HoopWatch

The Phoenix Suns are wincing in pain, especially coach Mike D’Antoni, because they are struggling big time. They are off to their worst start since the franchise lost 13 straight games to open the 1996-97 season. They currently stand at 1-5, with their only victory at home against the Clippers.

The Suns also tend to blow leads. They led by as much as 19 against the Lakers (which they blew and lost in the third quarter), and led by nine with five minutes remaining in an overtime loss to the Spurs, 106-111. On Thursday night, they again posted an early nine point lead over the similarly struggling Dallas Mavericks, only to witness it evaporate. Mavericks superstar forward Dirk Nowitzki led the surge by hitting back-to-back jumpers to turn things around. He led Dallas, which won 119-112, with 35 big points.

The Suns are still the best shooting and passing team in the league. They still score over a hundred points per game. They average 47 percent from the field, and Steve Nash had double-digits in assists for four of their six games, having six and nine assists on the other two. Not bad, right? But the big difference is they seem to lose the energy to bury teams. They lose the motivation to hang on to their huge leads.

D’Antoni is extremely disappointed and has vowed to change things, and play people “who are going to play hard.” Boris Diaw, who was magnificent last season, is mightily struggling. His brilliance could not be seen anywhere in his game. Raja Bell is another struggling Sun. Although, he woke up from his slumber in that San Antonio game, scoring 20 points. He missed the game against Dallas due to a bruised hip, and expects to return against Memphis on Saturday night. Phoenix has been 0-6 without Bell.

Both Diaw and Bell have to bring their old selves back for the Suns to know what it feels like to win again.

The Suns also have to incorporate new guys into their rotation. They welcomed back Amare Stoudemire, who missed almost the whole of last season. They are used to playing without Amare that they forgot how to play with him. They are also trying to bring guard Marcus Banks, who had a stellar year with Minnesota, into the mix.

The lone bright spot for Phoenix is the “Brazilian Blur,” Leandro Barbosa, who scored career-highs of 30 points twice this season.

D’Antoni needs to burn back the fire within the Suns. Nash and Shawn Marion should continue carrying their team. Diaw and Bell need to help. Stoudemire needs to bring his A-game back again. Banks got to show his stuff that made the Suns snatch him from the T-wolves. And they need to put the act together to let the Sun shine in Phoenix once again.

We’ll see this Saturday. May it be a bright start for the Suns. (pics courtesy of yahoonba.com)