'Antoni era to the Steve Kerr's reign of terror continues. The Suns traded Raja Bell, Boris Diaw and Sean Singletary to the Charlotte Bobcats for Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley and a 2nd round draft pick in 2010.

As much as I like Raja and what he brought to this team, I love this trade. The Suns get something they desperately needed- an athletic guard who can create his own shot. Richardson fits the bill perfectly. He's won the Slam Dunk contest and he's got endless range. Upgrade. Now he has a much bigger contract than Bell but there's where Boris comes in.

It's no secret Boris has become an overpaid joke. $9 million bench players who pass too much don't endear themselves to fans or teammates. Boris can find new party spots in Charlotte and figure out what real accountability is once he suits up for Larry Brown.

We also get Jared Dudley, who I really like as a role player for this team. I watch a lot of ACC basketball so I've seen this guy grow as a player. He's got a high basketball IQ and great tenacity. He's a true role player who won't hurt the team when he's on the floor. Losing Sean Singletary only hurts if the team can't sign another veteran point guard. They have two weeks to add a 13th player to the roster. The draft pick figures to be good, if the Bobcats stink next year an early second round pick is probably a first-round talent.

So on paper, this trade looks great but it all comes down to how the chemistry develops. Chemistry has been the big issue this season and it's the reason Bell and Diaw have new addresses. The heart and soul or D'Antoni's teams (Bell) and his biggest failure as a GM (Diaw) are gone. Kerr has made it clear he will give his coach a roster that will play the way they want.

I've written in the past, I'm weary of players coming from losing teams to winning teams. Their numbers are often gaudy but they come from a culture of losing. In this case, I think it's different. Richardson was instrumental (along with Matt Barnes) in Golden State's resurgence and was part of the team that ousted 67 win Dallas in the first round. Plus J-Rich is hungry. He's on a winning team again that wants what he brings to the table. Dudley will battle and definitely comes across as guy who'll love playing with guys like Steve Nash and Grant Hill.

With the hard-fought win against Utah and the offensive explosion against the Bucks, the Suns are showing signs of life after the 4-game losing streak. The play and body language has improved. The team is extremely shorthanded against the Lakers tonight so we'll toss that game out but the next 20 games will be interesting to watch.

It sucks to see players you like leave, but the NBA is a business and the Suns got younger with two classy, professional players to improve chemistry. Steve Kerr is making moves to try and craft a winner. Let's see if this puts the Suns back in the Western elite. With J-Rich, Amare and Nash on the break, they're definitely going to be fun to watch.

UPDATE: The Suns battled tonight against the Lakers. Love the energy they showed with only 8 players in uniform.

The Greatest Pre-Preseason Preview Ever!

Zei_Zao_LS — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:49:00 +0000

It's that time again, and it's time for another preview to the upcoming season! Following the disappointing first round loss to the rather cantankerous set of Spurs that keep getting thrown at us, Suns fans have been less than optimistic about the upcoming season. I, however, will have to respectfully disagree, as I'm looking forward to the Suns next tear through the regular season leading to the inevitable raising of the 2009 NBA Champion banner in Phoenix. (I told you I was optimistic! Maybe a bit deluded, but optimistic all the same.)

We all know the Suns are putting themselves in position to make at least one more title run, the 08-09 season may be the last productive season we see out of Shaq, (Not relative to salary, mind you, but productive nonetheless...) and maybe 09-10 if Jesus loves us enough. (Not so sure on that one either.) That leaves us with a two year window for a championship run with the core we have right now and, realistically, this year is our last serious chance to put another ring on Shaq's finger, plus maybe get some rings for the rest of the guys too.

The Situation

Going into the preseason, coming out of training camp, we've been greeted with a plethora of interesting information. Some good, (We signed Dragic! Robin Lopez has been playing excellent!) some bad, (Amare hurt his ankle. Then his eye. He also might start wearing goggles, which is awful!) some that really might not matter an awful lot either way... (Amare was on a Nickelodeon show! Steve Nash and Baron Davis made a movie!) The most important part about this offseason, however, would definitely be the pieces we added (Both player and coaching) combined with the fact that the team will be together for training camp. The offseason addition of Matt Barnes should, by all accounts, be absolutely fantastic. He provides an active defender, someone who can handle the ball, make the right play on offense, shoot from deep, and has played in a fast paced team at a high level for multiple seasons now. The addition of Robin Lopez, on the other hand, will give us an ulta-active legit seven footer who can change the game inside with his shot blocking and activity, plus has apparently shown a fairly nice little interior offensive post game. The duo of rookie point guards (Sean Singletary and Goran Dragic.) should be battling to show what they can do, as both have demonstrated that they are legitimate pass first point guards who will work hard to improve their game. (Dragic is a bit more refined offensively while Singletary was a fairly good defender, especially at the point guard, while in college and should be able to translate that to the NBA.) Louis Amundson should fill our "Goofy white guy at the end of the bench" spot that we needed to fill quite well, also, and if he plays his cards right he may end up being roughly half as cool as Pat Burke.

The Expectations

It's a bit odd to try to make a prediction having not seen any preseason basketball to this point, not knowing our new head coaches tendencies, (I have rather high expectations our of new head coach, Terry Porter looks to be an amazing coach on both ends of the floor...) or even knowing how much of a difference in player roles will be present... but let's have fun with this thing and try to get it right!

Depth Chart
Position	Starter	Backup	Reserves
PG	Steve Nash	Leandro Barbosa	Goran Dragic, Sean Singletary, Boris Diaw
SG	Raja Bell	Leandro Barbosa	Matt Barnes, Alando Tucker, Grant Hill
SF	Grant Hill	Matt Barnes, Boris Diaw	Alando Tucker
PF	Amare Stoudemire	Boris Diaw	Robin Lopez, Alando Tucker, Louis Amundson
C	Shaquille O'Neal	Robin Lopez	Amare Stoudemire, Boris Diaw, Louis Amundson

Projected Minutes
Position	Minutes
PG	Steve Nash (30), Leandro Barbosa (12), Sean Singletary/Goran Dragic (6)
SG	Raja Bell (26), Leandro Barbosa (14), Matt Barnes (8)
SF	Grant Hill (24), Matt Barnes (16), Boris Diaw (8)
PF	Amare Stoudemire (36), Boris Diaw (12)
C	Shaquille O'Neal (26), Robin Lopez (18), Boris Diaw (4)

These are somewhat optimistic. I'm assuming Terry Porter is resting the geriatric patients on our team, as the reports have stated, in hopes for the playoffs. I'm assuming Robin Lopez is getting significant minutes. (I sincerely hope he does, especially when Amare is in with him.) I'm assuming Raja and Boris will have reduced roles with the team, and possibly Leandro. (D'Antoni's pet players/projects.) Most of all, I'm assuming that I'm going to end up being wildly inaccurate after we have a big surprise from one of the players that are down a ways in the depth chart. (I'm hoping Alando Tucker...)

Well, that's what I expect. Feel free to share your thoughts on the subject, interesting updates, or just to tear ruthlessly into my writing, whatever strikes your fancy. First preseason game is on Wednesday, October 8th! I wish you a happy preseason, and a merry regular season for all!