The Suns have been known around the league for their catchy slogans and slick photo shoots to sell their team around Phoenix and throughout Arizona. From "Eyes on the Prize" to "Planet Orange," the roll-off-the-tongue phrases have always come with a complement of popular faces -- Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Shaquille O'Neal, Grant Hill, Raja Bell, etc.
But this year's words -- "Our People. Our Team. Our Planet." -- came complete with three faceless, silhouetted basketball players without familiar forms or numbers. The message was clear: "We'd love to put some players up here, but we have no idea who'll be around in November... Sorry."
Yes, the Suns re-signed Hill, but will Stoudemire follow O'Neal out the door in another cost-cutting maneuver? Will Nash, the one player the Suns want and are willing to pay, want to sign a career-completing contract once the dust settles and he surveys who is left to play with in Phoenix?
Stoudemire is as confused as anyone. After working out and showing no signs of trouble with his surgically repaired retina, he said he's as in the dark as anyone about the future of both himself and his team.
"That's what's so crazy right now," Stoudemire said, some two weeks after the Suns nearly traded him to Golden State on draft day. "There's no solid decision. From a players' standpoint, nobody knows what's going on. We don't know who's going to be here.
"It's a little tough. It's definitely not something you want to go through... But it's all good. It's a business."
And Stoudemire is all business as well. Even though he made it clear he wants to stay in Phoenix, even if the team doesn't make big changes to the roster ("If I have to re-sign with a mediocre team, it will be here."), he's not interested in cutting the Suns a bargain. He wants a max contract extension that will pay him $20 million-plus annually.
"I think my game itself deserves maximum level," said Stoudemire, who has missed at least 30 games in two of the last four seasons. "I'm top 10 in the NBA. I'm top 10 for the past six years. I'm just going to improve. I'm 26 years old, going into the prime of my career so I think I deserve a maximum extension."
The Suns may not agree. He's also a 26-year-old with a bad knee and a bad reputation for matador defense. He pleaded with the Suns to bring in a center to allow him to return to power forward, them complained that Shaquille O'Neal clogged up his favorite operating areas. He took no blame for the team's shortfalls in the playoffs, saying "I'm not a (team) captain" and directing reporters to other lockers for answers.
Of course that doesn't mean they will get fair value for him in a trade. Or Nash. Or sign Hill. Or... well, guess the silhouettes weren't such a bad idea.
