Subtract Jason Kidd, add Stephon Marbury. Goodbye to Clifford Robinson, hello to John Wallace and Dan Majerle. Yes, the Phoenix Suns look a little different than they used to, but there was clearly a theme in the summer moves. The bad press created by certain players in the past isn't easily forgotten.

	Marbury moves on again, but to arguably his best team yet.

So as we continue our 2001 Summer Spotlight Series, here's the deal with the Suns.

The good: Kidd is four years older than Marbury, and a totally different kind of player. But that really wasn't the reason for the deal. When Kidd was arrested at his home and accused of striking his wife in January, the reaction in Phoenix was a lot different than it would have been in, say New Jersey. And no matter how many triple doubles Kidd would get after he returned to the lineup, he had a rep.

So it is that Kidd, after more than four years, was shipped out for Marbury, another outstanding talent, but not without his own issues. Marbury's been dealt more than once in a short amount of time. He puts up the numbers, no doubt, but is winning important to him?

If it is, then the move will be good for Marbury, who returns to the West with another team that isn't good enough to win a second-round series. But it is a step up from Minnesota, where there's never been a second round at all. Marbury won't pass as much as Kidd, won't get triple doubles, and won't make Shawn Marion look as good, but he will score loads of points.

After Marbury, this is a team with big questions. Marion, who emerged as the rare small forward who could grab more than 10 boards a night, is a good player, but he'll have to learn how to create more now that the best passer in the league has left. Marion's a jumping jack who runs the floor and finishes like a pro, and he blocks shots, too. He'll be a better No. 2 to Marbury than Keith Van Horn was.

	THE FACTS
	2000-01 record: 51-31, 3rd in Pacific, 6th in West Playoffs: lost in first round Team leaders: Marion, 17.3 ppg; 10.7 rpg; Kidd 9.8 apg Team stats (NBA rank): Points, 94 (17th); Rebs, 42.7 (14th); FG %, .436 (20th) Current rotation: Tsakalidis C; Gugliotta PF; Marion SF; Hardaway SG; Marbury PG; Delk/Rogers 6th man Spot in Summer Power Rankings: No. 16

The bad: It would help a great deal if Anfernee Hardaway could recapture half of what he was in Orlando. But in order to do that, he'd need to be healthy, which is rare indeed. Penny played in a lame four games last year, missed the playoffs, and is rumored to be on his way out of town as well, if someone wants to take a monumental gamble. Talented, yes, but a mess physically. He did average 16.9 points and more than five rebounds and assists in 60 games two seasons ago. It would seem a natural trade to send him home to Memphis so Michael Dickerson, who played college ball at Arizona, could return.

It would also help if center Iakovos Tsakalidis, a big 7-footer with raw skills, would develop quicker. Like Penny, the Suns are thrilled with Jake's play this summer, so maybe this is the year. He's only 22, after all.

Two other big men, Rodney Rogers and Tom Gugliotta, would like to forget their recent seasons. Rogers went from sixth man of the year to a .430 shooting percentage last year. He opted to re-sign in Phoenix. Googs has had two nightmare seasons after knee problems and a seizure turned his game into an average player. Who knows if he can ever again be the 17 and 9 guy he was during the lockout season.

The ugly: Overall, it's not so bad being a Sun. The weather's great, the team treats you well if you stay out of trouble, and there has been playoffs despite occasional and major personnel changes each of the last 13 seasons. Walter Davis was the leading scorer the last time the Suns missed the playoffs.

Sure, it was a bit ugly last season when Kidd's issue surfaced, and Robinson was charged with driving under the influence. Penny wasn't even playing, but he managed to make it three Suns in trouble when he was accused by the mother of his 8-year-old daughter of intimidating her by carrying a gun during an argument. The charge was dropped when the woman declined to cooperate further in the case, but the story was out there.

On the court, the Suns overachieved, finishing with only five fewer wins than the Lakers. The playoff series with Sacramento didn't go well, just like the second-round series a year earlier with the Lakers didn't.

The future: In terms of talent, a team with Marbury and Marion really should be able to make the playoffs, and since these guys are young (hard to believe Steph is only 24!) then more postseasons are ahead. But at what point will the Suns be more than just a late West seed without home court advantage or a chance to go far? The only time in these 13 playoff years there was real success was Charles Barkley's 1992-93 Finals run.

In general the Suns, like so many other teams, lack the dominant center. The last center to lead the team in boards was Mark West a decade ago. The last good center: Alvin Adams.

But the Suns remain a good bet to end up in the 5-7 seed range in the West. And ask a lottery team, that's not bad.

So we asked you this question about the Suns: Will the Marbury-Kidd trade greatly affect how many wins the Suns get, or will this team perform the same?

Check out the file to the right for selected responses.

Eric Karabell is ESPN.com's NBA editor.