Raja Bell

It’s interesting to see what kind of influence a coach can have over his team in a relatively short amount of time. Terry Porter has apparently changed the culture of the Phoenix Suns to the point where their opponents are taking note of how physical the Suns are playing:

The Suns have been working on a new identity since the summer. Perception may form it before they finish crafting it.

After the Suns beat Portland 107-96, Blazers coach Nate McMillan and players Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez each mentioned how “physical” the Suns played. Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge told the (Portland) Oregonian that the Suns “bullied” them.

The Suns were obviously a very good team with Mike D’Antoni as coach, but no one would ever confuse them with the Bad Boys of yesteryear. Other than Raja Bell, in recent memory, there hasn’t been a guy in a Suns uni looking to mix it up. The difference in noticeable and with the roster basically the same as it was last year, the change comes straight from Porter.

Source: AZ Republic