But it is unlikely the Suns will stand pat. There is talk they may trade away Marion, but that’s mostly nonsensical chatter from bloggers and fantasy league dorks.

They do have the 21^st and 27^th picks in the June 28 draft. Scuttlebutt has it that they want to couple the picks and trade up. This draft is weak, but you never know. Whomever they land will probably sit and learn, but could surprise and provide immediate depth. It can’t hurt to have another talented young guy on the bench.

The Suns are hungry. They know they could have defeated Dallas if they were at full strength, and if they had earned home court. This season was a confidence builder for them. The entire 2005-06 season was like an extended training camp, because it helped prepare them for the 2006-07 season, when they can make a more legitimate run.

For the Suns to break through as champions, other teams will have to step aside.

There’s no guarantee the Heat will return to the Finals next season. Shaq will be a little older and a little less effective, and so will Gary Payton and Antoine Walker. Despite the magnificence of Dwyane Wade, that team was built for the short term.

The Pistons probably will come out of the East, but only if they hire a private investigator or a psychic to find their vaunted defense. Against Miami in the conference finals, they looked like a team that didn’t care rather than one ravenous for victory.

The Cavaliers, Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls will be in the picture, but it’s likely that none of them is quite ready to make a championship surge. And the New Jersey Nets seem too enigmatic and directionless to challenge in the East.

In the West, certainly the Mavericks, Spurs and Clippers are formidable enough to reach the Finals. In a series against the Suns, each of those teams has enough offensive firepower and defensive mettle to send it down to the wire. The offseason will almost certainly bring roster changes designed to keep pace in the race for supremacy.

But the Suns just have that look about them. They’re young, athletic, passionate, fun-loving and exciting. Yes, they have deficiencies on defense, but they can be fixed. The Suns didn’t remind anyone of the 2003-04 Pistons, or the 2004-05 Spurs, yet they proved they’re capable of making stops when they have to. Defense is not a mindset that is incompatible with scintillating offense.

The Suns in 2007. The campaign begins.

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