Nash makes toilet on team

I'm a freaking insomniac and literally stayed up all night -- its 6:40 am in NJ now and the best part is I don't drink coffee or consume caffeine in any form. From what I recall, I must've read at least 20 NBA blogs and 40 articles on sports websites since midnight...but sure as hell, all of it seems like a blur. This last piece by Jerry Brown I read in EVT is one that stood out probably because it has to do with Nash and Antoni -- my favorite and (currently) un-favorite Suns respectively.

Nash mentions that he expected this lousy start and suggests the training camp in Europe was a stupid idea. This quote says it all:
I came into camp in better shape than I was when I came back from Italy

Coach Antoni -- who lost the right to carry 'D' in this blog -- has been in my doghouse (yeah, I'm brutal like that) for a long time because of his inability to get the team to play even imaginary defense. He's never shown the ability to adapt to game situations or run plays without Nash on the floor. Heck, does this guy even have a play book? Anyway, listening to this line from da MP3 further tarnishes my image of Antoni as a coach:
“(Coach) Mike (D’Antoni) gives us a lot of freedom. We don’t have to be in the gym all day long. But that puts the responsibility on each guy to make sure you are prepared, that you do your work. You could see we were behind. And when that happens, it makes everything harder."

I don't blame you if you're pissed at Antoni now. This next line is sure to crack you up though.
Nash went out of his way to compliment the players he thought were working hard and tempered his praise for those he thought needed to catch up. Any guesses as to who the hard workers were? Thomas, Leandro Barbosa and Pat Burke. hah!
All you Burke haters can eat crow now. I know he didn't play well against Memphis but I have a strong feeling he did that to save his best moves for the playoffs. He could be our Robert Horry this season. (I actually typed that with a straight face though it wasn't my intention -- thats how freaking sleep deprived I am!)

This is the link to the full story:
Nash: Suns came into season out of shape

An interesting Antoni quote I came across elsewhere..on whether Raja will be affected by the stricter officiating:
"Raja's fine, because he'll get thrown out, anyway. It's either a carjacking or nothing. He doesn't have any petty thief [in him]."