Suns Dowdell bowls for charity

"I'm a horrible bowler," he said moments before rolling a strike.

Dowdell, the Suns backup point guard, is at Lucky Strike in downtown Phoenix. He and his friends are raising money for the Association of Arizona Food Banks.

"They'll use the money to give turkeys and stuff for the families for the holidays," he said of an idea a friend came up with two weeks ago. "That's really why we're here: to provide a meal for the families for the holidays."

"I've been trying not to think about (the NBA lockout) but everyday somebody asks me what's going on."

At the moment, nothing is going on. The Suns were scheduled to host Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets Tuesday.

"You definitely want something to get done soon," Dowdell continued, "but right now you can't walk around worrying about that every minute of the day. We definitely want to get something done to where everyone is taken care of. Obviously, everyone is in different situations but I think (the NBPA) has been doing a good job of looking out for the best interests of everybody. I really don't have any complaints.

"Right now, I'm just training and trying to stay ready for whenever things get back to normal."

Should the lockout wipe out the entire 2011-2012 season, Dowdell, like most players, would consider playing in Europe or elsewhere.

"I've played over there so it wouldn't be anything new to me." He played for teams in both France and Italy after going undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2007. "I'm not against going overseas and playing. I'm a basketball player so if I can play on an outdoor court that's what I'll do."

In the meantime, there's always bowling.