It didn't come to blood being spilled and the Phoenix Suns actually firing Mike D'Antoni as coach in the summer, but they did hold the door open to make sure he got to job interviews on time and then, when he left on his own to take over the New York Knicks, seemed awfully willing to help him pack.

D'Antoni out and Terry Porter in was the latest in bold moves for the Suns, D'Antoni having piled up 55, 61, 54, and 62 victories the past four seasons with a rapid-fire offense that encouraged a shot within the first seven seconds of the possession, even if it wasn't the most shocking policy shift. Nothing will top trading for Shaquille O'Neal with two full seasons and $40 million left on his contract and dropping him into a system predicated on running.

The coaching change is a huge gamble, though, because D'Antoni won and because his game plan was fan-friendly and, most of all, because the Suns seemed to force the exit. That puts it on them to do better with the successor than another first-round playoff elimination.

"I predict that we won't lose in the first round," O'Neal said.

How can he be so sure? "Because I know me."

Of course, there's the matter of knowing everyone else too, and Steve Nash is 34, Grant Hill is 36, Shaq is 36, there's a new coach implementing a new system and the possibility they'll all have to rely on rookies Robin Lopez and Goran Dragic. Once among the championship favorites, the Suns have dropped from the Western Conference's top tier until further notice.

Abandoning the sprint-relay approach is part of seeking a balance, including something so radical as getting the ball away from opponents, after they finished 25th in scoring defense and 30th in rebounding percentage. In truth, Phoenix was able to stop teams – 13th in shooting defense, a credible number and the best measure of the size of the sieve – but trying to outscore everyone had not delivered a title.

"Whenever you play that style, it's so up-and-down," said Porter, a former Rick Adelman assistant with the Kings. "Shot selection wasn't really a big issue and some other things weren't stressed. So whenever you change something when they've had a lot of success, there's always going to be some questioning from the players' standpoint.

"When I say I'm going to run up-tempo, it's, 'Well, they did that before.' Well, it's somewhat different than running up-tempo and having your main strategy be shooting in seven seconds or less. Teams are up-tempo and don't necessarily shoot the ball in seven seconds or less. There's still some shot selection that's important during that process. And you also want to see if you can do it with your defense at times, too. See if you can get steals and get stops and get out and run."

This is some proving ground for Porter, with the chance to be a difference maker in ways D'Antoni was or merely the guy who followed the popular guy and then couldn't deliver, either.

The Phoenix job is an enviable opportunity, but one also fraught with pressure and expectation. If the Suns take another dip, president Steve Kerr gets blasted first for overseeing the change in style of play and Porter gets it second, because that's what happens to coaches. If O'Neal isn't putting up good numbers and decides, per history, to point out that it is someone else's fault, Porter gets it from his center, because that's what happens to Shaq's coaches.

Call The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper, (916) 321-1210.