Dustin Watson

Dustin Watson is an artist who creates a Phoenix Suns comic strip for brightsideofthesun.com. You can follow him on Twitter here.

Me: How many wins do you forecast for the Suns this season? Will they make
the playoffs?

Dustin: I predicted that the Suns will win 46 games this season and finish 9th
in the West. I think they have enough talented players to surprise not
only myself but most people but I think the blow of losing Amare is
really going to hurt them. In the first game of the season against the
Portland Trailblazers we played them close the whole game but down the
stretch in the 4th quarter we didn't have any go-to scorer to get easy
buckets. For the Suns to have any chance they're going to need somebody
to step up and fill that hole that was left when Stoudemire packed his
bags for NY. That plus it's hard to win on a roster filled with 1 PG, 1 C
and 11 wing players.

Me: Do you think Steve Nash will stay in Phoenix after his deal expires?

Dustin: Right now the question is will he be here long enough for his deal to
expire. As constituted this team doesn't look like it is going to be able
to contend and Nash is A) getting older and B) the Suns' best trade
asset. There are many who believe that Goran Dragic is ready to step up
and be a starting PG (I am not one of these people) and while it would be
almost blasphemous I would be surprised if the higher-ups didn't at least
listen to offers. That being said, The Suns have always been loyal to
Steve and Steve to the Suns. It would not surprise me at all if he ended
his career here in Phoenix.

Me: What about the idea that he might join his former coach and center/forward in New York?

Dustin: That's probably the most interesting scenario if Nash were to reunite
with both Amare and D'Antoni in NY. It would certainly be a good move for
him from a basketball standpoint given that he and Amare play extremely
well together, he knows the system and they have a lot of GOOD young
talent.

Me: How hard is it to draw the fear of finishing 14th in the West on Suns
players faces?

Dustin: ; )

Me: Have you ever drawn the Suns Gorilla?

Dustin: The Gorilla did appear in the second edition of my PHX Suns comic strip as Steve Kerr's Chief Advisor.

Me: Who is your favorite Sun ever?

Dustin: That's a tough one - obviously Nash and Barkley are probably the 2
players that have meant the most to the franchise but for me personally I
loved Shawn Marion. He brought so much to the table in terms of his
rebounding and defensive ability. He was able to play at an All-Star
level despite not having plays run for him in the offense and I loved
that.