Changing of the Guard

The NBA playoffs are upon us, and both Phoenix and Dallas have been eliminated in 5 games. A few years ago these two teams were supposedly championship contenders, and now they can't get out of the 1st round. WOW!!!

So here's my diagnosis for their problems.
The Suns: Getting Shaq was a good acquisition on paper, but he ultimately changed the dynamic which the team worked on. Though he strengthened their inside presence, they miss the flexibility and defensive prowess of Shawn Marion. Marion was instrumental in developing the fastbreak, run and gun style of play that put them in the upper echelon of the Western Conference in the 1st place. However, they chose to replace their Lego with a Duplo...NOT A GOOD LOOK!!! Even with the most fundamentally sound point guard in the league, they "forgot what brought them to the dance", and they're just NOT a half court squad. They need to get back to their Black Thoughts & ?uest Loves!!!

The Mavs: I really don't know what to say about them. Dirk has been under performing the last few seasons in my opinion, and they brought in Jason Kidd hoping to recapture their previous greatness when Nash was at point. NO!!! This team has incredible pieces, but with an ineffective leader in Dirk, they're going nowhere FAST!! He's quite possibly the most versatile 7 footer in the league, but he's no Hakeem Olajuwon. In many ways, they're very similar to 94/95 Rockets. However, "The Dream" delivered during crunch time. So Dirk, toughen up, grow some pubs, sprout some chest hairs, and take charge. If not, you're done.