Here's a change of pace, just two days before the NBA Trade Deadline and the Phoenix Suns are not answering questions about which of their players might be getting moved. Instead, the questions were all about how the Carmelo Anthony trade to the Knicks impacts the team.
That answer, by the way, was pretty funny.
"He's a great player and we like to see great players move East," Alvin Gentry said.
Steve Nash wasn't quite as clever but still took it in stride, "I guess it's not the worst thing that could happen to us."
Nash went on talk about how the new Nuggets will likely need time to gel which should help the Suns who are chasing seventh-place Denver for a playoff spot. The Suns are 27-27 while Denver is 32-25. That's certainly within spitting distance with 28 games left on the schedule.
My take -- the Nuggets are going to sink. They have a group of talented players for sure, but their "veteran leadership" is Al Harrington and Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith. Between Smith, Harrington and now throw in Felton and Gallinari, and you have a bunch of guys dying to score the ball and no super star there to demand otherwise.
One of the league's dumbest teams (in basketball terms) just got dumber. That's not a recipe for success in the NBA, regardless of how many individual young talents are on the roster.
But the Suns aren't worried about all that, they are focused on themselves.
"I don't think we need to worry about anybody else," Nash said. "We need to worry about ourselves and find a way to win a bunch of these 28 games."
How many of those 28 games do the Suns need to win?
Nash says, "I have no idea but I would guess it's going to take a lot."
While Vince Carter thinks it will take all of them...or perhaps less, "I don't say, 'let's go whatever and whatever'. No, let's go 28-0. Anything less than that and it's alright."
Coach Gentry won't put a number on it either but he's pretty realistic about what it's going to take, "We know we have an up hill battle as far as making the playoffs...We don't have any margin of error right now, we really don't."
I think the Suns need to get to 45 wins which would mean an 18-10 finish to the season. It's possible, but like Gentry said, there's no margin of error. That means no more dropping games to the Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings of the league.
"No games off," as Vince Carter said. He also said he was grateful for the time off over the All-Star break and wishes it was a couple more days.
The Suns are back in action on Wednesday at home against the Atlanta Hawks (how are rumored to be busy in the trade market) before heading off on a six-game roadie. Fun times ahead.