It’s funny how last week, when the Suns were averaging 12o points a game and rolling through opponents like water, no one seemed to notice that Boris Diaw was contributing little, if anything to the cause.  

But once Phoenix drops back to back games and gets pounded on the boards, Diaw’s lack of production is suddenly the reason? Is Diaw earning anywhere near the $45 million the team lavished upon him before last season? Of course not. But he is also the only Sun who doesn’t have the benefit of playing with Steve Nash — or any real point guard when he’s on the floor. His gave thrives on blending in, moving the ball and distributing. But with Grant Hill now around to handle a bulk of those chores when Nash is on the bench, Diaw’s role with the team has again become blurred. Now he is asked to finish, rebound and defend, not his strong suits.

  For all the talk about defense and rebounding, the Suns’ biggest need might be another shooter. Nash doesn’t want to put up 20 shots a night. Leandro Barbosa will do that in a heartbeat, but his accuracy has been wild – he’s had 35- and 39-point games, but 4-for-17 nights have popped up more frequently as well. And with Raja Bell fighting through injuries for the first 20-plus game, the Suns desperately need another shooter, and instant-offense guy off the bench to keep the points coming when others struggle. 

 Those players won’t be found at the league minimum. A dead-eye assassin like Mike Miller could be had from
Memphis, but would the Grizzlies take Diaw’s salary — about the same annually but longer in term — to acquire a playmaker to go with their other up-and-coming pieces? The Suns are never going to be a great defending or rebounding team, but another 3-point threat could go a long way toward covering the deficiencies. 

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