Phoenix Suns Will Be H-O-T in 2006-07

If the Phoenix Suns can make it all the way to the western conference finals basically without any inside presence, how far will they go with both, Amare Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas at full strength for an entire season?
Very far. Here is the skinny on the Suns for 2006-07.

Two-time MVP Steve Nash is back once again and will drive this team to another 50-win season by making the game easy for each and every one of his appreciative teammates. Simply put, I have not seen this kind of play form a point guard since Magic Johnson retired - and that is not a knock on former Utah Jazz great John Stockton.
Nash is unequivocally the best playmaker in the league and a deadly shooter that makes teams pay for backing off of him. Not only is he my favorite player in the league, but he is also one of the best players I have ever seen at making his teammates better.

The Suns also acquired a young point guard in Marcus Banks who has a chance to be a productive player for a long time - and one that the Minnesota Timberwolves tried desperately to keep.

Unless you know about the nuances of the game, you may not notice that many of the contributions of Raja Bell don't show up in the box score at the end of the game - although his 15 points per game on 45 percent shooting are certainly welcome. Bell is also a defensive whiz who knows how to get in the head of opponents (Hello Kobe Bryant). The Suns also have one of the best young players in the league in backup Leandro Barbosa, who can be simply unstoppable at times with his amazing quickness and ability to penetrate into the lane.

At small forward, every team in the league now wants a player like Boris Diaw, who can literally play every position on the floor. Diaw's game took an amazing leap last season and he looks as though he is ready to become a perennial all-star. There wasn't a player on any team last year that could stop Diaw consistently because of his amazing ability to create mismatches with his unique game. The Suns also acquired veteran Jumaine Jones, a streaky shooter who is very athletic and should benefit from playing alongside Nash immensely.

Although it seems as if every season, his name is involved in numerous trade rumors, the Suns still have Shawn "The Matrix" Marion and wisely so. Marion is a do-it-all player who scores 20 a game on over 50 percent shooting while grabbing 10 boards and playing stifling defense on whomever he's guarding. I know his shot is about as ugly as it gets, but the man makes over half of them, which is Hall of Fame material in any era. Besides, if you've ever seen Jamal "Silk" Wilkes, you'd know that even an ugly looking shot is a thing of beauty when it makes the bottom of the net dance.
Phoenix will also have rugged backup, Kurt Thomas all season. Thomas is a tenacious rebounder and interior defender and a player the Suns desperately need to give them some toughness inside.

If Amare Stoudemire comes back anywhere near the level he played at in 2004-05, the Suns may hoist the first championship trophy in the history of their franchise this season. Stoudemire was absolutely unstoppable and should he approach that level of play once again, the Suns will be even tougher to stop than they were last season, when it seemed as if everyone they brought off the bench could score 20. However, I will offer these words of caution. The rehabilitation from the microfracture knee surgery that Stoudemire endured is a lengthy process - and the injury is one that some players never fully recover from. I know Stoudemire has youth on his side, but don't expect any miracles right off the bat. The Suns backup centers, Sean Marks and Pat Burke, won't see a lot of time this year, although Burke is a fine shooter. I suspect that when Stoudemire is not on the floor, Kurt Thomas will play center.

Prediction:
The Suns are absolutely loaded and will undoubtedly be one of the best teams in the west in 2006-07. However, I can't necessarily guarantee them an appearance even in the conference finals. The top four teams in the west, Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio and the Loa Angeles Clippers, all have bit time talent and legitimate shots to go all the way. However, 50-plus wins and another deep playoff run sounds just about right.