Phoenix Suns: Michael Redd Finally Finding His Groove
Michael Redd went from NBA superstar to injured veteran in about three seasons, causing many to wonder if his career would ever return to its former glory.
Redd waited patiently and ended up signing with the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 29, 2011, a couple days after the start of this season.
Redd worked out to get into basketball shape and made his Suns debut on Jan. 12 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He scored 12 points in 19 minutes but looked sluggish.
Over the next month or so, he played over 10 minutes in a game just three times. He simply wasn't that effective when inserted in the game, and his timing looked off.
Things changed when Jared Dudley injured his thigh and had to sit out against the Charlotte Bobcats on Feb. 4 and Redd was put in the starting lineup. He scored 17 points in 23 minutes and seemed on the right track.
Fast forward to the present, and Redd has improved dramatically both physically and mentally. In the month of April, Redd is averaging 13.6 points per game and is leading a deadly bench attack from the Suns.
Redd simply looks better moving around on the court and is putting up the numbers to support that. He has become a go-to scoring option whenever he plays, and defenses are having to play him tight in fear of his shooting stroke and ability to get to the line.
In the game five days ago against the Los Angeles Lakers, Redd was arguably the most important Phoenix player and a big reason why the Suns came back to lead at halftime.
Michael Redd still isn't the Redd of old, but his recent success has to be promising for Suns fans everywhere. But that's alright, the Suns knew he wouldn't be the Redd of old. They signed him to be the Redd of new. To be a legitimate scoring threat off the bench and sometimes, like he did in the Lakers game, provide a spark for the team.
While I am happy with his recent increase of scoring, I'm happier to see positive things happening to a good person. Suns fans everywhere hopefully feel the same way.
