Nash: Suns came into season out of shape

[Nash]

It was in the EVT. Here's the link to the full story.

totally random section of the article:

“You could see we were behind. And when that happens, it makes everything harder.”

With lots of new faces to implement and several players — from Amaré Stoudemire to Raja Bell to Kurt Thomas — coming back from serious injuries, the NBA’s two-time reigning MVP wanted to be ready. Already in good physical condition after playing soccer all summer, Nash was among the first players to arrive for voluntary workouts early in September. He scrimmaged with teammates four days a week for three weeks, to hone his basketball shape, ran through downtown Phoenix — and up the steep, four-story US Airways Center parking garage — with the training staff after the others headed home.

He went out of his way to compliment the players he thought were working hard — Thomas, Leandro Barbosa and Pat Burke among them — and tempered his praise for those he thought needed to catch up.

Losing five of the first six games was distressing but hardly surprising to Nash.

“It’s hard to win games; you have to earn it,” he said.

 

[greensborohill]

If I've learned anything about basketball. . heck, sports in general. It's that there is a VERY fine line between winning and losing. . . . our respective teams are walking it like a tight rope right now.

 

[Bufalay]

Dude, the Suns' coach's name is D'Antoni

 

[Bufalay]

i've been reading your posts and realizing that you keep calling him Antoni...I finally read your explanation on your blog...my bad

 

[Nash]

If I've learned anything about basketball. . heck, sports in general. It's that there is a VERY fine line between winning and losing. . . . our respective teams are walking it like a tight rope right now.

I can only talk for the Suns -- its not been a fine line for us. Every game that the Suns lost, its because they got outplayed by the opposition when it counted most. Except for last game, defense has been absent and the same goes for rebounding.
We held leads in all games and its good in a way that we got beaten in most of them -- otherwise, the lazy basketball style would've continued. this team learns only when ass whoopings are handed out to them.

@bufalay : I never was a fan of D'Antoni's name and his stance on defense. his name -- mainly because its so hard to type. so i seized the opportunity to make a valid excuse not to type his full name. ;^)

 

[nowagimp]

I can only talk for the Suns -- its not been a fine line for us. Every game that the Suns lost, its because they got outplayed by the opposition when it counted most. Except for last game, defense has been absent and the same goes for rebounding.
We held leads in all games and its good in a way that we got beaten in most of them -- otherwise, the lazy basketball style would've continued. this team learns only when ass whoopings are handed out to them.

@bufalay : I never was a fan of D'Antoni's name and his stance on defense. his name -- mainly because its so hard to type. so i seized the opportunity to make a valid excuse not to type his full name. ;^)

Out of shape and lazy are not the same thing. Many posters here, in their frustration, call players lazy when they are just out of shape. Last year, when TT came aboard "out of shape" he was also called lazy. The first things to go with "out of shape" players are defense and rebounding, especially at the end of games. The pre-season is such a joke because players dont really push themselves to get in shape, its a league wide issue. Poor consitioning can be corrected, lazy is more difficult to correct.

 

[devilfan02]

Their out of shape because their preseason camp in Italy was a vacation. I hope they never go overseas again for camp

 

[HooverDam]

Their out of shape because their preseason camp in Italy was a vacation. I hope they never go overseas again for camp

Agreed. A lot of the Suns success seems to be predicated on:

Suns: "hey other team, come run w/ us for 48 minutes"
Other team: "Hey that sounds fun!"
(midway through the 4th qtr)
Suns: "weee, this is fun!"
Other team: (huffing and puffing) "I think I'm going to puke"

Now, when the Suns can't run w/ themselves and are out of shape, it creates a problem with this system. Once everyone is back in shape, rotations are set, and all the new pieces are fit together, the Suns will be fine.

 

[scoutmasterdave]

Their out of shape because their preseason camp in Italy was a vacation. I hope they never go overseas again for camp

I totally agree - what happened to running like crazy in the thin air of Flagstaff? Seems to be a better option...

 

[devilfan02]

I went to the Suns game on Sat night and was reading the free program they give you before the game. Every single page (at least 30) was of the team at soccer games, sight seeing, eating at restaurants, hanging out with their wives/gf's, etc..... I'm sure everyone esle here read the updates from Italy (in the AZ rep) and it was all non-basketball related stories. It was basically a vacation which is why we're out of shape and not playing like a team. It's a shame but we'll recover from it- The Memphis game was a big step forward.

From now on, no preseason trips outside of Arizona. Please, we have a Finals Trophy on the line, do it in the offseason

 

[joshstmarie]

i've been reading your posts and realizing that you keep calling him Antoni...I finally read your explanation on your blog...my bad

my guess is its something like ason kidd with no j

antoni cause he doesnt coach D?

 

[Nash]

my guess is its something like ason kidd with no j
antoni cause he doesnt coach D?

hee hee.. yeah.
umaine ones and ames ones are next in line.

 

[Nate]

There is no reason not to prepare yourself while being abroad. Its absolutely common for professional sport teams everywhere over the world to spend time of their training camp abroad. That doesnt hinder anyone else from training, right? So why shouldnt it work for the Suns?

Question is whether the Suns really trained and rested themselves while being overseas. Reading through their own accounts, one gets the impression that preparing the team for the season wasnt the main agenda of their days in Europe.

Other teams who spent part of their preseason in Europe were the Clippers, the Spurs and the Sixers. All of these teams started well out of the gate. Going abroad would have produced better results for the Suns if they would have actually trained more than they did sightseeing. The other teams were able to prepare themselves abroad, the Suns were not.

Regarding Flagstaff, that high-altitude training camp for 6 days is absolutely crap from a scientific point of view. If you want to yield positive results, you have to be up there much longer (between 2 and 4 weeks). If anything, Flagstaff definitely isnt a positive. And iirc, the Suns training camp site in Arizona now is Tempe or Tucson (the locals should remember it from last year).

 

[devilfan02]

Question is whether the Suns really trained and rested themselves while being overseas. Reading through their own accounts, one gets the impression that preparing the team for the season wasnt the main agenda of their days in Europe.



Regarding Flagstaff, that high-altitude training camp for 6 days is absolutely crap from a scientific point of view. If you want to yield positive results, you have to be up there much longer (between 2 and 4 weeks). If anything, Flagstaff definitely isnt a positive. And iirc, the Suns training camp site in Arizona now is Tempe or Tucson (the locals should remember it from last year).

I don't care where they go, they better be practicing. If the team was in Flag, Tempe, or Tucson there are little to no distractions, whereas if they go overseas there are numerous distractions. I could care less about the high altitude theories, all there is to do in Flag is play ball.

Please, no more overseas training camps for the Suns

 

[F-Dog]

I can only think of one player who came in out of shape. (Amare and Raja were hurt, but that's another story.)

The Suns haven't shown much energy as a team, though. They're not shooting, but they're also not wearing their opponents down by running any more, and they also weren't working hard enough on getting in front of bigger players driving to the basket.



I guess if there's one reason for the Suns' struggles so far (beyond Diaw), it's been their fouls. The last two years, they led the league in fewest fouls committed, and suddenly they're hacking like it's no tomorrow, and it's killing them in every phase of the game...

 

[Esther]

I guess if there's one reason for the Suns' struggles so far (beyond Diaw), it's been their fouls. The last two years, they led the league in fewest fouls committed, and suddenly they're hacking like it's no tomorrow, and it's killing them in every phase of the game...

Does that have to do with the Suns trying to play more defense?