In retrospect, I probably should have written more about the Suns before Saturday night’s game against Memphis. Coming off wins against the Lakers and Celtics, it was easy to overlook some of the puzzling losses this team took in December, like the abysmal defensive performance they put up against the Warriors right before the LA game. By this point Phoenix’s flaws have been exposed, but the question remains: can they overcome those flaws to make an impact in the playoffs?

• Rebounding: We knew size was an issue for this team going into the season. The Channing Frye acquisition was a big positive for the team, and Frye isn’t a terrible rebounder, but the backcourt pairing of Frye and Stoudemire is going to get beat on the glass on a number of nights. Neither is good on the boards for their size. One subtle improvement that Amare has made is in boxing out opponents, creating additional opportunities for the Hills and Dudleys and Richardsons of the world to pad their own stats a bit. Unfortunately, Amare retains that same lack of awareness on the defensive end, so if he’s not putting a body on someone, his superior leaping ability isn’t enough to get him rips. Channing, on the other hand, just doesn’t have enough girth to compete with the bigger 5s in the Western Conference. Amundson is above-average for his size, and Lopez lacks the footwork and leaping ability to get by with anything less than excellent boxouts. The Suns got off to their quick start by keeping pace on the glass, but have faded in the past month.
• Defense: Again, not a Suns specialty. To be fair, Phoenix ranks in the middle of the pack for opponent FG%, but two areas in particular hold them back (before tonight’s game, they were ranked 29th in defensive efficiency) — rebounding (see above) and generating turnovers. Outside of Jared Dudley and Leandro Barbosa, no Suns player is averaging more than a steal per game. In theory, the Suns are a mediocre defensive team — high praise for this unit. But they give up too many offensive rebounds and don’t get enough takeaways to make opponents pay. If you think about it, their opponent FG% number would be even lower if they didn’t give up so many putbacks on offensive rebounds. Having Barbosa back in the rotation (an angle that really didn’t get enough play while the Suns struggled in December) will help to some degree, yes. But it won’t matter how efficient the team is on offense if they can’t at least be active and compete on the defensive end night in and night out.
• Apathy: Every now and then I watch this team and wonder if Mike D’Antoni is still coaching them. There’s just no excuse for being able to beat LA and Boston, but failing miserably against the lower-tier teams in the league. Steve Nash put it best himself when he talked about wins like the Celtics and Lakers being bonuses, but games against teams lower in the standings as the most important of all. A veteran team like the Suns isn’t going to respond to tirades or two-a-day practices, and already has all the leadership it needs with Nash, Hill, Frye and so on. What it needs is consistent energy and focus, particularly on nights when it’s clear by the first quarter that neither is present. Yes, it’s one thing to coast until the playoffs, but this team isn’t good enough to assume it can just flip a switch come May.

Overall, this team has exceeded expectations so far, to the point where I feel comfortable saying they’ll win a playoff series as long as they’re at least the six seed (the Lakers are too good, and the Nuggets match up well). What happens from there, though, is dependent on the Suns addressing their critical flaws. With four months left in the season, there’s more than enough time left to do just that.