Deron Williams will be playing overseas. Which NBA superstar will be next? (Photo Courtesy Ganon Baker Basketball, Flickr)

What do Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Deron Williams and Dwight Howard all have in common? All are NBA superstars and ll of them are at or near the top at their position, but that is not it. All of them are seriously considering playing overseas if the NBA lockout extends into the season.

Williams was the player to first bring the possibility to the forefront. Williams is an accomplished point guard and was the first to join the New Jersey Nets movement to bring stars in and contend for a championship. Some native European NBA players had already decided to play in Europe, but the first major NBA star to throw his name in the European ring was Williams.

Now the aforementioned Bryant, Howard and Nash are joining a growing list of NBA players who will be looking to get paid to play overseas if the lockout takes away game checks. The dam is about to burst with a flood of NBA players heading overseas.

There is both good news and bad news to this situation.

The bad news is players will be deprived of the lifestyle they are accustomed to in the NBA. In Europe, the players will be revisiting their college days of shared rooms, smaller living spaces, different coaching styles and more importantly, different type of game in Europe.

No more Ritz-Carltons before every game, no charter jets for most teams and even though you will be known in Europe, they won’t have the celebrity status they enjoy in the states.For example, incoming Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio is seen as Spain’s answer to Pistol Pete Maravich, celebrated in his native country. Who here is counting the days until Rubio debuts in Minnesota? Exactly.

The majority of US players will be in for the same type of awakening in Europe. In Europe, the American players are usually the enemy. European teams don’t have the deep pockets the NBA teams do.

The Turkish team Besiktas has received a commitment from Williams to play and are recruiting Bryant to join them. However, they are short on funds to meet Kobe’s $1 million a month demands and are looking to get sponsorship to pay the rest.

Players will get a fraction of what they make in the United States, they will have to pay a fortune on insurance if they get hurt while playing overseas and the U.S. exchange rate overseas is still about two to one. In other words, one American dollar is worth between 60-70 cents in most European countries.

In the end, the players will be playing for next to nothing when you figure in whether or not they should bring over family and have them do with the language barrier. Does anyone think Williams knows any Turkish? Me neither. Losing the comforts of home and the downgrade in lifestyle would be things players would have to endure the longer the lockout continues.

The good news in all this is this could be the leverage the players could gain by playing overseas. What will the owners think when they see their meal tickets playing on other teams? How nervous will the Buss family be watching Kobe exert his aging body for someone else?

What will the Orlando brass think when they will have the hottest name in the 2012 free agent pool possibly jeopardizing his worth in trade if he gets injured? What will the Suns think watching their start point guard, who is under contract for one last season with the team in 2011-2012, whittle away his last season playing abroad?

As more players declare, more owners will get antsy and unwilling to let their stars make money without it benefiting them. The NBA is more of a global game than any other professional sport. When all the names that fill NBA arenas are seen playing in Italy, Spain, Turkey etc…, the owners may decide to come to the bargaining table sooner.

How excited would Dirk Nowitzki be to play for his native Germany next season? Would Pau Gasol love to return to his native Spain? Of course they would. Manu Ginobili could return to his native Argentina for the Olympics. Mehmet Okur could return to his native Turkey and form a new big three with Williams and Bryant. Tony Parker was born in Belgium and raised in France where he became a star shortly after entering the NBA.

The list goes on and on.

The native foreigners will be able to help with the surge of incoming NBA stars and they will also be able to get pointers from their counterpart WNBA players who commonly play in Europe in the offseason to supplement their income. If NBA players bolt to Europe as looks like at the moment, the burning questions are will the fans watch and will it be picked up in the U.S. on local and cable television stations?

If fans do flock to it, the owners lose power. If the access is limited or nonexistent, power stays in the hands of the owners. If the games are available and people are interested in watching it then the players may have gained an unintended advantage.

We’re on the cusp of an unprecedented move in the NBA should there be a mass exodus of players overseas. It would be a little shocking to see our favorite players in jerseys whose country name we can’t read but in the end, basketball is basketball. The game is timeless and universal. We would watch it with the same interest we watch the American Olympic teams.

Only this time we’re not cheering for our country, we’re cheering on our player.

Bismack Biyombo could be available when the Suns pick at 13. (Photo courtesy of Hector Pastor Hernandez, Flickr)

It’s the eve of the draft and the Phoenix Suns will be on the clock with the 13th pick if they do not find a way to move up. The Greg One has already gone on record as a member of the Jimmer Fredette fan club. However, with Utah one pick ahead of the Suns and the growing interest Fredette is getting from teams in the top ten, it looks like there is no way he will make it to the Valley if the Suns don’t move up.

So once and for all, after watching the draft boards, the televised coverage, the rumor mill and listening to Suns brass on the local airwaves, here is my prediction for the thirteenth pick. Drumroll please.

And with the 13th pick in the 2011 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select……Bismack Biyombo!!

As usual, the pick will be surrounded by silence as very few know of Biyombo. The Suns have a knack for selecting players way ahead of where they should be drafted or they trade the pick to avoid spending first round money.

Given the fact that Suns management was even considering sending Steve Nash to Minnesota for the second pick has shaken my faith that they will do the right thing, but the day before the draft, every fan of every team has reason to be hopeful. Lets just hope the Suns manage to deviate from their recent track record.

The Suns last first round pick was in 2009 picking Earl Clark, who is in Orlando. In 2008, Phoenix took Robin Lopez, who is useless at this point. In 2007, the Suns used two first round picks for Alando Tucker and Rudy Fernandez, both who are gone.

In 2006, Rajon Rondo and Sergio Rodriguez were drafted and the only time they touched a Suns jersey was on the draft podium. The Suns haven’t picked an impact player since 2002 when they selected a kid fresh out of high school named Amar’e Stoudemire. In the meantime, they traded more players they drafted in Nate Robinson, Luol Deng and Marcin Gortat.

Biyombo may turn the tide.

He is a 6’10, 240 pound power forward from the Congo with a 7’7″ wingspan. Biyombo is a project with great upside, but plays at a high level on defense. He leads his league considered by many to be the the most competitive outside the NBA in rebounding and blocks and finished the pick-and-roll 65 percent of the time.

With less than 5 percent body fat, he has an NBA-ready body comparable to Dwight Howard or Dikembe Mutombo. Biyombo speaks five languages and is considered highly intelligent and charismatic. His knock are his offensive skills. There isn’t much of a jumpshot, he’s not a great passer and he turns the ball over because he is only now adding offensive tools to his game.

The Suns need defense and have a wealth of offensive threats. With the rising stock of players like Tristan Thompson, Fredette, Kemba Walker and Klay Thompson, some players are bound to fall and Biyombo’s lack of offensive prowess could lead to his slide even though he was worked out for a number of teams with high picks in this draft.

The big man fits what the Suns need and unlike the Suns recent draft picks, Biyombo could find his way onto the court now instead of later.

Photo Courtesy of Keith Allison, Flickr

I was watching ESPN’s NBA draft coverage this morning when the most alarming story came across the screen. The Phoenix Suns had been holding talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves about sending Steve Nash in trade for Minnesota’s number two pick.

I was furious and Nash should be as well. Anyone who has read my previous columns knows I make no bones about being a Nash homer, but even the most passive Suns fan should be appalled by this. Thankfully, talks have ended but that doesn’t unring that bell.

After all Nash has done for this franchise, the Suns were ready to deal him off to a wasteland of a team for a handful of magic beans. Did marijuana get legalized in Arizona while I wasn’t looking? The front office must be on something to even consider or offer this trade. I’m going to attempt to look at this objectively for a moment.

Everyone knows Minnesota is shopping their pick and naturally the Wolves want the best deal they can get. Is Minnesota out there making calls to see what they can get? Its a possibility, but if anyone is sitting in Minnesota’s position with the number two selection in the draft and only a few players with star potential in this weak draft, they don’t need to.

Minnesota can just sit back and listen to offers as everyone comes to them. For the sake of argument, if Minnesota called Phoenix and asked for Nash, the best answer is to laugh long and hard then hang up the phone. However, we do want Minnesota’s pick so the proper answer is ‘He’s not for sale but we still have plenty to offer’.

If the Suns called Minnesota and offered Nash which is my assumption, Suns General Manager Lance Blanks and team President Lon Babby need to go to the closest medical center for head examinations because this is the dumbest idea they have ever had.

So much for remaining objective.

Nash has been the model citizen and face of the franchise since he arrived in the valley for his second tour of duty in a Suns uniform. The two-time MVP is the most valuable asset the Suns have, I get that. However, Nash deserves better than getting shipped off to Minnesota even if it is for a number two draft pick.

As I have said in previous columns, Nash deserves to be treated right by Suns management for his years of dedicated service and if he is going to be traded, he should be dealt to a team with a legitimate shot at a championship.

Nash to Oklahoma City for Russell Westbrook? Deal. Nash to Orlando for a player and a pick? Deal. Nash to the Lakers for Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol? Deal. Nash has had to make do with the management blowing up the team around him over and over.

It started with dissolving the highly successful seven seconds or less unit, then it happened again by dissolving the team that made the Western Conference Finals a year ago. Nash was left with a lot of spare parts, then the remaining go-to guy, Jason Richardson, getting traded off in the middle of the season.

Through it all, Nash has stayed true and sacrificed his body and remained the one constant the Suns have instead of demanding a trade. The face of the franchise deserves a statue outside United Airways Center!

Why would Minnesota want Nash with the glut of point guards they already have? The Wolves already have Jonny Flynn, Sebastian Telfair, Luke Ridnour and now golden child Ricky Rubio coming over from Spain. Now you want to add Nash to the mix? Half their roster consists of point guards! Minnesota has many more holes that need addressing and that is probably the reason the Nash deal wasn’t consummated.

Blanks and Babby will only get credit from me for making the call to Minnesota to see how to get their pick, but the only player who should be off limits is Nash. Maybe the Suns misread my last column. I want Nash and Kevin Love in Phoenix, not Minnesota!

A small part of the blame does fall on Nash. If he doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, he should fire his agent for not demanding one when Nash signed his last extension. Nash should have the right to say no to Minnesota and he has the right to be angry at the Suns brass for even entertaining the thought of sending him to a terrible team.

What do you think Sunszoo? Trade Nash to a contender, trade Nash anywhere or keep Nash in Phoenix?

Photo Courtesy of thehoorse24, Flickr

You were counting your championships before the season even began. NOT ONE, NOT TWO…

You played monopoly with the biggest free agents and formed your own  super team. NOT THREE NOT FOUR…

You used the Boys and Girls Clubs as a facade for your one hour ego trip and entitled it ‘The Decision’. NOT FIVE NOT SIX…

You got to the finals and expected to roll over Dallas only to find out you couldn’t run them out of the gym the way you did Boston and Chicago. NOT SIX…

Jason Terry dropped an epic three-pointer that put the Mavericks up three games to two with you in his face! NOT SEVEN…

You had the ugliest finals of any “Chosen One” ever, forgot how to play in the fourth quarter and let Dallas rip your heart out and eat it as they looked you in the eye and claimed the championship you crowned yourself with almost a year ago. NOT EIGHT…

Did you learn anything LeBron James?

I have decided to take my talents to South Beach.

What you should learn from this is nothing of value is easily obtained. You were the catalyst for getting Chris Bosh to join you in South Beach and you thought that would be enough to instantly win the championship, but three guys can’t beat a whole team.

Dallas was a complete team. Dallas showed they had heart an more impressively showed your team had no heart. The best talent does not always win, the best team will. Now the question is how many championships will slip through your fingers?

Before you realize that you can’t just walk out on the court and expect the other team to run away in fear? How many more years will it take for you to realize LeBron, that maybe you may just be Robin and not Batman?

How is it you can refer to yourself as the King and the Chosen One then completely disappear on the grandest stage where Chosen Ones and Kings are crowned? Maybe you should have planned a trip to OZ so the man behind the curtain could have given you a heart.

Your loss is America’s victory as the Mavericks set a gleaming example showing how hard work, determination and teamwork will get you to the promised land ahead of the poor fool that tries to buy his way into heaven. Ask Daniel Snyder, Jerry Jones, the Steinbrenners and Sandy Alderson. You can’t purchase a championship by buying all the biggest names or collecting them yourself.

How many seasons will it take for you to see that you are not the center of the basketball universe and you still have a lot of work to do on your game before you will win a ring of your own? There is a problem inbetween your ears that made you the third best option on your own team when it mattered most.

You may think you’re the alpha dog on your team, but Dwyane Wade played better injured than you did playing healthy! Dirk Nowitzki outplayed you in every game including Game Four in which he had a 102 degree fever!

What’s your excuse LeBron? Will you look internally or find more ways to blame the ‘haters’ who are enjoying your moment of weakness?

Micheal Jordan wouldn’t have just accepted that performance. Kobe Bryant wouldn’t have just accepted that performance. You shrug it off and tell the world “Go back to your lives” You just don’t get it.

We’ll keep counting the seasons your myopia becomes your team’s undoing and you’re left wondering what could have been if you had woke up to the truth sooner. You tweeted The Greater Man upstairs says it isn’t your time. Looks like The Greater Man is a Mavs fan like the rest of us. Funny huh? The Haterade tastes good and we’ll keep sipping on it until this time next year, ready to pop open more.

Go back to your life LeBron.

Photo Courtesy of Keith Allison, Flickr

The NBA draft is a couple weeks away and with the impending arrival of point guard Ricky Rubio, the Minnesota Timberwolves are shopping the second pick in the draft. Minnesota already has Jonny Flynn, Wayne Ellington, Sebastian Telfair and Luke Ridnour as guards so they will be looking to add talent at other positions and probably deal a guard or two.

Of course, every team behind them will be looking to move up and the Suns will be one of the teams looking to make a deal. The 13th pick is the only pick the Suns have in this draft so why not try to move up and get that impact player now. The question is who should the Suns go after? Here are my top five suggestions.

1. Kevin Love - The Suns found their center of the future when Marcin Gortat came to town and instantly produced double digit points and rebounds almost every night. Love locks up the frontcourt as a true post up power forward who will always play defense, grab rebounds and make life miserable for the opposition. To boot, Love is a monster from three-point range.

Minnesota must still have reservations about Love because he is a restricted free agent. The Suns could send their pick and a player like the blossoming Channing Frye to the Wolves. How about this year’s number one AND next season’s number one pick? It won’t make a difference, it would be a very low pick because the Suns would be playing in the Finals next season if they got Love in purple and orange without sending away Steve Nash.

2. Derrick Williams – Local boy makes good and becomes the second highest rated guard in the draft. Williams has the size, speed and range to make himself an impact player at the next level. Williams is explosive and is excellent at creating his own shot. An Arizona product, Williams will bring a rabid fan base that got to enjoy watching Williams push the Arizona Wildcats into the Elite Eight last season.

3. Enes Kanter – Kanter is 6’11, 260 pounds of power forward with three-point range. Kanter was declared ineligible because he had already played as a pro in Turkey, but Kanter fits the mold of the beefy, athletic, post up player the Suns need at that spot. Kanter would form an intimidating twin towers tandem alongside Gortat and would be a great insurance policy if anything happens to Frye.

4. Brandon Knight – Knight was the star in his only season at Kentucky, which speaks for his ability to step up in high pressure situations for a major program. His 6-foot-7 inch wingspan makes him formidable defensively. Knight led his team to the SEC championship then into the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. Knight has great potential as his game develops in the NBA, particularly under the wing of the best pure point guard in the NBA in Nash.

5. Kemba Walker – The Suns want to make a splash at the point guard position with Nash nearing retirement and Walker is a player that has come up in talks. Walker and the aforementioned Knight share similar attributes, the only glaring difference is the three-inch height advantage Knight has over Walker. Both have shown great upside, are explosive and handled being the first option on offense at very high level programs.

Walker has two more years of high level college experience as he left after his junior year. He can jump out of the gym and shoot the three effectively. Walker was fifth in the nation in scoring last season and led his team to the Final Four. Walker is a instant impact player who would look great in a Suns uniform.

There you have it, three forwards and two guards who can vault the Phoenix Suns back into the Western Conference playoffs now instead of later. In this weak draft class, the players at the top of the draft are powder kegs of ability that can get your team where they need to be, which is why moving up makes great sense. A move like this is what the Suns need to avoid a complete deconstruction.

If trading a combination of picks and players is what is needed to get the job done, do it. (In Love’s case I’d trade this year and next years entire draft to get him in town and walk away happy). With a solid core developed with Nash, Grant Hill, Jared Dudley, Frye and Gortat, the Suns are one big piece from returning to the Suns of two seasons ago and not the 40-42 disappointment they were last season.

Is Jimmer Fredette in the cards for the Suns. (Photo Courtesy of Ryan Faulkner, Flickr)

The Phoenix Suns have the 13th pick in the NBA draft and the name most often tied to the Suns selection is James Taft ‘Jimmer’ Fredette of BYU. Fredette led the Cougars as their all-everything point guard and as the season progressed ‘Jimmermania’ swept the land.

Fredette consistently scored in the high 30′s and mid 40′s in the face of double and triple teams. He led the nation in scoring and led BYU’s high scoring offense to seventh in the nation. At the end of the season, the guard was crowned as the unanimous Player of the Year in addition to winning several other prestigious player of the year titles like Wooden Award, Naismith trophy and Adolph Rupp trophy among others.

However, talk to any sports host in the Valley and no one wants the Suns to touch the now former BYU product with a 10-foot pole.

There are many knocks against Fredette, which is why he’s being projected as low as 19th in the draft. Some of the claims may be sound while others are more biased and awash in speculation and accepted as truth. Let’s take a look at what the ‘experts’ are saying.

1. He doesn’t play a lick of defense. Fredette’s value doesn’t come on defense, it comes with what he does with the ball in his hands. In the college game, its hard to knock a player for defense when most college teams play zone for most of the game. In the NBA, defense is tailored more to the individuals skills, which is part of determining if you fit better as a starter or coming off the bench. Defense can and will be taught on whatever team he lands with.

2. He is lacking in the athleticism department. Tell that to the teams he scorched for 30 a night. Fredette was the best in the country at creating his own shot, fighting off double and triple teams to get the job done. He will not be entering the slam dunk contest anytime soon, but he can score from anywhere on the floor. Questions of his speed and lateral movement may be better cannon fodder for the naysayers. There are blazing quick point guards in the NBA, especially at the point guard position. Will Fredette be able to keep those guys in front of him? Its the best question out there and we will be looking forward to the answer.

3. He had inferior competition compared to the players projected in front of him. Part of that statement is true. The Mountain West Conference isn’t as big, deep and talent rich as the ACC, Big East or the other big time conferences. Does that mean Fredette would not have won the scoring title this year? He turned heads by scoring 49 on the road against Arizona. Fredette led BYU to a season sweep against San Diego State, a team that was undefeated until crossing the shooter’s path path. BYU beat nationally ranked UNLV twice by double digits on the way to a 32-5 record. BYU finished in the sweet sixteen of the NCAA tournament before losing to Florida in overtime.

4. He can’t play point guard in the NBA. Coming to BYU, the now 22-year-old was a shooting guard who was moved to the point. He has had to learn how to play point guard on the move and while he may not be the point guard poster boy, the NBA is moving to point guard who shoot first, pass second. Look at Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo and Deron Williams. The NBA is moving from the old guard that looks to pass first, second then shoot as the third option. Only Jason Kidd and Steve Nash remain to represent the old guard. This is the way of the future so maybe Mr. Fredette is entering the league at just the right time.

Why should the Suns draft him?

1. He is the best shooter on the floor. Until he steps on the floor across from Nash, no player on the floor will be a better shooter. Fredette has shown he can create his own shot, drain the three effortlessly and he knows how to finish. He fits right into the Suns offensive style which is run and gun, shoot the three and get transition baskets, wearing down the opposition.

2. He puts fannies in the seats. After playing at BYU, Fredette would be a boom for ticket sales as his following will travel to Phoenix. As his star rose to new heights last season, he made believers of those of us who had never heard of him until last season and those new fans will flock to see him. He is the clean cut All-American boy, who will be easy to get behind. As a four-year player, he is a rare breed in this age of one-and-done college stars. Fredette will enter the NBA more polished than the guys drafted ahead of him. The other names may be able to run faster or jump higher but this guy is a more complete package.

3. Their will be no more discussion to who Nash’s heir apparent will be. With the jury still out on Zabian Dowdell and Aaron Brooks the discussion will be over on who will have the keys to the kingdom when Nash retires. This is the perfect team and system for Fredette and his arrival allows the Suns flexibility with their roster. Phoenix could trade or release players, freeing cap space and finally filling the void at the power forward slot.

4. He would learn to play point from Nash. Who better to teach the finer points of being a successful NBA point guard than the best pure point guard in the game? Nash and Fredette are almost exactly the same size and weight. Nash is an inch taller and Fredette carries a little more bulk. They can both shoot the lights out. Two years learning from Nash will make him an All-Star.

Don’t look now haters, but Fredete is in town to work out for the Suns. He also will be working out for the Knicks, Pacers, Kings and the Jazz. Utah will be the team ahead of the Suns most likely to draft Fredette. The move would keep a Mormon kidd in Utah, closer to his home and family and his loyal fan base.

The new question of the day is would the Suns move up to draft Fredette ahead of Utah? The Suns typically don’t do much in the draft, but trading for the guard is not out of the realm of possibility.

We know what the talking heads think. I pose the question to you Suns fans, if Fredette is still on the board by the 10th or 11th pick and Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker are gone (that’s the consensus but stranger things have happened), would you trade up to snatch Fredette before Utah?

Utah has the third pick and the 12th pick. If they take Walker or Brandon Knight, they probably do not use their their second pick on Fredette. If they go big man, its more likely they will be looking to draft Fredette at 12. The Suns only have one draft pick this year so they need to make it count unless they find themselves in a similar situation next season.

This writer says take Fredette and go home happy. What would you do?

Which direction will the Suns go this offseason? (Photo Courtesy of Alisa Cooper, Flickr)

Now that the season is over we come upon another season of tumult. The burning question is do we reload or rebuild. There is a core that can be built around but before construction, there must first be deconstruction.

Last season the question was keep Amar’e Stoudemire or let him walk. This season the same question lingers over Steve Nash. What should the Suns do this offseason? Here is a player-by-player breakdown of The Greg One’s plan for Suns improvement, starting at the top.

Steve Nash- Nash went on record after the season to say he wants to stay a Suns and compete for a championship with the Suns. You have to love the loyalty Nash exhibits with those words, but is he also throwing a softball into the Suns front office? He wants to compete for a championship. The Suns just went from Western Conference Finals last season to not making the playoffs this season. Could he be subtly telling Suns management ‘Get me a big time player in here to help me or I am gone?’ Nash is the best point guard in the NBA and he deserves at least one NBA Finals appearance before he retires.

Once Jason Richardson was traded there was no number one option on offense. Nash thrives when he facilitates, not when he has to be the lead scorer as well. Nash has shown no signs of slowing down, but he did accumulate more injuries than usual carrying this team all season. The Suns need to bring a big time player into the organization and let Nash return to his usual role. If a major name can’t be brought in a trade, Nash still has great value to a team that is in contention for a championship and get some pieces to rebuild with in return.

Vince Carter- Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Channing Frye- Frye got the big money contract last season and performed like a big money player. The Suns did manage to get one thing right last offseason. Frye will be a solid piece of the core unit for years to come.

Marcin Gortat- Gortat ran circles around incumbent center Robin Lopez in production. Gortat took Lopez’s minutes, dwarfed Lopez’s stats and finally claimed his starting role by the end of the season. The Suns finally have found their center of the future.

Grant Hill- For a man who has had the worst luck in his professional career, Hill has made up for all that lost time by showing he still has loads of game. He’s not the high flyer he was coming out of college after numerous ankle surgeries, but he has made up for that by playing smart and playing *gasp* defense! Hill’s leadership has saved the Suns more than once and he deserves more than the Suns can offer. Hill is best friends with Nash on and off the court and they may be a package deal at this point in their careers. Neither really wants to have to play without the other. In this last two seasons of constant change, they were one of the few constants they had to rely on. If the Suns add a big name then Hill stays, if not Hill needs to be sent to a contender, preferably along with Nash.

Robin Lopez- Lopez folded like a deck chair after Gortat arrived and looked slow and lost on the court even before the trade that brought Gortat to town. Lopez has had enough time to rise to the occasion and he has failed miserably. Alvin Gentry pointed to Lopez as one of the three biggest factors in the Suns success this season. All eyes were on Lopez and by the end of the season none of those eyes, (including Gentry’s) could stand the sight of him. Good riddance Robin.

Josh Childress- No fire off the bench. Even with a year in the system you couldn’t do better than five points per game? Not good.

Mickael Pietrus- See Childress. However, since he did come over in midseason, we’ll give Pietrus a pass because he can shoot the three and play defense. One more shot Mike.

Jared Dudley- Dudley was a stud all season. Even when he was in the midst of a horrific shooting slump he hustled on defense and filled the stat sheet. Dudley will be a solid part of the Suns core moving forward.

Hakim Warrick- Warrick showed a few flashes of promise, but not nearly enough considering what he was brought in to do and who he was replacing. Warrick had starters minutes for a good portion of the season, but didn’t start producing until he was coming off the bench.

Zabian Dowdell- He was the best backup point guard the Suns had this season. Aaron Brooks came over at the trade deadline, but showed nothing to set himself apart from the rookie Dowdell. There needs to be a solid, consistent backup point guard in place for next season. Dowdell is better running the offense and cheaper (Brooks makes almost $2 million more than Dowdell, who is playing for the minimum).

Aaron Brooks- Brooks has shown in the past he can be an impact player. This season however, he landed in the doghouse in Houston and struggled mightily in the Suns offense. Perhaps a good offseason will benefit Brooks, but as of right now, I see the Suns bringing in or drafting a point guard. Brooks will be released and Dowdell will head back into the farm system.

Gani Lawal and Garrett Siler- Lawal will stay put and continue to learn the system. Siler will head back into the D-League and get called upon if someone gets injured. Neither player got much of a sniff of the court and this season won’t change things. Due to his status as the Suns second round draft pick last season, Lawal will see the floor sooner than Siler, but their job description won’t go beyond being an extra body at practice and guarding the Gatorade.

The Suns have two options. Rebuild means letting Nash and Hill go while they will be valuable to a contending team that is a veteran or two away from a championship. Think the Lakers, Blazers, Thunder, Hawks and Heat. Nash running the Lakers offense would be scary and Kobe Bryant would win the scoring title in addition to another ring.

The Lakers have pieces (Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum) that would fit in well at the power forward position and form an awesome twin towers tandem alongside Gortat. As much as I would hate seeing Nash in a Lakers uniform, Nash deserves a ring before he retires.

The Blazers have young pieces that would fit the Suns style. (Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, and LaMarcus Aldridge). The Thunder would be mortgaging tomorrow to win today, but Russell Westbrook for Nash would give Oklahoma City the best point guard in the league and establish Durant as the number one option on offense.

Westbrook wouldn’t be there eating up Kevin Durant’s shot attempts. I would give Nash and Hill for Westbrook today and walk away happy. Is it likely? No. If you’re talking a deal with OKC, there’s no way to send Nash and not get Westbrook back. The two would not work in the same backcourt. Sending a couple players not named Nash to OKC for Serge Ibaka would be a awesome get to fill that power forward slot also.

The Hawks have a couple great pieces in Al Horford and Josh Smith that would be great to fill in the frontcourt. Nash would be a infinitely huge upgrade to Jamal Crawford, Kirk Hinrich or Jeff Teague at the point guard spot. Trade Nash and Hill for either of their bigs and you have a deal.

The Heat need veterans to fill in the void after the big three, but who are they going to give up? Would they part with Dwyane Wade? Doubtful. Chris Bosh? Maybe. Bosh if the prototypical power forward and he seems to prefer blending into the woodwork than standing out like Wade and LeBron James want to do. Of all the possibilities I would want to see Nash and Hill in Miami in exchange for Bosh or Wade. If not those two, give us Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller and call it a day.

The other option is pick up a big name in free agency and go at it with the core of Nash, Dudley, Frye and Gortat. There are plenty of big names to fill in that still open power forward slot.

Jeff Green will be taking phone calls. Tyson Chandler will be taking offers. Carl Landry, David West and the aforementioned Oden will be looking for a change of scenery. Any of those names would solidify the Suns starting five and take them from also ran to legitimate playoff team. Those guys would add toughness and defense, hustle and another big to clean the glass and challenge penetrating guards.

Which way do the Suns go? This writer wants to see the Suns go with option two, but whichever move they choose, they must go at it guns blazing and not half ass it the way they did last offseason by bringing in Hedo Turkoglu. We’ll be watching.

Talk to me Sunszoo, which option would you choose?

Greg Williams thinks the Cardinals should go with Cam Newton in the first round. (Photo Courtesy of otbeverly, Flickr)

With things quiet on the Suns front, it is time to look to another sport and see what the Arizona Cardinals are doing. The first round of the NFL Draft starts next Thursday and for the very time under the Ken Whisenhunt Era, the Cards will be picking the top five. With a number of holes on both sides of the ball, who should Arizona take? Greg Williams examines.

The most important area to address is the quarterback situation. If you ask The Greg One, that has been the biggest hole since the beginning of last season. Anyway, who should the Cardinals pick with the number five pick in the draft? As a devout San Diego Chargers fan, I have no allegiance and only a passing interest in what the Cardinals are doing, so I can speak from a completely unbiased perspective.

The Cardinals need a two-part strategy. Part one, bring in Marc Bulger in free agency. Bulger can be had at a bargain price and will provide a good two-year bridge while the new draftee learns the system. Cards fans should not expect the Kurt Warner story all over again. Even though he took over the reins of the Greatest Show On Turf after Warner, that was a long time ago and those expectations are too lofty.

Nine wins are what Bulger could produce, which should be enough to win the division until Sam Bradford has mastered the system in St. Louis. As long as Bulger can stay healthy, which will be another concern, he will win. Bulger would be a tremendous upgrade over any of the Cardinals current quarterbacks and he is on Larry Fitzgerald’s wish list, a fact that can’t be understated as Fitz is heading into the last year of his deal.

Part two of the plan is draft Cam Newton. That’s right, Cam Newton. Newton is a physical freak who is the size of Ben Roethlisberger with defensive back speed. Even with the maturity issues that he is exhibiting as the pre-draft preparations continue, it is nothing that can’t be remedied with the right coaching and the right people in the locker room to point him down the right path to success.

Having to sit and watch for two seasons would quell that feeling of entitlement that Newton has now. With no-nonsense coaches like Whisenhunt, Russ Grimm and Ray Horton to learn from, the Cardinals organization would be set for the future as well as the short-term with Bulger. Newton would bring fans to the stadium in droves, similar to the way Michael Vick does in Philadelphia.

The fans win, Newton wins, the organization does not have to put all their eggs in one basket by gambling on Kevin Kolb and the Cardinals will be set to reign the NFC West for years to come, headlined by the epic Newton/Bradford showdowns with titles on the line. A fifth overall pick with this great a potential gain is something the Cardinals would be foolish not to consider. Agree or disagree?

Not all is lost Suns fans. (Photo Courtesy of Tony Arranaga, Flickr)

In the first installment of the Lord of The Rings trilogy, elf archer Legolas wistfully decries ‘I lament for Gandalf’ as he seeks comfort in the woods of Lothlorien after a fierce battle that results in Gandalf’s demise. (You had to have the extended edition to see it and if you don’t have it, get in the car NOW and go get it!)

Like Legolas, The Greg One laments for the Phoenix Suns lost season. The writing was on the wall from the beginning, but instead of rehashing what went wrong, lets make this the silver lining edition of Suns shop talk. Here we go.

Jared Dudley made good on his prediction of ten dunks this season. If Dudley was 5′ 8 this would be an impressive accomplishment. However, Dudley is 6′ 7 and at last check the goal is still ten feet from the ground but way to go on not making yourself a liar. That does give you about nine more dunks than Robin Lopez had this season and if I’m wrong on that, i’m sure its not by much.

Steve Nash won the assist title. In other news, the sky is blue, water is wet and the Clippers still suck. It was the fifth time in seven years Nash has been crowned assist king. At the age of 37, he is the oldest player to win the assist title, beating out the younger, faster (but not better) Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo in the process. And if you’re not down with that…I got two words for ya! (WWE Universe, tell ‘em what they are).

Marcin Gortat showed he is the best sound bite to hit Phoenix since Charles Barkley. Gortat is Barkley 2.0. Barkley is a bald 6′ 6 power forward that played like a seven-footer. Gortat is a bald seven-foot center that actually PLAYS like a seven-foot center, unlike the other seven-foot center who started most of the season.

Barkley is loved for speaking his mind both now and when he played. Gortat spoke his mind from the moment he got to Phoenix. Most guys who come over in midseason trades tow the company line, spit out the same old cliches and you don’t hear a controversial word until the following year. Less than a week after arriving in Phoenix, Gortat was calling out the whole team for not playing defense or stressing defense and he was right!

Gortat took Lopez’s heart, his minutes and his starting spot without breaking a sweat. Gortat had more double doubles off the bench than any other player in the league and was less than one rebound from averaging a double double in a Suns uniform. Phoenix fans can rejoice, we have our center of the future. As for you Lopez, I hear Ray Charles singing your new theme song. Four words. The first road is hit, the last word is Jack. You went to Stanford so you should be able to figure the middle words out.

From the hindsight is 20/20 department, the mad offseason search to find Amar’e Stoudemire’s replacement could have been solved by a player that was already here. Channing Frye was given a new deal and played better than any of the three brought in through free agency. Even after separating his shoulder near the end of the season, Frye still shot better with one good arm than Hakim Warrick, Hedo Turkoglu or Josh Childress did with two good arms. Way to play Channing!

Coach Alvin Gentry and (hopefully) Suns management have learned that without a go-to scorer at the end of games, you will finish two games under .500 and out of the playoffs unless the Suns get relocated to the Eastern Conference. You live by the three and die by the three. That is what happen to Phoenix this season.

Ironically, if Gortat had been here prior to Stoudemire walking, the Suns would be the favorite this season. What a difference finding the right free agent makes. Now that Gortat will be a long-term Sun, what we need is a dominant big body scoring power forward like…Stoudemire! David West, Greg Oden, Carl Landry and Tyson Chandler could be other options as well.

Straight out of the TMI department, we learned the name of the ailment that kept Nash out of games or reduced his minutes the last few weeks of the season from Nash being himself. Pubic Symphysis Irritation. You could have just said ‘man region’ and we all would get the idea. After consulting a medical journal, it is a cartilaginous joint that connects the left and right pubic bones and the ligaments that a man’s participle dangles from…and its irritated.

It is hard to imagine how a man could run, much less walk with that type of injury, but he did and he should be given gladiator status for even attempting to come back so quickly from it. No man alive would have questioned him for taking the rest of the season off but the two-time MVP is made of magic and willpower and should be in inspiration to us all. He risked his participle for us. Steve, I love you man.

And on that happy note we have the sunny side of a dreadful season. We have the assist king. We have uncovered a power forward and a real center. Suns management has (again, hopefully) learned not to make the same mistake twice and Dudley can jump over a loaf of bread ten times to register his predicted number of dunks. So Suns fans, take heed. Not all is lost. Nash wants to stay, the core is set and the Clippers still suck.

After representing one half of the qualifiers in the Western Conference Finals last season, the Phoenix Suns find themselves as entrants into this year’s lottery. With eight games to go, the Suns are 5.5 games out of the eighth seed and everyone seems to be winning except the Suns, who have lost five of their last six. Where did it all go wrong? If you’re just tuning into the  Suns Zoo, here is the breakdown.

1. Amar’e Stoudemire. Letting Stoudemire go for nothing was painful, a pain that was lessened by last season’s amazing playoff run but getting nothing in return but cap space set the team way back. However, it was the offseason and this move could have been overcome with the right signings, which leads us to the second thing that went wrong.

2. Hedo Turkoglu. The biggest name the Suns brought into the fold in the offseason was Turkoglu in a trade from Toronto. I’m sure when Steve Kerr left his office at the end of last season, Turkoglu’s name was nowhere to be found on his to-do list. It seems to be such a happy coincidence that one of the first announcements made by team president of basketball operations, Lon Babby, was trading for Turkoglu. Babby was Turkoglu’s longtime agent. Even though Babby says he stepped out of the picture once it became evident Turkoglu was coming to Phoenix, there’s no doubt who got that ball rolling. Speaking of Babby, enter problem number three.

3. Lon Babby. The man charged with replacing the franchise player whiffed on just about everyone in the offseason. Turkoglu was a disaster. Bringing Josh Childress made no difference. Hakim Warrick has been inconsistent at best. The only smart thing done in the offseason was the signing of Channing Frye to a new deal. Three people were tapped to provide some type of power forward by committee and they all failed miserably.

Last offseason there was a bumper crop of power forwards to choose from. Chris Bosh, Al Jefferson, Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Boozer and Jeff Green were just a few of those guys. Kevin Love could have been had for a song but no team sent him an offer. Any of those players would have taken the offer Stoudemire turned down and filled his role admirably. Instead, Babby chose quantity over quality and the biggest name he could pull was his former client Turkoglu. Two words. EPIC FAIL. Speaking of epic fails, Babby also had a hand in problem four.

4. Jason Richardson. If Babby doesn’t bring his boy Turkoglu into Phoenix the Suns never have to trade Richardson to Orlando to compensate for his error. Richardson was the new leading scorer, the closer and the compliment to Steve Nash. Even though he was less of a big name than Stoudemire, he was established as the new number one option. Once he was traded, the Suns had no one to fill in his role and evidence of that fact can be seen in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter of almost any Suns game since the trade.

Mickael Pietrus has been lost on the court when he’s not shooting threes. Vince Carter has been a waste of space that head coach Alvin Gentry has failed to instill any sense of leadership or purpose into but that’s not his fault. Carter has been a selfish ball hawk since his days at UNC and now his career is over. He just doesn’t know it yet. Orlando knew, which is why they dumped his brittle bones into the Suns graveyard. The only good player to come out of the midseason blockbuster trade was Marcin Gortat. Gortat has been brilliant since he came over and has averaged a near double-double since coming to the Suns, putting Robin Lopez to shame. While we’re on the subject of the Sideshow Bob look-alike…

5. Robin Lopez. The Suns expected Lopez to pick up where he left off before the end of his season was cut short by a back injury. Lopez was showing great hustle, rebounding, altering shots and forming a nice tandem next to Stoudemire in the paint. This season, Lopez has disappeared. The hustle is gone. He looks like he’s running in slow motion and he has been abused by opposing centers. Since Gortat has arrived on the scene, Lopez has declined even further and it is very apparent to everyone in terms of effort who the Suns center of the future is and its not the player who has been in the system for three years. It’s the player who has been on the team for three MONTHS! Even Gentry has admitted defeat and finally installed Gortat into the starting lineup, even though Gortat has played more minutes than Lopez in almost every game since he arrived. Lopez needs to go. NOW.

In a nutshell, no legitimate post presence was brought in. The people who were signed failed to live up to their expectations. The number one option was let go in the offseason then this season’s number one option on offense had to be traded. With only Nash, no star and a bunch of role players the Suns never found their rhythm or their identity.

The Greg One lays the blame for the season on management for trying too hard to stockpile unproven talent and having no one, except Gortat, pan out. I’m not saying tank the rest of the season, but it may be time to see what Garrett Siler can do and shut down Lopez. It may also be time to let Zabian Dowdell and Aaron Brooks get thirty minutes a game and see if they’re worth keeping around for the future. At this point, the more ping pong balls you can get, the better.