Phoenix Suns compile an impressive roster in post Steve Nash era – NBA Feature Part 1
The Phoenix Suns were one of the best teams in the Western Conference up till a few years ago. The combination of Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire took the Suns to new heights of success from 2004-2008. It is tough luck that the
Suns were not able to win an NBA championship during that era, and many people call Steve Nash as perhaps the greatest NBA player without a championship ring.
The Suns golden era came to an end when Amar’e Stoudemire chose to move to the New York Knicks for a whopping contract that some say is around $100 million. After his departure, Nash attempted to keep the Suns in playoff conversation
but this past season, the Suns were unable to qualify for the playoffs. Nash decided to move to the Los Angeles Lakers to give himself a chance of winning the elusive NBA championship before he retires.
With the departure of Nash, the Suns looked toward a post Nash era with the question of how many years would it take to take the Suns back to the height of success that they saw with Nash. Also, when Nash left, he took with him
everything the fans used to come to the arena to watch. He was the person who was drawing the big crowds and when he departed, interest in the Suns was expected to decline.
However, the Suns have done a pretty good job in one offseason to rebuild the team and generate a fair amount of interest in the franchise. Hardly does one see a franchise bounce back so quickly after its franchise player for the
past 10 years or so leaves. The credit goes to the Suns front office, which remained aggressive and decided not to wait for years to slowly build their team back, but instead went into the free agency market and found themselves the best available players
to keep the Suns relevant in the Western Conference.
The best pick for the Suns this offseason certainly has been Luis Scola, the forward who has previously played all five of his NBA seasons with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets used their amnesty clause on Scola during the offseason
to clear some cap space as they were heavily involved in trade discussions for Dwight Howard. They were looking towards either landing Howard or former Lakers big man Andrew Bynum. Their plan backfired and their loss became the Suns gain, as they will only
be paying Scola a minimal salary next season, with the rest being paid by Houston.
Scola is an exceptional player, averaging 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game over his career. His averages took a dip last season, but he averaged a career high 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds during the 2010-2011 NBA season. He
will be a welcome addition to the Suns roster.
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