Suns head off to Europe

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The Suns leave today for a two-week European trek that begins in Treviso at the Benettons' Italian countryside hotel, watching Italian League soccer and visiting a glass factory.

The players will make a day visit to Venice and spend three days in Rome to squeeze in the likes of the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums.

They will wind up on the River Rhine, able to take in Cologne Cathedral in Germany.

The Suns' next two weeks will be spent doing what Steve Nash has emphasized aloud during the team's recent pickup games: play together.

They have as much to accomplish with their on-court play as they do in tourist play. They get to start training camp four days early, giving them the same number of preseason practices with only one two-a-day session amid the tourism and travel. The trip includes Phoenix's first three preseason games, starting in a week at Lomattica Roma and continuing in Cologne vs. Philadelphia and either CSKA Moscow or Maccabi Tel Aviv.

"It's not going to be 100 percent into basketball, but I think we can balance the chance to see Venice and Rome and enjoy the cultural stuff and get our work done," said Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, an Italian playing and coaching legend who had two stints (1994-97 and 2000-01) as coach at the first stop, Treviso. "I think we have players who are mature enough to know what's at stake and where we are heading."

The title talk is more prevalent than ever. The Suns feel they have a better team with off-season moves that bolstered the depth and Amar? Stoudemire's and Kurt Thomas' returns from injuries. The usual themes of improving rebounding and defense preside again.

"We're trying to get to know each other and re-establish the way we play and hopefully have no injuries," Nash said. "There's going to be so many distractions, but we're trying to play in June not October. We want to start out flying on Halloween but the goal is a championship."

The largest variable is Stoudemire, coming off a surgery on each knee in the past year with only three games in between. He still has not teamed with Thomas and has had ups and downs all summer. Last week, he had a rough day on the court, did not return for the next two days' sessions and asked for an MRI on his right knee (it was negative). This week was nothing but positive days on the court and optimism from Stoudemire, who is pledging to be an All-Star.

First, he has to earn his primary-scorer role back. The frontcourt is not deep but it is top heavy now that Boris Diaw has emerged, Thomas has proved his dedication and Shawn Marion can slide to power forward.

"If Amar?'s not healthy and ready to roll immediately, it might take us a little bit but our sights are set on a championship," D'Antoni said. "Our focus is to get Amar? to 100 percent. People have to be patient. We can't let our expectations get so high that we get nervous. I just don't know how well we'll start but I think we have plenty of time to get his pizzazz back."

Stoudemire will have no limitations in camp. Conditioning and confidence remain his biggest issues. He has yet to show the fearless play that set him apart from the pack.

"I'm just trying to polish my skills as I get in shape," Stoudemire said. "I'm trying to get my swagger back."

The other most significant dynamic is the addition of Marcus Banks, who signed a five-year, $21 million contract with Phoenix this past summer. He brings defense, speed and a more suitable backup point guard to ease Nash's playing time and playmaking burdens.

There will be times that three of the Suns on the court will come from the group of Nash, Banks, Leandro Barbosa and Raja Bell. Diaw will no longer have to be on the court when Nash is out. With any of the three able to bring up the ball, Phoenix can play even faster than last season.

"One of the big things in preseason will be how we play when Steve is out and if those stretches can become larger, more productive chunks of time," Suns Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin said.

There are smaller battles to analyze. Will free-agent acquisition Jumaine Jones push James Jones for minutes? Maybe. Has Sean Marks' impressive shooting and aggression in informal workouts put him ahead of Pat Burke? Probably. Just how deep is D'Antoni willing to go with more talent? Probably nine players deep.

All the while, D'Antoni is the hero returning to Italy with a two-time Most Valuable Player and the NBA's most exciting team to show off in the nation where he has dual citizenship and lived for two decades.

"It's exciting for me but the most important part is that Kurt Thomas has never been to Europe so I can't wait to see how he reacts to Venice," D'Antoni said. "It's going to be for the players and to show a great team. We could be in Spain and I'd feel the same excitement to show something elite."