"It was an ashen Steve Nash on the court against the Lakers on Wednesday night, playing without a shred of passion. Admitting after the loss he was "emotionally drained," Nash merely went through the motions as he tried to digest the consequences of the Suns-Bobcats trade.

Rest assured he'll get over it. Nash watched his best friend, Raja Bell, depart in the Jason Richardson deal, along with Boris Diaw, leaving only traces of the Phoenix team that once scored at will against any opposition. But the Suns needed to do something, and nobody realized that more than Nash, whose recent critiques included "we're confused," "we've lost our belief" and "we're in a dark place."

To be specific, the Suns were the eighth-best team in the Western Conference at the time of the trade - both in the standings and in reality. Having abandoned the running game under new coach Terry Porter, they were wasting too much time pounding the ball in to Shaquille O'Neal. They had Amare Stoudemire playing erratically (nine rebounds in a two-game stretch, then 15 in a half against Utah) and openly fantasizing about joining another team in the 2010 free-agent bonanza.

In short, the Suns had become a team without an identity. They wanted to run, while being forced into a disorganized halfcourt offense. With Richardson, remembered in the Bay Area for his inspired play during the Warriors' playoff run in 2007, they hope to resurrect the scoring punch so evident when Joe Johnson and Shawn Marion were part of the mix.

The key will be Porter's willingness to adjust. He has to admit, right now, that he had the wrong idea with this team. He has to turn loose Nash and Richardson, while still enjoying the frontcourt advantage provided by O'Neal and Stoudemire. Now that he's lost Bell and Diaw, he has to abandon all hope of the Suns becoming a lock-down defensive team.

Despite Richardson's 21 points in a victory over Orlando on Friday night in his Suns debut, it won't be easy, not at first. The Suns have done nothing but adjust, radically, since the O'Neal trade with Miami and the departure of coach Mike D'Antoni. Count on Richardson providing a significant jolt of energy for a team needing it in the worst way, but the long-term prospects aren't that great."