If these really are the "new look Suns" that I'm supposed to be supporting, then I'm not sure I feel any more confident that this team can win the Western Conference, much less the NBA title.
Scratch that. I definitely know I don't feel very confident that this team can win a championship.
When the Shaq deal was made, I knew it was either going to be very good for this team, or very, very bad.
So far, it looks like the latter.
But I honestly don't think the trade is really the reason for the Suns' recent woes.
In fact, the biggest problem has been since the Suns' recent success began — defense is plaguing them more than ever.
Defending has never been Steve Nash's strong point, but he looks older by the minute when guards like Chris Paul consistently fly right by him every game.
Same goes for Amare Stoudemire. Everyone knew he had to improve his interior defense, and now he has no excuse with another big guy in the middle to help out.
If the Suns don't improve defensively, then the blockbuster trade was all for nothing, because this team still won't get out of the West.
