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Suns forward Boris Diaw reached an agreement on a 5-year contract extension worth an estimated $45 million.  Signing Diaw was a priority for the Suns organization this offseason, and it appears that they’ve succeeded.  Diaw is a versatile player that helped Phoenix earn a spot in the playoffs last year and reach the Western Conference Finals.

Diaw confirmed the agreement after the Suns beat Sacramento in a preseason game on Thursday night. He did not comment on the terms, but a source told The Associated Press it was worth $45 million.

“We didn’t sign anything yet but we’re going to make it tomorrow,” Diaw said.

The Suns scheduled a 4 p.m. EDT news conference for Friday.  The deal was finalized Thursday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, who asked not to be identified because the team was not scheduled to officially announce the extension until Friday.  The agreement will keep the 6-foot-8 forward under contract through the 2011-12 season. It was first reported by Phoenix radio station XTRA Sports late Thursday afternoon.  After Saturday’s preseason game against Sacramento, Diaw confirmed that a deal had been reached.

The 24-year-old Frenchman came to the Suns as part of the trade that sent Joe Johnson to Atlanta a year ago and responded with a standout season that earned him the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. He moved into the starting lineup in place of injured Amare Stoudemire in the preseason and averaged 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists in the regular season.

Read the full story from FoxSports

This move will allow the Suns to keep their core of players together for a little while, but the salary cap will be an issue here in another year or so.  One of the core will have to be traded away or Phoenix will be paying the luxury tax for every $1 over the cap they are. Ownership isn’t likely to fork out that kind of money, especially if they don’t win the championship this year.

In their second preseason game in Europe, the Phoenix Suns dropped a close one to the Philadelphia 76ers, 103-100.  Philadelphia rookie Rodney Carney hit the game turning 3 pointer to give Philly a 102-100 lead. Rick Brunson sealed the victory with one of two free throws for the 76ers.  The Suns led by 22 points at one time, but just couldn’t pull out the victory. Amare debuted his new #1 jersey in the game… this will be a must-have jersey this year in my opinion.  The Suns play Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv at 9am today - the game can be seen on NBA-TV.

Shawn Marion led the Suns with 25, Barbosa had 20, Steve Nash had 15 points and 9 assists, while Boris Diaw added 10 points and 12 rebounds. Stoudemire finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds and 5 turnovers in 19 minutes of play.

Recent Amare Stoudemire news…
Amare has reportedly been having good practices this week and did play in the game against the 76ers.  While he’s by no means “fully recovered”, at least STAT was able to get through a couple practices and participate in a live game with the rest of the team.

Shaquille O’neal, an NBA All-Star and future hall of famer, recently sat down with NBA.com for a question & answer session several weeks after the Miami Heat won their first NBA Championship.  I’ve included a few of the more interesting questions (and answers).

How did you guys turn it up once the playoffs began and what was it during the regular season that kept you from being 5-10 games better than you were?
“It happened because we sort of veteran-ly paced ourselves. A lot of teams come out, win 15 in a row, win 20 in a row, win 70 games, but if you don’t win the whole thing, none of that matters. Our formula was very simple: beat the teams you’re supposed to beat, stay dominant at home, and stay above .500 on the road. We did that and we won 50 games. We let about nine or 10 games slip away by not focusing or just by being lazy.“

Shaq goes on to say that getting in position to do well in the NBA Playoffs; not wearing yourself out too early, being healthy and gaining homecourt advantage for as many playoff rounds as possible.  What’s interesting though, is that he says the team was “lazy“ and could’ve won more games if they were more focused.  Certainly they did well enough, winning the championship, but I think this sets a bad example for today’s youth in that it’s ok to be lazy when you’re playing.  These guys are getting paid to be out there and Shaq basically admits that they don’t try all the time; it can influence youth to get a cocky attitude.

Have you ever seen a more relentless player in this league as far as taking the ball to the basket?
No…. I told him. I said, “Look man, they talk about Kobe and T-Mac and all that. That’s where I want you to be next year. When they talk about those guys, I want them to say ‘and D-Wade.’ Not ‘Kobe, T-Mac, Carmelo, LeBron and that’s it.’ Your name has got to be in those five. No. 1, 2 or 3 at worst. You gotta be up there.”

There’s no questions that Dwayne Wade developed into a superstar during this year’s playoffs, but if you watched him during the regular season it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone.  Wade routinely outhussled & outplayed virtually anyone and everyone that came in his path.  Wade has done very well in his short career, earning a ring before his fellow draft picks Lebron James and Carmello Anthony (and Chris Bosh).

Is Coach Riley’s situation an issue in your mind?
“It’s sort of an issue, but I haven’t addressed it and I won’t address it until it addresses me. But hell yeah, it’s an issue.“

Riley has since confirmed that he’ll return as coach of the Miami Heat, stating it was virtually a no-brainer.  Shaq certainly prefers Riley as coach.

Shaq also commented on a recent trip to China where he’s doing a shoe deal w/ Li-Ning, one of China’s biggest stars.  For now, the shoes are only going to be sold in China.

Read more at NBA.com…

Haven’t posted for a little while, but I wanted to give everyone an update on what’s been going on in the Phoenix Suns organization the last few weeks.

• 8/3/106 - Suns sign 8 year veteran Jumaine Jones to a one year contract. The former Charlotte Bobcat should fit in well w/ the uptempo Suns.
• 9/8/06 - Former Suns star Charles Barkley was inducted into the Hall of Fame; a deserving honor for one of the NBA’s best of all time. Buy Charles Barkley collectibles here.
• Amare Stoudemire continues to work himself back into game shape after almost a year of downtime & injuries.  The Suns recently brought in Michael Olowokandi to work out and possibly make the team this year. It’s highly doubtful he’ll make the roster for a variety of reasons: can’t dribble, can’t run & can’t shoot consistantly.
• Boris Diaw and the Suns are both intent on signing a contract extension, but the sides are about $2 million per year apart from each other.  Diaw is worth money, but not the maximum and $8 million per year (Suns offer) is pretty generous considering no other team was really interested in him at this time last year; he was a thrown-in with the Joe Johnson deal from the Hawks.

Suns forward Amare Stoudemire was sent home by USA Basketball coaches & administrators today, and will not travel with other NBA stars on this summer’s World Championship squad.

Stoudemire has a child on the way and is still rehabbing from microfracture surgery last year.  Managing director and former Suns leader Jerry Colangelo said that Amare needs more time to rehab his knee to be at full strength for the NBA season.

Amare is still part of the 24 man roster selected to participate for USA Basketball through the 2008 Olympics; he’s just been removed from this year’s squad, now down to 14 players.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff announced the 15 players chosen to represent the United States in August’s World Championships.  The coaching staff was required to trim their 24 man roster down to 15 for the championship games in Asia.

Among the players not selected were Luke Ridnour, Shawn Marion (knee) and Adam Morrison; the official reasons were not disclosed.  It’s important to note that these players are still part of the 24 man roster to be considered for the 2008 Olympics, but they won’t representing USA Basketball for this summer’s games.

The 15 men chosen for USA Basketball’s 2006 World Championship roster:

• Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (former Rookie of the Year)
• Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat (2006 NBA Finals MVP)
• Carmello Anthony, Denver Nuggets
• Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns (surprise pick - recent injury/surgery)
• Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls (surprising pick)
• Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards
• Shane Battier, Houston Rockets
• Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
• Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers
• Bruce Bowen, San Antonio Spurs
• Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
• Antawn Jamison, Washington Wizards
• Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
• Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings
• Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets

The coaching staff will need to cut the roster down to 12 for the actual championship games.  Look for Hinrich, Bosh and Battier to be taken off for the official playing squad.

The Phoenix Suns signed former Celtic guard Marcus Banks to a 5 year contract for $21 million.  Banks should fit in well with the run & gun Suns, as most have said he’s almost as quick as Leandro Barbosa.  Marcus will likely backup Steve Nash and play shooting guard as well.

Phoenix Suns Summer Rumors & News
The Phoenix Suns entered the summer with a couple goals, a couple problems and a lot of hope that their star player would get healthy.  Not everything that’s happened benefits the Suns, but they’re looking pretty good at this point.

• Tim Thomas - Leaves Suns to sign with the LA Clippers.  The Clippers just offered more money than the Phoenix was capable of and they’re a playoff-ready team.  I don’t expect Thomas to flourish in LA, but he should fill a nice role with the Clippers.
• Eric Piatkowski - Phoenix wasted little time filling the void left by Tim Thomas, by signing sharp shooter Piatkowski to a multi-year contract.  This does nothing to help the defense, but gives the Suns a good outside shooter for Amare and Marion to kick the ball out to on double-teams.
• Eddie House - Rumored to be leaving due to playing time.
• 2006 Draft Picks - The Suns traded both of their 1st round draft picks to give themselves more cap room to sign Tim Thomas, which ended up backfiring on them.
• Amare Stoudemire - The Suns star player is participating in the Las Vegas Summer League for Phoenix.  So far, so good for Amare, but the Suns should be cautious of pushing him too much or letting him play too much at this point.

In other NBA news…

• 2003-2004 NBA Rookies - Lebron James, Carmello Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all sign contract extensions with their respective teams.  While Anthony opts for a max contract for the full 5 years, James, Wade and Bosh all sign 3 year deals.  This gives them the option to leave if their teams don’t show enough improvements.
• Ben Wallace - Arguably the biggest free agent signing of the year, Big Ben signs deal with the Chicago Bulls - spurns Detroit’s offer to join young Bulls team.  I think the Bulls are getting screwed on this one, but time will tell.
• Other Free Agents - Peja Stojakovic signs w/ Bobcats. Alonzo Mourning likely to return to Heat in 2006-2007. Sam Cassell resigns with the Clippers for 2 years.
• Paul Pierce signs 3 year, $60 million contract; I don’t see how the Celtics can get competitive if they’re paying one player $20 million a year (see Garnett/Timberwolves for example). 
• Kobe Bryant has minor knee surgery, out of World Championships.
• NBA Trades - Tyson Chandler traded to New Orleans Hornets for P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith. Marquis Daniels traded to the Indiana Pacers for Austin Croshere.

Let’s get this out of the way first: Congratulations to the Miami Heat for winning the franchise’s first NBA title in history. Dwyane Wade was spectacular again, and walked away with his first title and the Finals MVP trophy (much deserved).  It’s clear that Shaq is no longer the dominant force in the league and Wade is establishing himself as one of the elite players in the game.  He elevated his game to another level in the NBA Finals.

There were questionable calls at the end of the game, such as Wade’s elbow to the face of Dirk Nowitzki, or the holding call on Jason Terry’s final shot (Payton holding jersey).  Arguing these incidents is futile, but I think it’s pretty clear that the referees have been giving the Heat the benefit of the doubt on all calls since at least Game 4.

Now to the juicy stuff…  Miami DID NOT deserve to win the championship in 6 games.

I have no problems with any of the games except Game 5, which the referees single-handedly handed to the Heat via the charity stripe.  Game 3 was a blown opportunity for the Mavs; they had the Heat on the ropes and blew it.  No argument there…  In Game 6, the Mavs again failed to deliver when it counted and ended up w/out their first championship or a Game 7.  This series should be 3-3 right now w/ a Game 7 on Thursday - instead, Miami wakes up this morning w/ a new trophy in their grasp.

Game 5, based on the number of foul shot attempts alone, is a horrid example of the referees making calls for one team over another.  I watched the majority of the game and Dallas was no-less aggressive at attacking the basket as the Heat were.  Dwyane Wade played great, but 25 free throws for him compared to just 25 for the entire Mavs squad?  Give me a break.  Dallas was employing the Hack-A-Shaq strategy, but that only led to O’Neal visiting the stripe 12 times.  I recall only 5 specific instances where they grabbed Shaq on purpose before he even had the ball (that’s 10 of 12 foul shots).

I don’t know the stats well enough, but I’ll bet a team shooting 65% from the free throw line hasn’t beaten a team shooting 84% (over 15 free throws minimum).  The refs simply put Wade on the line enough to keep the Heat in the game.  The Mavs kept fouling Shaq, but he shot 2 for 12… how could they stay in the game w/ him missing all those FT’s?  Again, put Wade on the line enough times (he is their best FT shooter), stop the clock, and watch the Heat catchup.

Had the referees not put the Heat on the line (2-to-1) for the game, there’s no way that Miami is even in the game and Dallas wins it.  The series should be 3-3 w/ a Game 7 in Dallas.

I have no bias for either team - had Miami been playing anyone else (except Suns) I would’ve been rooting for them.  Had they won w/out the questionable referee involvement, I would be happy for the Heat and wouldn’t say a word. 

Mark Cuban had some things to say after the loss… I think he played it safely because he is an NBA owner and could risk losing his team or other consequences if he crosses the line too far.

Just an honest sports fan’s opinion… Go Suns in 2006-2007.

It’s been a few years since an NBA Finals matchup actually intrigued me enough to try and watch every game of the series… the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Miami Heat in this years final round of the playoffs is one of those.

Both teams are fast-paced, equipped with a full-bench of bodies, and like to play defense on occasion.

I look for the Mavs to enlist the hack-a-Shaq fouling method that they made famous back in the late 90’s when Shaq was with the Lakers. The Mavs will have no answer for Dwyane Wade, as most teams don’t so they’ll have to contain Shaq and the other role players for the Heat.

I can’t see the Heat matching up with Dirk Nowitzki at all, so he should have an MVP-type playoff series.  Antoine Walker and Udonis Haslem will likely be matched up on him, but neither is tall enough or quick enough to stop Dirk from going off.  Jason Terry is going to be a tough responsibility for Wade and Miami’s backcourt, but they should be able to slow him down if they throw more than one body at him when he brings the ball up the court.