The name across the front of the jerseys and the colors will be the same, but everything else about the Phoenix Suns opening night opponent, the New Orleans Hornets will be different. The two teams split their four meetings last year, but that has become an irrelevant barometer with the Hornets featuring eight new players […]
The Phoenix Suns open their 2011-2012 campaign Monday night at U.S. Airways Center against the New Orleans Hornets. The lockout-shortened season features a grueling 66 games in 121 days which could prove to be especially difficult for a veteran Suns bunch. The average age of Phoenix’s roster is 28. Could this be something the Suns […]
PHOENIX — Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said no one gives out trophies for preseason victories. It’s a good thing he’s right, because the Suns would have nothing to show for the work they’ve put in so far this season. Phoenix lost its only two preseason games — both to the Denver Nuggets — by […]
Even though a trade that would have sent Mickael Pietrus to Toronto from Phoenix was voided after he failed a physical, one could reasonably assume the swingman’s days in the Valley were numbered. They were. The Suns announced Thursday that they have waived the veteran, trimming the roster to 14 players. Acquired along with Marcin […]
Marcin Gortat insists the only game he will miss is Thursday’s preseason finale. “You’ve got to cut my arm, cut my head off to make sure I’m not going to play. As long as I can walk, as long as I can see everything, I’m going to be playing.” Gortat suffered a non-displaced fracture on […]
Preseason or not, head coach Alvin Gentry expects his team to be ready to play. They were not Tuesday night. The Suns lost their preseason opener at Denver, 127-110. “We didn’t play very good,” Gentry said after a two-hour- plus practice Wednesday. “I was really disappointed. For us, the energy level wasn’t where I thought […]
He played with a broken nose last season. It looks as though he’ll play the start of this season with a broken thumb. Suns center Marcin Gortat suffered a “slight non-displaced fracture on the top of his right thumb” in [Tuesday] night’s preseason game at Denver according to team president of basketball operations Lon Babby. […]
Not only did the Phoenix Suns lose their preseason opener to the Denver Nuggets 127-110 on Tuesday night. Starting center Marcin Gortat also suffered an injury in the loss. The fifth-year pro tweeted following the game that he suffered a broken thumb in the game against Denver. Great start!!! Lost game and broken thumb!!! Awsome….last […]
Optimistic Suns fans may want to avoid ESPN.com for a little while. Monday, Chad Ford wrote that the future is bleak for the team, and Tuesday saw John Hollinger write the same thing about the team’s present. According to Hollinger, the Suns will finish the season 14th out of 15 Western Conference teams with a […]
The Phoenix Suns didn’t do much to overhaul their roster in the shortened offseason, with their key moves being the re-signing of Grant Hill, drafting of Markieff Morris and signings of Shannon Brown, Ronnie Price and Sebastian Telfair. It is those moves — and the lack of any other — that led ESPN’s Chad Ford […]
In just over half a season in Phoenix, Marcin Gortat surpassed a lot of what he had accomplished in a little over three seasons with Orlando. The list includes more points, more points per game, more rebounds per game and more blocks per game. He also set several Suns single-season marks with the number of […]
Steve Nash knows his career may not finish in Phoenix, but that doesn’t mean he won’t always be a Sun. A guest on Arizona Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf Friday, Nash said he thinks of the Suns in the same way he does his high school and college team. “That’s my team forever,” he said. […]
It’s the biggest question of Suns training camp. No, not who is going to be the back-up point guard or starting shooting guard. It’s, how many dunks will Jared Dudley have in 2011-2012? “Eighteen!” he stated during the team’s one-week stay at Grand Canyon University. “Eighteen?” said a wide-eyed Steve Nash as he walked by. […]
When Amare Stoudemire signed with the New York Knicks last summer he left a team that had just gone to the Western Conference Finals for one that hadn’t made the postseason since 2004. So, maybe it’s just a little interesting that Stoudemire’s new team was in the playoffs last season while his old one, unfortunately, […]
In one corner, a four-time Grammy-nominated singer. In the other corner, the 1999 Grammy Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group award winner. Tamia or Monica. The wife of Grant Hill or the wife of Shannon Brown. “That’s a good question,” said Josh Childress. A question that could cause dissension in the Suns […]
Jared Dudley has never been a consistent starter in the NBA. He would like that to change this season. “It’s a big deal for me,” the Suns fifth-year player said after a recent training camp practice at Grand Canyon University. Dudley made a career-high 15 starts, including the last eleven games last season. This season, […]
By his own admission, last season was not a good one for Robin Lopez. Sure, he started a career-high 56 games, but he averaged less points and less rebounds than the previous year. Of course there may be a good reason for that: his health. A back injury limited the Suns fourth-year center to 51 […]
If it’s not the first thing a new player says upon his arrival in Phoenix, then it’s most certainly the second thing out of their mouth. It was for Shannon Brown. “Get the chance to play with Steve Nash, one of the best guys to ever do it as far as giving the ball up.” […]
There are certain stories in Phoenix that just won’t go away. Immigration controversy, the plight of the Phoenix Coyotes and rumors surrounding the future of Suns’ point guard Steve Nash have been prevalent for years. With the Suns heading into the 2011-12 season without lofty expectations, the rumors about trading Nash aren’t going anywhere, especially […]
It sounds simple. “You definitely want to keep the opposition’s score under yours.” The execution is not. “This stuff is not easy. Scoring is fun. Playing defense is hard.” New Suns assistant Elston Turner is here to try to make it a little easier with concepts proven to be successful over his 14 years as […]
The Phoenix Suns added a couple players Tuesday while saying goodbye to another, as the team said hello to Ronnie Price while saying goodbye to Zabian Dowdell. A six-year NBA veteran, Price owns career averages of 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Phoenix will be his third NBA stop after stints with […]
In a typical year an 82-game NBA season is played out over 170 days. This, however, is not a typical year. The Suns will play 66 games in 122 days, starting the day after Christmas. “You’ve got to embrace (the schedule) and just try to do the best you can to take care of yourself,” […]
The NBA season begins in 14 days. The first pre-season game is in eight days. Suns training camp is now in its third day. In other words, there isn’t a lot of time to get ready. With the season not starting on time because of the lockout, teams are re-evaluating what they had hoped to […]
There’s normally not a lot of interest in 39-year-old free agents in the National Basketball Association. Consider Grant Hill an exception to that “rule”. Hill was pursued by several teams, including contenders like the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks. But in the end, Hill opted to stay in Phoenix […]
Head coach Alvin Gentry called it a tough decision. “We had to sleep on that one. We really did.” Gentry, because the contracts of free agents Grant Hill and Sebastian Telfair as well as rookie Markieff Morris had not yet become official by the start of training camp Saturday night, needed another body to give […]
The Suns expect to be a playoff team this season. Before that can occur however the Suns need to show they can be competitive; and that starts now, in training camp. “We need to get ourselves in a position where we’re consistently competing, whether it be in drills or scrimmages or whatever,” explained head coach […]
Swingman Mickael Pietrus was back before he left. According to Paul Coro, Pietrus was to head to Toronto for a conditional second-round pick, but he was found to have a small knee injury that still needs a few weeks of treatment. [Pietrus’ agent Bill] McCandless said the trade has been “postponed” and that Pietrus did […]
A series of moves by the Phoenix Suns continued on Friday as they cut ties with guard Vince Carter, according to a Tweet from The Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro. The move was not much of a surprise as the aging Carter was to earn $18 million this year. The Suns will be responsible for paying […]
Veteran free agent forward Grant Hill has decided to stay in Phoenix, agreeing to a one-year, $6.5 million contract according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Hill had interest from several other teams, including the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, but opted to stay in Phoenix, where he […]
As doors open for training camps all around the National Basketball Association, the Phoenix Suns remained busy on Friday, agreeing to trade swingman Mickael Pietrus and cash to the Toronto Raptors for a conditional second round pick. The deal is contingent on Pietrus passing a physical in Toronto. Pietrus was acquired by the Suns from […]
