P H O E N I X   S U N S
Go-To Guy | Weakest Link | Burning Question | Outlook

Suns at a Glance Coach: Frank Williams Last Year: 36-46 (Stats) Key Additions: F Amare Stoudemire, G Casey Jacobsen, C Scott Williams Key Losses: G Dan Majerle Projected Starters PG Stephon Marbury SG Joe Johnson SF Shawn Marion PF Amare Stoudemire C Iakovos Tsakalidis Key Subs PG Milt Palacio SG Anfernee Hardaway PF Bo Outlaw C Scott Williams

By John Hollinger, CNNSI.com

Thanks largely to devastating injuries to Tom Gugliotta and Penny Hardaway, the Phoenix Suns have been forced into a rebuilding mode far earlier than they could have imagined. Last year they bit the bullet, trading away Rodney Rogers, Clifford Robinson and Jason Kidd in an effort to get younger and get under the luxury tax. The latter objective will remain a challenge as long as Gugliotta and Hardaway are on the books, but the former goal has been completed.

Replacing Kidd, Robinson and Rogers are Stephon Marbury, Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire. Marbury and Marion are All-Star talents who provide a solid nucleus, especially at the offensive end, but the jury is still out on Johnson and Stoudemire. Behind them there's not much to crow about, either. Bo Outlaw and Scott Williams are aging relics, Milt Palacio is barely adequate as Marbury's backup, and Gugliotta and Hardaway are about the only two people in America whose careers have gone downhill faster than Billy Ray Cyrus'.

If Phoenix is to get back on the good side of .500, it will need either Johnson or Stoudemire to step up as a third weapon alongside Marbury and Marion. Stoudemire is probably at least a year away, while Johnson has been an enigma.

Stephon Marbury, G -- Part of the reason the Jason Kidd trade looked so bad for Phoenix was the resurgence of the Nets, but the other part was Marbury's off year. Battling various nagging injuries all season, Marbury played 82 games for the first time in his career, but his performance suffered. His normally explosive forays to the basket were less frequent, and the rest of his game slipped as well.

Marbury shot a career-low 28.6 percent on 3-pointers, the lowest mark of any player with at least 240 attempts. He needs to get back into the low-30s to at least force opponents to respect his jumper. That should set up his moves to the basket, where his strength and quickness allow him to blow away almost any point guard in the league.

Marbury has the ability to be an outstanding defender, but he has never seemed interested in the idea. His strength and quickness mean he is rarely a liability, but he should be much more of a force. On a team with as many soft spots as the Suns, he needs to take a leadership role at both ends of the floor and develop a stopper's instinct.

The Frontcourt -- Phoenix has two fantastic perimeter players, but they post-up baskets were few and far between last year. Center Jake Tsakalidis is still developing, but his poor coordination and lack of range don't bode well for him as an offensive force. Backup Williams is a better weapon, but he is injured so often that it's hard to count on him.

The power forward spot was even worse last year, where the Suns were humiliated on a nightly basis. Outlaw suddenly lost it and never got the hang of the Suns' fronting schemes defensively. This year the Suns will move Outlaw to a reserve role and start first-round draft choice Stoudemire. Fresh out of high school, he has the physical skills to be a potent force in the NBA but may need a few years to develop.

Can Joe Johnson play?

The Suns sent two quality players -- Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk -- to Boston to get Johnson. He did little last year to justify the investment, but he was also just a rookie. Phoenix needs him to step up and become a third scoring weapon behind Marion and Marbury; he is the most realistic candidate on the roster to do it, which is why he's so important to their chances this year.

Johnson has fantastic talent. He's huge for an off-guard at 6-foot-8, can shoot, take people off the dribble and has great quickness. The maddening problem is his frequent in-game Houdini act. If you've ever wondered what Joe Barry Carroll would have looked like as a shooting guard, here's your guinea pig. Johnson vanished into passive funks for long stretches last season, and the Suns have to figure out how to get some aggression into his game. Perhaps his timidity resulted from being a rookie and having to learn a new system, but whatever the cause head coach Frank Johnson needs to find a way to correct it if this team is going to turn the corner.

Playoff longshot

Fast Facts • Last year the now-retired Dan Majerle attempted 235 three-point shots for the Suns -- and just 54 two-pointers. • Stephon Marbury had the second most turnovers in the NBA last year. In first place? Jason Kidd.

The Suns have two All-Star caliber players in Marion and Marbury. The problem is the rest of the crew. Johnson has yet to prove he can step up as a third scorer this team needs, leaving a soft spot at shooting guard. Up front, Stoudemire and Tsakalidis have the requisite size but give the Suns no post game whatsoever and are still learning the pro game.

Making matters worse is the total lack of support from the bench. With the contracts of Gugliotta and Hardaway swallowing up so much cap space, the Suns have limited ability to pick up quality reserves. As a result, they have zero capability to withstand an injury. If Johnson nets 15 points a night and everybody stays healthy, the Suns could make a playoff run, but chances are they don't have enough horses.