April 24, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Phoenix Suns assistant coach Dan Majerle (left) talks with head coach Alvin Gentry during the first half against the Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

The Suns’ 82 game regular season schedule was released today along with the schedule for rest of the league. Heading into this season the Suns haven’t looked this different since probably 2003, Steve Nash the face of the franchise is no longer wearing purple and orange but rather purple and gold, and the best player on the team is arguably Goran Dragic. So what are some things to expect this season let’s have ourselves a 4 on 4.

1) How good will the Suns be this year?

- Honest it’s very difficult to say at this point because you never know what can happen. The Houston Rockets made a strong playoff push last season with a roster that about the same talent wise if not worse, so it’s not completely outrageous to think the Suns can grab an eighth seed in the west but it is HIGHLY unlikely; at this point however grabbing a low seed in the playoff is pointless because it’ll just be another season in “No-Man’s land” For the Suns. It’s such a tough situation because when I look at the western conference, roster wise the Suns aren’t exactly better than any of them except Houston so the odds are the Suns’ will be a lottery team choosing between the 5th-9th spot.

2) Is Alvin Gentry going to be on the hot seat this year?

- Absolutely not, with the departure of Steve Nash; Alvin Gentry is about the only piece of the puzzle that’s left from the all famous seven seconds or less offense. Gentry has proven that he’s good at nurturing young players since he took over, look at Dragic and Dudley. Gentry will be heavily relied upon to mentor Kendall Marshall and Markieff Morris as those two guys will be very valuable building blocks for the future.

3) Who might get traded during the course of the season?

- The way things are right now I’d say the only player that’s untouchable is Kendall Marshall because he’s bound to become one of the best passers in the league and also he’s got solid potential as well as leadership skills that don’t come along everyday. The most valuable asset for the Suns is obviously Marcin Gortat, if the Suns’ are struggling mid way through the season I believe Gortat will be moved for draft picks or young talent.

4) Who will get to be the first permanent starter in Phoenix, Morris or Marshall?

- At this point I’d have to say Morris, mainly because Marshall has to compete for the starting point guard spot with Goran Dragic and Morris is going up against an aging Luis Scola for the starting power forward spot. Morris thus far has an NBA ready body and has proven to be able to play on both ends of the floor. Morris will be a good player for a long time to come as will Marshall however I don’t think Marshall can surpass Dragic this season skill wise then again it’s the NBA crazier things have happened.

Alvin Gentry and company will definitely have their hands full this season, statically shown that only teams that have won titles DRAFTED their best players, Jordan with Chicago, Dirk with Dallas, Kobe with L.A, Bird with Boston, Magic with L.A. The 2013 draft isn’t exactly loaded with crazy talented players but there’s always a diamond in a rough.

April 24, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Phoenix Suns center Robin Lopez (15) walks off the court after the game against the Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

The Phoenix Suns’ have made many moves this off-season, but as I’ve written in my previous article, they’re still a couple of moves away from wrapping up their off-season. They still have yet to deal with the Robin Lopez situation however they did complete the signing of Shannon Brown to a 2 year 7M dollar deal. Ironically the team that’s trying to execute a trade for Lopez is the team that ultimately matched the Suns’ offer for Eric Gordon, that’s right it’s the New Orleans Hornets.

According to a tweet by Adrian Wojarnarowski of Yahoo! Sports “Hornets have worked hard on executing a sign-and-trade for Suns RFA center Robin Lopez, but deal hasn’t come together, sources tell Y!,” Question at this point, do the Suns’ attempt to keep Lopez for the price around 4-6M annually or do they trade him for future assets?

It’s not exactly news that NBA centers have been expensive in recent years as Omer Asik who played less than 15 minutes a night during the 2011-2012 season, received a 3 year 24M dollar contract from the Houston Rockets. Lopez had a good stretch at the end of year becoming a solid rim protector and became a little more effective offensively. The Suns at this point have every reason to not to keep Lopez based on logjam issues with their front court alone so I’d imagine if the Hornets make a decent offer the Suns would let him walk.

The Suns already have 4 players at the power forward position next year and Marcin Gortat at the center position, so even if Lopez does return he probably won’t play more than 18 or so minutes per night. On top of that Channing Frye or Markieff Morris can fill Lopez’s role on the team as they will be fighting for playing time after the Suns’ signing of Luis Scola.

It’d make sense right now for the Suns to trade their back-up center for some much needed future assets whether it’d be from the Hornets or another team. The Suns are in a rebuilding mode, that’s been established. They already have 10 draft picks in the next 3 seasons, but it wouldn’t hurt to add more. If the Hornets offer a future a first round pick and maybe a second round pick as a throw-in I’d take that deal in a heartbeat.