Once upon a time, Jermaine O’Neal was one of the NBA’s premier big men. A six-time All-Star who averaged 20.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game from 2001-2007, the 17th-overall selection in the 1996 draft has had a very productive career. It’s a career many felt was near its end due to wear and tear […]
He is the one player many feel will be most affected by the departure of Steve Nash. Perhaps that is why Marcin Gortat, during Suns Media Day, said he was looking forward to playing without the point guard who helped him average a team-high and career-high 15.4 points last season. “I’m going to try to […]
The Phoenix Suns don’t have what one would call a “go-to” scorer. But they do have six players who averaged double figures last season, meaning they are not exactly without scoring options. One such option is Jared Dudley, who has raised his scoring average every year since joining the Suns and appears poised to take […]
As the Phoenix Suns prepare for the regular season they do so under a shroud of uncertainty. No longer led by veterans Steve Nash and Grant Hill, few know what to make of the group of players the team has assembled. So, according to Zach Lowe of Grantland.com, in a piece that divides the NBA’s […]
October 8, 2012: Luis Scola brings ‘very good’ passing ability to offense The Suns have four point guards on the roster, as it currently stands. None of them had more assists in the intrasquad scrimmage Saturday than 6-foot-9 power forward Luis Scola. Now, it was only one game and Goran Dragic, remember, was held out […]
October 7, 2012: Gortat wants to change uniform number from 4 to 13 LA JOLLA, Calif. — The NBA still had not officially approved the sign-and-trade agreement sending Steve Nash to the L.A. Lakers, when Marcin Gortat made a request: Would he be able to wear No. 13 this season? He could not. Only three […]
October 7, 2012: Frye makes appearance on final day of training camp LA JOLLA, Calif. — Among those in attendance at the intrasquad scrimmage Saturday was Channing Frye. It marked the first time he had been around the team since the club arrived in town for training camp. Two weeks prior, the Suns announced Frye […]
October 6, 2012: Suns rosters set for scrimmage Saturday LA JOLLA, Calif. — The Suns end their six-day training camp in Southern California with a scrimmage at the RIMAC Arena on the campus of UC San Diego. The roster has been split into two teams. Assistants Igor Kokoskov and Noel Gillespie will coach the black […]
October 5, 2012: Dudley sets the season dunk meter LA JOLLA, Calif. — There was no hesitation in his answer. “Seventeen,” Jared Dudley said. So, the longest-tenured Suns player is predicting 17 dunks this season. That’s quite a goal, especially when one considers Dudley threw it down only five times last year. “I took a […]
October 5, 2012: Day 4 of training camp at UC San Diego LA JOLLA, Calif. — For the first time since the team arrived here, point guard Goran Dragic practiced. He had missed the first three days of camp getting treatment for a sprained ankle he suffered in a pick-up game last week at US […]
Since entering the league in 2008, Michael Beasley has faced his fair share of problems. “It is no secret that he has had a rough time (at times) on and off the court, both in the NBA and leaving college,” Phoenix Suns general manager Lance Blanks told Arizona Sports 620’s Burns and Gambo. The former […]
LA JOLLA, Calif. — There is, as coaches are fond of saying, competition at every position. However, when looking at the 2012-13 Suns, there would appear to be only one starting position up for grabs: shooting guard. The candidates: Jared Dudley and Shannon Brown. “If you talk about probably the two guys that have played […]
October 4, 2012: Suns’ player development staff finalized LA JOLLA, Calif. — The Suns got bigger Thursday. They added two centers: one 7-foot-4, the other 6-foot-10. Now while the two will see time on the court, neither will suit up in uniform. The Suns announced officially the additions of Ralph Sampson and Sean Rooks to […]
October 4, 2012: Day 3 of training camp at UC San Diego LA JOLLA, Calif. — Wesley Johnson would prefer you call him “Wes”. He’s earned that request after the team’s last two scrimmage sessions. The third-year forward out of Syracuse, whom the Suns aquired from Minnesota in the three-team deal involving Robin Lopez and […]
LA JOLLA, Calif. — Phoenix Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry said he “would be shocked” if Goran Dragic is not the team’s starting point guard when the regular season opens October 31. The Suns did, after all, sign Dragic to a 4-year, $30 million free agent contract this summer. However, Dragic has not yet stepped […]
LA JOLLA, Calif. — He’s one of the few familiar faces in training camp. Yet even Markieff Morris is looking like a new player. The Suns second-year power forward said he added 13 pounds of muscle to his frame this offseason. “The better shape I’m in,” Morris said, “the more I can play, the more […]
The National Basketball Association is finally cracking down on flopping — or at least they’ll attempt to. Executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson announced Wednesday that financial penalties will be levied against any player who is determined to have committed a flop. The penalties are as such: Violation 1: Warning Violation 2: $5,000 […]
October 3, 2012: Suns practice ends early Wednesday LA JOLLA, Calif. — Before a practice can end, head coach Alvin Gentry will call out a player’s name and send that player to the free throw line. It’s very simple: make the shot and practice ends; miss the shot and everyone must run the length of […]
October 3, 2012: Suns rookies receive surprise after practice LA JOLLA, Calif. — The first day of two-a-days had just ended. But before anyone was allowed to leave, Marcin Gortat made like Santa Claus and handed out backpacks—kids’ backpacks, to rookies Kendall Marshall, Luke Zeller and Markieff Morris. Wait, Markieff Morris? He isn’t a rookie. […]
LA JOLLA, Calif. — It’s taken four years and a brief detour through Houston, but the player the Suns drafted in 2008 with the intentions of one day becoming the starting point guard is finally getting that chance. “It’s not [Nash] anymore, it’s me now,” Goran Dragic said. Entering his fifth season in the NBA, […]
October 2, 2012: Training camp opens at UC San Diego LA JOLLA, Calif. — The new era of Suns basketball is officially underway. “It’s just a whole new day,” Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby said Tuesday following the team’s initial practice at UC San Diego. “It’s just exciting.” Gone are Steve Nash — […]
LA JOLLA, Calif. — The uncertain playing future of a former UA Wildcat has opened the door for a former ASU Sun Devil to possibly land a roster spot with the Phoenix Suns. Ike Diogu, the 2005 Pac-10 Player of the Year, was one of five players the Suns added to their 18-man training camp […]
LA JOLLA, Calif. — Suns point guard Goran Dragic missed the team’s first practice of training camp at UC San Diego because of a left ankle sprain. Dragic said he hurt the ankle when he stepped on the foot of teammate Jermaine O’Neal during a pickup game last week at US Airways Center. “I was […]
When the Phoenix Suns missed out on free agent shooting guard Eric Gordon over the summer, many hoped the team would be able to land former ASU star James Harden the next offseason. One of the best young players in the game, Harden seems to have a skill-set that would be a perfect fit in […]
October 1, 2012: Suns media day Former Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino — following a March 1, 2000 home loss to the Toronto Raptors, uttered these famous words: Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door. […]
The Phoenix Suns announced they have added five players to their training camp roster, including former ASU star Ike Diogu. A six-year NBA veteran who was originally drafted by the Golden State Warriors ninth overall in 2005, Diogu has also spent time with the Trail Blazers, Kings, Clippers and Spurs. Diogu has career averages of […]
The Phoenix Suns got bad news Thursday when it was learned that Channing Frye would be out indefinitely after a routine preseason physical performed by team cardiologist Dr. Tim Byrne revealed the forward had developed a dilated cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart). Friday, Frye, Byrne and Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby addressed the media, with […]
Phoenix Suns forward Channing Frye will be sidelined for an indefinite period of time, according to a press release issued by the team Thursday. Frye has developed a dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart. The issue was discovered during Frye’s preseason physical. The former Arizona Wildcat will be re-evaluated in December. “Nothing is more important to […]
The Bakersfield Jam, the Suns’ D-League affiliate, will be holding open tryouts in the Phoenix area on Sept. 22 and 23 at US Airways Center. The top 20 players from the tryout will be selected to play in an All-Star game to conclude the two-day training camp. Pre-registration costs $150. However, you can still register […]
The Phoenix Suns underwent a considerable roster makeover this summer. Gone are veterans like Steve Nash and Grant Hill, leaving not only a void with talent, but also leadership. Enter Jared Dudley, who is now the longest-tenured member of the team at three-and-a-half years. A guest of Arizona Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf Friday, the […]
