Recently, Phoenix Suns President Rick Welts suggested that Matt Barnes would provide the Suns with depth because it would allow Grant Hill to move to the bench, sparking controversy that Barnes would indeed replace Hill in the starting rotation. One theory behind the move is that Barnes would make the Suns starting five younger, while spacing the floor better because of his ability to hit the three-point shot, which Hill does not do. While the move makes sense, I think the Suns should go in a slightly different direction.

For starters, I agree that moving Grant Hill to the bench is a great idea. The move would allow the Suns to limit his minutes and perhaps give him longer life into the postseason. It would also give Phoenix’s second unit someone who can handle the ball and create his own shot, which will help alleviate pressure from rookie backup point guard Goran Dragic.

Matt Barnes, however, is not the guy who should get the nod in the starting lineup. He is a nice pickup for the league minimum that will undoubtedly draw Shawn Marion comparisons for his ability to do the little things, but he is better suited to add defense and three-point shooting off the bench.

If the Suns are looking for youth and spacing in their starting five, I would add both Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw to the mix, while relegating Raja Bell to spot up duty off the bench. I like this idea for tons of reasons. By playing Barbosa next to Nash, the Suns eliminate the need for Barbosa to handle the ball, which is a plus in the minds of most Suns fans. Making him a spot up shooter would space the floor at least as much as Bell did, except he has the ability to drive to the basket if the opposing team tries to run him off the line. In effect, he should actually get better looks than Bell would. Diaw plays better as a starter, period. He could play the high post and take the some of the pressure off Nash handling the ball. Heck, throwing the ball into Diaw in the high post would even allow Nash to spot up and get his. Diaw is also a very gifted low post player and an excellent passer, so sharing the post with Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O’Neal should not be a problem. There should be easy buckets all the way around.

The key to starting Nash, Barbosa, Diaw, Stoudemire, and Shaq is to get off to as big a lead as possible before the reserves have to come in. A hypothetical second unit of Dragic, Bell, Hill, Barnes, and rookie Robin Lopez looks like it would be offensively challenged, despite Hill’s scoring ability. The Suns bench, however, has the potential to be very strong defensively, and should be able to hold serve when they come in to relieve the starters.

It’s all up to coach Terry Porter. Starting both Bell and Hill would give the Suns a more traditional look, which is what Porter seems to be going for. However, Barbosa and Diaw have both already had their respective breakout seasons, but still have never been given the chance to truly show what they can do. If the Suns are thinking of making changes to the starting lineup, they should seriously consider starting Barbosa and Diaw.