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**Dissonance19** · 11-14-2006, 05:51 PM

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Like a neon sign in the distance, Steve Nash saw the Suns early-season struggles coming. He did — and said — all he could to prevent them during, and even before the preseason.

And while the Suns had a rough early-season schedule — both in terms of opponents and logistics — Nash saw it as all the more reason that his team needed to prepare better for what was coming.

While he too enjoyed the sights of Treviso and the spectacle of European soccer during training camp, Nash also saw that some Suns were not properly conditioned for an NBA season — one in which they would have a bull’s-eye on their back as a championship contender.

“Our schedule, the trip and everything, was part of it. I came into camp in better shape than I was when I came back from Italy,” Nash said after the Suns improved to 2-5 by beating Memphis 96-87 Saturday night. “But even before that, absolutely, I thought we weren’t in shape. We were playing with fire.

“(Coach) Mike (D’Antoni) gives us a lot of freedom. We don’t have to be in the gym all day long. But that puts the responsibility on each guy to make sure you are prepared, that you do your work.

“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.

“I don’t think we came out of the gates trying to earn anything. We weren’t in shape; we didn’t do what it takes to get ready. So now we’ve made things harder on ourselves.”

After struggling out of the gate last year, Nash has gotten off to a strong start. Despite a hip injury that has slowed him the last three games — and affected him during an ugly 10-turnover night in Thursday’s loss to Dallas — Nash is averaging 18.7 points and 10.9 assists. Even after missing nine of 13 shots against the Grizzlies and coming to grips, literally, with the NBA’s new basketball, he’s shooting over 50 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point range.

With others struggling to find their games and catch their breath, he’s playing 36 minutes a night despite a schedule that included three sets of back-to-back games in the first 10 days.

In the win over Memphis, there were signs that help is on the way.

Stoudemire’s 25-point and 14-rebound doubledouble in 24 minutes against Memphis was his best since microfracture surgery more than a year ago. Boris Diaw, looking slow and lost for more than a month, was one of three Suns with at least five assists and is looking quicker. Bell had his two best games of the season before missing the last two with a rib injury but should be back when the Suns return from a five-day hiatus to play Philadelphia on Friday.

That’s four practice days, a break in the schedule the Suns can use to sharpen their edge.

“We didn’t play a team firing on all cylinders, but we picked it up,” Nash said.

“We did our job. We showed a little more toughness, we had more determined play. Our defense got us in the open court a lot and we were much more aggressive.”

Tiz · 11-15-2006, 11:24 AM

Thanks for the post. Interesting article.

vinsanity77 · 11-15-2006, 05:04 PM

I read an article earlier in the year about diaw
and how he didn't really play ball or worked out in the off-season
i just hate these types of players
who after signing ludicrous contracts feel they are financially secure
and stop trying hard.
I mean come on, diaw
u've only started playing decent ball
last year
u gotta keep it up

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