Last year, the Suns went to training camp as a total work in progress. There was a new coach in Terry Porter. There was a new style focusing on improved defense and a more disciplined offense. There was an attempt to work Shaquille O'Neal in amongst the greyhounds -- before the chemistry was shaken again by the January trade of Raja Bell and Boris Diaw to Charlotte. But when the end result was a negative shift in attitude and results, the Suns basically scrapped the experiment. Porter is out and the familiar Alvin Gentry -- in both style and substance -- is in. O'Neal was shipped to Cleveland in an attempt to save money (about $18 million against the cap) and open up the floor again for Richardson, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and their fast-paced teammate. Unfortunately, all the old problems with the pre-Shaq Suns -- defense, rebounding, toughness -- are back and even more pronounced with the likes of Shawn Marion also missing from the mix. And even the strengths of the team have been dulled by age, with mid-30s versions of Nash and Grant Hill and the oft-injured Stoudemire asked to carry a lot of the load.
But at least the mindset seems better -- with much of the team having spent more than a month building camaraderie that was missing all of last season and playing pickup games to prepare for camp.
"I've never had this many guys back before Labor Day, so it's very rare, and I don't know if it translates into more W's or not, but I think it will," Hill said. "I think it actually will. I think it just shows how serious, how committed, how hard we're willing to work.
"We have a tough schedule at the beginning of the season, so if we're in shape, if we're on the same page, we've been bonding as a team on and off the court for the last month, I think that will help us as we got through a tough part of the season."
It will also be a change for players who felt they couldn't communicate well with Porter or just flat didn't disagree with his approach. Gentry has been calling and texting players all summer and he is a big believer in building relationships.
"If you know a player on a personal level, they will be more receptive if you are more demanding and have to do something they don't agree with for the betterment of the team," he said. "Not all coaches are into that idea but it works for me."
