NBA Roundup

What's wrong with the Phoenix Suns? Nothing, Regardless of What You May Hear Elsewhere... Well, OK Maybe One or Two Little Things.

Following last nights win in LA, in an on air interview, Steve Nash when asked a question replied with "We Suck" it was a not so gentle dig at the current atmosphere that surrounds the team with the best record in the West.

Phoenix just keeps winning games, but according to everyone you hear in the press, something is different this year. Nash and Amare look great, and Grant Hill looked better than he had in 10 years up until his emergency appendectomy, but something is still wrong the pundits keep screaming at us.

Our expectations are way out of line for a Suns team that has just destroyed opponents for the past 3 years, suddenly, they are in a few closer games, and everyone is in a dither about the Suns. Don't worry, they are fine.

Suns coach Mike D'Antoni admits that his players feel the pressure from a fan base that feels the Suns should win every game, that craves substance delivered with style. The Suns have won an average of 59 games the past three seasons, coinciding with Nash's second go-round in Phoenix. This year they are on pace for exactly 59 wins, and the sky is falling supposedly.

The one thing you can see in the Suns is that they just don't seem to be having as much fun as they once did. I think that can be attributed to the long grind of the NBA season. I don't think we have seen the full focused 110 mph Phoenix Suns we unfairly expect every game. I think they are playing at a pace to which they are comfortable. A pace that will ensure a good playoff seed. If any other team in the NBA was 27-12 there would be no uproar, in fact it would all be positive feedback and congratulations. There would be no cause for distress. The Lakers are everyone's heroes right now at 26-12. Where is the outrage for the Lakers?

That doesn't mean there are no problems with Planet Orange, they still have a couple of problems that are tough to figure out.

First, no matter how many times I watch them play, and although I think that Steve Nash may be the best player in the NBA right now and is for sure the best point, for some reason when he is out they are just not very good. There is a very stark contrast between the two different Suns teams -- one with Nash, one without. A starting 5 of Marion, Stoudemire, Barbosa, Bell, and Grant Hill should still be an elite team, even in the Western Conference, but something makes them lose it without Nash, no matter who the other 5 are.

Every time Nash leaves the game, the other team makes a run. What makes this maddening more than anything is that Nash is possibly one of the worst defenders in the NBA, yet somehow he stops runs the other teams make by keeping the Suns running. When he leaves the game, the other team inevitably goes on a closing run. Were I the Suns sometime in mid season I would seriously consider giving Nash a week off. The Suns need to learn that, basketball can be played effectively without Steve Nash on the floor, learn how to play together without him, maybe even win a few games without him to build their confidence for the times when Nash's back forces him to the sidelines.

Then there is that same old defensive problem that may keep them forever behind the Spurs at crunch time, but maybe one of these years the Spurs will get tired and the Suns approach will work in the playoffs, or maybe there is a secret plan to have Tim Duncan abducted by aliens. We won't know that until playoff time, but in the meantime, maybe we should just all sit back and enjoy the show and quit looking to pick the Suns apart.

Around the League:

BULLS 
Is Joakim Noah getting on his team's nerves, or is he just tired of losing? Maybe both. Several reports out of Chicago say that during Wednesday night's loss in Orlando, Noah got into an argument with franchise center Ben Wallace. This comes on the heels of Noah getting into several arguments this season with his coaches.

Sometimes when it rains it pours, and that seems to be happening to the Bulls lately. With their team struggling, a head coach already fired, and several young players showing a lack of professionalism, now comes word that rookie JamesOn Curry has been arrested in Idaho for peeing in public.

CAVALIERS 
Is Anderson Varejao taking over as Cleveland's primary power forward? Maybe. Despite the fact Drew Gooden is still starting for the Cavs at the 4-spot, Varejao has recently been coming off the pine and playing more minutes than Gooden.

Cleveland's head coach Mike Brown has reportedly inked a deal that will keep him helming the Cavs through the 2010-11 season, according to several sources

CLIPPERS 
Just when Sam Cassell was looking like he might be in major decline, he reminded the NBA he can still play with the best of 'em. The 38-year-old point guard had been struggling terribly in recent weeks because of a calf injury, but Tuesday night he dropped an impressive 32 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in 31 minutes of action against the Suns

HEAT 
Wednesday the Heat lost their 11th straight game, but there was a (literally) big silver lining: Shaquille O'Neal was back in action. The veteran center made his return from an eight-game absence caused by a sore hip

KNICKS 
The bad news: as expected, Stephon Marbury will reportedly have ankle surgery to fix a fractured bone spur, and is out indefinitely. The not-so-bad news: the Knicks seem to actually be winning without their disgruntled and underachieving point guard.

LAKERS 
The news is in on Andrew Bynum's knee, and it's not great. The 20-year-old breakout center will need eight weeks to recover from a dislocated kneecap and a bone bruise, according to the Associated Press

PACERS 
Not too surprisingly, Jamaal Tinsley is in trouble again. The talented but troubled point guard has caused major headaches for his team in recent seasons by getting into off-court scrapes that have led to legal cases. Now Tinsley is having trouble on the court, as the Indianapolis Star reports he was suspended for Wednesday's game because of an incident during a team film session.

SPURS 
Is Bruce Bowen finally showing signs of age? At 36 years old, the perennial NBA All-Defense teamer has really been slumping badly lately.

Information provided in NBA Roundup has been gathered from A.P. reports, ESPN.com, Sportsline.com, NBA.com and numerous other e-sources.

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