Memo to cranky, creaky Suns and dour desert dwellers: Lighten up!
Hill hasn't been part of the core group as long. As he likes to say, he's the "new guy," but his versatility will also be missed. He has been bending over backward to make accommodations to his game, learning to become a 3-point shooter when that has never been his role. But it's obvious his greatest gifts -- the teamwork and camaraderie he inspired everywhere he's been -- haven't been absorbed yet.
Maybe having guys limited or absent will force everyone, both players and fans, to appreciate what the Suns are capable of at full strength.
Sure, Robert Sarver could authorize Kerr to add another big man, but for the most part, what you see with the Suns is what you're going to get. Barbosa and Marcus Banks aren't the ideal backup point guards to Nash, but who really would be? Jared Jordan, an assist machine with an incredible IQ who was cut by two teams this preseason, signed a deal with Lithuanian power Lietuvos Rytas last month. Jose Juan Barea, who could probably run the Suns offense in a limited role, would have to be pried out of Dallas' cold, dead hands.
The good news is that Nash's body is holding up. Outside of this little stomach flu that forced him out of the Utah game -- he didn't text message his way out of it, either -- Nash has remained healthy and is having one of the finest seasons of his career. He is on pace to dish out more assists than he ever has.
If he's sharing, why isn't everyone smiling more? This looks like a clear case of the grass looking greener elsewhere. Maybe it is time to break things up after this season, but in the meantime, why not chase home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs? Give these spoiled, disgruntled Suns fans an opportunity to back this particular edition in one last run at a championship.
Make it all or nothing. A team with no legitimate backup point guard, no true center and a small forward at the four isn't supposed to win as big as Phoenix has over the years. Shouldn't they be having more fun bucking the trend?
Embrace the unconventional. That goes for everyone.
