By Randy Hill
FOXSportsArizona.com
Sounding slightly more optimistic than the longtime director of a Bigfoot research team, Alvin Gentry reminded of us something that still seems obvious.
"We're searching," Gentry said, "we're searching right now."
It should be noted the preceding announcement occurred while the Phoenix Suns coach was doing part of his job -- positively spinning Wednesday night's overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. With about 75 percent of the regular season remaining and his team checking in with the eighth-best record in the conference, Gentry is not about to surrender.
This particular defeat, which dropped the Suns' season record to 11-11, featured a furious fourth-quarter rally by a roller-coaster-riding second unit that was brutally mediocre in Portland one night earlier.
So what is Alvin searching for? A big guy with defensive intimidation in his DNA? That elusive comfort zone for Hedo Turkoglu? The Loch Ness Monster? A perimeter player who will make the proper switch to prevent the last-second three-pointer that sends a game into overtime? Sure, Gentry has his antennae up on most of those deficiencies, but his search is a lot more comprehensive.
He and the Suns are searching for an identity. On the surface, nailing this team's identity seems pretty easy. With Steve Nash whipping the ball around, the Suns score a lot, and then they play defense and rebound like the lunch pickup-game crowd at the YMCA. The good ol' out-score-'em Suns. But that definition is too general.
Let's distill this question down to the essence of what's stalling the team's progress.
OK, within the context of an aforementioned league-wide perception, Gentry and the Suns are searching for players who can be counted on to define the improvements in what they're trying to do.
Unfortunately, part of the problem may be actually understanding what the problem is. Huh? Well, most of us have noticed that employing several players of similar ability makes it difficult to manage minutes and set the rotations. After losing to the Grizzlies (who were one mental cramp away from being 3-0 against Phoenix this season), Gentry put a positive spin on having 10 good players. He said it gives the coaching staff an opportunity to mix and match rotations depending on the team and the situation.
Hey ... beautiful. And this truly has paid dividends some of the time.
But how many really outstanding NBA teams thrive without defined roles for most of the roster? And while Gentry can look on the bright side of having a deep bench, he wouldn't be searching so hard if using the bench so extensively was the best approach to take in this league.
Having several players capable of performing heroically on a given night may seem like a luxury. Or it might be a not-so-subtle reminder that some of this team's important participants are wildly inconsistent. Hakim Warrick can go from open-market steal to watching his minutes dwindle and back to rim-rattler with a 26-point effort against the Washington Wizards. Channing Frye puts 29 on the Indiana Pacers and goes for seven against the Wizards. It's been feast or famine for Jared Dudley. Jason Richardson can play like an All-Star for a couple of weeks, then go for a triple-single in the last two losses.
Based on how the roster was constructed (that word is used with caution), the coach doesn't have much recourse. Along with having similar skills, several Suns players play the same position. Sure, you can use subsequent physical mismatches to your advantage on offense, but the lack of reasonable roster conformity has helped wreck a defense that was adequate during last season's stretch run.
Beyond having enough small forwards to outfit a couple of arks, the Suns don't have much of a caste system, either. Caste system? That's right, most top-tier NBA teams have a pecking order. Doesn't that seem a bit draconian? How about winning with the philosophy of all for one and one for all? Isn't that this year's official rallying cry in Cleveland?
Anyway, the Suns do have a Hall of Fame point guard in Steve Nash and another veteran (Grant Hill) who leaves the safety of the shower/hot tub sanctuary early enough to face the media music after a tough loss. But this team lacks a player with enough on-court skill and ego to save the day when the day requires saving. As great as Nash is at creating shots for teammates, the offense gets gummy when he feels the need to take over by creating opportunities for himself. This happened after the offense went kaput (36 percent) in the opening half of Wednesday's loss to the Grizzlies. Nash, behaving a bit more selfishly out of necessity, did come up with nine points in the third quarter. But he added four turnovers and the Suns lost the quarter by two.
One night earlier, the offense went south in the fourth quarter of a winnable game in Portland. With the Blazers locked in on defense, Phoenix didn't have anyone capable of taking over and scoring when Nash's passing lanes collapsed.
Not anymore.
But with that ship sailed and docked in New York, Gentry is searching for answers. During the post-mortem in Portland, he suggested that benching the bench (or at least limiting its minutes) might be a solution. The bench, however, was required to come to the rescue one night later, with Turkoglu and Goran Dragic shining while Nash cheered from the sideline.
"I'm convinced that we're going to be a really good team," Gentry said after the OT loss against Memphis, "but we're searching, we're searching right now. This is not an easy thing, we've got guys trying to adjust to different positions and things, and I know it sounds like a broken record, but it will come together."
We'll see if the search for more clearly defined roles and rotations can have the won-loss record fixed by April.
