The 149-day NBA lockout was bad for many reasons. Hundreds of games weren’t played, teams lost lots of money in revenue and many businesses around arenas across the league missed out on an inflow in cash because of games being scheduled.
Because of the lockout, the league is condensing a 66-game schedule in about a five month stretch. With that comes much more back-to-back games as well as the back-to-back-to-backs, which hasn’t been seen in the NBA for a number of years.
Having a deep team has always been a critical part to success in this league, but it is more so this season. It won’t be shocking to see a number of teams across the league use 10-11 man rotations on some nights because of the big minutes that will pile up over a shorter period of time.
Luckily for Alvin Gentry and the Suns, their depth is probably the biggest strength on this team. Taking a quick glance at the roster, Gentry could realistically play everyone on anyone on every given night, expect for possibly Garret Siler, who remains a project at center.
At point guard behind Steve Nash, there is a nice battle brewing between Sebastian Telfair and Ronnie Price. Both were signed as free agents in recent weeks. Phoenix will more than likely only keep one of the two, but whoever wins the job should get at least 12-14 minutes each game in order to give the 37-year-old Nash some much needed breathers.
Shooting guard is a position that is very competitive as well. Gentry has yet to say who is starter is at two guard between Jared Dudley and newcomer Shannon Brown, but it more than likely won’t matter. Both players could very well split time and could also see time on the court together with one another.
Like it has for the last several seasons, small forward remains the spot where Phoenix has their greatest depth.
Grant Hill will once again be the starter, but he has a number of players behind him that will earn playing time. Josh Childress, who came on late last season, will get the first nod. Mickael Pietrus isn’t healthy at the moment, but once he gets 100 percent, his three-point shooting and defense will be too much to keep off the bench as well.
Gentry has a lot of possibilities at power forward and center too.
Channing Frye will start at the four spot, but Gentry will want to give some minutes to rookie Markieff Morrisl. Morris brings two things that Frye doesn’t bring to the table; rebounding and defense. With a renewed emphasis on the defensive end, don’t be shocked to see Morris get lots of PT.
At center, Marcin Gortat is locked in as the starter, but Robin Lopez’s very good camp makes the position that much better. After a longer offseason because of the lockout, Lopez’s troubled back is 100 percent and he is said to have a new found confidence that was missing all last season.
Phoenix’s good depth is a plus for a number of reasons. Not only will it keep players fresh and help the Suns win ballgames, but quality numbers on the roster can also make you flexible to make a trade down the line.
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