The Phoenix Suns will pocket this year's Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy if:
Steve Nash grows his hair back Shawn Marion gets over his I'm-sick-of-being-trade-bait self and plays up to his obscene salary
Coach Mike D'Antoni gets over his I'm-sick-of-being-second-guessed self and goes to the bench now and then
Nobody whacks Amaré Stoudemire's knees with a hammer
Grant Hill -- once dubbed the second coming of Michael Jordan -- plays more like Michael Jordan than Grant Hill
Leandro Barbosa gets more minutes
Boris Diaw gets fewer
Promising rookie D.J. Strawberry gets any
Marcus Banks gets none
Richie Frahm gets . . . uh, who?
Raja Bell keeps kickin' Kobe Bryant's skinny ass
Speaking of Kobe, the best but most despicable player in the NBA brings his Los Angeles Lakers to town for what looks to be a smashing regular-season home opener for the Suns.
Wed., Feb. 20, 7 p.m., 2008