Phoenix Suns Knocked Out of Playoffs

I was very disappointed to see the Suns ousted by the Spurs. The Suns' great offense & so-so defense couldn't stand up to the Spurs' well-oiled machine. Here's a look at the activity for Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire & Leandro Barbosa's key RC cards.

• Steve Nash - His Topps Chrome RC (his best base RC) had been increasing in average TAC every month, going from $28.94 in Feb, to $32.79 in Mar, to $36.88 in Apr and to $40.22 in May (thru 5/17, the day before their elimination). That's a 39% gain in roughly 2 1/2 months! His Topps Draft Redemption RC averaged $44.40 in Apr and jumped to $55 in May (up till elimination). Without the MVP award or championship, I wonder if his cards will hold their current high values till next season. I'm guessing that they will come down some, creating opportunities for buyers in the coming months.
  
• Amare Stoudemire - His SPx Auto/Jsy RC #'d 1999 has been a steady seller for around $70 to $77 from Jan to elimination. The next sale that I saw after their exit was for $58; a drop of roughly 20%. This could be a sign of buyers' deals to come. His SPA Auto RC #'d 1500, Bowman Sig Auto/Jsy #'d 999 & Finest Auto RC #'d 999 have been selling in the $45 to $55 range over the past month. Expect these to also come down in price.
  
• Leandro Barbosa - His SPx Auto/Jsy RC #'d 1999 averaged around $23.80 through Feb & Mar, then jumped to $30.11 in Apr (+26%). In May, during the playoffs, demand seemed to drop off, with TAC averaging $24.50, an 18.7% decrease. This is probably due to his drop in production as the playoffs progressed. Sellers must be holding onto these cards now because I've only seen 2 listed since elimination. His Bowman Sig Auto/Jsy #'d 1250 (his only other base RC with full sig) jumped in avg TAC from $15.63 in Mar to $21.92 in Apr (+40%). Then in May, it saw a modest 10% increase to $24.17. Like his SPx RC, there haven't been many listed since elimination (one to be exact, available on auction). He still has a bright future, so take advantage of market softness when it comes.

I'm afraid that we're going have a boring championship series with the Spurs & Pistons. Neither team has players with much hobby interest, so collectors/investors will probably spend the time looking for deals on the players who are already on their long vacations.