"Steve Nash is comfortable in Phoenix. Maybe too comfortable.

He ranks among the most popular players in the history of a feel-good franchise, and his comments carry great weight on Planet Orange.

What if he spoke up forcefully when we needed him most, when owner Robert Sarver put on the blinders and refused to pay market value for Amar'e Stoudemire?

Answer: Maybe the Suns wouldn't be missing the playoffs.

I know some people want to feel good about the Suns' 106-103 season-ending victory over the Spurs. It prevented a symbolic series sweep from San Antonio, and denied our rivals home-court advantage through the NBA playoffs. Aesthetically, it made the final standings look a little better.

It's like getting a D on your report card. Anything less than 40 wins, and you're a failure, a bottom feeder.

It also was a moment of great sadness, proof of how good the Suns could have been had they not disposed of their All-Star power forward. It doesn't matter if you think Stoudemire was worth the money or not. It doesn't matter if Sarver had legitimate concerns about the player's long-term health.

This is all about philosophy and planning, front-burner subjects now that the Suns have completed their fall from grace.

When you have a legitimate championship window, you must keep it open at all costs, and deal with the expense later. Jerry Colangelo has taken significant grief for his spending habits while leading the Diamondbacks to the only major professional sports championship in this region. Major League Baseball still holds a grudge, and yet what Arizona fan wouldn't want him back in charge of the organization today?

With Stoudemire, the Suns nearly forged an upset of the Lakers in the 2010 Western Conference finals. Without him, they are a lottery team. The facts are indisputable, and the blame ultimately rests on one person: the businessman running a basketball team, even though I'm sure Sarver wouldn't let an NBA executive run one of his banks."