Suns' run as legitimate contenders setting quickly
PHOENIX -- Near the end of Alvin Gentry's first practice of what he playfully called "a multi-week contract," the Phoenix Suns' third coach in nine months stood in the corner of the gym for a heart-to-heart with Steve Nash. The keys to the offense are on the table for Nash and he plans to scoop them up and drive all the way back to the Mike D'Antoni era.
Gentry vowed to restore the Suns to their "breakneck pace," but he's assuming Shaq won't break his neck trying.
"Other than Shaquille," Nash said, "we've got a group of guys who've played that way at their most successful points."
Yes, other than Shaquille.
Nash was trying to put an optimistic spin on the latest calamity that has befallen this proud franchise. But nearly all of it is directly linked to president Steve Kerr's ill-fated decision to trade Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for O'Neal 12 months ago. Kerr, Gentry and Nash kept their stories straight, each parroting the stat that Phoenix was 15-3 down the stretch last season with O'Neal. It was actually 15-5, but who's counting? It is worth pointing out what Kerr said at the news conference introducing O'Neal last February. The words have come back to haunt him. "This is a gamble that's well worth taking," Kerr said that day, making no effort to disguise the fact that blame would -- and should -- land on his doorstep if the trade backfired.
Yes, those are exhaust fumes from a Winnebago that you smell.
Kerr was back in front of a microphone Monday, admitting that he underestimated the adjustment Terry Porter was expected to make without Marion, and then without Boris Diaw and Raja Bell. At the very moment when Kerr was saying Gentry is "clearly the guy who gives us the best chance of having success," the Suns' legal department was investigating the facts related to the arrest Sunday night of Jason Richardson, who was acquired from Charlotte in the Diaw-Bell deal.
Richardson was pulled over for driving 90 mph in a 35-mph zone -- much faster than the Suns move these days. Incredibly, police said Richardson's 3-year-old son was in the back seat, but not restrained in a car seat. The Suns suspended Richardson on Monday for one game without pay. Richardson's attorney should familiarize himself with the applicable child-endangerment statutes.
At least Richardson had the good sense not to be intoxicated this time. Back in December, less than two weeks after the trade, he was accused of DUI while maneuvering his Mercedes through an Indian reservation at almost 3 a.m.
So while the coaching change might've been necessary, because the Suns have tried everything else, you can understand why one rival team executive told me he was shocked Kerr would dump a coach he just signed to a three-year, $7 million contract eight months ago. Once the GM gets rid of the coach, there's nobody left for the owner to blame but himself and the GM. And we all know that when managing partner Robert Sarver points the finger, he won't be aiming it at himself.
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| Can Alvin Gentry turn this muddled situation around? (Getty Images) |
All of this -- every shred of it -- can be traced back to the trade for O'Neal, the gamble that supposedly was well worth taking. Worth what? Worth alienating D'Antoni, who couldn't get to New York fast enough once he realized there were forces beyond his control dictating the Suns' future? Worth dumping Amare Stoudemire for expiring contracts and other rubbish, when Phoenix would've been sitting pretty today with Marion's expiring contract had they not rolled the dice with Shaq?
Worth turning Nash into a shell of himself at a time when he should've been feted in the city he's treated to so much excitement? All-Star weekend in Phoenix without Nash being part of the celebration spoke volumes about how far this franchise has fallen.
What happens next depends on which way the wind is blowing in Sarver's world. Executives who have spoken with the Suns say they have basketball trades and financial ones on the chalkboard, and are waiting for Sarver to choose the direction. Given that the Bulls have emerged as the favorite to land Stoudemire, financial deals appear to be winning the debate.
The last gasp of hope, though, would involve trading the person who started all of this -- through no fault of his own. Surprisingly, rival executives report that the Suns are describing the market for O'Neal as "good." I'm dubious, and so are the executives. It would appear that the JabbaWockeeZ have a better chance of getting traded.
But if Shaq is going anywhere, one exec said, it would appear to be Dallas. Perhaps Kerr can extract Josh Howard, but the price would be steep. He'd have to take Erick Dampier, whose contract extends one year longer than Shaq's with $13.1 million on the books for 2010-11. Kerr would've been better off keeping Marion. But as usual in the NBA, one bad trade gives birth to another, until you wake up one day and you're the Clippers.
In the meantime, Gentry -- who once coached the Clippers -- gets ready for four games in six nights. With which players? Who knows? Kerr said the new coach's performance will be evaluated after the season, but he already has his eyes on other long-term replacements, maybe even from the college ranks. Once a franchise starts to implode, there is no stopping the search for rock bottom.
Gentry said D'Antoni called him Sunday night. They're friends and speak once a week. Gentry was the only member of D'Antoni's staff to stay behind in Phoenix, owing mostly to the children he has in school here. Now he has a mess on his hands and a 31-game contract to show for it.
He wouldn't say what he and D'Antoni discussed, revealing only that D'Antoni's role was both inspirational and tactical. If I had to guess, I'd say Gentry asked D'Antoni if he'd trade for Shaq and then catch the next flight to Phoenix to coach Tuesday night against the Clippers. Maybe Kerr will sign the JabbaWockeeZ to 10-day contracts instead.
