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| Friday, August 17 Users: Suns outlook hazy with Marbury at helm |
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It was one of the summer blockbusters, two premier point guards swapping spots on two very different teams. Phoenix fans welcome flashy scorer Stephon Marbury to the desert in hopes that he forge a new direction for their team. With newcomer John Wallace and a healthy Anfernee Hardaway, the Suns could heat up the Western Conference this season. In discussing the Summer Spotlight on the Suns, we posed this question: Will the Marbury-Kidd trade greatly affect how many wins the Suns get, or will this team perform the same? Here are some of your responses:
Your Suns Feedback Jason Kidd was not selfish, as we all know. He had great court awarness and he turned the team on. Stephon Marbury will not be able to utilize the whole team and the Suns will now only play well when individuals are having good nights. Kidd and Cliff Robinson were a great combo and everyone on the team fit their roles well. When Kidd and Robinson could get the team rolling, they played well and were fun to watch. If only the Trailblazers could have some of that team cohesivness. Now the Suns aren't going to have it anymore, and I just hope they don't end up like the Blazers did last season.
Britt
Out with the old and boring and in with the new attitude. The Suns will be a lot better and if it were not for the Lakers, they would win it all! Forget about Jason. He was my favorite player, but now he's just a trash-talking fool.
Christian
I think the trade of point guards will probably not effect the Suns in the wins column too either way. In either case, you've got a stellar point man running the show (one was an amazing passer, the other one is an amazing scorer). I think the area the Suns helped themselves in was rekindling fan interest. Any time you have widescale change it sparks the curiosity of folks, and Stephon Marbury's dynamic persona and playing style will definitely give them a new look and feel.
John Barrett
Shawn Marion was the main reason the Suns over-achieved last season. With Stephon Marbury replacing Kidd at the point, there is a strong likelihood that Marion's offensive numbers will take a dip. Marbury is a good player, but he doesn't exactly make other players around him better. If this happens, there might even be a chance that Marion would consider teaming up with Kidd again in the future.
Ariel Racho
While the steady improvement of Stephon Marbury and Shawn Marion will make for a monstrous one-two punch on the court, there are too many other factors involved that could keep the Suns from improving. They are not the deepest team in the league and they don't really know how much they can expect from Anfernee Hardaway, Tom Gugliotta, Rodney Rodgers and Jake Tsakalidis. I think this team will be better than last year's, but just about every other team in the division should be improved as well. The Suns will be lucky if they finish with more than 50 wins again this year.
Stephen McCluskey
First, the team will NOT "perform" the same. From a purely semantic vantage point, the new-look Suns will actually be a "performance," whereas the old-guard (pun intended) Suns merely played. Shephon Marbury is, quite simply, a much more entertaining player than Jason Kidd. And while J-Kidd may be the better player, his passes don't make the crowd "ooh" and "ahh" when he doesn't have a Antonio McDyess to lob them to. As for a difference in wins ... who knows? In my estimation, the Suns will be a better team, but it may not be reflected in victories. As your article correctly stated, the motley crew of 2000 put up only five fewer victories than did the Lakers. However, where the trade will be evident will be at the end of games. Last year's squad had no "go-to" guy. Kidd, while a great TEAM player, couldn't carry the Suns at the end of a game. Neither could anyone else on the roster. The Suns had nary a player who could get his own shot. Stephon can. And he will. Often. Perhaps too often, but those of us starving for a finisher will take that.
J.B.
Acquiring Stephon Marbury for Jason Kidd should not hinder the Suns' performance or their number of wins at all. Stephon is an outstanding PG who will do very well in place of Jason. If he shoots, he scores, and that wins games, whereas Jason was a bit timid when put in a score-first position. The success of this team will rely on the return of Penny Hardaway and the play of the big guys. If Googs and Rodney Rodgers step up as big men along with an improved Jake Tsakalidis, this team would be much stronger. Also I hope that Stephon and Shawn Marion can create some sort of alley-ooping bond.
Ross Hendrickson
I don't see the Jason Kidd trade greatly affecting the wins and losses, but the Cliff Robinson trade could very easily do so. Stephon Marbury and Kidd pretty much cancel each other out. Any greater scoring the Suns get will be negated by the loss of offense Kidd generated for other players. As for Robinson, trading one of the team's players to one of the worst teams in the league for their trash will hurt Phoenix. I know it was a luxury tax move, but it will show on the floor. Dan Marjele may help a little, but he has certainly deteriated since his last stint in Phoenix. Anfernee Hardaway better be up to snuff, or else they could end up fighting Houston and Minnesota for that last playoff spot.
Tom Sweeney
The problem with the Suns had nothing to do with Jason Kidd's and Uncle Cliff's legal problems. Make no mistake about that. Instead, it had everything to do with Kidd's overrated game and lack of personality. He led the team (a bunch of underachievers except for Shawn Marion) in almost every stat, but he can't win games when it counts. He runs around like a chicken with his head cut off, and he doesn't really control the game because he can't really score in the clutch. Sure, he had a few good games last year, but he is not the guy to win the games. This was a great trade for the Suns. Stephon Marbury, Marion, and Penny Hardaway are going win games by themselves. The Suns will win more games, but still lose to the Lakers.
Robert Delridge
I think the Suns will drop more games because the team concept will be affected. Stephon Marbury is a great guard with a lot of flash, but he has blinders on. He thinks score first, pass later. He does have the skill to get maybe 10 assists and 25 points a night, but he has to change his mentality. His ball handling skills, speed, jumping ability and jump shot makes him a nightmare for any point guard to defend. But what about the other four guys on the floor? You will see a lot of standing around and Shawn Marion might even stop running the floor on fast breaks. Good luck, Suns you're gonna need it.
Gus Holmes
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