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Phoenix Suns head coach Alvin Gentry, right, watches as time expires in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat of an NBA basketball game on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012, in Phoenix. The Heat defeated the Suns 97-88. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Following Saturday night's 97-88 loss to the defending champion Miami Heat, Suns coach Alvin Gentry made it clear that a change will be made in the starting lineup when Phoenix next takes the floor Wednesday against the Portland Trailblazers.

So far this season, the Suns have had the same starting lineup in all 11 games but stability hasn't translated to the fourth quarter. Phoenix has yet to finish with the same five-man unit in consecutive games.

"We've got to stop having the starts we've been having, and the only way to really do that is to make a change in the lineup," Gentry said. "Probably the next game we play it probably won't be the lineup that you've seen."

As has become the norm so far during the 2012-2013 season, the Suns' starting five -- Goran Dragic, Jared Dudley, Michael Beasley, Luis Scola and Marcin Gortat -- came out flat against LeBron and Co., missing their first nine shots from the field. While the team battled back from an early nine-point deficit, a shooting slump to start the third quarter was too much to overcome in the second half against Miami.

"We can't keep going down 9-0 and then start the third quarter 13-4," said Gentry. "Then we put in another group of guys, and they fight their way back. We just can't play like that."

The Suns have trailed by double digits in 10 of 11 games this season, including all six at home. To make matters worse, Phoenix's starters Saturday night combined for just 33 points, while a combination of Jermaine O'Neal, Shannon Brown and Markieff Morris accounted for 40 points off the bench.

"We have to do something," said Gentry. "Take a look at another situation and keep trying to make adjustments and changes until we can find the group out there where we aren't battling from behind."

While Gentry didn't show his hand Saturday night as to what changes will be made, Brown's play off the bench certainly warrants more consideration for a starting nod.

This season, Brown is averaging a career-high 13.4 points per game (3rd-best on the team) and has scored 10 or more points in eight of 11 games.

Although Dudley, the team's current starting shooting guard, has improved his numbers of late (three games of double-digit scoring in his last five), during the majority of this season the five-year veteran has been outplayed by Brown.

The move wouldn't be in Dudley's worst interest, either. While the longest-tenured active Sun provides tremendous leadership to the starting lineup, he first made a name for himself in the Valley by providing a spark off the bench during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons.

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    Hani H. wrote...
    JD is not only change that needs to be made!
    Over the past three games we have allowed opposing teams Power Forwards to torch us by giving them wide open shots all game long. Scola needs to play better defense and hustle back on misses. Beasley has been also bad, he makes too many mistakes and does not bring intensity on the floor. I think he drags everyone in the starting lineup down. I would not give up on him just yet i would try to work with him may be play him at the Power Forward position a couple of minutes a game, put him in easier situations.
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    sundevil7901 wrote...
    Perhaps
    Beasley should be the one coming off of the bench.Start Brown at SG, with Dudley or Morris at SF. Maybe this will be a wake up call to Beasley.
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    whatupg wrote...
    Bench Gortat
    too, waaay overrated, never seen a guy his size get so many of his shots blocked right at the rim, then when he doesn't get them blocked he tries some up and under bull crap and MISSES, and then laughs about, ridiculous. And what about Wes Johnson, we heard he was a good shooter, and doesn't even get a sniff, C'mon Gentry give the guy a shot, he can't do any worse than Dudley(lol), Or Beasly (I'm way to cool for this) you know when your team is clanking up shots. starting lineup - C O'Neal F Scola F Tucker G Dragic G Brown
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