"The Rising Sun"

It seems the sunrise is as beautiful as ever for the Phoenix Suns. This Western Conference team might even rise to "contender" status soon. Already a solid playoff team, Suns management executed another big trade to get another big time player. Jason Richardson made his debut tonight for the Phoenix Suns. They played the Orlando Magic who currently have the third best record in the East. Richardson silenced all the critics skeptical banter that he "would take away shots from the other stars on the team". The Suns were able to hold off the Magic in the last seconds for the win. A recap of the night:

Magic: 112
Suns: 113

Jason Richardson:
21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 3pointer, 34 minutes

J-Rich looked pretty comfortable with the team, coming off the bench and producing as usual. The Suns seemed to push the tempo a little bit more than usual, and J-Rich showed he is a one-man fast break at times. He seemed to fit right on, picking his spots, knowing when to pass, and knowing when to cut. Watching him go up for a perfectly read, highlight caliber alley-oop I would have thought he had been playing with Barbosa for years.

The Suns traded two very mediocre players in Bell and Diaw, and in return received a near all-star caliber player that can shoot, drive, and finish. So many critics have been skeptical of this trade, with many saying there aren't enough shots to go around. How will Stoudemire and Shaq get all their shots now? How you ask? For the most part they just need to play basketball, and let the adjusting just slowly develop. J-Rich fits quite well into the offense, stretching the defense even more than Bell, but also with the ability to handle the ball and drive the lane(something Bell could never do). And while Bell was considered a lock-down defender(what I think has become overrated the past few years), J-Rich is no liablity on defense either. He may not be the same defender as Bell, but what J-Rich can do on the offensive end easily makes up for any lost points on the defensive end.

As for the Suns as a team, it looks like they are going to be a combination of a D'Antoni system and Porter's more methodical system. It appears they will run a lot more, especially on forced turnovers and long rebounds. I personally think this team has improved from the trade, hands down, and as they play more games together Nash will realize how to get this team going. Nash will have to stop for a second and think: "Wow, this might be the best group of players I've ever had around me". This team could very possibly be the most talented offensive roster in the league.

When your starting line-up consists of Steve Nash, Jason Richardson, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, and Shaquille O'Neal, well, it's hard to think anything other than how great they could be. That's four players who are, or were, All-Stars, and Jason Richardson has been on the verge of "All-Star status" the past few years. You've got two great post players(high and low), two great shooters and slashers, and one of the best pure point guards around. Throw in Leandro Barbosa and Matt Barnes off the bench and you have yourself a team to contend. The only missing link I can honestly notice is a solid backup point guard, perferrably a veteran(that's you Damon Stoudemire). I'm sure anyone that follows basketball realizes that the Suns will sign another point-guard to their roster as the playoffs creep in. This team has such a wide array of talent, and let's not forget they have the master conductor Steve Nash to orchestrate the entire thing.

This Suns team is only getting better, and might even be contenders in the near future. Quote me on that.