Front Page
News
Opinions
Videos
Podcasts
Photos
Subscribe
Get the ThrillOf: Magic | Knicks | Mavericks | Nuggets | Jazz | Lakers | Heat | Rockets | SuperSonics | Spurs | Indians | Chiefs | Orioles | NBA | Hawks | Tiger Woods | Michelle Wie | Roger Federer | Flames | Cowboys | and more...
# 3 Blogger
s.azcentral.com
s.azcentral.com (s.azcentral.com) has great Phoenix Suns news, photos, videos and more
Today
Nash ill but probable
Nash, who practiced the past three days, is not as sick as he was when he stayed in his hotel room and missed the Dec. 3 shootaround and game at New Orleans. The guy sure does get sick quite a bit. Must be all that fingertip licking to help his grip on the ball.
Finally, a game
With three or more days rest, Shaquille O'Neal has averaged 19.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks this season. Betwen that trend, how O'Neal has played of late and how he barely played in that first Indiana game (12 minutes), Stoudemire probably won't be afforded the opportunities to app...
Yesterday
Is it Wednesday yet?
If the Suns continue to not play, they might wind up with home-court advantage in the playoffs. Phoenix is in fifth place by percentage points in the Western Conference after being ninth not that long ago and eighth a week ago. Of the nine Western Conference playoff contenders, the Suns ...
Friday, Jan 2
Baron Davis out for Suns game
Clippers guard Baron Davis is out for tonight's game at Phoenix because of a bruised tailbone. The Clippers also altered their lineup to go bigger, starting former Suns center Brian Skinner in the frontcourt instead of Mardy Collins. So the Clippers lineup is now Hart, Skinner, Al Thornt...
Wednesday, Dec 31
Is a lead of 18,228 safe?
Stoudemire is second among Western Conference forwards with 743,639 votes, putting him well behind San Antonio's Tim Duncan (1,132,095) for first place and only 18,228 ahead of Denver's Carmelo Anthony for second place. The top two vote-getters among Western Conference forwards wil...
A sweep's a sweep
Yeah, it was Oklahoma City without Joe Smith and Memphis without Darrell Arthur. But it's also two road wins that essentially came without Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, setting up a homestand with the Clippers, Pacers and Mavericks over the next 10 days. It also kept Phoenix in that fi...
Monday, Dec 29
Nash out for game
Nash, who has an ongoing vertebrae condition that can manifest itself in different ways, had just slipped Louis Amundson a pass for a 3-point play when he came to the sideline and said something to Terry Porter and Aaron Nelson. Leandro Barbosa was sent to the game and Nash went to the traini...
Shaq vs. Swift with Smith out
Suns center Shaquille O'Neal will start tonight's game at Oklahoma City but he won't be going up against the Thunder's usual starting center of late, Joe Smith. Suns coach Terry Porter is not worried about the Suns taking the Thunder lightly again, not after needing Steve Nash heroics to...
Day of Thunder
C: Shaquille O'Neal ... Joe Smith PF: Amare Stoudemire ... Jeff Green SF: Grant Hill ... Kevin Durant PG: Steve Nash ... Russell Westbrook The Suns have been ill this weekend. Goran Dragic missed two practices with the flu. Grant Hill has been battling a stomach flu but practiced.
Friday, Dec 26
Suns-Spurs rewind
The Suns maintained their double-digit lead from the 11-0 start and are up 23-10 after two nice defensive plays -- a help block by Amare Stoudemire when Tony Parker had slipped by Steve Nash and Robin Lopez and another block by Lopez on Kurt Thomas. But the momentum died when Lopez got beat on...
Thursday, Dec 25
Tucker to D-League
Tucker was on today's active roster but will leave Phoenix tonight to join Iowa. Tucker's preseason injuries and November knee surgery have prevented him from playing a game with the Suns this season. There were times he would have been used but his health coincides with a time that that the...
Merry Xmas, Suns fans
This is the Suns' 17th Christmas game but first home one since 1996 against the Lakers. Phoenix is 11-5 on Christmas. This will be the 15th Christmas game in Phoenix. It is Shaquille O'Neal's 11th Christmas game. He is 5-5 in those games with averages of 23.6 points (on 53.8 percent shooting) and...
Monday, Dec 22
Suns' workout done, choosing begins
Darrell Armstrong, Dee Brown, Eddie Gill, Troy Hudson, Walker Russell and Damon Stoudamire wen through a series of one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three play this afternoon on the US Airways Center practice court. It was a draft-style workout but with five NBA veterans partici...
Suns have a point to make
He is 6 feet, 170 pounds and 28 years old. He was invited to training camp last with the New York Knicks, where his father (a former NBA player) serves as a scout. He is averaging 16 points and a D-League-best 11 assists for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants but shoots only 40 percent. That's a weakness for hi...
Saturday, Dec 20
2005-06 Diaw has resurfaced
Many NBA observers thought Charlotte made the deal that sent Jason Richardson to the Suns when it did so it could acquire Boris Diaw and Raja Bell in time for them to become trade eligible before the league's Feb. 19 trade deadline. Former coach Mike D'Antoni always has been Diaw's biggest fa...
Suns' draft pick lifting Celtics
It seems appropriate that the Boston Celtics can break the club record for consecutive victories and tie the best start in NBA history Sunday against Mike D'Antoni's New York Knicks. The Suns selected Rondo in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft. But they ...
A few nuggets for tonight
Nuggets (17-9) at Suns (15-11) C: Nene ... Shaquille O'Neal PF: Kenyon Martin ... Amare Stoudemire SF: Carmelo Anthony ... Grant Hill PG: Chauncey Billups ... Steve Nash Notes: Denver is 16-6 when starting Billups, who has been a tough matchup physically for Nash in the past. Hill will ...
Wednesday, Dec 17
Porter and only Porter
TP Tuesday in Portland sounded like a rousing, emotional success for Terry Porter, whose No. 30 was retired and put in the rafters. It's too bad the Portland Trail Blazers are diminishing the honor but also retiring it for Bobby Gross and doing it on the night Porter's Suns team visits. Gross w...
Tuesday, Dec 16
What a week
From talk of the big trade Wednesday to the Monday return of a coach who felt betrayed, it's been a wild few days on Planet Orange. Now detached from the circus it became, there is a view of a team that is playing better and in a way that fits its personnel, although they still had trouble capital...
Monday, Dec 15
Heeeere's Mike
Just one of 82, right? Before two teams tied for eight place in their respective conferences meet tonight, Mike D'Antoni had more to say that was fit to print in the paper. His Knicks held practice at Brophy on Sunday, when there was a motorcade pulling into the campus ... for the president of Ire...
Saturday, Dec 13
D'Antoni revisits his past
Six months after calling many Suns players to say goodbye, Mike D'Antoni has seen his former team play for three minutes. That occurred Wednesday, when he caught the end of the Suns-Lakers telecast. It was Phoenix's first game without Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, two D'Antoni favorites who we...
Friday, Dec 12
J-Rich, Dudley to play tonight
Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley have passed their physical exams and are about to become official Phoenix Suns players and play in tonight's home game against Orlando. Richardson will not start the game. Matt Barnes will start, as he did Wednesday against the Lakers. ...
D'Antoni defends Suns stay
The countdown to Monday's Suns-Knicks game and New York coach Mike D'Antoni's Phoenix return is officially underway now that D'Antoni got off some blasts in Peter Vecsey's New York Post column. Enjoy:
Preparing J-Rich to play tonight
C: Dwight Howard ... Robin Lopez PF: Rashard Lewis ... Amare Stoudemire SF: Hedo Turkoglu ... Grant Hill PG: Jameer Nelson ... Steve Nash Suns coach Terry Porter talked after Phoenix's shootaround this morning about getting Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley prepped to play tonight's game.
More trade stuff
Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley are in Phoenix today but will they be in uniform tonight? The Bobcats are not expecting Richardson's and Dudley's physicals to be done in time for the outgoing Suns to join practice there. That makes the chances of Richardson and Dudley playing tonight vs....
Thursday, Dec 11
Stoudemire an All-Star starter?
Suns power forward Amare Stoudemire is in line to be a starter for the NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix on Feb. 15. Suns center Shaquille O'Neal is second in a one-spot race for the Western starting center spot. O'Neal's 227,273 votes is already well behind Houston center Yao Ming's 529,290 votes.
Diaw rips Suns, Bell passes
Boris Diaw and Raja Bell were traded Wednesday. Raja Bell was hurrying to get out of Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon when he spoke briefly by phone after the trade was made. I had a great time in Phoenix," Bell said. "It was a great stop for me. I wish them the best of luck.
Wednesday, Dec 10
Start Hill or Barnes? How about both?
The trades subtracted three players. Shaquille O'Neal's family funeral has him in North Carolina. And Alando Tucker is not ready for active duty. So the Suns will take on the West's most powerful team with an eight-man crew and a new starting lineup.
Some immediate trade ramifications
The Suns have eight, maybe nine, players available for tonight's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. I say nine because Alando Tucker, while supposedly a week away in conditioning, could probably suit up and give the Suns some minutes ...
Jason Richardson? Nice move, Steve Kerr
You have my attention, Suns. I wrote last week this team had become unwatchable, or at the least, uninteresting. Acquiring Jason Richardson will be a welcome shot in the arm. You have to love a guy who won the slam dunk contest twice. Boris Diaw and Raja Bell were at the heart of some of the team's ...
Suns-Lakers outlook
Shaquille O'Neal goes from ubiquitous to absent. O'Neal headed to North Carolina to attend the viewing Thursday and funeral Friday for his great-grandmother. He probably won't be back for Friday's home with Orlando but said he would try. As for tonight, Robin Lopez will return to the start...
Suns-Bucks rewind
Shaquille O'Neal talked for nearly four minutes with the media after his 35-point game Tuesday in a Suns' 125-110 victory against Milwaukee. In that span, he referred nine times to the number of shots he gets in a game and how that total corresponds to his impact.
Tuesday, Dec 9
Shaq out for L.A.
Suns center Shaquille O'Neal will miss Wednesday night's game against the Lakers in Los Angeles and probably Friday's home game with Orlando. O'Neal's great-grandmother recently passed away and he is headed out to get to the services back East after tonight's game.
Suns-Bucks outlook
11 a.m. update ... Shaquille O'Neal will play tonight's game Bucks (9-13) at Suns (12-9) C: Andrew Bogut ... Shaquille O'Neal PF: Malik Allen ... Amare Stoudemire SF: Richard Jefferson ... Grant Hill SG: Michael Redd ... Raja Bell PG: Luke Ridnour ... Steve Nash
Sunday, Dec 7
Suns-Jazz rewind
Just sayin', this starting lineup (Nash-Bell-Hill-Stoudemire-O'Neal) is now 4-0 with two of the season's best wins (Detroit and Utah at home). Grant Hill started well with a drive and fastbreak finish that led to a 17-11 lead and Utah time out. And Matt Barnes was just as productive...
Saturday, Dec 6
Hill back to starting lineup
Suns forward Grant Hill will return to the starting lineup for tonight's home game against Utah, sending fellow small forward Matt Barnes to a reserve role. Hill has averaged 12.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks in six starts this season. As a reserve, he averaged 6.6 p...
Suns-Jazz outlook
C: Mehmet Okur ... Shaquille O'Neal PF: Paul Millsap ... Amare Stoudemire PG: Deron Williams ... Steve Nash Okur and Williams, who did not play when Utah won the teams' first meeting, combined for 35 points while Millsap had 17 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.
Friday, Dec 5
It's official: Suns have become unwatchable
This lack of passion says one thing: This group isn't buying what Terry Porter's selling, and the coach is struggling to inspire the type of defensive play he spoke of when he arrived in Phoenix. Give me something. Soon. Steve Kerr is the type of guy you want ...
Thursday, Dec 4
Barnes starting vs. Dallas
Porter had said that Grant Hill's start at Barnes' small forward spot had more to do with the fact that Leandro Barbosa was starting as well. He said Barnes would continue to start because he has played well and there are some things he would still like to try to help Hill off the bench, like get...
Suns-Mavericks outlook; Suns-Hornets rewind
Suns (11-8) at Mavericks (9-8) C: Shaquille O'Neal ... Erick Dampier PF: Amare Stoudemire ... Dirk Nowitizki SG: Raja Bell ... Gerald Green PG: Steve Nash ... Jason Kidd Dallas and Phoenix have played once since the trades for O'Neal and Kidd. Dallas won that game, 105-98, in April at US ...
Wednesday, Dec 3
Nash, Shaq out; Hill, LB, Lopez to start
Steve Nash (flulike symptoms have kept him at the hotel all day) and Shaquille O'Neal will sit out tonight's game at New Orleans. Leandro Barbosa will get hist first start of the season in Nash's place at point guard and rookie Robin Lopez will start for O'Neal for the third time this seaso...
Suns-Hornets outlook
Suns (11-7) at Hornets (9-6) C: Shaquille O'Neal ... Tyson Chandler PF: Amare Stoudemire ... David West SF: Matt Barnes ... Peja Stojakovic SG: Raja Bell ... Rasual Butler PG: Steve Nash ... Chris Paul Notes: The Suns, on a two-game skid, were the only team not to ...
Tuesday, Oct 21
Home away from home
Can Shaquille O'Neal play only home games? In two preseason games at US Airways Center, he has averaged 19.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. But the home court is no help for his free throws. He has made half or fewer of his free throws in each appearance, going 6 for 12 on Monday.
Thursday, Oct 16
Updates on Nash, Shaq, etc.
It sounds like Steve Nash is going to be just fine. Suns general manager Steve Kerr was called by head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson at halftime of Wednesday night's 102-100 victory in Atlanta to let him know that Nash had suffered a mild right ankle sprain. Nash tried to continue and wants to...
Wednesday, Oct 15
Opinion: Shaq's comments ring hollow
On Tuesday, Shaquille O'Neal called a team's decision to intentionally foul him when it has a 10-point-or-more lead "cowardly." His frustration is understandable. The tactic walks the fine line of sportsmanship and mocks the spirit of the game.
Tuesday, Oct 14
Barnes is back; Bell baby here too
Suns forward Matt Barnes will be back in the starting lineup for tonight's home game against Memphis after missing the previous two games for the births of his twin boys. Barnes returned from the Bay Area, where his babies were born, to Phoenix late Saturday night and finally got some slee...
Thursday, Oct 9
First impressions
Boris Diaw had no assists. That's a rarity for arguably the league's best passing big man. It happened four times all of last season. Grant Hill would have had a very efficient, Hill-type game had he not missed on finishes of the two transitions that looked most like the previous years' Sun...
Wednesday, Oct 1
T-camp Day 1 observations
The media doesn't see most of practice by league rule. We're supposed to see the final 30 minutes but that doesn't always work out either. Of what was open Tuesday, the first team appeared to be Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Shaquille O'Neal and Boris Diaw (in for Amare Stoudemire, who wa...
Monday, Sep 29
Porter must overcome 3 challenges for success
Which Boris Diaw will show up under Porter's reign and how will Leandro Barbosa perform without the guidance of the D'Antoni brothers? Suns General Manager Steve Kerr has spoken of limiting Nash to 70 games this season, but that sounds like a risky option. Goran Dragic is promising but you...
Thursday, Sep 25
Phoenix Suns chat
The rotation is going to be a work in progress. The Suns are determined to go deeper into the bench this season but there are 10 guys (Barbosa, Barnes, Bell, Diaw, Dragic??Hill, Lopez, Nash, O'Neal, Stoudemire) who expect to play every day. That's not even counting Alando Tucker, who the Sun...
Friday, Sep 19
Barnes over Hill?
There is no doubt that there has been consideration for the move, just as the much-debated idea of starting Leandro Barbosa instead of Raja Bell also gets discussed. Raja Bell will probably be the last Sun to come in town, although he had been in and out once already. But Bell has been playing r...
Saturday, Sep 13
Suns' approval rating falls
And my biggest fear is that you will become the '06-'07 Heat ... a Shaq-dismal team of semi-inspired vets. They opened with a 42-point home loss to the Bulls, drifted through the regular season and got swept in the first round of the playoffs.
Wednesday, Jul 16
Trio of fun: Skateboarding, hoops, Vegas!
It attracted record crowds that included fans as diverse as heiress Nicky Hilton and Suns owner Robert Sarver. Now about the Suns. Then everyone said, 'You guys can't get past the Western Conference finals if you can't play defense,' " he said.
Friday, Jun 27
Suns draft review
Most did not realize the Suns had traded for Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic in the second round. The trade was made just a couple picks before San Antonio's 45th pick, which the Spurs used to take Dragic on Phoenix's behalf in exchange for the No. 48 pick (the Suns took Malik Hairston on San...
Wednesday, Jun 4
Opinion: Kerr talks coaching search
The Suns will have more workouts Friday, Sunday and Thursday with a new rule allowing them to bring in as many as six at a time. Friday's workout is scheduled to include Texas point guard D.J. Augustin while Sunday's group is slated to feature the likes of Florida power forward Marreese Spreig...
Does this mean Porter's the pick?
Los Angeles Lakers assistant Brian Shaw is out of the running for the Suns head coach job. He revealed that to the Orange County Register but that wasn't the biggest news he offered. He (Suns General Manager Steve Kerr) wanted to have a coach that had experience in terms of being a head coach,...
Friday, May 16
Opinion: Suns to interview Houston's Elston Turner
To review, the Suns talked to Terry Porter on Thursday and will interview Mark Jackson this morning. Those are the only interviews that have been confirmed. Here's what Suns GM Steve Kerr wrote about Porter in a 2003 season preview: "Terry Porter is one of the best people I've ever met in the l...
Thursday, May 8
What might have been for Suns
For the Suns, the quintessential turning point was a 1969 coin flip. Phoenix lost out on the No. 1 draft pick and a chance to get Lew Alcindor. But that was your call, Suns fans. Jerry Colangelo followed your lead when 51 percent of you picked heads in a Republic poll, and don't even dis Neal Walk, t...
