Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason | Roster
Last year: 51-31, third in Pacific, sixth in conference
Coach/GM: Scott Skiles/Bryan Colangelo
Arena, first game: America West Arena (19,023); Nov. 7, 1992
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 1,473-1,201/0
Notable: Were only team to have five 12-ppg scorers

THE ROTATION
Pos	Player	Key Stat	Skinny
PG	Stephon Marbury	23.9 ppg	Should see scoring rise, but will he win?
SG	Anfernee Hardaway	4 games	Do you believe? And what's left?
SF	Shawn Marion	10.7 rpg	Ranked high in rebs, steals and FG
PF	Tom Gugliotta	.392 FG	Nightmare two seasons, but he's back
C	Jake Tsakalidis	4.5 ppg	Has the size, and they need him
6th	Rodney Rogers	12.2 ppg	Very capable of another sixth man award
7th	Tony Delk	12.3 ppg	Should start at SG when Penny goes down
8th	John Wallace	40 games	Piston throwaway might contribute here

		With Stephon Marbury now running the point instead of Jason Kidd, the Suns should be a playoff team once again. But a lot will depend on Penny Hardaway and whether he can play with his knee condition. Also, another question is how much Jake Tsakalidis will improve. Tom Gugliotta should play better than he did a year ago, as should Rodney Rogers. Shawn Marion has already established himself as a very good small forward, and he's getting better. I like Tony Delk and Elliot Perry in the backcourt. Dan Majerle will miss time with a broken finger, giving the young players a chance to step up. It'll be interesting to see what Derek Hood and Alton Ford can do. I like the job Scott Skiles is doing.

By Scott Howard-Cooper
Special to ESPN.com

It never has been boring in the Valley of the Sun, even as they quietly shed the image of the track team just interested in outscoring everyone and instead became the group that in 2000-01 won with defense. The headlines still came, only not the kind that you'd want the kids to read, and then a first-round loss came after that, so heads rolled in the name of breaking out of the malaise. Phoenix was good then, will be good -- not great -- again, and will be interesting, always.

Who's Who
Strange that the familiar face in the backcourt is the newcomer. That says a lot about the way Stephon Marbury turned into a star last season for the Nets and just as much about how Anfernee Hardaway was a non-factor because of injury, including the brief pass at making it back for the playoffs. The Suns gave up Jason Kidd, a better passer and defender, to get Marbury from New Jersey for an increased scoring punch, just as everyone was waiting around for Gary Payton to be the superstar point guard who would be traded.

Ideally, the Suns would add Marbury as the defribilator and also get Hardaway back, essentially making for a new backcourt. That comes with another newcomer who isn't -- Dan Majerle was one of the most popular players in Phoenix even when he wasn't in Phoenix. His return as a free agent adds depth and toughness, not to mention something else needed there, a public relations boost. He will play shooting guard and small forward.

"They've shown signs of developing the kind of relationship," Skiles said of the new Marbury-Hardaway tandem. "I'd like to see them have off the court. Penny went to Stephon's StarburyLand stuff, they played together in September. Our problem has been, since the first day of camp, they've only played together one day. You need to get along off the court, but you need that chemistry on the court, too, and we've got to find a way to get them out there together before opening night. So, that's our goal right now. But I'm hoping that the off-the-court chemistry carries onto the court."

The change in the frontcourt came when Clifford Robinson was traded to Detroit for Jud Buechler, another swingman, and forward John Wallace.

	FANTASY SLEEPER
	Tony Delk, G -- You're fooling yourself if you believe Penny Hardaway is going to play 82 games this season. Even 62 games is a stretch. And when Half-Penny rears his head, Delk will be there to pick up the slack. He's a pure scorer and is leading the Suns this preseason at a clip of 15.3 points per game. He can also chip in with 2-3 assists and rebounds and a steal per night.

The Big Question
Two, actually:

Can Hardaway stay healthy? If he does, defenses won't be able to focus all the attention in the backcourt on Marbury, compared to if, say Tony Delk is back there and doesn't make for as big a scoring threat. A third consistent scoring weapon, along with Starbury and Shawn Marion, would be huge. Plus, Hardaway's size and reach will help compensate on defense for the loss of Kidd. Because... Can they come close to being as good defensively? Kidd is among the best in the league in that area. Robinson was good, and versatile, in the frontcourt. Jake Tsakalidis will have to continue to develop as an inside presence.

Best/Worst Case Scenario
If things break right -- Hardaway's health, Tsakalidis' progress -- they could still be a 50-win team. Almost as importantly, they could win back some of the fans who drifted away, either from competition of the sports dollar in Phoenix with the relatively recent arrivals of hockey and baseball or from disappointment over the actions of some players. This is not a championship contender, but talent and youth says it can still be a playoff regular.

Not that anyone is ready to swear by that things-breaking-right scenario, leaving open the possibility they will fall from the playoffs. Hardaway didn't even make it through the first week of camp before leaving for treatment. Majerle needed surgery on a finger. And they all thought this was supposed to be a fresh start?

OVERRATED	UNDERRATED	TEAM MVP
Penny Hardaway. Look, you have to actually play to help the team win.	Tony Delk. He had an amazing 53-point outburst vs. Sacramento, and can start if need be.	Stephon Marbury. Marion's good, but Steph might score 25 a night out West.