- 1998: Traded the draft rights to Robert Traylor and Pat Garrity for the draft rights for Dirk Nowitzki.
- 1999: Acquired Steve Nash via trade
- 2000: Drafted Eduardo Najera
- 2003: Drafted Josh Howard
- 2003: Signed Marquis Daniels as a free agent
- 2003: Acquired Walker and Jameson in trades
- 2004: Drafted Devon Harris
- 2004: Traded Najera for Erick Dampier
- 2004: Traded Antawn Jameson for Jerry Stackhouse and the #5 draft pick (which ended up being Devon Harris).
- 2004: Traded Antoine Walker for Jason Terry after losing Steve Nash to free agency (effectively making lemonade out of lemons).
- 2005: Signed DeSagna Diop as a free agent.
Playoff Notes
- I’ve noticed coaches and players are looking at the instant replay on the arena big screen after controversial calls. Sadly, the broadcasters haven’t picked up on this and viewers have to wonder exactly what the crowd is upset about.
- Boris Diaw missed a bunch of layups tonight. Why the heck doesn’t he dunk it when he gets that close to the rim?
- Jason Terry is probably a ball-hog who has reluctantly embraced the game of a true point guard. He took numerous bad shots tonight including some that resulted in Phoenix fast breaks, exactly what Avery Johnson tells him not to do, I’m sure.
- Dirk Nowitzki sure can shoot that fadeaway jumper when he’s got single coverage, but I’d like to see his shooting percentage when he’s double-teamed. I don’t think he hits it nearly as much then.
- I think the reason that I enjoy watching Steve Nash play so much is the total joy that he brings to the game. Twice during the game tonight he rushed off the bench to greet the players coming off the court in a timeout – big smile on his face, high fives and words of encouragement. I love watching people who so clearly revel in their work.
- James Jones has completely disappeared from the offense, but has continued to impact the game through rebounding and defense. He even passed up on a wide open three pointer tonight, even though that is supposedly his specialty. Still, he has a long body and has been very effective on the Dallas guards.
- Avery Johnson gave up on the game with 6:40 left in the game and down by 20? Did he not realize he was playing the Suns who can give up 20 in 4 minutes?
- Kurt Thomas is back! Woo hoo!
Playoff Notes
- Has there ever been a crowd more schizophrenic than in Miami? They booed their team throughout Game 1 and head for the exits early, but then when the Heat cut the lead to 10 with four minutes to play, they erupted. It was awe-inspiring. But booing your team in Game 1 of a playoff series? Not cool in my book.
- The TNT team didn’t mention anything about it, but it’s pretty significant that Riley went to Doleac when Shaq drew his fourth foul. One can only assume that Mourning wasn’t able to go.
- If the Nets can’t get Richard Jefferson back in the series, they are done. He and Carter provide such a great one-two scoring punch that it’s really difficult to guard both.
- Antoine Walker sucked per his usual. I booed him along with the crowd. For God’s sake, stop shooting threes, you fool, and rebound the ball!
- Walker can really turn on the jets at times, but he looks funny when he does it. His legs start pumping way faster than it seems he’s moving. I hope we get to see more of that.
- Gary Payton also needs to stop shooting the three. What is he, like 25% career from downtown?
- If I was Pat Riley, I’d give strict instructions to let Lamond Murray shoot whenever and however he likes. NBA basketball is all about picking your poison, and Murray is usually the least poisonous on the floor.
- Evidently Jason Collins is a bleeder.
- I love watching Carter shoot the three. He hits a few but you know he’s going to go on a missing streak at any time.
- There is no way that the Nets will score 38 points in a quarter against the Heat again in this series.
- Watching Steve Nash take it past three or four guys to get the hoop has got to be one of the most sublime basketball plays to watch because you now he’s not the quickest guy out there. He does it with basketball smarts, misdirection and change-of-pace. Better than a dunk, I think.
- You could say that the Suns were incredibly lucky to land Tim Thomas after the Bulls kicked him out of Chicago. You could also say that they were incredibly lucky that he has chosen to over-achieve since he arrived, rather than under-achieve as he has for his entire career prior. You could say that, but weren’t the Suns due for a little luck after seeing Stoudemire and then Kurt Thomas go down with season-ending injuries?
- Thomas is having the same kind of career breakout post-season that Brian Williams had for the Bulls during one of their championship runs. The Bulls couldn’t afford to bring him back the next year and afterwards he never approached the greatness he showed during that post-season. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing is true of Tim Thomas after this post-season.
- Chris Kaman has to be among the top ten ugliest players in the NBA.
- Speaking of ugly, Shawn Marion has the hands-down ugliest jump shot in the NBA.
- You gotta feel sorry for Shawn Marion. After getting eaten alive by Lamar Odom in the first round, it only gets worse as he attempts to guard Elton Brand. Should the Suns make it to the conference finals, who is waiting? Most likely Tim Duncan. Ouch.
Something Happening in Los Angeles
Are the Lakers coming together at precisely the right time of year? That’s what happened when Kobe won his first championship in Phil Jackson’s first year as Laker coach. Something has definitely changed with the Lakers in the last two games. Witness:
- Kobe didn’t score 40, 30 or even 20. 17 points on only 18 shots. Probably a third of those shots came in the final period which the Lakers have designated “Kobe time.”
- The Lakers are suddenly playing physical against the smaller Suns, effectively neutralizing their quickness advantage. Also, the Lakers instigated both major altercations during Game 3, but Phoenix ended up with 3 technical fouls and L.A. only 1.
- Phil Jackson has shown his playoff genius again with the small adjustments. For example, in Game 3 Laker players were obviously catching the ball after Laker made baskets and gently dropping the ball to the floor to keep the bounce low. So what? If the Suns can’t pick up the ball easily, they can’t run the fastbreak on made baskets.
- During Game 2, it also became evident that the Lakers had been practicing jamming Nash’s passing lanes on dribble penetration. The passes that used to make him look like a genius now make him look like a chump.
- Kwame Brown, previously known as Jordan’s Bane, has become a player. 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 5-8 from the field. Sure it’s easy to get numbers like that against Tim Thomas and Shawn Marion, but he’s doing it. Did he ever perform like that for Washington?
- Even better than Brown’s improvement has been Lamar Odom’s. Odom was “the man” on Miami’s playoff team 2 years ago but he has virtually disappeared since donning a Laker uniform. Why? Mix a new system in with having to play with Mr. 35-Per-Game and I think you can figure it out. Now, there’s a good chance that Odom can play Scottie Pippen to Kobe’s Michael Jordan.
- Another talent that Phil Jackson brings to the table is his unerring ability to get the most out of his role players. Brian Cook had 9 points and 7 rebounds (6 offensive) in 11 minutes. 11 minutes. He was a factor in the game during every second that he played.
- More importantly, he seems to have finally convinced Kobe Bryant (just like he did 16 years ago with MJ) that no player can win without his teammates. If it’s true, the Lakers could go much further than beating the beat-up Suns.
On the other hand, it’s hard to find any good news for the Suns:
- Tim Thomas went down hard after a knee-on-knee collision with Marion during Game 3. Sucks to be a Suns big man—Amare Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas, Brian Grant and now Tim Thomas. It’s like a curse.
- Why aren’t the Suns running pick-and-roll more? Tim Thomas and Shawn Marion both seem like excellent candidates for that strategy with Nash or Diaw.
- They seem to be relying too much on Nash’s penetration, which has often resulted in a blocked shot or turnover.
- While Nash has continued to dish out the assists at his regular pace, his scoring is way down. Not only have they taken away most of his points of penetration, they have managed to reduce his 3-point production, too.
- Leandro Barbosa, James Jones and Eddie House have virtually disappeared in the last 2 games. The Suns can’t win without them.
- Boris Diaw has been amazing this year but has nearly sucked in this series. He has to use his quickness to find a way to make the Laker big men pay.