Phoenix Suns Tickets

Phoenix Suns 2008/2009 Season Preview The Phoenix Suns have made some drastic moves over the past 12 months trying to revamp their team, especially following the team's first-round playoff loss to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.

During the season, general manager Steve Kerr felt the team needed to make a major change to put themselves over the top in the Western Conference, so he traded forward Shawn Marion and other parts for quickly declining veteran center Shaquille O' Neal.

Marion was unhappy playing for Phoenix because he felt he would never become the star. However, it is important to note that he was always professional about his feelings and never let them affect his play on the court.

While losing a solid defender and one of point guard Steve Nash's running mates, the team gained a former star center with several championship rings who still felt he had plenty of gas left in the tank. The Suns were hoping O' Neal would help them become a better rebounding and defensive team.

O' Neal helped in some respects, but he dramatically transformed the way the team played. The Suns hung tough with the Spurs, but a couple of blown leads cost them from possibly advancing further in the playoffs.

Following the season, head coach Mike D' Antoni felt his efforts in Phoenix were severely underappreciated and he was also angry about the rumors that he would be fired. Kerr apparently wanted to focus more on defense and D' Antoni wasn't on board, so the coach left to take the Knicks job.

With D' Antoni gone, the profile of the Suns is likely to continue to change. Phoenix will certainly focus much more on the defensive end and will likely be more of a half court team.

To go along with that philosophy, the team selected center Robin Lopez in the NBA Draft. Lopez will never be a star, but he at worst a high-energy guy off the bench who will rebound and play defense.

The good news is that the Suns are likely to be much more effective playing at a slower tempo this year than the second half of last season now that they have some time playing with O' Neal under their belt.

The Suns should be pretty good yet again, but O' Neal and Nash are both another year older. They will make the playoffs, but won't be as high of a seed as the past several years. I think this is the first year we begin to see a decline from Phoenix.