Is Amar'e Stoudemire the REAL Problem in Phoenix?

Since the trade for Shaquille O'Neal was made just barely over a year ago, the once dynamic, run-and-gun, seven seconds or less style of the Phoenix Suns has completely changed. When the Phoenix Suns first decided to trade Shawn Marion for arguably the best big man to ever play the game, there were many mixed feelings about if it would work. 

The Suns current GM, Steve Kerr, promised that the Suns could still keep their fast-paced style of play with outlet passes from O'Neal. And, this move was not meant to take away from the style of play that the fans had grown to love. 

Instead, this trade was supposed to finally propel the Suns past their biggest playoff rival, the San Antonio Spurs. Finally, the Suns had someone who could guard Duncan one-on-one. They were now fully prepared to get past their greatest nemesis of the past three seasons.

Then came the playoffs, and the Suns were quickly sent home after a 4-1 first round defeat by none other than, you guessed it, the San Antonio Spurs. 

How could this be? 

Was Mike D’Antoni’s system the real problem all along? These were the questions being asked as the Suns lost yet another playoff series to the ONE team they had tailored their team to beat. And so Mike D’Antoni, the coach who had given Phoenix a winning record and made into "the best show on sneakers" was given the green light to look elsewhere. 

D’Antoni was quickly hired by the New York Knicks, and Steve Kerr was finally able to hire a defensive minded coach in Terry Porter that better suited his own personal philosophy. The run-and-gun Suns were officially no more.

With new emphasis on defense and running a half-court offense, the Suns still had a very talented roster coming into the ‘08-09 season. Expectations were still moderately high for this team whose roster included two MVP's, four All-Stars, and two rookies of the year. This season started out relatively well for the Suns in many regards, especially the season opening win over San Antonio! 

But soon after, things started going downhill fast. The team was plagued with trying to find an identity. They just weren't sure who they were anymore! They still weren't playing good defense, and they had also lost a step on offense. They tried to spark their offense by adding a dynamic player in Jason Richardson, who reminded many of what the Suns had missed when they traded Marion. 

The Suns made a fairly favorable trade for Richardson in sending Boris Diaw (an inconsistent player with a big contract) and Raja Bell (a player who's defensive talents had been on the decline) to Charlotte in the exchange. Was this finally the missing piece to the puzzle?

Even after acquiring Jason Richardson, The Suns were still floundering. They were only consistent in their inconsistency. They would have good games where they seemed to have turned the corner, and then they would get blown out by an opponent they should have never lost to. 

One of the bright spots on the Suns team seemed to be the rejuvenated Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq was playing like he was five years younger again and had even improved his free throw percentage. The Suns were running a great percentage of their offensive plays through Shaq, and he was piling up some pretty impressive stats. 

So much so, that he was voted in as a backup center for the Western All-Star team!

So what could still be holding this team back? 

Slowly the attention started shifting to the once untouchable Amar'e Stoudemire. Was Stoudemire's lack of defensive discipline the reason for all of these losses? Maybe if the Suns had a PF that would play aggressive defense they could finally complete their switch to this new philosophy being taught by Coach Porter and the GM Kerr. 

Never mind the fact that this same PF had helped the Suns to 60 win seasons and winning records since he was drafted back in 2002. 

Never mind the fact that Amar'e is the youngest star on the team, and one of the most explosive PFs in the game. 

Never mind the fact that Nash is 35-years-old, has the most turnovers in the NBA, and has been a defensive liability since he first came to Phoenix. The problem must be Amar'e right?

Let's also not forget that this was a championship contending team before the arrival of Shaquille O'Neal a little more than a year ago. Let's also not forget that the Suns have had a very poor record by their standards since Shaq first arrived. Much of this has been overlooked due to the fact that Shaq's individual statistics have been so impressive this year. 

But, could Shaq be the real reason for the demise of the Suns?

Let's look at it this way. 

Since Shaq's arrival The Suns have had to completely revamp their style of play to accommodate for O'Neal. The Suns had always played their best when allowed to run the floor quickly and score fast break points. Now, the energy and momentum that accompanied that style of play is also gone. The Suns have lost their edge and their excitement to boot.

But even then, are we certain the problem lies somewhere amidst the players?

Let's also not forget the head coach and GM in all of this. If a team is playing inconsistently isn't the head coach usually the first to get blamed? 

Why are the Suns considering trading one of the best players in the NBA before even firing their newly appointed head coach? 

Wouldn't you normally start there first? 

Getting rid of Stoudemire seems awfully premature at this point especially considering that the Suns have little chance of actually improving their team by doing so.