Because the Suns refused to sign all-star power forward Amar’e Stoudemire to a max deal like the New York Knicks did at 5 years for about $100 million, the Suns are now stuck in a sticky situation—trying to rebuild around a 36 year-old point guard (37 in February).

It’s hard to think that a team 3^rd in the Western Conference last season that challenged the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals is rebuilding, but that is what happens when you lose such an integral big man.

There are only so many dominant power forwards, and several of them changed addresses over the summer. 

The most significant power-forwards in the NBA today are:  Tim Duncan, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Amar’e Stoudemire, Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki (a nod to Zach Randolph and David Lee).  Boozer, Stoudemire, and Bosh all relocated to new teams, new cities.  Losing one of these key players clearly weakens any ball club unless they are replaced—see Utah (Jefferson) and New York (Stoudemire).

Similar to LeBron leaving the Cavs, the Suns have lost a big chip with nothing in return.  So what are the Suns doing to rebuild a winner in Phoenix?

It’s hard to picture exactly what the Suns think is happening with their roster without taking a look:

Give or take a move here or there, that leaves the Suns with a starting lineup of:

Problems with the Suns’ Roster

1. These moves present more problems than just a lack of inside presence. 
   Other than J-Rich, 30 this season, who guards quick, aggressive shooting guards? They will likely try to use their small forwards to backup their shooting guard, but that will present it’s own issues.  Turkoglu is too tall (to guard them for a whole game), Hill is too old (even though he is a decent defender), and Childress could play defense (but he’s not really a shooter on the other end).

2. The Bench is suspect. 
   Despite being loaded at the small forward position and adequate at the point, the lack of other bench players will hurt them, especially in the playoffs.  This just makes me think about all the moves the Suns have made in the last decade—what foresight.  They let Joe Johnson go (by refusing to match Atlanta’s offer) before he developed into an all-star.  In the draft, they traded away the rights to Rajon Rondo (for a 1^st round Cavs pick).  They traded away Boris Diaw and Raja Bell.  Then, there were the departures of Shawn Marion (traded) and Amar’e Stoudemire.

3. Lack of Size. 
   Of their 5 players who are 6’11 or taller, 3 of them have 5 or fewer years experience.  Size and lack of experience will be huge problems, especially in the playoffs.

4. The Big Guys.  After losing Stoudemire (20+ppg), and getting Warrick (10 ppg), the Suns may find it difficult to score inside.  The Suns have physical players in Amundson and Lopez, but neither is gifted, offensively.  Their only legit big guys, Lopez and Frye, are not back-to-the-basket scorers who can bang and get their own.

The STAT Effect

It’s easy to throw Stoudemire under the bus and say that his lack of playoff production was the reason that he was not resigned.  If you take a look at the Suns’ roster, though, he was not the only player to under-perform this postseason, so it is unfair that he should take all the blame.  Hill, Frye, Lopez, Dudley, Dragic, and Barbosa all had drops in offensive production.  In fact, the only players who consistently excelled in the playoffs were Richardson and Nash.

The loss of Stoudemire is huge for the Suns, and they have done almost nothing to replace him.  You can replace him with another player who is 6’10 and 245 (like Frye), but you cannot replace a ferocious menace that likes to slam on their heads.  Stoudemire, even since the surgery, has always been a beast.  Sure, the Suns have other big players who can score the ball, but I cannot think of one of them who can throw down an intimidating jam ala STAT (except for J-Rich but he’s older and a shooting guard).  I know 2 points is 2 points, but sometimes a dunk is more.  Besides, you just cannot easily replace a 20 point-9 rebound guy (unless you’re Utah and Jerry Sloan:  Karl Malone-Carlos Boozer-Al Jefferson).

Dunks are more than just 2 points because they get the crowd going:

Stoudemire will be sorely missed in the playoffs were the tempo usually slows down and teams tend to push the ball inside.  In the past, Stoudemire made the Suns a force.  In the 2010 playoffs, the Suns relied on Stoudemire to score the most points, play the most minutes, and lead the team in free throws made and attempted.  Let’s not forget he lead the Suns (in scoring and rebounding) in their only two western conference finals wins against the L.A. Lakers.

The big knocks on Stoudemire are his lack of rebounding and his lack of defense.  Certainly, there is no denying these weaknesses in his game, but the Suns have not improved in those areas by bringing in Warrick, Turkoglu and Childress.  Warrick will help with the rebounding, but none of these players are known for being the best defenders.

After a season of rising from their own ashes, the Suns’ 2011 season is not looking good when their best center and three-point shooter are their assistant coaches—Bill Cartwright and “Thunder” Dan Majerle.