"The good times are gone. Empty seats weep silently. And after all these wonderful years of service, Steve Nash suddenly has become a liability.

The Suns must trade him soon, before he can turn a flawed, talent-deprived team into something mediocre.

No one wanted it to end this way. But after three successive home losses to Cleveland, New Jersey and Toronto, it's time to face the sobering truth.

Marquee free agents won't be coming to Phoenix any time soon. The only way to spawn another contending team is through luck of the draft. And the only foreseeable reward for this awful season in progress is a place inside the NBA lottery, where the right number of ping pong balls could lead the Suns to their next franchise player."