Kidd’s Play Has Suns Rising in West

Everybody knows the NBA’s power resides out West--in Los Angeles, Portland, San Antonio, Utah . . . and don’t forget Phoenix.

Led by the ever-energized Jason Kidd, and playing tough defense under coach Scott Skiles, the Suns have shot to the top of the early season standings in the Pacific Division.

At 7-1 entering the weekend, Phoenix is off to its second-best start--and it doesn’t even have Penny Hardaway or Tom Gugliotta yet.

“There’s a long way to go but we’re happy where we are,” Skiles said. “We have several games here in a row where we have a chance to have a great month, not just a good month or a nice month. We need to take advantage of that.”

If not for Chris Mills’ desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave Golden State a victory in the season opener, the Suns would have won their first eight games.

“I’m not surprised,” Kidd said. “This team has a lot of talent and a lot of guys who love to play the game.”

After helping the United States win the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics, Kidd is in midseason form. Through eight games, he averaged 17.4 points, 10.9 assists and 7.1 rebounds. He already has two triple-doubles.

Five Suns have averaged in double figures, led by 6-foot-7, second-year forward Shawn Marion. He leads the team in scoring, at 19 points a game, and in rebounding, 10.6. With Marion’s astounding leaping ability and incredible speed, the Suns finally have someone who can keep up when Kidd pushes it down the floor.

“Jason starts,” Marion said, “and I finish.”

A key offseason acquisition was guard Tony Delk. He and Rodney Rogers, winner of last season’s sixth man award, are part of an impressive bench. Delk is averaging 13.1 points and is 10-for-28 from 3-point range. Rogers is averaging 14.4. Cliff Robinson, a second-team selection on the all-NBA defensive team last season, is averaging 16.9 points.

The Suns also have gotten surprising play from three unheralded rookie free agents--Daniel Santiago, Paul McPherson and Ruben Garces. The 7-foot-1 Daniel Santiago is shooting 61 percent from the field and averaging 5.3 points.

As usual, Phoenix has no big-time center, but Chris Dudley, acquired in a trade that sent Luc Longley to New York, provides the kind of rebounding, defense and work ethic that Skiles loves. Dudley, Santiago, 7-2 first-round draft pick Jake Tsakalidis and Corie Blount give Phoenix 24 fouls to work with against Shaquille O’Neal.

Mario Elie, another offseason signee, has provided veteran leadership and strong defense while starting in Hardaway’s absence.

“The thing that really strikes me about this team is its depth,” said Dudley, who is out for two to three weeks with a sprained left ankle. “We’ve got a lot of guys who can play--and also the unselfishness.”

The biggest transformation since Skiles took over from Danny Ainge early last season has been the emphasis on defense.

“If you can’t play defense, you can’t play for him,” Rogers said.

Phoenix leads the league in opponents’ field goal percentage at .406 and is fourth in points allowed (87).

“If you don’t play good defense, you don’t win in any sport,” Skiles said. “That’s just the way it is. You may be able to win some games, but you can’t legitimately think you’re going to contend for anything if you don’t have a goaltender in hockey or you don’t have good pitching and defense in baseball.”

Skiles’ defense centers on fronting the inside players and denying entry passes. The Suns have the quickness at forward to pull it off.

“Fronting confuses a lot of teams,” Rogers said, “and that’s what you want to do--get teams out of what they’re used to doing and make it tougher for them.”

The Suns have had a friendly early schedule, with nine of their first 13 at home. But they’ve also blown out at least two teams expected to contend for the conference title: Portland (108-82) and San Antonio (100-81).

Gugliotta, coming off major reconstructive knee surgery, has been practicing full speed and could resume playing soon. Hardaway, recovering from surgery on his left knee, is still a week or more away.

Skiles said he doesn’t worry about making players happy once those two return.

“If you’re dealing with really, truly competitive men, they’re going to compete for it,” Skiles said. “And that can only help. If guys are going to have funny attitudes, then problems will arise. It’s my job to deal with those.”

The 36-year-old Skiles has the Suns playing with the kind of energy that hasn’t been seen on a Phoenix team in years.

“The guys respect him. They come in and work hard for him,” Rogers said. “Even though he’s a young coach, he knows the game well because he’s played the game. He knows what’s going on.”

Skiles sees plenty of room for improvement. The team commits far too many turnovers and could rebound better. He worries about the Suns’ tendency to let up against lesser opponents.

So, Skiles will keep pushing.

“We’ll never play a perfect game,” he said, “but if I don’t demand perfection, we’ll never get close.”