What is Wrong with the Suns

On Sunday afternoon, the Phoenix Suns had their first blowout since acquiring Shaquille O'Neal in a 116-86 slaughter at the hands of the Detroit Pistons. Grant Hill went scoreless while the rest of the Suns couldn't buy a bucket, as they went just 41.6% from the field. Shaq was the only Sun who crashed the boards with 11 caroms. Guard Leandro Barbosa was next with a mere four boards.

To me, it appears the Suns still want to play at their run-and-gun style of play. They were able to get away with that against Boston and, to a lesser extent, Los Angeles. GM Steve Kerr acquired Shaq to be a low-post presence and to make Phoenix more viable in the halfcourt when their shots weren't falling for them. When the Suns were shooting bricks as they were yesterday, they needed to adapt into a more halfcourt style of play. Phoenix should run when they want to and run when they need to, but they shouldn't have been trying to play the way they played against Detroit, and it showed why.

After the game, O'Neal said that his team will be fine once everyone is able to get on the same page, and I would have to agree with him. I still do not think Mike D'Antoni is utilizing Shaq to the maximum of his capability. Shaq should not be setting as many screens as he is setting and posting up as little times as he is. I remember one play during the Phoenix-Detroit game in which Shaq set a pick for Steve Nash at the top of the circle. Nash passed the ball to Shaq 17 feet away from the basket, rather than waiting for him to post up down low. Looking confused, Shaq dove to the rim and attempted a spin move to get a shot off. It missed.

The reason why Shaq is on the perimeter frequently is that Amare Stoudemire is hanging around 10 feet from the basket and in. In my opinion, it should be the opposite. Shaq should be setting up down low and Amare Stoudemire should be setting screens and diving to the rim. Shaq was worked best for over a decade of basketball when he gets deep post ups from the guards. From then, open shots arise. There is also the option of re-posting Shaq, and that spells trouble for Shaq's defender.

I know that Shaq said he didn't mind taking a back seat to Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, but I would have liked to see more shots for O'Neal in a game against the Pistons. The Suns didn't acquire O'Neal's $20 million-a-year for rebounding. Part of the reason is that. Another reason was to get a low-post scorer who could create open lanes for cutters, open shots for shooters, or take it in himself. Right now Shaq isn't being allowed to do that by Phoenix's coaching staff.

This is a very talented team. Steve Nash is superb when he has his shot going for him. Raja Bell is a lethal three-point shooter and a lock-down defender while still having the versatility to separate himself from a guy like Bruce Bowen. Grant Hill has been a steady contributor for Phoenix and has even offered some vintage moments. Amare Stoudemire is one of the top five big men in the game. Leandro Barbosa is a prolific scorer with cat quickness. Boris Diaw has flourished with the Suns. The X-Factor remains O'Neal.

The motivation is there for the Big Cactus and there is nothing Shaq himself is doing wrong. Once the coaching staff gets a feel of what best suit's O'Neal's game, the Suns will be right up there with the Lakers, Spurs, and the rest of the Western Conference.